Major League Soccer will play matches until the eve of the 2014 World Cup before shutting down the season for two weeks, resuming play on the penultimate day of group play in Brazil under a schedule announced Monday.

The 19-team league, with clubs in US and Canadian cities, will kick off its 19th season on March 8 with Sporting Kansas City at the Seattle Sounders and conclude the 323-match 2014 campaign on October 26 with playoffs to follow. Each club plays 34 matches, 17 of them at home.

Clubs with players involved in the World Cup could be without top talent for several matches even with the shutdown, which begins after DC United plays at Montreal, Dallas visits Portland and Chivas USA entertains Seattle on June 11 and ends with Montreal at Vancouver on June 25.

US clubs resume June 27, the day after the end of the group stage at the 2014 World Cup, when Kansas City visits Portland and New York plays host to Toronto. Seven other matches are set for June 28.

The San Jose Earthquakes will host Seattle on August 2 in the first match in their new home stadium at Santa Clara, California.