Can We Guess Which MLS Team You Root For?

By: Raj Chander
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can We Guess Which MLS Team You Root For?
Image: Timbers Fan Page via Youtube

About This Quiz

In the late 1980s, soccer in the USA was in a bad place. With the retirement of star Pele in 1977, interest in the sport and its flagship U.S. North American Soccer League (NASL) had waned throughout the decade. In 1984 NASL played its last year, suspending operations before its 1985 season.

American soccer needed a big victory to bring the sport back into the public eye and generate enough interest to sustain a league. After missing out on the 1986 World Cup, in 1988, U.S. officials prepared a massive bid full of sophisticated marketing and media plans, government incentives and other data explaining why America was the clear choice to host the tournament. All the convincing was needed, given the state of American soccer at the time.

Despite facing heavy competition from places like Brazil, America won out and was named the host of the 1994 World Cup. Games were played across the country, and the tournament would go down as the most successful FIFA World Cup ever held. As part of the conditions of winning the host bid, the United States had to create their own soccer league. Major League Soccer (MLS) was established in 1995, and the first season was played in 1996.

Since then, the league has expanded to 24 teams in almost every major American city. One thing that makes them distinct is their fanbases. If you tell us a bit about yourself, we'll let you know which classic MLS team you most likely are pulling for!

1 Diego
Ray Terrill via WikiCommons
Which of these star soccer players would you most want on your team?
Landon Donovan
Diego Valeri
Tim Howard
Wayne Rooney

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2 Long Socks
David Madison / DigitalVision / Getty Images
What style of soccer should a team play?
Elegant and technical
Power schemes that involve long shots
Offensive, with a focus on flash
Tough and physical with lots of tackling

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3 Shouting
Image Source / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Do you think fans should ever say negative things about their team?
No, it's best to always support.
I try not to, but it's hard ...
Of course; it's one of my favorite pastimes.
If they are deserving of it, yes.

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4 LA
krisanapong detraphiphat / Moment / Getty Images
What kind of city would you most want to live in?
Large, bustling metropolis
Northern town surrounded by forest
A coastal hub of power and business
A flashy city of stars and glamor

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5 Red and White
billtnj via WikiCommons
Which color combination are you most likely to wear?
Navy and gold
Green and black
Red and gray
Black and white

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6 Megan Rapinoe
Lorie Shaull via WikiCommons
They're just as popular as MLS players these days. Who is your favorite player on the USWNT?
Carli Lloyd
Alex Morgan
Megan Rapinoe
Tobin Heath

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7 Shouting Man
mage Source / Digital Vision / Getty Images
What type of clothing do you prefer to wear to soccer games?
Designer T-shirts and sneakers
A hoodie and jeans
Business casual
Whatever I wore to work

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8 LA Galaxy
LA Galaxy via Youtube
Which of these elements of a soccer team's season do you think is most important?
Highlight plays
Teamwork
Winning
Playoff success

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9 NY Red Bulls
Claude Betancourt via WikiCommons
What individual skill is key to being a successful soccer player?
Scoring
Passing
Tackling
Defense

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10 Green Fog
Sharat Ganapati via WikiCommons
How much does playoff success matter to you as a soccer fan?
It matters, but an enjoyable game is just as important.
Winning is winning, whenever it happens
Championships are the most important thing.
It would be nice, but I don't want to get my hopes up.

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11 DC United
New York City FC via Youtube
Which position is the most important in soccer?
Forward
Defender
Midfielder
Goalie

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12 Timbers Jump
Portland Timbers via Youtube
What kind of music do you want to listen to while cheering on your team?
Jazz
Indie rock
Hip-hop
Pop

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13 Ola Kamara
D.C. United via Youtube
How much does the international performance of your team matter?
Domestic success matters more.
It's very important for the team to succeed internationally.
It's somewhat important.
As long as we are winning championships, I'm not as concerned with where it happens.

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14 Stadium
Shannon Fagan / DigitalVision / Getty Images
What type of stadium do you want your team to play in?
A smaller stadium in the outskirts of a major city
A brand-new luxury stadium
A massive open-air field
A small yet intimate venue that gets really loud

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15 Victory Run
LA Galaxy via Youtube
Which of these goal celebrations is your favorite?
The grin & bow
The screaming fist pump
Running down the field
Taking off the jersey

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16 Bball
Noam Galai / Moment / Getty Images
Besides soccer, what is your favorite sport to watch as a fan?
Football
Baseball
Hockey
Basketball

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17 New York Kick
New York Red Bulls via Youtube
Which of these soccer championships do you think is most important?
CONCACAF Champions League
MLS Cup
U.S. Open Cup
CONCACAF Gold Cup

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18 Liverpool
Дмитрий Садовников via WikiCommons
Which of these soccer teams from UEFA do you root for the most?
Liverpool FC
Real Madrid
Manchester United
FC Barcelona

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19 Smiling
New York Red Bulls via Youtube
The MLS is an American league. Do you think soccer could ever be as popular as football or basketball in the United States?
Maybe one day, if the laws on football change.
It already is!
Definitely; it can appeal to a diverse audience.
Probably not, but the league should try anyway.

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20 Coworkers
Morsa Images / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Which of these jobs is closest to yours?
Policy analyst
Sales manager
Construction worker
Graphic designer

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21 Tailgate
SDI Productions / E+ / Getty Images
Which of these is your favorite pregame activity at a tailgate?
Yoga
BBQ
Playing games
Taking shots on a real soccer goal

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22 Sad Fans
Chris Whitehead / DigitalVision / Getty Images
How do you and your fellow fans deal with a tough loss?
Complaining together
Throwing stuff around
Just ignoring it and moving on
Lobbying for team change

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23 Hug
D.C. United via Youtube
How passionate are you about following soccer compared to other sports?
It's in my top three favorite sports
It's far and away my favorite sport
It's fun, but I'm not as devoted to it as baseball or football.
I'm a consistently passionate soccer fan, but I have other interests.

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24 Seahawks
Mike Morris via WikiCommons
Soccer is also known as football, which is something else in the U.S. Which of these American football teams is your favorite?
New York Giants
Los Angeles Rams
Washington Redskins
Seattle Seahawks

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25 Playing Soccer
MakiEni's photo / Moment / Getty Images
Do you like to play soccer as well, or just watch?
I just watch — soccer is too high-impact.
I play all the time.
I played when I was younger, but not anymore.
I just watch; I prefer playing football or basketball.

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26 Zlatan
Jimmy Kimmel Live via Youtube
Do you prefer having a few big-name stars on your team or more mid-tier players who work together well?
It's always better to have star power.
Team players are the best players.
It's best to have a good mix of both.
One star can make everyone else work together.

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27 Lumberjack
Allison Andrews via Youtube
Which of these mascots do you think is the most intimidating?
A bird of prey
A bull
A lumberjack
An alien

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28 DC United Owners
Major League Soccer
How much involvement should a team owner have with the way the team is operated?
Not much; they should be focused on other things.
They should care a lot about the team.
They should mostly provide business opportunities.
They should just enable skilled managers to work.

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29 Yoga
Klaus Vedfelt / DigitalVision / Getty Images
Which of these exercises do you prefer?
Weight lifting
Yoga
Running
Hiking

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30 Goal
New York Red Bulls via Youtube
Which of these soccer moves is most impressive?
A long-distance goal
A beautiful assist on a goal
A bicycle kick goal
A diving save

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You Got: