MLS Commissioner Don reflects on WC, league’s growth and stepping down

When the World Cup first came to the United States in 1994, it spurred the creation of Major League Soccer. Now, in the wake of this summer’s tournament, big changes are afoot for the league. After this season, MLS will begin transitioning to a summer-to-spring calendar, bringing the league in line with most of its international counterparts. There’s also talk of adjusting roster rules and the salary cap to make the league more competitive on the global stage.

And, MLS is preparing for the departure of Commissioner Don Garber, who has overseen the league over a period of tremendous growth since taking on the job in 1999.

There have already been signs MLS is seeing the so-called World Cup bump, with MLS ticket sales up 58 per cent in the 40 days during and after the World Cup compared to the same period before the tournament, according to the league. The recent addition of international stars like Robert Lewandowski, who joined the Chicago Fire, and Antoine Griezmann, now with Orlando City, has provided an additional boost.

“When I look at the World Cup, I look at it as an eight-year journey that delivered everything we could have imagined during the actual tournament, and now, as you know, it’s our job to take it from here and continue as much of that momentum as possible, so that our teams have more fans, we have players that continue to pick MLS as a league of choice. We’re developing more skilled players in our MLS Next program, and in our MLS academies, and on and on,” Garber said in an interview with The Associated Press ahead of MLS All-Star Game on Wednesday.

In a way, this is something of a full-circle moment for Garber, who attended his first soccer match during the 1994 World Cup. This time around, he attended 15 matches over the course of the tournament.