MLS and its clubs are settling in for what could be a long, difficult COVID-19 suspension. The league and its teams are already preparing for financial losses the suspension will continue to cause. Most of the roughly 300 employees at the league office were given pay cuts last week, and sources told The Athletic that clubs, which are heavily dependent on gameday revenue, will likely soon take similar measures.



Their sporting departments are also getting ready for an uncertain future. It goes without saying that the soccer-side problems of individual clubs are not important in the broader context of the pandemic, but there are some interesting issues on the plates of MLS sporting directors and GMs. Here are some of the most intriguing top-line items that they have told The Athletic they are thinking about as they try to ready their teams for an eventual return to action.



Transfer market



The economic downturn associated with the pandemic will change the...