Major League Soccer has undergone major changes since it first began play in 1996. 18 years ago, the League had only 10 teams with relatively small fanbases. As the 2014 season gets underway, the League has 19 teams in the United States and Canada, 11 of which now play in soccer-specific stadiums. The League averages more than 18,000 fans per game, more than both the NBA and the NHL. Seattle Sounders F.C. averaged over 44,000 fans per game last season. Soccer in America is here to stay and grows every year.
The MLS Eastern Conference took all the glory in 2013. The New York Red Bulls won the Supporters’ Shield, which is awarded to the team with the best record in the regular season on the last day of the regular season. Sporting Kansas City defeated Real Salt Lake of the Western Conference to win the MLS Cup. Although both teams started 2014 with a loss and a tie, each is bringing back the majority of its players and is expected to be a contender for the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS cup again.
The Philadelphia Union is in its fifth season in the League. In 2011, the Union made the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The team aims to get back to the playoffs again in 2014. It made major strides throughout the offseason, especially in the midfield with United States National Team midfielder Maurice Edu on loan from Stoke City of the English Premier League. Four-time MLS Cup champion D.C. United is coming off its worst season in its 18-year franchise history. It won only three of 34 games played in 2013. Toronto F.C. made the biggest splash in the offseason with its signings of star players Michael Bradley, Jermain Defoe and Julio Cesar. Toronto finished above only D.C. United in the Eastern Conference last season, but some analysts believe its new signings may be enough to push the team into the playoffs this season.
Seattle Sounders F.C. of the Western Conference will have a lot to prove in 2014. They made headlines last season when they signed U.S. National Team superstar Clint Dempsey in a blockbuster deal, but they barely made the playoffs and were knocked out in the conference semifinals. The Sounders will look to justify the deal that brought Dempsey to Seattle. The Los Angeles Galaxy will be trying to make its way back to the MLS Cup Final. The Galaxy won the MLS Cup in two of three appearances in the final in the last five years. Like the Sounders, it was knocked out in the conference semifinals in 2013.
The 2014 season will be an exciting one for MLS fans, but next season will be even better. In 2015, the MLS will add two clubs, bringing the league total to 21. New York City F.C., a team owned by Manchester City F.C. of the English Premier League and the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, is one of the teams that will begin play next season. New York City F.C. will enter the League as immediate rivals for the New York Red Bulls. Orlando City F.C. is the other team set to enter the League in 2015. Orlando City team officials seem confident that they will be able to land Brazilian superstar Kaká, which should further establish the MLS as an up-and-coming league. David Beckham, a former player for the Los Angeles Galaxy, is also expected to bring a team from Miami into the League sometime within the next two or three years. Commissioner Don Garber announced that he expects to see an additional two teams enter the League by 2020, bringing the projected team total to 24. Chivas U.S.A., a team located in Los Angeles, will play its last season as Chivas in 2014. The League bought the team and is trying to find a potential buyer. In 2015, Chivas will be rebranded, with a new name and crest.
From now until October, teams will battle for playoff spots with an ultimate goal of winning the MLS Cup in December. Tune into Major League Soccer this season to find out.
