MLS Year 30: A league at a philosophical crossroads as World Cups loom
America’s top circuit has grown and thrived thanks to mechanisms it now no longer needs
Ever since its foundation in 1996, Major League Soccer has faced questions about its place within the world of American sports and global soccer. What is the relationship between MLS and the top football leagues of Europe? Is it a retirement league for aging superstars, a development league for those on their way to bigger things, or a home for the lateral career move, a kind of footballing purgatory? Where should it sit in the American sporting calendar, and what should be the competition’s relationship to the surrounding culture: is MLS an American sporting league whose sport happens to be soccer, or a soccer league that happens to take place in America?
There are questions of direction as well. What is the correct tempo for the competition’s growth, and what kind of league should expansion aim to create? Is this a league that wants to compete with the best of the best, or simply seeks to serve a gap in the domestic market? Aspirationally, is MLS a “world league” in the mold of the Premier League, a league that serves as a center of gravity for playing talent throughout the western hemisphere, or something more modest?
Continue reading...Topics
-
10 questions for the 2025 MLS season: Will Lionel Messi, Inter Miami win MLS Cup after early exit in 2024?
The 2025 MLS season begins on Saturday, and here are 10 questions as the season gets underwayCBS Sports - 1d -
Jenni Hermoso to appeal against World Cup kiss case verdict
Luis Rubiales was found guilty of kissing player Jenni Hermoso without her consent and fined €10,800.BBC News - 17h -
Ranking top contenders for MLS Cup: Lionel Messi and Inter Miami lead the way, Seattle Sounders a threat
Can the Los Angeles Galaxy repeat after returning to the summit last season?CBS Sports - 1d -
Ex-Spain soccer boss Rubiales guilty of sexual assault and fined for World Cup kiss
Former Spanish soccer boss Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexually assaulting player Jenni Hermoso for kissing her after the 2023 Women’s World Cup finalABC News - 1d -
Chess: Carlsen wins again as he qualifies for the $1.5m Saudi Esports World Cup
The Norwegian world No 1 is in pole position at the Chessable Masters despite endgame lapses. Magnus Carlsen’s dominance of online chess has continued this week as the world No 1 is in pole ...The Guardian - 20h -
MLS award predictions: Can Lionel Messi win MVP with Inter Miami, and Gregg Berhalter's coach of the year case
Plus which L.A. star will lead the league in scoring, and what high-profile signing is set to flopCBS Sports - 8h -
Germany at a crossroads: the reprise of the far right – photo essay
Germany is experiencing a political shift that is alarming many citizens. The photographer Fabian Ritter has spent years documenting the rise of the far-right AfD party and more extreme groups. ...The Guardian - 10h -
Adidas Promo Codes & Deals: 30% Off
Enjoy 30% off new full-price and sale styles, 15% off when you sign up to be an adiClub member, and more with our Adidas coupons.Wired - 1d -
The New York Giants are at a crossroads: Is it time to draft a quarterback? | Football 301
With the Giants holding the third pick in the draft, the chatter around possibly selecting a new quarterback grows louder. But should they trade down?Yahoo Sports - 6h
More from The Guardian
-
Trump fires Black joint chiefs chair Hegseth accused of promoting diversity
US secretary of defense had questioned whether history-making air force general CQ Brown Jr got job because of race. Donald Trump abruptly fired the air force general CQ Brown Jr as chair of the ...The Guardian - 1h -
US envoy to Ukraine hails Zelenskyy as ‘embattled and courageous leader’
Keith Kellogg takes different tone from Trump, who contrasted ‘very good talks’ with Putin with cooler relationship with Ukraine’s leader. The US envoy to Ukraine, Gen Keith Kellogg, has praised ...The Guardian - 3h -
Man stabbed at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial days before crucial election
German police have arrested a suspect after attack on Spanish tourist and say they have not yet found a motive. German police have arrested a man suspected in a stabbing attack at Berlin’s ...The Guardian - 8h -
Brazilian city in Amazon declares emergency after huge sinkholes appear
In Buriticupu, about 1,200 people risk losing their homes, and residents have seen the problem escalate in 30 years. Authorities in a city in the Brazilian Amazon have declared a state of ...The Guardian - 6h -
Israel-Hamas swap to go ahead despite claim child hostages were killed with ‘bare hands’
Ceasefire deal still on track amid uproar over fate of two Israeli boys and false return of their mother’s body. Israelis and Palestinians are bracing for another tense exchange of hostages, ...The Guardian - 11h
More in World
-
2/21: CBS Evening News
IRS employee among those fired by Trump during tax season speaks out; Couple takes in Senegalese high school basketball player left homeless by private school closureCBS News - 1h -
Trump fires Black joint chiefs chair Hegseth accused of promoting diversity
US secretary of defense had questioned whether history-making air force general CQ Brown Jr got job because of race. Donald Trump abruptly fired the air force general CQ Brown Jr as chair of the ...The Guardian - 1h -
Berlin Stabbing Attack at Holocaust Memorial Injures One
The police said they had detained a suspect in the assault, which occurred among the labyrinth of concrete slabs at one of the German capital’s most sacrosanct sites.The New York Times - 1h -
On $15 a month, Venezuela's teachers live hand to mouth
Yahoo News - 2h -
Students stage ‘Dark Indonesia’ protests as Prabowo’s cuts hit education
Young adults say lack of jobs is driving them overseas as president prioritises free school meals programmeFinancial Times - 2h
