Major League Soccer (
MLS) is a professional soccer league based in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and sanctioned by
United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer)The United States Soccer Federation is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Its headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois...
. The league comprises 15 teams, 14 in the U.S. and one in
CanadaCanada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. MLS represents the top tier of the
AmericanUnited States soccer pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the United States. For practical and historical reasons, some teams from Bermuda, Canada and Puerto Rico also compete, but they are not eligible for the Lamar Hunt U.S...
and
Canadian soccer pyramidThe Canadian soccer pyramid is a term used in soccer to describe the structure of the league system in the Canada. Canadian teams are often members of leagues that are based in the United States....
s.
Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States' bid to host the
1994 FIFA World CupThe 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in the United States from 17 June to 17 July 1994. The United States was chosen as hosts by FIFA in July 1988...
. The first season took place in 1996 beginning with 10 teams. Seasons run from late March or early April to November, with teams playing 30 regular season games each. Eight teams compete in the postseason
MLS Cup PlayoffsThe MLS Cup Playoffs is the postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer held at the end of the regular season en route to the MLS Cup Championship game. Eight teams from the league's two conferences qualify for the tournament based on regular-season records, and a tiebreaking procedure...
culminating in the championship game,
MLS CupThe MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. Beginning with the 2008 MLS Cup winner, subsequent teams will receive the redesigned MLS Cup trophy, named the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, for his long-standing commitment to MLS. The previous trophy was named the Alan I...
.
Competition format
The
2009 Major League Soccer seasonThe 2009 Major League Soccer season is the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and will end with MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington.- Changes from the 2008 season :...
runs from March 19 through November 22. The 15 teams in the league are divided into the
EasternThe Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences.-Current members:*Chicago Fire*Columbus Crew*D.C. United*Kansas City Wizards*New England Revolution*New York Red Bulls*Toronto FC-Lineup for 1996–1997:*Columbus Crew*D.C...
and
WesternThe Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences.-Current members:*Chivas USA*Colorado Rapids*FC Dallas*Houston Dynamo*Los Angeles Galaxy*Real Salt Lake*San Jose Earthquakes*Seattle Sounders FC-Lineup for 1996:*Colorado Rapids...
Conferences — seven in the Eastern Conference, eight in the Western Conference. Each team plays 30 games, evenly divided between home and away matches. Each team competes against every other team twice, home and away, for a total of 28 games. The remaining two games are intra-conference matches, often highlighting geographic and conference rivalries. The team with the most total points at the end of the regular season is awarded the Supporters' Shield. Eight teams then proceed to the
MLS Cup PlayoffsThe MLS Cup Playoffs is the postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer held at the end of the regular season en route to the MLS Cup Championship game. Eight teams from the league's two conferences qualify for the tournament based on regular-season records, and a tiebreaking procedure...
ending in the single match
MLS CupThe MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. Beginning with the 2008 MLS Cup winner, subsequent teams will receive the redesigned MLS Cup trophy, named the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, for his long-standing commitment to MLS. The previous trophy was named the Alan I...
final.
MLS has three automatic berths in the
CONCACAF Champions LeagueThe CONCACAF Champions League is the annual international club football championship for teams from the CONCACAF region . The competition is open to the leading teams in the region, and replaced the CONCACAF Champions' Cup which ran from 1962 to 2008...
with extra berths possible via the
U.S. Open CupThe Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is an American soccer competition open to all United States Soccer Federation affiliated teams, from amateur adult club teams to the professional clubs of Major League Soccer....
and the
Canadian ChampionshipThe Canadian Championship is an football tournament that is scheduled to take place in the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver every year to determine Canada's entrant into the CONCACAF Champions League...
. For
CONCACAF Champions League 2009–10The 2009–10 CONCACAF Champions League is the second edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format. The tournament began on July 28, 2009 will run through April 27, 2010...
, qualifying teams include
MLS Cup 2008The 2008 MLS Cup was the championship game of the 2008 Major League Soccer season, and took place at 3:30 PM ET on November 23, 2008 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California between the 2008 MLS Eastern Conference Champion Columbus Crew and the 2008 MLS Western Conference Champion Red Bull...
and Supporters' Shield winner the
Columbus CrewThe Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was owned by the legendary Lamar Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas until his 2006 death. Upon his death, his son Clark Hunt took over his...
, Supporters' Shield runner-up the
Houston DynamoThe Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club based in Houston, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer. The club won back-to-back MLS Cup championships in its first two seasons of existence....
, MLS Cup runner-up the
New York Red BullsThe New York Red Bulls is an American professional soccer club based in in the New York metropolitan area that participates in Major League Soccer . The team plays their home matches at Giants Stadium located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey but is currently...
,
2008 U.S. Open CupThe 2008 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup ran from June through September 2008.The Cup schedule was shortened in 2008, ending in August instead of October, so as to avoid interfering with Major League Soccer's end-of-season playoff drive in the fall and the new CONCACAF Champions League.The 13 US-based MLS...
winner
D.C. UnitedD.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
, and
2009 Canadian ChampionshipThe 2009 Canadian Soccer Championship was a soccer tournament hosted and organized by the Canadian Soccer Association that took place in the cities of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in 2009...
winner
Toronto FCToronto FC, popularly abbreviated as TFC, is a professional football club located in Toronto, Ontario and the first Canadian and non-American team in the United States' pre-eminent professional soccer league, Major League Soccer...
. Columbus and Houston are automatically seeded into the Group Stage. New York, Toronto, and D.C. are required to play in the Preliminary Round.
MLS also has four berths in
SuperLigaThe SuperLiga is an official North American football competition between teams from the Primera División of Mexico and Major League Soccer of the United States and Canada, the top divisions in each nation. The competition is sanctioned by CONCACAF, U.S...
, a competition jointly organized by MLS and
MexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
's national football governing body, the
FMFThe Mexican Football Federation is the governing body of football in Mexico. It administers the Mexican national team, the Mexican League and all affiliated amateur sectors. The headquarters are located in Mexico City...
. The top four overall teams from the 2008 season, excluding those participating in the Champions League, qualify for
SuperLiga 2009The 2009 SuperLiga was the third edition of the SuperLiga. The top four overall Major League Soccer teams from the 2008 season not already qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League earned qualification, as well as four clubs from the Primera División de México...
. This includes the Chicago Fire, the
New England RevolutionThe New England Revolution is an American soccer club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, that participates in Major League Soccer. The club is owned by Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
, the
Kansas City WizardsThe Kansas City Wizards are an American, professional soccer club based in the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area that participates in Major League Soccer. In 2007 the team moved from Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas with plans to build a new stadium there near the Kansas...
, and Chivas USA.
Early years
MLS Major Trophy Winners
| Season |
MLS CupThe MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. Beginning with the 2008 MLS Cup winner, subsequent teams will receive the redesigned MLS Cup trophy, named the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, for his long-standing commitment to MLS. The previous trophy was named the Alan I...
Playoff and League
Champions |
MLS Supporters' Shield The Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system, much like the Presidents' Trophy in the NHL.- History :...
Regular Season
Champions |
| 2009 The 2009 Major League Soccer season is the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and will end with MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington.- Changes from the 2008 season :...
|
TBD |
Columbus CrewThe Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was owned by the legendary Lamar Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas until his 2006 death. Upon his death, his son Clark Hunt took over his...
|
| 2008 The 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in league history. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.- Changes from the 2007 season :...
|
Columbus CrewThe Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was owned by the legendary Lamar Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas until his 2006 death. Upon his death, his son Clark Hunt took over his...
|
Columbus CrewThe Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was owned by the legendary Lamar Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas until his 2006 death. Upon his death, his son Clark Hunt took over his...
|
| 2007 The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history. The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F...
|
Houston DynamoThe Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club based in Houston, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer. The club won back-to-back MLS Cup championships in its first two seasons of existence....
|
D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
| 2006 |
Houston DynamoThe Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club based in Houston, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer. The club won back-to-back MLS Cup championships in its first two seasons of existence....
|
D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
| 2005 |
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
|
San Jose EarthquakesThe San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer club is located in San Jose, California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada, Major League Soccer . The Earthquakes participated in MLS from 1995 to 2005, and resumed operations in 2008. It is one of the...
|
| 2004 |
D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
Columbus CrewThe Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was owned by the legendary Lamar Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas until his 2006 death. Upon his death, his son Clark Hunt took over his...
|
| 2003 |
San Jose EarthquakesThe San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer club is located in San Jose, California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada, Major League Soccer . The Earthquakes participated in MLS from 1995 to 2005, and resumed operations in 2008. It is one of the...
|
Chicago Fire |
| 2002 |
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
|
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
|
| 2001 |
San Jose EarthquakesThe San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer club is located in San Jose, California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada, Major League Soccer . The Earthquakes participated in MLS from 1995 to 2005, and resumed operations in 2008. It is one of the...
|
Miami FusionMiami Fusion F.C. was a professional soccer club located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1998 to 2001. The club played in Lockhart Stadium, which was a former high school stadium converted into a soccer-specific stadium...
|
| 2000 |
Kansas City WizardsThe Kansas City Wizards are an American, professional soccer club based in the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area that participates in Major League Soccer. In 2007 the team moved from Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas with plans to build a new stadium there near the Kansas...
|
Kansas City WizardsThe Kansas City Wizards are an American, professional soccer club based in the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area that participates in Major League Soccer. In 2007 the team moved from Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas with plans to build a new stadium there near the Kansas...
|
| 1999 |
D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
| 1998 |
Chicago Fire |
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
|
| 1997 |
D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
| 1996 |
D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
Tampa Bay MutinyThe Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer club located in Tampa, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1996–2001. The club played its home games at Houlihan's Stadium from 1996–1998 and at Raymond James Stadium from 1999 onwards....
|
In 1996, Major League Soccer's original ten teams, the
Columbus CrewThe Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was owned by the legendary Lamar Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas until his 2006 death. Upon his death, his son Clark Hunt took over his...
,
D.C. UnitedD.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
, the
New England RevolutionThe New England Revolution is an American soccer club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, that participates in Major League Soccer. The club is owned by Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
, the NY/NJ MetroStars, the
Tampa Bay MutinyThe Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer club located in Tampa, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1996–2001. The club played its home games at Houlihan's Stadium from 1996–1998 and at Raymond James Stadium from 1999 onwards....
, the
Colorado RapidsThe Colorado Rapids are a professional American soccer club based in the Denver suburb of that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was founded in 1995. The team colors are burgundy, sky blue, and gray. They played their home matches at Mile High Stadium from 1996–2001 and moved...
, the
Dallas BurnFC Dallas is an American professional soccer team based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer...
, the
Kansas City WizThe Kansas City Wizards are an American, professional soccer club based in the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area that participates in Major League Soccer. In 2007 the team moved from Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas with plans to build a new stadium there near the Kansas...
, the
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
and the
San Jose ClashThe San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer club is located in San Jose, California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada, Major League Soccer . The Earthquakes participated in MLS from 1995 to 2005, and resumed operations in 2008. It is one of the...
, began play. The early years of the league gave rise to the
Bruce ArenaBruce Arena is an American soccer coach, currently in charge of Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer....
-led dynasty of D.C. United, which won MLS Cups in three of the league's first four seasons. It took the expansion Chicago Fire in 1998 to end United's stranglehold on MLS Cup. Also joining the league in 1998 was the Miami Fusion.
After its first season, MLS suffered from a decline in attendance. The league's quality was cast into doubt when the
U.S. men's national teamThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international football competitions and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. Though soccer has not traditionally had a high profile in American sporting life, the sport has steadily grown in popularity since the 1970s...
, made up largely of MLS players, was eliminated in the first round of the
1998 World CupThe 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as hosts by FIFA on 1 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
and finished in last place.
The league began to market itself on the talents of American players, both experienced veterans and fresh talents. Breakout stars like
DaMarcus BeasleyDaMarcus Lamont Beasley is an American soccer player who is currently playing for Scottish Premier League side Rangers as well as the United States soccer team...
and
Landon DonovanLandon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player who currently plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. He plays usually as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing.A member of the inaugural class of the U.S...
began making names for themselves in MLS before breaking into and starring for the U.S. national team, while established players such as
Brian McBrideBrian McBride is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.-High School and College:...
,
Eddie PopeGeorge Edward Pope is a retired American soccer player who last played for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer and spent 11 years as a defender for the United States national team....
, and
Clint MathisClint Mathis is an American soccer player who currently plays for Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.-Youth and college:...
continued to prove their value to both their MLS clubs and the U.S. national team.
The league's ongoing financial problems led to the departure of Commissioner
Doug LoganDouglas G. Logan on July 21, 2008, became the Chief Executive Officer of USA Track & Field, the national governing body for track and field, long distance running and race walking...
after the end of the 1998 season.
Don GarberDon Garber is the commissioner of Major League Soccer, CEO of Soccer United Marketing, and a member of the United States Soccer Federation board of directors. Garber has spent his entire career in the sports industry, working in a variety of capacities in marketing, television and league...
, a former
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
International chief, was hired in his place and his leadership became instrumental to shoring up the league's future. Construction of soccer-specific stadiums for the league's teams, largely funded by financiers such as
Lamar HuntLamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee of the first three sports' halls of fame...
and Phil Anschutz, became a point of emphasis to bring fiscal health and ensure the league's survival. Hunt's
Columbus Crew Stadium-Origins:As a charter franchise in the MLS, the Columbus Crew commenced play at Ohio Stadium in MLS's inaugural season of 1996. As it is principally an American football stadium, the facility was never popular with the team or its fans...
, built in 1999, is often cited as a league model.
On the field, the early wave of international players who had joined MLS at its inception drifted into retirement or moved on to clubs elsewhere in the world. The run-up to the
2002 World Cup2002 World Cup may refer to:*Athletics – 2002 IAAF World Cup*Field Hockey:** 2002 Men's World Hockey Cup** 2002 Women's World Hockey Cup*Football – 2002 FIFA World Cup...
saw a gradual shift in the league's philosophy toward the development of American talent, a move that would eventually lead to success for U.S. soccer.
Despite this movement, declining attendances forced MLS to stop the bleeding by contracting the two Florida franchises, the
Tampa Bay MutinyThe Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer club located in Tampa, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1996–2001. The club played its home games at Houlihan's Stadium from 1996–1998 and at Raymond James Stadium from 1999 onwards....
and the Miami Fusion, just a few years after their establishment. This left the league with 10 teams, the same number as when the league began.
Resurgence
The 2002 World Cup, in which the
United StatesThe United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international football competitions and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. Though soccer has not traditionally had a high profile in American sporting life, the sport has steadily grown in popularity since the 1970s...
unexpectedly made the quarterfinals through wins against
PortugalThe Portuguese national football team is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation , finishing 4th at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The first appearance in the 1966 FIFA World Cup saw them reach the semifinal, losing 2 – 1 at Wembley to the eventual world champions England. Portugal finished in...
and
MexicoThe Mexico national football team represents Mexico in international football competition and is managed by the Mexican Football Federation Association...
, triggered a resurgence in American soccer and MLS. The
MLS Cup 2002The 2002 MLS Cup was the championship game of the 2002 Major League Soccer season. The game was played on October 20, 2002, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Los Angeles Galaxy beat the host New England Revolution 1-0 on a sudden-death goal in the second overtime from regular...
, held four months after the 2002 World Cup final, set an attendance record as a sellout crowd at
Gillette StadiumGillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, residing 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston that serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution soccer team. The facility opened in...
saw the Los Angeles Galaxy win their first title.
MLS drew international attention in 2004 with the debut of 14-year-old
Freddy AduFredua Koranteng "Freddy" Adu is an American soccer player who currently plays with Belenenses in Portugal. Adu was born in Tema, Ghana, before emigrating to the United States at the age of eight and becoming a citizen in 2003...
for D.C. United, who entered the league with much fanfare and was heralded as one of the top prospects in American soccer history.
MLS underwent a significant transition in the years leading up to the
2006 World CupThe 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000...
. After marketing itself on the talents of American players, the league saw some of its homegrown stars depart for more prominent leagues in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
.
Tim HowardTimothy Matthew "Tim" Howard is an American soccer goalkeeper who plays for Everton of England and the United States national team.-Early years:...
, goalkeeper for the
MetroStarsThe New York Red Bulls is an American professional soccer club based in in the New York metropolitan area that participates in Major League Soccer . The team plays their home matches at Giants Stadium located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey but is currently...
, was sold to
Manchester UnitedManchester United Football Club is an English football club, one of the most popular football clubs in the world, based at Old Trafford in Greater Manchester. The club was a founding member of the Premier League in 1992, and has played in the top division of English football since 1938, with the...
in one of the most lucrative contract deals in league history. DaMarcus Beasley of the Chicago Fire left for
PSV EindhovenPhilips Sport Vereniging , widely known either as PSV or PSV Eindhoven, is a Dutch sports club from Eindhoven, Netherlands. It is best known for its professional football department....
, while Landon Donovan, on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, was recalled to Germany. Donovan's stint in Germany was brief; before the start of the 2005 MLS season he was sold back to MLS to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Many more American players, though they factored little in the U.S. national team picture, did make an impact in MLS. In 2005,
Jason KreisJason Kreis is a former American soccer forward, and is currently the third highest scorer in Major League Soccer regular-season history...
of expansion club
Real Salt LakeReal Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City, Utah suburb of Sandy that participates in Major League Soccer. The club joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, and plays its home games at Rio Tinto Stadium....
became the first player to score at least 100 career MLS goals. In 2005, the now-defunct
MLS Reserve DivisionThe MLS Reserve Division was a USA soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer, much like the English FA Premier Reserve League is to the FA Premier League....
was created, with each reserve squad playing 12 games, providing valuable playing time to develop non-starters on team rosters.
It was also in this era that MLS expanded for the first time since the contraction of 2001.
Real Salt LakeReal Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City, Utah suburb of Sandy that participates in Major League Soccer. The club joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, and plays its home games at Rio Tinto Stadium....
and Chivas USA began play in 2005, with Chivas USA becoming the second club in Los Angeles, sharing
The Home Depot CenterThe Home Depot Center is a multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 13 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is hardware retailer The Home Depot...
with the Galaxy. Chivas USA also became the first team in MLS to be directly connected to a foreign club, their sister club of Guadalajara. By 2006 the
San Jose EarthquakesThe San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer club is located in San Jose, California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada, Major League Soccer . The Earthquakes participated in MLS from 1995 to 2005, and resumed operations in 2008. It is one of the...
moved to Texas, becoming the
Houston DynamoThe Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club based in Houston, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer. The club won back-to-back MLS Cup championships in its first two seasons of existence....
, after funding for stadium could not be found in San Jose. The Dynamo became an expansion team, leaving their history behind for a new San Jose ownership group that would materialize years later in 2008.
2007–present
Since 2007, Major League Soccer's leadership has taken steps to further internationalize the league in an effort to raise the level of play. Among the first moves in this regard was the Designated Player Rule, which helped MLS bring international stars into the league, despite the relatively meager MLS salary cap, and the creation of the
SuperLigaThe SuperLiga is an official North American football competition between teams from the Primera División of Mexico and Major League Soccer of the United States and Canada, the top divisions in each nation. The competition is sanctioned by CONCACAF, U.S...
, which places top MLS clubs against top Mexican clubs in an effort to provide more meaningful competition for both leagues. MLS changed the rules regarding foreign players in the league to allow a total of 8. This period also saw expansion reach beyond the United States' borders into Canada, beginning with
Toronto FCToronto FC, popularly abbreviated as TFC, is a professional football club located in Toronto, Ontario and the first Canadian and non-American team in the United States' pre-eminent professional soccer league, Major League Soccer...
.
The
2007 seasonThe 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history. The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F...
witnessed the MLS debut of
David BeckhamDavid Robert Joseph Beckham,
OBE is an English footballer who currently plays in midfield for American Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy and the England national team....
, whose signing had been seen as a coup for American soccer. Beckham's contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy was made possible by the Designated Player Rule. Players such as
Cuauhtémoc BlancoCuauhtémoc Blanco Bravo , also known as Cuauh , is a Mexican professional soccer player who currently plays for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer of US....
of
Club AméricaClub América is a Mexican football club based in Mexico City, competing in the Primera División. América is owned by Emilio Azcárraga, who owns Televisa, making it the richest club in Mexico, and the richest outside Europe...
signed for the Chicago Fire, and
Juan Pablo ÁngelJuan Pablo Ángel is a Colombian soccer player who currently plays for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.-Atlético Nacional and River Plate:...
, who moved from
Aston VillaAston Villa Football Club is an English professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, who play in the Premier League. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of Football League in 1888...
to the
New York Red BullsThe New York Red Bulls is an American professional soccer club based in in the New York metropolitan area that participates in Major League Soccer . The team plays their home matches at Giants Stadium located at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey but is currently...
, are some of the first Designated Players who have made major contributions to their clubs.
The departures of
Clint DempseyClinton Drew "Clint" Dempsey is an American soccer player who plays for Fulham in the English Premier League and for the United States national team.-Youth:...
and
Jozy AltidoreJosmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore is an American soccer player who currently plays for English club Hull City, on loan from Villarreal...
, coupled with the return of former U.S. national team stars
Claudio ReynaClaudio Reyna is a former American soccer player. He was the captain of the U.S. national team before retiring from international soccer following the USA's exit from the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He's widely considered one of the greatest players the United States has ever produced...
and
Brian McBrideBrian McBride is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.-High School and College:...
to New York and Chicago, respectively, highlight the exchange of top prospects to Europe for experienced veterans to MLS. Several other well-known foreign players have followed Beckham and Blanco to MLS, including
Guillermo Barros SchelottoGuillermo Barros Schelotto is an Argentine soccer player who currently plays for Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer.-Argentina:...
to Columbus and
Freddie LjungbergKarl Fredrik "Freddie" Ljungberg is a Swedish professional footballer with Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer....
to Seattle.
By 2008 San Jose had returned to the league, and in 2009
Seattle Sounders FCSeattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that participates in Major League Soccer . The team was established in November 2007 as an MLS expansion team. The following year fans chose the Sounders name for the team through an online poll. They are...
became the newest expansion franchise, opening to a crowd of 32,523 at
Qwest FieldQwest Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, USA. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer. The complex also consists of the WaMu Theater, a parking garage, and large public plaza...
. Presently MLS plans expansion into Philadelphia, Vancouver, and Portland.
Organization
Recently "expansion," "contraction," and "rebranding" have become buzzwords for the league and its fans. The league has renewed its emphasis on improving the quality of play by its teams via initiatives such as the Designated Player Rule and the creation of a league-wide youth development system.
Ownership
MLS operates under a single-entity structure in which teams are centrally controlled by the league. In order to keep costs under control, revenues are shared throughout the league, player contracts are negotiated by the league, and ultimately players are contracted not with individual teams but with the league itself. The league fought a bitter legal battle with its players over its economic system, but this was eventually resolved with the players gaining some improved benefits in return for accepting the single entity structure. A court had also ruled that even absent their collective bargaining agreement, players could opt to play in other leagues if they were unsatisfied.
The league's cost-controlling measures have attracted new ownership that have injected more money into the league, improving it and focusing the league's resources on fewer clubs. Examples include the
Anschutz Entertainment GroupThe Anschutz Entertainment Group is a sporting and music entertainment presenter and a subsidiary of The Anschutz Corporation. It is the world's largest owner of sports teams and sports events, the owner of the world’s most profitable sports and entertainment venues, and under AEG Live the world's...
's sale of the MetroStars to
Red BullRed Bull GmbH is an Austrian company which sells the Red Bull energy drink. In 2006, more than 3 billion cans were sold in over 130 countries. 3,903 employees generated 2.6 billion euros in turnover....
, for an "excess of $100 million," according to the
New York Times. Commissioner Garber said to the
Los Angeles Times that, "the sale was part of a plan to have AEG decrease its holdings in MLS. We're pushing Hunt Sports to do the same thing."
Commissioner Garber has stated that having multiple clubs owned by a single owner was a necessity in the first 10 years of MLS, but now that the league appears to be on the brink of overall profitability and has significant expansion plans, he wants each club to have a distinct owner. In order to help bring this about, the league is now giving more incentive to be an individual club owner, with all owners now having the rights to a certain number of players they develop through their club's academy system each year, sharing the profits of Soccer United Marketing, and being able to sell individual club jersey sponsorships.
At one time AEG owned six clubs in MLS, and have since sold the Colorado Rapids, the MetroStars, D.C. United and the Chicago Fire to new owners. AEG's remaining teams are the Los Angeles Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo. The other major owner-investor in MLS has been Hunt Sports, which owns the Columbus Crew and FC Dallas, having sold the Kansas City Wizards in to a
local ownership groupOnGoal, LLC is a group of Kansas City investors formed for the purpose of purchasing the Kansas City Wizards of Major League Soccer and seeing through the construction of a permanent soccer-specific stadium for the team. On August 31st, 2006, OnGoal bought the Wizards from their previous owner,...
in 2006. The league now has 16 owners for their 18 clubs (including the 2010 Philadelphia Union and the 2011 Vancouver and Portland teams).
Game First
The 2006-2007 MLS offseason has been considered by some to be the most productive in the history of the league, and there were a number of changes made to the league, which have brought about an increase in the league's ability to compete financially as well as on the field. The league announced a youth development initiative, which will require youth development programs for all of the league's teams. The hope is that by being able to sign up to two of its own youth players to the senior team each year that the league's teams will have an incentive to improve the quality of the league's talent in an organic way that will also benefit the league through transfer fees for outgoing players. Perhaps the first example of a success in "home-grown" talent development was New York's
Jozy AltidoreJosmer Volmy "Jozy" Altidore is an American soccer player who currently plays for English club Hull City, on loan from Villarreal...
, who rose to prominence as one of the league's most skilled young strikers before fetching the league's record transfer fee in his move to Villarreal in 2008.
The league also announced "Game First", a series of initiatives aimed at improving the league in several ways. One of the most immediate changes is that
U.S. SoccerThe United States Soccer Federation is the official governing body of the sport of soccer in the United States. Its headquarters are in Chicago, Illinois...
hired the first full-time professional referees in league history. Another part of "Game First" was the creation of an official league anthem similar to other competitions from around the world. There are two versions of the MLS Anthem, an
orchestral version that is performed before every regular season game and an
orchestral chorus version with a chorus that is played before the
MLS All-Star GameThe MLS All-Star Game has been held each season that Major League Soccer has existed. The set-up for the game has been far more fluid than that of All-Star Games in more traditional leagues such as the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB...
and
MLS CupThe MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. Beginning with the 2008 MLS Cup winner, subsequent teams will receive the redesigned MLS Cup trophy, named the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, for his long-standing commitment to MLS. The previous trophy was named the Alan I...
.
Stadiums
Since 1999, the league has overseen the construction and completion of seven venues specifically designed for soccer. Lamar Hunt broke new ground in this endeavor by financing the construction of MLS's first
soccer-specific stadiumSoccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States and Canada, coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium whose primary purpose is to host association football matches...
,
Columbus Crew Stadium-Origins:As a charter franchise in the MLS, the Columbus Crew commenced play at Ohio Stadium in MLS's inaugural season of 1996. As it is principally an American football stadium, the facility was never popular with the team or its fans...
. The Los Angeles Galaxy followed four years later with the opening of
The Home Depot CenterThe Home Depot Center is a multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 13 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is hardware retailer The Home Depot...
in 2003. Chivas USA has shared this venue with the Galaxy since their expansion season in 2004. It also played host to two consecutive
MLS CupThe MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. Beginning with the 2008 MLS Cup winner, subsequent teams will receive the redesigned MLS Cup trophy, named the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, for his long-standing commitment to MLS. The previous trophy was named the Alan I...
s, until FC Dallas opened
Pizza Hut ParkPizza Hut Park is a soccer-specific stadium with a 20,500-seat capacity, built and owned by the suburb of Frisco in Collin County, Texas. Its primary tenant is Major League Soccer team FC Dallas, which relocated from the Cotton Bowl in central Dallas to the fast-growing suburb...
in 2005 and hosted the next two championships. The Chicago Fire began playing their home games in
Toyota ParkToyota Park is a multi-purpose stadium located at 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, Illinois. It is the home stadium of the Chicago Fire, members of Major League Soccer . Toyota Park was developed at a cost of around $100 million...
in 2006.
2007The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history. The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F...
saw the opening of Dick's Sporting Goods Park for the Colorado Rapids and
BMO FieldBMO Field is a soccer-specific stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 20,500 spectators, depending on seating configurations. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd...
for Toronto FC. Near the end of the
2008 seasonThe 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in league history. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.- Changes from the 2007 season :...
, Rio Tinto Stadium became the home of Real Salt Lake.
Other stadiums are currently under construction. Red Bull Arena, the new home of the New York Red Bulls, began construction in December 2007 with the goal of opening sometime in
2009The 2009 Major League Soccer season is the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and will end with MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington.- Changes from the 2008 season :...
, but construction delays have pushed back the opening until 2010. The Kansas City Wizards expect to move into their new stadium sometime in 2011. Philadelphia Union plans to call the new Union Field at Chester home when they enter the league in 2010. In 2011, the
Portland TimbersThe Portland Timbers will be an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon that, according to an announcement in March 2009, will begin play in Major League Soccer in 2011. The team will replace the USL First Division's team of the same name, while retaining the same ownership...
will make their MLS debut in a newly-renovated
PGE ParkPGE Park is a multi-purpose stadium located in Portland, Oregon, United States...
.
Five remaining clubs play in stadiums not originally built for MLS. The New England Revolution and D.C. United play home games at
NFLThe National Football League is the largest professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing its name to the National Football League in 1922. The league currently consists of...
venues
Gillette StadiumGillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, residing 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston that serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution soccer team. The facility opened in...
and
RFK StadiumRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, better known as RFK Stadium or RFK, is a multi-purpose stadium in Washington, D.C., United States, and the current home of Major League Soccer's D.C. United....
. New England and D.C. are actively seeking to build their own soccer stadiums. Seattle Sounders FC play in a dual-purpose stadium, designed to be used for both football and soccer. For Sounders matches, Qwest Field staff tarps off the upper bowl to provide a more intimate atmosphere. The Houston Dynamo and the San Jose Earthquakes are in the planning stages for their own soccer venues replacing
Robertson StadiumJohn O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium, often referred to as simply Robertson Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams...
and
Buck Shaw StadiumBuck Shaw Stadium is a 10,300-seat multi-purpose stadium at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. The stadium is the current home of the Santa Clara Broncos soccer teams and was the former home of the now defunct Santa Clara football team as well as the Santa Clara baseball team. The...
. In 2011 the
Vancouver expansion teamMajor League Soccer has awarded an expansion franchise for an as yet unnamed Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia that will begin play in 2011...
will begin play in a refurbished BC Place, and will remain there until at least 2016, by which time the team hopes to complete construction on a planned waterfront soccer stadium.
The move to soccer-specific stadiums has been seen as essential to building attendance and fan support for MLS. So far, every club that has built its own stadium has not only seen its game attendance rise, but also has helped MLS achieve profitability. Thanks to their new stadium, the Los Angeles Galaxy became the first club to turn a profit in 2003, followed by
FC DallasFC Dallas is an American professional soccer team based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer...
in 2006.
Media coverage
At the outset, MLS signed deals for coverage on
ESPNESPN is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day....
,
ESPN2ESPN2 is a American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
and
ABCESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports coverage has been delegated to ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...
, while
UnivisionUnivision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest Latin American audience, largely due to repurposed telenovelas and other Mexican programs produced by Grupo Televisa...
,
GalavisionGalavisión is a Miami, Florida based Spanish language cable network owned by Univision Communications, Inc. The station is unrelated to the Mexican channel of the same name, other than sharing the Televisa-produced programming.-History:...
, and
TelemundoTelemundo is a Spanish-language American television network. Angel Ramos launched the brand with a TV station in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 1954 -- and it evolved into the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world...
broadcasted matches in
SpanishSpanish or Castilian is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that originated in northern Spain and gradually spread in the Kingdom of Castile, evolving into the principal language of government and trade in the Iberian peninsula...
. The original Univision deal lapsed after a few years, leaving only the ABC/ESPN family of networks as the league's national broadcasters.
Fox Sports WorldFox Soccer Channel is a United States digital cable network, owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, that specializes in soccer. The channel took its current name on February 7, 2005; before then, the network was known as Fox Sports World, launched November 1, 1997...
(later rebranded as
Fox Soccer ChannelFox Soccer Channel is a United States digital cable network, owned by News Corporation's Fox Entertainment Group, that specializes in soccer. The channel took its current name on February 7, 2005; before then, the network was known as Fox Sports World, launched November 1, 1997...
in 2005) and
Fox Sports en EspañolFox Sports en Español is a cable television network dedicated to broadcasting sports-related programming 24 hours a day in Spanish. FSE is a joint venture between Fox Sports International and Fox Pan American Sports LLC and is managed by FSI featuring soccer tournaments from across Latin America...
began airing matches in 2003. The 2007 MLS season was the first season, however, for which television rights were sold to networks at a profit. Previously, MLS paid networks to broadcast its games. It is estimated MLS will receive about $30 million from TV revenue alone within the next eight years.
With the addition of Toronto FC, coverage of MLS expanded into Canada in 2007. The
CBCCBC Sports is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for sports broadcasting. The highest rated televised segment on the CBC Television network comes from the CBC Sports presentation of Hockey Night in Canada...
,
GolTV CanadaGolTV is a Canadian English language category 2 digital cable specialty channel. GolTV is exclusively dedicated to association football , with live sporting events from around the world, news programs, coaching & instructional programming and more...
and
Rogers SportsnetRogers Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language cable television sports specialty channel, operating four regional standard-definition feeds, each with a corresponding high-definition simulcast feed...
all broadcast Toronto matches nationwide, along with the MLS Cup playoffs.
The league's
MLS Direct KickMLS Direct Kick is an Out-of-Market Sports Package distributed by most cable and satellite providers in North America. The package allows its subscribers to see over 130 Major League Soccer regional games including regular-season and MLS Cup playoff matches. The package costs $79 for residential...
package, which broadcasts out-of-market matches, has been expanded to ensure that every league match is broadcast. Univision and its family of networks resumed MLS broadcasts in 2007 as well, with most matches airing on TeleFutura and Galavision on Sunday afternoons and evenings.
The 2007 season was the first in the league's history in which every regular season match was telecast live, and many games were shown on national television.
ESPN'sESPN Major League Soccer is a promotion of Major League Soccer on ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC, with simulcasts on ESPN2HD and ABCHD. Major League Soccer on ESPN2 debuted in 1996, the league's first season, and is guaranteed to stay on the network till at least 2014...
coverage now features a live match each week, usually in primetime, and Fox Soccer Channel's
MLS Saturday added a pregame and postgame show wrapped around their featured matches.
Major League Soccer also offers streaming live video of some matches via its website.
Sports Business Journal reported on December 23, 2008 that MLS and Soccer United Marketing had signed an international television broadcast contract with sports media company MP & Silva through 2013. The figure is reportedly an "eight-figure deal" that covers the "rights to all MLS games, tournaments and events, including MLS regular season,
MLS Cup PlayoffsThe MLS Cup Playoffs is the postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer held at the end of the regular season en route to the MLS Cup Championship game. Eight teams from the league's two conferences qualify for the tournament based on regular-season records, and a tiebreaking procedure...
,
MLS CupThe MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. Beginning with the 2008 MLS Cup winner, subsequent teams will receive the redesigned MLS Cup trophy, named the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, for his long-standing commitment to MLS. The previous trophy was named the Alan I...
, and the international competitions
SuperLigaThe SuperLiga is an official North American football competition between teams from the Primera División of Mexico and Major League Soccer of the United States and Canada, the top divisions in each nation. The competition is sanctioned by CONCACAF, U.S...
,
InterLigaThe InterLiga is a football competition between Mexican clubs to determine qualifying spots for that country in South America's premier club competition, the Copa Libertadores....
, and
Pan-Pacific ChampionshipThe Pan-Pacific Football Championship is an inter-confederation football tournament between teams from A-League , Chinese Super League , J...
." InterLiga is the only non-MLS competition included in the deal. MP & Silva CEO Carlo Pozzali acknowledged that high profile, international players who were lured to MLS by the designated player rule have raised the international awareness and potential for popularity of MLS in international markets.
MP & Silva's package generally does not include ESPN-televised matches.
ESPN InternationalESPN International is a family of networks around the world. It was begun in 1989 and is operated by ESPN. It consists of:*ESPN Africa*ESPN America**ESPN America Extra**ESPN Classic **ESPN Classic **ESPN *ESPN Atlantic*ESPN Australia...
purchased the rights to broadcast MLS in
Great Britain and IrelandESPN is a sports television channel in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland owned by American sports broadcaster ESPN Inc. The channel launched on 3 August 2009...
in 2009, and other ESPN networks around the world also broadcast games.
Profitability
colspan="5"|Shirt sponsorships
| Team |
Sponsor |
Value |
Chicago FireThe Chicago Fire is an American professional soccer club based in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview, Illinois that participates in Major League Soccer. The team was founded on October 8, 1997, on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In 1998, their inaugural league season, the...
|
Best BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is a specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Canada, Mexico, and China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates under both the Best...
|
$7.5M over 3 years |
Chivas USAClub Deportivo Chivas USA is an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that participates in Major League Soccer. The club, founded in 2004, plays its home games at The Home Depot Center, sharing it with arch-rivals the Los Angeles Galaxy. The...
|
Comex Comex may refer to:*COMEX, a division of the New York Mercantile Exchange * COMEX , a French company in undersea engineering *Los Comex, a comic book imprint*Comex Group, a Mexican paint manufacturer and distributor...
|
$2M per year |
Columbus CrewThe Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was owned by the legendary Lamar Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas until his 2006 death. Upon his death, his son Clark Hunt took over his...
|
Glidden The Glidden Company was a Cleveland-based company founded in 1875 by Francis Harrington Glidden, Levi Rackett and Thomas Bolles, initially as a varnish-making business, which later diversified into the production of chemicals and foodstuffs...
|
$1M per year |
| D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
Volkswagen |
$14M over 5 years |
Houston DynamoThe Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club based in Houston, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer. The club won back-to-back MLS Cup championships in its first two seasons of existence....
|
Amigo Energy Amigo Energy is a privately owned, full-service Retail Electricity Provider to residential and commercial customers in Texas.-History:...
|
$1.9M per year |
Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
|
HerbalifeHerbalife International , is a global nutrition, weight-loss and skin-care company. The company was founded in 1980 and it employs around 3500 people worldwide...
|
$4M-$5M per year |
| New York Red Bulls |
Red Bull Red Bull GmbH is an Austrian company which sells the Red Bull energy drink. In 2006, more than 3 billion cans were sold in over 130 countries. 3,903 employees generated 2.6 billion euros in turnover....
|
Part of $100M deal for club and stadium |
Real Salt LakeReal Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City, Utah suburb of Sandy that participates in Major League Soccer. The club joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, and plays its home games at Rio Tinto Stadium....
|
XanGo XanGo, LLC, founded in 2002, is a privately owned international multi-level marketing company based in Lehi, Utah. The company markets and distributes Xango juice, a blended juice product consisting of mangosteen and other juices, a skin care product, and a nutritional supplement.-Executives:*Aaron...
|
$500K-$1M per year |
San Jose EarthquakesThe San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer club is located in San Jose, California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada, Major League Soccer . The Earthquakes participated in MLS from 1995 to 2005, and resumed operations in 2008. It is one of the...
|
Amway Global Amway is a direct selling company and manufacturer that uses multi-level marketing to sell a wide variety of products, primarily in the health & beauty industry.Amway was founded in 1959 by Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos...
|
$2-$3M per year |
Seattle Sounders FCSeattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that participates in Major League Soccer . The team was established in November 2007 as an MLS expansion team. The following year fans chose the Sounders name for the team through an online poll. They are...
|
Xbox 360 LiveMicrosoft Corporation is a multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices...
|
$20M over 5 years |
Toronto FCToronto FC, popularly abbreviated as TFC, is a professional football club located in Toronto, Ontario and the first Canadian and non-American team in the United States' pre-eminent professional soccer league, Major League Soccer...
|
BMOThe Bank of Montreal is the fourth largest bank in Canada by deposits. The Bank of Montreal was founded in 1817, making it Canada's oldest bank....
|
$1M-$1.5M per year |
Major League Soccer has lost more than $350 million since its founding, according to a report by
BusinessWeekBusinessWeek is a business magazine published by McGraw-Hill. It was first published in 1929 under the direction of Malcolm Muir, who was serving as president of the McGraw-Hill Publishing company at the time. BusinessWeek is a business magazine published by McGraw-Hill. It was first published...
in 2004. However, there are positive signs for profitability in the near future. As soccer-specific stadiums are built, ownership expands and television coverage increases, MLS has managed to see their revenues increase while costs are kept to a minimum. The 2003 season saw the Los Angeles Galaxy make a profit in their first season at
The Home Depot CenterThe Home Depot Center is a multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 13 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is hardware retailer The Home Depot...
, while FC Dallas turned a profit in similar fashion after moving into
Pizza Hut ParkPizza Hut Park is a soccer-specific stadium with a 20,500-seat capacity, built and owned by the suburb of Frisco in Collin County, Texas. Its primary tenant is Major League Soccer team FC Dallas, which relocated from the Cotton Bowl in central Dallas to the fast-growing suburb...
in 2005.
Television coverage has consistently expanded throughout the league's history, as MLS brokered a deal with ESPN in 2006 for rights fees and a greater presence across its networks. The 2007 season saw the return of MLS to Univision and its Spanish-language networks. They joined Fox Soccer Channel and HDNet as the U.S. national outlets, and the league has mandated that every league game receive television coverage either nationally or locally in one or both teams' cities for broadcast on its
Direct Kick package.
In 2007, MLS teams started selling ad space on the front of jerseys to go along with the league-wide sponsorship partners who had already been advertising on the back of club jerseys, following the practice of international sport, specifically soccer. The league has established a floor of $500,000 per shirt sponsorship, with the league receiving a flat fee of $200,000 per deal. Online gambling and hard liquor sponsorships are prohibited. As of January 2009, eleven of the league's fifteen teams have signed sponsorship deals to have company logos placed on the front of their team jerseys.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber said on May 11, 2006 that he expects the league's clubs to be profitable by 2010 overall. He reported that FC Dallas and the Los Angeles Galaxy are already profitable, with several other clubs nearing profitability. A year later, he revealed that the Chicago Fire, the Colorado Rapids, and Toronto FC were on track for profitability by 2008. However in 2008 there were only three profitable MLS franchises; Los Angeles Galaxy, Toronto FC and FC Dallas
http://www.forbes.com/2008/09/09/mls-soccer-beckham-biz-sports-cz_kb_0909mlsvalues.html.
Rule changes
MLS experimented with deviations from
IFAB rules and standardsThe Laws of the Game are the rules governing a game of association football. They are written and maintained by the International Football Association Board .-Current Laws of the Game:...
in its early years, some of which had been used in the
NASLNorth American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
and continue to be used in
college soccerCollege soccer is a term used to describe soccer that is played by teams operated by colleges and universities as opposed to a professional league operated for exclusively financial purposes...
and many
high school associationsThe National Federation of State High School Associations is the body that writes the rules of competition for most high school sports and activities in the United States. Most high schools, whether public or private, belong to their state's high school association; in turn, each state association...
.
Among them was the use of a countdown clock, rather than a standard progressive clock, with time paused for dead ball situations at a referee's discretion. Halves ended when the clock reached 0:00, rather than at the whistle of the referee as was customary elsewhere.
Also implemented was the use of shootouts to resolve tie games. These best-of-five contests placed a player 35 yards from goal with five seconds to put the ball past the opposing goalkeeper; if needed the shootout progressed into extra frames. A winning team received one standings point (as opposed to three for the regulation win).
While
IFABThe International Football Association Board is the body that determines the Laws of the Game of association football.-Operations:...
rules allow teams to substitute three players during games, MLS allowed a fourth, goalkeeper-only substitute. MLS discarded the rule after 2003 and adopted the IFAB standard, prompted in part by a match in which then MetroStars coach and current U.S. national team manager
Bob BradleyBob Bradley is the current manager of the United States men's national soccer team.Before taking over the national team in December 2006, he had previously coached in the American college game and later in Major League Soccer, where he has more victories than any other coach in league history,...
used a loophole to insert an outfield player as a fourth substitute.
MLS eventually conceded that the rules changes, particularly the shootout, had alienated some traditional soccer fans while failing to draw new American sports fans as hoped. The shootout and countdown clock were eliminated after the 1999 season.
MLS continued to experiment with the settling of tie games in regular season play. In 2000, a 10-minute
golden goalThe golden goal is a method used to decide the winner of games in elimination matches which end in a draw after the end of regulation time. Golden goal rules allow the team that scores the first goal during extra time to be declared the winner. The game finishes when a golden goal is scored. The...
period replaced the shootout for tied games. It was abandoned after 2003. The golden-goal overtime remained through 2004 for playoff matches, where it had been used since the league's inception.
In 2005 the league adopted a playoff extra time structure that followed new IFAB standards for such situations: two full 15-minute periods, followed by penalty kicks if necessary. The
away goals ruleThe away goals rule is a method of breaking ties in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. By the away goals rule, the team that has scored more goals "away from home" will win if scores are otherwise tied...
is not used in any playoff round.
Teams
There are 15 MLS teams divided between the
EasternThe Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences.-Current members:*Chicago Fire*Columbus Crew*D.C. United*Kansas City Wizards*New England Revolution*New York Red Bulls*Toronto FC-Lineup for 1996–1997:*Columbus Crew*D.C...
and
WesternThe Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences.-Current members:*Chivas USA*Colorado Rapids*FC Dallas*Houston Dynamo*Los Angeles Galaxy*Real Salt Lake*San Jose Earthquakes*Seattle Sounders FC-Lineup for 1996:*Colorado Rapids...
Conferences. Each club is allowed 24 players on their full roster.
Before its maiden season and
inaugural draftThe MLS Inaugural Player Draft, held before Major League Soccer's initial 1996 season, distributed players who had already graduated from college to the league's ten inaugural teams. The draft occurred on February 6 and 7, 1996...
, MLS
allocatedIn Major League Soccer, an allocation represents an amount of money teams can use to sign players and/or allocate to their salaries to get under the salary cap. Allocations are given to teams that have missed the playoffs the previous seasons, given to expansion teams, or awarded as compensation...
four marquee players across the initial ten teams. These
inaugural allocationsThe Major League Soccer Inaugural Allocations were signed by the league in 1996 and distributed to the ten initial teams prior to the beginning of the first MLS season...
consisted of key U.S. national team and international players such as
Eric WynaldaEric Wynalda is an American soccer player, currently playing and serving as technical director for Bakersfield Brigade in the USL Premier Development League...
and
Hugo SánchezHugo Sánchez Márquez , popularly nicknamed Pentapichichi, or Hugol, is a Mexican football coach and former striker. He played for four European clubs, including Real Madrid...
. By the 1998 season, the league added its first two
expansion teamAn expansion team is a term used for a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the...
s: the Miami Fusion and the Chicago Fire. The 2000 season saw the league divide into three conferences with teams in either the Eastern, Western, or
CentralThe MLS Central Division was one of Major League Soccer's three divisions, existing from 2000-2001.-Lineup for 2000-2001:*Chicago Fire*Columbus Crew*Dallas Burn*Tampa Bay Mutiny-Changes from 1999:*The new Central Division is created...
Divisions.
However, following the 2001 season, Miami and the
Tampa Bay MutinyThe Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer club located in Tampa, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1996–2001. The club played its home games at Houlihan's Stadium from 1996–1998 and at Raymond James Stadium from 1999 onwards....
were disbanded and MLS returned to ten teams with two conferences. Since the 2004 season, the league has expanded with six new clubs:
Real Salt LakeReal Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City, Utah suburb of Sandy that participates in Major League Soccer. The club joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, and plays its home games at Rio Tinto Stadium....
and Chivas USA in 2005, the
Houston DynamoThe Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club based in Houston, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer. The club won back-to-back MLS Cup championships in its first two seasons of existence....
in 2006, and
Toronto FCToronto FC, popularly abbreviated as TFC, is a professional football club located in Toronto, Ontario and the first Canadian and non-American team in the United States' pre-eminent professional soccer league, Major League Soccer...
in
2007The 2007 Major League Soccer season was the 12th season in league history. The season began on April 7 and concluded with MLS Cup 2007 on November 18, 2007 at Robert F...
. After relocating as an expansion team to Houston in 2006, the
San Jose EarthquakesThe San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer club is located in San Jose, California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada, Major League Soccer . The Earthquakes participated in MLS from 1995 to 2005, and resumed operations in 2008. It is one of the...
returned from hiatus in
2008The 2008 Major League Soccer season was the 13th season in league history. The season began on March 29 and ended with MLS Cup 2008, on November 23 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California.- Changes from the 2007 season :...
.
Seattle Sounders FCSeattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that participates in Major League Soccer . The team was established in November 2007 as an MLS expansion team. The following year fans chose the Sounders name for the team through an online poll. They are...
joined MLS for the
2009 seasonThe 2009 Major League Soccer season is the 14th season of Major League Soccer. The season began on March 19 and will end with MLS Cup 2009, on November 22 at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington.- Changes from the 2008 season :...
.
As of 2009, MLS has had seventeen different clubs over the years, but only seven have won the
MLS CupThe MLS Cup is the annual championship game of Major League Soccer. Beginning with the 2008 MLS Cup winner, subsequent teams will receive the redesigned MLS Cup trophy, named the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy, for his long-standing commitment to MLS. The previous trophy was named the Alan I...
. Of the league's thirteen seasons, only five have seen the
Supporters' ShieldThe Major League Soccer Supporters' Shield is an annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the best regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system, much like the Presidents' Trophy in the NHL.- History :...
winner labeled league champion.
For the 2009 season, teams are aligned as follows:
| Team |
City |
Stadium |
Founded |
Joined |
Head Coach |
| Eastern Conference The Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences.-Current members:*Chicago Fire*Columbus Crew*D.C. United*Kansas City Wizards*New England Revolution*New York Red Bulls*Toronto FC-Lineup for 1996–1997:*Columbus Crew*D.C...
|
Chicago FireThe Chicago Fire is an American professional soccer club based in the Chicago suburb of Bridgeview, Illinois that participates in Major League Soccer. The team was founded on October 8, 1997, on the 126th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. In 1998, their inaugural league season, the...
|
Bridgeview Bridgeview is a village in Cook County, Illinois in the United States. It is located approximately from the Chicago Loop. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 15,335...
, ILIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
|
Toyota ParkToyota Park is a multi-purpose stadium located at 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, Illinois. It is the home stadium of the Chicago Fire, members of Major League Soccer . Toyota Park was developed at a cost of around $100 million...
|
1997 |
1998 |
Denis Hamlett Denis Hamlett is a former American soccer defender and currently the head coach of Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer.- Playing career :...
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Columbus CrewThe Columbus Crew is an American professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was owned by the legendary Lamar Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas until his 2006 death. Upon his death, his son Clark Hunt took over his...
|
ColumbusColumbus is the capital and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is the county seat of Franklin County, although parts of the city also extend into Delaware and Fairfield counties...
, OHOhio is a Midwestern state of the United States. The thirty-fourth largest state by area in the U.S., it is the seventh-most populous with nearly 11.5 million residents...
|
Columbus Crew Stadium-Origins:As a charter franchise in the MLS, the Columbus Crew commenced play at Ohio Stadium in MLS's inaugural season of 1996. As it is principally an American football stadium, the facility was never popular with the team or its fans...
|
1994 |
1996 |
Robert WarzychaRobert Warzycha is a former Polish soccer midfielder, who spent seven seasons with the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer....
|
| D.C. United D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer, the United States' top-tier soccer league. The team's home field is the 45,596-seat Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, owned by the District of Columbia and located on the...
|
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
|
RFK Stadium 1 2 |
1995 |
1996 |
Tom SoehnTom “Pops” Soehn is a current American soccer coach and former defender. He is the head coach at D.C. United in Major League Soccer.-Youth and college:...
|
Kansas City WizardsThe Kansas City Wizards are an American, professional soccer club based in the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area that participates in Major League Soccer. In 2007 the team moved from Kansas City, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas with plans to build a new stadium there near the Kansas...
|
Kansas CityKansas City is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a satellite city of Kansas City, Missouri and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of the "Unified Government" which also includes the...
, KSKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
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CommunityAmerica Ballpark CommunityAmerica Ballpark is a multi-purpose stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, home of the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent Northern League, and the temporary home of the Kansas City Wizards of the Major League Soccer. It is located in the Village West area at 1800 Village West Parkway...
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1995 |
1996 |
Peter Vermes Peter Joseph Vermes is a retired American soccer player of Hungarian origin, who played for the US national team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup as a forward and later became one of the best defenders in Major League Soccer...
|
New England RevolutionThe New England Revolution is an American soccer club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, that participates in Major League Soccer. The club is owned by Robert Kraft, who also owns the New England Patriots of the National Football League...
|
Foxborough Foxborough is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, approximately southwest of Boston and northeast of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 16,246 at the 2000 census. The town is best known as the site of Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots of the...
, MAThe Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Most of its population of...
|
Gillette StadiumGillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in Foxborough, Massachusetts, residing 21 miles southwest of downtown Boston that serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for the New England Patriots football team and the New England Revolution soccer team. The facility opened in...
1 |
1995 |
1996 |
Steve Nicol Stephen 'Steve' Nicol is a Scottish former professional footballer, a utility player who played in the all-conquering Liverpool team of the 1980s, and is currently coach of New England Revolution in MLS....
|
| New York Red Bulls |
East Rutherford East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 8,716. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located 7 miles west of Midtown Manhattan....
, NJNew Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered on the north by New York, and to the east by the Hudson River, Upper New York Bay, the Kill Van Kull, Newark Bay, the Arthur Kill, Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay, Westchester County, New York City, Long Island, and...
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Giants StadiumGiants Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. It primarily serves as the home stadium for the New York Giants and New York Jets American football teams of the NFL, and the New York Red Bulls soccer team of MLS...
1 2 |
1995 |
1996 |
Richie WilliamsRichie Williams was an American soccer defensive midfielder and was twice named the interim head coach of Red Bull New York of Major League Soccer...
|
Toronto FCToronto FC, popularly abbreviated as TFC, is a professional football club located in Toronto, Ontario and the first Canadian and non-American team in the United States' pre-eminent professional soccer league, Major League Soccer...
|
TorontoToronto is the most populous city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. With over 2.5 million residents, it is the fifth most populous municipality in North America...
, ONOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
|
BMO FieldBMO Field is a soccer-specific stadium located in Exhibition Place in the city of Toronto. The open-air structure can seat up to 20,500 spectators, depending on seating configurations. It is owned by the City of Toronto, and managed by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd...
|
2006 |
2007 |
Chris Cummins |
| Western Conference The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences.-Current members:*Chivas USA*Colorado Rapids*FC Dallas*Houston Dynamo*Los Angeles Galaxy*Real Salt Lake*San Jose Earthquakes*Seattle Sounders FC-Lineup for 1996:*Colorado Rapids...
|
C.D. Chivas USAClub Deportivo Chivas USA is an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California that participates in Major League Soccer. The club, founded in 2004, plays its home games at The Home Depot Center, sharing it with arch-rivals the Los Angeles Galaxy. The...
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Carson Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, Carson had a total population of 89,730. It is located 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, and is known as a suburb of the city...
, CACalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
|
The Home Depot Center The Home Depot Center is a multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 13 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is hardware retailer The Home Depot...
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2004 |
2005 |
Preki Predrag Radosavljević , is a former Yugoslavian-American soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Chivas USA.-Everton:...
|
Colorado RapidsThe Colorado Rapids are a professional American soccer club based in the Denver suburb of that participates in Major League Soccer. The club was founded in 1995. The team colors are burgundy, sky blue, and gray. They played their home matches at Mile High Stadium from 1996–2001 and moved...
|
Commerce CityThe City of Commerce City is a Home Rule Municipality located in Adams County, Colorado, United States. Commerce City is a northern suburb of Denver and now the 20th most populous municipality in the State of Colorado...
, COColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
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Dick's Sporting Goods Park |
1995 |
1996 |
Gary Smith Gary Smith is an English former footballer, and current coach of the Colorado Rapids.As a professional player, he spent four years with Fulham, two years with Barnet, and one year with Colchester United...
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FC DallasFC Dallas is an American professional soccer team based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer...
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FriscoFrisco is a city in Collin and Denton Counties in the U.S. state of Texas and a wealthy and rapid growing suburb of Dallas. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 33,714, while according to 2008 city and census estimates, the city's population has surpassed 100,000. Frisco has been and...
, TXTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
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Pizza Hut Park Pizza Hut Park is a soccer-specific stadium with a 20,500-seat capacity, built and owned by the suburb of Frisco in Collin County, Texas. Its primary tenant is Major League Soccer team FC Dallas, which relocated from the Cotton Bowl in central Dallas to the fast-growing suburb...
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1996 |
1996 |
Schellas Hyndman Schellas Hyndman is a Portuguese-American soccer coach and current head coach of FC Dallas. He compiled a 466-122-49 record as a college soccer coach...
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Houston DynamoThe Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club based in Houston, Texas that participates in Major League Soccer. The club won back-to-back MLS Cup championships in its first two seasons of existence....
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Houston, TXTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
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Robertson StadiumJohn O'Quinn Field at Corbin J. Robertson Stadium, often referred to as simply Robertson Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston located on the campus of the University of Houston. It is the home of the Houston Cougars football and women's soccer teams...
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2006 |
Dominic Kinnear Dominic Kinnear is a Scottish-American football manager. He is the current head coach of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. Kinnear grew up in the U.S., but began his professional career with Scottish club St. Johnstone. He then went on to play for several U.S. teams and Mexican club...
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Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles Galaxy is an American, professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California. The club is a member of Major League Soccer . It is one of the ten charter franchises of MLS and is the league's second most-decorated club, after D.C. United...
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Carson Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2000 census, Carson had a total population of 89,730. It is located 13 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, and is known as a suburb of the city...
, CACalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
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The Home Depot Center The Home Depot Center is a multi-purpose stadium located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills in Carson, California. It is located approximately 13 miles south of Downtown Los Angeles. Its title sponsor is hardware retailer The Home Depot...
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1995 |
1996 |
Bruce ArenaBruce Arena is an American soccer coach, currently in charge of Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer....
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Real Salt LakeReal Salt Lake is an American soccer club that is based in the Salt Lake City, Utah suburb of Sandy that participates in Major League Soccer. The club joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, and plays its home games at Rio Tinto Stadium....
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SandySandy is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States, and a suburb of Salt Lake City. The population was 88,418 at the 2000 census, making it the fifth-largest city in Utah....
, UTUtah is a western state of the United States. It was the 45th state admitted to the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80 percent of Utah's 2,736,424 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering around Salt Lake City. In contrast, vast expanses of the state are nearly uninhabited, making...
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Rio Tinto Stadium |
2004 |
2005 |
Jason Kreis Jason Kreis is a former American soccer forward, and is currently the third highest scorer in Major League Soccer regular-season history...
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San Jose EarthquakesThe San Jose Earthquakes professional soccer club is located in San Jose, California and participates in the top level soccer league in the United States and Canada, Major League Soccer . The Earthquakes participated in MLS from 1995 to 2005, and resumed operations in 2008. It is one of the...
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Santa ClaraSanta Clara, California , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission...
, CACalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
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Buck Shaw Stadium Buck Shaw Stadium is a 10,300-seat multi-purpose stadium at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California. The stadium is the current home of the Santa Clara Broncos soccer teams and was the former home of the now defunct Santa Clara football team as well as the Santa Clara baseball team. The...
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Frank Yallop Frank Walter Yallop is an English-born Canadian former professional footballer, and the current head coach of Major League Soccer franchise San Jose Earthquakes.-Club career:...
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Seattle Sounders FCSeattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington, that participates in Major League Soccer . The team was established in November 2007 as an MLS expansion team. The following year fans chose the Sounders name for the team through an online poll. They are...
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Seattle, WAWashington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the...
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Qwest Field Qwest Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, Washington, USA. It serves as the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League and Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer. The complex also consists of the WaMu Theater, a parking garage, and large public plaza...
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2007 |
2009 |
Sigi SchmidSiegfried "Sigi" Schmid is a soccer coach who currently manages Seattle Sounders FC. He was the recipient of the 2008 MLS Coach of the Year Award....
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| Future teams |
| Philadelphia Union |
Chester Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with a population of 36,854 at the 2000 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware....
, PAThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
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Union Field at Chester |
2008 |
2010 |
Piotr NowakPiotr Nowak is a retired Polish football player, and current Team Manager of Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer...
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Portland TimbersThe Portland Timbers will be an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon that, according to an announcement in March 2009, will begin play in Major League Soccer in 2011. The team will replace the USL First Division's team of the same name, while retaining the same ownership...
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PortlandPortland is a city located in the Northwestern United States, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the state of Oregon. As of July 2008, it has an estimated population of 575,930, making it the 29th most populous in the United States. It has been referred to as the most...
, OROregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
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PGE ParkPGE Park is a multi-purpose stadium located in Portland, Oregon, United States...
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2009 |
2011 |
TBA |
Vancouver MLS 2011Major League Soccer has awarded an expansion franchise for an as yet unnamed Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia that will begin play in 2011...
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VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
, BCBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
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BC Place StadiumBC Place Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium and Canada's first domed arena. BC Place Stadium is the largest air-supported stadium in the world...
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TBA |
Notes
Former teams
- Miami Fusion (1998–2001)
- Tampa Bay Mutiny
The Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer club located in Tampa, Florida that participated in Major League Soccer from 1996–2001. The club played its home games at Houlihan's Stadium from 1996–1998 and at Raymond James Stadium from 1999 onwards....
(1996–2001)
Expansion
MLS will expand to 16 teams in 2010, 18 teams in 2011, and plans to expand to 20 teams in 2012. The Philadelphia Union club is in place for 2010 with
VancouverMajor League Soccer has awarded an expansion franchise for an as yet unnamed Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver, British Columbia that will begin play in 2011...
and
PortlandThe Portland Timbers will be an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon that, according to an announcement in March 2009, will begin play in Major League Soccer in 2011. The team will replace the USL First Division's team of the same name, while retaining the same ownership...
joining the following season, and two yet to be determined franchises would begin play a year after that. The Union will play in a 18,500-seat stadium to be built just west of the
Commodore Barry BridgeThe Commodore Barry Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Delaware River from Chester, Pennsylvania to Bridgeport, in Logan Township, New Jersey, USA...
in
ChesterChester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, with a population of 36,854 at the 2000 census. Chester is situated on the Delaware River, between the cities of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware....
,
PennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , often colloquially referred to as PA by natives and Northeasterners, is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States...
.
On March 18, 2009 a press conference announced that a new MLS team in Vancouver, Canada will replace the existing USL-1 club in that city, and that it would keep some form of the "
Whitecaps" name. Vancouver will join the league in 2011. For at least its first season the Vancouver MLS club will play in BC Place stadium, which by then will have been renovated to include a soccer-specific configuration. However, the Vancouver ownership group is still hopeful that a new, completely soccer specific stadium will be approved for construction on the waterfront in downtown Vancouver.
On March 20, 2009 a press conference announced that a new MLS team in Portland will replace
the existing USL-1 clubPortland Timbers is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 2001, the team plays in the USL First Division , the second tier of the American Soccer Pyramid....
in that city, and would keep the
Portland TimbersPortland Timbers may refer to any of four distinct professional soccer teams:*Portland Timbers , the original team that played in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1982....
name. Portland will play in
PGE ParkPGE Park is a multi-purpose stadium located in Portland, Oregon, United States...
, which will be renovated to be a soccer-specific stadium by 2011. Portland will join the league in 2011.
Team names
- For more information on MLS team names, see the individual team entries.
Originally, in the style of other U.S. sports, teams were given nicknames at their creation such as the Columbus Crew, the San Jose Clash, or the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Two exceptions to this were D.C. United and Miami Fusion F.C., adopting naming conventions usually seen in European clubs. However, new teams such as Real Salt Lake and Toronto FC continued this trend along with the Dallas Burn renaming themselves FC Dallas. Some of club names have their origins in defunct American professional soccer leagues like the
NASLNorth American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
, such as the 70s-era
San Jose EarthquakesSan Jose Earthquakes was a professional soccer club that played from 1974 to 1984. The team began as an expansion franchise in the North American Soccer League. From 1983 to 1984, the team was known as the Golden Bay Earthquakes...
,
Seattle SoundersThe Seattle Sounders were a U.S. professional soccer team based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1974, the team belonged to the North American Soccer League where it played both indoor and outdoor soccer...
, and
Portland TimbersThe Portland Timbers were a team in the North American Soccer League from 1975 to 1982. The name has been used by two other soccer franchises: the Timbers of the WSA/APSL and the current team of the USL.-History:...
.
C.D.A sports club, athletics club or sports association is an eclectic institution oriented to multiple sports, which fields many teams and in several sports, working under the same umbrella organization. In a larger sense, it may also refer to any sports institution, even those that have only one...
Chivas USA is the only MLS team whose name does not specify a city, state, or region. The club is named for the Mexican team
C.D. GuadalajaraClub Deportivo Guadalajara, commonly known as Chivas , or El Rebaño Sagrado is a Mexican association football team based in Guadalajara, Jalisco that competes in the Primera División de México, the highest football division in Mexico. Chivas has the most titles in the Mexican first division with...
, who are often known by their nickname "
Chivas," which translates to "Goats". The Mexican club, based in
Guadalajara, MexicoGuadalajara is the capital city of the Mexican state of Jalisco, and the seat of the municipality of Guadalajara. The city is located in the central region of the state and in the western-Pacific area of Mexico. With a population of 1,579,174 it is Mexico's second most populous municipality...
, and Chivas USA share the same ownership. Though Real Salt Lake was not originally affiliated with
Real MadridReal Madrid Club de Fútbol is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. It is the most successful team in Spanish football and was voted by FIFA as the most successful club of the 20th century, having won a record thirty-one La Liga titles, seventeen Spanish Cups, a record nine European...
, in 2006 the two clubs signed an agreement to play friendly matches every two years, and to co-sponsor a soccer academy and training facility in Utah. The beverage company
Red BullRed Bull GmbH is an Austrian company which sells the Red Bull energy drink. In 2006, more than 3 billion cans were sold in over 130 countries. 3,903 employees generated 2.6 billion euros in turnover....
owns the New York Red Bulls as well as other Red Bull-owned teams.
Rivalry cup competitions
- D.C. United — New York Red Bulls (Atlantic Cup
For rugby league's Atlantic Cup see Atlantic Cup The Atlantic Cup is the trophy awarded to the winner of the regular-season series between Major League Soccer rivals D.C. United and the New York Red Bulls. Since the trophy was initiated for the 2002 season between DC and the then-named MetroStars,...
)
- Los Angeles Galaxy — San Jose Earthquakes (California Clasico
The California Clasico is a soccer rivalry between two Major League Soccer teams, the Los Angeles Galaxy and the San Jose Earthquakes, which existed from 1996 to 2005 and was resumed in 2008. This rivalry originated from the historical Northern California vs...
)
- FC Dallas — Houston Dynamo (Texas Derby
The Texas Derby is a soccer rivalry between Texas's two MLS teams, Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas, recognizing the best club in the state for the season. The two squads play a series of games with the series winner taking home a replica 18th century mountain howitzer cannon...
)
- Chivas USA — Los Angeles Galaxy (Honda SuperClasico
The Honda SuperClasico, a.k.a. El Clásico Angelino, is a local derby between Major League Soccer teams Los Angeles Galaxy and C.D. Chivas USA and is considered as the only "true" local derby in the MLS with both teams being based in the city of Los Angeles, California and playing in the suburb of...
)
- Chicago Fire — FC Dallas (Brimstone Cup
The Brimstone Cup is a soccer trophy awarded to the yearly winner of the rivalry between the Chicago Fire and FC Dallas Major League Soccer teams. The Cup is awarded by the Brimstone Cup Committee to the team with the most points in games played between the two...
)
- Colorado Rapids — Real Salt Lake (Rocky Mountain Cup
The Rocky Mountain Cup is a soccer trophy awarded to the fans of the yearly winner of the rivalry between the Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids Major League Soccer teams. The Cup is awarded by the Committee of 10, the fans who run the competition, to the team with the most points in games played...
)
- Columbus Crew — Toronto FC (Trillium Cup
The Trillium Cup is an annual, two-team rivalry between the Columbus Crew and Toronto FC of Major League Soccer. The Trillium Cup is named after the trillium, which is both the official flower of the Canadian province of Ontario, and the official wildflower of the U.S. state of Ohio...
)
- San Jose Earthquakes — Seattle Sounders FC (Heritage Cup)
- Columbus Crew — FC Dallas (Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup
The Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup is a pre-season Major League Soccer game between FC Dallas and the Columbus Crew. Named after the late Lamar Hunt, one of the league's major investors and a key supporter of American soccer, this game is played between the two MLS teams owned by the Hunt Sports Group.The...
, pre-season)
Regular season leaders
Goals
Regular Season only
Rank |
Player |
Goals |
| 1 |
BOL Jaime MorenoJaime Moreno is a Bolivian soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.Moreno is the all-time leading scorer in Major League Soccer...
|
130 |
| 2 |
USA Jeff CunninghamJeff Cunningham is a Jamaican-born American soccer player who currently plays for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.-College:...
|
120 |
| 3 |
USA Ante RazovAnte Razov is an American soccer player of Croatian descent who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Club:...
|
114 |
| 4 |
USA Jason Kreis Jason Kreis is a former American soccer forward, and is currently the third highest scorer in Major League Soccer regular-season history...
|
108 |
| 5 |
USA Taylor TwellmanTaylor Twellman is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:Taylor was raised in the American soccer hotbed of St...
|
101 |
| 6 |
USA Landon Donovan Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player who currently plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. He plays usually as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing.A member of the inaugural class of the U.S...
|
95 |
| 7 |
USA Roy Lassiter Roy Lassiter is a retired American soccer striker, and Major League Soccer's record holder for goals scored in a season, with 27 in 1996....
|
88 |
| 8 |
SLV Raúl Díaz Arce Raúl Díaz Arce is a retired Salvadoran football player. He is El Salvador's second most goal scorer behind Jorge "Mágico" González with 39 goals in just 55 appearances.-Early Career:...
|
82 |
| GUA Carlos Ruíz |
82 |
| 10 |
USA Preki Predrag Radosavljević , is a former Yugoslavian-American soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Chivas USA.-Everton:...
|
79 |
Goals Against Average
Regular Season only, 1500+ MINS
Rank |
Player |
GAA |
| 1 |
USA Kasey KellerKasey Keller is an American soccer player who currently plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer....
|
0.98 |
| 2 |
CAN Pat OnstadPatrick Stewart "Pat" Onstad is a Canadian soccer player who currently plays for Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer and the Canadian national soccer team.-Youth and College:...
|
1.07 |
| 3 |
SEN Bouna CoundoulBouna Coundoul is a Senegalese Goalkeeper who currently plays for the New York Red Bulls. He also is a member of the Senegal National Team.-Career:...
|
1.16 |
| 4 |
USA Matt PickensMatt Pickens is an American soccer player who currently plays for Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.-Youth and Amateur:...
|
1.21 |
| 5 |
USA Jon BuschJon Busch is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer. He was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2008.-Youth and College:...
|
1.22 |
USA Troy PerkinsTroy Perkins is an American soccer player who currently plays goalkeeper for Vålerenga in the Norwegian Premier League.-College:...
|
1.22 |
| 7 |
USA Kevin HartmanKevin Hartman is an American soccer player who currently plays for Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
1.23 |
| 8 |
USA Zach ThorntonZach Thornton is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
1.29 |
| 9 |
USA Matt ReisMatt Reis is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-College:Reis played college soccer at UCLA...
|
1.31 |
USA Joe CannonJoseph Cannon is an American soccer player who currently plays for San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer.-Professional:...
|
1.31 |
| USA Jonny Walker Jonny Walker is an American soccer goalkeeper, the first American to become a starting player on a South American soccer club....
|
1.31 |
Games Played
Regular Season only
Rank |
Player |
GP |
| 1 |
USA Steve RalstonSteve Ralston is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-Professional:...
|
378 |
| 2 |
USA Kevin HartmanKevin Hartman is an American soccer player who currently plays for Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
329 |
| 3 |
USA Chris KleinChris Klein is an American soccer player who currently plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.-Amateur:...
|
320 |
| 4 |
USA Jesse MarschJesse Marsch is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-College:...
|
318 |
| 5 |
USA Chris HendersonChristopher "Chris" Henderson is a former American soccer midfielder who earned 79 caps with the U.S. national team. He was part of the U.S...
|
317 |
| 6 |
BOL Jaime MorenoJaime Moreno is a Bolivian soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.Moreno is the all-time leading scorer in Major League Soccer...
|
316 |
| 7 |
USA Jeff CunninghamJeff Cunningham is a Jamaican-born American soccer player who currently plays for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.-College:...
|
313 |
| 8 |
USA Jay HeapsJay Heaps is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-College:...
|
310 |
| 9 |
USA Cobi JonesCobi N'Gai Jones is a former American soccer player who is currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, whom he has been involved with as a player and coach since the team's inaugural season in 1996...
|
306 |
| 10 |
USA Jason Kreis Jason Kreis is a former American soccer forward, and is currently the third highest scorer in Major League Soccer regular-season history...
|
305 |
Minutes Played
Regular Season only
Rank |
Player |
MINS |
| 1 |
USA Steve RalstonSteve Ralston is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-Professional:...
|
31,645 |
| 2 |
USA Kevin HartmanKevin Hartman is an American soccer player who currently plays for Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
27,495 |
| 3 |
USA Chris HendersonChristopher "Chris" Henderson is a former American soccer midfielder who earned 79 caps with the U.S. national team. He was part of the U.S...
|
26,242 |
| 4 |
USA Jay HeapsJay Heaps is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-College:...
|
25,463 |
| 5 |
USA Jason Kreis Jason Kreis is a former American soccer forward, and is currently the third highest scorer in Major League Soccer regular-season history...
|
25,242 |
| 6 |
USA Cobi JonesCobi N'Gai Jones is a former American soccer player who is currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, whom he has been involved with as a player and coach since the team's inaugural season in 1996...
|
25,157 |
| 7 |
USA Chris KleinChris Klein is an American soccer player who currently plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.-Amateur:...
|
25,049 |
| 8 |
USA |
24,470 |
| 9 |
USA Jesse MarschJesse Marsch is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-College:...
|
24,152 |
| 10 |
BOL Jaime MorenoJaime Moreno is a Bolivian soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.Moreno is the all-time leading scorer in Major League Soccer...
|
23,720 |
Last Updated September 28, 2009
Playoff leaders
Goals
Playoffs only
Rank |
Player |
G |
| 1 |
GUA Carlos Ruíz |
16 |
| 2 |
USA Landon Donovan Landon Timothy Donovan is an American soccer player who currently plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer. He plays usually as a withdrawn forward, and can also be used as an attacking midfielder on either wing.A member of the inaugural class of the U.S...
|
14 |
| 3 |
USA Roy Lassiter Roy Lassiter is a retired American soccer striker, and Major League Soccer's record holder for goals scored in a season, with 27 in 1996....
|
13 |
| 4 |
BOL Jaime MorenoJaime Moreno is a Bolivian soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.Moreno is the all-time leading scorer in Major League Soccer...
|
12 |
| 5 |
USA Ante RazovAnte Razov is an American soccer player of Croatian descent who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Club:...
|
11 |
| 6 |
USA Brian McBride Brian McBride is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.-High School and College:...
|
10 |
| USA Preki Predrag Radosavljević , is a former Yugoslavian-American soccer player. He is currently the head coach of Chivas USA.-Everton:...
|
10 |
USA Taylor TwellmanTaylor Twellman is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:Taylor was raised in the American soccer hotbed of St...
|
10 |
| 9 |
SLV Raúl Díaz Arce Raúl Díaz Arce is a retired Salvadoran football player. He is El Salvador's second most goal scorer behind Jorge "Mágico" González with 39 goals in just 55 appearances.-Early Career:...
|
8 |
TRI Stern JohnStern John is a Trinidadian football player currently playing for Crystal Palace.-Club career:...
|
8 |
Goals Against Average
Playoffs only, 300+ MINS
Rank |
Player |
GAA |
| 1 |
USA Adin BrownAdin Brown is an American soccer goalkeeper, who currently plays for Aalesund of the Norwegian Premier League....
|
0.66 |
| 2 |
USA Jon ConwayJon Conway is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
0.75 |
| USA William Hesmer |
0.75 |
| 4 |
USA Matt ReisMatt Reis is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-College:Reis played college soccer at UCLA...
|
0.79 |
| 5 |
USA Jon BuschJon Busch is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer. He was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2008.-Youth and College:...
|
0.88 |
| 6 |
USA Jeff Cassar Jeff Cassar is a retired American soccer goalkeeper, who last played for FC Dallas of Major League Soccer. He is now the Real Salt Lake goalkeeper coach following his retirement from active play....
|
0.89 |
| 7 |
USA Matt PickensMatt Pickens is an American soccer player who currently plays for Colorado Rapids in Major League Soccer.-Youth and Amateur:...
|
0.94 |
| 8 |
USA Zach ThorntonZach Thornton is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
0.99 |
MEX Jorge CamposJorge Campos is a retired Mexican footballer who played as a goalkeeper....
|
0.99 |
| 10 |
USA Danny CeperoDanny Cepero is an American soccer player who currently plays for New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer.-College:...
|
1.00 |
Games Played
Playoffs only
Rank |
Player |
GP |
| 1 |
USA Cobi JonesCobi N'Gai Jones is a former American soccer player who is currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, whom he has been involved with as a player and coach since the team's inaugural season in 1996...
|
45 |
| 2 |
USA Kevin HartmanKevin Hartman is an American soccer player who currently plays for Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
44 |
| 3 |
USA Diego Gutiérrez Diego Gutiérrez is a retired Colombian American footballer, who spent his career between Chicago Fire and Kansas City Wizards, both of Major League Soccer....
|
40 |
| 4 |
USA Jeff AgoosJeff Agoos is a retired American soccer defender, and one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team....
|
39 |
| 5 |
USA Chris ArmasChris Armas is a retired American soccer player. Today he is a teacher of physical education at St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York.-College:Armas is of Puerto Rican descent...
|
37 |
USA Jesse MarschJesse Marsch is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-College:...
|
37 |
| 7 |
SLV Mauricio CienfuegosMauricio Cienfuegos is a retired Salvadoran soccer player.-Club:Cienfuegos began his professional career in 1985 with Racing Junior. He played the next two seasons for Soyapango, and then moved to Luís Ángel Firpo, where he would play for four years.Cienfuegos the to Mexico to play for Morelia in...
|
35 |
USA Ante RazovAnte Razov is an American soccer player of Croatian descent who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Club:...
|
35 |
| 9 |
USA Steve RalstonSteve Ralston is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-Professional:...
|
34 |
| 10 |
USA Zach ThorntonZach Thornton is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
33 |
Minutes Played
Playoffs only
Rank |
Player |
MINS |
| 1 |
USA Kevin HartmanKevin Hartman is an American soccer player who currently plays for Kansas City Wizards in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
4,042 |
| 2 |
USA Cobi JonesCobi N'Gai Jones is a former American soccer player who is currently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer, whom he has been involved with as a player and coach since the team's inaugural season in 1996...
|
3,938 |
| 3 |
USA Jeff AgoosJeff Agoos is a retired American soccer defender, and one of the all-time appearance leaders for the United States national team....
|
3,557 |
| 4 |
USA Chris ArmasChris Armas is a retired American soccer player. Today he is a teacher of physical education at St. Anthony's High School in South Huntington, New York.-College:Armas is of Puerto Rican descent...
|
3,383 |
| 5 |
USA Diego Gutiérrez Diego Gutiérrez is a retired Colombian American footballer, who spent his career between Chicago Fire and Kansas City Wizards, both of Major League Soccer....
|
3,270 |
| 6 |
USA Jesse MarschJesse Marsch is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-College:...
|
3,228 |
| 7 |
USA Steve RalstonSteve Ralston is an American soccer player who currently plays for New England Revolution in Major League Soccer.-Professional:...
|
3,164 |
| 8 |
USA Zach ThorntonZach Thornton is an American soccer player who currently plays for Chivas USA in Major League Soccer.-Youth and College:...
|
3,013 |
| 9 |
SLV Mauricio CienfuegosMauricio Cienfuegos is a retired Salvadoran soccer player.-Club:Cienfuegos began his professional career in 1985 with Racing Junior. He played the next two seasons for Soyapango, and then moved to Luís Ángel Firpo, where he would play for four years.Cienfuegos the to Mexico to play for Morelia in...
|
2,992 |
| 10 |
USA C.J. Brown |
2,921 |
As of MLS Cup 2008
MLS awards
There are 10 awards given out by the Major League Soccer each year.
- Major League Soccer MVP Award
The Major League Soccer MVP is a soccer award for players in Major League Soccer. The award is given to the player deemed the most valuable player in the league each season. From 1996 to 2007 the award was sponsored by Honda. The award is now sponsored by Volkswagen.Preki is the only player to win...
- MLS Best XI
The MLS Best XI is an acknowledgement of the best eleven players in the league in a given season for Major League Soccer in the United States.-Winners:-Most Appearances by a Player:*Jaime Moreno, Chris Armas: 5...
- MLS Coach of the Year Award
The MLS Coach of the Year Award is an award given by Major League Soccer to the best coach in any given season. The award has been given since the league's inception in 1996.-Winners:...
- MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award
In the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Comeback Player of the Year award since 2000. Here is a list of the past winners:*2000 - Tony Meola, Kansas City Wizards*2001 - Troy Dayak, San Jose Earthquakes...
- MLS Scudetto
- MLS Defender of the Year Award
In the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Defender of the Year award since its inception in 1996. Here is a list of the past winners:*1996 - John Doyle, San Jose Clash*1997 - Eddie Pope, D.C...
- MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award
In the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Goalkeeper of the Year Award since its inception in 1996. Here is a list of recipients:-Winners:...
- MLS Golden Boot
The MLS Golden Boot has been awarded since the 2005 season to Major League Soccer's regular season leading scorer...
- MLS Newcomer of the Year Award
In the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Newcomer of the Year Award since 2007. It is awarded to a player who has professional experience in another league, but has an outstanding season in his first season of play in MLS....
- MLS Rookie of the Year Award
In the United States, Major League Soccer has handed out a Rookie of the Year Award since its inception in 1996. MLS, as opposed to other American sports leagues like Major League Baseball, only designates a player as a rookie if the player has had no prior professional experience...
See also
- United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international football competitions and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. Though soccer has not traditionally had a high profile in American sporting life, the sport has steadily grown in popularity since the 1970s...
- Major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada
Major professional sports league, or simply major league, is a term used in Canada and the United States for the highest professional competitions in team sports...
- ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002
ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002, or ESPN MLS ExtraTime on PlayStation 2, is a sports video game released in 2002 by Konami. Clint Mathis is on the cover. MLS Extratime ended after just one installment as the MLS officially licensed its players and uniforms to the FIFA series....
- ESPN MLS GameNight
ESPN MLS GameNight is a video game of the sports genre released in 2000 by Konami. It has the option of choosing either 12 teams from the MLS or 53 international teams...
- ESPN MLS/Soccer Broadcast Teams
The ESPN Soccer Broadcast Teams are listed in the table below, including games broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN on ABC.-External links:*...
- Generation Adidas
Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by adidas, encourages early entry of American players into MLS...
- List of professional sports teams in the United States and Canada
- List of current MLS players
- List of current MLS players with national team caps
- List of foreign MLS players
- List of MLS seasons
- Major League Soccer records and statistics
The following is a compilation of notable records and statistics for teams and players in and seasons of Major League Soccer.- MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield Winners and Runners-Up :- MLS Cup Finals :- All-Time Most Successful MLS Clubs :...
- MLS Central Division
The MLS Central Division was one of Major League Soccer's three divisions, existing from 2000-2001.-Lineup for 2000-2001:*Chicago Fire*Columbus Crew*Dallas Burn*Tampa Bay Mutiny-Changes from 1999:*The new Central Division is created...
- MLS Reserve Division
The MLS Reserve Division was a USA soccer league for the reserve teams of Major League Soccer, much like the English FA Premier Reserve League is to the FA Premier League....
- MLS Direct Kick
MLS Direct Kick is an Out-of-Market Sports Package distributed by most cable and satellite providers in North America. The package allows its subscribers to see over 130 Major League Soccer regional games including regular-season and MLS Cup playoff matches. The package costs $79 for residential...
- MLS ExtraTime
MLS ExtraTime was a Major League Soccer highlight show that aired on ESPN2 in 2000 and 2001. Rob Stone co-hosted first with Roy Wegerle, then with Alexi Lalas, in 2000 and with Dave Dir in 2001...
- MLS Expansion
- MLS Primetime Thursday
MLS Primetime Thursday is a weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games on ESPN2 that began in 2007. The program is presented by Adidas. ESPN and MLS had previously had a contract where ESPN2 televised live games at 4PM on Saturdays. On 2008 season, Play-by-play will be usually handled by JP...
- MLS Game of the Week
MLS Game of the Week is a weekly presentation of Major League Soccer on ESPN and ESPN2 that began in 2009.-2009 Season EST:*Saturday April 11- Chivas USA @ Los Angeles Galaxy 10:30*Friday April 17- New England Revolution @ D.C...
- MLS Soccer Saturday
MLS Soccer Saturday was a weekly presentation of Major League Soccer games on ESPN from 1996 to 2006. MLS Soccer Saturday was the first weekly presentation of MLS games, which usually started at 4PM EST. The program is sponsored by Radioshack...
- Carolina Challenge Cup
The Carolina Challenge Cup is a four-team round robin pre-season competition hosted by the Charleston Battery. It was started in 2004 and features teams from Major League Soccer and the United Soccer Leagues. The Columbus Crew edged out D.C. United on goal differential to win the 2004 competition,...
- MLS Wrap
MLS Wrap was a MLS highlight show that aired on Fox Soccer Channel. Sean Wheelock often hosted with analyst John Harkes....
- National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame in Oneonta, New York which honors soccer achievements in the United States. The museum first opened its doors in 1979....
- Sueño MLS
Sueño MLS is a nationally-televised player search by Chivas USA and FC Dallas.The winner in 2007 was Jorge Flores, who was invited to join Chivas USA's Under-19 squad and later was signed to a professional contract and added to the full squad....
- World Series of Soccer (MLS)
The term World Series of Soccer is a series of club games hosted by the U.S. Major League Soccer. The series began in 2005 and is used to provide MLS teams the opportunity to compete against top international teams.-Previous uses of name:...
- Wooden Spoon
The Major League Soccer Wooden Spoon is an unofficial annual award given to the Major League Soccer team with the worst regular season record, as determined by the MLS points system, much like the AFL Wooden Spoon in the Australian Football League....
External links