US Major League Soccer (MLS) and Its Steady Growth

Organized in 1993, the United State's Major League Soccer federation was established in order to create a Division One-level professional football league in exchange for the staging of the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The MLS began play in 1996, and had an initial ten teams competing.

The MLS is considered as the premier professional football league in North America. Currently, it has thirteen teams, which are mostly based in the U.S., along with one Canadian team. The league's matches are regularly broadcast on national TV, and are also featured in a number of Web sites that offer daily updates, football highlights and live streaming videos as well.

How the MLS Season Runs

The Major League Soccer season generally runs from late March or early April to November, and teams here play a total of 30 regular-season matches each. During the post-season playoff, a total of 8 teams compete with each other, and this culminates with championship final or the MLS Cup.

For the 2008 season, the MLS matches will be played from March 29 to October 26. A total of 14 teams are divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences, who have seven teams each. The league's postseason starts on October 30 and runs until November 23, ending with the MLS Cup 2008 finals.

MLS Team Names and Ownership Formats

Teams in the MLS, much like other American professional sports teams, generally are given nicknames at their inception. Teams like the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Los Angeles Galaxy, Houston Dynamo, Columbus Crew, San Jose Clash have nicknames much like other US sports teams, while clubs like D.C. United and Miami Fusion FC, have more traditional European-style titles.

How the MLS Managed To Grow Despite Experiencing a String of Financial Losses

The Major League Soccer federation, according to a BusinessWeek magazine report, has lost more than $350 million since its inception. However there have been positive signs of growth and profitability for the league. With the completion of more soccer-specific stadiums, the levels of ownership have expanded and television coverage has also increased as well.

The league has managed to see revenues significantly soar and successfully kept its expenses to a minimum. Television coverage of the pro league has also consistently expanded as well, with league organizers and team owners sealing a deal with US broadcaster ESPN for added TV rights and increased presence across North America. The league also saw the return of MLS to Univision and its Spanish-language networks, in a major bid to corner the lucrative Hispanic-viewing market and increase its fan base in Latin and South America as well.

The Worldwide Web has also helped the league flourish, with fans trooping to many Web sites that show football highlights, updates and live streaming videos of different MLS matches.

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