Soccer, known in many other countries as "football" (see
names for association football), is somewhat less popular than the traditional major sports, although it has gained an increasing following in recent years, and is extremely popular as a children's sport. The United States
men's and
women's senior national teams, as well as a number of age-grade teams for both sexes, represent the United States in international soccer competitions and are controlled by the
United States Soccer Federation.
Major League Soccer is the premier soccer league in the United States. MLS will field 18 clubs in 2011, with plans to add at least one and possibly two clubs in 2012. The 34-game schedule runs from mid-March to late October, with playoffs and the championship in November. Other professional soccer leagues in the U.S. include a new incarnation of the
North American Soccer League; the
United Soccer Leagues' new
USL Pro and already-existing
Premier Development League; WPS (
Women's Professional Soccer); and an indoor soccer league, MISL (
Major Indoor Soccer League).
Many notable international soccer players have played in American leagues, including past greats
Pelé,
Hristo Stoichkov,
George Best,
Carlos Valderrama,
Johan Cruyff,
Lothar Matthäus, and
Franz Beckenbauer and current stars
David Beckham,
Guillermo Barros Schelotto,
Thierry Henry and
Freddie Ljungberg. Notable American players of the past and the present include
Clint Dempsey,
Bert Patenaude,
Eric Wynalda,
Brad Friedel,
Brian McBride,
Cobi Jones,
Kasey Keller,
Landon Donovan,
Jay DeMerit,
Claudio Reyna,
Tim Howard, and
Alexi Lalas.
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