Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States
Major League Soccer
Soccer Federation which represents the sport's highest level in the United States.[2][3] The league
comprises 24 teams—21 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada and constitutes one of the major professional
sports leagues in both countries.[4][5] The regular season runs from March to October, with each team
playing 34 games;[6][7] the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters' Shield. Fourteen
teams compete in the postseason MLS Cup Playoffs through October and November, culminating in
the championship game, the MLS Cup.[8] MLS teams also play in domestic competitions against
teams from other divisions in theU.S. Open Cup and in the Canadian Championship. MLS teams also
compete against continental rivals in theCONCACAF Champions League.[9]

Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States' successful bid to host the Founded December 17, 1993[1]
1994 FIFA World Cup.[10] The first season took place in 1996 with ten teams.[11] MLS experienced First season 1996
financial and operational struggles in its first few years: the league lost millions of dollars, teams
Country United States
played in mostly empty American football stadiums, and two teams folded in 2002.[12] Since then,
Other club(s) from Canada (3 teams)
MLS has expanded to 24 teams, soccer-specific stadiums have proliferated around the league, average
attendance exceeds that of the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association Confederation CONCACAF
(NBA), the Designated Player Rule allows teams to sign star players such as David Beckham, MLS (North American
secured national TV contracts, and the league is now profitable.[13] Football Union)
Conferences Eastern Conference
Instead of operating as an association of independently owned teams, MLS is a single entity in which
Western Conference
each team is owned by the league and individually operated by the league's investors.[14] The
investor-operators control their teams as owners control teams in other leagues, and are commonly Number of teams 24
(but inaccurately) referred to as the team's owners.[15] The league has a fixed membership like most Level on pyramid 1
sports leagues in the United States and Canada, which makes it one of the world's few soccer leagues Domestic cup(s) U.S. Open Cup
[16] MLS
that does not use promotion and relegation, a practice that is uncommon in the two countries. Canadian
headquarters is located in New York City.[17] Championship
International cup(s) CONCACAF
Champions League
Contents Campeones Cup

Competition format Current MLS Cup Atlanta United FC

Other competitions (1st title)
Teams (2018)
Current Current Supporters' Shield New York Red Bulls
Future (3rd shield)
Defunct
(2018)
Timeline
Most MLS Cups LA Galaxy (5 titles)
History
Establishment Most Supporters' Shields D.C. United
Resurgence LA Galaxy
Arrival of Designated Players (4 shields each)
2013–present
Most appearances Nick Rimando (488)
League championships
Top goalscorer Landon Donovan
Organization
(145 goals)
Ownership
League executives TV partners United States
Player acquisition and salaries
ESPN/ESPN+
Youth development
Stadiums Fox Sports/FS1/Fox
Profitability and revenues Deportes
Rules and officials UniMás/Univision
Team names Deportes
Media coverage Canada
United States
Canada
CTV/TSN/TSN2
International TVA/TVA Sports
Video games
Website mlssoccer.com
Player records
Player records (active) 2019 Major League Soccer season
 MLS awards
See also
References
External links

Competition format
Major League Soccer's regular season runs from March to October. Teams are geographically divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences, playing 34 games in a
partially balanced schedule. For 2019, with 24 teams, each team plays two games (home & away) against teams in its conference and one game against each team from
the opposite conference.[18] Midway through the season, teams break for the annual All-Star Game, an exhibition game between the league's finest players and a major
club from a different league.[19] At the end of the regular season, the team with the highest point total is awarded the Supporters' Shield and home-field advantage
throughout the playoffs.[20]

Unlike most major soccer leagues around the world, but similar to other leagues in the Americas,[21] the MLS regular season is followed by a postseason knockout
tournament. Fourteen teams participate in theMLS Cup Playoffs in October, which concludes with theMLS Cup championship game in early November.[22]

Major League Soccer's spring-to-fall schedule results in scheduling conflicts with the FIFA calendar and with summertime international tournaments such as the World
Cup and the Gold Cup,[23] causing several players to miss some MLS matches.[24] While MLS has looked into changing to a fall-to-spring format, there are no current
plans to do so. If the league were to change its schedule, a substantial winter break would still be necessary due to teams being located in harsh winter
climates.[25][26][27] It would also have to compete with the popularity and media presence of the National Football League (NFL) in the fall and winter as well as the
[27]
National Basketball Association(NBA) and National Hockey League(NHL), which both run on fall-to-spring schedules.

Other competitions
MLS teams also play in other international and domestic competitions. Every year, five MLS teams — four from the U.S. and one from Canada — play in the
CONCACAF Champions League against other clubs from the CONCACAF region (Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean). Two U.S.-based MLS teams qualify
based on MLS regular-season results: the winner of the Western conference and the winner of the Eastern conference. The third U.S. team to qualify is the winner of the
MLS Cup. A fourth U.S.-based MLS team can qualify via the U.S. Open Cup.[28] If a team qualifies through multiple berths, or if any of the MLS berths are taken by a
Canada-based MLS team, the berth is reallocated to the best U.S.-based team in the Supporters' Shield table that has otherwise not qualified.

Canadian MLS clubs play against lower division Canadian clubs in the Canadian Championship for the one CONCACAF Champions League spot allocated to
Canada.[29] No MLS club has won the Champions League since it began its current format in 2008, but MLS teams have reached the final three times: Real Salt Lake in
2011, Montreal Impact in 2015, and Toronto FC in 2018.

Since 2018, the previous year's MLS Cup champion plays in the Campeones Cup, a single game against the Campeón de Campeonesfrom Liga MX, hosted by the MLS
team in September.[30] The inaugural edition sawTigres UANL defeat Toronto FC 3–1 on September 19, 2018, at BMO Field in oTronto.

Teams
MLS's 24 teams are divided between the Eastern and Western Whitecaps
Conferences. Each club is allowed up to 28 players on its first team Sounders
roster.[31] All 28 players are eligible for selection to each 18-player Timbers
game-day squad during the regular season and playof
fs.
Impact
Minnesota
MLS has regularly expanded since the 2005 season. The league plans to Toronto
Revolution
expand to 27 teams with the addition of Miami and Nashville in Real NYCFC
2020[32] and Austin in 2021,[33] with further plans to expand to 28 Earthquakes Fire Crew Red Bulls
Rapids Union
teams by 2022.[34] D.C.
LAFC Sporting Cincinnati
Galaxy
The league features numerous rivalry cups that are contested by two or
more teams, usually geographic rivals.[35] Each trophy is awarded to
the team with the better regular-season record in games involving the Dallas Atlanta
two teams. The concept is comparable to rivalry trophies played for by
Dynamo
U.S. college football teams.[36] Orlando

Current
 Team City Stadium Capacity Joined Head coach
Eastern Conference

Atlanta United FC Atlanta, Georgia Mercedes-Benz Stadium1 42,5004 2017 Frank de Boer

Chicago Fire Bridgeview, Illinois SeatGeek Stadium 20,000 1998 Veljko Paunović

FC Cincinnati Cincinnati, Ohio Nippert Stadium1 2 32,2504 2019 Alan Koch

Columbus Crew SC Columbus, Ohio Mapfre Stadium 19,968 1996 Caleb Porter
D.C. United Washington, D.C. Audi Field 20,000 1996 Ben Olsen
Montreal Impact Montreal, Quebec Saputo Stadium 20,801 2012 Rémi Garde

New England Revolution Foxborough, Massachusetts Gillette Stadium1 2 20,0004 1996 Brad Friedel

New York City FC New York City, New York Yankee Stadium1 2 30,3214 2015 Domènec Torrent

New York Red Bulls Harrison, New Jersey Red Bull Arena 25,000 1996 Chris Armas
Orlando City SC Orlando, Florida Orlando City Stadium 25,500 2015 James O'Connor
Philadelphia Union Chester, Pennsylvania Talen Energy Stadium 18,500 2010 Jim Curtin

Toronto FC Toronto, Ontario BMO Field3 30,991 2007 Greg Vanney

Western Conference
Colorado Rapids Commerce City, Colorado Dick's Sporting Goods Park 18,061 1996 Anthony Hudson
FC Dallas Frisco, Texas Toyota Stadium 20,500 1996 Luchi Gonzalez
Houston Dynamo Houston, Texas BBVA Compass Stadium 22,039 2006 Wilmer Cabrera

LA Galaxy Carson, California Dignity Health Sports Park3 27,000 1996 Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Los Angeles FC Los Angeles, California Banc of California Stadium 22,000 2018 Bob Bradley
Minnesota United FC Saint Paul, Minnesota Allianz Field 19,400 2017 Adrian Heath

Portland Timbers Portland, Oregon Providence Park 25,000[37] 2011 Giovanni Savarese

Real Salt Lake Sandy, Utah Rio Tinto Stadium 20,213 2005 Mike Petke
San Jose Earthquakes San Jose, California Avaya Stadium 18,000 1996 Matías Almeyda

Seattle Sounders FC Seattle, Washington CenturyLink Field1 39,4194 2009 Brian Schmetzer

Sporting Kansas City Kansas City, Kansas Children's Mercy Park 18,467 1996 Peter Vermes

Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver, British Columbia BC Place1 22,1204 2011 Marc Dos Santos

Future

Future teams
Team City Stadium Capacity Joining League

Austin FC Austin, Texas Austin FC stadium 20,000 2021[38]

Inter Miami CF Miami, Florida Inter Miami CF stadium 25,000 2020[39]

Nashville SC Nashville, Tennessee Nissan Stadium1 2 69,143 2020[40]

Defunct

Defunct teams
Team City Stadium Years active
Chivas USA Carson, California StubHub Center 2005–2014
Miami Fusion Fort Lauderdale, Florida Lockhart Stadium 1998–2001

Tampa Bay Mutiny Tampa, Florida Raymond James Stadium1 1996–2001

1. Shared facility; not a soccer-specific stadium

2. Team plans to move into a soccer-specific stadium
3. Shared facility; is a soccer-specific stadium
4. Stadium capacity can be increased

Timeline
League member Former member Future member Other leagues

History
Major League Soccer is the most recent of a series of men's premier professional national soccer leagues established in the United States and Canada. The predecessor of
MLS was the North American Soccer League(NASL), which existed from 1968 until 1984.[41]

Establishment
In 1988, in exchange for FIFA awarding the right to host the 1994 World Cup, U.S. Soccer promised to establish a Division 1 professional soccer league.[42] In 1993,
U.S. Soccer selected Major League Professional Soccer (the precursor to MLS) as the exclusive Division 1 professional soccer league.[42] Major League Soccer was
officially formed in February 1995 as alimited liability company.[42]

MLS began play in 1996 with ten teams. The first game was held on April 6, 1996, as the San Jose Clash defeated D.C. United before 31,000 fans at Spartan Stadium in
San Jose in a game broadcast on ESPN.[43] The league had generated some buzz by managing to lure some marquee players from the 1994 World Cup to play in MLS—
including U.S. stars such asAlexi Lalas, Tony Meola and Eric Wynalda, and foreign players such as Mexico's Jorge Campos and Colombia's Carlos Valderrama.[44] D.C.
United won the MLS Cup in three of the league's first four seasons.[45] The league added its first two expansion teams in 1998—the Miami Fusion and the Chicago Fire;
[46]
the Chicago Fire won its first title in its inaugural season.

After its first season, MLS suffered from a decline in attendance.[47] The league's low attendance was all the more apparent in light of the fact that eight of the original
ten teams played in large American football stadiums.[46] One aspect that had alienated fans was that MLS experimented with rules deviations in its early years in an
attempt to "Americanize" the sport. The league implemented the use of shootouts to resolve tie games. MLS also used a countdown clock and halves ended when the
clock reached 0:00. The league realized that the rule changes had alienated some traditional soccer fans while failing to draw new American sports fans, and the shootout
and countdown clock were eliminated after the 1999 season.[48] The league's quality was cast into doubt when the U.S. men's national team, which was made up largely
of MLS players, finished in last place at the1998 World Cup.[46]

Major League Soccer lost an estimated $250 million during its first five years, and more than $350 million between its founding and 2004.[49][50][51][52] The league's
financial problems led to Commissioner Doug Logan being replaced by Don Garber, a former NFL executive, in August 1999.[53] MLS announced in January 2002 that
it had decided to contract theTampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion, leaving the league with ten teams.[54]

Despite the financial problems, though, MLS did have some accomplishments that would set the stage for the league's resurgence. Columbus Crew Stadium, now known
as Mapfre Stadium, was built in 1999, becoming MLS's first soccer-specific stadium.[55] This began a trend among MLS teams to construct their own venues instead of
leasing American football stadiums.[56] In 2000, the league won an antitrust lawsuit, Fraser v. Major League Soccer, that the players had filed in 1996. The court ruled
that MLS's policy of centrally contracting players and limiting player salaries through a salary cap and other restrictions were a legal method for the league to maintain
solvency and competitive parity.[57]

Resurgence
The 2002 FIFA World Cup, in which the United States unexpectedly made the quarterfinals, coincided with a resurgence in American soccer and MLS.[35] MLS Cup
2002 drew 61,316 spectators toGillette Stadium, the largest attendance in an MLS Cup final.[58] MLS limited teams to three substitutions per game in 2003, and adopted
International Football Association Board(IFAB) rules in 2005.[59]

MLS underwent a transition in the years leading up to the 2006 World Cup. After marketing itself on the talents of American players, the league lost some of its
homegrown stars to prominent European leagues. For example, Tim Howard was transferred to Manchester United for $4 million in one of the most lucrative contract
deals in league history.[60][61] Many more American players did make an impact in MLS. In 2005,Jason Kreis became the first player to score 100 career MLS goals.[62]

The league's financial stabilization plan included teams moving out of large American football stadiums and into soccer-specific stadiums.[54] From 2003 to 2008, the
league oversaw the construction of six additional soccer
-specific stadiums, largely funded by owners such asLamar Hunt and Phil Anschutz, so that by the end of 2008, a
majority of teams were now in soccer-specific stadiums.[46]

It was also in this era that MLS expanded for the first time since 1998. Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA began play in 2005, with Chivas USA becoming the second club
in Los Angeles.[63] By 2006 the San Jose Earthquakes owners, players and a few coaches moved to Texas to become the expansion Houston Dynamo, after failing to
[64]
build a stadium in San Jose. The Dynamo became an expansion team, leaving their history behind for a new San Jose ownership group that formed in 2007.

Arrival of Designated Players

In 2007 the league expanded beyond the United States' borders into Canada with the Toronto FC expansion
team.[65] Major League Soccer took steps to further raise the level of play by adopting the Designated Player Rule,
which helped bring international stars into the league.[66] The 2007 season witnessed the MLS debut of David
Beckham. Beckham's signing had been seen as a coup for American soccer, and was made possible by the
Designated Player Rule. Players such asCuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire) and Juan Pablo Ángel (New York Red
Bulls), are some of the first Designated Players who made major contributions to their clubs.[67] The departures of
Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, coupled with the return of former U.S. national team stars Claudio Reyna and
[68]
Brian McBride, highlighted the exchange of top prospects to Europe for experienced veterans to MLS.

By 2008, San Jose had returned to the league under new ownership, and in 2009, the expansion side Seattle The 2010 season also brought the
opening of the New York Red Bulls'
Sounders FC began play in MLS.[65] The 2010 season ushered in an expansion franchise in thePhiladelphia Union
soccer-specific stadium,Red Bull Arena.
and their new PPL Park stadium (now known as Talen Energy Stadium).[65] The 2010 season also brought the
opening of the New York Red Bulls' soccer-specific stadium, Red Bull Arena, and the debut of French striker
Thierry Henry.[69]

The 2011 season brought further expansion with the addition of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, the second Canadian MLS franchise, and the Portland Timbers.[70] Real
Salt Lake reached the finals of the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League.[71] During the 2011 season, the Galaxy signed another international star in Republic of
Ireland all-time leading goalscorerRobbie Keane.[72] MLS drew an average attendance of 17,872 in 2011, higher than the average attendances of the NBA and NHL.[73]
In 2012, the Montreal Impact became the league's 19th franchise and the third in Canada, and made their home debut in front of a crowd of 58,912,[74] while the New
York Red Bulls added Australian all-time leading goalscorerTim Cahill.

2013–present
In 2013, MLS introducedNew York City FC[75] as its 20th team, and Orlando City Soccer Club[76] as its 21st team, both of which would begin playing in 2015. In 2013,
the league implemented its "Core Players" initiative, allowing teams to retain key players using retention funds instead of losing the players to foreign leagues.[77]
Among the first high-profile players re-signed in 2013 using retention funds were U.S. national team regulars Graham Zusi and Matt Besler. Beginning in summer of
2013 and continuing in the run up to the 2014 World Cup, MLS began signing U.S. stars based abroad, including Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones, and Michael Bradley
from Europe; and DaMarcus Beasley from Mexico's Liga MX.[78] By the 2014 season, fifteen of the nineteen MLS head coaches had previously played in MLS.[79] By
2013, the league's popularity had increased to the point where MLS was as popular as Major League Baseball among 12- to 17-year-olds, as reported by the 2013 Luker
orld Cup.[80][81]
on Trends ESPN poll, having jumped in popularity since the 2010 W

In 2014, the league announced Atlanta United FC as the 22nd team to start playing in 2017.[82] Even though New York City FC and Orlando City were not set to begin
play until 2015, each team made headlines during the summer 2014 transfer window by announcing their first Designated Players – Spain's leading scorer David Villa
and Chelsea's leading scorer Frank Lampard to New York, and Ballon d'Or winner Kaká to Orlando.[83] The 2014 World Cup featured 21 MLS players on World Cup
rosters and a record 11 MLS players playing for foreign teams – including players from traditional powerhouses Brazil (Júlio César) and Spain (David Villa); in the U.S.
v. Germany match the U.S. fielded a team with seven MLS starters.[84]

On September 18, 2014, MLS unveiled their new logo as part of the "MLS Next" branding initiative. In addition to the new crest logo, MLS teams display versions in
their own colors on their jerseys.Chivas USA folded following the 2014 season, whileNew York City FC and Orlando City SC joined the league in 2015 as the 19th and
20th teams.[85] Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo moved from the Eastern Conference to the Western Conference in 2015 to make two 10-team
conferences.[86]
In early 2015, the league announced that two teams—Los Angeles FC and Minnesota United—would join MLS in either 2017 or 2018.[87] The 20th season of MLS saw
the arrivals of several players who have starred at the highest levels of European club soccer and in international soccer: Giovanni dos Santos, Kaká, Andrea Pirlo, Frank
Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Didier Drogba, David Villa, and Sebastian Giovinco.[88] On December 6, 2015, MLS announced its intent to expand to 28 teams.[89] MLS
[90]
confirmed in August 2016 that Minnesota United would begin play in 2017 along with Atlanta United FC.

In April 2016, the league's commissioner Don Garber reiterated the intention of the league to expand to 28 teams, with the next round of expansion "likely happening in
2020".[91][92] In December 2016, he updated the expansion plans stating that the league will look to approve the 25th and 26th teams in 2017 and to start play in
2020.[93] In January 2017, the league received bids from 12 ownership groups.
[94]

In July 2017, it was reported that Major League Soccer had rejected a $4 billion offer by MP & Silva to acquire all television rights to the league for 10 years following
the conclusion of its current contracts with Fox, ESPN, and Univision. While it represents a substantial increase over the current agreements, MP & Silva insisted that the
deal would be conditional on Major League Soccer adopting a promotion and relegation system similar to other international leagues. Although the league stated that it
rejected the offer due to the exclusive periods that the current rightsholders have to negotiate extensions to their contracts, it was pointed out by the media that Major
League Soccer had long-opposed the adoption of promotion and relegation, continuing to utilize the fixed, franchise-based model used in other U.S. sports
leagues.[95][96] Furthermore, MP & Silva founder Riccardo Silva appeared to have a conflict of interest because he also owned Miami FC of the NASL, which stood to
[96]
benefit from such a promotion and relegation system.

In October 2017, Columbus Crew SC owner Anthony Precourt announced plans to move the franchise to Austin, Texas by 2019.[97] The announcement spawned a
league-wide backlash and legal action against the league by the Ohio state government.[98] On August 15, 2018, the Austin City Council voted to approve an agreement
with Precourt to move Crew SC to Austin, and on August 22, 2018, the club's new name, Austin FC, was announced.[99] After negotiations between Precourt and Jimmy
Haslam, owner of the Cleveland Browns, were announced, MLS made it clear that Austin would receive an expansion team only after a deal to sell Columbus to a local
buyer had completed.[100] The purchase of Crew SC by Haslam's group was finalized in late December 2018,[101] and on January 15, 2019, Austin FC was officially
announced as a 2021 MLS entry.[33]

MLS announced on December 20, 2017, that it would be awarding an expansion franchise to Nashville, who would play in a yet-to-be-built soccer-specific stadium,
Nashville Fairgrounds Stadium, and are expected to join MLS in 2019 or 2020.[102]

On January 29, 2018, MLS awarded Miami an expansion team, led by David Beckham. Inter Miami CF will start play in the 2020 season and open a proposed 25,000-
seat stadium soon after.[103] An expansion team was awarded to Cincinnati, Ohio on May 29, 2018, to the ownership group of USL's FC Cincinnati. The team, which
will retain the existing FC Cincinnati name, will start MLS play in 2019 and move to new [104]
a stadium in 2021 with a minimum capacity of 25,000 seats.

League championships
As of the end of the 2018 season, 26 different clubs have competed in the league, with 13 having won at least one MLS Cup, and 12 winning at least one Supporters'
Shield.[105] The two trophies have been won by the same club in the same year on seven occasions (two clubs have accomplished the feat twice).
[106]

MLS Cup titles and Supporters' Shield Wins

MLS Year(s) Supporters' Year(s) Total MLS

Team
Cups won Shields won combined seasons
LA Galaxy 5 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014 4 1998, 2002, 2010, 2011 9 23
D.C. United 4 1996, 1997, 1999, 2004 4 1997, 1999, 2006, 2007 8 23
San Jose Earthquakes 2 2001, 2003 2 2005, 2012 4 21
Sporting Kansas City 2 2000, 2013 1 2000 3 23
Houston Dynamo 2 2006, 2007 – 2 13
Columbus Crew SC 1 2008 3 2004, 2008, 2009 4 23
Chicago Fire 1 1998 1 2003 2 21
Seattle Sounders FC 1 2016 1 2014 2 10
Toronto FC 1 2017 1 2017 2 12
Real Salt Lake 1 2009 – 1 14
Colorado Rapids 1 2010 – 1 23
Portland Timbers 1 2015 – 1 8
Atlanta United FC 1 2018 – 1 2
New York Red Bulls – 3 2013, 2015, 2018 3 23
Tampa Bay Mutiny* – 1 1996 1 6*
Miami Fusion* – 1 2001 1 4*
FC Dallas – 1 2016 1 23

*Franchise folded after completion of the 2001 season

Organization
Ownership
Major League Soccer operates under a single-entity structure in which teams and player contracts are centrally owned by the league.[3][15][107] Each team has an
investor-operator that is a shareholder in the league.[108] In order to control costs, MLS shares revenues and holds players contracts instead of players contracting with
individual teams. In Fraser v. Major League Soccer, a lawsuit filed in 1996 and decided in 2002, the league won a legal battle with its players in which the court ruled
that MLS was a single entity that can lawfully centrally contract for player services.[3] The court also ruled that even absent their collective bargaining agreement,
[3]
players could opt to play in other leagues if they were unsatisfied.

[109] At one time Phil Anschutz's AEG operated six MLS franchises and
Having multiple clubs operated by a single investor was a necessity in the league's first ten years.
Lamar Hunt's Hunt Sports three franchises. In order to attract additional investors, in 2002 the league announced changes to the operating agreement between the league
and its teams to improve team revenues and increase the incentives to be an individual club operator.[110] These changes included granting operators the rights to a
certain number of players they develop through their club's academy system each year, sharing the profits of Soccer United Marketing, and being able to sell individual
club jersey sponsorships.[110]

As MLS appeared to be on the brink of overall profitability in 2006 and developed significant expansion plans, MLS announced that it wanted each club to have a
distinct operator.[111] The league has attracted new investors that have injected more money into the league.[112] Examples include Red Bull's purchase of the MetroStars
from AEG in 2006 for over $100 million.[109][113] For the 2014 season, the league assumed control of the former Chivas USA club, which had suffered from
mismanagement and poor financial results under its individual operator relationship.[114][115] The league eventually dissolved the team,[116] in favor of awarding rights
[117]
to a second soccer club in the Los Angeles area to a new investor group on October 30, 2014.

The league now has 27 investor-operators for its 24 current and 3 future clubs. Since December 2015, when AEG sold its remaining 50% interest in the Houston
, now only control one franchise.[118][119]
Dynamo, the former multiple-team operators AEG and Hunt Sports, with the LA Galaxy and FC Dallas respectively

League executives
Don Garber has been the commissioner of Major League Soccer since 1999, serving as the league's chief executive. The league's first commissioner was Doug Logan,
who served in the role from 1995 to 1999.[120][121]

missioner since 2006.[122]

Mark Abbott, a former MLS business partner,has served as the league's President and Deputy Com

Player acquisition and salaries

The average salary for MLS players is $373,094,[123] lower than the average salaries in England's second-tier EFL Championship
($420,000 in 2015),[124] Holland's Eredivisie ($445,000),[125] or Mexico's Liga MX ($418,000 in 2015).[126] The league's minimum
player salary increased in 2017 to $65,000 for most players, and roster players #25–30 saw their minimum salary increased to
$53,000.[127][128]

MLS salaries are limited by a salary cap, which MLS has had in place since the league's inception in 1996. The purpose of the salary
cap is to prevent the team's owners from unsustainable spending on player salaries and to prevent a competitive imbalance among
teams.[42] The salary cap survived a legal challenge by the players in the Fraser v. Major League Soccer lawsuit. The 2017 salary cap
increased to $3.845 million per team.[127][128]

Teams may augment their squads by signing players from other leagues. MLS has two transfer windows—the primary pre-season
transfer window lasts three months from mid February until mid May, and the secondary mid season transfer window runs one month
from early July to early August.[129] When an MLS club sells one of its players overseas, the club and the league split the transfer David Beckham was the
revenues, with the club retaining from 33% to 75% depending on the player's status and tenure.[130] MLS teams have a limited league's first Designated
Player in 2007.
number of international roster slots that they can use to sign non-domestic players. However, MLS teams often obtain green cards for
their non-domestic players in order to qualify them for domestic status and thus free up international roster slots.[131] In 2015, 49% of
[132][133]
MLS players were born outside of the U.S. and Canada, with players from 58 countries represented.

MLS has also introduced various initiatives and rules intended to improve quality of players while still maintaining the salary cap. Rules concerning Designated Players
and allocation money allow for additional wage spending that is exempt from the salary cap. These initiatives have brought about an increase in on-field
competition.[134]

The designated player (DP) rule allows teams to sign a limited number of players whose salary exceeds the maximum cap, each DP player only counts as $480,625 (the
maximum non-DP salary) against the cap in 2017. Instituted in 2007, England's David Beckham was the first signing under the DP rule.[66] The DP rule has led to large
income inequality in MLS with top DPs earning as much as 180 times more than a player earning the league minimum.[135] In the 2013 season 21% of the league's wage
[136][137]
spending went to just 5 players, this stretched to 29% on the top 6 players in the 2014 season.

The league's "Core Players" initiative allows teams to re-sign players using retention funds that do not count against the salary cap.[77] Retention funds were
implemented in 2013 as a mechanism for MLS to retain key players; among the first high-profile players re-signed using retention funds were U.S. national team regulars
Graham Zusi and Matt Besler.[77] MLS teams can also obtain allocation money, which is money that the team can use on player salaries that does not count against the
cap, and teams can earn allocation money in several ways, such as from the transfer fees earned by selling players to teams in other leagues.[138] MLS teams can also use
Targeted Allocation Money (often referred to as TAM), an initiative announced in 2015. Teams can use TAM funds to attract high-profile players by "buying down"
[139] High-profile players for which T
contracts of players to below the Designated Player level. AM funds were used includeHector Villalba and Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Youth development
MLS has introduced various initiatives and rules intended to develop young players. Rules concerning Generation Adidas players and home grown players provide
[134]
incentives for clubs to develop and retain young players.

MLS has required all of its teams to operate youth development programs since 2008.[140] MLS roster rules allow teams to sign an unlimited number players straight
[141] There is also supplementary salary budget made by MLS only for homegrown players that are registered using
from their academies and bypassing the draft process.
senior roster slots called homegrown player funds.[142] One of the most prominent and lucrative examples of success in "home-grown" development was Jozy Altidore,
who rose to prominence as a teenager in MLS before his record transfer fee $10 million move to Villarreal in Spain in 2008.[143] The various MLS teams' development
academies play matches in a U.S. Soccer developmental league against youth academies from other leagues such as the North American Soccer League (NASL), which
II Championship.[144]
had been a Division II league prior to 2018, and USL Pro, originally a Division III league but now the Division USL

The league operates a Generation Adidas program, which is a joint venture between MLS and U.S. Soccer that encourages young American players to enter MLS.[145]
The Generation Adidas program has been in place since 1997, and has introduced players such as Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Tim Howard and Michael Bradley
into MLS. Players under the Home Grown Player rule are signed to Generation Adidas contracts,[129] all players on Generation Adidas contracts are "off budget players"
and their salaries do not count against the cap.

MLS formerly operated a reserve league that gave playing time to players who were not starters for their MLS teams. The Reserve League was formed in 2005, and
operated through 2014 (with the exception of the 2009 & 2010 seasons).[146] MLS began integrating its Reserve League with the league then known as USL Pro in
2013,[147] and after the 2014 season folded the Reserve League, with MLS now requiring all teams to either affiliate with a USL team or field their own reserve side in
that league.

Stadiums
Since 1999, the league has overseen the construction of twelve stadiums specifically designed for soccer. The
development of soccer-specific stadiums owned by the teams has generated a better gameday experience for the
fans.[148] The soccer-specific stadiums have yielded positive financial results as teams were no longer required to
pay to rent out facilities and gained control over revenue streams such as concessions, parking, naming rights, and
the ability to host non-MLS events.[115][148] Several teams have doubled their season tickets following the team's
move into a soccer-specific stadium.[149] The establishment of soccer-specific stadiums is considered the key to the
league and the ability of teams to turn a profit.[150] In 2006, Tim Leiweke, then CEO of Anschutz Entertainment
Group, described the proliferation of soccer-specific stadiums as the turning point for MLS.[150]
Mapfre Stadium, MLS' first soccer-
Columbus Crew owner Lamar Hunt started this trend in 1999 by constructing Columbus Crew Stadium, now known specific stadium
as Mapfre Stadium, as MLS's first soccer-specific stadium.[55] The Los Angeles Galaxy followed four years later
with the opening of the Home Depot Center, now Dignity Health Sports Park, in 2003.[151] FC Dallas opened Pizza
Hut Park, now Toyota Stadium, in 2005, and the Chicago Fire began playing their home games in Toyota Park, now SeatGeek Stadium, in 2006. The 2007 season
brought the opening ofDick's Sporting Goods Parkfor the Colorado Rapids andBMO Field for Toronto FC.[152]

Near the end of the 2008 season,Rio Tinto Stadium became the home of Real Salt Lake, which meant that for the first time in MLS history a majority of MLS's teams (8
out of 14) played in soccer-specific stadiums.[153] Red Bull Arena, the new home of the New York Red Bulls opened for the start of the 2010 season,[154] and the
[155]
Philadelphia Union opened PPL Park, since renamedTalen Energy Stadium, in June 2010, midway through their inaugural season.

The following season, in 2011, the Portland Timbers made their MLS debut in a newly renovated Jeld-Wen Field, now renamed Providence Park, which was originally a
multi-purpose venue but turned into a soccer-specific facility.[156] Also in 2011, Sporting Kansas City moved to new Livestrong Sporting Park, now Children's Mercy
Park.[157] The Houston Dynamo relocated to their new home at BBVA Compass Stadium in 2012.[154] In the same year, the Montreal Impact joined the league in an
expanded Stade Saputo, which reopened in June 2012, when renovations pushed the seating capacity to over 20,000. The Impact has used Olympic Stadium for early
season matches and for games that require a larger capacity.[158] The San Jose Earthquakes, who had played at Buck Shaw Stadium from 2008 until 2014, opened their
new Avaya Stadium before the 2015 season.[159] The Orlando City SC expansion team intended to begin constructing Orlando City Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium,
in 2014 to be completed in 2015.[160] Delays caused by changes to the stadium plans pushed back the new venue's opening, first to late in the 2016 season and finally to
the start of the 2017 season.[161] Orlando City played at the Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium, now Camping World Stadium, while awaiting the construction of their new
venue through the 2016 season. Their new venue, Orlando City Stadium, hosted its first MLS match on March 5, 2017 against Nework
Y City FC.

The development of additional MLS stadiums has continued to progress. D.C. United had played their home games at
former NFL and Major League Baseball venue RFK Stadium. In 2013, D.C. United announced the signing of a public-
private partnership term sheet to build a new soccer stadium in Washington, D.C., and a final deal was reached in late
2014. In late February 2017, D.C. United finally broke ground on their new stadium, Audi Field, to be completed
sometime during the 2018 MLS season.[162] After 21 years of playing at RFK Stadium, DC United played their first
game at Audi field in July 2018.

Two teams have announced their desire to build a soccer-specific stadium, although these teams have not finalized the
stadium site and received all necessary government approvals. New York City FC play home games at Yankee Stadium, CenturyLink Field, home of the
a Major League Baseball venue, although they intend to move into a soccer-specific stadium in the future. The New Seattle Sounders FC
England Revolution play home games at a National Football League venue, Gillette Stadium, but are currently in
discussion with the City ofBoston regarding a potential soccer-specific stadium in South Boston.[163]
Several remaining clubs play in stadiums not originally built for MLS and have not announced plans to move. The Seattle Sounders FC play at CenturyLink Field, a
dual-purpose facility used for both American football and soccer. The Vancouver Whitecaps FC joined the league with Portland in 2011 and temporarily held matches at
Empire Field before moving into the refurbishedBC Place in October 2011,[164] a retractable-roof stadium that hostsCanadian football as well as soccer.[165]

Of the three teams that made their MLS debuts in 2017 and 2018, one will open a soccer-specific stadium in 2019, a second is playing in a shared football stadium, and
the last opened a soccer-specific stadium for its inaugural 2018 season. Minnesota United FC, which debuted in 2017, is building Allianz Field in St. Paul and plans to
open it in 2019.[166][167] Until that time, the team is playing in Minneapolis at TCF Bank Stadium, home to University of Minnesota football.[168] Atlanta United FC
began play in 2017 at a college football facility, Georgia Tech's Bobby Dodd Stadium, before moving into its permanent home at the retractable-roof Mercedes-Benz
Stadium, which it shares with the NFL'sAtlanta Falcons; the two teams share a common owner and the stadium is equipped with screens to cordon off the upper tiers for
most matches.[169] Los Angeles FC, which began play in 2018, opened Banc of California Stadium on the former site of the Los Angeles Sports Arena in April of its
inaugural season.[170]

FC Cincinnati, debuting in 2019, will initially play at Nippert Stadium, the football home of the University of Cincinnati. The stadium had been home to FCC's USL
Championship predecessorfor all of its three seasons of play. The club plans to move within Cincinnati to the new West End Stadium in 2021.[171] Inter Miami currently
plans to play in a temporary facility in 2020 before opening its own stadium in 2021.[32] The Nashville team has announced it will play the 2020 season at an NFL
facility, the Tennessee Titans' Nissan Stadium, before opening the Nashville Fairgrounds Stadium in 2021.[172] Austin FC plans to open its own stadium when it begins
play in 2021.[33]

Profitability and revenues

Major League Soccer began to demonstrate positive signs of long-term profitability as early as 2004 with the single-entity ownership
Average franchise
structure, salary cap, and the media and marketing umbrella Soccer United Marketing (SUM) all contributing towards MLS's financial valuations
security.[50] As soccer-specific stadiums are built, ownership expands, and television coverage increases, MLS has seen its revenues increase
Year Value
while controlling costs.[12]
2008 $37 million
Television coverage and revenue have increased since the league's early years. In 2006, MLS reached an 8-year TV deal with ESPN 2013 $103 million
spanning the 2007–2014 seasons, and marked the first time that MLS earned rights fees, reported to be worth $7–8 million annually.[173] In
2015 $157 million
September 2012 the league extended its distribution agreement with London-based Media rights agency MP & Silva until 2014 in a deal
worth $10 million annually. Total league TV revenues are over $40 million annually.[174][175] In 2011, MLS earned $150 million when it 2016 $185 million
sold a 25% stake in SUM.[12] 2017 $223 million
2018 $240 million

In early 2005, MLS signed a 10-year, $150 million sponsorship deal with Adidas.[50] In 2007, MLS teams started selling ad space on the front of jerseys to go along with
the league-wide sponsorship partners who had already been advertising on the back of club jerseys, following the practice of international sport, specifically soccer. MLS
established a floor of $500,000 per shirt sponsorship, with the league receiving a flat fee of $200,000 per deal.[199] As of July 2014, sixteen teams had signed
sponsorship deals to have company logos placed on the front of their jerseys (and another team is directly owned by its shirt sponsor), and the league average from jersey
sponsors was about $2.4 million.[200] All MLS teams have had jersey sponsors since February 2016. Sleeve sponsorship will be introduced to MLS in the 2020 season,
[201]
with the teams able to sell a 2-by-2-inch (51 by 51 mm) section on the right arm where the league logo patch is normally positioned.

The Los Angeles Galaxy made a profit in 2003 in their first season at The Home Depot Center,[49] and FC Dallas turned a profit after moving into Pizza Hut Park in
2005.[202] For each season between 2006 and 2009, two to three MLS clubs (generally clubs with a soccer-specific stadium) were reported as profitable by the
league.[202][203][204]

By 2012 the league had shown a marked improvement in its financial health. In November 2013, Forbes published a report that revealed that ten of the league's nineteen
teams earned an operating profit in 2012, while two broke even and seven had a loss. Forbes estimated that the league's collective annual revenues were $494 million,
and that the league's collective annual profit was $34 million. Forbes valued the league's franchises to be worth $103 million on average, almost three times as much as
the $37 million average valuation in 2008. The Seattle Sounders FC franchise was named the most valuable at $175 million, a 483% gain over the $30 million league
entrance fee it paid in 2009.[115]

The trend in increased team values has continued with MLS teams seeing a strong 52% increase in franchise values from 2012 to 2014. In August 2015 Forbes updated
[13]
its MLS franchise values with the most profitable team measuring $245 million and the least $105 million. The average value jumped from $103 to $157 million.

As of 2018 Forbes estimates Atlanta United FC are the most valuable MLS team, worth $330 million, while the Colorado Rapids are the lowest value, at $155
million.[205] These valuations do not include the value of stadiums or training facilities owned by the respective clubs.

Rules and officials

MLS follows the rules and standards of the International Football Association Board(IFAB). The playoff extra time structure follows IFAB standards: two full 15-minute
periods, followed by apenalty shootout if necessary.

U.S. Soccer hired the first full-time professional referees in league history in 2007 as part of the league's "Game First" initiatives.[206] Major League Soccer has been
implementing fines and suspensions since the 2011 season for simulation (diving) through its Disciplinary Committee, which reviews plays after the match. The first
ficials.[207]
player fined under the new rule wasCharlie Davies, fined $1,000 for intentionally deceiving match of

The MLS uses the list of banned substances published by theWorld Anti-Doping Agency.[208]
Team names
Jersey sponsorships
For more information on MLS team names, see the Team Sponsor Annual value
individual team entries.
Atlanta United FC AmFam Undisclosed[176]
In the early years of MLS, teams were typically given official nicknames in the Chicago Fire Motorola Undisclosed[177]
style of other U.S. sports leagues (e.g., Columbus Crew, Los Angeles Galaxy,
Colorado Rapids Transamerica Undisclosed[178]
New England Revolution). Several club names in MLS originated with previous
professional soccer clubs, such as the 1970s-era NASL team names San Jose Columbus Crew SC Acura Undisclosed[179]
Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers and Vancouver D.C. United Leidos Undisclosed[180]
Whitecaps.[209]
FC Cincinnati Mercy Health Undisclosed[181]
D.C. United and Miami Fusion FC were the only two MLS teams to adopt FC Dallas AdvoCare Undisclosed[182]
European naming conventions during the 1990s.[210] In recent years, European-
Houston Dynamo MD Anderson Undisclosed[183]
style names have become increasingly common in MLS, with expansion teams
such as Real Salt Lake, Toronto FC, New York City FC, Atlanta United FC, LA Galaxy Herbalife $4.4 million[184]
Minnesota United FC, and FC Cincinnati, along with rebrandings such as FC Los Angeles FC YouTube TV Undisclosed[185]
Dallas (formerly the Dallas Burn) and Sporting Kansas City (formerly the
Minnesota United FC Target Undisclosed[186]
Kansas City Wizards).[211]
Montreal Impact Bank of Montreal US$4 million[187]
The beverage company Red Bull GmbH owns the New York Red Bulls as well
New England Revolution UnitedHealthcare Undisclosed[188]
as other sports teams outside the U.S.[113]
New York City FC Etihad Airways Undisclosed[189]

Media coverage New York Red Bulls Red Bull Owns club
Orlando City SC Orlando Health Undisclosed[190]

United States Philadelphia Union Bimbo Bakeries USA $3 million[191]

As of the 2015 season, MLS matches are broadcast nationally by ESPN Portland Timbers Alaska Airlines Undisclosed[192]
networks and Fox Sports in English, and Univision networks in Spanish under Real Salt Lake LifeVantage $3 million[193]
an eight-year contract. Each broadcaster has a window for national regular
San Jose Earthquakes Sutter Health Undisclosed[194]
season matches, with UniMás airing a game on Friday nights in Spanish and
additional matches onUnivision Deportes Network, and ESPN and Fox Sports 1 Seattle Sounders FC Zulily Undisclosed[195]
airing games on Sunday evenings in English. ESPN, FS1, and Univision share Sporting Kansas City Ivy Funds $2.5 million[196]
in coverage of the playoffs, while ESPN and FS1 alternate broadcasting the
Toronto FC Bank of Montreal C$4 million+[197]
MLS Cup final in English. In total, at least 125 matches are aired per-season
across all three networks. The three contracts have an average estimated value Vancouver Whitecaps FC Bell Canada C$4 million+[198]
of $90 million per season—five times larger than the average $18 million value
of the previous contracts with ESPN, Univision, andNBC Sports.[212][213][213][214][215][216][217]

Matches not televised nationally are broadcast regionally, often by regional sports networks like Fox Sports Networks, Comcast SportsNet, Spectrum Sports and Root
Sports, and sometimes by terrestrial stations likeWJLA-TV, KTXA, WRDQ anad KMYU.[73]

From 2012 to 2014, MLS matches were broadcast by NBC Sports, with 40 matches per year—primarily on NBCSN, and select matches broadcast on the NBC
network.[218] The move from Fox Soccer to the more widely distributed NBCSN proved successful, with viewership numbers doubling for the 2012 season over those of
Fox Soccer.[219]

Canada
Coverage of MLS expanded into Canada in 2007 with the addition of Toronto FC. Currently, English-language
national MLS broadcast rights in Canada are held by the TSN networks through a five-year deal first renewed in
2017. The networks primarily broadcast matches involving the league's Canadian franchises, in combination with
separate "regional" rights deals giving TSN exclusive rights to all Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC
matches.[220][221][222] A limited number of matches are also carried byCTV.[222]

TVA Sports holds exclusive French-language rights to MLS in Canada as of the 2017 season. As part of a separate
"regional" rights deal, it also holds exclusive rights to allMontreal Impact games.[222][223]

In 2018, online streaming service DAZN obtained Major League Soccer's digital out-of-market service MLS Live—
with live and on-demand streaming of matches featuring U.S. teams (matches with Canadian teams are only Montreal Impact hosting D.C. United
(August 2012).
available after a 48-hour delay to protect the league's main rightsholders TSN and A Sports).[224]
TV

International
MLS also entered into a four-year contract with Sky Sports to broadcast two MLS matches per week in the United Kingdom and Ireland from 2015 to 2019.[225] As part
of the new agreement, Sky Sports will broadcast at least two MLS regular-season matches each week, as well as the MLS All-Star Game, every MLS Cup Playoff game,
and the MLS Cup final. The matches will appear across Sky's family of networks. It will also carry weekly MLS highlights across various platforms, including Sky
Sports News and SkySports.com. Sky Sports will also broadcast at least one match from MLS's new "Decision Day" – the recently announced format change for the final
day of the MLS regular season, during which all Eastern Conference games will be played simultaneously at 5 pm ET (9 pm UK time) followed by all Western
fs.[226]
Conference games at 7 pm ET (11 pm UK time). Many of the matches are expected to determine the final spots for the MLS Cup Playof

[227]
Eurosport will also broadcast MLS between 2015 and 2019, with four matches per week being screened live in continental Europe.

BeIN Sports will televise matches live across Southeast Asia and Australia. The agreement runs from the 2013 to 2018 seasons in Australia, Cambodia, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, and Thailand. At least two MLS regular season matches will be aired per week, as well as the MLS All-Star Game, at least two matches
from the newly created Decision Day, all MLS Cup Playoff games and the MLS Cup final. In addition, beIN SPORTS will carry highlights, player features, and other
MLS content across its digital platforms.[228]

[229]
DSport, owned by Discovery Communications, will televise league matches in India beginning in 2017.

Video games
Major League Soccer is a playable league in both the FIFA and the Football Manager series. The league made its video game debut in 1999 with FIFA 2000. In 2000,
Konami released ESPN MLS GameNight, and two years later, they released its sequel, ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002. The league made its first appearance in the
management series Football Manager 2005in 2004.[230]

Player records
Statistics below are for all-time leaders. Statistics are for regular season only
. Bold indicates active MLS players.

As of March 18, 2019[231]

Goals Assists
Rank Player Years Goals Rank Player Years Assists
1 Landon Donovan 2001–14; 2016 145 Landon
1 2001–2014; 2016 136
Donovan
Chris
2 2005–present 144
Wondolowski 2 Steve Ralston 1996–2010 135

3 Jeff Cunningham 1998–2011 134 3 Brad Davis 2002–2016 123

4 Jaime Moreno 1996–2010 133 Carlos

4 1996–2002 114
Valderrama
1996–2000; 2001–
5 Ante Razov 114
09 5 Preki 1996–2005 112

Kei Kamara 2006–13; 2015– 6 Jaime Moreno 1996–2010 102

6 113
present
Marco
7 Jason Kreis 1996–2007 108 7 1996–2003 101
Etcheverry
Bradley Wright- 8 Cobi Jones 1996–2007 91
8 2013–present 107
Phillips
Sacha 2006–10; 2015–
Dwayne De 9 90
9 2001–2014 104 Kljestan present
Rosario
10 Andy Williams 1998–2011 86
10 Taylor Twellman 2002–2010 101

Shutouts Games played[232][233]

Rank Player Years Shutouts Rank Player Years Games
Nick 1 Nick Rimando 2000–present 488
1 2000–present 145
Rimando
2 Kyle Beckerman 2000–present 466
Kevin
2 1997–2013 112 3 Kevin Hartman 1997–2013 416
Hartman
1999–2002; 2003– 4 Chad Marshall 2004–present 404
3 Joe Cannon 86
13
5 Jeff Larentowicz 2005–present 394
4 Jon Busch 2002–2015 83
6 Brad Davis 2002–2016 392
 5 Zach 1996–2011 76 7 Steve Ralston 1996–2010 378
Thornton
Brian Carroll 2003–2017 371
6 Matt Reis 1998–2013 75 8
Drew Moor 2005–present 371
7 Stefan Frei 2009–present 67
10 Bobby Boswell 2005–2017 366
8 Pat Onstad 2003–2011 64

9 Luis Robles 2012–present 63

10 Tony Meola 1996–2006 62

Player records (active)

Statistics below are for all-time leaders who are still playing. Statistics are for regular season only
.

As of March 18, 2019[231]

Goals Assists Shutouts Games played

Rank Player Goals Rank Player Assists Rank Player Shutouts Rank Player Games
Chris Nick Nick
1 144 1 145 1 488
Wondolowski 1 Sacha 90 Rimando Rimando
Kljestan
Kei Kyle
2 113 2 466
Kamara 2 Stefan 67 Beckerman
2 Diego 67 Frei
Bradley Valeri Chad
3 404
3 Wright- 107 Luis Marshall
3 63
Phillips Robles
3 Graham 63 Jeff
4 394
Dom Zusi Bill Larentowicz
4 76 4 57
Dwyer Hamid
Drew
5 371
Diego 4 Federico 59 Moor
5 69
Valeri Higuaín 5 Sean 54
Johnson

5 Benny 56
Feilhaber

MLS awards
At the conclusion of each season, the league presents several awards for outstanding achievements, mostly to players, but also to coaches, referees, and teams. The
[234]
finalists in each category are determined by voting from MLS players, team employees, and the media.

MLS Best XI
Sigi Schmid Coach of the Year Award
MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award
MLS Defender of the Year Award
MLS Fair Play Award (individual)
MLS Fair Play Award (team)
MLS Goal of the Year Award
MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award
MLS Golden Boot
Landon Donovan MVP Award
MLS Newcomer of the Year Award
MLS Referee of the Year Award
MLS Rookie of the Year Award
MLS Save of the Year Award

See also
Canadian Championship List of MLS coaches
Campeones Cup List of MLS drafts
eMLS Cup List of MLS seasons
Generation Adidas List of American and Canadian soccer champions
 MLS All-Star Game MLS on television
MLS Attendance National Women's Soccer League
MLS Combine Soccer in Canada
MLS Cup Playoffs Soccer in the United States
MLS International Roster Slots Sueño MLS
MLS Players Union SuperLiga
MLS Reserve Division U.S. soccer league system
MLS rivalry cups US Open Cup
MLS SuperDraft World Series of Soccer (MLS)

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External links
Official website

Preceded by Division 1 Soccer League in the United States Succeeded by

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