Soccer is a great sport that is still catching on in the United States and Canada. People are starting to realize that it’s faster paced than football, more exciting than baseball and less repetitive than basketball. Major League Soccer (MLS) is only 28 years old, but in that time, it’s gone from 10 teams with so few fans that the league almost folded by 2000 to a major sport with a huge following.
Major League Soccer is currently rated 10th in the world, in terms of both the quality of the game and the number of fans. That’s a big improvement from just a decade ago when no one really took the MLS seriously. The league does still have a bit of an image problem — it doesn’t help that Americans are going to insist on calling it soccer — but the rest of the world is starting to pay a bit more attention.
This article is going to look at how the European leagues, the big five in particular — the EPL, La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and Serie A — view North American soccer and what the MLS will need to do to command the attention of these leagues.
Financially competitive
Sports are an expensive business. The players’ salaries are the biggest expense and can be a way of judging the strength of a club. While some players will stick with a club out of loyalty, most will sign with the highest bidder. This is where we can see the real gap between MLS and the big European leagues. The highest MLS payroll in 2021 was Inter Miami CF at nearly $18m, with most teams having payrolls closer to $10m. Compare that to the EPL, where the lowest payroll is still £12m and the highest is over £220m. Without serious investment, it’s harder for MLS teams to attract elite talent.
Teams make their money from a variety of sources. Owner investment is a massive source. Ticket sales and merchandise are the most traditional sources of income and can be the most reflective of a club’s popularity. MLS has learned quickly that changing the kit every year or two is a great revenue source. Sponsorship is the third major source of income for a club and a good sponsor can do wonders for a team’s ability to grow and expand.
“Betting on sports is a huge industry and in the EPL especially, many teams have found that sponsorships from sportsbooks are beneficial, being a good source of financial support. Sports betting is still a growing industry in the United States as it is being legalized across the country, but it is proving increasingly worthwhile for teams to consider.”
Youth Academy not retirement home
Currently the MLS is largely seen by European clubs and fans as a place players can go when they’re no longer in their prime but aren’t quite ready to retire. In just the last few years, players who have moved from the top European leagues to MLS include Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and David Beckham. It’s great for American fans because they can see some of Europe’s biggest stars playing for their team.
If the MLS wants to be considered on an equal footing by the European leagues, it will need to change this flow of talent. Having a strong academy system would be essential and would allow young American players to gain experience playing for the big five before returning to the MLS. There are now more American players competing at the top level in Europe than ever before, but a stronger academy system would benefit everyone.
Play more internationally
MLS teams compete in the CONCACAF Champions League and the FIFA World Cup, but that is the extent of their participation in international soccer. Working with other leagues to create something like the Champions League could help MLS to be taken more seriously by European leagues.
Everyone loves an exhibition match as well. It would be great for some of the MLS teams to organize exhibition matches against any of the teams in the big five leagues. It would also give European fans a chance to see that MLS soccer is on the same level as what they’ve come to expect from their local teams. At the very least, negotiating broadcasting rights so that it’s easier for European fans to watch MLS matches would be a good step forward.
