MLS Rivalries and Look Back at NASL
Article and new book cover the old NASL
Let’s talk a little bit about American professional men’s soccer rivalries. This weekend we had two of the best rivalries in the sport.
The Los Angeles Football Club held off the L.A. Galaxy, 3-2, on Sunday. It was LAFC’s first-ever win in El Trafico at Dignity Health Sports Park.
The Galaxy played well early but the depth of Black and Gold—the defending MLS champions—prevailed in the end. The Galaxy is reeling. The sit at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with only three points.
LAFC, on the other hand, has 16 points and is only a single point behind surprising leader St. Louis City SC. Additionally, the team has a rematch with the Philadelphia Union in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League.
On Saturday, a more longstanding rivalry game took place in Portland when the Timbers hosted the Seattle Sounders FC. Their derby goes back to the days of the North American Soccer League.
The visitors scored first before the Timers tallied the final four goals for the surprising blowout victory.
Below is an excerpt from chapter two of “Soccer: $tate in the States.” The book is available HERE and also covers the unique Cascadia Cup and other tidbits from the NASL.
As a condition of FIFA awarding the USA the right to host the 1994 World Cup, the USSF had to pledge to establish a Division One professional men’s soccer league. Major League Soccer started in 1996.
No mention of MLS would be complete without discussing the North American Soccer League (NASL) first, which operated from 1968 to 1984. The NASL’s golden years occurred in the mid-1970s when Pelé, regarded as the most famous—if not the best—soccer player, came to play with the iconic New York Cosmos.
Pele’s immense popularity gave the league a much-needed publicity boost. The Cosmos averaged 3,500 fans in 1974 before Pelé arrived. The next year? The team averaged more than 40,000. The Brazilian icon earned $6 million (about $30 million in 2023) in his three years playing in the NASL.
The problem: acquiring high-priced stars from Europe and South America hurt the league’s financial viability. There was only one Pelé, and nobody else had his impact.
Additionally, the development of American soccer players was never a goal of the NASL. The league only required two native-born players on every roster. The U.S. Men’s Soccer Team, not surprisingly, achieved little success on the global or regional stage during the NASL era.
As NASL struggled near its end, however, the league and the USSF pivoted. Team America was conceived as a professional version of the United States Men's National Team. It played as a league franchise during the 1983 season. The strategy: improve the USMNT in preparation for the 1986 World Cup. The team was based in Washington, D.C., and played its home games at RFK Stadium.
After a promising start, Team America finished in last place (10-20 record) and drew only 13,000 fans per game in its one year of existence. The American men also failed to qualify to reach the World Cup.
View a video of Team America here:
The MLS was determined not to recreate the NASL. Instead, the MLS would operate like a viable business.
Unlike the NASL—or most professional sports leagues, for that matter—MLS acts as a single entity. Instead of operating as a mix of independently owned clubs, MLS teams are managed by “investor owners.” This anomaly is unique to MLS since MLB, NBA, NHL, etc., all use a team franchise model.