# 7. What MLS changes affect scouting procurement now?


### Does the league’s privacy initiative include recruitment systems?

On **30 March 2026**, MLS announced that all clubs would be required to implement a formal privacy-management platform, with DataGrail used by participating clubs and approved alternatives elsewhere. The public release concentrates on fan-data governance; it does not establish the detailed implementation scope for every recruitment database. ([mlssoccer.com](https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/major-league-soccer-announces-collaboration-with-datagrail-to-power-ai-driven-data-privacy-and-governance-across-the-league-and-club-partners))

**Action:** ask the club’s privacy owner whether scouting platforms, shared drives, analyst notebooks and regional-scout submissions are included. Seek integration with the existing governance programme before purchasing a separate compliance layer for recruitment.

### How should licences handle the 2027 calendar transition?

The schedule announced on **29 October 2026** confirms a 14-match Sprint Season regular season from **19 February to 8 May 2027**, followed by playoffs in May. MLS has also confirmed the subsequent summer-to-spring season beginning in July 2027. ([mlssoccer.com](https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/major-league-soccer-announces-2027-sprint-season-schedule))

**Recommended renewal requirements:**

- Define whether a licence covers calendar months, the Sprint Season, 2027–28 or a combination.
- Require distinct season identifiers and clear historical-access entitlements.
- Specify treatment of overlap periods, training access and implementation support.
- Rebuild expected-match denominators rather than carrying forward a normal-season assumption.
- Avoid cancelling an incumbent before verifying access across the transition.

These are commercial protections to negotiate, not league-mandated subscription terms.

### Which roster-rule changes can invalidate a supplier’s filters?

MLS’s 2026 amendments removed numerical limits on Cash for Player Trades, removed age and numerical restrictions on intraleague loans, and removed the deadline for a player to be considered domestic for a season. They also changed certain international-slot and midseason Designated Player treatments. ([mlssoccer.com](https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-transfer-windows-key-dates-for-the-2026-season))

**Action:** include dated eligibility scenarios in the Same-Shortlist Supplier Trial Kit. Ask the provider to identify its rule source and version, while reserving final transaction approval for football operations and the league.