NEW YORK – Stung by the rescheduling or postponement of inaugural weekend games in Portland and Los Angeles due to weather conditions, Major League Soccer (MLS) announced today that starting with the 2024 season, all MLS teams will be required to play home games in an indoor stadium.

Portland fan on their way to the home opener.,

“With the MLS season increasingly entering into poor-weather winter months due to league expansion, in-season cup competitions, and more playoff games, there is a need to ensure we have compatible playing conditions for games,” said Mark Abbott, President and Deputy Commissioner of Major League Soccer. “MLS believes the only viable solution is for teams to play indoors,” he continued.

At present, only two of 29 MLS teams – Atlanta and Vancouver – play in stadiums which can be made indoor with a retractable roof. Another 10 teams – Dallas, Houston, LAFC, LA Galaxy, Saint Louis, Minneapolis, Montreal, Toronto, Seattle and Miami – play in cities with an existing stadium – currently hosting American or Canadian football or baseball – that is either fully indoor or converts to indoor with a retractable roof. This will leave 17 current MLS teams having to scramble to convert their current stadium to allow for indoor play, or find an alternative indoor venue in a different city until that can be done.

As yet, most MLS teams have not announced how they intend to comply with this edict. Inquiries into the front offices by the Nutmeg News yielded only two responses. Portland Timbers, currently playing in a stadium owned by the city of Portland, are lobbying Portland mayor Ted Wheeler for city funds to purchase a 150,000 square foot tarpaulin to be secured to the roof of that stadium. NYCFC will temporarily relocate to Tropicana Field, an indoor baseball stadium and the current home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Nutmeg News will have more on this as FC Dallas reach out to the Sidekicks to see if they can rent Reunion Arena.