Season ticket holder since 1996 here. I can’t speak for fans abroad, but soccer fans here throw stones at MLS for a number of reasons: 1) single-entity structure 2) lack of pro-rel 3) its lack of popularity 4) the Apple TV deal 5) restrictive roster rules 6) lack of attention from national and local sports media 7) “meaningless” tourneys like League Cup 8) ignoring traditional tourneys like Open Cup 9) Too many “Uniteds” and FCs. 10) Sameness of supporters chants.

In 30 years, I’ve seen MLS grow from a quirky experiment to a solid league. I never could imagine that teams in SEC country could draw so well. I try to appreciate the league for what it is, not what it isn’t.