MLS: How has the league changed in its first 25 years?

Major League Soccer is celebrating its 25th year. But throughout that time, the league has meandered through different eras, elements, trials and triumphs. Here is the story of change in MLS.

The opening weekend of Major League Soccer’s 25th Anniversary season offered no shortage of exciting on-the-field moments. From Portland goalkeeper Steve Clark’s Flash-inspired fingertip save to Carlos Vela’s borderline perverse floating dream-goal against Inter Miami, the league has proven that it can offer a consistent, respectable, and exciting product on the pitch.

The quality of play has improved exponentially over the past 25 years, which has been integral to the league’s growth. As someone who attended matches throughout MLS’ inaugural season, I can attest to this assertion. But just as important as the improvements made on the field are the strides made off the field in the past two and a half decades.

For starters, periodic rule changes have brought the league more in-line with the rest of the civilized footballing world. Gone is the embarrassing ‘charge of the light brigade’ penalty format; an ill-advised attempt by the league elders to ‘Americanize’ the game. On a macro scale, though, the most impactful rule change has been the incorporation of the Designated Player rule.

Sometimes called ‘The Beckham Rule’, this 2007 policy change allows teams to add three players above the previously talent-stifling salary cap. Squads with more cash led to players with more cachet. This change also improved the league’s global name recognition and visibility, which also happened to be an important ingredient for long-term growth.

While changes in league policy have been an important part of MLS’ maturation, changes in the league’s venue priorities have resulted in the most demonstrable benefit for fans; from the casual Saturday afternoon soccer-parent to the crazy-eyed flare-wielding futbol freak. Soccer-specific stadiums became a major focus for the league back in the late 1990s. They have been the biggest boon to the gameday experience of any changes since.

Columbus Crew Stadium opened as the league’s first soccer-specific stadium in 1999. With a capacity of approximately 20,000, the stadium offered fans a more traditional gameday experience. Until then, most MLS teams played in NFL or college football stadiums. With capacities of 60,000 or more, these cavernous behemoths looked empty, even when the games were lucky enough to reach an attendance as high as 20,000, which wasn’t often.

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Most of the league’s teams have since followed suit, building and operating their own soccer-specific stadiums. This has allowed them to control not just a portion of the revenue coming in from gamedays, but also revenue from outside events at the venues, as well as unfettered control over gameday operations.

What’s more, even the few teams that still play in large American football stadiums have an improved experience over those who did so at the league’s inception. Because of the steady growth of the league over the past 25 years, bolstered by the construction of soccer-specific stadiums, attendance has grown by leaps and bounds. While the average attendance five years in (2000) hovered around 13,000, the average attendance of MLS games last season was over 21,000. Increased attendance leads to a better gameday experience and an improved overall perception of the league from both inside, and outside, of the American soccer realm.

Finally, MLS’ academy system is an important part of the league’s growth and stability that simply didn’t exist in the first few years of play. During MLS’ first decade, college soccer was the biggest pipeline for young players to enter the American professional ranks. That meant that players usually spent four years beyond high school playing in the college environment. Although it is not the worst precursor to a professional career, it is also not the same as a proper academy. MLS now boasts academies at every club, which have gone much further to develop talent than anything could have at the start of the league.

When this experiment began in 1995, nobody knew where it might lead. Most figured it would eventually go the way of the NASL and so many other defunct soccer leagues in the U.S. Thankfully, those people were wrong. 25 years on, Major League Soccer is thriving. We now live in a soccer universe where rapid expansion, record attendance, and world-renowned superstars like David Beckham and Thierry Henry working in off-the-field roles are to be expected. If this is how far Major League Soccer has come in just 25 short years, there is no limit to what the next 25 may hold.