MLS Will Grow More Thanks to Success of 2014 World Cup

There were 22 MLS players included on 2014 FIFA World Cup rosters which is an all-time high for the league. Half of those were members of the U.S. men's national team that qualified out of the "Group of Death" and narrowly lost 2-1 to Belgium in the round of 16. These numbers signify that Major League Soccer is set to take another giant step forward.

Seven MLS players started against Germany, and many of them played key roles in the next match versus the Belgians, including Sporting Kansas City's Matt Besler and Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey.

Even though the U.S. progressed out of arguably the most difficult group at the World Cup, the feeling is that the Belgium defeat reflects negatively on MLS. This is partially correct as the U.S. averaged the seventh lowest possession percentage, the joint-sixth lowest shot total, and allowed the most attempts out of any other country, per Whoscored.com.

However, the US traveled...

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