The American League of Association Football consisted of six teams in 1894 (Brooklyn Bridegrooms, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Beaneaters, New York Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Washington Senators).  The baseball owners of the day devised a plan to operate a soccer league to fill their baseball stands during the off-season.  Due to poor marketing and a threat of a rival baseball league attempting to form, the owners decided to cancel the season.  Their intentions were to re-establish the league the following year but it was not to be.

The National Association Foot Ball League was established the following season and enjoyed a cult like following until play was suspended in 1899 for reasons unknown.

Games were resumed in 1906 and continued until 1920-21.

Soccer reformed the following year as the American Soccer League I and rose to the #2 spot, behind only baseball, as America's most attended game (the NFL was still in it's infancy at this time).  The league was mostly entrenched in the northeastern region of the U.S.  League profits were

streaming in until the 1929 Wall Street Crash.  Four years later the ASL I folded.  The ASL II was formed a year later and set the mark for the longest running soccer league in history (1934-1983).

From the turn of the 20^th Century until the mid-1960's, numerous leagues popped up, expanded teams, disbanded teams, and dissolved all in a short time.  The ASL II did not have a comparative rival until 1967.  The North American Soccer League (NASL) brought soccer back in the mainstream after a four decade hiatus.  The NASL was the first league to spread soccer westward to the Pacific (the ASL II followed

westward in the mid-1970's but was a failed attempt after five years).

The NASL received an enormous boost when soccer legend Pele (Pele was to soccer what Babe Ruth was to baseball) came to America to play.  After a revival in the 1970's, soccer was reduced to the #5 sport in America.  Basketball was just taken off life-support by two kids named Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and hockey was starting to enjoy it's renewed following all because of some teenager who would soon be referred to simply as "The Great One", Wayne Gretzky. 

The NASL folded a year after the ASL II (1984) and for the next twenty years leagues were formed and folded.  Major Soccer League (MSL) is currently the largest soccer league in the country.  With limited financial freedom to sign players to long-term contracts, the MSL is putting their faith in possibly the "next Pele", Freddy Adu.  A solid showing in the 2006 Cup may springboard soccer back to its once respectability as a major sport.           
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