November 2: Major League Soccer (MLS) has released the schedule for its 2027 sprint season, a shortened campaign that bridges the gap before the league moves to a European-aligned schedule next summer.
Each team will play 14 regular season games, all within their conference, from February 19th to May 8th. The top eight from each conference advance to a single-elimination playoff, with the MLS Cup on Memorial Day weekend. The sprint season still decides qualification for the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup and League Cup.
Inter Miami hosts FC Cincinnati in the first leg on Friday, February 19, with the opening weekend’s 11 games all kicking off at different times. Decision Day features the Hudson River Derby, NYCFC vs. Red Bull New York, in NYCFC’s final regular season game at Yankee Stadium before moving to Etihad Park.
The short format changes the dynamic. A full MLS season, where 18 of 30 teams make the playoffs, rewards streaks and allows teams to bounce back from bad starts. This year, Philadelphia won once in their first 15 games before winning 12 of their next 14. St. Louis City won one of their first 10, then went on a league-record 21 unbeaten run in all competitions. In a 14-game season, there’s no time for that.
“I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” one athletic director told The Athletic. “Fair play (MLS executive vice president Nelson Rodriguez), the schedule footprint is great. It’s all within the conference. It’s like, bang, bang, bang.”
The executive himself raised the obvious question. “How serious are we? Teams are just losing bodies to prepare for the schedule change (and possible new roster rules and spending openings). Does it make sense to us?”
Fewer games means more randomness, with home and away games, injuries and suspensions weighing more heavily. But it also means that every game counts. For a league criticized for a long, low-stakes regular season, that might not be a bad thing.
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