MLS has made it to season No. 20. There were times when it seemed less than assured -- most notably back in 2001 when they lopped off a couple teams -- but here we are, with the league growing at a rather rapid pace.
It's the first year of a TV contract that pays the league $90 million annually and there are two new teams -- Orlando City SC and New York City FC -- giving the league a presence in the country's largest city as well as in the South, which had been abandoned ever since the infamous contraction. The league rid itself of the eyesore that was Chivas USA and even moved out of the craptastic Buck Shaw Stadium (the San Jose Earthquakes have a glistening new park ready for First Kick). Even the playoffs got bigger, and they'll now admit six teams from each conference.
It took a long time for the owners and players to finalize a Collective Bargaining Agreement, but that didn't slow teams' spending much. United States World Cup veterans Jozy Altidore and Mix Diskerud have joined the domestic circuit, and they aren't even close to the biggest names to sign up. Brazil's Kaka is wowing the folks in Orlando and David Villa will provide some big-name draw to NYCFC, while England legends Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard will be coming aboard this summer. Ghana's David Accam and Italy's Sebastian Giovinco are both international talents on the right side of 30, providing at least some evidence that MLS is more than a chance for a final paycheck.
Add it all up and you have a league that's just poised to break out.
OK, that's relative.
MLS is not going to overtake the NFL or Major League Baseball, and while it may be averaging more fans per game than the NBA or NHL, it's still fighting for a place on SportsCenter. And, sure, MLS may still only be the third most popular soccer league in North America -- it's still trailing Liga MX and the Premier League -- but MLS is finally figuring out what it is and how it fits into the sports landscape.
There are no more major concerns over viability or relevance. MLS is here to stay and it's only getting bigger and better. The pace may not be what everyone wants, but Year 20 promises to be the best in league history.
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
The league has no blatantly obvious dogs, with every team putting out a roster that makes them at least appear to be trying -- even if we don't entirely understand what the Montreal Impact are doing. After years as the obviously inferior conference, the East now looks ready to rise. Toronto FC has again dumped millions in rehabbing their roster, the New England Revolution only seem to have improved on the squad that made the MLS Cup final and the Columbus Crew have a high-octane offense that looks ready to take off. Even the expansion teams look capable of making a run.
Over in the West, the Seattle Sounders might not have gotten much better, but also don't seem to be much worse off from the team that won the Supporters' Shield a year ago. They'll surely be challenged by a young FC Dallas team that looks ready to take the next step as well as a LA Galaxy team that may start slow but always seems to find a way to finish strong.
But what really makes MLS so much fun is that you really don't know how it's going to turn out (of course, that's also something that drives some people absolutely bonkers). Some team we've written off will make a glorious charge up the standings and another will surely look like a MLS Cup contender at some point. This is a league perfectly suited for fans who don't tolerate years of rebuilding or a permanent place in the pecking order. That's one thing that really hasn't changed in 20 years.
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