Throughout the years there has been quite a few opinions on the MLS from many managers and broadcasters around the league. We will take a peek at the MLS as a corporation and contemplate on specific Franchises that formed the basis of the league structure. No matter what your opinion is of the MLS it has been a quite successful in recent times and is continuing to grow each season with different Franchises wanting to join the league. The MLS was created in 1993 as the basis for the following years world cup finals, this was a guarantee that was made to FIFA if the US were given the world cup finals. It was thought that soccer would increase steadily as it has great competition from more established sports in the US market, but this league would present it with a firm foundation of where to start. Every franchise started as a Franchise For Sale prospect across cities in America, substantial amounts of cash was provided by local sponsors and companies to get the Franchises working and to form a Home Based Franchise for each main city.

The very first game got underway in 1996 and the MLS included a mediocre ten Home Based Franchise that were acquired by local sponsors and companies as a Franchise For Sale prospect. The attendances for the games were somewhat adequate and the general forcast looked good. But, at the start, the sport never truly took off and the quality on the field was relatively weak, this joined with the clubs not being competitive with each other slowly put pay to crowd averages. A Home Based Franchise would struggle with the long distance travel and costs that the league managed at the beginning, so the Franchises suffered over time.

After the 2002 world cup where the US squad go to the quarter-final point there was a an improvement in the standing of the game. There was now a brand new head in charge of building the MLS into a major product for the Franchises and under this regime the league started to acquire top talent from around the world.

The footballing quality on the grass still remains below the standard located at a top European league but the amount of talent that is now in the MLS, whether it be for the contracts or lifestyle, is increasing. A Franchise For Sale in Toronto is now obtainable and this improved the leagues fascination to Canada, where soccer is more recognised.

We now take a direct peek at the New England Revolution team and how it has grown in the past few years to become one of the most recognised Franchises in the US.

The New England Revolution takes its name from the north-eastern region of the United States, which is known as New England – Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Preceding franchises from this region have applied the New England name too, like the NFLs New England Patriots. The Revolution name is a testimonial to the American Revolution/War for Independence, which started in this district of the country. The franchise is extensively referred to as “The Revs” by both followers and the area press.

The franchise had little on-field success until the arrival of Liverpool FC legend Steve Nicol as coach. Since he took the helm, the club has been to every Eastern Conference championship game, successful four out of six.

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