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The 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) season is underway, marking the league’s 30th year and featuring an expansion to 30 clubs with the addition of San Diego FC. Teams are split evenly into Eastern and Western conferences, each with 15 clubs. The regular season runs from February 22 to October 18. Special breaks were scheduled for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, but not for the Leagues Cup in August. All games continue to be broadcast via MLS Season Pass, part of a ten-year Apple partnership. LA Galaxy currently hold the MLS Cup, while Inter Miami CF claimed the 2024 Supporters’ Shield with a record points tally[1].

This year saw major innovations across MLS competitions. The Leagues Cup 2025, running July 29–August 31, features a new two-round format: Phase One and the Knockout Rounds. In Phase One, each club plays three matches exclusively against clubs from the opposite league (MLS vs. LIGA MX). Teams are sorted regionally into Eastern and Western groups and further divided into performance-based tiers[2]. Advancing is tougher this year, with three group matches followed by a win-or-go-home knockout stage. Games cannot end in a draw: ties after regulation are decided by a penalty shootout with corresponding point values. Only the top four teams per league advance to the quarterfinals, ensuring continued interleague showdowns. Three Concacaf Champions Cup spots are up for grabs, awarded to both finalists and the third place match winner[4][6].

At present, Leagues Cup 2025 is down to four MLS teams entering the semifinals: Inter Miami CF (MLS 2), Orlando City (MLS 4), LA Galaxy (MLS 3), and Seattle Sounders FC (MLS 1). These pivotal matches take place on August 27 and will determine the finalists and Champions Cup qualifiers[5].

MLS NEXT, the elite youth system, has expanded for the upcoming 2025-26 season. The program now includes two renamed competition tiers—Homegrown and Academy Division—covering a record 273 clubs, more than 2,000 teams, and 43,000 players. Over 100 MLS NEXT alumni have played in regular-season MLS matches this year[3].

On the pitch, Atlanta United are preparing for a crucial stretch following the Secondary Transfer Window’s closure, with club leaders laying out strategies for the final eight regular-season games, including a key match against Toronto FC on August 24[7].

MLS also implemented new rules for 2025, notably the “Only the Captain Rule,” which restricts referee discussions to club captains in an effort to eliminate “referee swarming” and improve match conduct[8].

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