<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a title="Hurricane Irene (NASA, International Space Station, 08/23/11) by NASA&apos;s Marshall Space Flight Center, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28634332@N05/6079568483/"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6089/6079568483_a1976f4fb8.jpg" alt="Hurricane Irene (NASA, International Space Station, 08/23/11)" width="500" height="332"></figure></div></a>Photo from NASA&apos;s Marshall Space Flight Center</div>
UPDATE: The DC United-Portland Timbers match has been postponed; a make-up date will be announced next week.
The expected landfall of Hurricane Irene has caused MLS and other major professional sports teams to shift their schedules in anticipation of dramatic winds, rain, and flooding. &nbsp;Irene is expected to reach land by Saturday and move up the coast through Sunday evening. &nbsp;While meteorologists have stressed that the hurricane could change trajectory and intensity between now and the anticipated landfall, some states have already declared a state of emergency in anticipation of the weather.
Three MLS games were scheduled to take place on the East Coast this weekend, including the much-anticipated New York Red Bulls/Los Angeles Galaxy match. &nbsp;Because all three games were expected to take place during the storm’s strongest point at those locations, <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/08/25/hurricane-irene-prompts-mls-make-schedule-changes" target="_blank">all three have been rescheduled</a>. &nbsp;The most high-profile of the three matches, the nationally televised game between the Red Bulls and Galaxy, is now rescheduled to October 4 at 8 PM and will be shown on ESPN2. &nbsp;The timing works for the Red Bulls, as they will play at Toronto on October 1st then not have another game until October 15. &nbsp;The rescheduling is not so nice to the Galaxy, as they play Real Salt Lake at home the weekend before flying to New York. &nbsp;The back-to-back high-profile matches will be a challenge for this veteran team.
Originally scheduled to take place the same time as the NY/LA match, the Philadelphia Union match against the New England Revolution was rescheduled late this afternoon to Wednesday, September 7 at 8 PM ET. &nbsp;The match, scheduled to be shown on Galavision, will be still be shown on the station. &nbsp;The Union will squeeze this match into the part of their schedule that sees them play at Real Salt Lake, vs. Portland, and vs. Columbus in a two week period. &nbsp;New England is the biggest beneficiary – they actually do not play again until the reschedule date before flying home to host FC Dallas.
In a match featuring two teams on the outside of the playoffs looking in, DC United was scheduled to host the Portland Timbers Saturday evening. &nbsp;However, DCU announced early this afternoon that their match against Portland on Saturday <a href="http://www.dcunited.com/press-release/2011/08/hurricane-irene-prompts-new-200-pm-et-start-for-dc-united-portland" target="_blank">was moved from 7:30 PM to 2 PM</a>, and all pre-game&nbsp;activities&nbsp;are cancelled (see update above). &nbsp;DCU was scheduled to hold a LatinFest celebration and an induction ceremony for Black-and-Red great Richie Williams, who helped the team win three MLS Cups. &nbsp;MLS notes on its website that a definitive announcement about the game will be made Friday afternoon, as Irene’s trajectory may bring bad weather to the DC area earlier than expected.
“With the safety of our fans and clubs top of mind, and thanks to the cooperation of our clubs and broadcast partners, Major League Soccer has rescheduled two games that were originally set for this weekend,” said Nelson Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Competition and Game Operations, on the MLS site. “We expect that Hurricane Irene will likely cause hazardous travel and unplayable conditions throughout the Northeast. We appreciate our fans’ understanding of these decisions and the media’s assistance in communicating the message.”

Hurricane Irene Causing Shifts in MLS Schedule

Hurricane Irene Causing Shifts in MLS Schedule - World Soccer Talk

<a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/mls-badge.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6194" src="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/mls-badge.jpg" alt="" width="180" height="169"></figure></div></a>Our long national nightmare is over. &nbsp;The MLS schedule is out.
About a month before the beginning of the season, MLS finally released the entire schedule for all 18 MLS teams. &nbsp;Previously, only each team’s first home game was known, and some clubs like the LA Galaxy got an early jump on releasing the schedule by leaking the dates and opponents of some key matches. &nbsp;But finally, you can plan your life around your favorite team’s schedule and start buying your plane tickets for those away trips. &nbsp;<a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/2011-schedule" target="_blank">See the league schedule here</a>.
As for the long awaited television deal… it will be a bit longer of a wait. &nbsp;But MLS did release the ESPN schedule for the year. &nbsp;ESPN will broadcast 21 matches, 17 on ESPN2 and 4 on the Worldwide Leader. &nbsp;All of them fortunately will be available on ESPN3.com and ESPN Deportes. &nbsp;Eight matches will feature the Red Bulls, six the Galaxy, and five Seattle, including the opening match pitting the Galaxy at the Sounders. &nbsp;Absent from the TV schedule? &nbsp;New MLS team Vancouver, rebuilding Columbus, new management Toronto, and MLS Cup contender Dallas. &nbsp;Odd that MLS couldn’t fit a new club and one of its better clubs on the TV schedule. &nbsp;See when your favorite team is on ESPN <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/espn-and-espn2-broadcast-21-regular-season-matches-2011" target="_blank">here</a>.
The schedule also goes out of its way to emphasize regional rivalries. &nbsp;We knew ahead of time about the Cascadia Cup pitting Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland, but the league didn’t schedule the games back-to-back as promised. &nbsp;In addition to this Northwest rivalry, the league has created a I-95 Corridor rivalry (D.C. United, Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bull, and New England Revolution), the SuperClasico (the Los Angeles derby), the Rocky Mountain Cup (Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids), and the Battle for El Capitan (Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas).
So what do you think? &nbsp;Do you like your team’s schedule? &nbsp;Excited for the Rocky Mountain Cup or sad your team isn’t involved in a Cup contest? &nbsp;Sound off below.

The MLS Schedule is Finally Released!

The MLS Schedule is Finally Released! - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_4018" style="width: 250px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/garber_gulati.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4018" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-4018" src="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/garber_gulati.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="180"></figure></div></a>We are the champions!</div>
Recently we’ve shared that various soccer luminaries such as Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson has advocated a spring-to-fall schedule change in advance of the 2022 World Cup.&nbsp; Now we find out that UEFA itself is advancing well past the thinking stage.
The <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/platini-plans-for-summer-season-outrage-big-five-2190137.html" target="_blank">British</a> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/8271294/World-Cup-2022-Fifa-on-the-defensive-over-calendar-changes.html" target="_blank">press </a>is reporting that the English Premier League and Bundesliga are gearing up to fight a UEFA (specifically, Michel Plantini) plan to implement a spring-to-fall schedule permanently for UEFA member leagues and alter the qualification calendar for international events.&nbsp; The plan, which would hypothetically be put in place by 2015, supposedly echoes a proposal Plantini wrote for Sepp Blatter and FIFA in 1998 to change the calendar then, but was scrapped because of opposition from Italy and Spain.
All European leagues would run their schedule from mid-March to the end of October.&nbsp; Qualification for the World Cup or European Championship would take place from November to mid-December, with the final tournaments played mid-January through February.&nbsp; The articles also reveal that FIFA officials have been planning for a winter World Cup in 2022, despite their assertions otherwise.&nbsp; In fact, it looks like Qatar was always going to be a winter World Cup, with the executive committee moving forward with January 2022 planning since the December 2 vote.
My first thought on reading this is I am glad UEFA is planning to make the move three years before the Russian World Cup, where I am sure a winter World Cup will be….quite pleasant.&nbsp; But it seems like the movement toward a winter 2022 Cup (and consequently a spring-to-fall schedule) has been in the works for at least the past 45 days, probably more.&nbsp; So anything FIFA has said so far about the 2018 and 2022 bid process has to be somewhat doubted if they’ve lied about the Qatar scheduling.
My second thought is that the major European leagues would never go for this.&nbsp; I think some of the smaller European leagues (I’m looking at you Scotland) would fall in-line with UEFA, but this would be a major headache to the EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, and Ligue Un.&nbsp; It would be especially bad for Italy and Spain where summer temperatures approach 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
But let’s assume UEFA is 100% in favor of this and forces all their leagues to switch to spring-to-fall.&nbsp; All of the sudden, little stubborn MLS would be a trend setter in the soccer world.&nbsp; The same nation whose president was told to his face that they needed to conform to the rest of the world’s schedule would now be the one to whom the world would conform.&nbsp; Quite a nice vindication for Don Garber and USSF who have remained unmoved by the international pressure.
What are some of the other consequences of a European schedule switch?
<ul>
<li>No more Landon Donovan to Everton loans for a few months.&nbsp; If MLS and UEFA play at the same time, American stars cannot go to Europe for a few months and return for the second half of the MLS season.&nbsp; While this would alleviate some of the Beckham transfer drama, my fear would be that big name Americans would just go to Europe and not play in MLS at all during their peak years.&nbsp; This could exacerbate the league’s talent drain.</li>
<li>Fewer tours of the U.S. by big European clubs.&nbsp; Manchester United and Barcelona probably wouldn’t want to do a 12-day tour in the winter with the chance of their matches being snowed out.&nbsp; So either they would tour the South (excellent for Miami and Dallas) or limit themselves to only one or two stops.&nbsp; And if international qualifiers are occurring, then the biggest clubs would be reduced to their second team even more so than they are now.</li>
</ul>
I will believe a UEFA spring-to-fall when I see it, but we have definitely learned two things from this story: the fall-to-spring schedule is not sacrosanct and FIFA’s pronouncements cannot be trusted.

Report: UEFA Planning to Adopt MLS Scheduling

Report: UEFA Planning to Adopt MLS Scheduling - World Soccer Talk

<div style="float: left;margin-right: 5px"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/sports/mls-all-star-game/image/9442637?term=Don+Garber" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view3.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9442637/mls-all-star-game/mls-all-star-game.jpg?size=234&amp;imageId=9442637" border="0" alt="HOUSTON - JULY 28: Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber looks on during the MLS All Star Game at Reliant Stadium on July 28, 2010 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)" width="234" height="351"></figure></div></a></div>
MLS Talk has been buzzing all week about the proposed changes to the 2011 season and the reaction to the most recent playoffs.&nbsp; Some of this is spurred by Don Garber’s press conference and MLS Cup halftime show; some by the abysmal TV ratings and odd playoff pairings; and some by simmering tension over format and style in the US soccer community.
We’ve <a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/is-the-2022-world-cup-worth-mls-selling-out/10879" target="_blank">said</a> <a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/playoffs-are-dead-mls-just-doesnt-know-it-yet/10901" target="_blank">our</a> <a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/mls-cup-overnight-tv-ratings-decline-44-from-last-year/10891" target="_blank">piece</a> on a <a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/is-major-league-soccer-heading-in-the-right-direction/10875" target="_blank">number</a> of <a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/colorado-beats-dallas-to-win-mls-cup-but-empty-seats-cast-a-dark-shadow/10868" target="_blank">these</a> <a href="http://www.majorleaguesoccertalk.com/why-mls-cup-playoffs-joke/10619" target="_blank">issues</a> (and you have reacted), and now it’s your turn to be the boss of MLS.
Below are the changes that Don Garber discussed over the past two weeks.&nbsp; Let’s pretend YOU were named MLS commissioner today, and the board allowed you to adopt one change to MLS for the upcoming year.&nbsp; You can choose from any of the changes announced in the past two weeks, as well as any considered or debated changes announced the past two weeks.&nbsp; The board has only said that your goal is to “improve MLS”.&nbsp; So……
[polldaddy poll=4141477]
(Please note – this is an unscientific study of what are the most pressing issues for our readership, so take it for what it’s worth).

You Be The Commissioner &#8211; What Would You Change?

You Be The Commissioner - What Would You Change? - World Soccer Talk

You Be The Commissioner – What Would You Change?

<div style="float: left;margin-right: 5px"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/the-2014-fifa-world-cup/image/10250721?term=world+cup+trophy" target="_blank"><div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" src="http://view3.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/10250721/the-2014-fifa-world-cup/the-2014-fifa-world-cup.jpg?size=234&amp;imageId=10250721" border="0" alt="The 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil trophy is displayed during its unveiling ceremony at a Soccerex event at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, November 21, 2010. Brazil will host the World Cup soccer tournament in 2014. REUTERS/Bruno Domingos (BRAZIL - Tags: SPORT SOCCER)" width="234" height="366"></figure></div></a></div>
As part of his second state of the union at halftime of the MLS Cup, Don Garber revealed that MLS would be considering shifting the season from spring-to-fall to the FIFA-endorsed fall-to-spring schedule.&nbsp; While this is not the first time MLS has considered shifting its schedule, Garber said that the rethink was pushed by FIFA and was tied into the U.S. World Cup bid.&nbsp; It’s no secret that FIFA has long been disappointed that MLS is not in-sync with most of the rest of the soccer world and they have pressured MLS to conform to everyone else.&nbsp; But if FIFA gives the U.S. an ultimatum to change the schedule or else, the US stand up to FIFA and tell them no.
This scenario is not out of the realm of possibility.&nbsp; In 1994, FIFA made establishing a permanent outdoor league a contingency for hosting.&nbsp; While I think the U.S. right now is the leader in the 2022 race, if it is close or becomes close in the next week, the scheduling issue could become a pressure point for the U.S.&nbsp; FIFA conceivably come to the U.S. and say change the schedule or enjoy the Qatar World Cup.
So if it comes down to scheduling, should the US abandon its spring-to-fall schedule for the World Cup?&nbsp; No, MLS and U.S. Soccer should stand its ground on this one if it needs to.&nbsp; The arguments for spring-to-fall are well-known and they are incredibly valid.&nbsp; The MLS should not open its season overshadowed by all four major U.S. sports and crown its champions overshadowed by the beginning of baseball and the NCAA basketball championship.&nbsp; In addition, the majority of the season would be played in the winter, which would be miserable for most teams north of Kansas City.&nbsp; Having the MLS mainly in the summer allows American soccer to receive more attention from the media, especially when its only major competition is baseball.
Moving to a FIFA-approved schedule would fundamentally alter the essence of MLS.&nbsp; Immediately American soccer would be another soccer league competing directly with other international leagues, and if ESPN/FSC numbers are any indication, that’s a losing proposition.&nbsp; Everyone but the most hardcore MLS fans would ignore the league.&nbsp; And as anyone who watches Sportscenter knows, which honestly and unfortunately dictates the American sports conversation, September through February is all NFL.&nbsp; Any hope of standing out and attracting attention from the casual sports fan is lost, and MLS would have to hope to attract European soccer fans.&nbsp; But with their own leagues running concurrently, that is another losing proposition.
Lost amid other American sports and other leagues, MLS would simply be a niche sport like Major League Lacrosse.&nbsp; And the ability to attract big-name international stars would decrease.&nbsp; Think it’s a hard decision for Landon Donovan now to play in the EPL?&nbsp; Imagine if he had to choose between Everton and the Galaxy and could only pick one.&nbsp; Same for a Ronaldinho, who would wait until he was absolutely out of options in Europe before moving the U.S.&nbsp; The big-name designated players would be older and closer to retirement than they are now.
The World Cup is an exciting thing, something that can bring immense international attention and money to the United States, as well as make even casual sports fans pay attention to soccer.&nbsp; But the cost to MLS if they had to compromise on their schedule would be huge.&nbsp; MLS has to decide if it wants to become just another league in a sea of soccer leagues around the world, or if it wants to establish its own niche in the world and continue to grow.

Is the 2022 World Cup Worth MLS Selling Out?

Is the 2022 World Cup Worth MLS Selling Out? - World Soccer Talk

<a title="story" href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=790851&amp;sec=global&amp;cc=5901" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FC Dallas and Chicago battled to a 1-1 draw Thursday night,</a> but that still leaves seven matches on the Saturday schedule – all slated for well after the U.S./Turkey send-off game in Philadelphia.
The Columbus Crew welcome in the Galaxy for a battle of conference leaders – the first of several matches that Landon Donovan and Edson Buddle will miss because of international duty. Chad Marshall and Robbie Rogers, trimmed from the provisional 30-man roster, <a title="article" href="http://www.examiner.com/x-28895-Columbus-Crew-Examiner~y2010m5d26-Columbus-Crew-shut-out-of-World-Cup-as-Chad-Marshall-Robbie-Rogers-left-off-roster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">are expected to be available for the Crew.</a>
Life, and the MLS fixture list, goes on…
Here is the schedule:
Saturday, May 29 
Columbus vs. Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. 
DC United vs. Chivas USA, 7:30 p.m. 
New England vs. New York Red Bulls, Galavisión, 8 p.m. 
Houston vs. Philadelphia Union, FSC, 8:30 p.m. 
Colorado vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 9 p.m. 
Real Salt Lake vs. Kansas City, 9 p.m. 
San Jose vs. Toronto FC, 10 p.m.
Just for fun, let’s talk about <a title="story" href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=790933&amp;sec=global&amp;cc=5901" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frank Lampard winding up his career in MLS.</a>
“I’d like to go and play in America when I’m 36 or 35 but you can’t take away someone’s right to go and play where they want.” Lampard told ESPN.
Wouldn’t that be interesting?

MLS Weekend Preview

MLS Weekend Preview - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_6294" style="width: 308px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-6294" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-6294" src="/files/2009/09/DonGarber2.jpg" alt="MLS commisioner Don Garber seeks a balanced schedule" width="298" height="277"></figure></div>MLS commisioner Don Garber seeks a balanced schedule</div>
Last week’s press release announcing that MLS will take a two week break during the World Cup Finals group stage has stirred some debate from supporters of the league. However, hidden at the end of that same press release is news that all MLS fans must be pleased to read. Next season, all sixteen clubs will play a balanced schedule – facing each of the other fifteen teams twice, once at home, once away.
For the first time in the history of MLS, the 30 game regular season schedule will be equivalent for ever team. This milestone for the league will finally put to rest the imbalance that currently exists for clubs that, as a whole, are competing for the same eight playoff spots. No longer like the NFL or Major League Baseball schedules, MLS’ new regular season will further resemble the best European leagues that it strives to model.
The next step for the MLS schedule makers is to get rid of the curious, albeit infrequent, cases of home-and-home series within the season. An example of this occurs this evening, as the Colorado Rapids host the San Jose Earthquakes just 5 days after they visited Northern California. For the Rapids, this comes on the heels of a home-and-home series they finished earlier this month against Toronto FC. In all, there were nine cases in 2009 of teams playing each other in consecutive or nearly consecutive games. If you care to count the US Open Cup, add three more occurrences to the tally.
I don’t see any real positives to including these scheduling quirks in 2010 and beyond. When asked about playing home-and-home series in the regular season, Colorado Rapids coach Gary Smith remarked “I’m not sure there are many advantages. I think the fact that you go away then come back home is a balanced schedule in that respect, but I’m not sure the players enjoy it too much. You can sometimes get a staid affair and the teams know too much about each other.”
Playing the same team two games in a row can present additional problems. Player injuries and suspensions can put one team at a disadvantage for both season’s meetings instead of perhaps just one. Perhaps a team struggles earlier in the year, but improves with the summer signing period – is it fair for one club to meet them twice in June and another club to meet them twice in September? Using Colorado as an example, their team captain, Pablo Mastroeni, was suspended for 3 games earlier this month. As a result, he missed both games with Toronto this season. Maybe the 3 points TFC earned in their second game against the Rapids helps them sneak into the playoffs this season – ahead of the Rapids, no less.
On the flip side, getting to face the same team twice in a short amount of time allows you additional training time to focus on your opponent. Coach Frank Yallop of the San Jose Earthquakes even sees the home-and-home series as an opportunity for the team to prepare for the post-season. ”I guess it is similar to the playoffs, you play teams back to back a lot in that situation. The first game becomes important because it sets you up for the second one. But you still have to prepare for each game.”
Being better prepared for your opponent can lead to a better performance on the field, something all fans should look forward to with anticipation. Of course, as the saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt – perhaps a physically demanding first game will lead to a different mindset going into the second game. Earthquakes captain Jason Hernandez knows all to well how this can affect a team facing an opponent in successive games; “I really don’t see it as an advantage at all. I think going back-to-back, it can get a bit too personal. They might come in and get a good result, then you have to go back to their home and fight twice as hard to get those points back.”
I see no reason to continue with these home-and-home series in 2010 and beyond. If MLS wants to really have a fair and balanced schedule, split the season into two 15 game schedules that essentially mirror each other, and save the two-game series for the post-season.

MLS Needs a True Fair and Balanced Schedule for 2010

MLS Needs a True Fair and Balanced Schedule for 2010 - World Soccer Talk

Take Me Out to the Ballgame &#8211; Week 25

Take Me Out to the Ballgame - Week 25 - World Soccer Talk

Take Me Out to the Ballgame – Week 25

Latest news from MLS Scheduling. Find out about all the news related to MLS Scheduling on worldsoccertalk.com

ALL POSTS TAGGED "MLS Scheduling"

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MLS Weekend Preview

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MLS Needs a True Fair and Balanced Schedule for 2010

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Take Me Out to the Ballgame – Week 25