MLS should take a 3-4 week break yearly

I said that in the Idea for 2006 to raise attendance (R) thread, and i think the break should end or start with July 4th games. Next year the world cup final will be on July 9th, so the league should have a break in June and return on 4th of July.

 

They knew what they were paying for. I knew what I was paying for. This isn't covert.

 

Assuming that's true, then they won't be missing anything that they would otherwise expect.

 

Absolutely, but a spectator who goes intending to see only one or two games isn't going to come back for another even if the best players play in it (see ChampionsWorld). Those who endeavor to see, at a minimum, 5-6 games are the ones that the league should set their sights on. Those are the soccer moms and dads and kids who will someday learn that it is their right to groan and moan about how the best players are getting pulled from their teams to play in some silly international tournament.

I don't think our best players are going to be on national duty for that long, and if they are, it's probably for a tournament that is so big that it will still be worth it for MLS to play during its duration.

 

This all gets more feasible as SSS become operational.

 

Let's say someone is coming to see Donovan, and they know he's on L.A. (I'd use Adu but he's not on the GC roster). They have no clue what the Gold Cup is or that it's being played now, since it won't be on TV channels people watch who don't speak Spanish (beyond us nutty soccer people).

So they go to the match, and learn Donovan isn't there because he's at this "Gold Cup" thing. How do they feel?

What FIFA needs to do is reserve the period between Memorial Day and July 4th for international matches and tournaments. That way MLS can take that month off every year. In odd years, it can be used for WCQ's or something. MLS would end Memorial Day weekend and resume by July 4th, thus preserving the holiday games.

 

The problem with a 3-4 week break is that you would have to play many more wednesday games throughout the rest of the season to finish the season before the weather turns bad in some cities. I am guessing (somebody may be able to prove me right or wrong) but I would bet that attendance is higher at games when nat players are away than it is at wednesday night games. I think you would have a hard time convincing the MLS brass to make less money by having nat players play on wednesdays rather than reserve players playing on weekends.

 

Major League Soccer has no choice but to continue the summer season until its teams control scheduling in all of their stadiums. But the league does need to find a way to blend into the international calender. That means no more league matches on FIFA fixture dates. No matter what we have to do to make that happen.

To me it's a matter of credability. Credability in the eyes of the MLS fan to know that our league matches are important enough to have our best players available. And credability in the eyes of the world. Because one of the biggest criticisms we have heard about MLS over the years is the lack of conformity to international rules. The league has responded to those criticisms on the field. Now it's time to take the next step and conform to the international calender.

And I would suggest that if the league owners are planning to sign international players from Europe or South America they need to consider the FIFA calender. Because if they don't, there is no way that players in their prime will come here to play.

 

WHS.

However, in my opinion this also shows why the Gold Cup should be changed to a schedule similar to the European Championship. It's ridiculous to have the continental championship squeezed into the middle of World Cup qualifying.

Chuck Blazer was quoted the other day to the effect of the Gold Cup schedule makes it so the smaller national teams in the confederation don't lay dormant when they get knocked out of World Cup qualifying. Perhaps. But I think (and this is purely speculative on my part) that those smaller nations would be better served by having a qualifying campaign for the Gold Cup. Could they afford that? I don't know, and I'll defer to those with better information than I have.

 

They do.

 

They do I believe, but I think that it's fairly concentrated and not necessarily on FIFA match dates (I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong). And of course it's quite convoluted since it's CONCACAF

A Euro-style system where they face both similar nations as well as a big country would be nice. A home date against Mexico or the United States would be quite a big draw I think. Hopefully sponsorship could be found so that the smaller nations could afford such a campaign and to make it feasible.

The other key to justify a break for the Gold Cup would be getting the tourney on English-language TV, with ESPN2 getting the U.S. games if they so desire.

 

I completely agree. The Gold Cup should be held every four years. And it should be two years between the World Cup. I would suggest CONCACAF schedule the next Gold Cup for June or July 2008. And hold the event every four years thereafter.

 

I stand corrected then.

 

The WC/GC breaks should be around the hols - Independence and Labor. Give these people a week break during each. Maybe Memorial Day as well.

 

But they're going to notice when Pablo Mastroeni isn't there?

Hell, Pablo's not there half the time as it is.

Fixed your post.

Stadiums are part of it. The theory that you'd have a damn deadly difficult time getting people to attend a sport in bad weather that we have enough trouble attracting them to in good weather is a bigger part of it. And I don't care what Garber says, he's either just saying that stuff to appease purists or he's daft. There are several MLS markets were people simply aren't going to go in the crap weather they get for much of the winter. And yes, it would be worse than a Wednesday night in July.

Considering those holidays do fairly well for MLS, I'd say that would be counterproductive. Get a break during the times when nobody goes anyway.