You're an MLS Soccer Fan, You Just Don't Know it Yet

"You're a soccer fan; you just don't know it yet". This is the current slogan that ESPN is using for their Thursday night Major League Soccer (MLS) matches. Soccer (or football as it is known to the rest of the world) is the most popular sport on the planet. Soccer is also one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S. as well. Kids in this country have been playing the sport for years. And now, finally, adults here are starting to follow the sport as well. If you are not familiar with MLS Soccer, now is the perfect time to come on board.

MLS began play in 1996 with 10 teams. The league itself struggled the first few years of its existence, but over the course of the last few years has really started to grow in popularity. Just this year, the league added its 13th team with plans to expand up to 16 teams by the 2010 season. Three new television contracts have recently been signed. Now you can regularly watch MLS matches on ESPN/ESPN2, Fox Soccer Channel, Telefutura, and HD Net. Many of the teams also have local broadcasts of their matches.

The MLS season currently runs from April through November. The 13 teams are divided into two conferences. The Eastern Conference is comprised of the New England Revolution, Red Bulls NY, DC United, Toronto FC, Columbus Crew, and the Kansas City Wizards. The Western Conference contains the Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas, Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles Galaxy, and Chivas USA. The top two teams from each conference advance to the playoffs at the end of the year. Along with those teams, four more teams with the next highest point total (from either conference) will also advance to the playoffs. Three points are given to a team for a win. In case of a tie, one point is given to both teams.

One of the biggest changes to happen in MLS history began in 2007. Each team was given a "Designated Player" slot. The Designated Player was designed to try and bring bigger stars to the MLS. Only a portion of a DP player's salary ($400,000) goes against a teams salary cap. This allows owners to compete with some of the other leagues around the world to try and sign the best talent. Some of the players so far that have been signed using this DP slot include Claudio Reyna, Juan Pablo Angel, and Cuauhtemoc Blanco. These signings have created a buzz around soccer fans here in the U.S.

Of course, the biggest news to MLS came this past January when the Los Angeles Galaxy used their DP slot to sign superstar David Beckham. Beckham is perhaps the most famous sports figure in the world right. Beckham leaving Real Madrid this July to come to play in MLS gives the league instant credibility as far as the rest of the world is concerned. To go along with this, Beckham also brings name recognition to the US general public as well. Many people that have never seen an MLS match are buying tickets around the league to get the chance to see Beckham play.

Another sign of growth in the league is the amount of soccer specific stadiums being built. In the early days of the league, most teams played on either NFL or college football fields. While this worked for a period of time, now many teams are moving into their own stadiums. This is a plus for both the teams and the fans. The teams are able to generate more income by playing in their own stadiums, and the fans have a better experience watching matches in stadiums designed for soccer, not American football. Currently seven of the thirteen teams are playing in soccer specific stadiums with two more in the process of being built.

MLS soccer is growing, and it will only continue to grow. Rumor has it that the 14th team will be added next year, with two more teams to be added after that. Soon, a vast majority of the teams will be playing in soccer specific stadiums. And with the addition of the DP slot, the expectation is that more international superstars will be coming to join David Beckham as players in the league. Now is the perfect time to start watching. You're a fan, you just don't know it yet.