Major League Soccer
The History of Major League Soccer
The History of Major League Soccer started in 1988, when the United States Football Federation pledged to develop a Division I professional soccer league as an inducement to FIFA giving the United States the right to bid for the hosting of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Major League Soccer was formally established in 1995. Its official name is the Major League Soccer. The very first season was played in April of that year. A tournament was held in the US and among other countries, Canada. It was played in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Fire and the winner of the tournament received the right to represent the country in the FIFA World Cup.
In the second season, there was a move to split the teams into the Eastern and Western Conferences. The Western Conference had the highest average attendance while the Eastern Conference's average attendance was the lowest. In the third season, a new division was created. The North American Soccer League or the MLS was born. It is the only Division I Professional Soccer League in the world today.
Currently there are twenty-six teams in the MLS. Five of them are from the Eastern Conference and the remaining six are from the Western Conference. Fourteen of the thirty-two teams play in stadiums that are owned and operated by the MLS. The other teams play in venues that are generally government owned. This is due to the regulations and guidelines of the United Soccer League, which the MLS fulfills.
The average attendance of all games during the MLS Regular Season was 14 million. This number includes both matches play-offs and regular season games. Attendances have consistently been over twenty-five thousand per game throughout the history of the professional soccer league.
The earliest years of the MLS were problematic. There were only eleven teams and many of the stadiums were not designed to support a high level of play. Many fans and players came up with creative ways to draw attention to these poor conditions. The popularity of the MLS can be traced back to the early years when there were only ten teams in the league.
David Beckham joined the MLS in Beckham way and changed the sport completely. With his signature style and flair, the MLS instantly became the top football league in the US. He brought millions of fans from Spain, Brazil and Europe to watch every single game of his career. His goal scoring feats are unmatched by any other player in history. He is the only foreign player to be listed on the all time list of the all time leading scorers in the world.