World Series of Soccer (MLS)

The World Series of Soccer, also known in Spanish as Serie Mundial de Fútbol, was an international men's association football competition hosted by Major League Soccer from 2005 to 2007. It was used by MLS to provide its teams with opportunities to compete against top international teams.

The term, World Series of Soccer, was originally used for a series of senior international soccer matches hosted by the United States Soccer Federation between 1991 and 1994. In 2005, Major League Soccer re-introduced the name for a series of professional matches in the United States.

History In 2005, Major League Soccer (MLS) began the World Series of Soccer (WSS), a series of games pitting MLS and big name international clubs against each other. The games took place across the United States. The WSS was a round robin style competition between two MLS teams, D.C. United and Chicago Fire, as well as two European powerhouses, Chelsea of the English Premier League and AC Milan of Italy's Serie A. The games were played during the MLS season, which was also the European off-season.

In 2006, MLS continued the WSS and expanded it to include Real Madrid and Barcelona from Spain, Celtic from Scotland, Everton from England, and Club América, Necaxa, and Tigres UANL from Mexico.

The World Series of Soccer returned in 2007 as a four-team affair, primarily used to promote the arrival of English footballer David Beckham to the United States. His team LA Galaxy had a round-robin with Chelsea of the Premier League, the Suwon Samsung Bluewings of the K League, and Tigres UANL of the Liga MX. Tigres won the competition by virtue of goal difference over Chelsea.

Results Champions are in bold.

2005 +DateTeam 1ScoreTeam 2Ref.24 JulyAC Milan0–1Chelsea27 JulyChicago Fire1–3AC Milan28 JulyD.C. United1–2Chelsea31 JulyAC Milan1–1Chelsea

2006 +DateTeam 1ScoreTeam 2Ref.12 JulyD.C. United4–0CelticChicago Fire1–2Club AméricaLA Galaxy0–1Necaxa19 JulyNew England Revolution1–1CelticFC Dallas2–0Tigres UANL23 JulyChivas USA1–1 (5–4 p)Club América26 JulyColumbus Crew1–1Everton9 AugustD.C. United1–1Real Madrid12 AugustNew York Red Bulls1–4BarcelonaReal Salt Lake0–2Real Madrid

2007 +DateTeam 1ScoreTeam 2Ref.17 JulySuwon Samsung Bluewings0–1ChelseaTigres UANL3–0LA Galaxy21 JulyTigres UANL3–0Suwon Samsung BluewingsChelsea1–0LA Galaxy

References