Could MLS Be Opening the Door for a USL Challenge?
Did Major League Soccer owners give United Soccer League owners an opening to compete with them to be the top soccer league in America? It is possible, and for the first time in decades, the American professional soccer landscape may face a meaningful shake-up. The United Soccer League’s planned major league launch in 2028 positions it strategically: right in the middle of the summer months, when MLS owners have now decided they won’t be playing. With MLS choosing to align with global football and shift to a July-to-May calendar, the USL could gain a rare window to showcase its product without direct competition.
Under the new format, the 2027-28 regular season will begin in mid-to-late July 2027 and wrap in late May 2028 with playoffs and MLS Cup. The league will go dark between December and February due to weather realities. It is bitterly cold in places like Montréal, Toronto, Minneapolis, New York, New Jersey, Foxboro, Chester, Washington D.C., and Chicago. Fans and players alike probably have little interest in sitting or playing in sub-freezing conditions, and MLS knows this.
USL Sees a Strategic Opening—And Plans to Use It
The United Soccer League plans to go major league in 2028, and with a clean runway in late spring and early summer, USL leadership believes this is its best chance yet to capture national attention. Without MLS soaking up the summer sports spotlight, the USL can pitch itself as the top warm-weather soccer product in America. Markets such as Detroit, Pittsburgh and Sacramento appear likely to be part of the initial lineup, giving the league a foundation in soccer-hungry cities that MLS has not entered.
Meanwhile, MLS owners insist they will gain enormous benefits from the shift. MLS teams will finally be in sync with global transfer windows, allowing clubs to acquire and sell top talent during the crucial summer period. International tournaments will no longer interrupt the season. And holding the playoffs and MLS Cup in May should produce far better playing conditions in northern markets than the cold and rain of late fall.
The New Calendar Comes With Risks
Still, the timing comes with real competition. MLS playoffs in May will now go head-to-head with the Kentucky Derby, potentially the Indianapolis 500, the NBA and NHL playoffs, and of course Major League Baseball. That is a crowded sports month. Nothing is official yet, either—MLS owners must renegotiate and essentially rip up the collective bargaining agreement with the players to lock in the new schedule. A trade-off somewhere seems inevitable.
The coming years could redefine the hierarchy of American soccer. The question is whether MLS just gave the USL its long-awaited opening—or whether the shift will strengthen MLS instead.
Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191
Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
