Major League Soccer (MLS)

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional association football league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation and Canadian Soccer Association, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States and Canada. The league comprises 36 clubs — 33 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada, and constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues in both countries. The league plans to expand to 38 clubs with the additions of Austin FC in 2001, Charlotte FC in 2022, then Sacramento Republic FC and St. Louis in 2023.

The regular season starts in late February or early March, and goes through mid-October, with each club playing 34 games; the club with the best record is awarded the Supporters' Shield. Fourteen clubs compete in the postseason MLS Cup Playoffs through October and November, culminating in the championship game, the MLS Cup. MLS clubs also play in domestic competitions against clubs from other divisions in the U.S. Open Cup and in the Canadian Voyageurs Cup. MLS clubs also compete against continental rivals in the CONCACAF Champions League.

With an average attendance of over 20,000 per game, MLS has the third highest average attendance of any sports league in the U.S. after the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), and is the seventh highest attended professional soccer league worldwide.

Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States' successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The first season took place in 1996 with ten clubs. MLS experienced financial and operational struggles in its first few years: the league lost millions of dollars, clubs played in mostly empty American football stadiums, and two clubs folded in 2002. Since then, MLS has expanded to 34 clubs, soccer-specific stadiums have proliferated around the league, average attendance exceeds that of the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA), the Designated Player Rule allows teams to sign star players such as David Beckham, MLS secured national TV contracts, and the league is now profitable.

Instead of operating as an association of independently owned clubs, MLS is a single entity in which each club is owned by the league and individually operated by the league's investors. The investor-operators control their clubs as owners control clubs in other leagues, and are commonly (but inaccurately) referred to as the team's owners. The league has a fixed membership like most sports leagues in the United States and Canada, which makes it one of the world's few association football leagues that does not use promotion and relegation, a practice that is uncommon in the two countries. MLS headquarters is located in New York City.