For more than two decades, Major League Soccer and its most ardent fans have had a unique, if sometimes uneasy, relationship.
Using quick-cut video montages filled with colored smoke, swirling flags and scarves held aloft, M.L.S. has long trumpeted its passionate supporter culture as evidence of its health and long-term viability — proof that the match-day spectacle of M.L.S., if not the standard of play, now rivals some of the most prominent leagues in the world.
In this arrangement, the fans are cast as de facto evangelists for the league, supporters in every sense of the word.