[NASL] Following the lead of many Latin American leagues -- and minor league baseball, for that matter -- the North American Soccer League will adopt a split season in 2013. Two round-robin competitions will be held with the winners of each competition meeting for the Soccer Bowl trophy in November.

The 2013 spring championship will kick off the season in late March or early April and will culminate on July 4.

A break that will coincide with North America's summer transfer window will follow. Clubs will have roughly one month to prepare for the second phase.

The second, or fall, championship will commence late July or early August and run through Nov. 2.

The winner of the spring championship will host Soccer Bowl 2013 and play the winner of the fall championship -- or the team with the second-best record for the full year’s games if the same team wins both competitions.

Each individual phase will consist of a full round-robin schedule in which each team plays every other NASL team once at home and once on the road.

NASL Commissioner David Downs said the Division II league believes new format will bring more excitement and meaning to all regular-season matches throughout the season.