Has Major League Soccer learned its lesson about playing on weeknights?
(Monday, December 11, 2000) — If you have been listening to commissioner Don Garber and other Major League Soccer officials, attendance is MLSs biggest problem. But it appears the league has not gone about addressing it in an effective manner. It is said that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. MLS seems to have been playing hooky when that lesson was taught, especially where attendance is concerned. Lets jump back 11 months to January 11. When MLS announced its 2000 season schedule, it said: “Wednesday and Saturday are soccer days in the United States.” That statement turns out to be only half right. The schedule had been compressed from what it was in 1999 in order to shorten it by a month. While the league increased the number of Saturday games, it also increased the number of weekday games from 35 to 48. The lost weekend matches ended up having a dramatic effect on attendance. Over the course of the 2000 season, 45 Wednesday games were played and the fans
