20 years of MLS: Five hits and five misses
By Edgar Acero
MLS celebrated its 20th anniversary this week with a hint of 90s nostalgia and the pride for what has been achieved.
It all started on Apr. 6, 1996 with a game between the San Jose Clash and D.C. United.
Major League Soccer celebrated its 20th anniversary on Wednesday, which offers a reminder of how far the league has come since that first goal scored by Eric Wynalda at the Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. It was an important tally, as it helped avoid a 0-0 result and an eventual (and now embarrassing) set of shootouts.
A lot has happened since then: from the addition of expansion clubs and the building of soccer-specific stadiums, to Alexi Lalas’ transformation from rocker/soccer player to clean-cut TV analyst.
In 20 years, Major League Soccer has managed to carve a solid spot in the busy American sports landscape. And while they have a long way to go, they have managed to grow exponentially both in terms of the talent on the field and as a business.
The project that started with the likes of Cobi Jones and Carlos Valderrama was later picked up by David Beckham and eventually handed to Kaká and David Villa, so it’s safe to say the future is in good hands. Still, while the successes have outlasted the failures, there have been plenty of both along the way. Here are some of the most notable hits and misses in the 20 years of MLS history.
Next: Hit: Single-entity structure