This weekend kicked-off the beginning of the 2015 MLS season. Although past seasons of professional football in America have begun with high expectations and growing excitement, no season of Major League Soccer has had such anticipation around its launch as this season. This due in part to a major television contract MLS signed this offseason, an influx of star players from across the globe joining MLS squads and the expansion of the league to twenty teams.
In 2004 Major League Soccer consisted of ten teams and was considered an afterthought in the minds of most Americans. Aside from a few familiar U.S. National Team players, the league was made up of virtual unknowns. This season the league will double its 2004 numbers, touting twenty teams with some of the world’s greats strapping up their boots for MLS clubs. MLS is hoping the world’s most popular sport played by some of the world’s best will draw in record crowds and offer a consistent alternative for Americans to fall in love with football outside of the World Cup.
With the improved performance of the U.S. National Team in major tournaments like the World Cup and the continued expansion of MLS, football has begun to make another push to the forefront of the sporting world in America. The 2015 season will mark the beginning of a new major television contract MLS signed worth north of $700 million over 8 years. Along with expanded coverage in the U.S., the new contract will also push MLS games to major football markets like Brazil and England.
Fortunately for MLS, all the excitement isn’t just hype; with the return of top American players from European clubs and the arrival of topnotch international talent, MLS believes the play on the field will live up to the major expectations of the monster TV contract. Professional football has had similar momentum in America in the past with football greats like Pelè and David Beckham coming over to play professionally in the U.S. but even stars as big as those two couldn’t keep the momentum alive by themselves and the spark of interest eventually faded.
This time the stars who have signed contracts to play in MLS for 2015 have support and should provide enough excitement for professional football to finally grab a foothold in the hearts of Americans and eventually football fans all around the world. The list of internationally renowned players joining MLS squads in 2015 is a huge reason the league is so excited for this season.
The biggest name to commit to MLS for 2015 is Brazilian super-star Kakà. Joining him is former Barcelona star David Villa, Chelsea’s Frank Lampard, and the Italian forward Sebastian Giovinco. But it’s not just international stars that have boosted the interest in MLS for 2015. American stars playing for major clubs all over the world decided to return to their homeland and help build the MLS brand. U.S. National Team captain Clint Dempsey returned last year with star American players like Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore also coming home. The influx of talent might not stop there; major talent like Rafael van der Vaart and Iker Casillas as well as others have expressed serious interest in joining an MLS squad.
This weekend’s matches provided a glimpse of the new and improved MLS. Kakà and David Villa squared off in a battle between two new expansion teams, Orlando City SC and New York City FC, in front of 62,000+ fans with the match ending in a 1-1 draw. American stars Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore both netted two goals in their season debuts. The L.A. Galaxy, favored to win the league by Gambling.com affiliates, blanked a lowly Chicago Fire club 2-0. All in all, the commencement weekend of the 2015 MLS season was a success.
Finally, instead of just one star bearing the load of pushing professional football to the top of American sports, it’s a plethora of international and American stars working together to build the MLS brand and win the hearts of American sporting fans. MLS is hoping the new TV contract and influx of superstars will be enough to push professional football in America over the hump and begin to compete as one of the top sports of interest as well as eventually one of the top football leagues in the world.