5 Reasons MLS Cup Should Make Memorial Day Its Own

BusinessSportsMoney5 Reasons MLS Cup Should Make Memorial Day Its OwnByIan Nicholas Quillen,Contributor.Follow AuthorMay 25, 2026, 02:30pm EDTFORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 06: Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF lifts the Champion's trophy after winning the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Final match between Inter Miami CF and Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Chase Stadium on December 06, 2025 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)Getty ImagesStarting with the Major League Soccer sprint season in 2027 and continuing with the league’s new permanent, July-to-May calendar afterward, the MLS Cup Playoffs will be played in May in perpetuity after this year. And if the league wants to try establish itself in the broader American and global sports consciousness, it should make the decision to stage every MLS Cup final from here forward on Memorial Day, or at least every time when the international calendar allows.Here are five reasons it would be a great step forward for MLS and American soccer.1. It (Mostly) Works With The FIFA CalendarThis isn’t guaranteed to continue in perpetuity, but since the start of the 2026 World Cup cycle, FIFA’s international calendar has allowed competitive club play through the weekend following Memorial Day. That will also be the case in three of the next four years (the exception being in 2028).When that occurs, MLS would be able to stage its final on Memorial Day and still provide sufficient recovery time for any players to appear in the Concacaf Champions Cup final, which usually falls on the following weekend. And given the increasing influence of American commerce on FIFA, if MLS established the tradition of playing its final on the final Monday of May long term, it seems likely FIFA would continue with a match calendar that permits it through the 2034 World Cup Cyle and beyond.MORE FOR YOU2. It Establishes American IdentityThe league still hasn’t established itself as a major professional sport among most casual American...