The 2027 season will look different for the Houston Dynamo and the rest of Major League Soccer.
A new era is on the horizon for Major League Soccer (MLS).
Beginning next year, the MLS will transition to a new summer-to-spring calendar.
According to an email sent by the Houston Dynamo FC, “To kick things off, the league will introduce a fast-paced 2027 MLS Sprint Season leading into the new format.
“The Sprint Season will begin in February 2027 and feature 14 matches, with each team facing their conference opponents once. Every match will carry weight, as standings will determine playoff qualification spots in major competitions like Concacaf Champions Cup and Leagues Cup.
“Following the Sprint Season and playoffs in May, MLS will officially launch its new calendar with the 2027-28 season beginning in July.”
The Houston Dynamo’s website added the following details to the recent MLS announcement.
MLS Sprint Season by the Numbers
- All teams will play 14 regular season matches.
- Each team will play its 14 conference opponents one time.
- All teams will play seven home matches and seven away matches in the regular season.
- The top eight teams from the Eastern Conference and the top eight teams from the Western Conference will qualify for the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs.
- One team will be crowned MLS Cup champion.
- Five Concacaf Champions Cup berths will be determined by the 2027 MLS Sprint Season results.
- 18 teams will qualify for Leagues Cup, nine from each conference.
The Schedule
February 2027 – MLS Sprint Season kicks off
May 2027 – Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and the MLS Cup presented by Audi
July 2027 – The 2027-28 MLS regular season kicks off
Mid-December – Early February – Midwinter Break (no MLS matches scheduled during this time
May 2028 – Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and MLS Cup presented by Audi.
Although the 2026 MLS season has just begun for the Dynamo and their rivals, the Houston franchise has made an impact in the city and the community continuously.
Stereotypically, MLS has not been too popular in the Black American community.
But the Dynamo currently has several Black players on their squad, including Duane Holmes, Diadie Samassekou and Aliyu Ibrahim.
Although the MLS has tried to diversify its workforce in recent years, especially in the front office, its diversity efforts, such as an NFL-type Rooney Rule requiring teams to interview non-White candidates, have fallen by the wayside in the current political climate.
Although the MLS continues to be open for all people, the league has scaled back its diversity, equity and inclusion program since the re-election of President Donald Trump.
On Nov. 21, 2025, Jeff Carlisle of ESPN reported, “Major League Soccer has drastically altered its hiring policy around front office and coaching positions by eliminating its minority interview requirements and many of the enforcement mechanisms surrounding those mandates, multiple sources tell ESPN.
“The league’s hiring policy, which was formerly called ‘the MLS diversity hiring policy,’ is now known as ‘MLS advance policy.’
“The revised policy is more decentralized — meaning teams can craft their own hiring practices, with little oversight by the league office.
“MLS’s version of the Rooney Rule — a name borrowed from the NFL’s minority hiring initiative — was first implemented in 2007, and was then updated with much fanfare in 2021.
“Its intention was to give more opportunities to minority candidates to interview for technical positions with the league’s teams, including GMs, assistant GMs, managers and assistant coaches. That exposure, it was hoped, would lead to more minority hires.
“The 2021 revision was also intended to increase the policy’s efficacy, and add a focus on the interviewing of Black candidates and strengthen the policy’s enforcement mechanisms. It specifically mandated that the finalist pool for an open technical position — defined as a coaching or front office position — include two or more non-white candidates, one of whom must be Black/African American. Teams that didn’t adhere to the policy could be fined.”
Despite changes to its diversity efforts, the MLS has tried other ways to engage with the Black community.
Over the last few seasons, the MLS has tried to honor Black history by celebrating holidays like Juneteenth with commemorative jerseys to celebrate the emancipation of slavery.
On June 15, 2022, the Houston Dynamo website reported, “Major League Soccer today announced a series of initiatives to celebrate Juneteenth – the historic date commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans in the U.S. All programs are a close collaboration between MLS, the league’s 28 clubs, and Black Players for Change (BPC) – an independent organization of Black MLS players, coaches, and staff working to bridge the racial equality gap in soccer and society– and are a continuation of MLS’ work to bring awareness to the significant contributions of Black Americans, and to foster more inclusive and equitable communities.”
Sola Winley, executive vice president, commissioner’s office and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer for the MLS, said, “We are all born with inalienable right to be free, to live a life of value, self-expression and dignity. Juneteenth is a special moment for Major League Soccer to honor this truth and to celebrate and commemorate the significant contributions and sacrifices of Black Americans to our nation’s culture, commerce, and community.”
Founder and Executive Director of Black Players for Change Quincy Amarikwa said, “The celebration of Juneteenth is a safe door to open a conversation to better learn from and self-reflect on uncomfortable truths of America’s past. The openness of MLS to work alongside BPC to establish this initiative to celebrate the value Black Players have brought not only to the league but the economic and cultural advancement of our communities and humanity is inspiring.”
