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MLS Founded in 1996
MLS was founded in 1996 as a condition of hosting the 1994 World Cup in America. 10 Teams were in the original league. -
2 New Teams Added (Miami/Chicago)
In 1997, The league added two new teams. The Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion made the league's total 12. -
Don Garber Hired as Commisioner
Don Garber is hired as the commissioner, he currently holds this role -
First Soccer Specific Stadium Built
In 1999, the Columbus Crew built the first soccer Specific Stadium, Mapfre Stadium. -
First Dissolution
The league Dissolved Miami and Tampa Bay's Franchises due to low attendance, bringing the total back down to 10 teams -
2 New Teams Added (Salt Lake and Chivas USA)
In 2005, The league added two new teams. Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA made the league's total 12. This was conversational because Chivas USA was essentially a minor league team for a Professional Mexican Club. -
San Jose Relocates To Houston
San Jose relocated their team to Houston in order to secure a soccer specific stadium. -
First Canadian Expansion
Toronto was the first Canadian expansion team added into the MLS totaling the league to 13 teams. -
First Big Name Signing
The LA Galaxy signed the First Internationally Recognizable name for the league, an Englishman known as David Beckham. -
New Team Added (San Jose)
In 2008, The league added another new team, returning a spot to San Jose making the league 14 teams. -
New Team Added (Seattle)
The league continued its steady expansion, adding Seattle to tally up 15 total teams -
New Team Added (Philadelphia)
The Philadelphia Union were the 16th team to be added into Major League Soccer. -
2 New Teams Added (Portland/Vancouver)
In 2011, The league added two new teams. The Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps made the league's total 18. -
New Team Added (Montreal)
The Montreal Impact were added in 2012, becoming the 19th team added into the MLS -
2nd League Dissolution
The league dissolved the Mexican Side Chivas USA due to their lack of commitment to the league. This brought the league total down to 18 teams and made the MLS solely American and Canadian based -
2 New Teams Added (New York/Orlando)
In 2015, the league added two more teams. NYCFC and Orlando City FC making the total 20 teams. -
2 New Teams Added (Minnesota/Atlanta)
In 2017, the league added two more teams. Atlanta and Minnesota making the total 22 teams. -
New Team Added (Los Angeles)
Los Angeles added another team (LAFC) along with their current LA Galaxy to tally the League's total to 23 teams. -
MLS sets Attendance Record (72,243)
Atlanta United sets its Attendance record for one game surpassing all American sports besides Football and NASCAR. -
MLS Cup Beats Super Bowl Attendance
In the same Stadium and same year, The MLS cup generated 3,000 more fans in the stadium than the Super Bowl. -
New Team Added (Cincinatti)
FC Cincinnati was added to the League this year (2019). They became the second team in Ohio behind Columbus.They are the 24th team. -
Current Day
Everything from this point on is planned by the league, but the events will take place in the future. -
Future Expansion (Nashville)
Nashville SC will begin play in 2020. They are the league's 25th team. -
Future Expansion (Miami)
The league will return a team to Miami, making the team total 27. This team is owned by David Beckham and was actually part of the contract he negotiated when joining the MLS as a player. -
Future Expansion (Austin)
Austin FC will begin play in 2021 with a state of the arc soccer specific stadium. They are the 26th team to join the league. -
2026 World Cup
The World Cup is coming to America in 2026. The hype will bring more interest to soccer and more talent to America.
