League says the new calendar makes MLS more competitive
Usually when you think of a winter sport, you think of hockey, curling or maybe snowboarding.
Soccer isn’t typically found on that list, but thanks to new changes by Major League Soccer (MLS), it can be.
On Nov. 13, the league announced that the new MLS season will start in July and end in May, with a winter break from mid-December to February.
These changes will begin in the 2027-28 season.
Currently, the MLS schedule runs from late February to early December.
It’s not much, but the new schedule adds more games in the winter months, meaning more potential for snow on the field.
But because the new schedule aligns with the top soccer leagues in Europe, league officials say it will make MLS more competitive overall.
“It marks the start of a new era for our league and for soccer in North America,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber in an announcement on Nov. 13.
This calendar shows the new format of the MLS season, which begins in July 2027 and ends in May 2028. There’s a winter break from mid-December to February. (Graphic design by Philip Street)
What players and fans say about the change
With this change, top players in Europe can now transfer to MLS teams without having to worry about conflicting schedules or contracts.
The hope is that more of the world’s top soccer players will now come play in North America.
The same is true for players hoping to move from MLS to the top leagues in Europe.
“We’ll be able to sign players when the biggest talent movement happens, in the summer, instead of mid-season when [it] is difficult,” said Will Kuntz in a statement posted by MLS.
Kuntz is the general manager of the LA Galaxy.
Some critics of the schedule change say this could affect player transfers from leagues in South America, which still runs from January to December.
As for the fans, the MLS says that earlier research showed that 92 per cent of viewers support the decision.
The new schedule also means that fans will be able to enjoy the MLS Cup playoffs during the same period that other major sports, like the NBA and NHL, have their post-seasons.
What about all the snow?
The league says they will avoid scheduling games in northern cities during the colder months.
But as most Canadians know, the weather can be unpredictable.
We might end up with more snow-covered soccer fields, like what happened during the recent final of the Canadian Premier League in Ottawa on Nov. 9.
This moment from the CPL final on Nov. 9 shows the viral bicycle-kick goal by David Rodríguez, which has been dubbed by fans as the ‘icicle kick’.
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With files from The Canadian Press
TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Kelvin Kuo/USA TODAY via Reuters