MLS looks increasingly likely to adopt a European-style winter schedule in the future, but the league was not prepared to announce any details ahead of the 2025 MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday.
While the American top division could shift the calendar in the future, the Board of Governors opted not to formally act on the shift during their meeting in Austin, Texas.
“Making this change is seismic,” MLS commissioner Don Garber told reporters in his midseason address. “It’s not something we should do lightly. If we do make the change, we’re not going to go back...I would rather take our time and get it right.”
Although previous reports suggested that MLS could align its schedules with Europe’s top leagues ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Garber reiterated that the move would be something that would come after the tournament.
“We're not making any announcements today, but we continue to do an enormous amount of work with our fans, with our partners, with all of our chief soccer officers and with our clubs to get ourselves closer to the point we're able to make that decision. But we believe that that alignment is something that makes sense.”
The commissioner also emphasized that the league has continued to strive to work with the current FIFA international calendar and respect international breaks more than in the past, as evidenced by the playoff schedule adjustment, which enables teams to avoid playing with missing international players during the November FIFA window.
Among the challenges facing MLS are the different climate zones across the continent, as well as three separate time zones, which are parallel to few other leagues outside the Russian Premier League.
“It’s getting hotter, and that’s clearly an issue, playing through the depth and the core of the warmest months in many of our markets,” Garber added. “So it just adds to the challenges and complexity that MLS has to deal with.
“Many people ask questions about how we’re going to deal with this one issue, that’s one of a thousand that we’re dealing with. We have to make the decision that’s going to set us up best for the future.”
The 2025 MLS Cup is set for Dec. 6.
Roster Adjustments Coming?
As much as the months MLS matches are played could be shifting, the way teams are built could look different in the future as well, with roster construction a key piece of the future.
However, any such changes would have to be collectively bargained between the MLS and MLS Players’ Association, which has a current Collective Bargaining Agreement set to expire in 2028. That would need to be amended should the sides wish to implement the schedule and other changes for 2027.
Among the new inclusions could be further options for roster flexibility, which could see the league distance itself from the hard salary cap and Designated Player model it has primarily used since David Beckham joined the LA Galaxy in 2007.
“As we’re going into CBA negotiations, it is time for us to rethink as we’re developing the future of our league, what our roster strategy should be,” Garber said.
“Now, if the objective is to win the Club World Cup, which it is, we just have to figure out how to manage that within the overall economic environment that exists today. So what I would say is all revenue and costs are related, and strategy and decision making is, strategy should drive decision making, and we will continue to evolve in ways that will move this leap forward.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Seismic’—MLS Commissioner Discusses Potential Winter-Based Schedule Change.
