"We want to build occasions. We want fans to be able to make plans. We believe consistency of schedule is really important to helping fans engage further with their favorite club or our league,"
"We've built tremendous rivalries. There are new storylines emerging every single time we play, every single time there's a new player coming into the league, or a player that is transferred to another team. And I think the point is, MLS drama, the tension, the rivalries -- they don't just happen one week a year. They happen all the time."
"By creating those appointment occasions, we saw an opportunity to create more habits among fans, and we got major sponsors to share that vision with us. Part of what we have to do as a league is help build opportunities and occasions and visibility for our matches and our product,"
MLS removed the concentrated Rivalry Week for the 2026 season and redistributed high-profile derby matches throughout the regular season. The 2026 season opens with Inter Miami visiting LAFC and introduces a weekly Saturday Showdown to spotlight marquee matchups beginning Feb. 21 with enhanced production across Apple and MLS platforms. The Saturday Showdown will serve as a second weekly showcase alongside Sunday Night Soccer. The scheduling change aims to create recurring occasions, help fans plan and build viewing habits, attract sponsor support, and sustain rivalries and storylines continuously across the season rather than concentrating them in one week.
Read at ESPN.com
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