The MLS getting center stage worldwide
The Major League Soccer has been nominated in four categories at the World Football Summit 2019, where Atlanta United gains all the spotlight.
The Major League Soccer starts to gain ground internationally, as the most prominent soccer league in the United States and Canada has stolen all the eyes in the football world, something recognized by the WSF Industry Awards.
The awards will be presented during the World Football Summit held in Madrid where the winners will be announced in September, with the MLS getting four nominations including best executive and best stadium.
Darren Eales, Atlanta United president is nominated in the Best Executive category, after taking one of the newest MLS franchises to the championships, as less than four years of their league debut, the Five Stripes beat Portland Timbers to win the MLS Cup.
Atlanta United, the current MLS champion is also nominated in the Best Venue category with the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, sharing the nomination with two other MLS stadiums.
The other US stadiums are the National Soccer Hall of Fame of Toyota Stadium, home of FC Dallas besides the Levi's Stadium, a venue that hosted the International Champions Cup leading to great European teams to play in American soil.
Attendance, an important factor
In the last decade, attendance in the MLS has increased a total of 27%, with an average audience of 22,000 spectators, closing in to match figures in leagues such as Serie A and Ligue 1 in France. Just last weekend, Atlanta United itself set a new attendance record in the MLS regular season with 72,548 fans in the game against Los Angeles Galaxy.