The US soccer revolution

By David Lee Wheatley

MLS growth continues

The MLS started out in 1996 amid doubts from critics as to the country’s ability to maintain a well-structured, major pro soccer league after the failure of its predecessor, the old NASL, which folded in 1985. However, the league has steadily grown both in terms of fan support and the number of clubs that are involved. Allied to that, there seems to be a clamour from all corners of North America from potential expansion teams that want to be part of the MLS and its future.

The overall league average attendance in 2012 was 18,807, a rise of just over five percent and the second consecutive year the MLS saw an increase.

From the 2011 to the 2012 season, there were 11 out of 18 sides that showed an increase in average attendance (the 19^th team Montreal Impact only had their first season in 2012 and averaged a healthy 22,772). A further 2 clubs only had minimal drops in crowd numbers, while the other 5 saw average losses of around 1-2,000 people.

MLS regular season attendance in 2012 topped the six million mark for the first time ever, with a total of 6,074,729 fans. For the fourth year in a row, it was the Seattle Sounders that were best supported, averaging 43,144 fans per game (a new league and team record).

Increasing teenage to adult participation in soccer is undoubtedly a key challenge in attempting to further establish the sport as one of the main ones in the US. The amount of young kids that play soccer is very high, but as they get older it is the traditional American sports that they gravitate towards and soccer often goes into the background. If there is a sea change in that long-standing situation then the quality of play on view will increase, as will the overall strength of the league.

There is no doubt that the MLS is flourishing and Commissioner Don Garber is looking to expand the league to a 20^th team by 2016. It is likely that the expansion team that gets the nod to enter the league will be revealed sometime later this year.

Orlando City or possibly a team from New York are rumoured to be under the microscope for possible inclusion from 2016, but Floridian teams have been part of the league in its infancy and with little success. Both Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion folded in 2002, but Orlando have been playing in the USL (the third-tier of US soccer) since 2010 and are seen as an ideal candidate to re-launch MLS soccer in Florida.

David Beckham may have left for Paris, but there continues to be a burgeoning improvement in US soccer that looks set to put the country’s top pro league on the map globally – the MLS is most certainly here to stay.

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