Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer (MLS), North American professional football (soccer) league that is the highest level of soccer competition on that continent.

Major League Soccer (MLS) began play in 1996. The creation of the league was part of a successful bid by the United States to host the 1994 World Cup, seeking to capitalize on the expected surge in football popularity in the country in the wake of its hosting of the world’s most-celebrated sports tournament. The league’s first championship game (known as the MLS Cup) was won by D.C. United (based in Washington, D.C.), and that club and the Los Angeles Galaxy have captured the most league titles, with four championships each. While MLS is not as prestigious as European football leagues such as England’s Premier League, the exposure to the growing American football market led a number of international stars—including David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Hristo Stoichkov—to ply their trade in MLS.

The league’s teams are aligned as follows:

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• Eastern Conference: Atlanta United FC, Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew SC, D.C. United, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution (based near Boston), New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City SC, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC.
• Western Conference: Colorado Rapids (based near Denver in Commerce City, Colorado), FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Los Angeles Galaxy, Los Angeles FC, Minnesota United FC, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders FC, Sporting Kansas City, Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

Winners of the MLS Cup are provided in the table.