MLS Realigns Conferences For 2022, Nashville Moves To Western Conference

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Major League Soccer has announced changes for the 2022 season, including scheduling changes and a realignment of the conferences. As such, Nashville SC will be moved to the Western Conference after being in the Eastern Conference for the past two seasons.

To best align with the 2022 international soccer calendar, the MLS regular season will begin earlier than ever before, kicking off on Saturday, Feb. 26. The season will run through Decision Day, the regular season finale, on Sunday, Oct. 9.

Following three consecutive weeks of Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs action, the MLS Cup will be played on Saturday, Nov. 5, more than two weeks prior to the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Nov. 21 and more than a week prior to the player release date on Nov. 14.

MLS also confirmed that Charlotte FC, set to begin play as Major League Soccer’s 28th team, will compete in the Eastern Conference, resulting in two conferences of 14 teams each.

All teams will play a 34-game regular season–17 home games, 17 away games–facing each of their conference opponents two times and playing eight non-conference opponents once.

The MLS regular season schedule will consist of all weekend matches with the exception of no more than five midweek matches–targeting one each in May, June and July, and two in August. The midweek match dates for each team will not be scheduled in consecutive weeks.

The full MLS regular season schedule will be announced later this year.

Steven Boero
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