MLS excited at changing perception of 'b*****dised version of beautiful game'

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MLS chiefs are rubbing their hands together at the prospect of a second soccer boom following the World Cup.

Major League Soccer was given its first burst of life after the 1994 competition but now, in the wake of the David Beckham and Lionel Messi effect, one club's bigwig believes 2026 can help take the MLS into a new stratosphere.

Larry Freedman built LAFC - the disruptors to Galaxy's dominance in Los Angeles - based on community and accessibility. But with big-name influence and global eyes on the United States , he reckons the league is set to go to another level.

For years, the American league has battled to be taken seriously by the European elite, but Freedman is preparing for significant growth after the sport is showcased in the US.

"You can look at the World Cup in 1994 and following that, if you wanted to consume the game in the States, your options were limited. Right now, if I want to watch the Premier League , the Bundesliga, La Liga , whatever, I can," says Freedman.

"The competitive landscape for people's limited free time is much more significant, but I think the difference now and why we think there will be a meaningful uptick in people giving us a try is that they will like what they see. They will have a tournament where players from our league are playing, and we are shining a light on the teams in our league.

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"And these people are at the very tip-top. The captain of the reigning World Cup champions plays in our league. The captain of the South Korean national team plays in our league. There are all these players in our league who will be representing the host nations Canada , Mexico and the United States.

"It's just an incredible opportunity for people to realise that whoever catches their eye, they can go, 'wait a minute, that's actually down the street'."

Freedman knows that the MLS has had to fight off what he believes to be an 'unfair impression' of being an graveyard for soon-to-be retired stars.

But he insists that modern marquee signings have already started to shift the narrative, laying the groundwork for the upcoming boom.

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He says: "You get a reputation and it's hard to shake. The reputation is a retirement league and an overly-physical, Americanised, b*stardised version of the beautiful game. But it's not the case.

"When you get a Gareth Bale turning up and his primary motivation is to get himself ready for the 2022 World Cup, from a playing perspective he is nowhere near his retirement. His body was telling him a different story."

The MLS will have a record 44 active players at the World Cup this summer, with 103 of them having experienced the league at some point in their careers.

Freedman hopes local broadcasters will tell the world just how much local talent is being showcased in the world's biggest competition.

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MLS chiefs are already looking to proactively capitalise. They have strategically scheduled some of their fixtures for the non-World Cup matchdays throughout the tournament, hoping that they can pick up a new audience.

One of those games is El Traffico, LAFC visiting LA Galaxy.

"We're fortunate that we're going to be able to take advantage of that moment," Freedman says. "People will have been watching six games a day, then we'll feel like there's not enough because they're not playing every day anymore.

"We will fill that void with a couple of premier matchups in our league.

"We have a good partner in the US with Fox, working with us in our local market to make sure they tell the stories about players from our clubs at the World Cup.