Major League Soccer (MLS) has laid off 20 per cent of full-time staff at its New York headquarters in a bid to mitigate the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to reports in the US, reports, www.sportspromedia.com/.

The purported jobs cuts, first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, amount to roughly 70 employees and comes after MLS enacted a 25 per cent pay cut for senior staff, including commissioner Don Garber, back in April.

The league eventually returned to play in July with a behind-closed-doors tournament in Orlando before eventually resuming its regular season in August.

With fans still unable to attend games, MLS is anticipating matchday revenue losses exceeding US$1 billion and is reportedly considering starting its 2021 season as late as April in order to allow teams to host supporters.