Ancelotti: Lack of relegation in MLS 'demotivating'

Well-traveled manager Carlo Ancelotti says the lack of relegation from Major League Soccer is "demotivating," with no form of penalty for outfits that find themselves bottom of the Eastern or Western Conference at the end of the season.

Through his marriage to Canadian businesswoman Mariann Barrena McClay - they tied the knot in Vancouver - the Bayern Munich boss has a soft spot for the Whitecaps, but finds it difficult to be completely invested in them when there is no threat of the drop.

"I think the fact that there is no relegation hurts, because it's demotivating," Ancelotti said in an interview with ESPN FC's Gab Marcotti. "It's inevitable.

"I'd watch Vancouver and they weren't doing well but, hey, what changes if they finish last? They don't get relegated, they still get paid ... But that's the structure of U.S. sports and you have to respect it."

Instead, MLS franchises are inadvertently rewarded for finishing bottom with an early pick in the SuperDraft - an aspect which saw expansion side Orlando City pick up Cyle Larin in 2015, and the Chicago Fire select Jack Harrison the following year after a season they finished with a derisory 30 points in 34 outings.

There are no plans to link a promotion and relegation system with the North American Soccer League (NASL) and the United Soccer League (USL) anytime soon, however, with Don Garber telling ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle that the closed structure had worked "very well" for MLS.

Ancelotti conceded the North American offering does have some benefits, such as providing a more even playing field than the supremacy that clubs like Bayern Munich have traditionally enjoyed in the Bundesliga.

"I spent a lot of time in Canada last year and watched a lot of MLS," he said. "It's different, it's a different approach, the way everything is structured is geared towards a spectacle, towards parity, rather than flat-out, dog-eat-dog competition."

But, until MLS enhances its reputation, Ancelotti recommends that players use the peak of their powers at the highest level they can - rather than cash in and enjoy the adulation stateside and in Canada, like Toronto FC star Sebastian Giovinco.

Ancelotti said: "I think as long as you can stay at or near the top of the football world, that's what you do. And right now, the pinnacle is right here in Europe."