The beautiful game continues to grow in the United States, and now $1million (£840,000) has been donated to MLS academies league-wide.
The MLS continues to strengthen with each year, and now the national sides of both America and Canada are being flooded with waves of fresh talent as years of hard work is starting to pay off. And even more money is set to be invested, as MLS Cup play-off sponsors Audi have pledged to donate $1m.
The car manufacturer pledged to donate $500 (£422) for ever MLS goal scored during the season, and the stakes were raised even higher during the play-offs as this amount increased to $2000 (£1690). Their official total came to $849,500 (£718,000), but they opted to round that up to $1m in order to help the next generation of MLS talent.
In addition to the $2000 for every play-off game scored, $10000 (£8450) was up for grabs for any goal scored in the MLS Cup final. Thankfully for the MLS, there were plenty, six to be precise. Gareth Bale was the hero after scoring a 129th-minute equaliser to send the game to penalties, after coming off the bench. That was his third goal in 13 MLS appearances since joining from Real Madrid.
The exhilarating final between Philadelphia Union and Los Angeles FC ended 3-3 after 120 minutes, and LAFC won their maiden crown via a penalty shootout. The winner of the MLS Golden boot also takes back $25,000 (£21,125) for their respected clubs academy, with the 2022 award going to Hany Mukhtar of Nashville SC.
Twenty-three goals and 11 assists came from Mukhtar, who edged both Daniel Gazdag of Philadelphia, and Sebastian Driussi of Austin FC who both scored 22. A total of 41 goals were scored in the MLS post-season, in addition to the tally of 1412 during the regular campaign.
Factoring in both stages of the season, it brought the total tally of goals to 1453. It's a brilliant campaign for the MLS that continues to help the growth of the league, but it's far from a new campaign.
The goals fund started back in 2019, giving MLS academies a brilliant source of sustainable income. "Audi is proud to continue our commitment to helping the next generation of young players access the tools needed to become more competitive for tomorrow as they aspire to join the ranks of MLS," said Loren Angelo, Head of Marketing at Audi of America.
