Major League Soccer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Major League Soccer

Founded	December 17, 1993; 31 years ago (1993-12-17)
First season	1996
Confederation	CONCACAF
Conferences	Eastern Conference Western Conference
Number of teams	29
Level on pyramid	1
Domestic cup(s)	U.S. Open Cup Canadian Championship
International cup(s)	CONCACAF Champions Cup Campeones Cup Leagues Cup
Current MLS Cup	Columbus Crew (3rd title) (2023)
Current Supporters' Shield	FC Cincinnati (1st shield) (2023)
Most MLS Cups	LA Galaxy (5 titles)
Most Supporters' Shields	D.C. United LA Galaxy (4 shields each)
Most appearances	Nick Rimando (514)
Top goalscorer	Chris Wondolowski (171)
TV partners	MLS Season Pass (Apple TV) United States: Fox/FS1 Fox Deportes Canada: TSN RDS International: See list

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a top professional soccer league for men in the United States and Canada. It is the highest level of soccer in these countries. Since 2023, MLS has 29 teams: 26 from the United States and 3 from Canada. The league's main office is in Midtown Manhattan, New York.

MLS was created in 1993. This happened because the United States promised to start a top soccer league if they got to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The first MLS season was in 1996 with ten teams.

In its early years, MLS faced some challenges. But things got better with new soccer-specific stadiums. Also, a rule called the Designated Player Rule allowed teams to sign famous players like David Beckham. This helped MLS become very popular and successful.

In 2022, MLS games had over 21,000 fans on average. This made it one of the most-watched sports leagues in the U.S. and Canada. It was also among the top professional soccer leagues worldwide.

The MLS regular season usually runs from late February to mid-October. Each team plays 34 games. The team with the best record wins the Supporters' Shield. After the regular season, 18 teams compete in the MLS Cup Playoffs. This tournament ends with the MLS Cup, which is the league's championship game.

Unlike many soccer leagues around the world, MLS is a "single entity." This means the league owns all the teams and player contracts. Each team is run by an investor. MLS does not use a system where teams move up or down divisions (like promotion and relegation).

The LA Galaxy has won the most MLS Cups, with five titles. They are also tied with D.C. United for the most Supporters' Shields, with four each. The Columbus Crew won the 2023 MLS Cup.

How MLS Competitions Work

The MLS regular season runs from late February or early March until October. Teams are split into two groups: the Eastern and Western Conferences. Each team plays 34 games. They play teams in their own conference twice (home and away). They also play most teams in the other conference once.

Midway through the season, there's an All-Star Game. This is a special game featuring the league's best players. Sometimes, the MLS All-Stars play against an all-star team from Mexico's Liga MX.

After the regular season, the MLS Cup Playoffs begin. This is a knockout tournament to decide the league champion. As of 2023, 18 teams enter the playoffs in October and November. The playoffs end with the MLS Cup championship game in early December. The 2023 playoffs included single-elimination play-in games and a best-of-three round.

The MLS season schedule (spring to fall) sometimes conflicts with big international tournaments like the FIFA World Cup or CONCACAF Gold Cup. This means some players might miss league games.

Other Soccer Tournaments

MLS teams also play in other tournaments, both in North America and internationally.

• The CONCACAF Champions Cup (CCC) is where MLS teams play against clubs from other countries in the CONCACAF region. Up to ten MLS teams can qualify for this cup each season.
• U.S.-based MLS teams also play in the U.S. Open Cup. This is a tournament for all soccer clubs in the United States.
• Canadian MLS teams (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver) play in the Canadian Championship. This tournament helps decide which Canadian team gets a spot in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
• Since 2018, the reigning MLS Cup champion plays in the Campeones Cup. This is a single game against the champion from Mexico's Liga MX.
• The Leagues Cup started in 2019. Now, all MLS and Liga MX teams play in this tournament. It helps decide which teams from North America get spots in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Seattle Sounders FC was the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 2022.

MLS Teams

Atlanta

Charlotte

Chicago

Cincinnati

Columbus

D.C.

Miami

Montreal

Nashville

New
England

NYCFC

NYRB

Orlando

Philadelphia

Toronto

Austin

Colorado

Dallas

Houston

Kansas City

LA Galaxy

LAFC

Minnesota

Portland

Salt
Lake

San Diego
(2025)

San
Jose

Seattle

St. Louis

Vancouver

The 29 teams in Major League Soccer are split into the Eastern and Western conferences. MLS has been adding new teams regularly since 2005. The newest team, St. Louis City SC, joined in 2023. San Diego FC is set to join in 2025.

Many teams in MLS have special rivalry games against other teams, often their neighbors. The winner of these games gets a trophy. This is similar to how some college football teams in the U.S. have rivalry trophies.

Traveling long distances is common in MLS. For example, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Inter Miami CF are over 2,800 miles apart!

Future Teams

Former Teams

History of Major League Soccer

Before MLS, the main professional soccer league in the U.S. and Canada was the North American Soccer League (NASL). It ran from 1968 to 1984. The NASL became very popular in the 1970s when famous players like Pelé and Franz Beckenbauer joined teams like the New York Cosmos. Other stars like Johan Cruyff also played. Even with large crowds, the NASL eventually closed in 1984. This left the U.S. without a top soccer league for a while.

How MLS Started

D.C. United's trophy case in 2007, showing many of their early wins.

In 1988, the U.S. promised to create a top-tier professional soccer league. This promise helped the U.S. win the right to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. In 1993, Major League Professional Soccer (which became MLS) was chosen as that league. MLS officially started in February 1995.

The first player to sign with MLS was Tab Ramos in January 1995. He joined the New York/New Jersey MetroStars. MLS began playing in 1996 with ten teams. The very first game was on April 6, 1996, between the San Jose Clash and D.C. United. Many fans came to watch. The league also brought in stars from the 1994 World Cup, like U.S. players Alexi Lalas and Tony Meola, and foreign players like Mexico's Jorge Campos.

D.C. United was very strong early on, winning the MLS Cup three times in the first four seasons. In 1998, MLS added two new teams: the Miami Fusion and the Chicago Fire. The Chicago Fire even won the championship in their first year!

After its first season, MLS saw fewer fans. Many teams played in large American football stadiums, which often looked empty. MLS also tried to change some soccer rules to make the game more "American." They used shootouts to end tied games and a countdown clock. But these changes didn't attract new fans and upset traditional soccer fans. So, the league removed these rules after the 1999 season.

MLS lost a lot of money in its first few years. In 2002, the league decided to close two teams, the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. This left MLS with ten teams again.

Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, built in 1999, was the first stadium made just for soccer in MLS.

Despite financial problems, MLS had some important successes. In 1999, the Columbus Crew built the first soccer-specific stadium in MLS. This was a big step. It meant teams could build their own smaller stadiums, which helped them make more money.

MLS Becomes More Popular

The 2002 FIFA World Cup helped soccer in America. The U.S. team surprisingly reached the quarterfinals. This helped MLS become more popular. The 2002 MLS Cup final had over 61,000 fans, showing growing interest.

More soccer-specific stadiums were built between 2003 and 2008. This meant most teams now played in stadiums made just for soccer. This helped teams earn more money and connect better with their fans.

MLS also started to grow again. Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA joined in 2005. In 2006, the San Jose Earthquakes team moved to Texas and became the Houston Dynamo. The Earthquakes later returned to San Jose with new owners.

Bringing in Star Players

Red Bull Arena opened in 2010, becoming the new home for the New York Red Bulls.

In 2007, MLS expanded into Canada with the Toronto FC team. To make the league even better, MLS started the Designated Player Rule. This rule allowed teams to sign a few star players whose salaries could be higher than the usual team limit.

David Beckham was the first big star signed under this rule in 2007. His arrival was a huge moment for American soccer. Other international stars like Cuauhtémoc Blanco and Juan Pablo Ángel also joined.

More teams joined MLS in the following years: Seattle Sounders FC in 2009, Philadelphia Union in 2010, and Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Portland Timbers in 2011. The Montreal Impact became the 19th team and third Canadian team in 2012. By 2011, MLS games had more fans on average than NBA and NHL games.

Growing the League

Seattle Sounders FC (2009) played their first MLS game in front of a large crowd.

LA Galaxy (2011) playing at their home stadium.

By 2012, MLS was the third most-attended sports league in the U.S. after the NFL and MLB. It was also the seventh most-attended professional soccer league worldwide.

In 2013, MLS announced that New York City FC and Orlando City SC would join in 2015. The league also started a "Core Players" plan to help teams keep their best players. MLS also began signing U.S. stars who were playing in other countries, like Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley.

In 2014, MLS revealed a new logo. It's a simple crest with a diagonal stripe and three stars. Each team uses the logo in their own colors. After the 2014 season, Chivas USA closed down. But New York City FC and Orlando City SC joined in 2015.

More teams continued to join: Los Angeles FC and Minnesota United FC in 2017/2018, Atlanta United FC in 2017. In 2018, MLS added teams in Nashville, Tennessee and Cincinnati, Ohio. Inter Miami CF, led by David Beckham, also joined in 2020.

FC Cincinnati's first MLS home game had a huge crowd of 32,250 fans.

The league planned to expand to 30 teams, but this was adjusted to 29 after one team's bid was put on hold. In 2023, MLS announced that San Diego FC would join in 2025, bringing the total to 30 teams.

In 2020, the MLS season was paused because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It later restarted with a special tournament called the "MLS is Back Tournament."

In 2022, MLS made a big deal with Apple Inc.. This means that starting in 2023, all MLS games and Leagues Cup matches are streamed worldwide on MLS Season Pass through Apple TV.

Expansion Costs

Joining MLS has become more expensive over time. In 2005, a team paid $10 million to join. By 2013, New York City FC paid $100 million. Later, FC Cincinnati and Nashville SC each paid $150 million. The newest teams joining MLS are paying $200 million.

League Champions

As of the 2023 season, 32 different clubs have played in MLS. 15 teams have won at least one MLS Cup, and 16 teams have won at least one Supporters' Shield. Sometimes, a team wins both trophies in the same year.

How MLS is Organized

Team Ownership

MLS uses a special "single-entity" structure. This means the league itself owns all the teams and player contracts. Each team has an investor who helps run it. This system helps control costs and keeps all teams competitive. It also means players sign contracts with the league, not with individual teams.

In the early years, a few investors owned multiple teams. But now, each team has its own separate investor. This has brought more money into the league.

League Leaders

Don Garber has been the commissioner of Major League Soccer since 1999. He is the main leader of the league.

Player Rules and Salaries

David Beckham was the first "Designated Player" in MLS in 2007.

MLS has rules about how much teams can spend on player salaries. This is called a "salary cap." It helps keep teams from spending too much and ensures that all teams have a fair chance to win.

The league also has a "Designated Player" (DP) rule. This rule lets teams sign a few players whose salaries are higher than the normal cap. These are often big international stars. David Beckham was the first player signed under this rule in 2007.

Teams can also get "allocation money." This is extra money they can spend on player salaries that doesn't count against the salary cap. Teams can earn this money in different ways, like when they sell a player to a team in another country.

Developing Young Players

MLS wants to help young players grow. Since 2008, all MLS teams must have youth development programs, called academies. Teams can sign players directly from their own academies without going through a draft. There's also special money to help pay for these "homegrown" players.

The league also has a "Generation Adidas" program. This program helps young American players join MLS. Famous players like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey came through this program.

MLS also has a reserve league called MLS Next Pro. This league gives playing time to players who aren't starting for their main MLS team. Most MLS teams have a reserve team in this league.

Stadiums

The Columbus Crew's first stadium, Historic Crew Stadium, was the first stadium built just for soccer in MLS.

Since 1999, MLS has built many stadiums made just for soccer. These "soccer-specific stadiums" are important for the league's success. They give fans a better experience and help teams make more money from tickets, food, and other events.

The Columbus Crew built the first soccer-specific stadium in 1999. Other teams followed, like the LA Galaxy and FC Dallas. By 2008, most MLS teams played in their own soccer stadiums.

New stadiums continue to open as the league grows. For example, Audi Field opened for D.C. United in 2018. Many new teams, like Austin FC and St. Louis City SC, have also opened their own soccer stadiums.

Some teams still play in larger stadiums that are also used for American football, like the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium or Seattle Sounders FC at Lumen Field. New York City FC plays at Yankee Stadium, a baseball park, but plans to build its own soccer stadium.

MLS Branding

The current MLS logo was introduced in 2014. It's a simple crest with a diagonal stripe and three stars. The stars stand for "community, club, and country." Teams use the logo in their own colors on their jerseys and merchandise.

The league also has an official anthem. The current anthem was created by famous film composer Hans Zimmer in 2020. It plays during broadcasts and before games.

Team Names

In the early days of MLS, teams often had names like other U.S. sports teams, such as the Columbus Crew or LA Galaxy. Some names, like San Jose Earthquakes or Seattle Sounders, came from older soccer teams.

More recently, many new MLS teams have adopted European-style names, like Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC, and New York City FC. Some older teams also changed their names to this style, like FC Dallas (formerly Dallas Burn).

How to Watch MLS Games

MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Since 2023, you can watch all MLS games and Leagues Cup matches worldwide on MLS Season Pass through Apple TV. This is a special subscription service. Some games are also shown on regular TV channels like Fox Sports in the U.S. and TSN/RDS in Canada.

In the United States

Before 2023, MLS games were shown on ESPN and Fox Sports in English, and Univision in Spanish. These channels showed many games each season. Games not shown nationally were often broadcast by local sports channels.

In Canada

In Canada, TSN shows English-language MLS games, especially those involving Canadian teams like Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. TVA Sports shows French-language games, including all CF Montréal matches.

Around the World

MLS games are also broadcast in other countries. For example, Sky Sports used to show MLS matches in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Video Games

You can play as MLS teams in popular video games like the EA Sports FC series and the eFootball series. MLS first appeared in a video game in 1999 with FIFA 2000.

MLS Player Records

These are the all-time leaders in MLS regular season games.

Goals Rank Player Years Goals 1 Chris Wondolowski 2005–2021 171 2 Landon Donovan 2001–2014 2016 145 3 Kei Kamara 2006–2013 2015–2020 2022–present 144 4 Jeff Cunningham 1998–2011 134 5 Jaime Moreno 1996–2010 133 6 Bradley Wright-Phillips 2013–2021 117 7 Ante Razov 1996–2000 2001–2009 114 8 Jason Kreis 1996–2007 108 9 Josef Martínez 2017–present 105 10 Dwayne De Rosario 2001–2014 104

Assists Rank Player Years Assists 1 Landon Donovan 2001–2014 2016 136 2 Steve Ralston 1996–2010 135 3 Brad Davis 2002–2016 123 4 Carlos Valderrama 1996–2002 114 5 Preki 1996–2005 112 6 Jaime Moreno 1996–2010 102 7 Marco Etcheverry 1996–2003 101 8 Sacha Kljestan 2006–2010 2015–2022 99 9 Cobi Jones 1996–2007 91 Diego Valeri 2013–2021

Shutouts (clean sheets) Rank Player Years Shutouts 1 Nick Rimando 2000–2019 154 2 Kevin Hartman 1997–2013 112 3 Stefan Frei 2009–present 105 4 Sean Johnson 2010–present 96 5 Joe Cannon 1999–2013 86 6 Jon Busch 2002–2015 83 7 Bill Hamid 2009–2022 80 8 Brad Guzan 2012–present 78 9 Zach Thornton 1996–2011 76 10 Matt Reis 1998–2013 75

Games played Rank Player Years Games 1 Nick Rimando 2000–2019 514 2 Kyle Beckerman 2000–2020 498 3 Dax McCarty 2006–present 466 4 Jeff Larentowicz 2005–2020 437 5 Kei Kamara 2006–2013 2015–2020 2022–present 418 6 Kevin Hartman 1997–2013 416 7 Chris Wondolowski 2005–2021 413 8 Drew Moor 2005–2022 411 9 Chad Marshall 2004–2019 409 10 Brad Davis 2002–2016 392

MLS Awards

At the end of each season, MLS gives out awards to players, coaches, referees, and teams for their great achievements. The winners are chosen by votes from MLS players, team staff, and the media.

Images for kids

• 

  Seattle Sounders FC players at their first MLS game in 2009.

• 

  LA Galaxy players celebrating a goal in 2011.

• 

  CF Montréal (formerly Montreal Impact) playing D.C. United in 2012.

• 

  Lumen Field, home of Seattle Sounders FC.

See also

In Spanish: Major League Soccer para niños