Major League Soccer is the premier men’s football league in the United States and Canada. Although the USA in particular was a little slower to adopt the “beautiful game” compared with the rest of the world, MLS is now considered one the United States’ major professional sports leagues and one of the world’s top football leagues. Indeed, only the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), and Canadian Football League (CFL) boast a higher average attendance in the US and Canada, and only a handful of football leagues around the world (predominantly the top European leagues such as the Premier League and Bundesliga) can say the same.
📜 Major League Soccer History
MLS was founded in February 1995 as part of the US’ successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup, although its inaugural season was not played until 1996. It succeeded the North American Soccer League (NASL), which existed from 1968 to 1984. The league started out with just 10 teams but has regularly expanded over the years and now boasts 29 clubs, with St. Louis City SC the latest to join the ranks in 2023.
The league encountered difficulties in its early years, in part due to its experimentation with non-standard rules, including a countdown clock and hockey-style penalty shootouts (with players starting 35 yards from goal) to resolve draws in regular league matches. However, from 2003 – around the same time the league adopted standard IFAB (International Football Association Board) rules – the league enjoyed a significant resurgence in popularity.
This was compounded by the arrival of superstar David Beckham from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy in 2007, which significantly raised the global profile of the league. His transfer led to the introduction of the Designated Player Rule, which allows MLS teams to sign 3 players above their salary cap, and paved the way for more star arrivals such as Thierry Henry, Andrea Pirlo, Steven Gerrard, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The increase in quality on the pitch has directly impacted the league’s popularity off it, and it continues to grow in stature; while it is not yet regarded on the same level as the National Basketball Association or National Hockey League by many fans, it boasts a higher average attendance than both leagues. Also, many MLS teams now play in their own soccer-specific stadiums, rather than sharing with NFL and MLB franchises, helping the league to better forge its own identity.
The most successful teams in MLS history are DC United and LA Galaxy, who have each won 4 MLS Cups and Supporters’ Shields apiece.
💯 MLS Format & Scoring
There are 30 teams in MLS, with 27 based in the United States and the other 3 in Canada, divided evenly into Eastern and Western Conferences. Unlike the major European leagues, the MLS regular season runs through the summer, typically from February or March to mid-October. Each team plays 34 matches; they play every opponent in their Conference twice, home and away, and the remaining games are cross-Conference matches against different opponents.
The league follows the standard system of 3 points awarded for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a defeat, with goal difference and then goals scored being the tiebreakers. MLS is a rarity in league football, however – as in other US sports, it does not feature promotion from or relegation to a lower tier. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of drama to be had at the business end of the season thanks to the MLS Cup Playoffs. At the end of the regular season, the top 7 teams in each Conference qualify for the Playoffs to determine the league champion. Finishing top of the overall league standings is still rewarded; the team that tops the table is awarded the Supporters’ Shield honour and gains benefit of home advantage throughout the post-season competition.
The teams that finished between 2nd and 7th are separated into brackets in their respective Conference, and face off in single-match knockout rounds (hosted by the higher seed) to advance to the Conference finals. The No. 1 seeds from each Conference are given byes to the Conference semifinals. After each Conference winner is determined, they face off in the MLS Cup final.
There are 3 places up for grabs in the CONCACAF Champions League, which are given to the MLS Cup champions and the 2 teams that finish 1st in their respective Conference during the regular season, or the next-highest US-based team in the overall standings if there’s overlap.
