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Despite being one of the world’s biggest soccer leagues, the MLS operates in a fairly unique way compared to the majority of top competitions around the world. That’s because North America’s top league is not currently in alignment with the international soccer calendar. This presents some specific challenges which make the operation of the MLS difficult.
There are now talks about a potential change in the timing of the MLS season, but any alterations won’t happen until 2027. Along with taking a look at when the regular season of the MLS should be played, Major League Soccer is also diving into whether to make alterations to both the regular season and the playoff formats.
This off-season schedule can actually work in favor of fans and bettors. Take summer, for example—there’s not much soccer showing up in today’s matches odds, but the popular American League is in full swing and often provides solid betting opportunities. So, does that mean the tournament should consider shifting its calendar?
What Is the International Soccer Calendar?
The typical calendar for most professional leagues, especially in Europe, follows a schedule of August to May, which was designed around players having a break in the summer months for rest and recuperation.
But the MLS is vastly different, instead playing from March through to October in the same calendar year. So while most of the world plays on through the winter months, the MLS decided to skip that, citing the potentially bad weather on the east coast during the winter months as a reason for the current timing.
But on the flip side of that, extreme temperatures during the summer months, especially out in the western states, can be stifling and dangerous to players and this is now all up for discussion.
Old Discussions Raised
This isn’t the first time that the MLS has sat down for talks about its calendar. They did this back in 2004-05 and again in 2014-05. Fast forward another decade and the talk of adjustment is back on the table, as announced by the MLS Commissioner Don Garber in his annual State of the League address. Whereas talks went nowhere before, this time there is a greater sense that the MLS stakeholders are more on board.
Addressing Issues
There are a couple of key issues as to why the MLS may want to consider following the international soccer calendar. The first of those is surrounding how the transfer markets in Europe operate during the summer. That’s the big time of the year when clubs are splashing some big cash around to capture players.
The open transfer market is extremely lucrative to smaller selling clubs who are looking to bank some revenue from the sale of star assets. It’s a piece of the pie that the current MLS franchises are missing out on, with teams not having the opportunity to sell their assets in what is essentially the middle of the season for them.
The other big issue surrounding the current set up of the MLS schedule is the clashes with summer tournaments. With the current expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup this year for example, and the growth of the FIFA World Cup, more and more matches are being played during the summer months, during what is typically the off-season for most of the world.
This causes a big clash with MLS franchises, who are liable to lose some of their best players to the international scene during the peak of summer, which, in turn, dilutes the level of the MLS quality during that time.
Another reason to shift the calendar is timing. Right now, the playoffs compete with the NFL, college football, MLB’s World Series, and early NBA games. It’s a crowded space. Moving them to May could help — fewer clashes, more open broadcast slots, and a better chance to stand out.
Where Are New Discussions at?
Does the MLS need this change? The fact that these feel like the most significant levels of talk ever surrounding this matter, then it indicates that it does. Major League Soccer’s Board of Governors have signed off on a second round of discussions about moving forward towards changes, which could come as early as 2027 if approved.
This will all be done in conjunction with the MLS stakeholders, but no details about how the regular season or playoffs could alter beyond when they are played, have come to light. But there is a sense that there is now a much heavier leaning towards aligning North America’s premier club soccer competition with that of the European season.
