5 reasons why you should tune into MLS

The sporting scene in the USA has long been dominated by the explosive drama of the National Football League, the mastermind tactics of Major League Baseball and the blistering pace of the National Basketball Association.

Now though it is time to shelve those misinformed preconceptions that 'soccer' and the USA simply do not go. It is time to indulge in another course on offer at the world's football banquet. It is time to turn your attention to Major League Soccer.

With the playoffs about to start, it is the perfect time to get a slice of the action if you have not done so already.

Atlanta United and New York Red Bulls have booked their places in the conference semi-final phase, while a further five teams have at least secured berths in the knockout round - scheduled to start on October 31st.

The knockout phase seldom disappoints and if you are in any doubt about giving them a watch, cast your eye over these five reasons why you should become a regular spectator of MLS football...

Unique Format

The MLS Cup is not the only silverware on offer

There is more than one opportunity for success in MLS. Each season the teams spread across the Western and Eastern Conferences have multiple accolades to aim for.

This campaign 23 sides entered across both divisions, 11 in the Eastern and 12 in the Western, with each outfit playing 23 games against the teams in its division and a further 11 against those from the other conference.

There is, therefore, an emphasis on local rivalries, with sides vying to top their division against their close-quarter counterparts.

At the end of the season, the team with the most points secures the prestigious Supporters' Shield, which also lands the side a CONCACAF Champions League spot, but that is not where it all ends.

Next comes the knockout stage before some gruelling conference semi-finals, with the eventual winner lifting the coveted MLS Cup. This means that a team who have scraped into the top six have a shot at silverware but the most consistent performers across the season are still rewarded.

Expansion Sides

Los Angeles FC are the latest expansion side in MLS

The statistics speak for themselves, Major League soccer is growing. Nearly 20 years ago, the USA's predominant division comprised a mere ten teams. In the near future, there could be as many as 28.

Between 2007 and 2017 a total 11 new clubs, dubbed 'expansion sides' have joined MLS. With the addition of FC Cincinnati, there will 24 teams competing in the league in 2019, while a further four are in the pipeline for the seasons after, with David Beckham's Inter Miami CF set to join in 2020.

This year's expansion side Los Angeles FC embody everything that is brilliant about the system. Not only has their addition instilled Los Angeles with a local soccer rivalry once again - LA Galaxy being the other MLS team based there - but the club have been immediately competitive.

Having enticed the likes of Carlos Vela and hot prospect Andre Horta to sign, LAFC have secured at least a knockout place in their debut season, having overturned such established sides as Toronto and Seattle Sounders this campaign.

In traditional league set-ups, promoted clubs rarely deliver such blistering performances and expansion sides are just another trump card MLS football has over the world's other big divisions.

Goals Aplenty

Zlatan Ibrahimovic provides a constant goal-threat for LA Galaxy

Before hosting the 1994 World Cup, rumours emerged suggesting the USA wanted to increase goal sizes in order to produce more high-scoring matches. This emphasis on offensive football has extended to the nation's domestic game.

The 2017 MLS regular season averaged more goals per game than any of Europe's top five leagues last season. While across 374 matches there were 1,066 goals (an average of 2.85 goals per game) in MLS, the Bundesliga (2.79), Ligue 1 (2.72), La Liga (2.69) and Serie A (2.68) all ranked lower in terms of goals per game.

This is just further evidence underlining the entertainment on offer in MLS. The absence of top-class defenders but consistent investment in attacking talent (Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Giovanni Dos Santos to name but a few) has rendered it a league all about goals - who wouldn't want to watch that?

Unpredictability

It has been a difficult campaign for MLS Cup holders Toronto

Unpredictability is what makes us love football but in Major League Soccer it goes a step further.

This season has been a tough one to predict. In the 2017 campaign a tremendous Toronto contingent became the first side in MLS history to win the domestic treble, taking the Canadian Championship, the Supporters' Shield and the MLS Cup in the same season. This term it has been a completely different story.

Stung by injuries to their front line, Toronto have already been eliminated from contention for the playoffs and have looked a shadow of their former selves.

Atlanta United, meanwhile, an expansion side in 2017 who were 14-points inferior to Toronto, have been unrelenting in their pursuit of the Supporters' Shield and have lost fewer matches than any other team this term.

Then comes the story of DC United. Hampered by the development of their new stadium Audi Park, they were forced to play 12 of their opening 14 matches away from home and found themselves at the foot of the table.

The arrival of Wayne Rooney from Everton and a string of wins in their new home venue and they are now in serious contention for a knockout berth.

Breeding ground for future talent

Josef Martinez (right) has reinvented himself at Atlanta United

Just as a theatrical performance's success is often determined by the skill of its actors, a football league's reputation boils down to its players.

MLS football has seen a host of big names take to the field in recent years including Kaka, David Villa and Andre Pirlo but it has always been stamped with the same label. Many view MLS as a wasteland for yesterday's men - a league where the best go to end their careers. Whether or not this has been the case in the past, it is certainly not true now.

The most notable MLS starlet attracting attention has been Vancouver's Alphonso Davies. The 17-year-old midfielder has agreed a deal to join Bayern Munich in January after an impressive couple of seasons with the Canadians.

It is fair to say Josef Martinez flopped at Torino but he has reinvented himself at Atlanta United, where he has propelled himself to the top of the scoring charts with 30 goals for the season. Behind him midfield maestro Miguel Almiron has attracted great attention, with only Giovinco having more shots this term than the Paraguayan, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal.

There are too many rising stars in MLS to list but it is evident that players no longer cross the Atlantic from Europe for an easy retirement but rather they use the league to genuinely improve their game and that is something not to be missed.