MLS: 3 ways to solve coronavirus postponement
2. Match up with Europe
MLS has stuck to a calendar-orientated schedule for very logical reasons: climate. Playing outdoor soccer across America and Canada is extremely difficult in the winter months. In North America, it is a summer sport. In Europe, the season runs from mid-August to May/June, with the primary transfer window coming in the summer.
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In the past, this schedule was not a problem. MLS teams rarely did business with European clubs due to the disparity in quality between the leagues. However, more recently, that has changed, with an increasing number of MLS teams looking to buy from Europe and, in particular, sell to Europe for profit.
European-based teams are not especially keen on the January window. They rarely invest large amounts and they are particularly hesitant about selling key players halfway through the season. MLS teams then have the same reservations about the summer window. As you can see, an impasse is reached.
Perhaps, then, Don Garber could re-align the league with the European schedule, starting the new season in July, including a winter break through December, January and February, and then resuming the season until May. realistically, this will not happen. MLS are too set in their ways and the geographical restrictions are too great to overcome. But if Garber was truly keen to see his league rival the best in the world, as he says he is, this opportunistic change might be worth considering.