A calendar flip away from summer could do more harm than good for the NWSL | Jeff Rueter

A change from a summer slate to a fall-to-spring schedule would align the league with much of global soccer, but it may not be what’s best for players and fans

Long before professional soccer broke through in the American landscape, the sport was a staple of summertime.

For decades, soccer has been among the United States’ three biggest draws for youth participation, just behind basketball and the combined pull of baseball and softball. Broadcasters and marketers caught on, making “the summer of soccer” a now-trite bit of branding whenever major tournaments or events occupy a smattering of weeks in the hottest months of the year. Those days have also been popular for domestic professional leagues, a chance to bring in families while school is out, with special ticketing packages and Fourth of July matches among their biggest draws.