The first Major League Soccer season was played in 1996.
MLS began its inaugural season on April 6, 1996, when the San Jose Clash hosted D.C. United at Spartan Stadium. Eric Wynalda scored the first goal in league history, and the Clash won the opening match. The league launched with 10 teams and was created partly to fulfill a U.S. commitment connected to hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
The first season had several rules that differed from traditional international soccer. Regulation wins were worth three points, tied matches went to shootouts, and MLS used a countdown clock rather than the standard running clock. D.C. United won the first MLS Cup, establishing the club as the league’s inaugural champion. A common mix-up is to connect MLS with earlier American professional leagues such as the North American Soccer League; MLS was a new top-level league that began its own competition in 1996.