MLS announces conference alignments for 2015, moves Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City to the Western Conference

In a flurry of news activity, Major League Soccer announced that Chivas USA was folding, that there would be a dispersal draft, and the conference alignment for next season all in one press release. Two teams on the East Coast will be entering the league next season, in Orlando City SC and NYCFC, and the loss of Chivas USA creates an even bigger imbalance between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. To rectify that situation, the Houston Dynamo and Sporting Kansas City will both be moving from East to West, making the Western Conference even more brutal than it has been before.

In addition, MLS announced that each team will play every team in the opposing conference once, will play every team in their own conference at least twice, and will play six teams in their own conference three times. This schedule alignment is fairly similar to this year, and was expected due to the fact that more and more teams will be entering the league in the near future. While a balanced schedule would have been possible next season, it would not have been feasible long term.

From a D.C. United perspective, I will miss having Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo in our conference; they were always worthy opponents that United couldn't figure out until this season. However, it does make the most sense given the geographical location of the two new teams, and it is not like United are losing any of their great rivals to a new conference. What do you think about the MLS schedule and conference alignment for next season?