Domenic Malizia New York, N.Y. Why does MLS keep scheduling game on Saturday afternoons? To get spectators in stadiums, games should be played in the evening, especially during the summer Ridge Mahoney: Television programming is a tricky process, and the league believes it is so important that it’s willing to forego some of its scheduling preferences. There are a few MLS cities where afternoon games are somewhat popular, but a main reason for Saturday afternoon telecasts is to accommodate live television coverage. The Saturday afternoon slot was requested by Telemundo and fits into the ôSoccer Saturdaysö scheme. One reason Univision was dropped was that it was unwilling to show MLS games on Saturdays and wanted to keep the 1 p.m. Eastern time slot on Sundays, which the league and most teams wanted to avoid. With more lead time, MLS can work with its Spanish-language broadcast partner to find ideal kickoff times. MLS also tried to avoid Telemundo conflicts with its Saturday coverage on ESPN and ESPN2, which starting in September, has a heavy schedule of college football games. A game in San Jose kicked off at 1:30 p.m. to accommodate Telemundo, and the attendance suffered. Most teams prefer to play on Saturday nights, but late afternoon kickoffs (on the East Coast) are acceptable in some cases. But you’re correct about the heat, which can be so oppressive in some cities that afternoon games slow down to a crawl and a lot of fans would rather be someplace else. (If you have a question for a Soccer America Magazine editor, click “Q&A with SA Editors” in the left column of the home page under “Interactive.”)