M.L.S. to Take a Break During the World Cup
Thursday, September 17, 2009
In another step toward reinforcing its place among the global family of soccer nations, Major League Soccer will for the first time suspend all of its games during the opening group stage of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa next summer.
“The decision to stop league play during the group phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is part of M.L.S.’s commitment to deepen its connection with the millions of soccer fans in the United States and Canada,” M.L.S. Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement Wednesday. “The World Cup will be a focal point for all M.L.S. fans, and several M.L.S. players will compete with their national teams at the tournament.”
The group phase of the World Cup, which is scheduled to begin June 11, 2010, features 48 of the 64 games in the tournament. M.L.S. said its final league game before the World Cup will be played June 10, with the break continuing through at least June 25, when the final game of the group stage is scheduled.
M.L.S. also said it would not schedule any league games against the two World Cup semifinals (Tuesday, July 6, and Wednesday, July 7) and the tournament final (Sunday, July 11).
M.L.S. has been around since 1996, its inaugural season, and has played through three World Cup tournaments (1998 in France, 2002 in South Korea and Japan, and 2006 in Germany). Until now, M.L.S. has been one of the few leagues to continue competition during the tournament.
With the addition of the Philadelphia Union to the Eastern Conference for the 2010 season, the 16 M.L.S. clubs will play a balanced, 30-game schedule, facing each of the other 15 teams twice, home and away. The league will retain its two eight-team conferences for the 2010 season, with eight teams qualifying for the postseason. M.L.S. will add two teams — the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Portland Timbers — for the 2011 season. {#}
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