In March 2009, Major League Soccer (MLS) Commissioner Don Garber announced the addition of two new expansion teams to the MLS soccer program. Vancouver, Canada and Portland, Oregon were the latest additions. The expansion of MLS into the Northwest was met with both excitement and dismay. While seven cities competed for the two 2010 expansion slots, the decision fell to two teams from the same region, PAC-NW. Some critics felt that the addition of both teams in the western division creates an unfair advantage for the western division with 10 teams on its roster vs. all 8 in the East division. Others feel that the addition of these two teams is a way to create rivals, thus increasing the competition and the fan base. Both expansion teams would have rivals with Seattle and Toronto already in the league. Regardless of the supporters and critics of the expansion, it is clear that MLS is going ahead with the expansion.
Major League Soccer, the top level soccer in the US and Canada, was established in 1993 with ten teams. The United States had hopes of hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup, but one requirement was missing: a top-flight professional league. Since the collapse of the North American Soccer League in 1985 due to excessive expansion and lack of revenue, the US has been without a professional league. The initial ten MLS teams were chosen carefully and in cities believed to already have a strong soccer market based on minor league soccer rosters, support from secondary and post-secondary soccer institutions, and sales of equipment and football teams. MLS’s goal was for the ten teams to create a strong core for the league with the ten teams serving as the backbone of the league. Expansion to other cities could be considered after the starting ten teams had a chance to build strong foundations for MLS. The teams chosen included the Columbus Crew, DC United, NY/NJ Metro Stars, Tampa Bay Mutiny, New England Revolution, Colorado Rapids, Dallas Burn, Kansas City Wiz, Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Clash. Using the stadiums of American football leagues, the league officially began play in April 1996.
In 1998, MLS expanded from ten teams to twelve, adding the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion to the league. After what seemed like a great start to the league, MLS experienced issues with fan base, revenue, and poor attendance. The small number of owners of the twelve teams was also considered to prevent further expansion. The league responded by replacing MLS commissioner Doug Logan with Don Garber. Garber arrived after 16 successful years with the NFL. His first concern was that MLS needed stadiums of its own. In 1998 none of the football clubs had their own stadiums. He put an emphasis on building soccer-specific stadiums (SSS) for existing and future teams. In fact, the ability to create an SSS became a requirement for any team considering expansion in the years to come. Within ten years, nearly every MLS team had a stadium of their own with additional stadiums in the works.
Unfortunately, the financial strain on some of the clubs was too great and in 2002 both Florida teams, the Miami Fusion and the Tampa Bay Mutiny withdrew from MLS, taking MLS from twelve teams to ten. In 2002, the US national team surprised fans with their successful performance at the 2002 World Cup. They reached the quarterfinals and played well against soccer giants from around the world. This sparked a renewed interest in soccer nationally, and MLS saw an increase in match attendance. Cities began to show interest in hosting their own MLS teams and MLS began its expansion goal once again.
In 2004, the team announced the addition of two new teams for the 2005 season. Los Angeles became the first city to host two teams with the addition of Chivas USA. This team hoped to gain the support of the Hispanic community and had close ties to the Mexican soccer club in Guadalajara, Club Deportivo Guadalajara. The addition of Chivas USA also introduced the first inter-city rivalry, allowing for a local derby held at the Home Depot Center between the LA Galaxy and Chivas USA. The support for the local derby was phenomenal and MLS found a gold mine in the rival game. The Salt Lake Real was the second expansion team added for the 2005 season. The Real was owned by Dave Checketts, a sports entrepreneur who had helped the Utah Jazz and New York Knicks make a name for themselves in the NBA. He was also president of Madison Square Gardens.
In 2005, the San Jose Earthquakes were discontinued for lack of an SSS. MLS relocated them to Houston, Texas, where they became the Houston Dynamo. The franchise adamantly declared its determination to return to San Jose and did so in 2008. The Houston Dynamo disbanded after the 2006 season and the San Jose Earthquakes reformed in 2007 and played through the 2008 season.
In 2007, MLS expanded into Canada with Toronto FC. Initially it was feared that UEFA, the governing board of European football, could block this jump across national borders. UEFA had no objection and Toronto FC became the first Canadian team in MLS. The expansion continued and in 2009 the Seattle Sounders were added and in 2010 the Philadelphia Union.
With the addition of the new 2011 teams, MLS will have eighteen teams. They have also announced their long-term goal of having 20 teams by 2012. Atlanta, Birmingham, Detroit, Miami, Montreal, New York, Ottawa and St Louis are teams hoping for one of two spots in the 2012 expansion. St Louis, Ottawa and Montreal are the most likely contenders for slots; however, St Louis has raised some concerns about financial backing. New York is also a close competitor, looking and waiting for one of the spaces. Some feel that adding two new teams so close to the 2011 expansion may be bad for MLS, adding a financial burden to the league. MLS star player David Beckham, as part of his contract with MLS, would have the option to own the 20th team.
Regardless of expansion wars and bidding, it’s clear that MLS has found a home in the United States and a fan base to match its enthusiastic goal.
