MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in the United States and Canada that has been in operation since 1996. It is the highest level of professional soccer in the United States and is comprised of 29 teams since the 2023 season, 26 in the United States and 3 in Canada.
MLS is organized into two conferences, the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference , and each team plays 34 regular season games.
The MLS season runs from March to November, with the playoffs beginning in October and the MLS Cup (the league's championship game) taking place in November.
MLS teams can sign players from all over the world, and the league has a salary cap in place to ensure parity among teams.
The MLS has a player development system in place that includes the MLS SuperDraft, in which teams can select college players, and the MLS academy system, which allows teams to develop young players from their own academy teams.
MLS has a strong rivalry with Liga MX, the top professional soccer league in Mexico, and the two leagues compete in the annual Campeones Cup and Leagues Cup.
MLS has a partnership with the United Soccer League (USL), a professional soccer league in the United States, and teams can loan players back and forth between the two leagues.