Major League Soccer opens 28th season on Saturday, buildup to 2026 World Cup starts now

NEW YORK: The push toward the World Cup in 2026 begins now for Major League Soccer.

The league, entering its 28th season this year, has a new team in St. Louis City SC and a new media deal with Apple TV. This season will also feature an expanded Leagues Cup, which will involve all of the MLS and Liga MX teams for the first time.

The tournament is part of an ever-increasing collaboration between MLS and Liga MX, with both professional leagues looking forward to the attention they’ll see in the run-up to the World Cup hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was already record-breaking, with 36 MLS players making national team rosters — double the league’s players that were in Russia in 2018.

LAFC are the defending MLS Cup champions and Supporters Shield winners. The Western Conference team is loaded with talent, including Carlos Vela, Kellyn Acosta and Giorgio Chiellini, but top scorer Cristian `Chicho’ Arango was sold to Pachuca in Mexico.

Wales legend Gareth Bale, LAFC’s splashy signing last June, retired in the offseason but not before he provided a memorable moment in the championship game with an equalizer late in extra time that sent the match to penalties and a victory over the Philadelphia Union.

“I think our first 11 is still pretty good, and we’re quite pleased with it. And we have a few very good players off the bench, we just don’t have as deep a bench as last season. So we’re focusing on staying healthy, and trying to manage a lot of games in a congested schedule this year,” LAFC second-year coach Steve Cherundolo said.

Philadelphia, the Eastern Conference’s top finishers last season, didn’t make many huge moves in the offseason but lost key sub Cory Burke in free agency. The