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Major League Soccer (MLS)Professional Soccer League Championships

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation which represents the sport's highest level in the United States and Canada.The league comprises 26 teams. There are 23 teams in the United States and 3 in Canada. They constitute one of the major professional sports leagues in both countries. The league plans to expand to 30 teams.

The regular season starts in late February or early March and goes through mid-October, with each team playing 34 games. The team with the best record is awarded the Supporters' Shield. Fourteen teams compete in the postseason MLS Cup Playoffs through October and November. MLS teams compete against continental rivals in the CONCACAF Champions League.

With an average attendance of over 20,000 per game, MLS has the third highest average attendance of any sports league in the U.S. after the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB), and is the seventh highest attended professional soccer league worldwide.

Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States' successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The first season took place in 1996 with ten teams. MLS has expanded to 26 teams, soccer-specific stadiums have proliferated around the league, average attendance exceeds that of the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA).