Soccer United Council survey (Or: Let's Discuss MLS' Calendar Some More)

Left unmentioned is that there would probably be few, if any, home games for cold weather cities in December, meaning at least 3 months during the season without a home game for those folks.

 

So games would still be played from March until December but the offseason break would just be called a "midseason break"? Seems really pointless.

 

So the only real change is about 3 weeks off in late June to early July?

 

Yeah, the mid-season break would be longer than the off-season break. Strange.

On the bright side we wouldn't have to go 3 months straight without MLS.

 

I was pretty dismissive of the idea in my survey responses. I wouldn't mind a longer MLS season (fewer mid-week games, more time for USOC and CCL), but I'd keep the March to December schedule with these changes:

Start in the late winter/early spring. Schedule favors warm weather venues.

Continue into the summer. Schedule favors cooler weather venues.

Wind down in the fall and early winter. No special venue considerations.

So Colorado doesn't get home games in March, and Houston doesn't get home games in July.

 

All it is is tossing red meat to the people who keep clamoring for a Euro schedule. They're not going to change anything next year or the year after except add an extended break for the World Cup.

 

Still don't understand the benefits of doing this. How would this help the league make more money? Attract better players? Get a bigger TV deal? Put more butts in seats (paid or otherwise)?

I just don't see any of it.

 

The survey asked more than just this. It also asked about the appropriate # of games in a season, what sort of weather keeps you from attending games in person, etc. There was a little about changing the schedule and it allowed you to suggest your own changes (it wasn't as simple as "switch to the European calendar: yes or no?").

 

Only if MLS is willing to invest in air conditioned stadiums due to the sweltering summer temperatures.

 

Yes, i am totally for goig up against coldge football bowl season and the NFL playoffs. MLS ratings in december and january would soar! Im telling you! Its the answer to all our problems.

*i think my eyes popped out of my head i rolled them so hard*

 

This has been answered repeatedly. MLS isn't ready for this but they could be at some point depending on financial gain down the road.

The calendar described above would put MLS more in line with the international transfer window, where right now MLS isn't really a participant. They hope for guys on frees for the most part. During the main window, summer, when other clubs are looking to sign and bring in players or sell them, MLS is mid season. Makes it tougher to do transfer business mid season. Chemistry/system issues of incoming players, tough to replace a player(s) sold.

Then the window which makes most sense for MLS, the winter window where it's right before pre season and the perfect time to bring in players, other leagues are mid season and generally not looking to sell. Look at most MLS winter window incoming transfers. It's almost non existent.

So if at some point which I think it will happen, development improves to the point large fees are coming in and there's some real business to be done on the transfer market not only in terms of selling players but also at some point I figure MLS will regularly be willing to pay transfer fees, aligning transfer windows with the main leagues would make more sense.

Beyond that, playoffs in Dec could end up being another issue. Bad weather can hurt attendance. Bad weather can hurt the most important games in terms of conditions and quality of play. At a certain point it might make sense to have the most important games in good weather, in May.

Finally summer tournaments. As MLS keeps improving we're going to have more and more internationals being called into the WC, GC and Copa A. With the new GC system there isn't an "off" GC year. It's important every two years now. We'll have more and more youngsters as development improves who are getting serious minutes in MLS and are being called into the U23's and U20's, on top of the full internationals being called in, and more and more players will be called in from various CONCACAF countries. Rosters could be gutted smack in the middle of the MLS season, summer after summer. And during these tournaments, not only is there competition on tv for MLS but the best MLS players will likely be playing in these tournaments, not in front of their home MLS fans. That could hurt ratings.

Going back to aligning transfer windows and participating more in the transfer market, bigger names could come, and that could boost tv ratings, meaning larger tv deals. Generally more stars equals more money. The networks want star power.

Finally, loans. If our calendar was more in line with the better leagues we might see more loans going both ways, both youngsters going to other leagues and youngsters in other leagues coming here,which could be great for the league. That would be farther down the road though after an assumed continued improvement in development. we have EPL and Serie A clubs saying they'd consider sending players here on loan in the future. The current calendar hurts that.

All this isn't to say MLS should change the calendar. But there are possible benefits to it which down the road could makes more sense for MLS. I'm surprised after how much this topic has been debated you still can't think of a single reason why there could be positives. There's negatives to it as well, weather being one, but it's not like this is some landslide victory in favor of keeping the current calendar as there's absolutely no possible benefit to changing it.

 

Long term it makes sense because the larger more important transfer window is not moving. The EPL and Germany are not going to a spring - fall schedule ever ....

December games can be played indoor in all the Canadian cities
The northeast and mountain cities will be tricky but its doable. Fewer home games ;
but at some point MLS will have roofs in most stadia to protect most fans from the elements ...

I see that no one asks what the Pacific Northwest and San Jose think. Well it rains all the time in December The fans will still show up.

The going up against American football argument is a canard. We already do to some extent and it doesn't matter anyway. MLS fans will watch MLS one way or the other regardless of their like for American football Hardcore NFL and college football people do not and will not watch MLS.

The most important reason to switch --the gold cup and World Cup always in summer and always looming and very important to the growth of the game, $$$$ here

 

Absolute nonsense.

 

I don't get this ... the idea specifically says no games in January. In fact most likely there would be no games after Xmas.

 

1) Align to CONCACAF CL and play the most meaningful games when teams are in mid season form
2) Align to the European transfer window.
3) Allow for there to be no MLS during World Cups, Olympics, Gold Cups, Confederations Cups etc ... Without a summer break we will have the yearly issue where top MLS players are gone for several weeks to attend international tournaments.
4) Allows for MLS to avoid the 2 extremes of the 2 coldest months and the hottest month of the year.

 

Anyone can say "nonsense" but no one has a crystal ball .....

If I was a betting man I'd say the switch occurs sometime next decade.

 

I'm an NFL, college football, and MLS fan. I know plenty of people who are the same. So I repeat, absolute nonsense.

 

Yep it's almost inevitable.

As MLS has improved the number of internationals in the league has gone up significantly ... especially CONCACAF internationals. Avoiding scheduling during Gold Cups will be increasingly tempting. And of course World Cups, Olympics and other tournaments that involve a significant amount of CONCACAF teams.

Also as MLS has improved it has become more involved in the transfer market. Teams want to buy from MLS and MLS teams are finally buying themselves. A lot of this activity happens with Europe and it will be increasingly tempting to align with them.

And finally the CONCACAF CL is something that is closer to being attained now than ever. Once an MLS team actually gets this cup and gets to play in a Club World Cup I think it will raise the awareness of the cup within the league. Aligning the schedule to CL will make too much sense to not be considered.

 

So I assume you already stop watching MLS after August?

 

That's a poorly worded survey question and available list of responses.

Were there any questions asked about the opinions of playing MLS matches within and immediately adjacent to FIFA international match dates/periods?

 

Not stop, reduce, because there are more time conflicts now. To make the statement that NFL and college football fans don't watch MLS is... wait for it... absolute nonsense.