Page 71 - Soccer360 Issue 104

THE EVER
expanding
MLS
MARCO D’ONOFRIO DISCUSSES THE CONTINUAL EXPANSION OF MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER, WITH MORE TEAMS STILL TO BE ADDED TO THE ROSTER.
No major sports league in the United States or Canada has expanded quite as rapidly
as Major League Soccer has over the past decade. In 2015, Orlando City SC and New York City FC joined the league to create its 19th and 20th franchises. With 20 teams in place, many had assumed the league was finished expanding but that wasn’t the case
at all. In fact, the league decided to add expansion teams even faster than in the past with the likes of Atlanta United, FC Cincinnati, Charlotte FC, Los Angeles FC, Inter Miami, Nashville SC, Austin FC, Minnesota United and St. Louis City SC all having begun play since the 2015 campaign.
San Diego FC will be the league’s 30th club and will start playing during the 2025 season
- exactly 10 years since New York City FC and Orlando City SC joined the league. That is an average of a new team per season over 10 seasons. Considering San Diego FC paid an expansion fee of $500m to join MLS, it isn’t hard to see why the league and its owners have been so persistent on expansion.
The success of St. Louis this past season also proves there is an appetite for the league in more markets across the country. San Diego FC will play their home games at Snapdragon Stadium, a brand-new facility that was opened in August 2022.
MLS commissioner Don Garber has already stated 32 teams is likely to be what the league will expand to, with cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix interested in franchises. It remains to be seen who will be joining the league after San Diego, but don’t be shocked to see MLS continue to grow over the next few years.
“ST. LOUIS MAY BE ONE OF THE BIGGEST SUCCESS STORIES MLS HAS EVER HAD”
during the regular season, which meant they were tied with the Houston Dynamo for the most home wins in the Western Conference.
Despite all the accomplishments the franchise had in its first season, they still failed to garner much national or international recognition. They may be one of the biggest success stories MLS has ever had, but is anybody paying attention?
Lack of star power is likely the biggest reason why the club hasn’t been able to gain more headlines. Inter Miami was sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference when they announced the acquisition of Lionel Messi, and most people didn’t even realize it. Fans across the country and the globe could not care less where the team was placed in the table. All that mattered was that one of the greatest players of all time was going to be playing for Inter Miami.
Instantly, Inter Miami became the talk of the league and the soccer world as fans across the globe wanted to see what Messi would look like plying his trade in the United States. LeBron James, Tom Brady and even Kim Kardashian were all on hand to watch Messi’s MLS debut. While the stars were showing up in Miami though, St. Louis was quietly
throwing the party of the year. The club took the complete opposite approach with it’s Designated Players than Inter Miami did. They didn’t sign household names that would necessarily make an instant impact selling tickets, but they did acquire players who were in the prime of their career. German midfielder Eduard Löwen and Brazilian forward João Klauss were signed to Designated Player contracts along with Danish midfielder
Isak Jensen who was inked to a deal as a Young Designated Player. While Jensen was eventually loaned out to Danish club Viborg F.F., Löwen and Klauss were fundamental to St. Louis’ success.
“We are excited to add a quality player like
Eduard to our squad,” said sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel in a statement back in June 2022. “The experience he has already acquired at his age will be crucial for our team and he will bring structure and strategy in the centre of our midfield. His physical attributes and leadership qualities are two strong parts to why he fits perfectly in our DNA. Eduard is a box-to-box player and an important piece to the spine of the squad.”
For St. Louis, it wasn’t about signing players that were necessarily familiar faces to their fans. It
Eduard Löwen
also proved to be an all-around player both at home and on the road for St. Louis
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San Diego will be playing in the MLS in 2025