Major League Soccer concluded its 2021 season this weekend with a thrilling 4-2 win in penalty kicks by New York City FC (for their first title in history).
With the season over, we can start looking at mytopsportsbooks.com for the best futures on the 2022 MLS Season. Of course, before we get there, we should have a look at what to expect next season.
More Expansion
The MLS is continuing its aggressive expansion with Charlotte FC becoming the league’s 28th team in 2022. The addition of Charlotte to the league means Major League Soccer has added at least one franchise every year since 2017.
“Y.P. Lee in Major League Soccer Soccer” by Mafue is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Expansion is good and bad. The bad is simply it thins the talent out across the league as more teams fight over fewer players. However, the money expansion teams are paying ($325 million for Charlotte) is helping the bottom line.
As more teams join (originally 30 by 2023) the more money the league brings in. The more money the league brings in, the easier it is for the league to bring more talented players from around the world. Also, despite the league continually expanding, the average value of an MLS franchise is continuing to rise – with teams worth an average of $550 million in 2021.
Keep an eye out in 2022 for even more potential expansion teams. Cities such as Las Vegas, San Diego, and Detroit have long been rumoured as position locations for an MLS team. Of course, at some point, you reach a maximum number of teams before changing the league to include relegation – and no rich team owner in North America is going to get on board with that.
Higher Attendance
Like just about every sport in North America, Major League Soccer suffered a down year in 2021 in attendance. Average MLS attendance was down from 21,311 (in 2019) to over 15,158 per match in 2021.
Fans should return more in 2022 as they are more comfortable. There are also fewer restrictions in 2022 (as some teams had capacity limits, especially early in the season).Fans returning should help some franchises rebound in 2022. Toronto FC had a notable bad season in 2020 – but should be able to rebuild on the fly and draw fans back into the seats.
Normal Schedule
The 2020 and 2021 MLS Seasons had different schedules than normal. The 2020 season was stopped for months before a welcome back tournament and an abridged season started in July. The 2021 season started in April and ran into December.
“Impact Montréal – Red Bulls New York” by abdallahh is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
The 2022 season plans to start at the end of February with the 2022 MLS Cup Final scheduled for November 5. Returning to a normal schedule is always better for sports – as people associate specific sports and leagues with specific times of the year. The full schedule for the 2022 season is scheduled to be revealed on December 15.
Busy Offseason of Transfers
Along with the normal draft and the expansion draft for Charlotte FC – the 2021-22 offseason should be a busy one for transfer. Early rumours include Sebastian Giovinco returning to Toronto along with interest from Hugo Lloris (Tottenham keeper) finishing his career in the MLS.
It will be interesting to follow the transfer window for the MLS this season. As the league improves, more players and coaches are happy to stay put in the MLS. The increase in salaries is also helping the league keep talent from flocking to Europe and other top soccer destinations.
People will still leave, but not as often. One interesting tidbit that came out this week involved Gerhard Struber. Struber has been hinted at for an assistant coaching job for Manchester United – but recently said he is not leaving the New York Red Bulls. A few years ago, that seemed like a no-brainer.
We will learn much more about the transfer window starting on January 1. For now, it is just speculation – as teams gear up for 2022 and look to build the best roster possible for the future.
