Major League Soccer has entered into a long-term deal with TOCA Football ©Getty Images

Major League Soccer (MLS) has struck a decade-long agreement with TOCA Football, which includes MLS securing an undisclosed stake in the company.

TOCA, which was founded by former United States footballer Eddie Lewis, possesses 28 training centres across North America and oversees TOCA Social venues.

The training centres put on technology-infused sessions and programmes, while TOCA Social is billed as an "interactive football and dining experience".

The long-term deal will see TOCA become an official training and entertainment facility partner of MLS with the football league's content being incorporated into all TOCA training centres.

Various events are due to take place in both TOCA facilities and MLS stadiums.

MLS has committed to working with its new partner to jointly form training programmes to capitalise on TOCA's proprietary technologies, including analytics and data-capture tools.

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A "soccer boom" is predicted to occur in the United States in the coming years with the World Cup on its way ©Getty Images

Co-branded games will also be developed for TOCA Social.

The length of the agreement means it will be active when the US stages the 2026 FIFA World Cup, along with Canada and Mexico. 

Some have predicted the World Cup will bring a boom in football's popularity and profile in the US.

"Major League Soccer is excited to partner with TOCA to accelerate the growth of soccer in North America ahead of the 2026 World Cup," MLS commissioner Don Garber said.

"This progressive partnership with TOCA is another important step for our league and sport, and we look forward to collaborating with them for many years to come."