Major League Soccer's footprint will be all over the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar – in record-setting fashion with 35 player call-ups, the most in the league's 27-year history.
Here are some key insights, significant figures and more as competition begins Sunday in the Middle East.
Worldwide context
• 35: MLS's 35 World Cup players are the most of any league in the Americas, only eclipsed globally by the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 in the overall number of players called into the World Cup.
• 20: MLS clubs with players named to World Cup rosters – tied with the English Premier League for the most among top-flight soccer leagues in the world.
•8: For the first time in history, all eight World Cup groups will feature at least one MLS player.
• 6: MLS players in Qatar have previous World Cup experience: Martín Cáceres (LA Galaxy/Uruguay), Milos Degenek (Columbus Crew/Australia), Héctor Herrera (Houston Dynamo FC/Mexico), Bryan Oviedo (Real Salt Lake/Costa Rica), Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire FC/Switzerland) and DeAndre Yedlin (Inter Miami CF/USA).
• 4: Coaches leading national teams at the World Cup who have previously coached in MLS: Diego Alonso (Uruguay, formerly Inter Miami CF), Gregg Berhalter (USA, formerly Columbus Crew), Tata Martino (Mexico, formerly Atlanta United) and Carlos Queiroz (Iran, NY/NJ MetroStars)
USA, Canada footprint
• 18: US men’s national team players with MLS ties (current players, former players, or players that spent time in an MLS academy).
• 18: Canada men’s national team players with MLS ties (current players, former players, or players that spent time in MLS academy).
• 11: Current MLS players representing Canada – the most of any national team.
• 9: Current MLS players representing the United States.
Other highlights
• 27.233: Average age (27 years, 85 days) of the 35 MLS players called up to World Cup rosters.
• 6: World Cup players contributed by CF Montréal, the most by a single MLS club.
• 1: MLS NEXT Pro will see its first World Cup representative in league history, Daniel Chacón (Colorado Rapids 2) of Costa Rica.
