In this day and age, independent thinking and innovation have taken center stage in every facet of life. This has created a push for toleration of uniqueness, and it is very much common practice to both accept and promote styles and beliefs that differ from the norm. However, when it comes to Major League Soccer, this trend should be forgotten in favor of a policy of conformity.

The league has experienced immense success relative to its extremely young age, compared to other soccer and athletic leagues. However, its current method of operations is not sustainable for increasing its fan base. MLS, surprisingly, ranks 3rd in average attendance among all sports in the United States — ahead of both the NBA and NHL. This statistic is incredibly exciting, considering the league has only been around for 19 years. But despite the opportunistic outlook, MLS will never become a powerhouse unless it begins to mimic the more talented and popular European soccer leagues. MLS should be wary of complacency and strive to improve the league far beyond its current standing. Things must change if teams, owners and fans want to see MLS rise even further than it already has.

MLS was founded as part of a deal between the international soccer governing organization, FIFA, and the United States Soccer Federation. FIFA granted the United States the 1994 World Cup and, in exchange, the USSF created a soccer league to promote the sport’s popularity stateside. In order to appeal to Americans, it seemed logical at the time to try to Americanize the sport by changing some of the rules and format.

However, MLS’s popularity in the United States led to the number of Americans who follow European soccer leagues to skyrocket. It is quite clear that this Americanized version is not only no longer necessary, but it is also hindering MLS’s development both domestically and internationally.

It is obvious that, on a global scale, European soccer has a much larger following. To put it into perspective: More people watched the UEFA Champions League final than the number that went to MLS games the entirety of the 2014 season. Gone are the days when MLS must adapt to the sports culture of the United States — now the organization must adapt to the “football” culture of the entire world, specifically Europe.

The first steps that MLS should take to conform pertain to its basic structure. Vast discrepancies exist in the format of MLS and other leagues that are still very reminiscent of the attempt to make the league “American.” To assimilate with the more popular European leagues, MLS needs to eliminate the conference and playoff system, adjust the schedule so every team plays every other team twice a season and move the season so that it aligns with the leagues abroad. These alterations will remove the parts of the league’s structure that alienate traditional soccer fans so that MLS feels like a legitimate league.

The next steps, beyond changing the format, revolve around actually improving the quality of play in order to compete with the talent of leagues abroad.  This can be done in two ways: firstly, by reconfiguring the ownership of the teams so that MLS becomes an association of independently owned organizations, rather than the current system of having the league’s investors control and own every team. And secondly, MLS should use the relegation-promotion system that is used in Europe in order to create more meaningful games throughout the entire league and season.

Both of these changes will not only conform to the European structure, but will also improve the quality of MLS in general. By creating independent ownership, the league will become more competitive because, instead of making league-oriented decisions, teams’ owners will be able to make team-oriented decisions that improve their teams. This may seemingly create some lack of parity, but European leagues deal with this issue by having a relegation-promotion system among the various other leagues around the country — something very foreign to American sports fans. This guarantees that no matter where a team is on the table, they will be playing meaningful games throughout the entire year.

It is no secret that there exists a great number of superior leagues overseas both in quality of play and international popularity. These leagues are more popular for a reason — the structure and the quality of their leagues are more appealing to international fans. If MLS ever wants to be on the same level as these associations, then the answer is not to be unique, but rather to conform.

Jacob Altstadt is a McCormick sophomore. He can be reached at [email protected]. If you would like to respond publicly to this column, send a Letter to the Editor to [email protected].