Is Mls Shifting Schedule?

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True Blue

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Sepp Blatter stated yesterday that MLS will be changing to an "international schedule" soon. This schedule would be the same as Europe which is from late summer to spring. Mark Abbott said today that the league will not be making a change at this time. That seems to keep the door open for a change in the near future.

One problem with the international schedule, MLS will be competing with the NFL, NBA and the NHL whereas now the main competitor is MLB. Another is the weather, and attendance will probably go down accordingly. Considering the circumstances, I don't see a need to change the schedule. Right now, MLS outdraws the NBA and the NHL in average attendance. If it's not broke, don't fix it.
 
I also don't see a need to change it. Weather is an issue. I can't imagine watching a game at Yankee Stadium in December. Being there on opening day for the Yanks in April is brutal enough. I have no idea how they do it in Europe.

Also, why compete with EPL, La Liga and Serie A for eyeballs?

Plus, this also gives me football all year long. MLS in the summer, Serie A in the winter. ;)

What are the pros of moving to an international schedule, anyway? Transfer market?
 
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Yes aligning the majority of the world (not all of it mind you) would allow more seamless ability to get players, since they would start and stop playing the same time MLS did. However I don't think it makes MLS less attractive to players who play in most of Europe just because they can't take a holiday in August. MLS's transfer windows are essentially the same, they are just playing or no playing during them like the other leagues.
 
The only real problem with MLS's schedule is that it loses its top stars during the World Cup and other international competitions during the summer. However, MLS's playoff structure compensates for that by allowing teams that struggled during the summer without their stars a chance to earn their way into the playoffs and then win the title anyway.
 
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The other major problem is that while MLS does well in the summer, it gets wiped off the map once NFL and college football hits in terms of media attention. The MLS Cup Final, which should be a marquee event for the league, barely gets noted. Last year, it took place on the Saturday that all of the College football conference championship games were being played and maybe got a mention on Sportscenter (and I think ESPN broadcasted the match!).

I think in a world where no international football existed, MLS would be finishing right now, with the playoffs happening in August where it could shine. It can't do that due to losing players to the world Cup.
 
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Not until we have more Southern teams and the Northern teams all pretty much have retractable roofs AND MLS has a more solid TV audience. You cannot move to the fall-spring with the NFL, College Football, MLB playoffs, NBA, College Basketball, and NHL and hope to survive with our current TV audience.

It would be a death sentence for MLS.

Until all of that happens, we're not moving anywhere.
 
Keep the schedule. We lose our best talent every 4 years but that probably works in the MLS' favor as they do a marketing campaign based off of that.

The NHL has the same problem with the Olympics. Works OK for them (minus injuries).
 
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Keep the schedule. We lose our best talent every 4 years but that probably works in the MLS' favor as they do a marketing campaign based off of that.

The NHL has the same problem with the Olympics. Works OK for them (minus injuries).

But the Olympic break is 2-3 weeks, whereas for the World Cup you lose players for about 2 months. Not to mention the NHL is increasingly hostile to the Olympics and is considering stopping allowing players to go to a tournament they make no money off of and apparently don't get much of a buzz off of either (unlike MLS with the World Cup).
 
It's worth noting that it would really help having a FIFA schedule if instead of grass you had artificial turf. *ducks*
Thank goodness that MLS isn't changing the schedule then. Down with FieldTurf!

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