MLS is Back: 3 problems tournament must overcome

1. Strange kick-off times

To deal with the Orlando heat and humidity in the peak of summer, MLS has had to adapt. To squeeze the tournament into the allotted time, it also needs to play three games a day. How is that possible when you cannot play matches between 11 am and 6 pm every day? Well, MLS has introduced rather wild and unruly kick-off times.

Each day, games will kick off at 9 am, 8:00 pm, and 10 pm. This is the only solution to ensure that teams are not playing in impossible conditions. But it raises serious issues of fairness and financial potential?

The entire point of this tournament is money. That is all the league cares about. To raise revenue, it has to produce games and get them on television. So why put games on televisions at such strange periods in the day when people will struggle to watch? The morning match is a 6 am start for those on the West Coast, while a 10 pm kick-off on the East Coast is hardly ideal either. And what about the players having to play at funny times in the day? It is not particularly helpful for them either.

MLS needs to get some form of play soon. It has lost $1 billion in revenue and will financially crumble without some form of competitive action. But in its desperation to produce matches, it has gone to extreme lengths. And now it must face the issues presented by the tournament plans.