MLS (Major League Soccer) is the leading professional soccer tournament in the US and Canada. With the participation of clubs from around the world, this tournament has attracted the attention of many football fans around the globe. In this article, 2019 Southeast Asian Games will learn about the MLS soccer tournament, from its history to the competition format and results of recent matches.
What is the American Professional Soccer League (MLS)?
Major League Soccer stands for Major League Soccer, which means “main professional soccer league”. Founded in 1993, Major League Soccer is the only professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. However, the tournament does not always have this name. Initially, Major League Soccer was called “The American Professional Soccer League” and later “The United States and Canadian Soccer League”. Since 1996, the tournament has officially been called MLS and has grown strongly since then.
Major League Soccer currently has 27 clubs, of which 24 teams are from the US and 3 teams are from Canada. These clubs are divided into two systems: East and West. Each system has 13 clubs and the champion team of each system will face each other to compete for the MLS Cup championship.
History of formation and development of MLS football tournament
As mentioned above, MLS was founded in 1993 as the only professional soccer league in the US and Canada. However, establishing and developing Major League Soccer is not easy. Before Major League Soccer was born, professional soccer in the US only existed through tournaments such as the North American Soccer League (NASL) or United Soccer Association (USA). These tournaments once attracted the attention of audiences, but could not maintain long-term existence.
In 1994, America hosted the World Cup and this was also when Major League Soccer was founded. However, in its early years, Major League Soccer encountered many financial difficulties and public concern. Clubs participating in the tournament have difficulty attracting football stars and income from match tickets is also very low. Many people believed that MLS would not survive long term.
However, the continuous efforts of the organizers and clubs have brought positive results. By 2002, Major League Soccer had added two new clubs and the number of spectators had increased significantly. Additionally, the hosting of the World Cup in the United States in 1994 also helped increase public interest in soccer. Since then, Major League Soccer has continuously developed and become the leading professional soccer tournament in the US and Canada.
MLS soccer tournament format
> See more: What is the Thai FA Cup football tournament?
Major League Soccer currently has 27 clubs, divided into 2 systems: East and West. Each system has 13 clubs and the champion team of each system will face each other to compete for the MLS Cup championship.
The Major League Soccer season takes place from March to October every year. In particular, each team will play a total of 34 matches, including 17 home matches and 17 away matches. Highly ranked teams will participate in the play-off round to compete for the MLS Cup championship. The play-offs consist of knockout matches and the final will be held at the stadium of the team with the better record throughout the season.
In addition, MLS also has another tournament, the US Open Cup, America’s national cup tournament. This tournament has been held since 1914 and Major League Soccer clubs also compete with other teams in the US.
MLS soccer tournament schedule for the 2023-2024 season
The 2023-2024 Major League Soccer season is expected to take place from March 2023 to October 2024. Currently, the official schedule for this season has not been announced. However, it is expected that the matches will take place according to the format as described in the previous section.
Latest rankings of MLS soccer tournament
Currently, the MLS soccer tournament is in the play-off phase and teams are competing to win the right to reach the MLS Cup final. Below are the latest rankings of this tournament:
How to play the American professional soccer tournament MLS
The MLS soccer tournament can be considered a combination of other professional soccer tournaments around the world. MLS’s competition format is similar to other leagues, with the same rules and regulations.
However, there are some special features of MLS that need to be mentioned. The first is the use of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) technology in the match. This is a new technology applied in football and has contributed to helping referees make more accurate decisions in controversial situations.
Second is the use of red and yellow cards. In Major League Soccer, if a player receives 2 yellow cards in a match, he will be sent off and his team will have to play with 10 men until the end of the match. This has contributed to increasing the competitiveness and drama of the matches.
MLS tournament statistics
To better understand the Major League Soccer tournament, let’s take a look at some notable statistics of this tournament:
- Total number of clubs: 27
- Most successful club wins: LA Galaxy (5 times)
- Most recent club wins: Seattle Sounders FC (2 times)
- Number of championships of the US national team: 4 times
- Number of championships of the Canadian national team: 0 times
- Player with the most goals in a season: Josef Martinez (Atlanta United FC) – 31 goals (2018 season)
- Player with the most matches: Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake) – 498 matches
Conclude
From initial difficulties, Major League Soccer has grown strongly and become the leading professional soccer tournament in the US and Canada. With the participation of clubs from around the world, this tournament has attracted the attention of many football fans around the globe.
We learned about the history and development of the Major League Soccer tournament, the competition format, the 2023-2024 season schedule, the latest rankings and how to play the American professional soccer tournament MLS. . At the same time, we also took a look at some recent statistics and results of this tournament.
Hopefully with this article, you will have more information about the Major League Soccer tournament and will also have more passion and love for this sport. Thank you for reading the article!