While the MLS regular season has yet to come to an end, the full season schedule has already been released. The sprint season is a critical bridge to the league’s move to the European calendar, as the 2027 season will be under a tight schedule to prepare for it. Each team will play 14 regular season matches with one home and one away. The regular season starts on February 19, when Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati kicks off, until the Decision Day on May 8, when the Hudson River Derby between New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls closes the season. While NYCFC is set to open a new stadium in the Queens, this should also be the last MLS game played at Yankee Stadium, which NYCFC called home after joining the league in 2015. Truly the end of an age that has gone on for far too long.
Before the shift, MLS wants to ensure that each week has a marquee matchup to highlight the best that the league has to offer. There will also be another time for the Walmart Saturday Showdown and Sunday Soccer, so that the biggest games of the week get their due credit. With overseas stars such as Anthony Griezmann, Lionel Messi, Thomas Muller, and Evander up against emerging stars such as Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall, Adri Mehmeti, and Peyton Miller, there is plenty to show for as MLS prepares for a new era.
A playoff undercard
The top eight teams in each conference will qualify for the playoffs, with each round being played in a single-elimination format. That schedule has yet to be announced, but it will see a change from the current format, where the eighth- and ninth-placed teams will enter a single-elimination wild card before the first round of a best-of-three series. Because playoff form is seen as critical for too long, the sprint season provides an opportunity to look at other forms prior to returning to the schedule in the fall. Still, the sport will be used to ensure that all five Concacaf Champions Cup spots are counted before the teams also qualify for full participation in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Why are you changing the schedule?
This split will help move MLS into the same market as the rest of the world. MLS has been unable to make the first transfer window in the winter for a long time due to the influx of players to America. It could also mean that MLS sides are not forced to sell players midseason, or that the summer transfer window has time to entice teams to go through and acquire new players in their preseason. The change will bring geographic challenges such as dealing with harsh winters, but those are no different from the threat of thunderstorms and extreme heat that the league already faces during the summer months in such diverse climates. The shift between the teams to stop the international play breaks will also end the need to play without the best players available, which increases the quality in the league.
2017 MLS Sprint Season by the numbers
- All teams play 14 regular-season games.
- Each team will play their 14 conference opponents at one time.
- All teams play seven home games and seven away teams in the regular season.
- The top eight teams from the Eastern Conference and the top eight teams from the Western Conference will qualify for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
- One team will be crowned MLS Cup champion.
- Five Concacaf Champions Cup berths will be determined by the results of the 2027 MLS Sprint Season.
- In total, 18 teams qualify for the Confederations Cup, nine from the conference.
After the conclusion of this season, the 2027-28 MLS season will kick off in July 2027. Then it will conclude with the MLS Cup playoffs, which will run until May 2028, similarly involving most European leagues.