The MLS NEXT Pro have just announced the ‘Off-field Treatment Rule’, a new rule created in order to counteract time-wasting from players going down with non-serious injuries and combat time-wasting.

As per the MLS Next Pro website, the two-part rule states: “If a player is suspected to have an injury and is on the ground for longer than 15 seconds, a medical crew will come onto the field to evaluate the player and assist him off the field.

The other part to the rule will ensure players will have to stay off the pitch once they’ve gone off injured: “Once the player is off the field, the player will be treated by the medical staff and will be required to remain off the field for three minutes”

The innovative rule is the first of its kind in a professional football set up and will be implemented to allow play to resume quickly, while providing medical professionals time to assess and treat players, off the field of play.

There are specific exceptions to the three-minute requirement, including potential head injury, cardiac issue or other serious medical events.

The MLS will also introduce the 'Red Card Suspension Rule', which will provide greater benefit to the club that suffered a foul resulting in a red card or second yellow card.

The rule, which was created to provide more fairness to clubs regarding the discipline of red cards, states that: “If a player receives a red card, that player will serve the resulting one-game suspension against the same team that he received the red card. The rule applies in the case of a red card or a second yellow card.

Both rules was will be implemented immediately and for the duration of the 2022 MLS Next Pro season, beginning Thursday when Rochester New York FC hosts Philadelphia Union II.

“We are looking forward to implementing the Off-field Treatment Rule, as we believe it will positively impact our game in multiple ways,” said Ali Curtis, Senior Vice President of Competition & Operations of MLS NEXT Pro.

“Not only will it allow our medical professionals to treat our athletes in a less pressurised, more controlled environment, but it will also address players or teams deliberately delaying the game in order to gain a competitive advantage. With less disruptions in play, fans watching will be able to enjoy more soccer and less stoppages.”

While we’re not sure José Mourinho would be a fan of the new measure, it’ll be interesting to see the impact of this new set of logical ruling on the division – with the potential for them to introduced more widely into domestic, European and international football in the future.