The eternal debate among US soccer fans, and soccer fans alike is whether the MLS can be a a legitimate league on the global scale without some system of promotion/relegation. And if I had to give a short answer as to whether this is possible or not given it's only been 23 years since the MLS first kicked off, I would have to give a hard yes! But there are things that need to happen first. It's a marathon and not a sprint and it might take a decade before the MLS can first join the rest of the world in what makes soccer so unique as a sport.
Stop Expansion
Don Garber has come out and stated that he would like the league to reach 28 teams. And while to many that might seem like alot, when adding in how big the United States is in terms of overall mass, this is actually a fair number. Most of the major sports leagues in America have 32 teams so 28 is a normal number. With FC Cincinatti, Nashville, Inter Miami, and Austin FC set to begin MLS play in the coming years, there's room for one more team. If I had to guess which club that would be, I would have to say Phoenix Rising in Arizona due to their vibrant fan base and the untapped market of the state of Arizona. But with these expansion teams needs to come stadiums fit for MLS, and luckily so far all of the expansion teams have stadium plans in place which will draw even the most casual supporters.
Good Bye Salary Cap
With promotion/relegation, needs the desperate feeling of wanting to stay in the top flight no matter what. And to do this teams need to be able to spend freely on players and bring in the very best for their club. This will not only make the games more interesting and exciting to watch for the fans, but will also draw fans to games from all over the world which will increase revenue. This will also force teams in the lower leagues to buy better players in order to compete and try to get promoted to the top flight.
Stadiums!
The USL already took a great first step by taking the ambiguity out of the US soccer pyramid by creating a clear and obvious second, third, and fourth division. The USL Championship, USL League One, and USL League Two. In order to compete with the upper leagues, I think the USL Championship teams should all create their own soccer-specific stadiums. This would increase excitement around the team which will cause many to flock to the stadiums in order to watch their team hopefully earn promotion to the top flight, and to stay there for many years. And I firmly believe that with a brand new soccer specific stadium, no matter what division the team is in, fans will continue showing their support. Especially since a lot of these USL teams are located in cities without major league sports teams, like Louisville or Charleston.
"If you Build it They Will Come"
After creating soccer-specific stadiums for all championship teams, they can start really outsourcing for talents and bringing in players who will continue to get butts in seats. Although the MLS was once known as a retirement home where players went to finish off their careers, I believe this was important an important first step in order get people interested in the league. Therefore I would not be surprised if the USL tried to do the same. With a new stadium, loyal supporters, and lots of money, I'm sure many players will start making there way to these smaller soccer markets in America.
Implement Promotion/Relegation
Finally, after all of these steps and all of the planning and preparation that goes with it, the MLS can finally implement some system of promotion/relegation. How this system would look, is anyone's guest. There are many different countries the US could base their system off of, but there are many teams in the lower divisions just waiting for their chance to show what they can do on the highest level. Although it might take a while for this system to come to fruition, the league will be better and more exciting for it. And this will garner respect from leagues around the world.
