The Rise of the MLS – Major League Soccer!
For many years Major League Soccer (MLS) was considered something of a joke by fans of the beautiful game in the UK and Europe. It was seen as a league that was full of substandard players in a country that had little interest in the sport.
That has all changed in recent times though. Over the past decade, the MLS has broken its own records for attendances at matches in every single season – proof positive that soccer has truly arrived in the US.
These days, the total attendance is more than 10 million, which is an increase of 1.5 million on the figure four years ago. It is a league that is growing quickly and expanding to more parts of the US, with the latest state to embrace it being San Diego.
What is behind the dramatic success story though? That is what we will explore in this article.
A Future Rival to the NFL?
The MLS was founded 30 years ago, but it is only really in the last 10 years that it has begun to penetrate the consciousness of sports fans across the US. The speed at which it is rising in popularity means that it could soon threaten the status of one of the country’s more established sports though.
For a long time, the National Hockey League (NHL) has been the fourth biggest sport in the US, but the MLS is poised to overtake it in attendance numbers. The next step will be to compete with the National Football League (NFL) in terms of popularity. The MLS is still a long way away from matching the excitement the NFL playoff odds generate, and the buildup to the Super Bowl is likely to be unrivalled for some time yet.
But it is impossible to ignore how fast the MLS is now growing. To emphasize that point, it took the NFL 75 years to build a league of 30 teams, while the MLS has reached that stage in just 29.
It is entirely possible that many of those who seek out   online will be doing the same for MLS games within just a few short years. That is if the league continues to prosper in the way it has been in recent times.
What is Behind the Rise of the MLS?
There are a number of factors that have contributed to the rising popularity of soccer in the US. Among them are:
- The arrival of star players
- Greater television exposure and money
- The addition of more teams
When it comes to the first of them, David Beckham can be considered a trailblazer. He joined the MLS side LA Galaxy from Real Madrid in 2007, with many soccer pundits greeting the decision with confusion at the time.
It helped to boost the profile of the league beyond the US though and other former Premier League stars followed in his footsteps. They included ex-England players Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney, former Arsenal player Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba.
The number of top players moving to the league has steadily increased since around 2012. While the much vaunted switch by Neymar is still to take place, the MLS has now succeeded in attracting a player regarded by many as the greatest in the world.
Lionel Messi transferred to Inter Miami FC from Barcelona during the summer, which massively increased interest in the league outside of the US as well as inside it. This has been further fuelled by new television coverage.
The MLS inked a deal with Apple that gives fans the option of signing up to Apple TV+ for $99 and getting live coverage of every single game. That is a great deal for both sports fans and the league and is already helping to introduce global audiences to MLS.
Coupled with the arrival of Messi, it is a game changer for a league that was enjoying impressive growth beforehand. Both season ticket sales and attendances rose again prior to Miami FC signing him (by 9% and 5% respectively) but then rocketed afterwards. That is true for sales of MLS merchandise like replica shirts too and new fans will find an invigorated competition.
During the past decade, nine further teams have joined including Austin FC and St Louis City SC. That has made it much more competitive, raising the excitement levels. And more additions are planned, with San Diego set to enter two years from now.
The MLS is attracting younger fans compared with other sports. The average age of fans is 37.4, so it is dominated by Millennials and Generation Z. It is also more diverse and keen to follow the action on social media, all of which are indications that its growth may just be starting.
The MLS is a league on the up and could eventually be the most popular in the US.
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