A new MLS season is upon us and if you want basic details about the teams (sorry franchises), sponsors and TV contracts, you can find them here: Commercial guide By 2022 the competition which had 24 franchises last season is expected to have 30 teams. Any expansion beyond that, given that relegation is out of the question (it would scare off the investors), would presumably require two 'conferences' and play offs between the top teams, as happens in baseball. Buying a franchise now getting very expensive, even though hardly any MLS teams have turned a profit in the last 25 years, but then normal profitability criteria do not apply in soccer. David Tepper, a hedge fund billionaire, paid $325m last December for the 30th franchise in Charlotte, North Carolina. You could get a half decent European team for that price. MLS is open only to new entrants willing to pay 'expansion fees' which are then shared between existing owners. Last year Meg Whitman, the former Hewl...