The Major League Soccer became a reality 29 years ago; December 17, 1993. The project was part of USA’s bid to host the 1994 World Cup. However, the first season wasn’t until 1996 and with only 10 teams. Nowadays, the tournament is played by 29 teams.
The last team to join the league was St. Louis City SC and by 2025 there will be 30 teams with the addition of San Diego.
Impact of International Superstars on MLS Growth
DC United won the title in the first season, and won four in the first eight years, but haven’t won it since 2004. While 15 different teams have won the title, no other has won more than the Los Angeles Galaxy with five.
Speaking of the Galaxy, they managed to sign David Beckham in 2007, which helped to change the perception of the league all around the world. Since then, a lot of superstars chose to play in MLS, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thierry Henry, Gareth Bale, Kaka and most recently, Lionel Messi, who signed a very lucrative contract with Inter Miami CF.
Collectively, in 2022 the Seattle Sounders became the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions League. They defeated Pumas UNAM 5-2 on aggregate in the Grand Finale. Not long ago it was unthinkable that an MLS team could crush a team from Liga MX. That’s how far MLS has come.
How the Championship Works
As mentioned before, MLS currently has 29 teams: 15 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 in the Western Conference. During the regular season, which usually runs from February to October, each team faces the other teams in their conference twice. Plus, they face six or seven teams from the other conference once.
A team gets three points per each victory, while the loser gets zero. If the match ends with a draw, each team gets one point. In the end, the top nine teams of each conference advance to the playoffs, with the No. 1 seed winning home-advantage rights throughout the whole thing. The No. 1 seed also wins an extra week off.
Regarding the playoffs, it’s pretty simple. All series are one-legged, the winner advances, while the loser goes home. The championship game is played between the winner of each conference. The champion automatically qualifies for the CONCACAF Champions League.
Diverse Qualification Paths and Player Recruitment in MLS
The following also qualifies for the regional tournament: winner of the Open Cup, winner of the Supporters’ Shield, winner of the Canadian Championship, best team in the regular season standings that didn’t win the title. Winning the CONCACAF Champions League grants a ticket for the FIFA Club World Cup. That means the possibility to face powerhouses such as the winners of the UEFA Champions League and the Copa Libertadores.
Regarding relegation, there’s no need to worry. Unlike most soccer tournaments around the world, there’s no relegation in MLS, meaning that finishing last has no major repercussions.
Finally, there’s the SuperDraft, which is used by teams to select players who have graduated from college or otherwise been signed by the league. If there’s an expansion team, that team gets the first pick. If not, teams that didn’t make the playoffs are ordered by their regular season record. Last place picks first.
Title Contenders
At the time of writing, the reigning champions Los Angeles FC are atop the soccer odds to win the MLS Cup at +350. Recently, they almost became the second MLS team to win the CCL, but they lost to Leon, also from the Liga MX, in the Grand Finale.
They’re followed by FC Cincinnati at +450. The Orange and Blue have been pretty much invincible, losing only one of their first 16 matches. There’s also Nashville SC AT +600. The Six Strings only conceded 11 goals in their first 16 games. You know what experts usually say: offense wins games, but defense wins championships.
Finally, we’ve the Philadelphia Union, the 2022 runners-up. But we can’t talk about title contenders without talking about at least a couple of dark horses.
First, we’ve the Seattle Sounders, a team that has been in the playoffs 13 times in 14 seasons. Later, we’ve the Columbus Crew. The winners of the MLS Cup in 2020, they currently are the top scoring team in the league. You know what some other experts usually say: the best defense is a good offense.