MLS to mirror European football schedule?

[IU Hawks fan]

Final is counter programming to the SEC Championship.

Yeah, might be time to change things up a bit.

 

[The Marquis]

Final is counter programming to the SEC Championship.

Yeah, might be time to change things up a bit.

The amount of crossover between those two things is very low. Very very low, especially in those two markets. They’ll have great overall viewership this final because both LA and NY have a team in it and people in those places largely couldn’t give a damn about SEC football.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

The amount of crossover between those two things is very low. Very very low, especially in those two markets. They’ll have great overall viewership this final because both LA and NY have a team in it and people in those places largely couldn’t give a damn about SEC football.

I'd rather watch DIII football than the SEC....the MLS Cup was fantastic, however

As far as cultivating the casual fan...yeah, that's a miserable thing to be counterprograming. I still don't think devaluing the northern franchises is the way to fix this, but I digress.

 

[PCSPounder]

MLS won't switch to fall/spring schedule before '27

MLS has announced that the league will explore a switch to its schedule that would align with the international soccer calendar as early as 2027, as well as possible changes to the format of the regular season and playoffs

www.espn.com

So it won’t happen next year, as there wasn’t a full consensus among owners.

Two years from now (when, if I understand correctly, there’s a chance to opt out of the Apple contract) is still on the table.

 

[robertmac43]

My attendance at BMO Field will go down if I'm asked to go through December to Febuary....

I get the reasons to line up the calendar.... but come on.

 

[PCSPounder]

My attendance at BMO Field will go down if I'm asked to go through December to Febuary....

I get the reasons to line up the calendar.... but come on.

The USL Super League went for a traditional schedule this year, their first year of operation. That they got first division status approved by US Soccer was surprising… I think I covered that here.

Spokane has a team, speaking of surprises, considering Dallas is the nearest opponent. Spokane Zephyr are further north in latitude than Toronto and do not get the full “Pineapple Express” that keep Portland and Seattle almost completely snow-free during the winter even though both are also north in latitude from Toronto. They play a 28-game season this year. The USL had a break from mid December to mid February. Spokane didn’t have a home game between October 27 and March 8 (they played 7 games on the road in between those dates). The last game of the season is at the end of May.

Of course, I spent some minutes last Saturday in Spokane (watching the men’s team playing in USL-1) wondering if the Spokane Zephyr font completely rips off the original Star Trek font. Shrug, but live long and prosper, yo!

 

[PanniniClaus]

My attendance at BMO Field will go down if I'm asked to go through December to Febuary....

I get the reasons to line up the calendar.... but come on.

Nonsensical unless the plan is to drive out northern teams or force them indoors.

 

[robertmac43]

The USL Super League went for a traditional schedule this year, their first year of operation. That they got first division status approved by US Soccer was surprising… I think I covered that here.

Spokane has a team, speaking of surprises, considering Dallas is the nearest opponent. Spokane Zephyr are further north in latitude than Toronto and do not get the full “Pineapple Express” that keep Portland and Seattle almost completely snow-free during the winter even though both are also north in latitude from Toronto. They play a 28-game season this year. The USL had a break from mid December to mid February. Spokane didn’t have a home game between October 27 and March 8 (they played 7 games on the road in between those dates). The last game of the season is at the end of May.

Of course, I spent some minutes last Saturday in Spokane (watching the men’s team playing in USL-1) wondering if the Spokane Zephyr font completely rips off the original Star Trek font. Shrug, but live long and prosper, yo!

They would need to take a break to get teams like Montreal and TFC to play in bearable weather.

Montreal gets insane snow and obviously is cold during the winter. TFC plays right on the lake and the breeze that comes off of it on an already cold -20 night would be near unplayable.

I love the idea of going to the same schedule, I just don't think its feasible.

 

[The Marquis]

The proposal has a break from mid December to mid February. I’m guessing you get through the bowls, FBS playoffs and Super Bowl. If that’s the case, it’s no more brutal than it is currently, it just impacts more teams. MLS started in late February, and MLS Cup has been in early to mid December most years since 2012.

I still hate it, but it’s not that bad. Just more dogshit rain games at Providence Park for me.

 

[varsaku]

The USL Super League went for a traditional schedule this year, their first year of operation. That they got first division status approved by US Soccer was surprising… I think I covered that here.

Spokane has a team, speaking of surprises, considering Dallas is the nearest opponent. Spokane Zephyr are further north in latitude than Toronto and do not get the full “Pineapple Express” that keep Portland and Seattle almost completely snow-free during the winter even though both are also north in latitude from Toronto. They play a 28-game season this year. The USL had a break from mid December to mid February. Spokane didn’t have a home game between October 27 and March 8 (they played 7 games on the road in between those dates). The last game of the season is at the end of May.

Of course, I spent some minutes last Saturday in Spokane (watching the men’s team playing in USL-1) wondering if the Spokane Zephyr font completely rips off the original Star Trek font. Shrug, but live long and prosper, yo!

The proposal has a break from mid December to mid February. I’m guessing you get through the bowls, FBS playoffs and Super Bowl. If that’s the case, it’s no more brutal than it is currently, it just impacts more teams. MLS started in late February, and MLS Cup has been in early to mid December most years since 2012.

I still hate it, but it’s not that bad. Just more dogshit rain games at Providence Park for me.

MLS season already starts in mid feb and ends in early dec. So this would just impact when games are schedule and playoffs fall in.

 

[KevFu]

MLS also just plays less games, so it would be easier to manage around the weather a little bit.

Shorter domestic schedule, and less overall competitions.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

There are plenty of leagues who play during summer. I fail to see why MLS needs to change the schedule.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

There are plenty of leagues who play during summer. I fail to see why MLS needs to change the schedule.

This is the biggest thing for me - people don't exactly suggest that the K-League, or J-League as a matter of fact, *should* change their schedules in order to appeal to a certain kind of soccer fan, or European team presidents. By this point, both of those leagues, J-League especially, are considered some of the best quality leagues in all of continental Asia. Why should MLS change their schedule, outside of desires to be taken seriously by European footy fans, when by most major metrics, MLS is getting the recognition it deserves as a place for young talent to nurture and grow before moving onto continental Europe?

 

[KevFu]

Why should MLS change their schedule, outside of desires to be taken seriously by European footy fans

Because the American and Canadian fans of European footy are their key demographic.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

Because the American and Canadian fans of European footy are their key demographic.

Those people are never going to change their affiliations, though, no matter what changes MLS makes to their schedule or even structure to placate them. They're still going to lambast it as a retirement league, say it's nowhere near as good quality wise as the top European leagues, and every moniker they can throw at MLS will be thrown. By this point, you're better trying to get fans who are either not so bull-headed to not accept anything outside of the Western European football prism as lesser then to become fans of their local teams, or people who are going to be fans of soccer as it has become in North America.

 

[PCSPounder]

Those people are never going to change their affiliations, though, no matter what changes MLS makes to their schedule or even structure to placate them. They're still going to lambast it as a retirement league, say it's nowhere near as good quality wise as the top European leagues, and every moniker they can throw at MLS will be thrown. By this point, you're better trying to get fans who are either not so bull-headed to not accept anything outside of the Western European football prism as lesser then to become fans of their local teams, or people who are going to be fans of soccer as it has become in North America.

I’m not going to grant this a single all-knowing answer, because those fans you describe aren’t the only ones, and our collective ability to come to a consensus royally sucks. It even democratically sucks.

For instance, I had posted the Eric Wynalda rant. I think that, if you got him even a mite sloshed, besides his poor understanding of North American climates, he would tell you he’d rather have a more Hispanic audience. It’s the South- and California- that would benefit more from that kind of shift. He is a San Diego guy; he may simply not care about Chicago or Canada.

That’s not nearly as entertaining as the ex-pat Brit civil war, however. You have those that settle in places like Portland and Seattle because that reminds them of home. Then there’s those who sought to escape the weather of the isles at all costs. It’s a battle.

The Marquis aside, Wynalda’s point about the hot weather not being the sell some think it is happens to be true in Portland. People are either out of town during the summer or are not enthused by how hot the park has been getting in July the last several years. March and September-October get more fans… though Cascadia this weekend with S**title in town will get the most fans.

But the biggest warning: MLS needs to relocate its relevance. I’ll be curious to see if it tries to trigger an escape from Apple before the World Cup comes. Not that the World Cup doesn’t promise to be completely mistreated by the current rulers.

 

[jkrdevil]

Should MLS schedule around FIFA breaks? Probably. I’m not sure why you necessarily need to change schedule from calendar year to Fall-Spring to do that. I doubt MLS playoffs do better vs the NBA and NHL playoffs than MLB, CFB and NFL. It’s a packed sports calendar regardless. I guess having the fall fifa breaks at the beginning of the season than right before playoffs is better.

Ultimately you can’t really play late Dec./Jan/early February in most of North America so the dates they play on are probably going to be the same. The season would have to start in July right after internationals to work.

 

[varsaku]

I’m not going to grant this a single all-knowing answer, because those fans you describe aren’t the only ones, and our collective ability to come to a consensus royally sucks. It even democratically sucks.

For instance, I had posted the Eric Wynalda rant. I think that, if you got him even a mite sloshed, besides his poor understanding of North American climates, he would tell you he’d rather have a more Hispanic audience. It’s the South- and California- that would benefit more from that kind of shift. He is a San Diego guy; he may simply not care about Chicago or Canada.

That’s not nearly as entertaining as the ex-pat Brit civil war, however. You have those that settle in places like Portland and Seattle because that reminds them of home. Then there’s those who sought to escape the weather of the isles at all costs. It’s a battle.

The Marquis aside, Wynalda’s point about the hot weather not being the sell some think it is happens to be true in Portland. People are either out of town during the summer or are not enthused by how hot the park has been getting in July the last several years. March and September-October get more fans… though Cascadia this weekend with S**title in town will get the most fans.

But the biggest warning: MLS needs to relocate its relevance. I’ll be curious to see if it tries to trigger an escape from Apple before the World Cup comes. Not that the World Cup doesn’t promise to be completely mistreated by the current rulers.

I think the streaming approach was fine but it shouldn't have been put behind a paywall. They should stream it online for free and try to get their money back as much as possible through advertisements. Some tv deals could then be put out to get them on cable/broadcast. Future growth in viewership and subsequently in advertisement revenue will help offset production costs. Unfortunately that would mean you would become solely reliant on gate revenue which i feel they already were. Off course that is short term pains for long term gains which most owners seem to not want. They went with the highest bidder and feeling the pain now.

 

[varsaku]

Should MLS schedule around FIFA breaks? Probably. I’m not sure why you necessarily need to change schedule from calendar year to Fall-Spring to do that. I doubt MLS playoffs do better vs the NBA and NHL playoffs than MLB, CFB and NFL. It’s a packed sports calendar regardless. I guess having the fall fifa breaks at the beginning of the season than right before playoffs is better.

Ultimately you can’t really play late Dec./Jan/early February in most of North America so the dates they play on are probably going to be the same. The season would have to start in July right after internationals to work.

The short offseason would make rebuilding a team so challenging and would create a huge lull in interest to start the season.

 

[KevFu]

Those people are never going to change their affiliations, though, no matter what changes MLS makes to their schedule or even structure to placate them. They're still going to lambast it as a retirement league, say it's nowhere near as good quality wise as the top European leagues, and every moniker they can throw at MLS will be thrown. By this point, you're better trying to get fans who are either not so bull-headed to not accept anything outside of the Western European football prism as lesser then to become fans of their local teams, or people who are going to be fans of soccer as it has become in North America.

I agree with that assessment on the snobbery as it pertains to MLS. There's really only TWO WAYS you could possibly get those fans to convert to MLS fandom.

#1 - MLS becomes the best league in the world with elite talent and skill. (That's absolutely not happening).

#2 - A team in their backyard gets so much attention that they take notice and get drawn in.

About 220 million of us live in markets without teams. But we have a "local team" on TV that's in the best league in the world in the other sports. PRO/REL could bring in some of those fans via the promotion race, and the fact that MLS is the only league where THEIR CITY could be a part of a major league.

Should MLS schedule around FIFA breaks? Probably. I’m not sure why you necessarily need to change schedule from calendar year to Fall-Spring to do that. I doubt MLS playoffs do better vs the NBA and NHL playoffs than MLB, CFB and NFL. It’s a packed sports calendar regardless. I guess having the fall fifa breaks at the beginning of the season than right before playoffs is better.

Ultimately you can’t really play late Dec./Jan/early February in most of North America so the dates they play on are probably going to be the same. The season would have to start in July right after internationals to work.

It's not a calendar change for viewers and ticket sales. It's a step-by-step progression:

1. You create an academy system that can produce far better players than what MLS has had (That's starting to bear fruit now).

2. You can sell academy products too good for MLS on the transfer market for a lot more revenue if you're on the same schedule as Europe. Being on a different calendar devalues those assets, and alienates your fanbase when you're "deadline sellers" to meet Europe's offseason window.

3. The increase in revenue from the transfer exports lets you buy better players yourself, or retain more academy products, elevating the league.

4. The fans show up because the league is better/elevated.


Hell, just having "Premier League Mornings, MLS Afternoons" on the same network would be a huge boon to MLS.