Major League Soccer survives antitrust appeal

MANHATTAN — The Second Circuit affirmed a New York federal court’s decision not to order a new trial for the U.S. Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer, which won a jury verdict after budding leagues sued over sports standards that allegedly preserved Major League Soccer’s position in top- and second-tier professional U.S. soccer. The smaller leagues unsuccessfully challenged the exclusion of expert testimony and waived their right to appeal an argument requiring proof of a relevant market for all their counts.