Major League Soccer announced the competition format for the 2012 regular season and MLS Cup playoffs on Sunday.
Each of the 19 MLS clubs will play 34 games, with Western Conference clubs to play each West opponent three times, while East teams will play seven conference opponents three times each (21 games).
Having a competitively determined site for MLS Cup is one of the most exciting improvements our Board of Governors has adopted, MLS executive vice president Nelson Rodriguez said.
We believe this provides every club a tremendous incentive during our regular season and ensures a festive and boisterous setting for our championship game.
The Montreal Impact will begin their inaugural MLS season as the 10th team in the Eastern Conference, while the Western Conference will consist of the same nine clubs as in 2011.
A total of 10 clubs will qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs – the top five in points from each conference at the end of the regular season.
In a chage from recent years, the conference championships will be decided by a two-game, aggregate-goal format.
The 2012 MLS regular season kicks off in March and ends in October, with the full schedule to be announced in February.