LOS ANGELES -- It's been 19 years since the No. 1 seeds in the Eastern and Western Conferences met in an MLS Cup, which LAFC and the Philadelphia Union will do on Saturday. MLS has changed an awful lot in that time.
In 2003, there were only 10 teams in the league. Now there are 28. Next year, when St. Louis City SC comes online, it will be 29.
In 2003, the league boasted only two soccer-specific stadiums. Today there are 21, and, again, with the addition of St. Louis in 2023, that figure will grow by one.