Twenty-one years into the league, and Major League Soccer is still one of the most interesting professional leagues in the world. With it tipping the scales on the weird chart, many first year and foreign coaches often find it increasingly hard to navigate. This trend is not reserved for coaches alone as many fans also find themselves wondering, ‘how does this work?’
Behind the closed doors, the smoke and mirrors, MLS is primarily a single-entity business. That means that while each club has its distinct identity, they are all owned by the MLS. Think of it as one big corporate conglomerate and each club as a subsidiary through owner-operator contracts.