American soccer at a crossroad: MLS’s struggle between the exigencies of traditional American sports culture and the expectations of the global soccer community

With the formation of Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996 the United States joined the soccer world by featuring a profession league on the very top of its soccer pyramid. However, over the past 25 years, MLS has encountered two formidable obstacle in its navigating treacherous waters. On the one side it faced the Scylla of the Big Four North American sports leagues that have created a sports culture that MLS entered but could not fully embrace; and on the other side MLS encountered the Charybdis of the global soccer world’s very own culture which MLS had to address and accord special attention. The paper highlights the tension that MLS has faced throughout its existence.