MLS Owners Poised to Transform League Forever with Three Game-Changing Votes
Major League Soccer franchise owners may decide the league's future direction on Thursday, as reports suggest they're anticipated to vote on transitioning the season schedule to a fall-through-spring format.
MLS ownership groups might also vote to restructure the competition format into a unified table system featuring five geographically-based divisions, replacing the existing Western and Eastern Conference structure, as reported by The Athletic.
Although there were original plans to vote on the scheduling modification during a May gathering in Chicago, ownership and the MLS Players Association chose to postpone the decision. They may opt for another delay during the forthcoming meetings as well.
Nevertheless, the window to execute modifications for the 2027 MLS campaign is rapidly closing, and additional postponements could distance them from the anticipated surge in soccer interest following the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
If MLS embraces the scheduling transformation, it would synchronize with Europe's premier leagues, launching the regular campaign in July or August and concluding in April, prior to the MLS Cup postseason in May.
This adjustment would enable MLS to coordinate with global and transfer periods. MLS would also presumably implement a winter hiatus in December and January, mirroring the Bundesliga, followed by the break period in June and July.
Based on the report, games would likely halt during December's second week and restart in February, aiming to prevent conflicts with the NFL's Super Bowl weekend, customarily scheduled for February's second Sunday.
Weather Less of a Concern
Although the scheduling modification would permit the league to synchronize with global soccer, it would encounter obstacles in its northern territories, which might require modifications to practice facilities and venues.
Nevertheless, with growth into additional southern territories, there's reduced worry. Simultaneously, the winter pause would permit avoiding some of the most severe conditions in colder regions.
The timing also enables the most crucial matches and postseason to occur during spring, potentially delivering improved weather compared to previous freezing MLS Cup contests in Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Toronto and other northern territories. These cities have also demonstrated capability to host games in colder conditions.
Changes to Table, Playoffs
The suggested modifications to the MLS framework would reportedly divide teams into five divisions. Clubs would compete home and away versus teams in their division and also face the remaining 24 MLS teams once, totaling 34 matches—the standard count in previous MLS campaigns.
Beyond geographical considerations, the divisions wouldn't have significant influence, aside from potentially guaranteeing playoff positioning.
Additional concepts mentioned in the report included altering the playoff format to a repêchage system similar to the Canadian Premier League, where top seeds compete in qualifying contests against one another, and would receive another opportunity against lower-ranked teams if they lose their initial match.