Major League Soccer (MLS)
In 1996, Major League Soccer (MLS) was established in the United States and Canada. The league started with just 10 teams: Columbus Crew, D.C. United, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Sporting Kansas City, LA Galaxy, San Jose Earthquakes, and Tampa Bay Mutiny. With growing interest in the league, additional teams were added over time. Currently, there are 29 teams with plans to introduce one additional team, San Diego, FC in 2025.
Among all major U.S. professional sports, MLS has the second largest percentage of foreign-born or immigrant players; the National Hockey League has the largest (71%). During the 2024 MLS season, 56% of athletes were born abroad. MLS is the most diverse U.S. professional sport representing over 80 countries.
During the 2024 season, players from Europe comprised 37% of foreign-born players followed by South America (31%), Africa (12%), North America (10%), Central America and Mexico (5%), Asia (2%), the Caribbean (2%), and Oceania (1%). More specifically, more than one-third (35%) of foreign-born MLS players were born in Canada, Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, or France.
Notable foreign-born MLS players like Carlos Valderrama (1996-2002), David Beckham (2007-2012), Thierry Henry (2010-2014), Robbie Keane (2011-2016), Kaká (2015-2017), David Villa (2015-2018), Didier Drogba (2015-2016), Sebastian Giovinco (2015-2018), Javier “Chicharito” Hernández (2020-present), and most recently, Lionel Messi (2023-present), brought global and international attention to the league.
For a fact sheet on Major League Soccer players during the 2024 season, click on the below link: