A Candid Opinion: Keep the current MLS Schedule
Sean Clark weighs in on the debate of the MLS deciding to keep the Spring to Fall schedule or do the reverse.
On April 10, the MLS announced that the league changing to the international soccer calendar would not go into an effect before 2027 as the league mulls that change. There has been a wide debate among soccer fans as to whether the MLS should keep their February to November format or change it to the traditional European August to May schedule.
I am of the opinion that the current MLS schedule is the correct way to go, but it needs some tweaking to grow the league to the heights of the major four US sports. Changing the schedule to the international calendar would be a fatal mistake for the MLS.
To analyze this, there are two factors that are important to consider in this decision: competition and climate. NFL is king in the US by a mile. Anything that comes against the NFL is a death note for viewership (look at the NFL taking Christmas Day from the NBA). On top of this, College Football is a ratings magnet as well on Saturdays in the Fall.
So when the MLS goes up against either, it is hindered from a lack of spotlight aside from the diehard fans. On December 10, 2024, the MLS suffered a rating disaster for their Cup Final where the Los Angeles Galaxy won their sixth cup by knocking off the New York Red Bulls 2-1. With a Final pitting the two biggest markets on FOX, one would think many would tune into the match.
This was not the case.
It aired directly opposite the 2024 SEC Championship game between Georgia and Texas on ABC, a game where Georgia won in overtime. The SEC game averaged 16.6 million viewers while the MLS Cup Final averaged a whopping 468k viewers. For comparison, the second-tier USL Championship Final between the Colorado Springs Switchbacks and Rhode Island FC (Switchbacks won 3-0), averaged 606k viewers on November 23 at noon EST.
Now you might be thinking, why would I support the schedule staying the same when this happened?
While I think competing with the SEC title game was a mistake, a small tweak can be made: move the matches around football. The MLS should utilize a Friday night schedule where College Football and the NFL have minimal infringement on and with better marketing (move the MLS to Netflix or market it better on all of FOX’s channels), the MLS can make it a staple in the sports calendar in the regular season and playoffs.
With the Final, move it to the Saturday after the conference championship Saturday where the only competition is the Heisman Trophy presentation.
Also, it gives a championship atmosphere in December, where most other sports are still in their regular seasons. Changing the schedule to have the Final in May when the NBA and NHL are in the conference finals is too much competition for it to be sustainable.
Speaking of competition, the current schedule allows sports fans a second option in the summer besides the MLB. As a season ticket holder for the Colorado Rapids, I love having a string of games in the slower summer months, allowing me to invest time and money into the league and my club. If you change the schedule to where it begins in August, it aligns with the return of football, making it lost in the shuffle really quickly. I would hesitate to be a season-ticket member if the majority of matches align with college football instead of currently just the last few matches. It is much better for the MLS to be deep into their season when the NFL begins, allowing fans to invest in their club after the Super Bowl ends and when the NFL starts, fans are already in MLS mode.
One counter argument is the World Cup and other major international tournaments. With the years of the World Cup, the MLS can pause for it, then not have Leagues Cup that year so they can do more makeup matches in July and August. Every other year, the talent going to the Gold Cup, Copa America and Euro are minimal so there is no reason to pause the season during that time. If there ever comes to a point where it is no longer minimal, the MLS should already be to the point where the competition argument is no longer valid with it being big enough to consistently attract top talent.
Let’s discuss the other major reason to not change the schedule: climate. Due to how large the US is, the climate in different regions vary vastly, unlike the major European countries. Many MLS clubs such as the Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United, Chicago Fire and more play in cold climates. Unlike football, soccer does not have the play-in-snow culture that football does, making it less attracting and feasible for clubs to play in December and January (imagine Minnesota United playing in -10 degree weather).
It makes no sense to have matches throughout winter, even with a five-week break (winter is longer than five weeks), and the MLS begins play as winter is winding down (except for Colorado where spring does not exist). I get the perspective from southern teams where the summers are hot and humid. However, the falls and winters are much nicer in the south than the north. It is easier to play in heat than in freezing sub-zero temperatures. Hockey and basketball work as winter sports due to them playing indoors and with the padding football players get, they have more opportunities to be warm. Soccer kits are meant to provide cooling and free-flowing air in the heat so why move soccer to the winter spot?
Also, remember when I suggested that the MLS move the Final to a week later in December? Well here is my other suggestion: to make the MLS bigger and more grand, have a rotation of where the MLS Cup Final is, like the Super Bowl. Have matches in NFL stadiums where many would show up and market it to attract casual viewers. Doing this would lessen cold weather matches and make the MLS Cup Final more appealing.
Overall, the MLS will grow with these suggested changes. Changing the schedule solves nothing and would only shrink the MLS in mainstream media further. Remember, to reach new fans, soccer fans in the US must understand that the MLS (and future USL Division 1) needs to find gaps in the calendar to give new fans opportunities to grow into the sport.