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Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States and Canada. The league comprises 27 teams – 24 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada – and will expand to 30 teams by the 2023 season. MLS constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The league is headquartered in Midtown Manhattan.

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Major League Soccer is the premier professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. Competition began in 1996 and MLS attendance has grown rapidly since the early 2000s, making it one of the fastest-growing sports leagues in the world. The average attendance of 21,692 in 2016 was a 57% increase over the 13,756 average in 2000. The total attendance of 7,375,144 in 2016 is more than triple the 2,215,019 total of 2002. Similar to Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League, attendance is based on the number of tickets distributed.

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The Campeones Cup is an annual North American association football match contested between the winners of the previous MLS Cup from Major League Soccer and the winners of the Campeón de Campeones from Liga MX. The competition was established by the two leagues in 2018.

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The MLS Central Division was one of Major League Soccer's three divisions, existing in 2000 and 2001.

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The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap. The rule, which was adopted ahead of the 2007 MLS season, enables teams to compete for star players in the international soccer market. The rule is one of two mechanisms by which MLS teams may exceed their salary cap, the other being allocation money. As of December 2019, there have been 209 Designated Players in league history.

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The Eastern Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Western Conference.

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The eMLS Cup is an eSports tournament held by Major League Soccer in conjunction with the EA Sports FIFA franchise. The tournament serves as an official league qualifier for the FIFA eWorld Cup.

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ESPN MLS ExtraTime is a sports video game released in 2001-2002 by Konami. It is available for PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox. Clint Mathis is on the cover. The original ExtraTime was released for PS2 seven months after ESPN MLS GameNight on the PlayStation, with the GameCube and Xbox versions released in 2002 afterward as ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002. MLS ExtraTime was the last in the series as the MLS sold its video game license to EA Sports' FIFA series.

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ESPN MLS GameNight is a video game of the sports genre released in 2000 by Konami and Saffire. The game is considered to be an enhanced remake of ISS Pro Evolution, also published by Konami. It is the only MLS game to have been released on the PlayStation other than FIFA 2000. The sequel, ESPN MLS ExtraTime 2002, was released for PlayStation 2 in 2001, and for GameCube and Xbox in 2002.

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Expansion of Major League Soccer has occurred several times since the league began play in 1996. Major League Soccer was established as the top level of professional soccer in the United States in 1993 with 10 teams and began play in 1996. It has expanded several times since 1998 into new markets across the United States and, since 2006, into Canada.

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Fraser v. Major League Soccer, 284 F.3d 47, was an antitrust suit filed by eight Major League Soccer players against MLS, the league's investors, and the United States Soccer Federation. The Court found that Major League Soccer was a single entity and therefore legally incapable of conspiring with itself.

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Generation Adidas is a joint venture between Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer aimed at raising the level of young professional soccer talent in the United States. The program, sponsored by Adidas, offers professional-ready players in the U.S. developmental system not yet eligible for the MLS SuperDraft early entry, allowing MLS to compete with foreign professional clubs without comparable restrictions on player signing. From its establishment in 1997 to 2005, the program was sponsored by Nike and was called Project-40. Originally intended to improve the U.S. national team player pool, American national team eligibility is no longer required for program entry.

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MLS Next is a system of youth soccer leagues that are managed, organized and controlled by Major League Soccer. It was introduced by the league in 2020.

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The Philip F. Anschutz Trophy is a silver trophy that is awarded to winners of MLS Cup. Since the inaugural MLS Cup in 1996, three trophies have been used: the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1996 to 1997, a second version of the Rothenberg Trophy from 1998 to 2007, and the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy since 2008. The trophy appears in the logo of the tournament, as well as the former "scudetto" worn by defending champions.

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The MLS Players Association, also referred to as the MLSPA, is the union of professional Major League Soccer players. The MLS Players Association serves as the exclusive collective bargaining agreements representative for all current players in MLS.

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Professional Referee Organization (PRO) is the organization responsible for managing the referee and assistant referee program in professional soccer leagues in the United States and Canada, working alongside the United States Soccer Federation, Major League Soccer, the Canadian Soccer Association, the North American Soccer League, the United Soccer League, the National Women's Soccer League, and the U.S. Open Cup.

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Soccer United Marketing is the for-profit marketing arm of Major League Soccer and the exclusive marketing partner of the United States Soccer Federation, which primarily both deal in the promotion and sanctioning of professional soccer in the United States.

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The Western Conference is one of Major League Soccer's two conferences, along with the Eastern Conference.