Similar things happened for the Golden State Warriors under Chris Cohan’s ownership (before the current ownership bought the team): seemingly underperforming players would be traded away or outright cut from the floundering Warriors, only to suddenly have good careers (and in some cases, to become key cogs on championship teams) on other teams. Is that all the more reason to hope that Joe Lacob buys the San Jose Earthquakes (either solely or, more likely, as the majority owner of a new ownership group)? In any case, among other reasons, having the right ownership absolutely matters. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/67...ons-moves-signings-2025-offseason-every-club/ MLS contract decision tracker: Running updates on end-of-season roster moves Toronto FC declined its option on veteran goalkeeper Sean Johnson Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images By Tom Bogert Nov. 7, 2025 With the end of the 2025 regular season and the MLS playoffs chugging along, multiple teams are officially into the offseason, with plenty more due to follow suit as they get eliminated from the postseason. The first step for all of those teams is to announce their contract decisions: Which options to pick up, which ones will be declined, whom to engage in negotiations about potentially returning and more. These announcements will roll from now through the Dec. 6 MLS Cup, but the deadline for most clubs to make their decisions is November 26. The four teams remaining in the playoffs at that point will be given extra time until their seasons end. This will be constantly updated as teams reveal their moves. Real Salt Lake Updated Nov. 7 Contract options declined (6): Forster Ajago, Matthew Bell, Kevon Lambert, Johnny Russell, Tommy Silva, Jude Wellings Out of contract (3): William Agada, Zack Farnsworth, Zac MacMath In contract negotiations (3): Javain Brown, Kobi Henry, Sam Junqua New contract (1): DeAndre Yedlin What will Real Salt Lake look like in 2026? There may be a premium on continuity after a busy summer transfer window, but the club has room to maneuver. After naming Jason Kreis president of soccer operations and giving contract extensions to head coach Pablo Mastroeni, sporting director Kurt Schmid and assistant sporting director Tony Beltran, RSL announced its roster decisions. The biggest among them is Willy Agada’s contract expiring, as the forward is eligible for free agency. After RSL signed forwards Rwan Cruz and Victor Olatunji this summer, a clear role for Agada wasn’t guaranteed. He is likely to have plenty of interest in free agency if he stays in MLS. Agada’s former Sporting Kansas City teammate, Johnny Russell, saw his contract option declined as well. The veteran winger played just 348 minutes this season. Fullback DeAndre Yedlin signed a new contract with RSL, which was expected after he arrived in a summer trade from FC Cincinnati. Questions remain about how the attack fits together around Diego Luna, but the club hopes a full preseason for key summer signings will help unlock more goals. Cruz, a Designated Player, failed to score in his first 10 appearances for the club. LA Galaxy Updated Oct. 30 Contract options declined (2): Miguel Berry, Eriq Zavaleta New contract agreed (2): Christian Ramirez, Brady Scott In contract negotiations (1): Diego Fagúndez In transfer negotiations (1): Matheus Nascimento The reigning MLS Cup champions endured a year from hell, as the LA Galaxy were without injured star Riqui Puig for the whole 2025 season and struggled mightily, finishing second-to-last in the West with just 30 points. Despite the disappointing season, the club still feels great about the future. As such, the Galaxy have 25 players under contract with two more in negotiations about a return. The Galaxy will run back most of their roster and should have a much better outcome, such is the quality in the team and Puig’s importance. The two players the club is in talks with about potential returns are midfielder Diego Fagúndez and forward Matheus Nascimento. Fagúndez was one of the club’s more expensive contracts, so the Galaxy declined his option for 2026, but are negotiating for a new deal that would keep him in L.A. Fagúndez, 30, started 29 matches for the club this season after appearing in all 34 regular season matches in 2024. Nascimento, meanwhile, is a club-to-club negotiation. The Brazilian forward is on loan from Botafogo through the winter, and his purchase option is in the region of $7 million, per sources. The club is looking for a solution for him to return in 2026. Elsewhere, the Galaxy announced new contracts for goalkeeper Brady Scott and forward Christian Ramirez. Ramirez joined last winter from the Columbus Crew fresh off winning MLS Cup and should fit perfectly in the club’s healthy attack in 2026, with Puig back and pulling the strings. He is a natural center forward but is comfortable roaming into the channels, which is an asset for the group. He’s poised to be a valuable member of the attack next season. Toronto FC Updated Oct. 24 Contract options declined (8): Nathaniel Edwards, Derrick Etienne Jr., Sean Johnson, Kevin Long, Hugo Mbongue, Raoul Petretta, Sigurd Rosted, Charlie Sharp Loan expired (1): Maxime Dominguez Purchase option exercised (1): Theo Corbeanu In a big surprise, Toronto FC opted not to pick up the 2026 contract option on goalkeeper Sean Johnson, potentially making the American one of the best free agents on the market this winter. There is a possibility of a return. Sources say Johnson and Toronto are in negotiations over a new deal, but there is no guarantee an agreement is reached. The move comes as a shock, as Johnson was signed to an extension during the 2024 season and the club viewed him as a rock, both on the field and in the locker room. Johnson was the fourth-highest-paid goalkeeper in MLS last year, and he was statistically one of the league’s best shot-stoppers. Toronto made other key moves, including picking up the purchase option to turn the loan of Theo Corbeanu from Granada into a permanent move. Corbeanu had six goals and two assists in 2025. Other departures include Maxime Dominguez, Raoul Petretta, Kevin Long, among others, to clear up significant cap space. After seasons of waiting out bad contracts, Toronto is poised to turn the corner in 2026. The club bought out contracts of Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi in the summer before making the marquee $8 million cash-for-player trade to acquire Djordje Mihailovic. TFC also added Jose Cifuentes this summer, to help kickstart the rebuild. Toronto has just 21 players under contract and can add at least one, if not two, DPs this offseason. The expectation around the league is, after years of disappointment and hanging near the bottom of the conference, Toronto will be a club with big aspirations in 2026. Sporting Kansas City Updated Oct. 23 Contract options declined (5): Tim Leibold, Nemanja Radoja, Ryan Schewe, Khiry Shelton, Mason Toye Out of contract (6): Andrew Brody, Joaquín Fernández, Logan Ndenbe, Memo Rodriguez, Erik Thommy, Robert Voloder Loan expired (1): Alan Montes In discussions (2): Santi Muñoz, Ryan Schewe Sweeping change was expected as the club takes its first step into a post-Peter Vermes era with David Lee taking over as chief soccer officer, and Lee for sure wasted no time clearing the deck. After the club’s roster update, it has only 12 players under contract for 2026. The biggest players to depart include captain Erik Thommy and Khiry Shelton, who had been with the club since 2018. Departures of Thommy, Shelton, Joaquín Fernández, Alan Montes and Nemanja Radoja clear TAM-level roster spots. Logan Ndenbe and Robert Voloder leaving frees up two U-22 initiative slots. All in all, the flurry of exits has left SKC with a ton of salary cap space, one Designated Player spot and three U-22 initiative slots to work with this winter. The club also will be hiring a head coach. DPs Dejan Joveljić and Manu García remain, as do talented young players like Jacob Bartlett and Jake Davis. This is a team to watch for in 2026, as the overhaul may look more like a reloading than a rebuilding. It’s largely a blank canvas for Lee and the front office. Houston Dynamo Updated Oct. 21 Contract options declined (10): Stephen Annor, Obafemi Awodesu, Ethan Bartlow, Erik Dueñas, Michael Halliday, Sebastian Kowalczyk, Damion Lowe, Sergio Santos, Daniel Steres, Júnior Urso Out of contract (3): Franco Escobar, Gabe Segal, Andrew Tarbell Loan expired (1): Kieran Sargent In discussions (2): Amine Bassi, Pablo Ortiz After a hugely frustrating season for Houston, expect the Dynamo to be busy this winter. The first sign of that? The club declined 10 contract options and picked up just five, with another three contracts expiring. The biggest departure looks to be defender Franco Escobar, who is out of contract, and the team did not denote him as one of the players with whom they remain in talks. Key midfielder Amine Bassi is one of the players Houston is engaging in negotiations, but his return is not guaranteed either. Both players have been absolute stalwarts the last three seasons, but both had their lowest minutes played total in 2025 over that stretch. “We are now singularly focused on improving next season’s team, returning to the playoffs and putting ourselves in a position to compete for trophies,” president of soccer Pat Onstad said. A number of veterans – Júnior Urso, Daniel Steres and Sergio Santos – won’t return, nor will some young players, like Obafemi Awodesu, Erik Dueñas and Michael Halliday. Awodesu is a surprise, given he started 17 games this season and was on a supplemental roster slot. Wingback Griffin Dorsey and midfielders Brooklyn Raines and Artur were among the five players whose contract options were exercised. Houston currently has just 19 players under contract for 2026. St. Louis City Updated Oct. 21 Contract options declined (4): Rasmus Alm, Alfredo Morales, Akil Watts, Michael Wentzel Out of contract (1): Selmir Pidro In discussions (3): Henry Kessler, Ben Lundt, Josh Yaro To be determined (3): Seth Antwi, Jayden Reid, Joey Zalinsky St. Louis City is still without a GM and a coach, but has begun its offseason moves. After re-signing goalkeeper Roman Bürki to a new contract — which sources say will make him a Designated Player next season — the club have announced some of their contract decisions. The club picked up options for key players Chris Durkin, Jeong Sang-bin and João Klauss, while declining some options lower down the roster. Henry Kessler and Josh Yaro’s contract options were declined, but they remain in discussions about staying. St. Louis making major offseason decisions before appointing a GM is interesting. Sources briefed on St. Louis’ decisions around the league have told The Athletic that club president Diego Gigliani wants more control on the sporting side since the firing of Lutz Pfannenstiel. Announcing these decisions would indicate that is happening. The club is at a crossroads this winter after missing the playoffs again in 2025. CF Montréal Updated Oct. 20 Contract options declined (3): Fernando Álvarez, Bryce Duke, Giacomo Vrioni Mutual contract termination (1): Tom Pearce To be determined (1): Alessandro Biello New contract agreed (1): Sebastian Breza After finishing 25 points below the playoff line, roster change this winter is expected in Montréal. The club wasted no time in getting started with its contract decisions, moving on from at least four players to free up salary cap space. The most expensive of them is forward Giacomo Vrioni, who joined from New England last winter. Vrioni occupied a Designated Player spot for Montréal and was a non-factor, with three goals in 411 minutes. Bryce Duke also slipped out of the rotation by season’s end, though he should have numerous suitors in free agency. More surprising was to see the club moving on from Fernando Álvarez. The 22-year-old is a Colombian youth international who appeared in 58 games across all competitions for the club in the last two years. Montréal exercised options on Matty Longstaff, Luca Petrasso and Brandan Craig while signing Sebastian Breza to a new, long-term deal. The club made one significant non-player move in dropping the interim designation on head coach Marco Donadel. Now, it must also mull bringing in numerous key signings to mount a more formidable challenge in 2026. Montréal’s core for next season will revolve around Iván Jaime, Dante Sealy, Prince Owusu and Thomas Gillier, among others. By Tom Bogert Senior Writer, US Soccer
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/68...hletic_breaking_targeted_email&userId=1915940 MLS owners vote to flip schedule to European calendar, change format starting in 2027 Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn Images By Paul Tenorio Nov. 13, 2025Updated 1:59 pm PST PALM BEACH, Fla. — MLS owners officially voted Thursday to flip the league’s calendar to begin in mid-July and run through May. The vote moves MLS forward on a major change it has been studying and debating for more than a year. The league will begin play under the new format in 2027. In addition to a new calendar, league owners also voted to update the regular season format. The playoff format is still in discussion. The league will move to a single-table competition, but will also have five six-team divisions beginning in 2027, according to sources, though league executives declined to go into detail on the new structure. The plan is for the MLS regular season to span from the middle of July to April, with playoffs staged in May. A winter break would take place in December and January. Games would likely pause from around the second week in December through the first or third week in February. MLS understandably is trying to avoid restarting the league on Super Bowl weekend. There would also be a summer break in June and July. “When we look at the footprint, 91 percent is the same as the current footprint,” MLS executive Nelson Rodriguez said. “To begin and end in great weather, with less stadium conflicts, with our fields in pristine shape, with our players on a cycle that mirrors the global cycle, especially as it relates to the big international events and schedule, will just make our fan experience and our player performance and our overall player quality that much better. That’s the large driver of it. And having our playoffs, having our end of season in April, leading into our playoffs in May, completely uninterrupted by any FIFA window or event will also be massively popular and again add a lot to the quality and drama of our league.” The league will stage a “sprint season” likely to be 14 games from mid-February through May in 2027 ahead of the calendar flip. A significant chunk of the new season will overlap with the typical MLS calendar. MLS currently plays from the third weekend of February through the second weekend of December. Now, MLS’s most valuable property — the end of its regular season and its playoffs — will no longer compete directly against college football and the NFL. By moving the MLS playoffs to May, the league also will avoid a FIFA international window disrupting its playoffs. Courtesy of MLS “When we think of our existing footprints, we begin in the middle of February, as it is, and our Cup, even next year, will end, the third weekend of December,” Rodriguez said. “And so the difference isn’t in the footprint, it’s in the volume of games within that footprint. Obviously, your playoffs have less number of matches than your regular season, but the period is the same. You’re in the playoffs, you’re playing in November. You qualify for Concacaf Champions Cup, you’re playing the first week of February. And so there’s no appreciable change there at all in our mind. “In terms of the competition with the NFL and college football, right now, our playoffs are up against the last few weeks of the NFL season as it starts to reach its playoffs and its climax, (and) it’s up against college football championships. The weather is more challenging or can be less predictable at that time, and we have some stadium conflicts. Those are all alleviated with the playoffs in May. There’s no gridiron at all. “Our stadium conflicts are far less. Our weather is prime, which makes our playing conditions prime. It’s not too hot, it’s not oppressive. Our fields will be in great shape. Our players will be ready to go.” The debate over the calendar flip has found its harshest critics in the northern markets, where fans have voiced concern about losing summer games while adding games in colder months. Because of the winter break spanning from mid-December to early February, the league believes it is only adding a handful of games outside of the windows that currently exist in today’s MLS schedule. Fans in warmer markets, meanwhile, expressed relief at fewer games being played on some of the hottest days of summer. Some colder-market owners sought mitigation for expenses and loss of revenue that would come with the calendar flip, including renovations to stadiums and training facilities. Other owners in warmer markets pushed back on those requests, according to sources. No mitigation was tied to this vote, Rodriguez said. Starting the season in mid-July rather than in August when most European leagues start also gives MLS more summer dates. What You Should Read Next MLS contract decision tracker: Running updates on end-of-season roster moves As MLS teams have their seasons end, they'll be revealing their player decisions for 2026. Keep track of them all right here “We think the mid-July start is optimal for us,” Rodriguez said. “At that time those intercontinental tournaments are likely to be finished. At that time among North American professional men’s sports leagues, I think only Major League Baseball will be active in its regular season. And it’s a great time for us to launch, great time for our fans to enjoy our league. So it just makes a lot of sense for us.” Rodriguez noted that the league will probably play more games in December and February in warmer markets, and likely more games in the hottest summer months in the northern markets, but noted the league’s principle is to not have a team play more than three games in a row on the road or at home. The league is also committing to taking off FIFA international windows, though Rodriguez said there are discussions to play in the new double September-October window so the league does not have a long pause in the middle of the new calendar. The back-and-forth was a snapshot of the impossibility of finding a calendar that would work perfectly for all markets in a continental league that spans from Vancouver to Miami and from Houston to Montreal. It also spoke to the league’s recognition that it needed to start pivoting from a business that revolved around local gameday revenue in order to find a wider national audience that might bring the all-important media revenue that could change the math for league owners. There was no debate about the sporting reasons for the change. MLS teams will soon do the bulk of their business in the summer window, which expands opportunities to buy players and sign free agents at a time when much of the world does its business, as well as to sell players at top market prices without disrupting a team’s season. “For me, it’s going to be crucial. Simple as that,” Columbus Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said Thursday. “If they don’t do it, there is no logical thought. … If you don’t make the change, you can talk and talk and talk — it is impossible that people overseas are going to take us seriously.” Said Rodriguez: “The calendar flip also allows us to take more advantage of the world’s largest global transfer window, what we would call in the summer, and the players that are acquired, the player services that are required then would play more of the regular season than as we’re currently constructed, and those teams that might be in Concacaf would have those players fully acclimated for Concacaf,” he said. “So again, we see this as really having a positive impact on overall player quality and our match quality.” MLS will also no longer be behind a separate paywall on Apple TV beginning in 2026. MLS and Apple agreed to alter the partnership agreement at the end of the 2025 season, multiple sources told The Athletic. MLS Season Pass will no longer exist, and all MLS games will be available on the Apple TV streaming service. (Apple rebranded Apple TV+ to Apple TV.) That now puts MLS on a streaming service with several of Apple’s popular shows, as well as with MLB and F1, which will begin airing on Apple TV next season. In addition, Apple and NBC recently announced a bundle with Peacock for $14.99 a month, which would give fans access to the Premier League, MLS and F1 in one bundled price. By Paul Tenorio Senior Writer, MLS
The change would see the season kickoff in mid-July and run through the Spring, with Decision Day in April and the MLS Cup playoffs in May. The 2027 season will shorten beginning in February featuring a 14-game regular season, playoffs, and MLS Cup in May.
Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and St. Louis can and most likely will utilize their existing indoor stadiums during those cold, winter months. Not sure what the other teams will do….
Winters tend to be less harsh in Europe. They get snow but not the bitter sub-zero cold that's common in the upper midwest. Playing in that weather is one thing, but who is going to want to become a popsicle in the stands?
MLS Calendar change is approved for 2027 Major League Soccer will change its competition schedule in 2027 to align with the world’s top soccer leagues. MLS currently runs from late February through early December, including the regular season and playoffs. The change will see the season kick off in mid-July and run through May, with a winter break from mid-December to February. Commissioner Don Garber said the shift will strengthen MLS teams’ global competitiveness and create better opportunities in the transfer market. • Apple TV: Beginning in 2026, MLS matches will be available to all Apple TV (former Apple TV+) subscribers without requiring an additional MLS Season Pass subscription. Apple TV acquired exclusive global broadcasting rights for MLS in 2022 under a 10-year deal valued at approximately $2.5 billion. • SA Confidential: MLS’s tradeoffs in search of a more perfect union (By Paul Kennedy)
It'll be a downer for attendance here also. We're essentially trading ideal beautiful spring months (May, June, part of July) for Nov, Dec, Jan, which may be rainy and during part of which people are busy with the holidays. There are gonna be some very sparsely attended games. Not to mention losing the 4th of July game at Stanford. Thinking about the NFL, "snow games" are not that common, but there are some indoor / covered stadiums to mitigate, and there are no such stadiums in MLS that I can think of offhand. And as you say, sub-zero weather is not uncommon. Wonder what affect that has on injury potential. Can't be that good.
The change will see the season kick off in mid-July and run through May, with a winter break from mid-December to February. So a 2 and a half month break between MLS games? WTF?
The home schedules for the Northern teams will be strongly skewed. That means teams like us, LA, Houston, etc. will have a huge segment of their home games very early/late in the season. Also, I'm sure that with a single table the playoff structure is going to be even more ludicrous than the current one.
I’m going to repeat myself: …we need to respect copyright and not post entire articles from paywalled websites. It’s so unfair to journalists, who need every penny they rightfully earn. instead, please Summarize key points and provide a link. Those sites will often let you officially share paywalled articles as well.
If the Quakes are still here in 2027, I envision the league and/or team scheduling more of the following game at PP during the summer months. Leagues Cup Concacaf Cup Open Cup Or the top money maker: International Friendlies
Oh that’ll be great, a whole slate of “rain games” while we twiddle our thumbs during the beautiful summer / early fall months.
Happens already. Quakes get shafted with the schedule every year. Weeks at a time away from PayPal during July and August.
So as far as the Quakes are concerned anyway, not playing regular season home games in June , July or August won't make much of a difference.