In soccer, "FC" stands for "Football Club". The use of "FC" as an abbreviation for "Football Club" has its origins in Europe, where many modern teams have their roots in amateur sporting clubs. For example, a group of people would get together to play soccer amongst themselves in a city like Liverpool, and they would quite literally be the "Liverpool Football Club". If two or more soccer clubs joined together, they might go by "united" instead of simply "FC". An example of this would be the world-famous Manchester United.

Many teams choose to use "FC" in their names as an attempt to link themselves with the traditions of older established leagues. In fact, the term "FC" has spread to all corners of the globe and is a very popular suffix for teams from South America to Africa, the Middle East, and even Japan. Some MLS teams have gone a step further, adding "United," "Sporting," and even "Real" to their names. These titles are intended to create deeper connections to international soccer traditions and lend more authenticity to the MLS, which is relatively new compared to most European football leagues.