Major League Soccer’s Board of Governors will give further consideration to adopting a fall-to-spring calendar, a major move that would align the league with its international counterparts.

The next phase, which was announced Thursday following the board’s meeting, includes “additional consultation with key stakeholders.” The MLS said in a statement that any potential changes wouldn’t take effect until the 2027 season “at the earliest.”

Advocates for a shift have said it will give MLS a more competitive position for player transfers, while also freeing up players for international duty during the summer, when many major global tournaments take place.

There was an expectation that MLS might implement the change following the 2026 World Cup, capitalizing on the league’s planned break during the tournament, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, including at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.

The league’s regular season currently runs from late February to October, followed by the playoffs. The schedule can be challenging for teams that lose top international players during international competition windows and summer tournaments.

If MLS aligned with Europe, the season could open in mid-August with a possible extended break in mid-December and a May championship.

Former U.S. national team goalkeeper and Hall of Famer Tim Howard, an investor in the Houston Dynamo, said earlier this year that he was in favor of the idea.

“I tend to think being on the international calendar is important. It has challenges, like every major change and shift has its challenges. But leagues have done that since the beginning of time,” Howard said. “Oftentimes you’ve got to pivot, and it’s a hard pivot, and that comes with growing pains.”

NFL

Colts release Gay >> The Indianapolis Colts released Matt Gay on Thursday, a surprising move that came just two years after he became the NFL’s highest-paid kicker.

He had two years remaining on his $22.5 million contract and while the move will save the Colts $2.75 million on this year’s salary cap, Indy already was below the cap figure.

The bigger problem was Gay not meeting the lofty expectations after making more than 98% of his field goals in 2021-22 when he played for the Rams.

He battled injuries throughout his Indy tenure but in the Colts’ retractable roof dome, Gay managed to make only 80.5% of his field goal attempts in 2023. His percentage slightly improved to 83.8% last season, and he went 11 of 22 on attempts from 50 or more yards over those two seasons.

NHL

Preds coach back on bench >> Nashville Predators coach Andrew Brunette has rejoined the team after missing the past two games while attending to a personal matter.

The 51-year-old Brunette said in a statement that he had rejoined the team in advance of its game at Utah on Thursday night.

Brunette said he experienced an event that required urgent medical attention back in his native Ontario. He left the team on April 5 and missed its loss to Montreal and the win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Hertl rejoins Golden Knights >> Center Tomas Hertl was expected back in the lineup for the Vegas Golden Knights for Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Kraken.

Hertl led the Golden Knights in goals and was a key player in Vegas’ high-performing power play before getting injured while being slammed into the boards by Tampa Bay defenseman Emil Lilleberg in the Golden Knights’ 4-2 win on March 23.