It is time. Time for what you may ask? It is now time for Major League Soccer to get on the same page as the rest of the world. Do you still have no idea what this is about? It is time for MLS to go to the same schedule as the rest of the soccer world. Not only would yours truly like them to make the move, so would USMNT Head Coach Jurgen Klinsmann.

Why? Because some fans are tired of seeing their favorite domestic clubs suffer. Suffer? Yes, suffer. The clubs suffer during the season because MLS does not follow the FIFA international calendar. The EPL, La Liga and Bundesliga all follow a similar August-May calendar and takes breaks during the FIFA international weeks.

By moving to a similar schedule, MLS action can take breaks during FIFA mandated international breaks, meaning they won’t be hurt by the loss of their best players. Some clubs are unfazed by their team missing a player or two due to being called up to their respective national team. In 2014, MLS took a two week break during the FIFA World Cup group stages, but it didn’t really benefit some teams and it also didn’t hurt some teams either.

Some will say, “Suck it up and deal with it” while others will hopefully agree. In making the change, MLS will be able to try to attract more players from all across the world. It also keeps players arriving in MLS from having to essentially play for 18 straight months. Take DeAndre Yedlin transferring to Tottenham Hotspur after the end of the 2014 MLS season. He transferred in January after playing literally all over the world from March until late November. Some will say he got a month off, but he needs more than that to acclimate to a new team in the middle of their respective season.

If MLS was on the same schedule as Europe, Yedlin could have transferred straight after the 2014 World Cup and joined Tottenham during their preseason to get acquainted with his new team. It goes the other way as well. Frank Lampard of New York City FC spent an entire year in the English Premier League and has yet to suit up for NYCFC.

Those in favor of keeping the current MLS schedule have some valid arguments as to why they can’t make the change. If they went from August to May, they would be going up against the NFL from August until February. There are teams that share stadiums with NFL teams, Seattle and New England, and scheduling would get ever more difficult than it already is when they only share the stadium for part of the season.

Another problem with the making the switch is the weather. Some of the teams, Colorado, New York and Philadelphia to name a few, get snow seemingly all year. It has snowed in Colorado as late as May. They could do something similar to what the Russian Premier League currently does. They take a break from December until the beginning of March and end the season in May after beginning in late July to early August.

In the end, MLS needs to get on the same page as the rest of the world. Quit making excuses and do the right thing. Your league suffers when your biggest stars are gone numerous times throughout the season to represent their national teams.

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About the author
Chris Blakely
Chris is an American sports journalist based out of Seattle, Washington. Co-Editor of the soccer section of VAVEL USA. He also is the leading editor of VAVEL USA's NWSL section.