New MLS rules explained: Five new rules from the Board of Governors might change how soccer is played

Following the Major League Soccer Board of Governors meeting on Thursday, the league has announced new initiatives with a goal to improve player health and safety as well as transparency around referee decisions during a match. There were also announcements relating to roster guidelines, but with commissioner Don Garber squashing hopes for a fourth Designated Player spot, the roster changes will see stability from last season into the upcoming season as opposed to wholesale changes to expand the spending pool.

There are five key rule changes for the upcoming season which include implementing an off-field treatment rule, a timed substitution rule, in-stadium VAR announcements, a stoppage time clock that continues to count up, and changes to the return to play process for head injuries. They’re all progressive changes that have been trialed in MLS Next Pro before making their way to the league and could make quite a difference next season. So let’s take a look at breaking down what will change.

1. Time saving rules

If a player with a suspected injury is on the ground for more than 15 seconds referees will stop play so that the player can be removed from the field and evaluated at which point they will remain off the field for a minimum of two minutes following treatment. There are a few exceptions including head injuries, goalkeeper injuries, serious medical events, and fouls resulting in cards as those may need more time on the pitch. 

The timed substitution rule follows a similar theme. Any player substituted must leave the field of play by any point within 10 seconds. If they fail to do that, the player coming in will need to wait 60 seconds before entering the game at the next stoppage. In MLS Next Pro, 99.7% of more than 3200 substitutions were able to leave the pitch within that time frame. There are exceptions for injuries and goalkeeper substitutions.

The off-field treatment rule and timed substitution rule will help players get the treatment that they need while likely curbing stoppage time.

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2. Transparency

As long as it’s also approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), VAR decisions will be announced by the referee to fans both in the stadium and viewers on television. This will be the first time it has been trialed in a top flight league. With the focus on getting VAR decisions done quickly and correctly, this is a change that will provide more insight into the decisions that are made. The clocks on broadcasts and in stadiums will also now count up during stoppage time in the first and second half. Finally, if players suffer head injuries from a collision with each other requiring off field treatment they will only return to the match at the same time after their evaluations have been completed.  

3. Roster changes

While roster changes are slim there will be a reduction to players that can be listed on a team’s Discovery List. That list is a sort of calling dibs on an international player that a team would like to sign, if another team would like to sign that player then they’d need to negotiate for their discovery rights. A team may also now elect to receive part of a fee for selling a Designated Player as General Allocation Money which can be used directly on the roster which wasn’t previously possible.