With a new commissioner in town from next year A TV deal on the horizon in 2029 and Calendar change what does the mls need to do to be a top 5 league

1. Calendar change
   2027 is a big year for the MLS As it changes from a year round calendar to a summer spring calendar, aligning with the rest of the world, especially Europe, this will help with transfers and getting players in and out of clubs if they are clever about this, they will have their transfer window at the same time as Europe
2. Better on Pitch product
   One of the biggest issues that People have with the MLS is that they See as a retirement league, however, it’s done well with developing new talent, however, the big problem is that the stars that get really good end up in Europe, and that’s never gonna go away, but keeping a selection of good talent in their prime is incredibly important for this league
3. Salary cap and player changes
   currently Transfer fees count towards the salary cap There are three designated players and 3 under 22 designated players That do not count towards the salary cap I think this needs to change to become more competitive. A salary cap is fine as long it doesn’t hamper What the teams can do There’s been A figure of 30 million With a Minimum of 15 million per season to be spent And I think this will help What they need the most is well rounded teams, not just stars in a few positions
4. Tv deal
   In 2029 The current deal with Apple will run out I think that putting the MLS behind a paywall did not help growth As the league looks to negotiate their next TV rights deal I think they need to make it free to air, like All the major sports in the US A mix between CBS, Fox and NBC works well with Apple TV Potentially continuing In international markets or even free on YouTube I think it’s also important not to have blackouts I think it is never a good thing for any fan in any sport
5. Ending play-to-play in youth sports
   This isn’t necessarily an L S specific issue Because MLS academies are free But the rest of us football/soccer needs to take a leaf out of the European book in Europe, you can be poor and Very talented in football as a kid Because of the prevalence of Football clubs across Europe and in most towns Every club has an academy that is free and attached to it, so you can join it and develop in the USA You have to pay thousands of dollars a year in order to play in youth sports because of travel costs And that Restrictions, good kids that can’t afford to play football from becoming stars and keeps mediocre, wealthy kids In the system for a lot longer than they should be There were around 2.5 Million boys That are in Youth academies in the US Only 0.6% of them 17,000 Are in free MLS academy’s and the mls and the USA football association need to pay to set up free academies and train coaches for free over the next 10 years to improve the MLS and the USA national team
   I think ultimately reaching the top five is a very hard bar to clear But being the best in concacaf/ North America is achievable with the right tweaks to the league
   The difference between the MLS and every other major American sport Is that the US doesn’t have all the best players and all the best talent It’s playing in a global market And that will never change But if the MLS can hold on to the good players By offering them enough money to stay then The MLS can be a better league than it is today