Mls Schedule Realignment

[CCMore]

Someone posted a question to the Ian Joy thread asking him what he would about changing the MLS schedule to line up with the European Leagues' schedules across the pond. I wanted to see what the forums opinion on the movement of the schedule if this change were to occur. A negative to me would be the harsher winters of NY would make it difficult to watch a match for 90 minutes at YS and it would be difficult to fill the stands with supporters. My other thought is if this realignment was approved how would they schedule the league without upsetting fans and players? Fans would love a back to back season. After the MLS Cup the winter season would start up with no off season. Or would MLS take a whole year off to rest the players and not rush things? I think that the long wait would make many fans restless. I just wanted to see everyone's thoughts on the schedule realignment idea.

 

[franchise646]

Someone posted a question to the Ian Joy thread asking him what he would about changing the MLS schedule to line up with the European Leagues' schedules across the pond. I wanted to see what the forums opinion on the movement of the schedule if this change were to occur. A negative to me would be the harsher winters of NY would make it difficult to watch a match for 90 minutes at YS and it would be difficult to fill the stands with supporters. My other thought is if this realignment was approved how would they schedule the league without upsetting fans and players? Fans would love a back to back season. After the MLS Cup the winter season would start up with no off season. Or would MLS take a whole year off to rest the players and not rush things? I think that the long wait would make many fans restless. I just wanted to see everyone's thoughts on the schedule realignment idea.

the winters in the northeast, the Midwest and in Canada make this a NO go.

 

[sbrylski]

You'd need a minimum of a two month break in January and February. Plus all of March being road games for Northern teams, and maybe the last two weeks in December too. I don't think it's worth the trouble.

 

[Ulrich]

It'd be tough on teams with already built stadiums, but for new stadiums there are architectural components that could be added to make it work for the field and fans. Minnesota played their NFL playoff game is brutal conditions but the field looked awesome because they installed a radiant steam system under the field with hot water/steam flowing through it. If stand have a roof above the seats, designed in a way to trap heat (curled a bit down toward the field like a rainbow rather than flared up), then there are mechanisms to run the same sort of radiant floor heat below the seats and then possibly pump hot air in the stands. It'd definitely be more expensive to engineer a stadium like this (the sides would have to be enclosed to not look out along the concourses), but it'd make it bearable for fans to suffer through if dressed appropriately. That said, alcohol sales would plummet during the coldest of games.

If NYCFC didn't incorporate something like this in to their eventual stadium, I'd be parking my butt on the sofa to watch the sub-freezing games.....

 

[joe]

I think it would be a good thing for US soccer in terms of having all players available on FIFA dates, but would dread attending those winter home games.

I also thing it's really unlikely to happen.

We could fill a fair amount of time on which "normal" soccer things we'd most like to see in MLS (or thought most likely to happen). Pro/Rel, winter schedule, no playoffs, etc.

 

[Taurus]

I don't think the schedule will change. One positive, if you're into both MLS and European soccer, we get to watch 12 months a year.

 

[FootyLovin]

I don't think the schedule will change. One positive, if you're into both MLS and European soccer, we get to watch 12 months a year.

This.

Of all the possible changes, this one ain't happening.

 

[Gotham Gator]

As was mentioned in another schedule thread, you'd need to have a majority of teams in warmer climes that don't carry a snow risk. Otherwise, you can't play a full schedule in winter.

Right now, we don't have that, and the scheduled expansion wouldn't change things.

I would like to see us extend the season a bit so that we can play more games and take off international dates, but that would also take more warm weather teams.

 

[bigapplepie]

You can't play association football in sub-freezing temperatures except on an artificial pitch. It's too dangerous for the players.

 

[FootyLovin]

You can't play association football in sub-freezing temperatures except on an artificial pitch. It's too dangerous for the players.

They would need to require every new stadium be built with a retractable roof and even then it would take 20 years before we had enough of the right facilities.

 

[Ohenry]

You can't play association football in sub-freezing temperatures except on an artificial pitch. It's too dangerous for the players.

Germany and the rest of Europe solved that problem a long time ago with under soil heating. But that still wouldn't make it palatable or smart for MLS.

 

[Seth]

Germany and the rest of Europe solved that problem a long time ago with under soil heating. But that still wouldn't make it palatable or smart for MLS.

Pretty sure I remember a few EPL matches last winter being canceled due to the pitch being too frozen.

 

[Ohenry]

Pretty sure I remember a few EPL matches last winter being canceled due to the pitch being too frozen.

You are right but all clubs have heating. Ever notice the grass is green?

 

[Falastur]

Pretty sure I remember a few EPL matches last winter being canceled due to the pitch being too frozen.

I don't recall any PL matches being postponed last season, although I could be wrong.

These days, matches are usually postponed because the police step in and say weather conditions are making travel dangerous for fans. It's very rare for a match to be cancelled in the PL because the pitch isn't good enough.

 

[Ohenry]

I don't recall any PL matches being postponed last season, although I could be wrong.

These days, matches are usually postponed because the police step in and say weather conditions are making travel dangerous for fans. It's very rare for a match to be cancelled in the PL because the pitch isn't good enough.

I think a very small number were for torrential rain that made the pitch unplayable and maybe one or two in the last couple years for dangerous driving conditions after snow storms.

 

[Seth]

I think a very small number were for torrential rain that made the pitch unplayable and maybe one or two in the last couple years for dangerous driving conditions after snow storms.

I looked into this a little bit and I think you're right. The frozen field ones I think I was thinking about were from 2010 maybe, and the ones from last season were the torrential rains you mentioned.

 

[LionNYC]

I don't recall any PL matches being postponed last season, although I could be wrong.

These days, matches are usually postponed because the police step in and say weather conditions are making travel dangerous for fans. It's very rare for a match to be cancelled in the PL because the pitch isn't good enough.

I was watching Behind the Badge: Crystal Palace, like NFL Hard Knocks, and the commentator mentioned a CP match was postponed due to a torrential amount of rain that night.

 

[Falastur]

I was watching Behind the Badge: Crystal Palace, like NFL Hard Knocks, and the commentator mentioned a CP match was postponed due to a torrential amount of rain that night.

I googled to see if I could find which game that was but the only Palace game I could find which has been postponed any time soon was a league match against Everton back in February 2014 which was called off after a storm caused damage to several buildings along the main road to the stadium. Fair enough though.