Major League Soccer – When will MLS be played and how can the schedule change?

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber says that the competition continues to look at shifting an autumn-to-spring season, and says he «would rather get it right and take our time than get it wrong and do it quickly.»

Garber spoke for the MLS All-Stars competition on Wednesday evening in Austin, Texas, about the Apple TV streaming deal of the competition and the sale of the Vancouver WhiteCaps in his State of the League address before the competition.

What months are the MLS season?

MLS is currently playing a spring-to-late autumn season. It starts at the end of February or the beginning of March and runs until mid -October.

What is the conventional season around the world?

A conventional season runs all over the world between the beginning of August and the end of May. It is a timeline followed in large domestic competitions such as the Premier League and La Liga.

Read also: Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba from MLS All-Star Game in Austin

What would be the impact of changing the MLS schedule?

A shift to prepare the competition with its international counterparts would make MLS teams more competitive in the player transfer market, while also freeing players for national team obligation during the summer, when many large worldwide tournaments take place.

What can the challenges be for the change in schedule?

«This change is seismic. It is not something that we have to do light. We have clear teams in multiple climate zones, several time zones, unlike any other competition in the world, and if we make the change, we will not go back to that decision,» Garber said.

The MLS Board of Governors announced in April that it would consider the shift in more detail, but did not give a timeline. Garber suggested that there would be an announcement towards the end of the year.

What is the viewers of MLS and how are there plans for in the future?

Regarding the streaming agreement of the competition with Apple, Garber said that MLS is working with the company to offer fans more access. Distribution via cable and satellite services helped this season.

Statistics for viewers are hard to find because there is no system to determine exactly how people «view and consume» games via a subscription service, Garber said.

But he revealed that there were 120,000 unique viewers per match and promised more transparency in the future.

(with inputs of the corresponding press)