This week, MLS made the announcement that its owners have voted on and approved a plan to switch to their schedule to match the European calendar in 2027.
Former MLS fan, new USL fan. That's my vote. These changes were made for foreign streamers, not domestic fans, and the Apple execs are very upfront about that.
I used to support a team in each conference -- I liked conferences better than having a single table with imbalanced schedules -- but both of them are above the Mason-Dixon line. I used to travel in June to see games, but I'm not doing that in December. I also have longstanding commitments to NBA and NHL playoffs in late-Spring. Sorry, but I'm not choosing Pec over Luka, Oluwaseyi over Ant, or Vasquez over Wemby. And in Toronto I doubt they'll choose whatever disaffected Italians are still on the team over the Maple Leafs.
Denmark takes a 2.5 month break from mid-December to mid-February, and Russia takes a 3 month break from beginning of December to end of February, due to the cold. American football gets the benefit of not having the ball on the ground, which is the real weather issue in snow, and it has a much stronger following so it's not a challenge to get folks to get to games like MLS or USL would have
MLS is in the middle of playoffs right now - the conference semi-finals are actually tonight (11/24/2025).
USL just had their final this past Saturday, where the Pittsburgh Riverhounds beat FC Tulsa. The new season will start the end of February/beginning of March, but the official schedule hasn't been released yet!
Former MLS fan, new USL fan. That's my vote. These changes were made for foreign streamers, not domestic fans, and the Apple execs are very upfront about that.
I used to support a team in each conference -- I liked conferences better than having a single table with imbalanced schedules -- but both of them are above the Mason-Dixon line. I used to travel in June to see games, but I'm not doing that in December. I also have longstanding commitments to NBA and NHL playoffs in late-Spring. Sorry, but I'm not choosing Pec over Luka, Oluwaseyi over Ant, or Vasquez over Wemby. And in Toronto I doubt they'll choose whatever disaffected Italians are still on the team over the Maple Leafs.
Denmark takes a 2.5 month break from mid-December to mid-February, and Russia takes a 3 month break from beginning of December to end of February, due to the cold. American football gets the benefit of not having the ball on the ground, which is the real weather issue in snow, and it has a much stronger following so it's not a challenge to get folks to get to games like MLS or USL would have
MLS is in the middle of playoffs right now - the conference semi-finals are actually tonight (11/24/2025).
USL just had their final this past Saturday, where the Pittsburgh Riverhounds beat FC Tulsa. The new season will start the end of February/beginning of March, but the official schedule hasn't been released yet!