Major League Soccer: How and why the league started
Major League Soccer deputy commissioner Mark Abbott explains how the MLS originated, why it's growing in popularity, and how it came to be what it is today
Major League Soccer’s (MLS) historic 25th season is set to pick-up in Florida on July 8 with a match between Orlando City and Inter Miami.
The matches at ESPN's Wide World of Sports Complex will mark the first time the league has been in action since the coronavirus pandemic shutdown play on March 12.
According to the MLS website, Commissioner Don Garber noted, "The opportunity to have all 26 clubs in a controlled environment enables us to help protect the health of our players, coaches, and staff as we return to play.”
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The 26 MLS teams will compete in a World Cup-style return tournament and be divided into six groups for the opening round, which will be played over 16 consecutive days. Group matches will count toward the regular-season standings.
As MLS teams work to resume play, the league's deputy commissioner Mark Abbott reflected on the creation of the league 25 years ago. He told Fox News the MLS started as a pitch to get the FIFA World Cup to the United States back in 1994.
“U.S. Soccer said that they would use the World Cup as a way to launch a professional soccer league,” said Abbott. “FIFA looked at the United States, the world's largest commercial market, and said it would bring the World Cup there to create an excitement and foundation for launching a league, and that's what happened.”
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Abbott and his colleagues hit the ground running after securing the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States and began lining up investors for what would become the MLS. Along with building the financial infrastructure, they worked to attract international stars and all of the U.S. players with World Cup experience to be part of their new league.
As an example of the lengths MLS went to acquire top talent in the early days, Abbott recalled securing iconic Mexican goalkeeper Jorge Campos. Abbott explained that Campos was newly signed to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 1996, and after playing the first game at the Rose Bowl in front of 69,000 fans, Campos requested a Ferrari.
“The next day, after the game Campos came into the office and said, ‘Look, it seems like I'm a very popular player in the league and you want me to stay here, and I'd like to get a Ferrari,’ so I was tasked to go down to Beverly Hills Ferrari, and buy a Ferrari for Jorge Campos,” explained Abbott. “That was a one-and-only experience and that will never happen again!”
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While MLS began with 10 teams in 1996, today the league has 26 teams, including the addition of two new expansion clubs, Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC. Abbott told Fox News that in the next three years MLS will have 30 teams and work to continue its expansion.
“We're very fixed on the future, and our best days are ahead of us,” said Abbott. “We're particularly excited that the World Cup is going to be here in the United States in 2026, and it’s very fitting that the league grew out of the World Cup in 1994, and we’ll be able to celebrate our 30th year with the World Cup being back here.”
Emily DeCiccio is a reporter and video producer for Fox News Digital Originals. Tweet her @EmilyDeCiccio.
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