MLS likes to talk a big game.



League and club executives have routinely commented in recent years about becoming a “league of choice,” “one of the best leagues in the world” and, my personal favorite, “a selling league.” That MLS isn’t actually close to being any of those things doesn’t matter. Time and time again, we hear those lines repeated. They’re parroted so often, in fact, they’ve basically become tropes.



That’s why I was thankful when, on Wednesday, a couple of league leaders carved out some entirely new ground. High above Manhattan, as the league celebrated the upcoming opening of its 25th season in the “salon” of the 5-star Mandarin Oriental hotel, LAFC managing owner Larry Berg and Inter Miami managing owner Jorge Mas went where no MLS exec has gone before.



“I think we’ll pass baseball and hockey and be the No. 3 spot in the U.S. behind...