Son Heung-min is expected to suffer considerably from the 2027 season.
On the 13th (Korea Standard Time), the owners of Major League Soccer (MLS) will vote on two major changes to the league's operation and structure on Thursday. According to multiple sources, the MLS board is ready to formalize the transition to the spring season, which is scheduled with major European leagues. In addition, the league is discussing a new tournament structure that would combine a single league and five divisions instead of the existing East-West conference system, it reported.
MLS currently operates in a completely different season than Europe. Many countries, including Europe, have a spring and autumn system, but MLS is currently being held as a spring and autumn system like the K League. The recent trend is that countries that host the Spring and Autumn Festival are also shifting to the Autumn and Spring Festival to suit Europe, a big league. There are also talks in the K-League, and the J-League has already decided to switch to the Chuchun system from the 2026-2027 season.
As the league grows in size and influence expands, MLS seems to be considering a shift in the pursuit system to eventually fit the European system. The Athletic said 'The new schedule is a form in which the MLS regular season opens in mid-July to early August and continues until April of the following year. The playoffs will be held in May, with December and January including a 'Winter Break'. 'The league will be suspended from about the second week of December to the first or third week of February, and the summer break will also run in June-July.'"
The media will be able to actively respond to the summer transfer market once it is switched to the 'Chunchun system'. The summer, which is currently in the middle of MLS' season, is a time when most leagues in the world are actively trading transfers, so MLS clubs were at a disadvantage in recruiting and selling players. If the schedule changes, you can benefit from both free transfer (FA) and player sales revenue,' he said, explaining why MLS wants to change the tournament season.
Along with the change in the spring season, MLS is also considering changing the regular season method. The current method is that each conference club will face each other two to three times, and the match will be made irregularly with the other conference club. The Athletic said of the new league method 'The league will introduce a single league system but will consist of five geographic divisions. Each team will face teams in the same division once at home and away, and once against the remaining 24 teams (home or away) for a total of 34 games.
Changes seem reasonable enough, but MLS, like the K League, is a problem with the weather. LA, where Son Heung-min is located, has good weather throughout the four seasons, so there is no big problem, but it is a problem when he goes on an expedition to Canada or the northern United States. The winter in Canada is sometimes colder than the winter in Korea, and there is a good chance of heavy snow.
The picture below shows the Canadian Premier League final on the 10th. Despite it being November, it snowed so much that it was impossible to proceed with the game. Eventually, the game was played, but if MLS proceeds with the season in winter, it may have to play in such an environment.
However, it has not been confirmed yet. The Athletic said 'The board is scheduled to meet in Florida on Thursday. However, there is still a cautious atmosphere. The league has been moving in this direction since the Chicago meeting in May, but no official vote has taken place yet. Some owners wanted to apply the change from 2026, but there is also a possibility that the vote will be delayed', predicting that the vote may not proceed.
In addition, if the vote is not held within March next year, the change in the spring season and the league structure will take effect from the 2028 season. This is because each club has to adjust its sponsorship, commercial contracts, and season ticket sales structure in advance.
The last gateway is the consent of the MLSPA. Big changes in the league are impossible if MLSPA doesn't agree because it directly affects players' vacation and preseason schedules.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
