SoccerEx is the go-to event for all things that concern the business of soccer. It gets the most powerful people in the game together to form relationships, all for the betterment of the sport. Held in Manchester last week, the MLS Commissioner, Don Garber – the public face of Major League Soccer since 1999 – used the moment to hold a wide-ranging interview, showing off not only how far the league has come, but also the extent of their future ambitions. The full interview can be found here: https://goo.gl/Rx0Ib4
Below are thoughts on the most pertinent points he made.
MLS do – and must continue to do – things differently than other leagues
A core value was repeatedly expressed by the MLS Commissioner; the MLS does it differently to the rest of the world. They operate a single-entity structure with no promotion or relegation (there is only one league in Major League Soccer), a restricted free agency and a Spring-to-December season. Frankly, Garber intimated, they would like to keep it that way. The Commissioner’s goal is to do things in a way which ensures longevity and stability. That’s the only rule which matters.
We are happy as we are
It must firstly be remembered that professional soccer in the United States is in its relative infancy. It doesn’t have 100 years of history behind it like other world leagues, and it exists in a ravenous environment, constantly having to fiercely compete for a place in the U.S. sports market. Fighting for the TV contracts that fund its existence and progression, against four other heritage sports, is difficult in the extreme.
Despite this, MLS has been pretty effective in its 20 years of existence at growing the game (and in ways which have probably exceeded the expectations of most), so they field a strong case for continuing to exist in isolation of the rules which govern the rest of global football.
No need to promote, nor relegate
This topic of contention was met with a firm belief that not only would it not work for them, it would only threaten the league’s existence. While promotion and relegation is a near-world wide mechanic and, in many countries, a necessary one (as it works to develop and create a competitive structure for both the game and the players), it simply would not be practical for MLS. U.S. sporting leagues already operate under a relegation-less system, and the MLS has to conform. Minor and major leagues, Eastern and Western conferences, playoffs, drafts, high school state championships, college national championships; these are all established mechanisms that the MLS sees no reason not to adopt.
Plus, when you consider the reality of it, ‘Major League Soccer Division 2’ really becomes a tad oxymoronic. It either is the Major League or it isn’t. That’s how it works for other US sports and they function rather well.
Making up the quality differential is only a matter of time
Governance points will rumble on, but while they do, the MLS’s focus should be on the pursuit of ‘catching up’ with its on-the-field product. It is a fair assessment within the soccer community that right now that the MLS is some way behind the world’s top leagues. But there was some positive commentary at SoccerEx stating how it is also widely accepted that, one day, they will catch up with the rest.
“… it may be generations before MLS reaches the quality of the Premier League and La Liga, but we want to be ‘part of the conversation’ globally for players and fans.”
An ambitious proclamation, but one that, if you squint a little, is a wholly realistic goal toward which the league can stride.
Yet they are still happy to be different
The adage, any given Sunday, applies in earnest to America’s NFL. That is a league built on equality of talent and potential, and it operates with the belief that each and every week, any team holds the ability to win. It’s an admirable axiom, and one that the MLS wants to hitch their own fledgling wagon to.
“We are very committed to the idea that at the start of every season, every fan can think their team can win a championship.”
This was Garber’s tagline for what makes his league an interesting one (so far in its 20th year, the MLS has experienced nine different winners) – there is a belief in all teams that they have a chance of winning the title. There is a sense of vibrant competition in this league, rather than a dreary monopoly, even from clubs believed to be operating as some of the league’s more modest participants. You only have to glance at some of the European leagues’ title distribution to see that this certainly is a point of difference which makes the MLS unique in the football world.
A new kind of tournament on the horizon
Broadening the conversation to matters outside purely the MLS, Garber publicised an idea suggesting the creation of a potential annual ‘Anglo-American Cup Tournament’. Obviously this was just a proposal, but talks have reportedly happened between representatives of the Premier League and Major League Soccer about the idea. While none of the finer details were made available (and perhaps the story is stronger without them at the moment), one assumes that the format of any potential tournament would involve pitting the MLS cup and league champion against the FA Cup and Premier League champion.
Clearly this plan would bring with it plenty of logistical hurdles, but it would also be a huge global PR push for both leagues if they were able to bring it to fruition.
Only time will tell if that can happen, but what this also says is that opportunities exist for the MLS and Premier League to work more closely together.
“There is more interest in investing in the MLS than there are teams available”
This is an insight you can’t contest and one which supports the need for a commitment to be made to leave alone those things which are the core equities of MLS (its single-entity structure with no promotion or relegation, its restricted free agency, and its Spring-to-December season).
Garber made clear in his SoccerEx appearance that he held no intention to hold back, broadcasting a healthy aura of optimism and confidence. And while it was an opportunity to show off the league’s improving metrics (attendance numbers, academy growth, the rising popularity of soccer among young people given America’s changing demographics), this was a statement of the league’s upward trajectory overall.
Progress is being made at a remarkable rate in the United States – they are truly a part of the global conversation – and, on behalf of his league, Garber is staking a claim for where the MLS will fit into the global soccer hierarchy in the future. If the MLS is left to strive on, with their own idiosyncrasies unaltered, then, in the future, anything is possible.
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