A lot of us in soccer media have said this already. For years, in fact. But we keep saying it because … well, because it deserves to be said. Again and again until something changes.

MLS is about to plow through a FIFA fixture window, and every time it happens we mark it down under “bad policy.”

National teams have gathered for friendlies in this “FIFA fixture window” (as it’s commonly called in the vernacular). The United States, for instance, will play two friendlies in Europe against Denmark and Switzerland over the next few days.

This is the only such window until June. Clubs are required to release players to their national teams where requested.

Not all leagues break during these windows, but the “big boys” certainly do. If you’re looking for matches in the Premier League, Mexico’s Liga MX, Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Serie A or Spain’s La Liga, for instance, you’re outta luck this weekend. They’ll be back in action the first weekend of April.

But Major League Soccer? As we see way too often, it’s still “Play on!”

MLS continues to develop and continues to get a lot right. Avaya Stadium’s glorious opening last weekend in San Jose is a great example. The place looks fantastic, a fitting venue for an area that has long supported the game at all levels. Still, the league remains far from perfect – no league really ever is, I suppose – and is still growing into itself.

Stubbornly dismissing a FIFA window remains a trouble spot. There are competitive issues to consider and general issues of regard for the paying fans.

Let’s start here: Toronto FC plays at Real Salt Lake, but will do so without its two highest profile men, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore. So that team will look significantly different than the Toronto FC version that claimed all the points at Vancouver in Week 1. Is that fair to the Whitecaps? Obviously, injuries and suspensions affect lineups through a long season, but institutionally built-in advantages are a different matter.

There is also something of a double standard at work when MLS pays handsomely for big stars, markets the league on their name brands – but then sends their teams to the field without them!

Officials in Dallas have used Clint Dempsey’s appearance back in the place where it all started – Dempsey drove into Dallas from East Texas as a teenager to practice with the club – to help market this week’s visit by Seattle. Well, he’s not coming. If you bought a ticket hoping to see Dempsey, too bad! That’s on MLS.

(A hamstring injury suffered during training in Europe has now ruled Dempsey out of all action for the time being, according to a U.S. Soccer statement Tuesday morning.)

Often forgotten is that it’s not just an issue of absentee U.S. internationals. For instance, nine Canadians on MLS rosters have been summoned for duty.  Eight MLS men will compete for Jamaica. Three each will wear the shirt for Guatemala or Honduras. (For Honduras, those are three high-quality Catrachos, including two talented Houston Dynamo starters, Luis Garrido and Boniek Garcia. Welcome to the occasionally strange world of MLS, Owen Coyle! And good luck this week against Colorado without those two.)

Speaking of difference makers, how about Los Angles going into the nation’s capital for a headline-making encounter with D.C. United, but doing so without the league’s reigning MVP Robbie Keane? He’s with the Irish squad, prepping for Sunday’s important European Championship qualifier against Poland.

There are more, but you get the point.

Here’s the deal: Skipping a round of weekend matches means one more weeknight date, which plenty of clubs still resist. It’s harder on the supporters, which could mean a dent in gate revenue and all the attached ancillary streams. So that local-level push back is understandable. Still, as MLS grows, leaders must continue to shift the balance of larger league interests (recognizing FIFA windows) against local club interests (retaining one or two extra weekend dates).

Neither solution is perfect; the trick here is to look for the “wrong that’s most right.”

MLS does recognize some FIFA windows; it’s high time to recognize all of them.

Editor’s note: Steve Davis writes a weekly column for World Soccer Talk. He shares his thoughts and opinions on US and MLS soccer topics every Wednesday, as well as news reports throughout the week. You can follow Steve on Twitter at @stevedavis90. Plus, read Steve’s other columns on World Soccer Talk.