The World Cup is less than three weeks away and Major League Soccer is getting everyone ready for it by celebrating its 8th annual MLS Futbolito event. MLS Futbolito, the famous 4 v 4 tournament, kicked off its U.S. tour this past weekend in Miami and will travel to 13 cities in America.




MLS Futbolito is the biggest Hispanic event organized by a professional sports league in the United States. Last year over 55,000 people attended MLS Futbolito. Football fanatics of all ages, from 6 to 55 years old, can participate in the 4 v 4 games.

World Cup legends have participated in MLS Futbolito over the years with names such as Marco Etcheverry, Teófilo Cubillas, George Weah, Carlos Valderrama, and Mauricio Cienfuegos. This year Francisco ‘Paco’ Palencia was the guest of honor at the press game, which kicked off the MLS Futbolito event. Paco Palencia is one of Mexico’s most prolific strikers, having played in two World Cups for ‘El Tri’.

On a side note, I had the opportunity to play alongside Palencia and scored twice in our first match thanks to two assists from Paco. It’s probably as close as I’ll ever get to playing on the same team with a two-time World Cup participant, but it was a cool experience and I look forward to playing in the Futbolito tournament again next year.

So, polish up your boots and start getting into the World Cup hype with the MLS Futbolito. Below is the link for more information on the MLS Futbolito tour.