In an interview with Al Jazeera TV, FIFA President Sepp Blatter leveled some heavy criticism at the slow and steady development of Major League Soccer in the United States. Blatter claimed that MLS had yet to make a legitimate impact on mainstream American sports, 18 years after the league’s launch.

"There is no very strong professional league [in the U.S.]," Blatter said. "They have just the MLS but they have no professional leagues which are recognized by the American society. It is a question of time, I thought -- we had the World Cup in 1994. But it is now 18 years in so it should have been done now. But they are still struggling."

Blatter may have a point, Goal.com’s Alex Labidou says. MLS may be third in American sports in terms of attendance with an average draw of 18,807 fans per game, but it doesn’t do nearly as well as other sports leagues in terms of TV ratings.