Major League Soccer continues to grow. This season saw the league take huge steps with the additions of New York City Football Club and Orlando City Soccer Club. Beyond the new teams, the league has also added a litany of stars in markets across the continent. From Toronto to Houston to New York to Los Angeles and between, the league is enjoying its 20th season in better shape than it's ever been in.

While many clubs are certainly doing well, on the field and off, there are some clubs that have been struggling for years and fans are getting to the breaking point. Protests are planned in Chicago and Denver after years of systemic failure have fans wanting ownership change. This comes in the wake of protests from fans in Philadelphia earlier this season which ended up disastrously for management. Also there were protests in New Jersey after popular head coach Mike Petke was unceremoniously fired during the off season.

In Chicago, Section 8 will be sitting out the majority of the match before entering in the final minutes of the game to unveil their protest. In Denver, fans are being asked to wear green rather than burgundy as part of their protest. Fans in Philly led a march with a casket and signs demanding the firing of their General Manager. Red Bulls fans not only demanded that their newly appointed GM be let go but that Red Bull, the popular energy drink, sell the team (a protest that has been going on for years). This was a double whammy with banners, songs and even a large billboard along the highway

The Fire was once a contender in MLS when AEG owned the team. Mexican International Cuauhtemoc Blanco was brought into the team back in 2007 and made them one of the best teams in the league. While they weren't able to win a championship, they were a contender. Ever since AEG sold the club, though, they've been in a constant downward spiral. Fans want Andrew Hauptman, the current owner, to sell the club as they feel he has no desire to hire the right staff to bring the team back to glory.

Meanwhile Rapids fans want similar change from KSE. Their ownership has been neglecting the club for years, despite sinking lots of money into English Premier League side Arsenal. Fans aren't demanding he sink that kind of money into the Rapids, but the team has shown that a little investment can lead to success, when Colorado won MLS Cup in 2010. Since then, though, the team has shown little fight or ability to get into the playoffs much less another run towards the title.

Union fans have known little success since their inception. Their one playoff appearance saw them easily brushed aside by the Houston Dynamo. Ever since then, they've failed to make the playoffs. The Union have made it to the U.S. Open Cup final two years running (they face Sporting KC this year for the title in September). However a rotating door of coaches and bad designated player signings have cut the knees off the team. It doesn't help that current ownership is lacking the funds to keep up with most other clubs and has one of the smallest front office staffs (if not the smallest) in MLS. Without minimum resources, the team has found success very hard to come by.

While neutrals can wish fans luck in persuading their respective ownerships to improve the team, it's worth pointing out the positive with all of these protests this season. Fans care. These four protests show that the investments MLS has made over the past two decades have succeeded. Fans are demanding their clubs be relevant in the league. MLS has helped grow passion across North America. While it may be a bit of a black eye for the league that these protests have been going on all year (with no stop in sight for the near future), it's great for the long term growth.

It's worth mentioning that the league would be better off, fiscally, if the teams in Chicago and Philly could turn things around quickly. Those are two of the biggest media markets and having them succeed will go a long ways towards growing TV numbers (ie: sponsorship dollars). Whether that's assisting the FO's with money needed to hire more personnel or better training or what have you is open to debate.

In the meantime, good luck to fans in Denver, Chicago, New Jersey and Philadelphia.