Football

History of Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional football league based in the United States of America and is affiliated to the United States Soccer Federation (U.S Soccer). It was founded as part of the US’ successful 1994 FIFA World Cup bid and started out with 10 teams competing; the Columbus Crew, D.C United, New England Revolution, NY/NJ MetroStars, Colarado Rapids, Dallas Burn, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy and now defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny. Today, 14 teams from the USA and 1 Canadian representative compete in a season that runs from early March/late April to November, where 8 teams will qualify for the Play-Offs that culminate in the MLS Cup championship game. Three spots in the CONCACAF Champions League are up for grabs to MLS teams, with extra spots available via the U.S Open championship and Canadian championship.

Major League Soccer surged in popularity following the US national team’s unprecedented success in the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan. Knocking out Portugal and Mexico before narrowly going out Germany in a 1-0 loss, a sense of pride was instilled in American soccer. The 2002 MLS Cup, which took place four months after the World Cup, set an attendance record at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

In 2007, its popularity sky-rocketed to even greater heights as Major League Soccer welcomed one of the biggest names in football to US shores. Former England captain David Beckham signed for Los Angeles from Real Madrid which was seen as a massive coup for the league. His debut in a friendly against Chelsea attracted a record 30,000 sell-out crowd to LA’s Home Depot Center, as well setting an all-time record high in TV ratings for broadcaster ESPN. 19 cameras covered the match, as well one specifically to follow Beckham, even when he was sitting on the bench.

Recent Seasons

Since its inception in 1996, D.C United have been the MLS’ most successful team, winning the MLS Cup outright on 4 occasions. Columbus Crew are the current holders after they beat New York Red Bulls 3-1 in last year’s showpiece. The 2006 and 2007 finals were both contested by Houston Dynamo and New England Revolution, and both ended with Houston lifting the cup. It was the third season in a row that New England had reached the final and lost, and the fourth time in their history. Los Angeles Galaxy have reached the MLS Cup showdown on four occasions, winning two and losing two.