In recent years, Major League Soccer has worked diligently to present and market itself as a developmental league, a place for top emerging talent to hone their craft while benefiting from the experience of global stars.
In service to that goal, MLS has invested heavily in its academy system, looking to improve the overall quality of players in the league. In the past decade, more than $100 million has went into franchise academies, leading to great strides forward in player development, upgraded facilities, and overall improvements. The result has been an explosion of talent in the league and a massive increase in viewership and visibility for the league, as they are found on more channels and news outlets, due in large part to the increase in on-field talent.