MLS: The smart teams will make most of five substitutes

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) approved FIFA’s suggestion to use five substitutes. Smart teams, in MLS and around the world, will make the most of the rule change.

As leagues scramble to form plans for the resumption of their respective competitions, FIFA unveiled several suggestions to aid with player fitness as a truncated season pushes the boundaries.

With players having not played competitively for several months and then set to be thrown into the fire with games every few days in a bid to complete the campaign, there is, of course, a greater danger of suffering injury or fitness-related problems.

To combat this, FIFA proposed a rule change: instead of the usual three substitutes per team per game, teams would be allowed to use five. It seems like a smart move, given the greater injury risk to the players. And this week, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) confirmed the rule would be put in place.

That is what many in the game argue, too, including those in Major League Soccer. This week, Colorado Rapids head coach Robin Fraser expressed his support for the rule.

More from MLS Multiplex

“I’d be in favour of it, I think the congested schedule will present real issues for player safety,” Fraser told reporters on a video conference call this week. “That’s definitely a concern, I know the league has done a fair amount of research on that.”

Quite how the rule will be introduced for MLS remains to be seen. With the MLS calendar structured in line with the calendar year and not the September-May structure of the European season, the 2020 campaign has both far more games to play and more time in which to play them. While in Europe there is a desperation to complete the final 10 or so matches of the domestic season, and thus they are more willing to squeeze matches in and require the additional substitutes, the same pressures are not present. Moreover, using five substitutes for what would essentially be an entire season is very different from introducing the temporary rule for a matter of weeks.

Nevertheless, it seems as though this rule will be introduced, in one form or another. And it will make a difference. In fact, the smart teams, those with coaches who are able to see the value in changing tactics and keeping players fresh in the latter stages of matches, will make serious hay in this area. And Fraser even hinted at a change in approach as a result of the additional substitutes.

“At altitude, with a big group of players we have a lot of faith in, there’s the potential to push the pace a little bit more,” he said. “We know if we run some guys into the ground, we’ll have other guys who can do the job and continue rotating. It bodes well for us.”

Quite how teams will lever this rule in their favour is difficult to foresee at this current time. But you could save three substitutes for an entire tactical change on the 70th minute depending on the state of the game. You could have two or three players specifically designed to fill carved out roles from off the bench. There is the potential to split your tactical approach in various different ways and then implement each of them depending on the scoreline and state of the match at particular points.

It will also change the way the starters play. There is more range to have pre-determined substitutions before kick-off such that players know they are only going to play for 60 or 70 minutes, thus changing the way they attack the game.

For those that are willing to be aggressive with their substitutes, to be proactive and enact change with their decisions, there is great value to be found with this rule change. And for those that are hesitant, overly cautious, unwilling to embrace change and development, they will once again fall behind.

dark. Next. MLS: Grading the Eastern Conference mascots

The smart teams, then, will take advantage of this temporary rule change. In MLS and around the world.

Home/MLS News