SportBusiness.com

Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and was founded in 1996, after the country hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup.

MLS kicked off its 14th campaign on March 19, 2009 with the League’s 15th and newest team Seattle Sounders FC making their debut. The new club in Seattle has been a resounding success, averaging nearly 31,000 fans per match.

MLS continues to grow as the Philadelphia Union will begin play in 2010 and teams in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and Portland, Oregon will become the 17th and 18th clubs in 2011