News: MLS owners approve fall-spring calendar and season format changes: Sources

Winter break could cover it. Mid December to mid Feb is two months.

 

December isn't completely off.

 

Actually, I think having a break in summer and the winter should help with injuries. Playing Feb to December straight thru is more problematic.

 

MLS and its' teams (Philly has been) has been sending surveys out to season ticket holders the past three years. They've openly talked about a potential calendar change for years now. The start of the season has been earlier and earlier every season for a few years now.

I have ZERO sympathy for those teams in northern climes that still don't have adequate facilities. MLS' season starts in February currently. There's games in March.... You'd think that those teams would have invested in indoor practice facilities by now....

Why is it surprising that the owners that have already paid to build these facilities don't want to help subsidize the owners who haven't built them??? Like seriously???? MLS plays in February and March already, the fact that Montreal and Colorado don't have proper training facilities for those conditions is on them. They needed those facilities regardless of a schedule change.

 

For crying out loud, northern teams play home matches in Feb, Nov, and December now. This is not a change.

And the warm whether teams won't be all road games in the spring nor the northern teams all road in the winter. California & sothern teams have to play each other, as do northern teams. Just road heavy.

This is a huge plus for the league and long overdue.

1. It will help a ton with transfers and raising the level of the league. Better players will come.

2. We'll be aligned with FIFA, so fewer/no games where the stars are out on INT duty.
That's better value.

3. The playoff calendar, which currently covers TWO INT breaks post decision day, will be un nerfed. And won't gonup against NFL/college football. AND take place in May instead of December (when I glean everbody thinks games are a bad idea?).

4. Single table and everyone plays everyone every year. At least for a bit. Huzzah!

5. Leagues Cup can now be at the beginning of the season, where it belongs, instead of during the home stretch, causing congestion and fatigue.

6. Liga MX and MLS will now be synched. CCC & LC should be truer tests now.

 

Explain ratings to Apple.

If anything, more people would be encouraged to stream.

Thx,

Jay!

 

What’s “summer” to you? MLS will still be playing from mid-July and all of August. And MLS teams can schedule some fireworks nights after preseason friendlies in June and July. Or just play the reserve team in those. Doesn’t really matter since the crowd coming to watch fireworks isn’t there for the game or result anyway.

The Open Cup schedule can and will be adjusted to accommodate the MLS calendar, as it has been many times in the past. Play the first rounds through April. Pause until July and then finish after that. It’s barely different than the Open Cup schedule this past year.

 

So whats the difference then in playing games 22 -25 in February versus games 1=3 in February then?

I get it, the math ain't mathin. 1 game versus 15 games on a game week....... not all of those games will be played in bad weather, same as they are right now. How has the weather in Colorado been the past few weeks btw? Could the Rapids have been able to play games the past 3-4 weeks?

 

I agree, it’s better that the playoffs take place in good weather in May. Rather than risking very cold weather or snow for such important games (remember MLS Cups 2010 and 2012).

Mid season games are more flexible for postponement in unplayable weather conditions and aren’t as important, so it’s better to have those in December.

 

I assume it will vary based on what's going on with international tournaments each year.

 

We have 3 in a row all the time now. When Columbus played at CCS, the Fairgrounds got used for the Quarterhorse Convention every year and the Crew took a 2-3 game road trip in the summer, every year. Sometimes we'd go a calendar month without a home game.

 

Hell, there were NO games one Sarurday. They had them Wed/Thur/Fri/Mon. It was a joke.

 

Fair. But that is an assumption. There are 7-8-9 weeks there. You can leave for 5-6 weeks and then come back for 2 to ramp up again.

 

CCC/CCL games are often before MLS starts in Feb. Been to some FRIGID ones over the years.

 

That is forced on the league, it’s not a choice they made.

 

Sure, in World Cup years they’d start later, on the last weekend of July (ex. July 25, 2026). Other years they can start earlier. The Gold Cup 2025 finished on July 6. CWC final was July 13. The Euro 2028 final is on July 9.

 

If they want to resume the season after the Super Bowl, they’re only getting two games in February. Again, this is only marginally different than it is now.

 

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MLS plans to extend transfer windows a bit beyond when major European windows close after the schedule flips in summer of 2027. MLS also has gotten green light from FIFA and Concacaf to include the three Canadian MLS teams as domestic, so all 30 MLS clubs will be aligned.

 

I do like that MLS Cup will not be East vs West every year. This means the two best teams could play each other or two big rivals (for examples, Seattle v Portland, LA v LAFC, Cincy v Columbus, NYC v NYRB, or even RSL v Colorado ) could face off for the championship.