Taking The Next Step?

MLS' finest will gather outside Salt Lake City tonight in an All-Star clash with EPL club Everton, the fifth straight summer the league has faced a European team. While only an exhibition on the pitch, the game provides MLS with perhaps its biggest platform of the season to reach soccer fans and strengthen its standing around the world. MLS is midway through its 14th season, and the league’s best story continues to be the expansion Sounders, who have wisely used their partnership with the Seahawks to make Seattle one of America's finest soccer markets. Despite that, critics still question whether the sport is gaining momentum in this country. However, the U.S. national team drawing mainstream coverage for its Confederations Cup run and the early numbers for the inaugural World Football Challenge -- which is showing strong box office returns and solid ratings for ESPN -- may prove to some at least that the sport is gaining traction.