New York City FC and Red Bull New York will enter one of the more unique phases in MLS history next year as the league adjusts it’s calendar from a spring-to-winter to summer-to-spring. In order to make that change, a truncated competition will take place called the 2027 MLS Sprint Season.
The competition will be just as it sounds, a fast-track with teams playing 14 games between February and April. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences will advance to a single-elimination tournament to decide the 2027 MLS Cup Champions.
For Red Bull and City this will represent some difficulties as the early season months are usually the coldest and most unpleasant in the northeast. During that time, both clubs will have to weather the elements in order to not just qualify for the playoffs but potentially work towards having home games for the playoffs. NYC, in particular, will have difficulties as the Mets and Yankees will be starting the 2027 MLB season during the final stretch of the Sprint Season.
It has been more than half a decade since the 2020 MLS Season saw clubs play in a bubble in order to decide the winner of MLS is Back. Much like that competition, the importance of gaining points quickly will be paramount to the short term success of both clubs.
This will also mark the end of NYCFC’s time as renters. Etihad Park is set to open its doors in the summer 2027, just in time for the new format of MLS.
photo by Matt Kremkau