Media Kit

Press Release

Fans Launch "Open the League," a National Campaign Asking MLS to Bring Promotion and Relegation to American Soccer

With the World Cup on U.S. soil, a grassroots movement invites Major League Soccer's owners to design an open, merit-based system — and lets fans add their names all season long.

[City, State] — [Date] — A fan-led campaign called Open the League launched today, calling on Major League Soccer and U.S. Soccer to adopt promotion and relegation — the open, merit-based structure used by nearly every major soccer nation in the world. The campaign is gathering signatures throughout the 2026 season and will present them, along with supporter data, to MLS ownership and league leadership as soon as the season ends.

Promotion and relegation lets clubs earn their place on the field: the top clubs in a lower division move up each year, while the bottom clubs in the top flight move down. The United States is one of the only soccer countries without it. In a survey of U.S. soccer fans, roughly 88% supported adopting it, and the United Soccer League (USL) recently voted about 90% in favor of launching its own promotion/relegation system around 2028.

Crucially, the campaign is not prescribing a single blueprint. "We're not claiming to have the perfect plan," said [Spokesperson Name], an organizer of the campaign. "There are people far smarter than us, and the owners hold the leverage, the data, and the expertise to design a system that protects their investment and creates even more upside for everyone. We're simply asking them to propose one. What we're sure of is that a permanently closed league isn't the answer."

Organizers frame an open pyramid as more than a sporting change — as economic and community development. Every new professional club, they note, can create jobs, attract private investment, lift local tax revenue, and develop homegrown talent, while making far more late-season games meaningful for fans and media alike.

Fans can add their names at OpenTheLeague.org, where they can also share the campaign and watch live momentum build.

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Story Angles

• ▸ America's World Cup summer reignites the promotion/relegation debate.
• ▸ The business case: jobs, investment, and civic pride in second-tier cities.
• ▸ USL is already going open in 2028 — will MLS lead or follow?
• ▸ Could downside protection (parachute payments, retained equity) make relegation survivable for owners?
• ▸ What would promotion/relegation mean for [your local city or club]?