MLS (disambiguation)

MLS is Major League Soccer, the highest level professional soccer league in North America.

MLS may also refer to:

Science and technology

Academic degrees

Schools

Other uses

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league, sanctioned by U.S. Soccer, that represents the sport's highest level in both the United States and Canada. MLS constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues of the United States and Canada. The league is composed of 20 teams—17 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada. The MLS regular season runs from March to October, with each team playing 34 games; the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters' Shield. The post season includes twelve teams competing in the MLS Cup Playoffs through November and December, culminating in the championship game, the MLS Cup. MLS teams also play in other domestic competitions against teams from other divisions in the U.S. Open Cup and in the Canadian Championship. MLS teams also compete against continental rivals in the CONCACAF Champions League.

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 experienced financial and operational struggles in its first few years: The league lost millions of dollars, teams played in mostly empty American football stadiums, and two teams folded in 2002. Since then, MLS has expanded to 20 teams, owners built soccer-specific stadiums, average MLS attendance exceeds that of the National Hockey League (NHL) and National Basketball Association (NBA), MLS secured national TV contracts, and the league is now profitable.

Champions League

Champions League most commonly refers to the UEFA Champions League. It may also refer to:

Association football

Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle Sounders FC is an American professional soccer club based in Seattle, Washington. The Sounders compete in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, as an MLS expansion team, making it the 15th team in the league and the third Seattle soccer club to share the name.

The club's majority owner is Adrian Hanauer, and its minority owners are Joe Roth, Paul Allen and Drew Carey. Two-time MLS Cup winner Sigi Schmid is the club's head coach. The Sounders play their home matches at CenturyLink Field. Along with several organized groups, a 53-member marching band called 'Sound Wave' supports the club at each home match. Seattle competes with rival MLS clubs Portland and Vancouver in the Cascadia Cup.

The Sounders played its inaugural match on March 19, 2009, winning 3–0 over the New York Red Bulls. Seattle has set MLS records for average attendance, led the league in season ticket sales, and qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs in each of its first seven seasons. The Sounders have led MLS attendance since their inaugural season, consistently drawing an average of 50-65% more than the next highest-drawing team in the league, LA Galaxy. The club's announced attendance average was 43,144 in 2012. The team's players have included United States men's national soccer team captain Clint Dempsey, Obafemi Martins, Academy product and current Sunderland player DeAndre Yedlin, striker Fredy Montero, and Osvaldo Alonso.

Portland Timbers

The Portland Timbers are an American professional soccer club based in Portland, Oregon, that competes in the Western Conference of Major League Soccer. The Timbers are the 18th club of Major League Soccer, and the fourth franchise based in Portland to share the legacy of the Timbers name, which originated in the North American Soccer League in 1975.

In the 2013 MLS season, the Timbers finished first in the Western Conference, clinching both their first-ever playoff appearance and CONCACAF Champions League berth. In the 2015 playoffs, Portland won the Western Conference final and advanced to MLS Cup 2015, where they defeated Columbus Crew SC 2–1, winning their first MLS Cup trophy.

History

The announcement of the Timbers' entry into MLS was the culmination of a nearly two-year-long process for Merritt Paulson, dating back at least to May 2007, when Paulson led a group that bought the Portland Beavers and the USL Timbers. The group included former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Meritt Paulson's father. The biggest issue for the city of Portland was that due to league concerns about seating configuration, field surface and scheduling, obtaining an MLS club would require a new stadium.