32,500 looks like max capacity under normal conditions in San Diego. There are a handful of 34,000+ games, but those all seem to be special events which I would assume included some standing room and/or added seating. Wikipedia says the stadium holds 35,000, but I don't see anything out there that supports that number except the planned capacity before the stadium was built. Looking forward to the next easy-to-understand round of MLS Playoffs... which, for some reason, is in two weeks. The MLS Playoffs are somehow even more complicated than the NASCAR ones.
The next round of the MLS Playoffs is in two weeks because this coming weekend is an international window.
Which a switch to the European schedule wouldn't fix since last I heard they'd still play through mid-December (another discussion for a different thread I guess).
If MLS switches to fall to spring schedule MLS playoffs would it be late April and May, that wouldn’t conflict with FIFA dates.
The Canadian league final this past week is why MLS doesn't need to go to the England/Germany/Spain schedule. Those snowstorms are fairly common throughout the northern half of the U.S.
USA in not Canada, MLS doesn’t need to schedule games in the northern half of USA in winter, unless is a domed stadium.
Switching the schedule or not, MLS is going to have games on or around November 9, possibly in Canada.
Will the periods when MLS is playing and the periods when it is not playing really be all that different under a fall-to-spring schedule from what they are now?
Yeah, that doesn't work, as has been pointed out many, many times. If we're not going to materially change when the games are played...then what's the point? Spending a whole lot of money and time just to make a few high-priced new teams happy.
If you're going to do that then you're going to have to materially change when the regular season games are played (or materially change the size and length of the playoffs). Which many people are claiming won't really happen.
I mean, they aren't going to switch to an August - May schedule and then put the playoffs in the middle.
The southern half of the USA includes Colorado, St Louis, Kansas City, Nashville and Charlotte, all of which get snow.
Right. They're going to put the playoffs in April/May. Which means a bunch of games that currently take place in April/May won't be played there (Since 18 teams are in the playoffs but 30 teams currently play in those months). Those games are going to have to go somewhere, likely into November and December and possibly February. Which sure seems like a material change to when games are played. Playing 15 midseason games on November 22nd is a far cry from 4 conference semifinals that same weekend, and opens up a significant amount of concerns for northern teams. Yet the refrain from many supporters of this change is "well we're not really changing when games will be played so it won't be a big deal". Or even worse "just have northern teams play on the road" which is just ignoring a whole different set of issues. Again, I've stated that this might be a good move for the league as a whole (though I have my doubts), but far too many people are just glossing over that its going to crush a half dozen teams and it will take years for them to get back to where they are right now. And its not hard to notice that we're largely talking about MLS 1.0 teams getting crushed and MLS whatever-version-encompasses-the-last-5-10-years who are pushing this as a benefit.
I think most cities can host, at the very least some weekend afternoon games throughout most of winter. Of course, they will need to tilt more games towards southern cities, but not dramatically. They will, of course, have to have more leeway for postponements built into the schedule. They can't play games like the Minnesota WCQ, so they will have to postpone games when that weather is involved, but I believe statistically (and I'm not doing the analysis) a good number of Saturday afternoons throughout the winter are playable, albeit cold.
You can play the odd game in freezing conditions but if ground temperatures in Europe hit 32F they'll routinely postpone matches unless there's undersoil heating. The undersoil heating they use is only good for a couple of degrees. MLS might make an exception for a playoff game but if they routinely play in freezing conditions players are going to get injured and the PA is going to be up in arms. They'll have to move kickoffs to day time because temperatures generally plummet in the evening. Then there are the optics, because fans aren't going to show up in freezing conditions. NFL fans will for the odd playoff game but you could sell those games two or 3 times over. We already see low MLS attendances in the Northeast in February and early March. And which games are you going to schedule in winter conditions? You don't want a team flying from Cascadia to Nashville only to have to turn round and do it again a month later on a weekday. Plus you have the routine transport delays in the winter months. The first 2 or 3 seasons might go swimmingly but you could get a winter where the whole of the northeast or midwest shuts down for a month. The Russian experience is that attendances initially collapsed when they switched to August - May, until they built and opened all those nice roofed stadiums for the World Cup. I can't see that happening in the US and Canada.
It depends what you mean? Right now MLS's regular season starts in late-February and ends in late October, but playoffs continue until the first week of December. So the only real break is between early December and late February. In the future, the rumored plan is for the regular season to start mid-August, take a winter break between mid-December and early-February, then regular season ends in late April/early may, with MLS Cup at the end of May, beginning of June. So if by "MLS is playing" you include the playoffs, the change is about a month less time off in the winter and a two new months off in the Summer. However, If you don't include the playoffs, it would about almost 2 months less in the winter and three new months off in the summer.
One crucial factor about playing in cold months…are games going to be at 7:30, or at say 2:00, in order to take advantage of the least cold part of the day? Because that has to be 10 degrees or more of difference right there. To me that makes a hell of a lot of difference, but I haven’t seen any indication which way they’ll go.
And will they have midweek games, where they won't really have a choice? Because I don't see how you get a 34 game season, long playoffs, USOC, CCC, and Leagues Cup in without midweek games but I don't see how midweek games at 7pm in February are a good idea in many (most?) markets.
If you assume the "cold months" start mid November there are 7 games scheduled this year after the November international break. If you play regular season games there will be 45 to 60 games and much less incentive to brave the weather.
I've seen mention that the Cup competitions would take place during the winter break and be similar to the MLS is Back competition with all games in warm weather cities.
Teams that can play in winter, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, San Jose, LAFC, LA Galaxy, San Diego, Miami, Orlando, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Nashville and teams that can play 2 or 3 games during winter in domed stadium, Minnesota, St. Louis, Montreal, the rest can schedule games but if the conditions aren’t right there’ll be rescheduled with a bigger gap for postponement, one of the benefits for MLS is that they can sell more winter gear.
Says someone who has never been in the PNW in the winter. Yes, they can play games, but the fans will be miserable and attendance will suffer. Nothing is more exciting than being outside in the rain when it is in the 40s for a mid-season game.