Premier League is considered to be one of the most competitive leagues in the world, while Major League Soccer, and MLS have emerged to gain some interest. How do these leagues compare?
Major League Soccer Stats
Major League Soccer began to play in 1996.
The League’s first championship was won by DC United.
Los Angeles Galaxy has won more MLS Championship than any other club.
While MLS has not gained as much popularity as English Premier League, the growing popularity of MLS has lead to the involvement of some international stars like David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Hristo Stoichkov.
The first team to be founded in MLS was Columbus Crew, back in 1994, two years before the league started officially.
MLS vs Premier League
| Stats | MLS | EPL | |
| Founded | 1996 | 1992 | |
| Total teams | 28 | 20 | |
| Most Champions | LA Galaxy (5) | Manchester City (6) | |
| Highest Paid Salary | 8M USD (Xherdan Shaqiri) | 30M USD (Cristiano Ronadlo) | |
| Average Viewership pr Game in US | 334,000 | 2.2 M | |
| Average Attendance | 20,151 | 38,484 | |
| Goals Per Game | 3.64 | 2.65 | |
| Highest Scorer | Chris Wondolowski (171) | Alan Shearer (260) |
Although Premier League was founded as FA Premier League in 1992, the history of the league goes way back. It was called Division one English which dates back to 1886.
When it comes to popularity, English Premier League no doubt has high ranks in comparison to MLS. It is considered to be one of the most popular Football Leagues in the world. While MLS has been growing in terms of popularity, the reason for this comparison is to get an understanding of where MLS lies.
MLS has been great in terms of advertising its presence, as they tend to attract more viewers by acquiring big names in the League. The likes of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernández, David Beckham, and now Gareth Bale have attracted some audience from world football.
When it comes to compensation to the players, EPL has been way higher, with its highest-paid player Cristiano Ronaldo making almost 4 times what Shaqiri makes in MLS.
