On the field, the early wave of international players who had joined MLS at its inception drifted into retirement or moved on to clubs elsewhere in the world.

Before joining MLS, he spent some time training with Man United and Nacional in Portugal.

Before joining MLS, de la Torre played most of his career in Mexico's Primera A, the second division.

He joined MLS for the 2004 season, signing with the Colorado Rapids, and immediately impressed with his offensive abilities.

Before joining MLS, Behncke played four years of college soccer for Princeton University.

The earliest a 20th franchise could potentially join MLS would be in 2013.

Toronto FC's biggest rival joined MLS in 2012.

When joining MLS in 2007 he was given the highest player salary in the league's history of US$6.5m per year.

The Montreal Impact joined MLS in 2012, the top tier of the American Soccer Pyramid.

He stated, "It's not a matter of if, but when," when addressing Orlando's chances of joining MLS.