With all of the anticipation over the 2011 MLS schedule, I was almost expecting to read about white smoke escaping from MLS headquarters on Fifth Avenue. But finally, after much delay, the entities around Major League Soccer - league officials, teams, and television - saw fit to release the regular season schedule.

Via Ivés Galarcep comes the announcement from the MLS front office that the 2011 league schedule will be released next Thursday. As a commenter on his post mentions, the league isn't all that late with the publication of the schedule, but it is worth it asking the league why it publishes schedules so late.