Of mls Commissioner Don Garber reiterated that the possibility of change in the calendar of the league will not come after 2026 World CupEmphasizing that it would take time to implement “seismic” changes.
Garber teased the possibility of aligning MLS with the FIFA calendar, the league has been employed by the League, given the fall for the spring schedule instead of the current February to December, as it began to play in 1996 for the first time.
“We continue to evaluate the ability to transition in the FIFA International Match Calendar,” Garber told the media ahead of the MLS All-Star Game.
“We are not making any announcement today, but we continue to work in a large amount to take ourselves closer to this point with our fans, with our partners, with all our chief football authorities and with our clubs, but we are able to decide this. But we believe that the alignment is something that makes sense.
“If this is going to happen, it is going to happen after the 2026 World Cup. So this change is earthquake. It is not something that we should do lightly.
“We clearly have teams in many climatic regions, many times, unlike any other league in the world. So I will get it properly and take my time and get it wrong and do it quickly, because a long time of life when it comes like your schedule.”
Garber said the league officials would continue to reconsider the calendar considering a new roster strategy and possible changes in the competition format. Many club owners and general managers expressed disappointment over the strict roster sanctions of the first league, claiming that the rules obstruct the development and competition of the league on an international setting.
The MLS Commissioner addressed the capacity of various rules to please the teams and facilitate more ambitious squads.
“As we are going to CBA talks, it’s time for us to reconsider because we are developing the future of our league, what should be our roster strategy,” Garber said.
“We are looking at a growth of our competition format that sees a different structure for our regular season. Think of different structures for conferences to think about a different playoff format that we think something will happen that will maximize our league competition, it will make more that every regular season game is more and attachs our fans today.
“We have rules because we are looking at data. We are evaluating where we fit and allocation of resources can help our league move forward. Now, if the objective club is to win the Club World Cup, which is it, we have to find out how to manage today.
Asked if the league will consider employing the two-toornament season, such as Leiga MX Clausura and Apprtura format, Garber stated that it was too early to discuss the nuances.
“Talking about it is very early [possibility of divisions or a Clausura/Apertura structure]”Garber said.” We have found a very exciting format that will be ready to present once, when we go through all its formalities and we will talk about what will talk about or at the end of a press conference some time ago or at the end of the year’s press conference, but it would be great.
“And it is going to make the regular season more meaningful. It will be more aligned with the rest of the world how they play their competition.”
The MLS currently plays a 34-game regular season after a playoff tournament, where the top seven teams of each conference move forward to compete directly in the best range of the first round, which is before going to a knockout format to reach the final. In each conference, teams competed in a playoff chain to qualify for the playoffs in the eighth and ninth place.
Garber also revealed that the MLS Cup would be held on December 6 this year, the match would be hosted by the highest seed to come out of two conferences.
