Image: MLS
MLS is still what many would call a work in progress, while for years soccer in the US trailed Europe.
Back before the new millennium kicked in there was a time when sports research suggested that tractor racing was more popular than soccer in the country.
Soccer really wasn’t on anyone’s radar, but with the money and factory of superstars earning big money across the Atlantic Ocean, the founder of the MLS saw the game’s potential.
Yes, the MLS founders knew bringing popularity to the MLS would never be an overnight success, while the point and case for this is that the competition is now in its 26th season. Yet, we are now seeing signs via the US international soccer teams that the sport is growing, and the World Cup in 2026 could be the one to propel it closer to European standards!
1994 World Cup
The MLS kicked off when the US hosted the world’s greatest event—yes, soccer outside of the US is popular almost everywhere, making it the world’s number one sport! The World Cup 1994 opened the eyes of a nation who saw South Americans, Europeans, Africans, and Asians not only come to visit Uncle Sam to watch their national team but also to celebrate the game of soccer a.k.a. football to most of those nations.
Few in the US realised just how revered the sport was until media coverage showed all these foreign peoples come with their mixed bag of emotions. Now this was at a time when European football stars like David Beckham could walk the streets of the USA without being recognised. Something that could not for stars like Lionel Messi or Ronaldo today because European footballers are now so well known in the US.
Today, those stars could land up in the MLS and we owe the fact that this possibility is a reality thanks to that memorable 1994 World Cup event.
World Cup Streams
As the world cup is a global event, TV rights are not really a huge issue for live streams. The sport is somewhat shared in this respect. And there are always world cup qualifiers on the go or international friendlies available to live stream.
2026 World Cup
The 2026 World Cup is the next big hope for the MLS. One has to admit that David Beckham’s purchase of Inter Miami CF was a cunning one. A shrewd businessman that he is, and a self-made millionaire who came from an average working-class family in London, he knows only too well that the 2026 World Cup to be hosted across Mexico, Canada, and the US is the next big step for the MLS. At least that is if the 1994 World Cup’s influence is anything to go by!
With soccer now a trending sport in the US, and the fact that pre-2026 World Cup the arrival of Ronald and Messi are on the cards, the popularity of the sport could potentially double. This could result in more stadiums packed out, an increase in merchandise sales, and invariably more money injected in the youth system.
However, a lot of this success will hinge on the US men’s team success in the tournament. The US finished 3rd in its group but still made it to round 16 only to be knocked out by Brazil. For US citizens though, who are used to having the best world basketball, baseball and American football teams, it was a little off putting but fun all the same. A successful run this time around, maybe to the last 8 could guarantee the future success of MLS, and with more money comes better youth systems, and with better youth systems comes more success on the world’s international soccer stage.
