Major League Soccer has formally approached the International Football Association Board, the global governing body for the laws of the game, about reintroducing a stopping clock for match play. The proposed trial would halt the game clock during injuries, substitutions, and set pieces, effectively eliminating the traditional method of the referee adding stoppage time at the end of each half. MLS officials are pushing for the change as a way to improve fan experience and increase transparency, arguing that a visible, universally stopped clock would reduce time-wasting and make the game easier to follow for new audiences.
The league is not venturing into entirely new territory. MLS previously employed a stopping clock from its inaugural 1996 season through 1999, before aligning with the standard FIFA rules. Ifab last formally debated the concept in 2017, but no action was taken at that time. The renewed discussions suggest that MLS views the current moment as ripe for revisiting the idea, particularly as other sports and leagues experiment with match-flow innovations. The exact timeline for any potential trial remains unclear, but the dialogue marks the most significant overture on this topic from a top-tier league in years.
If adopted