Major League Soccer could be considering a promotion/relegation structure once the organization expands up to 40 teams.

Currently, the United States is one of the few countries in the world that does not have a pro/rel structure to its soccer leagues – despite having a fully fleshed out soccer pyramid.

In an interview with AFP (via Yahoo), Charles Altchek – president of the reserve league MLS Next Pro – suggested that the option to develop some sort of structure that would see two divisions within MLS.

‘Would you consider adding a second division? If you get to that point, could we come up with some really creative, competitive formats between the divisions?

MLS could consider adding a second division if the top flight league grows to 40 teams

‘Certainly between division two and three within Next Pro. And then the question is what could you come up with that’s really creative that could include division one?’

The subject of promotion/relegation in American soccer – or the lack thereof – is an oft discussed and debated topic among fans of the sport in the country.

Various proposals have been floated for MLS, none of which have found any success as far as implementation goes. 

Within other leagues, the concept has gained at least some traction – but nothing has been adopted there either.

The United Soccer League operates three tiers of competition – USL Championship, USL League One, and USL League Two – and the league’s president, Paul McDonough says promotion/relegation up and down this system is ‘still on the table’.

But McDonough said ‘plenty of logistical work remains’ and that’s resulted in a vote on the matter being pushed back from August to an undetermined date.

When it comes to promotion all the way up to the first division, the issue is up to US Soccer and FIFA. While rich owners may not like their teams to get knocked down, they can be overruled.

But if MLS is truly waiting for 40 teams to join before instituting a pro/rel system, it could be long before such a structure is in.

The MLS Next Pro president thinks there could be ‘creative, competitive formats between divisions’ if MLS decides to expand further in the coming years

MLS is set to add a 30th team in 2025 when FC San Diego joins the league

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Between 2013-2023 ten teams joined MLS: Orlando City SC, New York City FC, Minnesota United FC, Atlanta United FC, Los Angeles FC, FC Cincinnati, Nashville SC, Inter Miami CF, Austin FC, Charlotte FC, and St. Louis City SC.

The arrival of FC San Diego in 2025 will bring the league up to 30 total teams.

While it is possible that an extra ten teams could be in MLS by 2033, the issue of ownership and cities with great enough demand is worth discussing.

The eleven largest media markets without MLS teams in them (or MLS teams arriving) are Phoenix, Arizona; Tampa, Florida; Detroit, Michigan; Cleveland, Ohio; Sacramento, California; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Indianapolis, Indiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baltimore, Maryland; and San Antonio, Texas.

All but Cleveland and Baltimore have teams competing in the USL Championship and five of those markets (Tampa, Cleveland, Sacramento, Raleigh-Durham, Pittsburgh, and San Antonio) are in states that already have MLS teams.

The next two largest markets with USLC teams in them are Hartford, Connecticut and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Synergy between the two leagues is not as easy as just saying that the worst teams in MLS drop down to the USLC. For one, while nine of 29 MLS stadiums use a non-natural grass surface, ten of the 24 teams in the USLC use artificial turf.

Additionally, while PayPal Park in San Jose is the smallest stadium in MLS at a capacity of 18,000, it’s nearly six times the capacity of the USL’s smallest stadium – Patriots Point Soccer Complex, home of the Charleston Battery with a capacity of 3,900.

Pro/rel between MLS and the second division USL Championship has not been realized

But moreover, expansion up to 40 teams is hardly a guarantee – especially in a league structured the way MLS currently is.

With the league gaining its 30th team in a few years, they’re approaching a sweet spot within American sports. The NBA and MLB each have 30 teams, with the NHL and NFL each having 32.

Finding an additional ten markets with an appetite big enough to host an MLS team is not going to be an easy task. Add onto that a franchise fee hovering around half a billion dollars and it’ll be hard to convince ownership it’s worthwhile too.

Some, like FOX’s Alexi Lalas, have suggested that MLS purchase the USL outright and merge the two leagues to kickstart a pro/rel system.

But again, synergy and culture within the two leagues might make that a tougher task than it sounds.