In recent years, the North American league has gained status internationally, but it will continue to be played during the FIFA international match calendar.
Eduardo Burgos Rodríguezedu17burgosAndy HallUpdate: Jun 2nd, 2024 13:18 EDT0
Geoff BurkeUSA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Major League Soccer has become one of the most fashionable leagues internationally in recent years. Franchises’ purchasing power is on the rise season by season, and the ‘Messi phenomenon’ has give the league exposure, bringing in a new audience of fans.
However, unlike other international leagues, MLS does not follow the FIFA International Match Calendar. While other major league around the world temporarily stop for the international breaks, the North American competition continues rolling as if nothing was happening. But why?
There are several answers to that question – each with its own reason, but everything is summarized in the calendar established by the competition itself. Unlike South America or Europe, the regular season in the United States usually starts in mid-February. That is why FIFA does not consider MLS as a regular competition due to its model, as it follows the same model as other North American competitions: NFL, NHL and NBA. However, after Messi’s arrival, several members of the league’s technical commission have proposed putting the league on hold so that Lionel Messi does not miss any games with Inter Miami.
▪️ Messi opens the scoring for @InterMiamiCF▪️ That spin move goal from @stlCITYsc's Chris Durkin▪️ Chicho's goal from 62.7 yards outTake another look at the biggest moments from this weekend's matches on MLS Wrap-Up on #MLSSeasonPass: https://t.co/HAkXOJ5eAK pic.twitter.com/xtDa8YoBOM
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) June 2, 2024
Non-stop calendar
The calendar is the big problem in the United States. There are several other soccer tournaments in North American apart from MLS – the Leagues Cup, US Open Cup and the Concacaf Champions Cup, and fitting all the dates into a calendar year can be a real headache. Even programming fixtures for these four competitions means a lot of games, many minutes and few days of rest between matchdays.
