The Rise of Major League Soccer: Building a Global Giant

Discover the strategy behind Major League Soccer’s rapid rise as it aims to compete with global football giants.

Major League Soccer, armed with its massive Apple sponsorship, the imminent arrival of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, the hosting of the COPA America tournament in 2024, and the signing of the game’s GOAT, Lionel Messi, could make MLS one of the world’s biggest leagues and one, within the next five years, capable of keeping credible company with European leagues such as La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and Bundesliga.

In The Rise of Major League Soccer: Building a Global Giant, experienced sports business experts Rick Burton and Norm O’Reilly dig into the slow but sure growth of Major League Soccer in North America and the advent of major European teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, FC Barcelona, Arsenal, Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and others attracting huge fan bases in the United States. For soccer enthusiasts, sports business professionals, and anyone curious about the future of American sports, this book is an essential read that captures MLS’s journey to becoming a global powerhouse.

Rick Burton is the David Falk Distinguished Professor of Sport Management at Syracuse University and the author of numerous books including Business the NHL Way: Lessons from the Fastest Game on Ice (written with Norm O’Reilly).He has also written for the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and SI.com. He lives in Skaneateles, New York.

Norm O’Reilly is Dean of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Maine and a Professor of Sport Management & Marketing in the Maine Business School. He has authored or co-authored 16 books. He is a regular columnist for Sports Business Journal and Sportico. He lives in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.