Atlanta United’s MLS season is scheduled to begin April 17 in a league-wide change announced Wednesday.
The league was targeting a start date of the weekend of April 3-4, but the drawn out negotiations between the league and the Major League Soccer Players Association on the collective bargaining agreement forced the short postponement.
The league is still considering a 34-game season. with the MLS Cup scheduled to be played in December.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber, speaking to journalists Wednesday, said that the full league schedule should come out in early March. A date for teams to open training camp should come soon, he said. Garber said the league is considering allowing teams such as Atlanta United that are scheduled to participate in the Champions League an earlier start to training camp because they are “focused on ensuring that teams involved have the best opportunity to succeed.” Training camps were scheduled to open Feb. 22.
Garber said he isn’t confident that teams will be able to host large groups of fans in stadiums for most of the season. Partially as a result, Garber said the league projects to lose as much as $1 billion in revenues for the second consecutive year.
In other notes:
Garber said in stadiums in which there are no fans, national anthems will not be played before games. When supporters are in stadiums, national anthems will be played.
Garber said he doesn’t anticipate players being mandated to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
He doesn’t anticipate the league enacting the Force Majeure clause in the CBA in the next seven years. The league did so in December last year, which caused the two sides to negotiate a CBA for the third time in less than 12 months.
There are twice weekly meetings being held to decide which teams will compete in the U.S. Open Cup and League Cup, two competitions that will run concurrently with parts of the league season. He said he hopes to have details finalized soon.
He is bullish on the league being able to negotiate a TV deal because all of the media rights across the spectrum are coming to a close at the same time in two years. Negotiations with current partners ESPN, Fox, etc. haven’t yet begun.
“The next seven years will be most important and exciting time for soccer in U.S. and Canada,” he said.
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