Today marks the last regular season game of the "first-half" of the 2026 MLS regular season as the league will pause a full two months for the upcoming World Cup.
So for the resurgent third place New England Revolution and needing a kickstart middling seventh place Charlotte FC, their last chance for points is tonight at Bank of America Stadium (730pm, Apple TV).
That's not the only thing that might be stopping soon, with the interesting news from the legendary Pablo Maurer now with The Guardian that MLS is exploring trialing a stopped clock with the IFAB (those are the people who write/update the Laws of the Game).
Now, according the article this is merely an exploratory discussion and doesn't seem to have any traction outside of MLS asking and is something that comes up about once a decade. Time wasting can be a scourge in soccer but the things that the clock could or should be stopping for wouldn't solve that problem.
Seth Macomber
I'm gonna let you guys in on a secret.
Your grassroots referee in your Over 30/40 rec league probably stops the clock. Because they don't have a full support staff to figure out how much time they're adding on and it's easier to just hold up your stopped wristwatch than give a goalkeeper 12 yellows cause they're not getting the ball back in play in the final minutes. Your high school referee absolutely stops the clock, they're still probably using a clock that counts down (at least in Connecticut) and that ruleset demands it.
So when should a clock stop? The big ones right now are hydration breaks and full VAR checks. These are not normal actions to the game, they're specific to player and game welfare that have been added more recently than when soccer first started. The upcoming World Cup hosted by North America will feature water breaks on a regular basis and there's really no reason to add those 2-3 minutes on to the end of the half. Just stop the clock.
Ditto for anytime a referee leaves the field to view the monitor on a VAR review. Holding up the game to get some information in the ear, we can add that 30 seconds on. But the 3-4 minutes to get over to the monitor, review all the footage, establish the restart to the game, announce the decision...yeah I think we can pause the clock for that. Also might remind the VAR team these things are supposed to be completed generally in less than 90 seconds so my mentions don't blow up from the phrases clear and/or obvious.
Ayomide Oguntimehin
One of the things in that Guardian article that is a major hang up is the broadcast window. Generally soccer games with a 90 minute game clock, 10-15 minute halftime, and some stoppage time generally fits into a two-hour window. Stopping the clock excessively would ruin that sacred pact with television, which MLS really doesn't care about cause they're streaming on Apple, hence why they're the perfect guinea pig. I don't expect this topic to ever get much further than where it is right now, the casual conversation spitballing phase, but it is worth MLS and/or US Soccer to keep bringing up on occasion.
Now it used to be that seeing double digit minutes in stoppage time likely meant that an incredibly serious injury had occurred. But high stoppage time is a far more regular occurrence now as leagues and FIFA try to maximize the time the ball is in play. Well you do that with yellow cards until morale improves and teams start getting the ball back into play at an acceptable pace.
Soccer has long been the timekeeping exception in sports. The clock counts up, it never stops, but the efficiency and determination for stoppage time is ever changing and far too arbitrary. There needs to be a better system and I think stopping the clock can be a part of it. But fines, suspensions, and point deductions would do far more to solve this issue, particularly in Europe, than stopping the clock for a three minute water break ever could.
Start implementing something like cricket does for slow over rates, which is generally when the fielding team is unable to make an approximate rate of bowling 15 overs per hour, and Arsenal's title run ends in relegation probably which would work out perfectly cause all their players would get fined all the way down to Championship level wages anyway.
Jake Catanese
Before we pause the MLS season, we chat for the second time this month with our good friend Brian Maurer of TopBin90 and we find New England and Charlotte on two different sides of a momentum debate potentially. The Revs in great form now but face the potential of a two-month layoff and while it gives Leo Campana a chance to get healthy that's the only real benefit they might see. While the Revs have seen a lot of success in the first half and would love to end it with three points, the Crown on the other hand probably need the three points to boost their season a lot more.
Let's be honest, the Revs kinda stole that one against them a few weeks ago and no one would have complained if that match had finished in a 0-0 draw. That point would have put Charlotte level with both New York teams on 19 points currently and the two points the Revs wouldn't have gotten would have them level with Chicago in fourth. So that Carles Gil spot kick was a big deal. The difference in form for MLS teams after this break is going to be a tremendous talking point for teams that drop off or have major improvements especially as the summer transfer window kicks in.
Can either the Revs or Charlotte end the first half on a high note? We'll see tonight, make sure to check out Brian's site for all their coverage and head coach Dean Smith's postgame interview.
Sam Lattof
1) Last game before the World Cup break, any confirmed/very likely Charlotte players that will be participating? Which countries are you rooting for/excited to see next month?
1. Tim Ream for the USMNT. There was a lot of excitement about Patrick Agyemang getting called up in Charlotte until his injury, which was a big letdown in Charlotte. Wilfried Zaha was the other potential candidate, but the Ivory Coast announced their roster, leaving Zaha off. USMNT first and foremost, and would also like to see the other Concacaf countries show well. Also, Scotland, since they will be hosted in Charlotte, it will be fun to pull for them while they spend time in the city.
2) Good news, Charlotte is back in the win column beating TFC last week...bad news that winless streak stretched to five games before then. What went right and wrong during the 1-1-1 stretch for the Crown since the first meeting with the Revs?
2. A lot of different things have gone wrong during this run, all at different times. The win against Toronto might have gotten the team a much-needed three points, but the performance didn't seem to fix the feelings around the fanbase at the moment, which is that Charlotte FC is performing well below expectations. At the moment, two of the bigger concerns have been how they start games in the first 20 minutes or so and their connection in the final third.
3) With two months before the next league game, what will Charlotte be able to take away from this game and the first half of the year in general? Form and momentum seem almost ominous with that long of a break.
3. This weekend's game feels pretty important for Charlotte. Even with a win, the team has started 2026 below par, but at least it would be back-to-back results heading into the break, which is far easier to stomach with the extended time off. Anything less than a win and the gap between them and the top 4 in the East starts to really grow, and they have 2 months to think of that letdown.
Lineup/Injuries/Predictions/Etc.
The only longer-term injury right now is Harry Toffolo. Nathan Byrne may also have to be rested, although he has been training. Henry Kessler was on the bench last week, not sure if Dean Smith is ready to make changes on the backline yet. It will likely be a similar XI to last weekend's game.
GK: Kahlina LB: Schnegg LCB: Ream RCB: Morrison RB: Byrne (or Cleary) CM: Westwood CM: Diani (or Bronico) AM: Biel LW: Zaha CF: Toklomati RW: Vargas
