Michael A. Bozett is a sales specialist based in Aurora, Illinois, with a professional background spanning customer service, sales operations, logistics, and applied market research. He holds a business administration degree from North Central College and currently works at Floor & Decor, where he supports homeowners, contractors, and DIY customers by explaining product features, managing inventory presentation, and coordinating with warehouse and installation materials teams.
Alongside his business career, Michael A. Bozett has a long-standing involvement in competitive soccer. He played for Sockers FC Chicago, the varsity team at Oswego East High School, and Waubonsee Community College, where his team captured NJCAA Region IV championships and advanced to national qualifier competitions. His experience as both a player and a fan aligns naturally with an interest in the growth and structure of professional soccer in the United States, including Major League Soccer, which has become the sport’s premier domestic league and a key driver of soccer’s expanding popularity nationwide.
An Introduction to Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is North America’s top men’s professional soccer league, featuring 30 teams across the United States and Canada. Sanctioned by the US Soccer Federation, it stands as one of the region’s major professional sports leagues, with its headquarters based in New York City.
Although the league launched its first season in 1996 with ten clubs, its creation was mandated three years earlier by FIFA as a requirement for hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The initial era was financially fragile, losing an estimated 250 million dollars within five years, while experimental rule changes like shootouts failed to attract broad public interest.
Economic pressure led to the league’s contraction in 2002, eliminating Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny, two soccer franchises that contributed significantly to MLS’s early formation. Later that year, the national team’s World Cup success renewed interest and created stability. Clubs then shifted from large NFL stadiums to soccer-specific venues, strengthening identity and creating authentic matchday environments.
Unlike European leagues with independent clubs, MLS has a single-entity structure to keep finances stable. The league owns all brand rights and player contracts. Team operators, not traditional owners, run the teams. This system controls costs and keeps the league fair, so rich teams cannot always win, unlike in England’s Premier League.
MLS does not have promotion or relegation, unlike most leagues, where teams move up and down based on results. MLS only grows when new groups pay to add a team, like in the NBA or NFL. This closed system let the league grow from 10 to 30 teams, such as Inter Miami, St. Louis City SC, and San Diego FC, and helps keep investments safe from the risks of relegation.
The MLS calendar follows a spring-to-fall format, running from late February through October to avoid severe North American winters. Given the league’s vast geography, clubs are divided into Eastern and Western Conferences and play a 34-match schedule emphasizing regional opponents. This structure creates a dual definition of success: the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup.
The Supporters’ Shield goes to the team with the most regular-season points. Points are three for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. The MLS Cup champion is decided by playoff games, ending with a final. Local rivalry games, like the Hudson River Derby (New York Red Bulls vs. New York City FC) and the Cascadia Cup (Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, and Vancouver Whitecaps), make the league more exciting.
MLS roster management enforces parity through a salary cap that prevents teams from purchasing championships. Tools such as General Allocation Money (GAM) and Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), which reduce salary charges, support the senior roster budget.
Clubs assemble squads through the “SuperDraft,” drawing college players, and increasingly through youth academies that develop homegrown Players like Alphonso Davies and Ricardo Pepi. The exception is the Designated Player rule, introduced in 2007, which allows three high-earning stars. Teams sign icons like Lionel Messi or Thierry Henry while the league limits costs and protects financial stability.
Approaching its fourth decade, MLS is evolving into a household name. A ten-year, 2.5-billion-dollar broadcast agreement with Apple delivers long-term financial security and shared revenue stability. On the field, quality continues to rise through participation in the international transfer market and expanded cross-border tournaments like the Leagues Cup against Mexico’s Liga MX. Additionally, the arrival of global stars has boosted visibility, merchandise sales, and audiences, aligning with the 2026 World Cup that the US, Canada, and Mexico will co-host.
About Michael A. Bozett
Michael A. Bozett is a sales specialist in Aurora, Illinois, with experience in customer service, logistics, and applied market research. A graduate of North Central College with a degree in business administration, he currently works at Floor & Decor supporting residential and contractor clients. Michael A. Bozett has also competed in high school, club, and junior college soccer, contributing to NJCAA Region IV championship teams at Waubonsee Community College.
