The Ohio State men’s soccer team poses for a picture after beating Michigan 1-0 in the championship match at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Nov. 17, 2024. Credit: Sandra Fu | Lantern File Photo.
Division l men’s soccer is on the brink of reshaping its season schedule.
After years of debate, Division l men’s soccer may soon move to a two-semester calendar designed to reduce midweek matches, missed class time and player fatigue.?
The NCAA Division l Men’s Soccer Oversight Committee adopted the legislation to spread games across the fall and spring, beginning in the 2027-28 season. The ruling is pending approval by the Division l Cabinet on June 23-24, according to a release by the NCAA.?
Under the format, teams will continue to play up to 25 matches throughout the season, with a maximum of 18 games from late August until the Saturday before Thanksgiving and up to 10 games beginning in mid-February, before the NCAA men’s soccer tournament. The College Cup would end the season in the spring, although an official date is unannounced.?
The current Division l men’s soccer schedule is played within a 10-to-13 week period in the fall, which includes matches during weekdays. During Ohio State’s 2025 campaign, the Buckeyes played six of their seven road games during the week, and played three games within an eight-day span three different times during their season.?
Ohio State head coach Brian Maisonneuve supported the two-semester schedule, voicing his concern with the current calendar.
“[It’s] a lot of games in a very short period of time,” Maisonneuve said. “The game has definitely changed over the years, and the model has not changed. To play three games in eight days and travel, sometimes across the country, it’s not a great model.”?
With the two-semester model proposing fewer midweek matches, the Buckeyes would travel less on weekdays for games, reducing missed class time and player fatigue.?
“From a player standpoint, in terms of taking care of their bodies, doing the right things, proper recovery, proper preparation, proper training during the season, everything’s just too tight and to decompress it makes a lot of sense,” Maisonneuve said.?
Maisonneuve added that the new model would give injured players additional time to get healthy and return to the pitch.?
“Our season’s only three months in the fall, and if you’ve got to sit out six weeks, you’re sitting out half the season, so unfortunately, then a lot of players try to rush back and sometimes try to come back before they should because maybe it’s their senior year and they can feel the clock ticking,” Maisonneuve said. “If you get a four-to-six week injury and it’s in a two-semester model, you might miss a couple games, but you won’t miss half the season.”?
Currently, Division I men’s soccer players can enter the transfer portal during two separate windows totaling 45 days: a 30-day period from November to December and a 15-day timeframe in May.?
Under the proposed two-semester model, the transfer portal would be limited to one 15-day window beginning the day after the Division I Men’s Soccer Championship game.
With one transfer portal window, the Buckeyes would better be able to retain their roster throughout the season.?
“This way, we’re going to have our whole 28-man roster from August to May,” Maisonneuve said. “The quality of everything is going to be substantially higher.”?
Although the new format would not take effect until Aug. 1, 2027, Maisonneuve is eager for the shift.?
“It’s a much-needed change,” Maisonneuve said.
