Major League Soccer is just a bit player in international terms at present, but the potential is there for the United States club scene to be as big as anywhere else.

Since the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, American soccer has been on the rise. The start of MLS and various youth programs has sparked a rebirth of soccer in the country. It is still, however, far from being on par with world soccer, and is not one of the more popular sports in the U.S. This can be achieved, but some major adjustments have to be made.

1. American leagues must be on the same timetable as world soccer
As of now, the MLS season does not coincide with the world's major soccer leagues. This must be changed. World soccer is from later summer to spring, while the MLS runs from spring until summer. American soccer cannot not elevate its status being separate from the world like this. Player transfers and team transactions cannot work with MLS being on a different schedule. This is crucial to MLS's development. If the league is an entire separate entity from major leagues like the English Premier League, Spain's La Liga, and Italy's Serie A, MLS is doomed to being an inferior, insignificant minor league.

2. Same format as the world's major leagues
The current format of MLS is based on the same model as other American sports. That is, there are divisions, a play-off system and a championship game. This is not the format that FIFA's major leagues use, and the MLS needs to change if it is to develop into a top league. A dream situation would be to have something such as the U.S. Premier League, with a 20-team table, and sub divisions that use the relegation and promotion rules.

This is true soccer. The American sports format is not compatible with FIFA. America needs to use the modules that have made soccer the most popular sport in the world for years. If this doesn't change, then MLS will continue to be a minor American league with no chance for major growth. The relegation and promotion rules would inject more excitement into the sport because such a theme has never been used in American sports. Also, fighting for supremacy in one major large division would also generate new interest.

3.More importation of big international stars
David Beckham signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy for a gazillion dollars. That's great, but he is only one man, and is no longer considered one of the truly best in the world. Beckham cannot revolutionize American soccer by himself. That's like saying American football would explode in Europe if Tom Brady signed with a Euro football team. It's not that simple.

Can you imagine the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo on the Red Bulls? Ronaldhino on the New England Revolution? Didier Drogba on FC Dallas? Wayne Rooney on DC United, Kaka playing for the Houston Dynamo? This may seem like a pipe dream, but it would be integral in the process of American soccer reaching its full potential.

When the NASL had its glory days in the late '70s, it was largely due to the influx of international stars. For the U.S. Premier League to reach similar heights this will be necessary. International stars plus the development of strong American-born players.

With the world's best competing in the league the level of play would rise, and American players would learn more about the world game, and become much better players. If the best players in the world view the U.S. Premier League as a legitimate league where they can earn top dollar and face high-level competition, the possibilities are endless. This would be key for the sport to boom in America.

4. Soccer-only stadiums
All U.S. Premier League teams would have to host in soccer-only stadiums. This would legitimize the league, and not make soccer look like a secondary sport. The teams cannot be playing on fields with football yard line markers on it. It's pretty self-explanatory to how playing in stadiums designed for soccer matches benefits a soccer league. There used to be stadiums in American that hosted baseball and football games, but this is no more. Every sport has a right to its own playing venue.

If these four goals are accomplished, soccer's popularity in the U.S. would rise, and more money would be invested into the league. This would likely be followed by more TV contracts, and marketing opportunities. The U.S. Premier League would eventually become one of FIFA's major entities