MLS: Rumors of return create interesting problem
By Sam Minton
MLS will be back soon but its return raises a problem when it comes to fair play
The MLS is Back tournament is reaching its conclusion and with that comes the question of what the rest of the regular season will look like. It appears MLS might have more of an idea than you might expect.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in an interview that clubs will be returning to their home markets and a rumored schedule could begin as soon as the end of the month. FC Dallas and Nashville SC are kicking things off next week and then by August 21st fans would see a full slate of games.
Now of course this is great. MLS learned a lot in the bubble and they were successful (well besides the whole two clubs dropping out). They can bring this knowledge and help ensure that the rest of the 2020 season goes off without any issues. It also helps when looking towards the future. If the 2020 season can be finished in a reasonable time, the 2021 season won’t need to be delayed.
Not having fans in the stands will be a major problem for MLS
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There does seem to be a problem though. That is the issue of having fans in some places and not in others. Garber touched upon this in the interview.
"“We will get back to our markets,” Garber said. “We’ll be announcing our schedule soon. We are going to be able to play with fans where we can and not play with fans in most of our markets.”"
Now, this seems to be rather unfair. How can one club have their fans cheering them on and another be playing in an empty stadium? This makes zero sense. It creates an unfair advantage for clubs who are able to welcome fans into their stadium.
MLS needs to have a policy that covers the entire league. If one club can’t have fans then no one should have fans. The players are already used to playing in front of no fans after the tournament so it won’t be weird for them anymore.
Also, this would allow for MLS to continue to give fans a peek into the game. We could hear players talking, coaches screaming, and get more unique camera angles. So it will be interesting to see how this plays out. I would have to assume if a club is not allowed to have fans while some do this could lead to some problems.
But at the end of the day, at least soccer will be back.