National team coach Jurgen Klinsmann has called for an 11-month MLS schedule to help combat fatigue, an issue the German cited as a factor in the United States' 3-2 loss to Chile on Jan. 28.
"What happens here is that maybe soccer is not as far yet as American football, baseball, basketball where athletes in their offseason basically go then specifically in their own preparation before they join the preseason with their professional teams," he said in an interview with Fox Sports.
"We don't have that culture yet. The MLS season goes nine months, and they should take a month off but then they should then go back to preparing themselves for their next year. A couple of guys haven't done that and that's why they are looking a little bit shaky right now. But we're going to get them back on track and hopefully they learn out of it."
He continued: "My wish is that the domestic league here, the MLS, is going to an 11-month season like the rest of the world. Just extending that season of MLS would solve my issue that I have right now but we're working on it."
Klinsmann also feels the pressure MLS players face pales in comparison with their NFL, NBA and European soccer counterparts.
"At the end of the day, you are a little bit a child of your environment. And soccer is not there yet where the NFL or the NBA or the NHL are in terms of peer pressure. They don't have that same sense of accountability here in the U.S. that they would have in Europe."