The popularity of Major League Soccer and football in general has grown exponentially in the United States over the past handful of years.
Historically, the most popular sport in the world has struggled to win over Americans, and it wasn’t until FIFA awarded them to host the 1994 World Cup that a professional league was re-established.
Prior to the MLS being setup in 1996, the last professional league in the country had been the North American Soccer League, which shut down in 1984 due to a lack of popularity. This despite a number of star players plying their trade over there at one point in their careers, including Pele, Gerd Muller and George Best.
Today, the MLS is growing in popularity year-on-year as more and more franchises continue to join the league too.
The 2020 season saw the addition of two expansion clubs, Inter Miami and Nashville SC, before Austin FC joined this campaign, taking the league to a total of 27 teams. Charlotte FC will join in 2022 and St Louis City SC are joining the following year. Don’t be surprised to hear fresh soccer news anytime in the near future announcing the next franchise, with Las Vegas widely believed to be getting a team in the coming years.