Major League Soccer launched on April 6, 1996. The league began with 10 teams, born from the commitment made when the US hosted the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
MLS launched with modest expectations and salaries, but has grown into one of the most valuable soccer leagues in the world. The formation fulfilled a promise to FIFA as part of the US World Cup bid, ending a 12-year absence of top-flight professional soccer after the NASL folded in 1984.