While it still trails in popularity to other major professional sports leagues in the US, Major League Soccer (MLS) continues to grow and attract new fans to the beautiful game. With average attendance during the 2022 regular season of over 21,000 per match, the league enticed 10 million spectators during the campaign — a new record.

Kick-off for the 2023 MLS season is fast approaching, with Nashville Soccer Club hosting New York City FC in the season’s opener.

We’ve taken our place in the dugout to give you the lowdown on the title favorites, star players, and some winning 90-minute blends to enjoy while you soak up the action.

Major League Soccer was created in 1993 as the backbone of the USA’s successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Its inaugural season took place in 1996, with just 10 teams participating — a far cry from the 29 clubs penciled in this time round.

The MLS was the successor to the North American Soccer League (NASL), which ran from 1968 until 1984, alluring some of the sport’s greatest-ever players to the States. Names such as Franz Beckenbauer and Pele, in particular, gave soccer a higher profile in North America, but the NASL collapsed due to over-expansion and a crippling financial recession.

Thankfully, the MLS has outlasted the NASL’s tumultuous 17 seasons and shows no sign of slowing down. However, its playoff format is a little different from soccer leagues across the globe that traditionally crown the club with the most points at the end of the season as champions.

If you’ve invited your cigar-loving friends around for the big game, you’ll need some premium stogies to keep them (and you) occupied. Here is a hat-trick of fantastic 90-minute smokes that are sure to end up as keepers in your humidor.

Country of Origin: Nicaragua

Wrapper: Broadleaf Maduro

Binder: Nicaragua

Filler: Nicaragua

Ring: 52

Length: 50

Strength: Medium-Full

Smoke Time: 90 minutes

This marvelous Maduro is made at Rocky Patel’s Tavicusa factory in Esteli, Nicaragua. Its rich dark wrapper has an espresso-bean shade, with lots of spice and sun-grown leather throughout the experience.

The premium Nicaraguan blend also delivers a kick of black pepper and a wave of chocolate undertones, giving the Rocky Patel Special Reserve Sun Grown Maduro a wonderful smokey sweetness you won’t find with other cigars.

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic

Wrapper: Connecticut Broadleaf

Binder: Connecticut Broadleaf

Filler: Dominican Republic

Ring: 50

Length: 50

Strength: Medium-Full

Smoke Time: 90 minutes

This outstanding smoke from Cohiba should be high up on anyone’s cigar goals. With its dark creamy wrapper and peerless craftsmanship, the Cohiba Black Robusto Crystal glints with flavorful notes of dark chocolate, coffee, and natural cocoa.

Pair with a dark roast coffee or Baileys while you root for your favorite MLS team.

Country of Origin: Various

Wrapper: Various

Binder: Various

Filler: Various Ring: 48

Length: 7

Strength: Medium-Full

Smoke Time: 90 minutes

Shoot for the stars with JR Cigar’s value-priced take on the Partagas Lusitania —  considered one of Cuba’s iconic and classic cigars.

This consistent and creamy medium-bodied smoke with hints of coffee and vanilla will ensure you kick off the MLS season in the best way possible.

The MLS is geographically divided into the Eastern and Western Conferences, with 15 teams in the former and 14 in the latter. Each team plays home and away against every team in its conference, and then one game against all but four or five of the teams in the opposite conference.

Each of the MLS clubs will play 34 matches in the regular MLS season, with the Supporters’ Shield given to the team with the best regular season showing (the most points).

Yet, it’s the postseason playoff format where the season reaches boiling point, culminating in the annual championship game for the coveted MLS Cup.

It pits the winner of the Eastern Conference Final against the victor of the Western Conference Final. This method is common to every other major North American sports league, from the NFL to Major League Baseball.

Before discussing the favorites for the MLS Cup, we should give a shoutout to the league’s newest addition. St Louis SC is the MLS’s 29^th expansion club and will take to the field for the first time at Austin FC on Sunday, 26 February.

As the MLS has a fixed membership, it doesn’t use a promotion or relegation process, meaning newcomers like St Louis can play without the threat of losing their league status.

Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at two of the contenders for the MLS championship.

Los Angeles FC

Los Angeles FC lifted the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup last season, so unsurprisingly have been enlisted as heavy favorites by the bookmakers. They won 21 of their 34 regular-season matches, and at one stage, looked like they would beat the league’s all-time points record of 73.

A late-headed equalizer from Welsh wizard Gareth Bale was enough to take their thrilling MLS Cup tie against Philadelphia Union to penalties, where they held their nerve to win 3-0. This gave the club their first-ever MLS Cup triumph.

Star Player(s): Carlos Vela and Cristian Arango formed the deadliest attack in the league last season, amassing 28 goals and 13 assists between them.

Philadelphia Union

Last season’s nearly-men will aim to go one better this time around. They matched Los Angeles 67-point tally and even had a better defensive record, but the MLS unusually uses total wins as its first measurement when determining league standings positions.

Consequently, their 19 victories paled into insignificance when matched up to Los Angele FC’s 21 successes.

Star Player: While their defensive exploits deserve enormous credit, it’s hard not to be impressed by the numbers midfielder Dániel Gazdag produced last season.

Notching a club-record 32 goal contributions (22 goals, 10 assists) in the regular season, coach Jim Curtin will be hoping the Hungarian international can repeat his form in 2023.