Major League Soccer has come a long way since its inaugural season back in 1996. In recent years the league has done many things from having their teams move out of football stadiums and getting their own stadiums to rising attendance. Attendance boosts can be linked to some international players acting as catalysts, like David Beckham.
In 1996 the league began with 10 teams, adding two more in 1998, on a 32-game schedule. After the 2001 season, the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion folded which reduced the league back to 10 teams and a schedule cut back to a 28-game schedule.
Then again in 2002, the schedule was raised to a 30-game schedule including a change in the playoff format where it went from a best out three-game series to a two-game goal aggregate series. Throughout some of the other seasons, the league fluctuated from a 30-game schedule to a 32-game schedule and then back to 30 again until finally settling to a 34-game schedule which began in the 2011 season.
Lately the league has been facing some criticism with scheduling conflicts with the FIFA World Cup games and International exhibition games. These criticisms have recently brought up the possibility of cutting back its schedule again to a 28-game schedule.
Honestly, I don’t think cutting it down back to 28 games isn’t going to help from the league’s side because that would bring in less revenue from ticket sales, ratings from TV deals and everything else. If they were to cut down the number of games, I would say cut it down back to 32 so that way there isn’t too big of a change and everything is kept at a happy medium.
Other than that I think the season is schedule is fine. The only other thing that needs to be changed in scheduling is the playoffs because last year and this year, the MLS Cup Final is played in December, outdoor soccer should not be played in December. The MLS Cup Final should be played in November like the last several times so that way, players can have a long enough offseason to go play overseas if they choose to.
I also think it’s ridiculous that FIFA is saying how the MLS should have it’s season be in the same format as many other leagues overseas. The FIFA believes the MLS should have a single table instead of conferences and they believe their season should be August through May – with a few weeks break in between – instead of spring to fall.
The MLS still has some ways to go but other than a couple of minor changes, I think the league should stay it’s course and not sell themselves out to the international leagues and try to be like them. It’s like the old saying – don’t fix it if it ain’t broke.
