TORONTO

You’d think former White House hopeful Howard Dean was running this league.

The 2004 Democratic candidate’s infamous overzealous rantdoomed his bid for the presidency.

“We’re going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico,” Dean said after finishing third in the Iowa caucuses. “We’re going to California and Texas and New York ...”

A decade later, Major League Soccer is saying the same thing, metaphorically speaking.

The league’s head honchos now openly acknowledge rapid expansion is on the horizon — to Minneapolis and Atlanta and Los Angeles and, most likely, a few more.

That prompted prominent MLS pundit Alexi Lalas to get in on the fun this week.

“MLS teams for all,” he the Fox Sports analyst wrote — a clear sign of growth.

Consider this: Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment shelled out just $10 million for Toronto FC’s expansion fee back in 2006, meaning the value of each of the league’s 20 teams has grown tenfold.

City Football Group and the Yankees handed MLS $100 million for New York City FC.

Atlanta and Los Angeles FC — both slated to begin play in 2017 — will hand over similar fees.

Minneapolis — all but assured an expansion team by MLS brass this week — could pay in excess of that.

Consider just 10 years ago the league had a dozen mostly floundering teams and things start to look pretty good comparatively — especially when you consider MLS has also raised its average attendance by more than 25% over that period of instability.

As long-time U.S. soccer pundit Steve Davis pointed out Wednesday, we’ve come to expect sellout crowds across the continent on a weekly basis — a mere dream a decade ago.

That’s not to say problems don’t persist. They do.

A number of MLS sides — Dallas, Colorado, New England and Chicago — have struggled to keep up with many of the league’s top emerging markets. The league’s TV numbers, while up slightly, have plenty of room for growth. Finally, the top end payrolls across MLS — in the $20 million range — aren’t nearly enough to compete with the world’s top leagues.

But the league’s continued upward trend remains the focus in addition to its stability.

Just over a decade ago, multiple teams were leaving the league.

The Miami Fusion’s average attendance was less than five figures and the defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny was a disaster from the beginning.

Those days, however, are a distant memory, a part of the league’s history that is easily ignored when you consider the markets that are clamouring for entry

At this point it would surprise everyone involved to see MLS not add a fourth Californian team.

Sacramento Republic FC (USL) — backed by the NBA’s Kings — seems to have everything in order.

Then there’s soccer fans in Miami, who are desperate to see David Beckham secure a downtown site to build what early renderings indicate would be a dream soccer specific stadium.

San Antonio and St. Louis are also said to be waiting in the wings, prompting MLS commissioner Don Garber to mention earlier this week the league’s top brass are exploring the option of expanding MLS beyond 24 clubs — a number once thought to be the limit by 2020.

A decade ago, many observers weren’t sure the league would exist beyond the 2018 World Cup.

There are positives happening in the very near future, too.

The San Jose Earthquakes will christen Avaya Stadium this weekend after playing in university stadium for seven consecutive seasons. Similarly, both D.C. United and Orlando City are set to break ground on a pair of new downtown soccer-only stadiums — a path both Minnesota and Sacramento seem destined to follow once they are officially unveiled as additions.

Those who have been with this league since the beginning (1996) understand the mini miracle we’ve witnessed. None of it seemed possible in the early 2000s when the Kansas City Wizards were playing the Dallas Burn at Arrowhead Stadium in front of what felt like a high school crowd.

A decade on and the league is still going strong.

There’s finally a sense among MLS insiders that the worst is long gone.

REDS SUBMIT APPEAL

Toronto FC bench boss Greg Vanney confirmed Wednesday the club has submitted an appeal to Major League Soccer’s front office to have Justin Morrow’s red card suspension lifted.

Morrow was sent off just before halftime in a 2-0 loss to Columbus last week for a tackle that many thought was clean.

“No update but we’ve submitted our appeal and we’ll wait to see what comes with it,” Vanney said.

The absence of Morrow in Salt Lake next Sunday would be even more magnified if TFC loses multiple players to international duty.

Italy plays a pair of matches later this month against Bulgaria and England while the United States plays Denmark and Switzerland. That means Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Atltiore could also be missing.

“I don’t worry,” Vanney said. “It’s something we may have to deal with, but that’s why we’ve established the team we have. We have good leadership and a good group of players in terms of our depth.”