It was expected to happen. We were all told it was expected to happen. The signs were there, the pieces had fallen into place. You could feel it: Major League Soccer was about to take a big swing.
And then ... they didn't.
Ahead of a league Board of Governors meeting Thursday, multiple outlets reported that MLS owners were going to vote on one of the biggest proposals in the league's history, switching to a long-rumored, but yet-to-be-acted on fall-spring schedule. Here was a league, now wonderfully stable but with a history of being risk-averse, about to make a change with seismic implications. Instead, the news was... there is no news.
The owners agreed, in colloquial terms, to kick the can down the road.
MLS released a statement outlining it all: "Major League Soccer’s Board of Governors today authorized a second phase of exploration into a potential move to the international soccer calendar, along with a continued evaluation of the league’s regular season and playoff formats. Any potential changes would not take effect until the 2027 season at the earliest. This next phase will include additional consultation with key stakeholders and the development of a comprehensive transition plan."
The good news is that they acknowledged that the concept is still alive. An optimist, taking into account all of the noise around the league in recent months, might say that the league is just making sure everything - structurally, financially, logistically - is in place before making the shift.
After all, if there's one thing this league has learned in 30 years of existence, it's that there is value in caution, especially when continuing to expand domestically and pushing for more global relevancy.
But what is in one sense seems a prudent delay could also be considered a missed opportunity. This isn't really about what may eventually happen. Instead, MLS had an opportunity to exploit the excitement accompanying the 2026 World Cup being played in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, to capitalize on the fervor for the sport that is building among fans across the country.
Instead, they played it safe.