MLS nearly folded in 2001, FC Dallas owner says

Founded in 1996, Major League Soccer has 20 seasons under its belt, but that milestone didn't seem likely back in 2001 when the league nearly filed for bankruptcy, according to FC Dallas co-owner Dan Hunt.

Speaking with "ESPN Soccer Today," Hunt revealed that the league was operating with millions of dollars in losses and was set to fold, before legendary U.S. sportsman Lamar Hunt (Dan's father) urged for owners to stick around one more season.

"It's my very first day on the job and we're having a league call in November and the league folded," Hunt revealed, according to ESPN FC. "On my very first day on the job, it went out of business.

"They were preparing the documents and that was it. My brother looks over at me and in typical big brother fashion goes, 'Congratulations, you've been hired and fired on the same day' with a big smile, although it wasn't quite big enough because the situation was pretty grave.

"My dad was able to call everybody, get 'em back, and within 48 hours everybody was back all in."

In 2001, the league had 12 clubs, including the now-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. The league has since grown into a healthy 20-team competition, but Hunt says that future was never supposed to come to fruition.

"It was, 'call the bankruptcy attorneys and then we're going to fold the league.' And I think maybe they called some attorneys; in fact I know they probably did," he said. "And my dad, though, just like the old days of the AFL, I mean literally the AFL was going out of business every year and he would talk people into staying for one more year."