article_snippet: (CNN)On the 6th of April 1996, San Jose Clash and DC United strode out in front of 31,683 expectant fans at the Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California.
article_snippet: On top of this, the new season is the first of a new domestic TV and media rights deal with FOX, ESPN and Univision worth $700 million over eight years.
article_snippet: This figure may pale beside the $5.1 billion recently paid by UK broadcasters for the English Premier League, the richest football league in the world, but This figure represents a tripling in value of the previous MLS deal.
article_snippet: This weekend 60,000 fans are expected to witness Orlando City's opening weekend fixture against New York City, another new club making their MLS bow.
article_snippet: The MLS was reported to have lost as much as $250 million in The MLS first five years while average attendances initially dwindled after the inaugural season.
article_snippet: Three teams -- Miami Fusion, Tampa Bay Mutiny (both in 2001) and Chivas USA (2014) -- were disbanded along the way due to a mixture of lack of fan interest and ownership troubles.
article_snippet: A report by Forbes at the end of 2013, meanwhile, claimed that only 10 out of 19 MLS teams were profitable.
article_snippet: A salary cap restricts Three teams -- Miami Fusion, Tampa Bay Mutiny (both in 2001) and Chivas USA (2014) -- can spend on playing squads.