MLS's 20th season is set to be one of the most competitive and exciting campaigns in league history because almost any team could feasibly contend for a playoff spot in 2015.

There are two new teams with a few international stars, plus several clubs bulked up this winter and are ready to qualify for the playoffs.

Once the season is underway, there promises to be a lot of surprises because MLS is so unpredictable.

Here are five bold predictions for the 2015 season.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

There will be no strike in Major League Soccer. While negotiations went down to the final hours before this weekend's season-opening matches, the MLS and MLS Players Union have struck a deal to get the ball rolling on Friday.

Continue for updates.

Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated reported Foose's thoughts on how the new CBA came to be:

“That’s the groundbreaking part of this deal for us and that’s what will ultimately lead to really substantial and real positive change for this league. That, despite the fact that what we heard consistently through the process was that [free agency] would never happen."

“That’s a very, very good start for us. And we did in 12 years. That’s something I don’t want to be lost on anyone. We’re 12 years into this union and we’ve been able to introduce some free agency… none of the other major leagues has ever done it anywhere near that quickly in North America.”

“From the most basic perspective, it’s about player choice. But the impact of this that won’t be seen or reported on is, number one, the deals that are going to get done between the players and their current clubs are going to change because those players have the ability to leave at the end of their contract. Number two, it’s no longer going to be a viable strategy for a team in this league to have its players feel as through they’re not being treated fairly. If they do that, it’s going to have an impact on the club. Frankly those things will have a more substantial affect on this league, by far, then counting the number of players who actually change teams.”

ESPN's Jeff Carlisle reported that a $3.49 salary cap plus allocations could push the total cap over $3.7 million in 2015.

ESPN's Darren Rovell reported that at least one MLS player is unhappy with the new CBA, saying "I'm very disappointed...We caved & didn't stand up for ourselves." 

MLSsoccer.com posted an official statement from MLS commissioner Don Garber on Wednesday, confirming any problems have been settled:

We are pleased to finalize the framework for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with our players. We now enter our 20th season with enormous momentum with our new television partnerships, dynamic star players from the US, Canada and abroad, and two new expansion teams in New York City and Orlando that will debut in front of more than 60,000 fans on Sunday in the Citrus Bowl.

This agreement will provide a platform for our players, ownership and management to work together to help build Major League Soccer into one of the great soccer leagues in the world.

Julie Stewart-Binks of Fox Sports previously tweeted details on the changes to free agency, which are likely to be ushered in with the deal: 

MLS had been involved in protracted negotiations with its players on a new collective bargaining agreement. Citing increased revenues across the sport and the influx of high-priced talent from outside the MLS world, players pushed for an increase in salary and more freedom of movement between teams when a contract expires.

Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC reported earlier on Wednesday that the MLS made a new offer to players featuring some of their desired concessions.

No word has been given on the specifics of the offer, but Carlisle reported the deal did include some sort of free agency for players. Unlike the other four major sports, MLS did not provide free agency to its players at the end of their contract. Their rights were retained within the league.

The offer to include free agency was said to be highly restricted to veteran players, most of whom would be past their prime by the time they had a chance to hit the open market. It's unclear if the formal agreement includes the owners' free-agency proposal or some compromise the two sides agreed to in meetings.

Regardless, the consummation of a deal is great news for a league that could have ill-afforded a work stoppage.

MLS has worked in recent years to become a more legitimate force on the international market, poaching high-profile stars from the English Premier League and Spain's La Liga—albeit largely at the end of their careers. MLS teams have also worked hard at procuring homegrown talent, most notably Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley.

A stoppage threatened to undo all the work done in recent years. Instead, barring a change, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chicago Fire will take the pitch Friday night as scheduled. That's a good thing for owners and players alike.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

The 2015 Major League Soccer season is scheduled to begin March 6, when the Los Angeles Galaxy host the Chicago Fire at the StubHub Center. 

The league's 20th season will see a ton of change, as a bevy of new international signings will enter MLS alongside some of the best American talent that has played abroad over the last few years. 

Two expansion sides, New York City FC and Orlando City SC, will also enter the 20-team league in 2015. Both clubs have spent a decent chunk of change luring big-name players to their respective cities. 

To get you prepared for the start of the new MLS season, we decided to rank the 50 best players the league has to offer in 2015. 

Here's a look at the star-studded MLS Top 50.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

Who says Americans don't care about "soccer"?

Orlando City make their MLS debut on Sunday against fellow new franchise New York City FC at the Florida Citrus Bowl, and all 60,000 tickets for the game have been snapped up. 

The club also has fewer than 1,000 season tickets remaining after capping the number on sale at 14,000. 

No doubt interest in the team has been helped by the marquee signing of Brazilian superstar Kaka, who is the highest-paid player in MLS history. 

Orlando City club president and founder Phil Rawlins said in a statement:

Today we demonstrate how Orlando City and the City Beautiful continue to defy expectations.

We're humbled by the response of our supporters, partners and community. Today we also kick off an exuberant celebration leading into our historic home opener and inaugural season. The excitement is palpable throughout the city and we're thrilled to see all our hard work come to fruition. Come March 8th, we will turn the broadcast purple and show the nation why we are the 'Soccer Capital of the South.' 

[Fox Sports]

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

Not every club goes to the trouble of replying to all the messages they get on social media—and not all of them have a good comeback when someone tries to troll them. So, well done to the LA Galaxy.

The MLS Cup holders responded when an Everton fan asked for a birthday shout-out. But when he decided to throw an insult or two, the club were up to speed.

It all concluded with him wishing the club gets relegated. Which gave the account the perfect riposte: "That's literally impossible."

(Screengrab contains NSFW language.)

Steven Gerrard, the current Liverpool captain, will, of course, make the switch to the Galaxy this summer.

[Twitter]

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

Following a season that many around Major League Soccer considered one of, if not the, best in league history, there is growing pressure for the league to thrive in its 20th season. 

During the offseason, a slew of high-profile players entered the league, which will begin a landmark television deal with ESPN and Fox Sports in 2015. 

Also coming to the league will be the eventual introduction of a new collective bargaining agreement. No deal has been reached less than a week before the season is supposed to begin. But the final product could revamp the league in its own fashion. 

As if that wasn't enough to get excited about, a new era of American superstars are about to break into the mainstream.

Now that most of the offseason business has concluded, it's time for the league to walk the walk. But will they be able to with all eyes on it? 

The biggest headlines earned in regard to player acquisition this offseason came from Toronto, Los Angeles and New York City. 

Just like it did last season, Toronto brought in a few stars from Europe in order to improve the quality of play on the field. 

Jozy Altidore and Sebastian Giovinco are in, while Jermain Defoe and Gilberto have departed following an eventful 2014 north of the border. 

United States international Michael Bradley is still with the club, which is a big deal for fans of the United States men's national team. Bradley's partnership with Altidore in the Toronto starting 11 is expected to grow chemistry between the two USMNT stars for years to come. That quality could play a big role when major international competitions begin to roll around again. 

Giovinco's arrival in Ontario has the potential to open a new frontier in player transfers if the Italian succeeds in his first season. 

If the former Juventus player finds his stride in MLS, he could pave the way for more European players to enter MLS in the prime of their careers, which would finally get rid of the retirement-league tag. 

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, expansion side New York City FC found its way into the headlines for the poorly handled Frank Lampard scenario. To cut an extremely confusing story short, Lampard is expected to make his debut in MLS at some point during the summer. When he finally makes his first appearance for the club, the former Chelsea star will join David Villa as a marquee name on the pitch at Yankee Stadium.

Another summer arrival already creating an enormous amount of buzz is Steven Gerrard, who will leave Liverpool for the LA Galaxy. Gerrard will replace the retired Landon Donovan as the club's third designated player. 

Also entering the league in 2015 are a group of international stars led by Kaka, who is the top player on the Orlando City squad. Scotland international Shaun Maloney will play in Chicago, while Mexico's Erick "Cubo" Torres will start in Houston this summer. Continuing with a recent trend, some clubs opted to splash their cash in South America on big names. 

Players like Pedro Morales, Diego Valeri, Federico Higuain and Javier Morales have all found success in MLS through the South American talent pipeline. 

On paper, MLS has drastically improved the quality of its players. But the true judge of each acquisition will be the on-field contributions of the individuals. 

While not every new signing will thrive this season, there is a strong chance many of them will. And they will bring more attention to the league in the process if all does go well. 

How does MLS plan on exposing its brand-new shiny toys to the American audience? 

Good thing you asked because the league is about to embark on a massive television deal with ESPN, Fox Sports and Univision. 

The deal with the three networks is worth $90 million per year, per Philly.com's Jonathan Tannenwald. And it gives the league three consistent broadcast time slots. The latter part of that last sentence may be the most important aspect of the big contract. 

Three games each week are guaranteed to be played in the national windows on Friday and Sunday night. UniMas will broadcast the Friday night match, while ESPN and Fox will show back-to-back games on Sunday. 

Gaining the Sunday window is a big step forward for MLS given the lack of sports on television for the majority of the league season. 

This past Sunday, all American viewers had to choose from at 5 p.m. ET was the ending of a NASCAR race and a college basketball blowout. 

After the NCAA tournament occupies the spotlight during the month of March, MLS will face very little competition until the NFL season starts up in September. 

If the quality of play remains as high as it was last year, some of the viewers might stick around for the Sunday broadcasts in the fall. It is unrealistic to think MLS will ever beat out the NFL in a ratings battle. But if the league can draw in new fans from March to August, it may be able to keep a large amount of them around for the playoff races in September and October. 

The new wave of talent will also be exposed during the consistent time windows, which should attract fans of specific players like Kaka, Lampard, Gerrard and Giovinco to a few games.

On top of all the attention stateside, MLS also inked a deal with Sky Sports to broadcast two games a week overseas. 

If a strong product is displayed to the fans in England with stars like Lampard, Gerrard and Robbie Keane on the field, the perception of the league abroad may change as well. 

Lost in all of the shuffle surrounding the arrival of new foreign talent this offseason has been the emergence of a few bright American stars. 

The LA Galaxy's Gyasi Zardes and D.C. United's Steve Birnbaum are just two names in the next wave of American players that are set to break into the mainstream in 2015. 

A few other young Americans worth watching throughout the year are Columbus' Wil Trapp, Bill Hamid of D.C. United, Real Salt Lake's Luis Gil and Matt Hegdes of FC Dallas. 

Beyond the young stars of the American game, some of the most recognizable names on the USMNT roster are now based in MLS.

Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones, Bradley and Altidore are all consistent members of the USMNT first team, and they also have plenty left in the tank regarding their respective careers. 

If the league continues to cash in on the momentum gained by signing these big names, some Americans may opt to stay in MLS for their entire careers. 

However, if that is to be the case, the league must adapt to the times and give the players more freedom. 

That is where the fear of a work stoppage enters into the conversation, as the players' union and owners have five days left to strike a new deal before the 2015 season begins. Many believe that the players carry the upper hand in the negotiations because of all the money flowing into the league through the lucrative television deals and massive expansion fees. 

While the high-profile names like Dempsey, Kaka and Bradley will never have to worry about money as long as they play, the players that make the league tick should be concerned about it. 

The average MLS players should benefit from a wage increase over the next few years if all goes right, but the key issue is free agency. Most of the players in the league have been united on the issue, which would eliminate the numerous silly player-acquisition drafts in an ideal world. Whether full-blown free agency is earned, or a limited version based on league experience appears in 2015 remains to be seen. 

If the league can take care of its core group of players, it would be able to lure more college prospects and American players abroad to the league. 

The one thing the league can't afford to do is sit through a work stoppage. If the discussions delay the start of the season, it will hamper all the positive momentum MLS earned in the offseason. 

The 20th season of play in MLS should be a landmark one on various levels. But in order for it to be truly successful, the league must shine on and off the pitch. 

If some of the big acquisitions walk the walk and perform the way they should, the rapid growth of the league will continue further into the end of the decade. 

While a lackluster season may not kill every single piece of momentum the league currently has, it would damage its reputation a bit. 

With all that being said, the pressure is on MLS to thrive in its new era. Whether it is ready to take the next step toward becoming an elite league could be decided over the next nine months. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

Devastation engulfed the New England Revolution in California last year when the LA Galaxy, formulating a storybook finish for retiring U.S. star Landon Donovan, defeated the Revs in the 2014 MLS Cup.

Robbie Keane’s goal in extra time snagged a 2-1 advantage for LA that even Revolution midfielder Teal Bunbury could not draw level with his late-match chip that soared and dipped off the crossbar.

New England, having now appeared in the MLS title game five times since the league’s inception, are still searching for their first crown. It will have the opportunity to begin another quest against the Seattle Sounders on Mar. 8—one of many regular-season openers.

The roster’s offseason outlook provides good reason to believe the reigning Eastern Conference champs will advance deep into the 2015 playoffs.

2014 MLS MVP candidate Lee Nguyen will return after anchoring the best statistical campaign of his entire career. He earned himself national team attention, getting his first call-up in seven years for November 2014 friendlies. He is ready to climb the ranks among the Stars and Stripes' best attacking.

The former PSV Eindhoven youngster revealed his yearning to become a key contributor at the international level.

“I want to keep pushing for better. I always feel like there’s another level,” Nguyen said in national team training earlier this month, per The Dallas Morning News' Jon Arnold. “Being on this national team, I don’t want to just be on the fringe; I want to be one of the guys being called up. I definitely think there’s another level I can strive for.”

Nguyen’s 18 regular-season goals signaled the highest sum of any midfielder in MLS, but one cannot attribute this outcome only to his performance, although the 28-year-old Texan emerged as manager Jay Heap’s cool-headed penalty kick converter early on.

The arrival of designated player Jermaine Jones in the summer came at the decisive moment, providing his toughness and playmaking ability to make Nguyen and the rest of the squad worthy of postseason prestige.

Players from the top to bottom of the roster began to step up. The current roster, barring the losses of standout defender A.J. Soares to Norwegian side Viking FK and Patrick Mullins to New York City FC, has managed to stay uniform.

Juan Agudelo, the burgeoning American talent who failed to experience a useful stint overseas with Stoke City, left Eredivisie club FC Utrecht and, after signing with New England in January, returned to the place where he delighted in former glory.

Agudelo signed with New England in January. His presence gives New England a strong, skilled man up top. Since performances shift year to year in MLS, it’s uncertain whether or not Charlie Davies can match his first-class efforts from the end of ’14.

Therefore, the inclusion of Agudelo, in addition to the his sheer upside based on familiarity with the existing Revs, grants Heaps depth and well-rounded talent able to combat scoring streakiness.

ESPN Boston’s Brian O’Connell laid out the numbers behind the forward’s previous triumphs:

But Agudelo isn't just a big-bodied target man with average shot. Consider that in his 14 games with the Revolution in 2013, he scored seven goals, an impressive goal/game ratio of 0.5. A closer look, though, reveals just how lethal Agudelo is in front of the net: Those seven goals came from only 11 shots on goal. In other words, he put away more than half (63.6 percent) of the shots he took.

The re-signing of midfielder Teal Bunbury also strengthens the Revs’ offensive prowess. The speedy veteran overcame intermittent struggles to emerge as a crucial pace-pusher on the wing. He will certainly execute a similar role come opening day.

Let’s not forget the growth of defensive midfielder Scott Caldwell, who elevated his game alongside Jones, often utilizing tight spaces in midfield to properly control sequences in midfield. Will we see a greater improvement from him?

Even though elements of a championship team are firmly in place, consistency reigns supreme, and the Revolution will face remarkable tests from new expansion teams NYCFC and Orlando City in two upcoming matches versus each franchise. The Revolution will also battle playoff opponents New York Red Bulls twice and Columbus Crew once, and they host LA Galaxy at Gillette Stadium in a late-May MLS Cup rematch.

The main area of concern for New England heading into game day will be the makeshift back line, which will have to cope without Soares, a consistent starter throughout the squad’s road to the championship. Switching Andrew Farrell to center back may occur, but it’s not his choice spot and would require acclimation; in this scenario, Goncalves may shoulder a heavy burden too heavy.

However, we have yet to see the full squad in meaningful action. The Revolution are boasting an undesirable 1-2-1 preseason record in Tuscon, Arizona, while the larger context points to an MLS side prepped to vie for the big title once again. Expect the Revs to regain their triumphant ways, in the second half of 2015 at the latest.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

While major European nations begin to head into the final stretch in their 2014-15 seasons, Stateside things are ramping up toward the beginning of a new season.

Sky Sports announced on Wednesday that they would be giving full coverage to Major League Soccer, having won the rights to broadcast the competition in the UK, starting in March for the 2015 season and running for four years.

BREAKING: Sky Sports wins rights to show exclusively live @MLS on four-year deal from next month. #SSNHQ pic.twitter.com/9HLDlaExek

It is another clear indication at the intended growth path for MLS by chiefs, a big boost to the sport in the USA and a measure of how much more importance is placed on the league around the world compared to even a decade ago.

Broadcast Growth

Sky Sports covering MLS is, of course, very much a secondary achievement for the company after signing a new long-term deal to further cover the Premier League, its home-country competition, but it lends another branch to a growing portfolio, which includes Spanish Liga and Champions League games.

On the flip side, for MLS itself, having Sky broadcast the competition opens up the league to a whole new range of potential viewers. Many UK-based football fans might not immediately be too enthralled by the prospect of watching Portland Timbers host Chicago Fire, but there will also doubtless be certain games which appeal to the masses on account of the location, the players involved or storylines developing as the season goes on.

Think football fans in the UK will be pleasantly surprised at quality of MLS. Hope they give it a fair chance, huge deal for league growth.

After Sky announces MLS deal, BT announces extended deal with Serie A. Both channel fillers rather than attracting many subscribers

This is especially relevant over the UK summer, perhaps, with no international tournaments on this year once domestic campaigns are over and done with.

The greater the audience, the bigger the potential fanbase and the greater the sponsorships coming in could be. In terms of league growth, this isn't an automatic boost, but certainly one which gives potential for improvement—and the fact that Sky, a known industry leader in covering football, wanted to win the bid to broadcast MLS highlights the fact that it is growing in importance and noteworthiness on a season-to-season basis.

Player Attraction

For supporters of the game outside of MLS, watching the competition unfold in America isn't necessarily—to start with, at least—going to be about picking any particular team, but instead perhaps watching players they are familiar with.

While watching Portuguese, French or Dutch football might be with a partial aim of spotting the next young talent, MLS has a niche advantage: They are typically fielding players who already have massive appeal, huge status in the game and have already made themselves headline names.

David Beckham and Thierry Henry, two of the world's biggest stars in their prime, spent considerable time in MLS. Robbie Keane remains there now, a current MLS Cup champion and MVP. Next season will see the likes of Frank Lampard, David Villa and Steven Gerrard also participate—household names in international terms over the last decade and more.

Can't wait for Sky Sports to show Lampard and Gerrard together again in the #MLS All-Star Game...but will it work?

Even further beyond MLS, in NASL—second-tier football in America—the likes of Raul and Ronaldo are involved with clubs for 2015 in non-playing capacities, highlighting the potential for growth even outside of the top teams.

As many UK-based fans will attest to, having a "second" team in another league or even sport is far from unheard of, and with the increased coverage in NFL, for example, many football fans have taken up watching American football and even have a chosen side they follow. MLS clubs might hope, in time, to attract a similar tier of fans.

Hurdles Yet to Clear

As noted, it doesn't simply mean that MLS has arrived to the big time, though, especially in UK where resistance to another new league to watch will be discarded by plenty as inferior or a waste of time, often even without having watched it to make such a judgement.

In terms of club size and standard of play, we might be talking about MLS on the level of the Dutch Eredivisie, for example, with a few dominant sides and plenty who make up the numbers in any given season. The good thing for MLS is that they won't necessarily be competing for viewers at the same time as European games, with matches in 2014 typically taking place around 8 p.m., midnight or even early hours in the morning, UK time. That in itself, of course, will be a challenge to attract initial viewers at those time slots.

Elsewhere, the style of league and playoff cup is an alien concept to Premier League-only viewers, despite it being fairly commonplace in, say, Liga MX and other tournaments, while the franchise-based ownership model can be confusing and scary—Chivas USA are no more, for example, having had their franchise dissolved at the end of 2014 in favour of club locales with better potential.

Possibly worst of all, a threatened player strike couldn't have come at a worse time. B/R's Matt Jones breaks down the issues here, though action will hopefully be averted before the season kicks off.

MLS will have to remember something for a while yet: Reputation always lags behind the reality.

Even if this broadcast deal is a notable success, even if Gerrard and Lampard and all other stars showcase their enduring ability and the football on show is exciting and worthwhile, there will still be detractors. It takes time to convince, to adjust and to win the affections of football fans—and the early viewing figures could well show that, even if in truth the broadcast deal is a big win for MLS and its growth.

Follow @karlmatchett

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

Major League Soccer players could be set to strike just two weeks before the 2015 season gets underway.

As reported by Sam Cunningham of Mail Online, the MLS Players Union is locked in discussions regarding playing terms and threatening a boycott if the issue isn't resolved quickly. 

Cunningham elaborates on the situation in his piece:

But despite remaining in talks for several months, it is understood the two parties are not even close to coming to agreement on the season ahead.

The MLSPU want players to have the option of becoming free agents and to increase their current salary cap.

Sources in America have indicated that there is a very real possibility that if an agreement is not reached then players will be forced not to play for their clubs when the league is supposed to start on March 6.

The news arguably couldn't have come at a worse time for the American top flight. The league recently announced a partnership with Sky Sports to broadcast games in the UK, and the prospect of the campaign being delayed is far from ideal as they look to launch the division to a broader, global audience.

Sky Sports confirmed the news of the agreement on Twitter:

According to Cunningham, a potential strike could also disrupt the MLS careers of both Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, who will join New York City and Los Angeles Galaxy, respectively, come the end of the Premier League season.

As noted by Joe Prince-Wright of ProSoccerTalk, the previous collective bargaining agreement ran out on Jan. 31, and despite months of negotiations, the parties have not yet struck a balance. 

With new teams, iconic players poised to join and a new television deal, the upcoming MLS season is one of the most hotly anticipated in years. Hopefully, the impending opening weekend will expedite the negotiations and the league will be running smoothly by the time Gerrard and Lampard rock up at the end of the season.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

Sky Sports has announced an exclusive four-year deal to show MLS matches in the United Kingdom, starting with the arrival of the new season in March.

"Football in the U.S. and Canada has enormous potential for growth and we can't wait to bring this competition to our viewers for the first time," said Sky Sports managing director Barney Francis in the organisation's announcement article.

Viewers will be able to witness Premier League legends Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard taking their first steps into the American soccer arena with New York City FC and Los Angeles Galaxy respectively. Currently representing Manchester City and Liverpool respectively, both will make the journey stateside at the conclusion of the current English season.

Although it seemed Lampard would represent NYCFC during the last campaign, his decision to join the side's Manchester-based sister club put these plans on hold. He finally signed a two-year deal with the Big Apple team in January after having been reported to have committed in the previous summer, per Jack Lang and Liam Corless of the Mirror.

Gerrard will join LA Galaxy when his Liverpool contract expires in the summer, calling an end to a career-long association with the Anfield club.

Both stars follow in the footsteps of MLS trendsetters David Beckham and Thierry Henry, who represented LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls during the latter stages of their careers. Such players have helped promote the image of MLS to a worldwide audience, something the Sky Sports deal should also help facilitate.

"This is another important moment that shows the continued growth of MLS," said Beckham, per Sky Sports. "Having fantastic partners such as Sky Sports on board will not only add to the coverage of the game, it will also broaden its appeal outside of U.S."

Henry also believes the new agreement is positive for all, as reported by Sky Sports:

I will never forget my time playing in MLS—it gave me some great memories and I was proud to play a role in growing the game. I saw the passion of the fans in the U.S.

They have always had it for other sports but they also have it for football now and it’s going to be huge in years to come. Sky Sports is the best place for the game, to bring it closer to fans in the UK and build MLS even more.

Sky Sports recently confirmed a mega deal to continue dominating Premier League rights in the UK, as highlighted by football lawyer Daniel Geey:

The organisation has also invested in domestic European matches this season, exclusively showing matches from Spain and the Netherlands on the newly formed Sky Sports 5 channel.

An increasingly diverse range of programming could be a direct result of BT Sport agreeing to pay £897 million for three years' worth of Champions League and Europa League coverage starting from the onset of the 2015-16 campaign.

Football fans are unlikely to complain, however, with further options being added to the television schedule. It's perhaps easier to sell MLS to the UK audience when favourites such as Lampard and Gerrard are set to appear.

This move can only be considered healthy for the American league, which is approaching its 20th anniversary in 2016.

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here