One of the major talking points in the early part of the 2023 MLS campaign has been the consistent Saturday 7:30 p.m. local kickoff times across the league.
As part of a landmark media rights deal with Apple, MLS looked to streamline its kickoff times to, as the league put it, “drive destination viewing and attendance.”
The buffet of MLS matches played at the same time every week has garnered varying reactions from coaches, players, and fans.
On one hand, games are easy to plan around. Fans who don’t want to miss a goal have the option to watch the MLS 360 whip-around show on Apple TV. Supporters that want to go to an MLS match can also plan accordingly each week, allowing them to get in a routine.
But having 7:30 on Saturday night locked in as the prime kickoff time makes it challenging to watch multiple matches on any given weekend. Having matches spread throughout the day on Saturday and scheduling more on Sunday, as they were in past years, reduces the pile-up.
Why did the league choose to stack so many games at the same time? MLS executive vice president of media Seth Bacon says it was the product of plenty of research.
“We have years of fan, ticketing, and viewership data that we analyzed internally and with our clubs and media partners to identify the right window for our matches,” Bacon told Pro Soccer Wire. “We know that Saturday nights can deliver an outstanding environment for fans — in stadium and via our live match coverage.”
Vancouver Whitecaps and U.S. national team midfielder Julian Gressel appreciates the new schedule’s consistency, but admitted that he missed having the chance to see more MLS games.
“It gives you consistency week in and week out,” Gressel said. “But I kind of miss the Sunday afternoon MLS game. Maybe the off-time ones where you can kind of watch, you get more soccer at more times. Especially us playing at 7:30 in the Pacific. We don’t really get to watch much of MLS before [games]. As a player, as a fan, I feel it would be cool to have time slots here and there thrown into the mix.”
It’s not just about the kickoff times for home matches. West coast teams like Vancouver have a hectic travel schedule that plays a part in how they prepare for road matches.
On early-season trips to Minnesota and Texas where kickoff was 7:30 pm local time, the Whitecaps returned home to Vancouver in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“I think a few of us would prefer to play some earlier games,” Whitecaps midfielder Ryan Gauld told Pro Soccer Wire. “But that’s the schedule we’ve been given. It’s a little bit tougher when we play on the road because we don’t get back until like 3 a.m. It is what it is, and we’ve just got to deal with it.”
While an early kickoff time would help with travel back to Vancouver, there would also be a downside: The Whitecaps would potentially end up traveling to their destination a day earlier. Instead of flying on a Friday afternoon, travel would take place on a Thursday.
Having more Sunday matches would allow players and coaches who were part of a match on the previous night an opportunity to watch a live game. That might not be possible on a matchday, when teams are preparing for their own match or traveling home.
“I would love for a fan of MLS to have more games at different times,” Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini said. “Instead of watching only one game in the west, you can watch three or four games. I really like that the LA game (El Tráfico) was on Sunday at 1 p.m. If not, it would have been impossible for me to watch it.”
The 7:30 kickoffs may also be challenging for fans with families, according to the president of the largest Whitecaps supporters group.
“It is very important to make the schedule accessible for all fans and supporters,” Vancouver Southsiders President Peter Czimmermann said in a statement to Pro Soccer Wire. “Being able to bring your kids of all ages to the match is just as important as being able to get home after the matches whether you live in the Lower Mainland or on Vancouver as a ‘Caps fan.”
All but two of the Whitecaps MLS home games will start at 7:30 p.m. this season.
Late games also mean more time for players to wait leading up to the matches, but not every player minds the extra free time.
“I do know a couple of guys who have been complaining about it just because it’s so late in the day. You kind of have to wait around in your house and do whatever for a long period of time, but personally I don’t mind it,” Whitecaps defender Tristan Blackmon told Pro Soccer Wire.
Do MLS and Apple have any plans for a greater variety of kickoff times and matchdays next season?
“We love our new Saturday night window and the consistency of matches and clarity of communication to fans,” Bacon said. “That said, we constantly analyze our schedule to make sure we are optimized on all levels.”
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