MLS Clubs Are Selling 18-Month Season Tickets

Welcome back. Inter Miami opened 2027 Sprint Season memberships to the general public on Monday afternoon. Our feature this week covers what MLS clubs are selling ahead of the calendar change, and what the incoming commissioner walks into.

The LA Galaxy are selling a season ticket that lasts 18 months. The club’s Dual Season membership runs from January 2027 through June 2028, covers 25 home matches, and bills across 17 monthly installments rather than the usual 12, with the first payment due September 15. The club’s memberships will revert to a standard July-to-June term in 2028-29.

Minnesota United landed on the same 25 matches across a shorter payment window, 16 interest-free installments that began August 1 and run to November 2027, with members renewed automatically unless they filed changes by a July deadline. The club walked its members through the math, 25 games over 16 months coming out to 1.56 games per month against the 1.5 they pay for now.

The league inventory is identical everywhere, seven Sprint home matches plus 17 in 2027-28, or 24 in all. Clubs quoting 25 are adding one non-league bonus match to the package.

Larry Berg becomes commissioner of Major League Soccer on January 1, 2027, the month those memberships begin.

MLS named Berg on August 3 and introduced him at league headquarters the following day. He co-manages LAFC, co-chairs the league’s sporting and competition committee, spent his career at Apollo Global Management, and has held ownership interests in AS Roma and Swansea City. He’ll divest his LAFC stake. “I’m honored to lead Major League Soccer into its next era,” Berg said in the league’s announcement. Don Garber, who is staying through the end of 2026 and becomes the league’s chairman, told the room at the introductory press conference that Berg “understands it because he helped build it.”

Garber is closing a run of more than 27 years that took the league from 12 clubs to 30. He leaves Berg a league that drew 11.2 million fans across the 2025 regular season, the second-highest total in its history, averaging 21,988 per match — with 19 clubs above 20,000. MLS said it reached 3.7 million gross live match viewers per week last season across streaming and linear platforms, up 29% year over year. SponsorUnited put team-level sponsorship revenue at roughly $716 million in 2025, up 8%, with new jersey patch agreements averaging more than $5.5 million a year and new venue naming rights deals clearing $14 million a year.

Berg also inherits the next media rights negotiation. Apple signed a 10-year deal worth $2.5 billion in 2022 and began carrying every match in 2023, and for 2026 the league folded Season Pass into the standard Apple TV subscription. That agreement now ends after 2028-29 rather than running to 2032, and the collective bargaining agreement expires at the end of January 2028. Asked at his introduction what he wants from the next rights deal, Berg said the job is “finding media partners that want to co-create the future with us.”

The 14-game season

The MLS Board of Governors voted in November 2025 to align the competition calendar with the FIFA schedule, a move Garber called “one of the most important decisions in our history.” Clubs play 34 regular season matches now, 17 at home. The 2027 MLS Sprint Season gives each club 14 total, seven home and seven away, all inside its own conference, running February to April with playoffs and MLS Cup in May. The short campaign still crowns a champion and decides qualification for the 2028 Concacaf Champions Cup and the 2028 Leagues Cup.

The first full season on the new calendar will open in mid-to-late July 2027 and end in late May 2028, back at 34 games, with a midwinter break from mid-December through early February. MLS projects 91% of 2027-28 fixtures will fall inside the current season window. Beginning that season, every club is guaranteed to host every other MLS team at least once every two years.

What the clubs put on sale

Sports & Co. checked the ticketing pages of all 30 MLS clubs. Sixteen have announced 2027 membership terms. Twelve more have 2027 activity underway (deposits, priority lists and renewal notices) without prices or match counts attached. Two have nothing up beyond their 2026 terms.

Seattle opened renewals in July with two products instead of one, a Sprint package covering the seven transition matches at a higher price per game, and an Evergreen option bundling those seven with 18 home dates in 2027-28 (17 league matches plus a bonus) at a lower price per game and renewing straight through to 2028. The club told members in its announcement that “there isn’t a single membership that fits every fan” in a moment like this.

FC Dallas gave members two options as well. One covers the 2027 calendar year, seven home matches in the spring and the first 10 of the 2027-28 season in the fall, 17 in all, on a 10-month payment plan. The other runs two and a half years, locks a price per match through spring 2029, and stretches payments across 25 months. Dallas told members the longer option costs the same or less in 2027, while a one-year renewal carries no price guarantee heading into the New Toyota Stadium, the $182 million renovation due in early 2028.

Inter Miami left the choice to members, enrolling anyone who did not opt out in the seven Sprint matches at a price the club sets, under the terms of their existing agreements. Those seats went on sale to the general public Monday. Portland, meanwhile, said pricing and membership formats remain under review, with renewals opening at its usual point later this summer, and LAFC, the club Berg is leaving, is taking deposits toward 2027 seats rather than selling a priced package.

Among the 16 clubs that have priced it, eight sell the two seasons as a single package with no option to split, three offer a choice between the Sprint Season alone and the full bundle, four are selling the Sprint Season only and leaving 2027-28 for later, and one is splitting the 2027-28 season across two renewal cycles.

MLS has not released the 2027 Sprint Season schedule, and Nashville is telling its members to expect it in December. So the clubs that have gone to market have sold memberships without knowing their dates or their home opponents. The dozen that have signaled 2027 plans without pricing them could set their numbers with the schedule already in hand.

Lindsey V. Parker → Executive Director, Maryland Stadium Authority
Parker takes over the state agency that owns Oriole Park at Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium and Pimlico Race Course, starting in September. She advises Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and previously served as her chief of staff and as the District’s chief technology officer, most recently leading redevelopment planning for the 180-acre RFK Stadium campus. The MSA board appointed her unanimously on July 31, filling the job Michael Frenz held from 2008 until he retired in April.

Warren Parr → Senior Vice President, Ticketing, AMB Sports and Entertainment
Parr moves up to run ticketing for the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United and Mercedes-Benz Stadium on August 17, from vice president of ticket sales and service for the two clubs. The promotion came in AMBSE’s reorganization around chief operating officer Dietmar Exler, who retires on Thursday after seven years running the stadium.

PJ Mullen → Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Marketing Officer, Virginia Tech Athletics
Mullen’s portfolio at Virginia Tech covers athletic communications, creative services, broadcast and ACC Network operations, plus the department’s in-venue experience. He joins the Hokies after five years at Rutgers, finishing as executive senior associate athletic director for marketing, fan experience and brand strategy, and he built The Rutgers Boardwalk into the centerpiece of Scarlet Knights football gamedays.

Jacob Powers → Vice President, Corporate Partnerships, Charlotte 49ers Athletics
Powers returns to Charlotte to lead Charlotte 49ers Ventures, the department’s in-house commercial arm. He began with Learfield in 2010 as an account executive at Duke, ran its Elon property from 2012 to 2014, and grew Akron’s revenue by $800,000 between 2014 and 2018, closing that property’s largest deal at $750,000. His Charlotte relationship dates to 2018, and the school pulled its multimedia rights in-house in May 2025 when it launched Ventures.

Sheri Hudspeth → Business Director, PWHL Las Vegas
Hudspeth will build marketing, ticketing, communications and game day operations for the PWHL’s Las Vegas club. She moved to Nevada in 2021 to launch the Vegas Golden Knights’ youth, girls and women’s hockey programs, was in the Golden Knights front office for the 2023 Stanley Cup run, and advises the NHL Women’s Hockey Advancement Committee.

Derek Doolittle → Assistant Vice President & Deputy AD/Chief Operating Officer, Murray State University Athletics
Doolittle runs day-to-day operations for Murray State athletics under Vice President and Director of Athletics Nico Yantko. He was general manager of the Rose Bowl Stadium, overseeing the January game, College Football Playoff contests, concerts and international soccer. Earlier in his career he handled facilities and capital projects at UCLA and Missouri.

Jamie Smith → Assistant Director of Athletics for Corporate Sales and Strategic Partnerships, Hofstra University
Smith joins Hofstra’s external relations staff to sell corporate partnerships for the Pride. She was Clemson’s director of compliance for a year and, before that, climbed from athletic development intern to assistant director of NCAA compliance and student-athlete development at Rhode Island. At Iona she made All-MAAC twice in volleyball and served as president of the student-athlete advisory committee.

Dylan Petersen → Director of Sales, University of Northern Iowa Athletics
Petersen steps up inside the UNI ticket office, where he has worked since 2024, and now manages outbound sales and service for the department. Before UNI he was director of operations for the Iowa Woo during the Cedar Valley arena football team’s first season, overseeing roughly two dozen part-time staff and selling local corporate partnerships.

YouTube TV was the only name fans rewarded last week, net positive at +12 on its $54.99 sports package, while Ticketmaster and StubHub sat at -74 and -73, according to our Fan Sentiment Index. Our analysis: The credit followed a single legible price put in front of fans at the moment they were actively switching providers, ahead of football season. You can read about the full week on our website.

Executive Associate Athletics Director, Business & Finance — UNLV (Las Vegas): Oversees fiscal management, budgeting, and business operations for UNLV Athletics, including the annual operating budget, long-range financial planning, cash management, contract administration, and forecasting. Reporting runs to the Associate Vice President for Financial Services and Controller, with a dotted line to the Director of Athletics and a seat on the Athletics Executive Leadership Team. The job leads the Athletics Business Office, serves as the department’s main connection to Budget, Financial Services, Purchasing, and the Foundation, and may add sport administrator duties for assigned programs. Learn more and apply here.

Director, Ticket Operations — Chicago Fire FC (Chicago): Leads the club’s ticketing operation, reporting to the Chief Ticketing Officer, with responsibility for systems, inventory strategy, financial controls, box office execution, and league reporting. The job covers event builds, manifests, pricing configuration, and promotions across all events, plus the club’s migration from Ticketmaster Archtics to SeatGeek Unify. Operational planning for McDonald’s Park, the privately funded stadium opening in 2028 at a cost above $750 million, comes with the position. Learn more and apply here.

Manager, Premium Partnerships — New York Jets (Florham Park, NJ): Sells premium suites and hospitality for Jets home games at MetLife Stadium. Prospecting and cold calling lead into tailored proposals for full-season, half-season, and single-event suites, with presentations and stadium tours for prospective buyers. Renewals on the existing book of business round out the revenue responsibilities. Learn more and apply here.

Senior Manager of New Business Development — Dallas Wings (Arlington, TX): Runs a new business team of account executives selling full season memberships, half-season plans, mini plans, and club seating, and builds the sales campaigns and prospecting initiatives behind that revenue. A senior account executive and an account executive report in, under the Chief Ticketing Officer. The manager focuses on B2B sales and club seating across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Learn more and apply here.

Director of Athletics Information & Technology Services — Northwestern University (Evanston, IL): Directs technology services across Northwestern Athletics, covering end-user support, endpoint and asset management, network and security operations, athletics applications, and broadcast, game-day, and event technology for more than 300 staff, 21 varsity sports, and multiple venues. The director sets the department’s technology strategy and roadmap and manages Athletics IT staff along with vendor, contract, and licensing relationships. Sports science data integrations across Smartabase, Teamworks, ARMS, and wearables also fall here, as does primary liaison work with NUIT, Northwestern Medicine, and Recreation on shared systems, identity, and data governance. Learn more and apply here

Manager of Communications — Carolina Hurricanes (Raleigh, NC): Serves as one of the main points of contact for Hurricanes player, coach, and management media requests. Primary responsibilities include the media guide, game notes, press releases, and the team’s media resource website, along with press box and game night staff, credentialing, and travel with the team through the NHL season. Carolina won the franchise’s second Stanley Cup in June, and this job helps shape how that team gets covered. Learn more and apply here.

Novig × New York Mets: The Mets named Novig their exclusive official prediction market partner in a multi-year agreement, the first between a Major League Baseball club and a prediction market company. Its branding will run across Citi Field signage, in-game moments and the club’s broadcast and social channels.

FanWord × FIU Athletics: FanWord will supply its AI communications software, FanWord Assist, to every FIU varsity program over the next three years. The software drafts game recaps, player and staff bios, feature stories and transcriptions, and the athletic department retains editorial oversight of everything it generates.

Jameson × NFL: Pernod Ricard’s Jameson takes over as Official Spirits Sponsor of the NFL under a multiyear agreement, replacing Diageo, which did not renew its five-year deal. The Irish whiskey brand presents the Super Bowl Tailgate Concert, holds global league rights excluding Brazil and Mexico, and sponsors four NFL International Games a year.

ShopBack × Texas Athletics: ShopBack becomes the Official Shopping Rewards Sponsor of the Texas Longhorns under a multi-year deal developed by Longhorn Sports Properties, Learfield’s Texas arm. The agreement gives the cashback app a new ShopBack Gate at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium for the 2026 football season, plus NIL collaborations and a “Take It to the House” sweepstakes worth a share of up to $25,000 to fans when Texas returns a kickoff or punt for a touchdown.

Busey Bank × Illinois Athletics: Illinois Athletics adds a Busey Bank patch to the uniforms of nine sports this fall, football, men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer and men’s and women’s golf. The Champaign bank is now the Fighting Illini’s exclusive jersey patch sponsor and Official Financial Services Partner, entering as a charter member of the department’s new Pillar Partnership Program. Sports Business Journal reported the agreement at $30 million over five years.

Allstate × LA28 and Team USA: Allstate joined the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a Founding Partner and took the official home and auto insurance designation for Team USA. The insurer will also back NBCUniversal’s multiplatform coverage of the 2028 Games, widening a sports presence it has built around college athletics for more than 20 years.

Antero Resources × West Virginia University Athletics: All 18 WVU varsity sports will carry an Antero Resources patch on home and away jerseys under a five-year deal brokered by Learfield’s Mountaineer Sports Properties. The patch is the first uniform sponsorship in school history and debuts tomorrow at the women’s soccer season opener against Dayton.

Paciolan × UTRGV Athletics: UTRGV signed a 10-year agreement with Paciolan to run ticketing and marketing for the Vaqueros, effective ahead of the 2026 season. The price was not made public; Paciolan’s platform powers more than 180 college athletic programs and sells over 120 million tickets a year.

See you next Wednesday.