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How Major League Soccer Plans To Overtake Baseball
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- Published on Nov 25, 2021 veröffentlicht
- Soccer in the U.S. has not always had the best track record. Its popularity wavers and interest is usually tied to significant events, such as the World Cup or the Olympics. Major League Soccer has spent over 25-years trying to change soccer’s sentiment in the U.S. while competing with more fast-paced, high-scoring sports like the NFL and the NBA.
Over the last ten years, the MLS has become increasingly popular. The league garnered the attention of top talent, brought in significant investments, and generated a massive presence on social media. However, before the MLS can overtake the MLB soon, the league needs to dominate one crucial area: television viewership.
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How Major League Soccer Plans To Overtake Baseball
I am a lifelong baseball fan in my 40s. I bled baseball up until about 5 years ago. But they are losing me - rapidly. The NFL lost me about 7 or 8 years ago. Every year I care less and less. The pace and commercials for both seem agonizing to me now. But soccer is killing it and I’m hooked. The number one thing is that it’s relatively easy to follow, especially with younger kids. It’s also constant action instead of all the start/stops. Also, the games are short and predictable in length. Time is a premium these days for people like me and this sport fits like a glove.
Baseball games are getting longer. Nobody want's to stay at a baseball game once it passes 3 hours in length. I had an internship with a MILB team. Nobody was at the game once it passes 3 hours in length (unless it's fireworks night), granted MILB games are just a social event for families, nobody is watching the game ( besides that rare few who follow their favorite team's MILB pipeline). But the MLB is having that same issue ( baseball in general). Fan's stop caring about the game once it passes 3 hours. I love what Rob Manford is doing in the Minors, experimenting and finding ways to make the game quicker. It doesn't help that the MLB is now in a lockout. By the sounds of it, this lockout might be here for a while. I could see baseball being an obsolete sport in the next 15 years ( sadly). It is not American's pastime anymore. I could legit see soccer being American's pastime.
Props for the Savannah Bananas for making their own twist in baseball. I will gladly watch a 3 hours Bananas game. They have changed the game of baseball where it is fun to watch by adding drama such as if a fan catches a foul ball it is an out ( for both teams). That might be a little outrageous for MLB, but they need to do something to get the younger generation excited about baseball.
Watch t20 cricket. It's baseball on steroids
Watch any game of Leeds United , its non stop action
Same here!
Let me guess your a conservative.. dude get over your politics and enjoy sports
All I know is that Americans will freakin' love this sport. The energy, the flow, the pace, the suddenness and excitement. The people that don't love it yet, probably just haven't watched enough yet. 2026 is going to be a real eye opener for many.
Lies again? MLS MLB
What I love most is the intricate passing and build up.
The pace of 2 goals per game? Our culture demands instant gratification
Yeah I don't see the MLS taking off here, the league just doesn't have the players. Most MLS games from my experience are really freaking boring, but I live in Dallas and FCD keeps selling their best players but even when they were one of the best teams in the league, going to games was fun if you sat in the rowdy section but the actual product, the soccer, was trash.
suddenness and unpredictability are what makes the game tense. you can go for a 5 minutes toilet break, only to find that 2 goals have been scored while you are away.
“More fast paced sports like the NFL”… yeah, 15 minutes of action in 3 hours of commercials and replays
Was gonna say the same thing. NFL 🏈 is the most boring sport on the planet.
@TagusMan Legit Same thing with Baseball
Yeah and don't forget that the offense and defense meets after every play to decide what the next play is going to be.
Lmaoo facts, NFL is cool and all but literally they only play for 15mims tops! The rest of the 2/3 hours the game is ok is just advertisements/marketing sport. That’s why the NFL survives. Because of the amount of marketing pushed through out the games.. 15 mins of full time play. Unlimited time outs, stoppages, gives plenty time for adverts..
@Corsa Concepts wait... If the game is only 15 minutes long, how do they fit in the 3 hours of advertising? What are time-outs??
The older I get, the more tired I am of all the long pauses and commercials in American Football and Basketball. Soccer just keeps me engaged the entire 90 minutes and its one of the main reasons why I'm loving this sport more.
I'm a NCAA fan. Though I love soccer, there's nothing more Americana than college sports in the form of football, basketball and even volleyball (i.e. Huff Hall - Fighting Illini).
@LandInbetween Something about college sports is that atmosphere feels alot better than NFL/MLB/NBA where crowd doesn't really have a big impact. Although in soccer there's nonstop reactions and singing that enhances experience especially Europe but MLS games I've watched have had some brilliant atmospheres surprisingly
Advice for american who interest to watch football/soccer. Dont watch the ball, watch the player movement especially the player whos not dribbling and possibly to pass next. Sorry for my horrible english
@ty Your English is perfectly fine
One of the reasons I became big fan of Formula1. ZERO commercials and no halftime , baby 😎
Fun fact: The US had a soccer league back in the 20’s and early 30’s. It folded due to the great depression
Not just any league, one of if not the best in the world.
Imagine if they didn’t fold, the US would be a soccer power.
And it was because the same people who owned the baseball teams also owned the soccer teams as a source of off-season revenue
Really??? Wow 😳
Things could be so different if this didnt happen man....better late than never right.
I don't think our goal is to see the MLS overtake the MLB in any way... revenue, popularity etc. We just want soccer to be truly global. It's not about being big, it's about being a sport for everyone. The beautiful game is more than a way of life.
You right this whole time I was tryna make it competitive and wanting football (soccer) to be a bigger sport but what you said I can’t argue it and I have to agree
Brand New MLS video out now on our channel! 🇺🇸 ~ The Top 10 MLS Kits from 1996! ~ Check it out! 🎥😃👍
For football to be global you need to call it football first
@CPT Speedy Everywhere? It's not called that in Italy, Germany, Brazil or Asia. Why confuse it with American football/helmetball.
@Kerry Smith i know i was just looking for an argument because i was bored
One thing that helps MLS is that games are relatively short compared to American football and baseball, both of which can tie up over three hours in "real" time from the beginning to the end of the game.
as a filthy euro, i really want to know how it feels as an american to watch 45 mins of sport with (i guess, I'm not living there) very few commercials/breaks ?
@Yautah i would answer that but i’m one of the few Americans that only watch football/soccer and not any other sport.
@Jay :(
@Yautah But don't forget all that advertising you see on the sidelines already.
@Sacto1654 yeah but it's still way more tolerable, even tho some of them are moving now which can be distracting, it's nothing compared to real, in your face with weirdly high audio level, commercials.
if you know what i mean.
Not bad for a league created in the late 90s. The future looks promising 👍
@Gloria Thomas The amount of talent the MLS has now compared to 10 years ago is insane. Saying that it will NEVER be taken seriously isn’t logical. The MLS has seen massive growth, why do you not expect it to continue?
@Michael TNK especially since they’re expand teams so they’ll touch more markets
@Gloria Thomas MLS has been improving every year. You have to Remember that the MLS is still a young leauge in a country where soccer is not the most popular sport. But there's been immense growth. La Primera División de Argentina and the Brazilian top division loses their top talent to Europe so are they not a serious leauge but just a stepping stone?
@Gloria Thomas it was a retirement league about 7 years ago. Now the multimillion signings for young foreign talent and the multimillion young American export to Europe is big now days.
Toronto FC also started playing in the league in 2007. With a soccer specific stadium close to downtown, supporters that that were young and urban (as opposed to families), and supporter culture that resembled fandom in Europe, they gave the league a blueprint on how to grow.
This makes me very happy I’m glad soccer is getting more popularity here in the US 🇺🇸 ⚽️❤️
It still sukks. 😆
@Jahn Pah Jonz Matter fact I agree it’s not the best , and is not par to the European golden standard…. the MLS is doing its own thing and is trying to form a culture where there is other sports that dominate the sport sector …..they have the culture the MLS needs.
Brand New MLS video out now on our channel! 🇺🇸 ~ The Top 10 MLS Kits from 1996! ~ Check it out! 🎥😃👍
@Jahn Pah Jonz it's really fun to play, most of the people worldwide agrees
@Julio Marín I agree. Almost all sports are fun to play but not all sports are fun to watch. For example, golf, it is boring but a lot more fun to play with friends. I'll play with a soccer ball but I won't watch it on TV.
I'm a huge Liga MX and Mexican National team fan, but I would love to see the sport grow more in the United States and get the respect it deserves. If it was as popular as it is in other countries the United States would be a powerhouse nation easily.
If it becomes truly popular in the US, a North American league might even happen.
As long as they keep calling the sport soccer they world won't accept them 😂 😂
@pineapple on pizza 😋 well we can’t call it “football” because we can’t confuse it with the NFL
Hope MLS grow, Americans will understand how it feels when people on the other side of the Earth to stay up at night to watching their tournament
Quality of MLS is still poor…also, they need to get rid of tie games. It stinks when you see 2 teams play for a draw.
@Anth C MLS isnt gonna grow past of the big 4 unless it does something I know they will never do it though.
@Davon mls already surpassed nhl in attendance, revenue, and local participation. Only boomers that grew up with "the big 4" are keeping that term alive.
@Davon you are underestimating the power that social media influence has on the youth. For example, the Clip-Sharer IShowSpeed, is Wildly popular with GenZ and Gen Alpha a big part of his brand, as a Clip-Sharer is being a Cristiano Ronaldo, fan and playing football. This is something that brings young people into a sport, and may have never ever watched it. Social media also allows for the youth to learn about English teams and learn the history of soccer, the rules, the players, etc.
Consider that Soccer games have 45 minute continuous halves and one 15 minute intermission. Commercials are minimized to promos on the side of the pitch and the entire 15 minute intermission. The 3 major US sports have WAY TOO MANY STOPS IN THE GAMES FOR COMMERCIALS. If the level of the soccer product keeps increasing, it has a real chance of overtaking the majors.
Yup reasons why i stopped watching a lot of American football I’ll usually catch a game but to many stops and adds
In Sweden and probably most places the half time break only has about three to five minutes of ads at the beginning and the end of the break. The rest is made up o a studio with ex players and analysts talking about the game.
In the UK, the 15minute half time break is not all commercials, approx half of that is match analysis.
Advice for american who interest to watch football/soccer. Dont watch the ball, watch the player movement especially the player whos not dribbling and possibly to pass next. Sorry for my horrible english
3 Major US Sports
NHL: 😔
If we as a country could pull off a Relegation / Promotion system, the MLS would have even more fire, but keep the playoffs since the playoffs are exciting.
The playoffs work in the current system due to the league table being split by geographical region (the U.S. is huge, the league is still growing and yet to reach a sufficient number of teams for a pro-rel system), so it provides a viable competition to decide which club on both conferences comes out tops at the end of the regular season. Once pro-rel are in place, the playoffs would be irrelevant because there exist what's called the country's top-flight division without need for playoffs to decide the winner. Well, maybe playoffs for additional pro-rel spots if needed. Then, MLS Cup could be akin to an additional domestic cup competition for teams within the MLS structure like the League Cup in England or Scotland, while the U.S. Open Cup is the main domestic cup competition (i.e. F.A. Cup/DFB Pokal) that is open to all clubs in the country.
@Shukor Hadi ehhh playoffs wouldn’t be irrelevant once pro / reg gets introduced, it works great in Mexico in LA Liga
@Shukor Hadi as a Brit & premier league fan, I think the MLS should keep playoffs but should also have regional relegation also
@TurquoiseGamez that’s an interesting angle. It adds the element of promotion/relegation(p/r) and keeps the tournament element. A thought; wouldn’t it be easier and more entertaining to be like the Bundesliga and have playoffs for p/r? In my opinion that puts more emphasis on winning the league via the points system and increases the excitement for p/r. As an American I got sucked into watching the premiere league because of p/r. To be honest it’s far more dramatic and addictive.
relegation system will be bad for the mls. because money.
I’m just glad football is finally getting the recognition it deserves here in the states!
soccer
@No Name no
@No Name football
@Josh Davies HAHAHA
@No Name Football for the rest of the world
As a baseball fan, I’m happy for soccer’s growth, I love my LA Galaxy, and keeping up with both of these are really fun. Can’t wait to see MLS’ growth in the future
Brand New MLS video out now on our channel! 🇺🇸 ~ The Top 10 MLS Kits from 1996! ~ Check it out! 🎥😃👍
Liam's? Lol what a name.
GALAXY!!!
Yeah it's gonna take over your poor baseball wehhh 😭
As a european, I'm looking forward to compare the world cup in 1994 to the world cup in 2026. Also, it is nice to see many US players not only playing in the MLS, but all over the world as well. - Well done. 👏
yeah its gonna be quite different in 1994 soccers growth was stoped because of nasl fell but in 1996 mls had their 1st team and its has a new team every year is rapid expansion is different not the same as nasl's over expansion
What soccer/football has going for it:
1. Match length is highly predictable and MUCH shorter than MLB and NFL
2. Rules are sooo simple compared to other sport
3. Scoring system is simple as well
4. Gameplay, for the most part, just floooows constantly (no start-stop)
5. The sport can be visually beautiful (elite teams play realy aesthetically pleasing football), fast, technical, and relatively non-violent
6. Goals come in ALL shapes and sizes and from all different angles and distances.
7. Crowd chants/songs are fun
Great list, fully agree. For me, points 5, 6, and 7 are the biggest advantages of soccer versus hockey for example. Some soccer goals are a thing of beauty.
Excellent points@adhy.
7 is a great one. The chants/songs can range from hilarious to downright vicious.
@FTdo you think hockey isn’t beautiful? There are some downright brilliant team goals and individual moments of magic on par with the beautiful game IMO
@Erik Lakeland There's definitely amazing goals in hockey, but it's just the nature of the game that limits the range of goals. In soccer you can score by: tapping the ball in, diving header, header in the direction of the ball, header against the direction of the ball, a volley, a bicycle kick, a long-distance shot, a back-heel, an extremely curled shot, etc.
Best thing about soccer is how accessible it is, you just need a ball to play. Much less expensive to get started for low income communities which will lead to more opportunities for scholarships and professional careers.
Nope soccer is pay to play! It's very expensive in the states
@David Herrera isn't everything pay to play and expensive in the states? Well, maybe not Oil prices.
people get squeezed.
@David Herrera To play *organized* soccer is expensive, but any group of kids with a ball and a flat open field can play without needing specialized equipment.
The US made it pay to play. Most countries around the world, all you need is a ball and a friend. When rec centers start building soccer fields or neighborhood soccer fields, you will see the difference.
Yuri huh?
In 2019 I made a presentation to my communications class at my community college about this. The expansion of the league and the growth of soccer in the states, it was pretty much a snooze fest. My classmates looked at me funny; watching this makes me proud that I saw the vision pre Covid… shoot for all I know CNBC took my idea lol
I never liked Soccer until i attented a game live . Omg !! I was instantly hooked . It was insane , once the clock starts running its non stop action .
Some of you comment is not the truth. Not insane. /
@Jordan Johnson no it is, I’ve taken non soccer fans to lafc games before and even if they don’t necessarily love the sport, they love the environment. Something about the music and non stop chants makes them want to attend another live game.
@Jordan Johnson attend a game first bozo...no other sport like ⚽
Welcome brother. Spread the gospel
Yes cause you can see better the formations and how they move without the ball
If you’ve been watching the MLS since it’s inception you know the league is in very good hands . The 3 “foreign” player rule where you can go over the salary cap was brilliant , the original NASL was a money pit.. slow and steady growth is the model of any business and that’s what it is
Wanted to say that MLS isn’t a “minor league” as the analyst says earlier in the video (and shouldn’t be compared to one in 2021) - it doesn’t have the talent of the major European leagues (EPL, Bundesliga, La Liga) but it’s breaking the top 10/15 globally, which is very significant. As teams continue to produce academy players to sell to European teams we should see competition improve even more. Teams are also scouting younger talent in other leagues in South America - giving them a platform to Europe. We should see more of that talent funnel through MLS going forward.
Exatamente, estão fudendo com esses assédios o futebol brasileiro, já basta, europa, China, os arabes agora tem EUA
The MLS is not as competitive and talented as most major leagues in Europe and South America, but the U.S has more resources and structure, and if you keep the momentum it will in the next 10 years become one of the main leagues in the world.
@Chão Pauludo 🇧🇷 Se não criarmos uma liga organizada com direitos de televisão melhores e mais estruturado como nos EUA ficaremos para trás mesmo
@Lorenzo de Agostini Sim amigo de fact, porém a moeda, economia e qualidade de vida jogam contra nós, é quase que selado o nosso destino, porém nada adianta chorar as pitangas
The best MLS teams would really struggle in the third division of English football. I would honestly say that's kinda minor league.
Something this new generation of players need to understand is that not everyone can have the technicality of Messi or ronaldo. Yes, its possible but the reality is not everyone can do those fancy skills. But what everyone can do is master the basics and work together as a team! There is no room for ego's in this sport, which seems to be extremely rampant in soccer when it comes to showing off. The only time a player should be showing off is when they score and actually make a difference for the team.
Try watching women’s sports if team play is important to you. That’s not to say ever male sports team doesn’t play team ball . Generally 🗣 women’s sports has more of team play.
@Mosi Jahi team play should be important for every league. Doesnt matter if it’s men’s or women’s 🤦♂️
@b Guerrero Iceland Greece in Portugal
Football more than any other sport evens the playing field and makes it easier for the underdog to thrive
Because despite individual skills makes the difference most of the time
The core of the game will always be who runs with most stamina have the best organisation and control of the midfield stay focused the longest
Win most of the time
That's why Germany dominates football despite really not producing many football geniuses
German people can be organised focused and they're on avarage very physical
Historically they're great at producing midfielders
Historically they're always top contenders in every tournament
@TP that’s what I love to see! Teams that have players that can last 90 minutes! Regardless if they are on the bench or not.
I think we can all agree, flashy players are necessary for the game especially with players like Mo Salah who is deadly in the penalty box!
Me as an avid indoor futbol player. I always focus on finding players that I know are physical, have great stamina and know when to pass the ball ⚽️ I have no patience for players who only care about themselves and their own stats
"There is no room for ego"
Cristiano Ronaldo: 🤡
Simply put together, the MLS is now growing incrementally and organically but as its said, building rivalries, teams, sense of identity and a fan base takes time, if you look at the demographics also, there is no reason why the MLS cannot become a major soccer/football powerhouse.
Most kids in the US are playing soccer/football, but when it comes to making a career, there will be soon a real path for them in the MLS with appealing contracts and conditions, etc.
In the meantime for broadcasting, having an OTT service to stream and watch highlights and games plus exclusive contents from a single platform can be as well appealing for the audience and grow the competition and its media revenue, necessary in the sport industry.
There are many ideas you can develop in such a "young" but healthy growing league.
Its actually great to see. There is alot of anti american feeling in Europe right now and making fun of the level the USA plays football. But i have to say, its a good thing that finally USA is joining the club. Things need to happen in a organic way of couse, but the potential is all there, the USA can become a major nation in Soccer/Football, even if its stays only the 3rd sport of the USA. Its good for the game and will change everything. I more then welcome the americans in this. The americans also need to understand though, you can have a good 0-0 game btw.
Football soccer is the most famous sport in the world, and by far, USA needs to give importance if you want to be something, USA is a medium level national team behind countries like Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy, France, Spain or England
Truly agreed, when I hear sports updates on the national radios sports stations i'm still dissappintes by ESPN and Fox Sports, that they'll run through American Football, NBA scores news, MLB, NHL, Golf and random breaking news, but rarely announce MLS scores....
We need a relegation system, most if not all of the world has one in place and it creates the tension and fight for survival and revival of clubs.
We also need to be able to win the confederation club cups (Concacaf CL and the other tournaments that follow against the other countries pro clubs. Being consistenly runners up is not good enough. Liga MX owns us badly on that front. If we could win some and have MLS representation at the Fifa Club WC, that then puts the MLS on a bigger pedestal.
Power house?
@Gordus Maximus it would be interesting if it becomes very popular cause there other popular sports arnt really on a world stage per say apart from the olympics we’re as soccer if they become good at it they could qualify for the World Cups
I am from Costa Rica. I began watching MLS matches in 2016 and I have to be honest. I am scared of how far this league can go. It's been 6 years and even in that short period of time I've seen important growth. Fútbol in the US might me going places in 10 or less years. It would be very good to have promotion/relegation. (PD: sorry if my English writing is bad)
I agree. I’m so excited for the potential. I hope MLS continues to make smart business decisions. Pura vida!
No.
Almost every person I take to a Sporting KC game for the first time really enjoys it and can begin to understand the allure of it. I think the MLS will continue to grow and reach the younger generations.
I remember In 2018 when my friend told me about NYCFC playing at Yankee stadium and how the league was rising. Let’s just say one game, one game alone did it for me and I became season ticket holder (still current) within a week …love the team. The atmosphere , the die hard passionate fans …love it all.
It was one thing watching MLS as a kid during the early 2000s but to see it in person is something I recommend even if it’s a one time deal
They should increase the designated players to 3 or 4 now. The clubs can sustain that. Also they wanted to give young US players enough playing time, but there are double the number of clubs now, so they have plenty of spots. It would increase the average standard of the games and be better for the development of the US players as the tempo etc would increase, whilst also making the league more powerful.
I've always been a soccer fan since I was a kid now I'm 30 years old and the growth of soccer and MLS doesn't surprise me soccer is fast pace and just a fun sport to either watch or play
Following the league for twenty years it is all about slow steady growth. The stadiums and then academies are all about building base for sustainability. Everything has improved. So back and watch matches from 2001 and it really is night and day. I think we're a ways off competing with big four of US/CA leagues, but the gap has closed.
I highly suggest any one take in a live local match, I'm a season ticket holder for Cincinnati and despite us being awful the experience is special among our professional sporting landscape.
They didn't mention the Academies. They are so fundamental and really seen in the UK by the revamp in the 2011 and its effects. With everything else sports wise coming through the High School/ College set up, rather than specifically made Academies at a sports club, does this work in the US like it does in Europe, seeing how it would buck the trend.
I agree. I am based in Europe and I'm really impressed with the MLS games. I watch and enjoy the games and level of football. It's not top top (e.g. Chelsea or Bayern), but it is certainly closing the gap. They should organize a serious competition between the top US and European teams. That would be interesting
Don't just tell people what they want to hear.
The average squad value in the EFL, UK's 2nd-tier league, is higher than in the MLS (collectively worth 1.1b vs 1.01b of the MLS; according to Transfermarkt).
The best MLS clubs would barely make the relegation zone in the EPL, LaLiga, Serie A or Bundesliga. They shouldn't organize a competition between top US and Europe's teams for the same reason you wouldn't care having a tournament featuring Chelsea Vs Bournemouth or Bayern Munich vs Nottingham Forest... The mismatch is too large.
Now, is this gap gonna last forever? Hopefully not, MLS can def improve players, coaches and tactics in the medium term.
But as of now, let's be real.
@Andrea Razeto Cut out the European snobbery and watch the quality of the MLS games. The UK's second division is what we call 'panic football' ('paniek voetbal') in the Netherlands. It is plain awful. Remember the top teams in the UK are 'powered' by foreigners (see Chelsea and Ma City) and the second division teams are not.
If they could win a CONCACAF Champions League, then maybe they could qualify to a FIFA Club World Cup but the Mexican league still dominates the region.
One thing is for sure: the USA’s advertisers are extremely good. The MLS cannot beat Mexican teams and they believe their are going to compete in the near future with the PL teams’ playing level. They’re delusional...
The way forward to North American soccer is competing against South American clubs in a All-America competition. It is a marriage made in heaven: South America brings the technical skills and tradition of its clubs and North America brings the cash. Mexico and United States, both at club and national team levels, need better competition than only each other, and the obvious way to accomplish them is for their clubs and national teams to play against the best South American sides.
I would actually watch MLS over baseball now. Hope they succeed so we can grow as a nation with the soccer/futball talent.
One of the things I like about soccer over baseball and football is that virtually the entire flow of a game is up to the athletes on the field. The players have no choice, if a tactical problem arises on the field, they have to identify it and solve it themselves. In baseball and football the coaches get to constantly stop gameplay ( in football, the stoppages in play were designed into the game specifically to make the audience watch advertisements) and re-shuffle the chess pieces - removing all of the guesswork for the players on the field. Baseball, football, and even basketball are significantly more coach-dependent than soccer.
Well, not exactly. Lol you're very American in your ignorance (I don't mean that in a negative way). Coaches in soccer can and do interfere during the game. They stand along the sidelines and shout their instructions (very short phrases). Also, during certain ''dead'' moments, they might give quick instructions to a player, e.g. when subbing on a new player, or when a goal has been scored, etc.
But you're forgiven, as an American you probably haven't been exposed to a lot of soccer games.
In terms of scoring I always frame it for my NFL loving friends as, "say you watch a game that ends 14 to 7. That actually translate to 2 to 1." Not a big difference for scoring and you would spend sometimes 5 hours plus at an NFL game if you are a tailgater. The NBA lost me even before they became centipeded to China's rear. Soccer has survived 20 plus years, some folded franchises, transitions into their own stadia and COVID. Soccer is here to stay and the sky is the limit.
I get what you’re trying to say with equating 2 to 1 to a 14-7 win in the NFL, but a strength of the NFL is the variety of ways to score and the different values of them. It’s all incredibly well balanced.
The US had a league in the early part of the 20th century. It was one of the best in the world, but it didn't survive the Great Depression. Other sports leagues did, and that made a huge difference. More recently, the initial iteration of NASL was also very good. It overspent and was wiped out by a relatively minor recession.
Now we've got MLS, and in spite of all these frustrated people that kept saying Spend More! Do this or that, and the fan interest will come....MLS learned from our past mistakes and held the line as one of if not the most conservative spender of all top tier leagues in the world. The league almost folded back in the day, but it isn't folding now.
MLS will survive this pandemic, and it will do so rather easily. Planned expansion teams have pushed back some of their early milestones by about a year, and that's it. So many other leagues and teams are having and will have some real debt problems. Even with leagues with way more history, even if they're on much better footing to put it mildly, these problems will follow them for decades to come. So many of the major buyers in the world will have to tighten their belts- the big 3 in the city of Istanbul are one example that may fly under the radar, but there's way more examples than that.
MLS will hold the line and remain conservative. MLS can be incredibly selective in the global transfer market and make careful decisions about the best fit. The under-22 initiative is going to be so important in developing young internationals and also for hanging on to our homegrown talent for a little bit longer. Teams like FC Dallas and Philly (and Seattle) are going to really show out in the next few years. Their HGs will help them be so much more balanced and complete- and an advantage in depth makes the biggest difference when balancing match congestion. Most of all, the teams with the best HG talent will be able to sell those players to their fan base. World class players From The Local Development System, PLAYING SOME OF THEIR BEST YEARS FOR THEIR MLS CLUB. That's where it's at. That's what it is.
MLS is going to steadily move the needle because of all those things taken together, and 2026 is going to be a flashpoint. I hope we show well and make some history, and then I hope we can carry that momentum forward.
The difference between the MLS and the other main professional sports in the US, is its potential for expansion/development.
All other sports are well established and almost maxed out for any more growth. A top team from MLB, NFL or NHL, after winning everything on its tournament can only have a domestic tournament for competition but that's pretty much the scope of it's dominance. No international leagues to compete with because there are no other such leagues.
Soccer in the other hand, will always have other leagues with a solid fan base and historic records set up from long ago as a main goal for MLS to compete for.
It looks like a long shot but that's exactly what motivates true competition, the fact that Soccer in the US has a lot of room for improvement is what in the end will create that ever increasing level of competition.
The internet and cable tv is why soccer is growing in the states. We had no access to the EPL, La Liga, etc in the 90s and early 2000s. The game is accessible now and as a result it's gaining popularity
I know it wasn’t accessible to the average American in the early 2000s but Fox Sports World(later became Fox Soccer) was showing live EPL games(granted back then it was only games that involved Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea).
💯
My dad had access to epl in the states during the 2000s
@Akhil Sriram Sky Sports was the only option then and it was not cheap.
Im from europe, i used to see how soccer was played in the us, it also wasn't that popular.. but the steps the mls have taken is insane the last couple of years, the level at which the game gets played has skyrocketed compared to how it used to be
I watch mainly the la liga, and the premier league. But lately the new Lafc team has me rooting for them. I associate myself to the fan base and energy the team has. Sure the game isn't top football but the games are exciting and fun to watch. Looking forward to the future as I am slowly becoming a huge fan
I just started getting into soccer a few years ago. It started with the USMNT, and then I started following the US players at their clubs and started watching the English Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and also the MLS here in the states. The game itself is fun to watch, but Im also very fascinated by many aspects of the sport such as relegation, inter league play, tournaments, etc. The sport really is incredible imo.
Start playing it. It so beautiful when you assist for a goal or even score a nice goal by yourself and everybody on the pitch goes: wooooo maestroooooooo
@Tim Prex fr, even just kicking the ball or dribbling is so fun man
Have you started watching Champions League soccer as well? IMO that's what makes soccer unique compared to American sports: the best/elite clubs from different nations playing against each other on the highest stage.
@M A I have, and I agree the Champions league is the best part of European football.
At the moment, the quality of MLS relative to the traditional power leagues is roughly analogous to the quality of Japanese baseball, Chinese basketball, or Russian hockey relative to MLB, NBA, or NHL. The latter are clearly superior, but that doesn't mean the former are bad.
I am 51 years old and a life-long Soccer fan. I was skeptical of MLS for years, but now I'm all in. They have proven to me that they can build and retain supporter bases, engage communities, and field an attractive product.
It is only a matter of time. One day soon, MLS will start attracting and signing truly world class players in their prime. When that happens, we will know we have made it.
I think in order for the MLS to rise to that level we will need more of our top athletes to choose to play soccer over American football and basketball. That will be difficult due to the corruption (for lack of a better term) in our amateur sports for those two. There's just too much money involved in collegiate football and basketball.
"Chinese Basketball"?
Aside from America, basketball's second powerhouse is Europe, with Euroleague second strongest behind the NBA.
Hockey is definitely KHL
@James
The minutiae aren't the salient point.
I noticed how much Soccer has grown in the US compared how it was ten years ago. I live in Washington State and back then, Soccer was something that was only played in schools. Flash forward in 2023, I see Seattle Sounders FC stickers everywhere, a lot of people at my job wore World Cup shirts, and during Christmas time I realized more people were buying the FIFA games more than Madden or NBA 2K games. It's really exploded in popularity recently.
MLS is definitely a league to watch out for in the coming years. I support my local team Atlanta United and going to games are so much fun
I love Lumen field here in Seattle as a Sounders fan, but i'm jealous of y'all in Atlanta with The Benz Stadium. That place looks MARVELOUS!!!
@Omar Quintanilla We LAFC got the Banc but its no Benz😔
I’m in Austin and my significant other wasn’t too into Austin FC. We ended up going to every single home game. We had a trip booked for the Bahamas next year, but canceled it because it is the home opener for the season.
It’s definitely growing.
@Jay I still like BofC. This will be blasphemous of me, but Portlands Providence park to me resembles the most Englished style stadium. You then have some of the newer clubs and the like of like L.A Galaxy and NY redbulls with the more modern day soccer specific stadiums. BC Place stadium looks like a German soccer stadium, I just wish they would open the upper section up more often. I've been there three times and it's always closed, but it looks like there is enough fans to fill it on a given day. I know they did for the Women's WC and it looked awsome.
@Jay Vancouver whitecaps
US football team already performed better than Mexico in Qatar, their football has been improving over the years. If they pass to quarter finals next world cup it will surely gain huge attention and millions of new fans.
I've been enjoying European football, now it's time to add more football entertainment, I'm starting to follow MLS too right now, still trying to find a team that I'll support, really hope football will be no 1 sport in USA
I'm not going to lie, MLS is slowly growing on me, I really do appreciate the growth, now 1 way they can grow the sport is with development of its young talent
They are already working on this. They started from scratch with their academies. Thats why you are now seeing many more americans over in Europe. There is a great youtube video about "MLS NEXT" take a look
Brand New MLS video out now on our channel! 🇺🇸 ~ The Top 10 MLS Kits from 1996! ~ Check it out! 🎥😃👍
If the MLB continues to keep shooting themselves in the foot when it comes to labor relations, sucky pace of play, terrible rule changes, and the complete lack of marketing for star players, I won't be surprised if both the MLS and NHL pass it in terms of popularity. The next stage for the MLS and soccer in the US and Canada is to keep pushing on the younger generation and build truly great American and Canadian talents that want to play at home rather in say Spain, Germany, or France. The MLS relies too much on past-their-prime names right now and they need the young stars like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie to stay home.
No. The best US players need to be in the best leagues. Being a selling league means a revenue stream for MLS and incentive to be developing more local talent. That's the best thing about MLS now. They develop teenagers, play them, and then ship them to Europe. Result is a constant stream of good young players at an affordable pay rate for a growing MLS.
We cannot afford to keep those best players here. They will not develop like they would in a top 5 league and it would be a wasted talent. Also, MLS teams dont have the budget to prevent them from going overseas.
To be honest, I have been watching soccer since I was younger in my formative years. Even then, I liked the pace of the sport (fast) and the anticipation of a goal scored. I am not a huge baseball fan like when I was a kid when the sport had elite players to follow. Now, labor problems, a new generation of players, and, yes, the pace being slow has turned me away from the game. Soccer is my third favorite sport behind football and basketball. It's a world sport with a great tradition behind it. Love watching the Euros and Latinos play the sport in their home regions, and hearing their fans chant and cheer. How will the popularity of MLS play out? Only time will tell. It's already growing, but it hasn't fully arrived yet. Public interest, including those TV ratings, will dictate the direction of the sport, and, of course, the World Cup coming to the US in 2026 will, hopefully, help out significantly.
The 26 WC will increase local awareness towards the sport on an international stage…. But will do little to help the MLS itself, because it won’t change the fan demographics….MLS needs to make it more appealing to watch, such as eliminating tie games, or awarding an extra point to a team that wins by scoring more than 3 goals.
Also, the number of soccer specific stadiums are growing which is a major push for growth for MLS and it is here to stay
Wait Cricket is Coming in usa in a big way
@Prafullapandey cricket won't do good in america....no natives even know what's a cricket World Cup...it won't be even big as volleyball in USA
How the USMNT team has developed and is getting way better in international games will really help the MLS grow and get better and better
I'm Indian but I would love MLS to be one of the best leagues in the world 🌎 ❤
That will be a tall order given the negative stigma of the MLS. Off topic, do you play/watch Kabaddi?
@Datdude yeah I did play with friends when we were kids just not professionally haha
@Stickler Rapsang Awesome. I hope you didn't take offence to the question. When you said you were Indian, I had to ask you as Kabaddi looks a very interesting and tactical sport for how "simple" it is in theory. It is a shame that Kabaddi never went mainstream.
@Datdude in recent years India have started a competitive league and its doing quite well in India but don't know if it's televised all over the world.
Btw is that a chelsea lion symbol on your pfp?
Problem is we already have so many teams. Personally, I’m a Clemson fan (for all college sports, but mainly college football and basketball), Falcon’s fan (NFL), Hawks fan (NBA), Winnipeg Jets fan (NHL), and Braves fan (MLB). Beyond that I played lacrosse in HS so also follow the PLL and have a team there, tho I follow with less intensity. As Americans, we already are engulfed by sports. I casually cheer for Atlanta United, but it’s so hard for me to be passionate abt then bc I already have so many teams I care about. It’s not that the MLS can’t succeed, but they will have an uphill battle to establish themselves as a major North American sport in an already over-saturated sports market
I’m happy that MLS is growing all over the USA. However I hope in the future they add a relegation system. It will further motivate all teams to play 110% every game. It would even make the teams at the bottom of the table exciting to watch.
The USL is technically considered the 'minor leagues' or league 2 of professional soccer in the United States. But you are correct - they are not linked to each other officially in the way that the EPL and championship leagues are with the relegation and promotion.
That could be cool. And it could make it so teams like the Charleston Battery and Real Maryland make it up to the MLS every couple of years.
Beerus, I believe that a relegation system would just brings a lot of mental stress on players, which would reflect on the quality of their game. What works best to improve ones game is competition, and all players want to be at their best to keep up with it.
Right? But them billionaires wanna play it safe and them American soy boys don't get it.
@Hic Nuntio The only thing pro/rel would achieve is one bad team would be replaced by another bad team every year...
Never mind even trying to explain to the average US sports fan why on Earth a team finishing first in an inferior league against inferior competition somehow has earned "top league" status all of a sudden.
Complete nonsense...
@Dave Pazzaglia
"why on Earth a team finishing first in an inferior league against inferior competition somehow has earned "top league" status all of a sudden."
It's not that complicated.... Sometimes the best teams in an inferior league are better than the worst teams in the top league. We have clear evidence of this being the case in Europe.
According to FiveThirtyEight, the gap between MLS and USL Championship is even smaller than the gap between all the 1st and 2nd-division leagues in Europe. FiveThirtyEights has many USL teams ranked higher than MLS teams.
It's not that complicated to explain to an American, and most soccer fans in USA are in favor of pro/rel.
I think the reason MLS hasn't broke through is because of the people they've marketed themselves too and the fanbases it has created. Somehow along the way MLS got really self-aware and started dealing in inclusion and social justice a lot. And that led to chunks of every teams' fanbases to being full of fans that don't match the typical profile of a traditional sports fan in America. MLS doesn't bring in a lot of the type of fans that usually go to NFL games, NBA games, MLB games, or college football games. In fact a bunch of the hardcore fans of MLS teams probably never cared about traditional American sports at all before they decided to become a fan of their MLS team.
Probably because they felt like they could vent their agendas and views at MLS games when historically people like them wouldn't have been received well in the crowds of other More American sports. For example: I have a good friend that doesn't like American football. He's kinda a nerd. lol. I asked him one day why he didn't like American football... His answer was, "When I was in high school the boys on the high school football team would bully me all the time. So I hate football." A very sad answer indeed. I at some point showed him some soccer highlights and my soccer video games. And he said he thought it was pretty cool. So literally a past trauma made him hate American football and when showed a sport that had no trauma tied to it things were fine.
I feel like at this point similar stories like this could technically be found in Every MLS fanbase. Especially in the liberal inclusive supporters groups. Which is in every MLS fanbase. It is sorta okay that these kind of people can finally enjoy a sport... But it has an effect upon perception. Especially within the USA itself. When traditional American sports fans even give a MLS game on tv a chance they see these radical fans and... It turns them away. Like say people in the southeastern part of the US. A lot of whom tend to be Christians; or at least Conservatives, and are generally fans of traditional American sports. When they see this kind of stuff on the tv they have to think about whether it's worth the hassle to say... Explain to their kids they are trying to raise in a normal nuclear family setting why a bunch of random people are waving rainbow colored flags that have nothing to do with either team's colors... Most of them decide it's not worth it and take their kids to a family friendly baseball game or college football game instead.
And also the MLS has tried to get it's perception to increase overseas more as well. Traditional American sports fans see this; and the subsequent lack of promoting perception improvements to them instead, as a turn off as well. "Well I'm huge MLB and NFL fan. Have been all my life... And what I'm watching doesn't Feel American at all. So I'm going to have to pass." And the lack of big name stars and high quality play doesn't help either. It's just a perception problem.
I know a LOT of people involved with MLS think the 2026 World Cup is going to help tremendously with popularity in this country. To that I want to say... Maybe for a very short while. But I Don't see it helping MLS much at all personally. They've alienated the traditional American sports fan at this point and only a huge 180 in trying to promote the game of soccer as an American sport and really focusing everything they have at trying to appeal to a wider American audience might make any difference. Until then they will stay a Low/Mid Teir league in the soccer world and a Low Tier league here in the USA.
hasn't broken* (break/broke/broken)
It still surprises me how unpopular (relatively speaking) football/ soccer is in the states. Here in the UK or anywhere in Europe for tgar matter the local club is a part of your very identity as a person
Because the US grew wanting to be separate from it's European friends they wanted to stand out so things like basketball and American football are the biggest things here.
It’s because we have more than one sport. We have Basketball, American Football, Baseball.
There is no promotion/relegation system my local club is permanently stuck in division 3. There is no impetus to fanatically follow my local team.
Soccer is about as exciting as watching paint dry.
@M1911jln then you haven’t watched cricket. Especially test match cricket 🤣
I really hope Inter Miami can turn things around and become a great project. They have a lot of potential:
1) Miami is the largest latino city in the US, and Hispanics in general follow soccer more than Anglo-Saxon Americans.
2) Beckham is a football authority. He's also incredibly rich. His club could really attract some big money.
3) Great players like Messi or Griezmann have stated that they would like to retire in the MLS. If Miami managed to sign them, they would make millions and these stars could help make football more popular in the US.
Very good update.
A bit more on the demographics of immigrants, suburban kids, and female athletes would round out the story.
In particular, I’d like to know more about the MLS and its connection to the expansion of the NWSL.
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Also worth discussing is value. Versus the other pro leagues, a family can actually obtain tickets and afford said tickets.
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Side point: MLS is also competing against a sixth “professional” league in the form of Division I FBS college football.
That’s on NFL, MLB, NBA, MLB, and NHL.
(I date back to the NY Cosmos and the MetroStars, predecessors to the NY Red Bull’s.)
I knew the game was taking off when I saw the support second division USL teams have. Some of these teams have a packed stadium every game. There’s passion for second division American football. I love it. The 2022 World Cup is gonna grow the game even more. Baseball is my number one and it’s slowly dying in front of me (I’m 21) and that sucks but football is also a sport I have been wishing was much bigger in the country for years now
It's really interesting to me as a fan from the UK, a decade ago the MLS was nothing but it's rise is exponential. One of the biggest reasons I think halting its success that I see a LOT of Americans bring up is the pacing. Football/Soccer is a chess match unlike NFL, NBA etc. Most potential fans don't see the appeal in a tight cagey game. I think this sentiment will inevitably change but it seems like the need for constant action is indicative of their society as a whole.
Soccer is still considered an incredibly boring sport by majority of the US population
Hopefully that will change.
I have been involved in the sport for a while because of my son. You would be absolutely surprised to go see local tournaments where there are 3000 kids playing in a huge facility for a weekend. Those normally cover ages from u9-u16 boy and girls. At that age range it is super popular and kids love it. Those kids and their parents/relatives are the base for the viewership coming up. They will love the sport and understand it. In addition MLS has created these academies in the last 15 years or so that are producing talent which is now part of the USMNT. A lot of these guys are now going to highly competitive teams in Europe on a regular basis to play important roles. The salaries in the MLS per se have also improved. they are not at the MLB, NBA, or NFL level yet but are very decent in comparison to what it was. Anyway they sure do have a bright future.
One thing that would help is to stop rebranding teams in an attempt to seem more European and whatnot. Look at what happened in Montreal, they massacred that franchise. Columbus almost went down that same path, but unlike Montreal, their owners actually listened to the fans and understood that the name was a core part of the team’s identity. I wish Montreal would understand this and revert back to the Impact.
You’re trying to build a soccer culture in the United States and Canada, stop destroying it with these senseless rebrands.
Absolutely agreed. The American names give the respective team and the league itself a unique flavor.
In 2006, MLS needed European names because it needed people to take it seriously. The strategy has now lost its flavor. It was only natural this was gonna happen. Let's re-embrace the American culture a little bit.
Still want pro/rel though. The Europeans are correct there but that's another time.
@Daniel Huynh I’m sure Americans would love to see the same teams dominate and be in contention for MLS Cup every single year. What was it, Bayern’s tenth straight season winning the Bundesliga? Unlike MLS, European leagues are not competitive. The only one that may be able to make a claim is UEFA Champions League, but that still isn’t saying much about the overall competitiveness of European soccer. If we were to do pro/rel, we would NEED to keep playoffs and more importantly, a salary cap.
Montreal's people speak french so your comparison holds no water. CF Montreal isn't to sound more European, it's to sound like the languages fans actually speak. Having an english name in a french speaking city is just bizarre. It never made any sense.
@CX 34 Yeah European soccer is so flawed it's funny that people aren't seeing the appeal of MLS. A league where every team is competitive. European fans obsess over UEFA/World Cup/ProRel, because the leagues themselves are unequal and lame. Actually winning a league title doesn't even rate as that being interesting.
@dixon hill As to your point about Montreal, that doesn’t matter (although it makes sense), what does is that the fans resonated with “Impact” and they want it back. Meanwhile, the owners don’t care, basically telling them to shut up and stomach the rebrand, which won’t happen. In response to your second point, I couldn’t agree with you more.
If MLS aims to get to the top, there has to be more divisions, It will increase the competition level and the rivalry between the teams. This is the Magic of the football
So this comment might be relatively long but I was 17 when I got into MLS and I am 19 now about to be 20 where I am located my favorite team is the New York Red Bulls The passion that American fans show for their teams is almost unmatched in any other league that I’ve seen. Yes, we know that this league is still up-and-coming and we know that the skill level isn’t anything like the Premier league or La Liga we get that, we understand that, but we still love it because MLS is ours and it’s home your club feels like your family. I’ve been to a bunch of other sporting events were the people sitting around you are just there but going to Red Bull Arena, yelling chants other people around me join in and we embrace each other whether it’s a high five or even a hug when we score to a complete stranger and I love that! I hope everything in this video becomes true and that MLS pulls in an even bigger audience than before each and every season because it deserves that attention it deserves every stadium across this country to be sold out on a regular basis and I hope that MLS becomes one of the biggest leagues in the world for entertainment and for the sport of soccer I hope Americans get drawn in because yes a lot of people say soccer is slow but you have to give it a chance and look at the amazing skill that these homegrown and international players provide. We know that soccer is not everyone’s favorite and it’s not the best skill in the world but it gets better each and every season! Please give it a chance and watch ur home club or whoever you choose to support, MLS is an amazing league everything from the players, to the fans lighting off smoke bombs in the stands during goals, this is our soccer!
Football in america just needs more heart, build tradition. Thats more important than game quality etc
The passion and heart is there it just need to spread to more people
Soccer simply doesn't resonate with the majority of the population
It is a relatively minor sport compared to Football, Basketball and Baseball
May be in the future it will catch up, but I don't see anything on the horizon
A big suggestion in order to attract new fans and a big tv rights deal will be to unify the soccer leagues and establish a promotion/ relegation system. We already have the Lamar hunt open cup but fans would love to see how fierce competition fighting for promotion.
Unifying soccer leagues is not necessary... since playoffs are used to determine the champion, pro/rel is largely useless in the US.
At this point I think the designated player rule needs to be expanded or done away with most teams can afford more then 3 dp players like Atlanta and LA having to trade or let go of star players because they can’t have more then 3
I've watched mls matches lately and the crowd in any field is amazing
Thats for sure. They are having a blast!
I'll honestly be very shocked if soccer can replace any of the major US sports. I mean, it'd be nice to see, but seems like a REALLY hard sell.
If you were to combine all leagues' viewership (English Premier League, La Liga, Liga MX, MLS, etc), soccer is already bigger than hockey in the US now.
@Tyfighter I hope it catches I truly do. There is so much potential.
@Tyfighter If you combine all of that and add in international fixtures it might be more popular than all of our sports except for NFL.
I'm not American but I feel like this isn't solely a football thing but more of a sports globalization. Other sports like rugby for example are growing at an incredible rate there ( although it's nowhere near the standard of football there).
i love baseball as its the sport i grew up watching but would love for mls to grow just as big if not bigger. i live in the dfw area and we have fc dallas but if they were to host games at the old texas ranger stadium, i have a feeling their fanbase would grow ALOT. why keep them far from the other major sports teams, i mean it would only make sense to have them next to our mlb(rangers) and nfl teams (cowboys)
A big compliment, the MLS has done many things right. In Germany we look enviously at the MLS because in Europe only money counts. There are always the same champions, which makes the leagues more and more boring. There is also no real financial fair play, TV money is distributed unevenly. I love to watch the MLS because it is much more balanced! Greetings from Germany
The passion and fan experience will grow organically as teams build a generational fan base and legacy based on success on the field. My son and I were big Philly.Union fans going into this season and even larger ones afterward.
NHL and NASCAR fan here, might attend my first MLS game this week. If not, then watch it alot more. Definitely interested!
That’s great man!
Don't know where you live but right now MLS is in the play offs.
Y'all can call me a bandwagoner this year but it'd be a Revolution game. Gotta try and fill up Gillette!
Support your local club ⚽️🔥
Hope you do man its really great
Seeing North America's football leagues growing makes me dream for that one day can have a continental competition between all Americas, merging teams from Libertadores and Concacaf Champions League. I believe that such league would have a lot of potential to be huge in terms of sports, competition and revenues like UEFA Champions League. Can you imagine teams from USA, Mexico, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and other countries fightting each other to win the trophy? That could be a big tornament. It's make no sense to me a whole continent having more than 3 "continental" competitions separated by regions. BTW, i miss the old times when mexican teams used to compete in Copa Libertadores.
There hasn't been a better time to adapt to the baseball fans with the way the MLB strike is going. I'm a fan of soccer and really hope it becomes the official 5th major league in America in the future.
Football has been growing a lot in the US the last 15 years.
There needs to be promotion/relegation and the freedom for clubs to choose kit sponsors. You grow the sport by making fans feel involved. If a pro team was formed in Little Rock or Boise and they were promoted to the top tier league , the popularity of the sport would sky rocket.
We definitely need a relegation system. My hometown team is garbage, but they don’t bother investing in better players because they know that they will right back next season and they don’t have any peril of loosing anything. The teams would be a lot more competitive if they had something to loose. Problem is most team pay the MLS to enter the league so it’s pretty hard for them to tell those teams they will make a relegation system if all those teams payed money.
Simple thing missing is a regular season that is meaningful. MLS playoff picture too big. On bright side expansion teams covering nation is great. Overtaking MLB is a lofty goal, but lofty goals keep a business from becoming stagnant and obsolete.
MLB is slowly dying anyway, it's not really that unrealistic to have that target tbh
Soccer is very popular around the world, and if it grows in US..... they can eventually surpass European national teams and Clubs. It would be a great rivalry if US soccer reaches NFL levels.
Love watching MLS. Not to the level of EPL or Bundesliga, but really improving. NFL lost me as a fan when they ripped my team away from my city. Seems like every other year an NFL team is moving just to extort more cash from cities. Damn the fans who’ve supported the team their whole lives. For NFL, cash is king.
In Europe you hear of teams that have been part of the community for over a hundred years. NFL will never care that much.
Soccer is about being part of a family. I’m hopeful MLS never copies some of NFL’s sins, but this is America. Time will tell.
Great piece CNBC!! There is one thing you missed discussing. Within those media deals, a much larger chunk of the viewership comes from online and not the major TV networks. Yeah it would be nice to have a major network champion showing our stories, but the main group of viewers under the age of 40 have mostly disconnected from cable now. I don't think that matters as much for MLS as it has for the other sports since the 1950's.
Ultimately, soccer succeeds worldwide due to the power of celebrity, international rivalry, nationalism, racism, and other external factors. In the United States, these factors are not as likely to take hold unless the player are native to their respective franchises.
El nivel de juego es aún peor que la liga Mexica, pero esta bueno que crezca en popularidad , sería importante una liga importante en esa zona del mundo.
MLS has a great fan experience which is reflected in the fact that it's a gate driven league, but it lags far behind on television. Other North American sports have built their product and changed their rules to be more appealing on television (the NFL is a prime example) whereas soccer has not really done so.
As a german, Im really excited to see americans getting more into football/soccer
Every game in mls feels like a champions league game instead of most boring premier league games dominated by big six. That’s what is exciting about MLS. Every team and every city has right to dream of winning the league
I was always a baseball fan but after following soccer for a couple years, way more exciting than baseball!
It can be, soccer has plenty of snoozers. Baseballs biggest problem is no game clock and an extremely long season. Unfortunately, to shorten the season would mean to void all stats over the leagues near 150 years in existence
@Jose C Yes, I totally agree on the long season part, shorten it by half!
@Jose C Not all stats. /
@Jordan Johnson unfortunately, yes, all stats. Any shortening of the season would mean any season stats in any category prior to the shortening would never be broken. Along with ensuring that there could be no comparison to past and present players.
@Jose C well, even Sunday leagues are so fun in soccer...that's what makes it special
My prediction: in 15-20 years from now, soccer will be a powerhouse. Various reasons are that many people are tired of commercial breaks in traditional American sports. Another reason is that soccer is very easy to understand. Concerned parents will prefer to put their kids into soccer rather football. Another reason is the demographics change. Latinos will be a factor in its growth as they love soccer and truly passionate about it. Also, soccer is loved south of the border, a true competition and rivalry will exist with other countries particularly Mexico. Soccer will eventually be the third most watched sport in the U.S. Mark my words.
Exactamente
Atlanta doesn't have a soccer specific stadium. It's very much an NFL stadium that was designed to hold a soccer field too. But anyone wondering who is the main team in the Atlanta stadium only needs to look at the logo on the sides of the seats.
And it's excellent that Atlanta can regularly fill 50,000 seats in that stadium. That's a great thing for the league.
As a soccer supporter for 40+ years, thanks for covering this, CNBC.
Minor tip (but noticed by people who follow the league): One does not refer to "the MLS"; it's just "MLS," just like one would not say "THE Major League Baseball." It's just "MLB."
@ProcrastinatingPuma Don't care. My point stands (and is correct). It is not "the MLS"...unless you are trying to show you know little about the sport.
As a Brazilian, I am rooting for football to become the top 1 sport in the US. That will improve competition, we could create a tournament between Concaf and Conmebol to improve our national teams. It also means more money in the sport and thus more quality.
It will never happen. It could become #3 biggest sport tho, but it’ll never overtake American football or Basketball.
@BetIllBeDamned honestly, I believe it's just a matter of time until football becomes dominant. I'm not even 23, so I think it could happen within my lifetime. Football is growing more and more, and it is a extraordinary sport. Americans are bound to fall in love once they realize the beauty of the game.
@BillGunslinger In the US, Football is already very dominant in young kids, but as they grow older they switch to different sports such as Basketball or American Football. Americans like sports with high scoring games. I do believe Football will become a “dominant” sport soon, but that doesn’t mean it will be the biggest sport in the US. Rather it’ll be the 3rd biggest sport in the US and peak there. Basketball & American Football are sports engrained in the American culture. March Madness & the Super Bowl are 2 of the most important events for Americans every year. Unlike in other countries, schools & sports are very tight in the US. Every athlete goes to play for a college and then gets drafted into one of the main leagues (or undrafted and then sign into one of them).
@BillGunslinger It is an extraordinary sport tho, I agree with you. My second favourite sport ever, but it just doesn’t fit the American culture. It could and most likely will overtake Baseball in the next 50 years tho.
USL Championship and USL 1 are growing the games in markets the MLS isn’t in too. Charleston, Tampa Bay, Colorado Springs, Sacramento, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, El Paso, OKC. Lots of newer MLS sides have had success in the USL. Minnesota United, Cincinnati FC, Austin FC (Had the Austin Bold) Charlette, Nashville, Orlando City, St. Louis (St. Louis FC folded due to MLS Expansion). This sport is only going to get larger!!!
How to make soccer more popular in the US.
Simple, bring the sport to the hood.
Right? For all we know, the mythical American Ronaldo or Messi could be coming from South Central LA or Detroit. There's lots of potential talent hiding in the inner cities and we're wasting it on middle-class preppies hoping to get into the big 5 European leagues on daddy's money. Christian Pulisic is one of a handful of exceptions that prove the rule.
@Jun Malabanan That's not really the issue. A massive amount of Americans play soccer. The issue is getting them to stick with the sport. Many of our top athletes will choose football, basketball, or soccer due to them being more financially lucrative
well first we need a major black superstar in soccer to inspire kids. kind of like how Magic and Jordan inspired so many to wanna be like them.
@christian vaye i mean, i think there have been many american black players that kids could look up to, but it requires much more media attention/coverage on mainstream channels like espn and fox sports. i think to be a superstar you also need to put in consistently great performances and stand out from the crowd like magic and jordan did. there aren't that many american players like that, black or not. however, some players that could've been that player to look up to in the past are damarcus beasley, jozy altidore, and especially tim howard, one of our greatest ever goalkeepers and undeniably our best player in the 2014 world cup. these days there's weston mckennie, tyler adams, zack steffen, etc. and these are just the players that have made the natinoal team. but with usually brief mentions of soccer on espn, fox sports, etc, compared to basketball, football, baseball, and hockey, what would attract kids, especially black kids where soccer is far from the most popular sport, to try it out? i think the pay to play system in america is what is really holding back marginalized or low income communities, no matter their race, from getting involved in soccer. plus, as mentioned above, there's simply more money available in the other major sports for kids in those communities to strive for.
@Bridget K You need a black player like Mario Balotelli to get the inner city African Americans interested in soccer.
European clubs are not only valued on club infrastructure but players too. So if the MLS can produce world class players then the clubs will have real value.
My son is 19. His friends love NFL and NBA. Many of them like soccer and hockey. Not one of his friends likes or follows baseball. Baseball is kept alive and propped up by baseball writers. MLS was started in the wake of the ‘94 World Cup. It will explode in the wake of the upcoming World Cup here.
i actually cant wait for 2026
With Clip-Share and European leagues being broadcasted more and more in the US (and of course a handful of high profile stars playing the US), the league has tried really hard to leverage and translate that into growth.
Nooo. As much as I love football/soccer, I'm also a big fan of baseball, a truly unique ninja sport. We have football all over the world, I don't want baseball to diminish in the US :-( There's always Japan, but I don't know those teams and players or understand the language and MLB has some insanely talented players on the diamond.
I don't want to take away the joy of football from Americans, but I hope it can coexist with baseball without affecting its popularity too much. October baseball is something I look forward to every year.
I think the primary problem is that American TV companies don't like to publicize soccer because it isn't as profitable to televise. One of the reasons the NFL is so big here is because TV companies pay hundreds of billions to televise the games and market them super hard because they can sell ads during the game for an expensive price (as much as $4 million for 30 seconds during the Super Bowl) but in soccer there are no ad breaks, except for half time, and this makes it less attractive to the networks, so they don't really market the sport because there is less incentive to.
You can do commercials in middle of games. Ive seen commercials in the PIP during boxing matches on TV. it arguably would be easier to do in soccer than in boxing or MMA.
I think a really good sign for MLS is that it's popularity and monetary growth were at a time when the USMNT was at its lowest in quite sometime. For a long time the MLS was largely attached to the USMNT's success, at least among white audiences, and to have gone through a low point for the USMNT and continued growth is a very good thing for MLS.
I think the biggest contender for MLS is not MLB or NBA but the other leagues around the world. I can only speak for myself but the amount European soccer I watched leaves me pretty burned out when it comes to MLS.