Do any Americans seriously believe that MLS, their football league, is on a par with European football?

[Julie07]

[AviatorTom]

European football has been around for over 100 years while American football (prefer to call it soccer to avoid confusion with American football) has really only been in popular existence since the 1960s.

American football/soccer is popular though. A record 70 thousand people filled a stadium in Atlanta to watch a soccer game, and the US (along with Mexico and Canada) will host the World Cup in 2026.

European stars like David Beckham and Lionel Messi have moved from Europe to play in the US. And lets not forget that Pele (considered by many to be the GOAT) played in the US's first major soccer league, the NASL, in the 1960s.

Is the US on par with European football/soccer? Probably not. But even Europe has wide differences between the strongest and weakest clubs. Any comparison is difficult, if not impossible, to make.

[Julie07]

You forgot to mention that all these great players came to the USA at the end of their careers, not at their peak.

And in Europe, we have 5 major championships. MLS corresponds roughly to a good level of the second division, or the end of the table of the first division.

[OneViewpoint]

Nah, probably not. But in Europe and most of the rest of the world "football" is probably the major pro sport. So those teams and leagues are getting all the top athletes.

In the US there are 4 major league pro sports

• The NFL - American football
• The NBA - Basketball
• The MLB - Baseball
• The NHL - Hockey

And then you have secondary sports

• MLS - European football
• Minor league baseball

So the pool of top athletes are spread over more potential opportunities in more pro sports leagues. And frankly, US soccer is not getting our top athletes. Those guys are getting tons more money in Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey. Soccer/Football is a distant 4th competitor for talent in the US. It's just a fact of life.

[Anonymous]

No i don't believe so. MLS is not even comparable to 2nd or 3rd league divisions in Europe. All the best players play in Europe. MLS is where the best pro footballers go to end their careers.

Thats not me mocking MLS. To be honest no country does sport as well as America.

[whereismyjohnny]

Only those who don’t know football can think that…

[AI Opinion]

The MLS has certainly grown in popularity and quality over the years, attracting international stars and improving its standards. However, it's generally recognized that European leagues like the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A are still ahead in terms of competition level and global reputation. While the MLS continues to develop and gain respect, it doesn't yet match the prestige and depth of talent found in Europe's top leagues. ⚽

[Iron_Man]

MLS is a United States soccer league Leo Messi plays in it in Miami. Our football 🏈 league is the NFL it stands for national football league it’s American tackle football. Please don’t confuse the two different leagues They are different sports. One is Soccer ⚽️ And the other one is NFL Football 🏈

[Julie07]

This American soccer name is an aberration. But that's why I specified mls.

[Iron_Man]

we have some very good teams. Would you care to have a friendly competition?

[Iron_Man]

MLS..

[Iron_Man]

MLS stands for Major league soccer

[Julie07]

The mls has the level of a very good European second division or bottom of the table European first division.

[Iron_Man]

Well in the World Cup, we tied England back to back World Cups. We are getting better but not good enough like the woman in the USA, World Cup champions

[Iron_Man]

@SotiCoto that’s not true at all. We use them as weapons to hit harder we drive our shoulder pads into the person‘s ribs for the tackle, and we spear that person with the head of our helmet. You don’t know what you’re talking about because you never played the game I’m sure you’ve got to be kidding me comparing American tackle football 🏈 yo baseball. give me a break stop being a hater.

[Iron_Man]

@SotiCoto your a troll its simple you’re wasting my time

[Iron_Man]

@SotiCoto go Go away last warning you’re just a troll. You have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re not an athlete like I am.

[LiamJHayden]

Likely very few. soccer/football is just not very popular, comparatively speaking, here.

I think part of it has to do with American mentality. Sports like soccer/football and hockey can be exciting, but not one play can turn defeat into instant victory exciting like NFL or NBA.

[SotiCoto]

They don't care for footie because they aren't any good at it.
They can't even play rugby properly.
That is why they made a variant of rugby where everyone is wearing armour so they don't get hurt. Poor babies.

[jahaims]

Look up how much faster and harder nfl players hit lol

[SotiCoto]

@jahaims : That would be a complete waste of my time, so no.

[MrOracle]

Most Americans aren't even aware that there is a professional soccer league, so, no. It's a niche sport here.

[abc3643]

No, they don't. Which is one reason why European and Latin American soccer is broadcast in the USA.

[WhitneySnow]

Americans (most of them) don’t care about MLS. They care about the NFL (American football).

[Paige90]

It's not on par... it's better than European football! A lot better!

[Pohjolan]

The best USA has done in the world cup was third place.

[Paige90]

@Pohjolan I don't really follow soccer as it's extremely boring. I much prefer American Football

[nl171]

I’m American and I don’t believe it’s even close 😂😂

[Julie07]

Thanks you

[nl171]

Where are you from?

[Julie07]

France

[nl171]

Cool. I’ve been to France and I love it there

[Julie07]

Haha , thanks you

[nl171]

Dm me? I’d love to chat with you about France 🇫🇷

[Anonymous]

They are no match for any of the European clubs (German, French, English, Spanish, Italian etc).

[Julie07]

The joke 😂

[Opinion Owner]

Yes, they are a joke 🤣

[Wise4myage]

I;m guessing some people do, but I am certainly not one of them.

[Stevepro68]

Can't say it's ever mattered to me. But No.

[avery58]

I never heard any American say this?

[slatyb]

Financially? I would say that yes, it is.

[BarryLiverstone]

Nope, we mostly watch the better football: nfl

[jahaims]

99.99% of Americans do not care about soccer

[dustybiker2]

They do. lol

[Julie07]

Crazy lol

[Makeushiver]

Hardly

[exitseven]

I doubt it.