Skip to content

MLS vs Premier League: How Good Is Major League Soccer in 2023?

MLS vs Premier League

The answer is obvious when it comes to MLS vs Premier League and which league is better. The MLS is a good league and is fast becoming one of the best soccer leagues in the world.

MLS vs Premier League

The MLS It isn’t one of the four major professional sports leagues in America – that’s still the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. The MLS does however average the third highest attendances of any American sports league.

Soccer is also fast moving up the ranks as one of the most popular sports in America having overtaken ice hockey.

Out of all the soccer leagues in the world just how good is the MLS and where does it rank?

How Popular is the MLS?

When we compare MLS vs Premier League, the EPL had an average attendance of 41,430 across 380 games in 2021/22. Across 489 games the MLS had an average of 20,526.

The EPL is one of the most popular leagues in the world in any sport so these numbers shouldn’t be discouraging for the MLS. In fact the MLS average crowd is just under the Brazilian Série A. 

Average attendances in the MLS are better than the Mexican Liga MX, the Dutch Eredivisie and the Scottish Premiership. Back home in America the MLS has better attendances than the NBA and NHL, and is behind only the NHL and MLB. 

In 2005 there were only 12 teams in the MLS and in 2022, Charlotte FC became the 28th franchise to join the league. That’s despite expansion fees rising from $10 million in 2007 to $325 million. There’s also a host of cities who are fighting it out to become the next MLS expansion team.

MLS vs Premier League Players

When you compare players from the MLS vs Premier League, there’s no doubt that the best players in the world are playing in the EPL. Just take a look at the best players right now in the Premier League and the gulf in class couldn’t be more obvious. 

The MLS however keeps on getting more popular with marquee superstars. When you look at the best MLS players of all time, names like David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Villa and Robbie Keane show just how global the game is becoming and the star power the MLS can attract. 

Other players like Thierry Henry, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard have also helped to bridge the gap between the MLS and Premier League. It’s no coincidence that Major League Soccer attendances increased 34% between 2013 to 2018 with the calibre of players in the league. 

MLS vs Premier League Rivalries 

The biggest MLS rivalries on offer has helped to make Major League Soccer a top league in the world. The Battle of Cascadia between Seattle and Portland is one of the fiercest rivalries in American sports. 

FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo battle out the Texas Derby, quite literally, with the winner taking home an 18th century howitzer cannon. 

The Premier League is still the place for the biggest football rivalries, with Liverpool vs Manchester, the Merseyside, North London and Manchester derbies among the best rivalries in sport. Major League Soccer is bridging the gap though. 

Is the MLS Better Than the Premier League?

OK, so realistically it’s a no contest. The Premier League is without a doubt better than the MLS. But don’t go totally writing off Major League Soccer just yet. 

According to Global Football Rankings the Premier League is the strongest league in the world. Major League Soccer is ranked as the 15th strongest league in the world but continues to climb up the ranks.

Philadelphia Union are the strongest team in the MLS but according to the rankings, would be relegated if they were playing in the Premier League.


So the top teams in the MLS wouldn’t be competitive in the Premier League yet, but they’re comparable with the top sides in the English Championship, the second tier of English soccer. They’d also be competitive in some of Europe’s top leagues including the Portuguese Liga and Dutch Eredivisie.

In terms of European competition the top MLS teams would be competitive in the Europa League, UEFA’s second tier continental tournament, but would be out of their depth in the Champions League.

The weaker teams in Major League Soccer would be competitive in the English third tier of soccer and the second divisions of France and Italy. 

How MLS Is Better Than Premier League

There’s a long way to go for Major League Soccer to get anywhere near the English Premier League but MLS are making a mighty effort and are bridging the gap faster than ever. Here are five ways Major League Soccer is better than the Premier League:

  • Most stadiums are more modern with more technology compared to English stadiums
  • The MLS salary cap gives the league more parity whereas EPL teams have a greater wealth divide 
  • A league championship decider means the MLS reaches a climax each season
  • There’s no relegation in the MLS and teams are guaranteed survival at the top level
  • The league has the ability to grow with the addition of franchise expansion teams

Tags:

4 thoughts on “MLS vs Premier League: How Good Is Major League Soccer in 2023?”

  1. Mose

    Generally think this is on-target. A couple small corrections: 1) (And I believe this was just a typo): MLS out-draws the NBA and NHL, but still trails the NFL and MLB. 2) Soccer is, by far, the most popular PARTICIPANT sport in the U.S., well above domestic sports such as football and baseball. That is due to a number of facts, such as the growing evidence of risk of lasting neurological damage caused by American football, but the strongest factor has been the huge popularity of soccer among women and girls — hence the great success of the USWNT relative to the USMNT. 3) While television viewership of EPL has led viewership of MLS, this is largely due to neglect and lackluster coverage by ESPN, which has always promoted EPL with much more prominence than MLS. Fortunately for American soccer, ESPN have turned their full attention to EPL, while, starting this year, MLS begins a ten-year, US $250 billion deal with Apple TV (think “Ted Lasso” and “Wrexham AFC”); all MLS games will be broadcast globally, with professional staff and — we hope — quality coverage. Thanks for your commentary!

  2. Jimmy Jazz

    Uh, ESPN doesn’t promote EPL. That would be NBC and Peacock. Which is a good thing as each of the major stakeholders have something to promote in re world soccer: CBS- champions; FOX- World Cup; HBOWarner- USMNT/USWNT; ESPN- FA?? But otherwise on point.

  3. Michael Cathcart

    Relegation is one reason why the EPL is much better.
    It keeps teams playing hard.
    Teams that slack off or cannot cope in the MLS should be relegated to bring in a team that wants to try and win.