Wynalda wants MLS to change it's season to match rest of world...

I left one NYCFC match in March early because it was so freaking cold, about 27 degrees I think. I don't think the Yankees have undersoil heating, so I can't see many games going ahead in Jan/Feb.

 

My point was that you *do* see winter weather in the Big 10--and in November. There were some legendary games played in or after a major storm. We had 18 inches a couple days before we (Penn State) played Michigan in 1995--the 1950 Snow Bowl between tOSU and Michigan was even worse. Not to mention the 15 degree HIGH in Beaver Stadium when we played ND. There are numerous other examples.

Not that I *want* to see games outside in the north at that time of year. Our current schedule works for me. Not that it will mean anything shortly, as I likely shan't have a team to watch.

 

Big 10 soccer?

 

Much less for me as well. It's frankly absurd to think that more people would show up to games over the winter months, and I don't see how people believe that more people would find it appeasing emptier stadiums on tv either. It's bizarre.

 

Soccer is done first.....

 

The problem with soccer and most other outdoor team sports is that, apart from gridiron football, they are basically unplayable in snow conditions/below-zero conditions. Gridiron football is playable for the simple reason that the ball is carried/thrown thru the air. It doesn't travel on the ground, so rain and snow don't affect game play as much as other sports like soccer. Rugby can be played in adverse weather conditions like gridiron football, but when the weather gets too cold, games get cancelled, not for snow but for the field being frozen. Getting tackled on ice wearing no pads isn't very conducive to your health.

Another reason against a August-May season is how do you keep the field playable when dealing with snow? Since MLS is a summer league, I don't think that many of the SS in MLS have installed a system underneath the pitch to keep it warm. How many owners are going to want to spend that kind of money when you can just play in the summer?

If Wynalda is really, really, really set on playing an August-May schedule, maybe he should try it out first for a few years in one of the lower leagues. Specifically form a winter soccer league to play that schedule, but make it so it's not too expensive to get into it. Something like USL D III or D IV. The he can see how many people want to sit in the cold and watch soccer games in January or how many games are cancelled because the pitch is horrible. That might disabuse him of the notion that the USA must be on a August-May soccer season.

 

Don't forget that the average football player plays for less than 4 minutes a game (more for a QB), whereas an average soccer player plays for about 60 minutes.

 

I would think that playing for 60 minutes straight would be an advantage during cold weather just so you can keep warm. Starting and stopping for 4 minutes I would think would cause all kinds of problems.

 

I would think that playing for 60 minutes straight would mean they are 15 times more likely to get injured.

 

TFC has installed a couple of miles of Glycol lines underneath BMO Field specifically for situations like this. The field should be fine for game day.

 

Sorry for resurrecting this thread, but I have to ask. You seem to know what a QB is, but have you ever actually watched an American football game?

 

Yes, and I've played rugby, and I enjoy sarcasm.

 

Most leagues in South America have the same year round calendar. In 2018 the only exception will be Argentina.

However, I think US calendar could start earlier...

PRESEASON (4 weeks) could start after Martin Luther King Jr. Day with International Tours, International Tournament and National Tournaments (in the final weeks) in Southern and western states: Florida, Texas, Arizona, California and New Mexico.


SEASON could start the weekend of President's Day with US OPEN CUP Round of 32 or 64 (depending on US Open Cup format), starting before CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16.
MLS teams must be prepared for CONCACAF Champions League, US Open Cup could be a good test.

Round of 16 or Round of 32 (depending on US Open Cup format) will happen in the next weekend before CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16 second leg.

MLS REGULAR Season will start as usually on the first weekend of March.

US Open CUP will conclude in mid-June/early July, during "MLS Summer Break". MLS All-star game will take place mid-week before US Open Cup Final.

This solution will accomodate all international competitions from CONCACAF, FIFA and CONMEBOL. I think US Open Cup could take place during this international events. MLS should take a break during this events.

34 MLS regular season games will take place during 26-28 weeks.

MLS PLAYOFFS
4 weekends, in 2018 it will be something like this:
- Knockout round (one game): November 4, 2018
- Conference Semi-finals (one game): November 11, 2018
Conference Semi-finalist (at Home) VS Knockout Round Winner
One week break (November 12-18): US Men's National Games
- Conference Finals (one game. Neutral Conference Venue): November 25, 2018
- MLS CUP (One game. Neutral National Venue): December 2, 2018

 

Can't rep that enough.

 

I'm rereading your post, and I misunderstood what you were saying. I thought you were arguing that soccer players were more likely to get injured in cold weather because play is continuous, whereas American football is in short bursts. Now I realize you were comparing 60 minutes of continuous American football to 4 minutes, not comparing soccer to American football. My apologies.

 

Are we talking about whether or not the USSF president can impose such a thing unilaterally or whether or not the USSF as a whole can do so? Because those are two different things.

Let me preface this, the USSF cannot govern MLS directly or change any of it's rules. However the USSF has and can create rules governing divisional sanctioning which MLS is well within it's rights to ignore or not. The "NASL is suing USSF" is a good example of this. But such realities also exist for MLS. MLS can do what it wants but the USSF does not have to sanction it. If MLS wants said sanctioning, then it can conform or it can do without. This is the same principle here guys. Let's stop living in this world where MLS can ignore the USSF or FIFA with impunity and neither can do anything about it. That's just incorrect. MLS can do whatever it wants so long as sanctioning is of no concern. And that's the same with any league in the sport. In other words, the USSF cannot force MLS to do anything and MLS can't force the USSF to sanction it.

So, for me, the question is what actual power the USSF president has to set policy. Can he influence USSF divisional mandates? Or does he merely expedite policies and make contracts? This is probably a topic for another thread, but it's something that's become a topic of discussion ever since Gulati's tenure came under jeapardy and his subsequent decision not to run.

 

Which is why I don't Wynalda to be USSF president since he will probably try to force his vision of European soccer on the US. If he isn't smart enough to realize that a winter schedule won't work in the US and result in the loss of money for MLS owners, he shouldn't be USSF president.

 

Somebody (I don't remember who and it was years ago) said that an unsanctioned league wouldn't work because FIFA could give players a lifetime ban from playing in any sanctioned league or competition, so players wouldn't risk playing in an unsanctioned league.

 

9 below zero in Minneapolis this morning...

But, sure! Let's have a Boxing Day fixture at TCF Bank Stadium because Europe!

 

Hell yeah!! We'll show those "football" Eurosnobs that we can out European them! Look at what hardcore soccer fans we are. Playing a Boxing Day match in -22 Celsius and we aren't even cold. Bunch of European pansies.

 

Just have a four week break. And don't give Minnesota and cold weather markets home games for a few weeks before and after. It totally won't hurt attendance or general interest.

 

11 cities with severe cold weather excluding ATL and Cascadia. They could play their first 11 and last 6 games away from home. That would work...

 

Only a four week break? Try 12 weeks. I'm one of those "crazy" long-distance runners (I run half-marathons because I'm only half crazy) and I always plan on running in cold and snowy weather conditions during December, January and February. You aren't going to get anyone to sit in a stadium for a soccer game when it's in the low 20's to 30's outside for every game.