How Many Games in an MLS Season: MLS Structure and Rules

July 7, 2023 by

Are you ready for kickoff? Whether you watch every game or you’re all about the playoffs, there’s nothing more exciting than a Major League Soccer game. The season is full of ups and downs, wins and losses that drive teams up the ranks, and 29 teams to root for; there’s always a game just around the corner.

If you’re looking to skip the home watch to enjoy the thrill of watching your favorite players up close and personal, TickPick has everything you need. In addition to tickets for all your favorite games, you’ll also have the backing of our BestPrice Guarantee, which means more games and even better prices. Learn about the rules and structure of an MLS season, and start planning your next game day today.

Contents

1 MLS Season Structure
2 Number of Teams
3 Number of Games
4 Players at a Glance
5 Schedule at a Glance
6 MLS Playoffs at a Glance
7 What Is the Supporter’s Shield?
8 What Are All-Star Games?
9 Plan Your Soccer Season With TickPick Today

MLS Season Structure

MLS stands for Major League Soccer and is the highest level of professional men’s soccer played in the United States and Canada. Unlike most sports teams in America, the MLS is a single entity, and all MLS clubs are run by the league rather than individual owners. Here’s a closer look at what you can expect from a typical season of MLS games.

Number of Teams

The MLS was founded in the 1990s and launched with just ten teams. Today, the MLS features 29 teams, including 26 in the United States and three Canadian teams, one each in Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Ontario, and Vancouver, BC. Three teams, two from Florida and one from California, no longer play, and a San Diego, California team is set to join the lineup in 2025.

The 29 current MLS teams are split into two conferences. In the Eastern Conference, you’ll find the following teams:

In the Western Conference, you’ll find the following teams:

Number of Games

Because there are an uneven number of teams in MLS, the games are played a little differently. Each team will play 34 games throughout the season. They play two games against each of the teams in their own eastern or western conference, one home and one away, and play one game against nearly all of the teams in the competing conference, except for four or five.

Halfway through the season, the teams will break for an all-star game, which has no bearing on the rankings for the season. One unique element that sets the MLS apart from global soccer competitions is the knockout structure. In the postseason, a knockout system is used to elevate teams to the following round. Of the 29 teams in the league, 18 participated in the MLS Cup in 2023.

Players at a Glance

Every team has room for up to 30 players. The way these slots are filled varies depending on the position and can greatly impact the amount of money the team can spend.

For instance, slots one to 20 are paid out through the Salary Budget for the club, which was $4,900,000 in 2022. These players are part of the team’s Senior Roster.

A club doesn’t have to fill positions past 18 if they don’t want to and can instead focus their budget on the Senior Roster, but rosters below 18 players will result in budget allocation changes.

The Supplemental Roster, which refers to the positions between 21-30, is not paid out from the salary budget. These positions are split, 21-24, 25-28, and 29-30, and the amount a player can be paid and how they can be recruited for the team will vary depending on where they fall in the Supplemental Roster.

Anyone on either roster can be selected for the game-day squad.

Schedule at a Glance

The MLS struggles with domestic and international scheduling since it often conflicts with FIFA and summer tournaments like the World Cup. The regular season runs from February or March until October. The playoffs run through October and November, and the MLS Cup Championship game takes place in December.

MLS Playoffs at a Glance

The MLS regular season matches take place from late winter to mid-fall, and then the games will go into the playoffs, but what do the playoffs look like? Since the MLS is always working to improve its structure and function, this year’s playoffs look slightly different from previous years. In addition to the traditional elimination games, there will also be two single-elimination Audi MLS Cup Playoffs Wild Card matches before the first round begins.

To qualify for the MLS Cup Final, there are requirements a team must meet. All the teams with standings from one to seven, or seeds one to seven, in each conference will automatically qualify for the Round One Best-of-Three series. The teams in each conference that qualify for eight or nine will be entered into the Wild Card matches.

The Wild Card matches will determine who goes onto the Best-of-Three rounds, withstanding eight and nine from each conference facing off against each other. There is no overtime in these games; ties will result in penalty kicks to determine a winner.

Once the winners of the Wild Card matches are determined, they will go into the Best-of-Three Series, which will last eight to 16 games, with specific rules to determine hosts and lineups. From there, teams will move on to the Conference Semifinals for four games, the Conference Final for two games, and finally, the MLS Cup for a single game.

What Is the Supporter’s Shield?

Much of this setup has to do with how points are awarded in MLS and how it differs from traditional soccer rules abroad. When a club wins a game, they are awarded three points. When a club ties a game, each team is awarded one point, and zero points are awarded to the team that loses.

These points are tallied at the end of the season, and the team with the highest number of points, indicating the higher number of wins and ties, is awarded the Supporter’s Shield. That means they have the home-field advantage in the playoffs. This ranking helps to determine who moves onto the playoffs and who they will be playing against.

What Are All-Star Games?

One fun element of the MLS schedule is the all-star game, an exhibition game at the halfway point of the season. It is a chance for the league to put all of the best players on the field simultaneously, and it doesn’t have any bearing on the rankings or outcome of the rest of the season.

The MLS All-Star game has changed several times since it was first introduced into MLS, and just a few years ago, it was agreed that the United States would face players from Mexico’s Liga MX out on the field. The event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic but opened a dialogue about how to foster international engagement with the North American soccer league in a friendly and fun way.

Plan Your Soccer Season With TickPick Today

There are so many different ways to support your favorite soccer club this year, whether you watch every game from the comfort of home or front-row seats. It’s easy to follow the best in soccer stats and records and to watch your favorite teams move up the ranks as the season continues, whether you’re grabbing an MLS season pass or just heading to the next LAFC showdown.

If you’re searching for affordable tickets to see the next great MLS, NBA, or NFL game, TickPick is the sporting event team you’ll want to turn to first. We offer the most affordable tickets possible, and with the BestPrice Guarantee, you’ll never have to worry about service fees Plus, new users can sign up for an additional $10 off their ticket price. That means you’ll have more money to save up for when your favorite team gets to the championship, whether you’re following the national team, the Premier League, or even the CONCACAF Champions League.

No matter what you love to watch or who you love to listen to, TickPick has no service fee tickets for your favorite concerts, sporting events, shows, and more. We’re also sharing all you want to know about the top teams from across the country, so it’s easy to keep up all season long.

Find out when your team is playing next and pick up tickets for the best seats in the house from our team today.

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