WASHINGTON – Each All-Star Game offers time for reflection, of putting into context how far Major League Soccer has come in its near-three decades of existence.
Commissioner Don Garber experienced one such moment late Monday, when First Lady Jill Biden hosted MLS on the South Lawn for a youth soccer clinic. There was even a brief appearance from President Joe Biden, greeting all the participants.
“That really showed how far our league has come,” Garber said Tuesday afternoon at Hotel Washington, conducting his annual All-Star press conference. “I don't think five years ago we would have been hosted at the White House with our players.”
But MLS continues to grow by leaps and bounds on and off the field, experiencing another memory-filled event Tuesday morning when training shifted from American University’s campus to the National Mall.
“Seeing the guys out there training and playing soccer volleyball with the Capitol on one end and the Washington Monument on another is really spectacular,” said Garber. “It’s just one more example of how far soccer in our country has come, and we think a lot of that growth has been driven by the momentum, energy and investment behind Major League Soccer.”
The marquee events, at least for fans, arrive via the MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T 5G (Tuesday, 7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass), followed by the MLS All-Star Game presented by Target (Wednesday, 8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
Head coach Wayne Rooney and Co.’s opponent for both showdowns at D.C. United’s Audi Field? Mighty Arsenal FC of the English Premier League, who are Stateside on a tour ahead of their 2023-24 season.
Messi arrival
As the League’s midsummer showcase unfolds in the nation’s capital, the global soccer attention centers on South Florida and the arrival of Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets at Inter Miami CF. Jordi Alba, another FC Barcelona legend, will reportedly join them in the weeks ahead for the new project manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino is overseeing.
Naturally, Garber spent part of his press conference fielding questions about the record seven-time Ballon d'Or winner and 2022 FIFA World Cup champion arriving in MLS. The long-term ripple effect should be profound.
“It's just continuing to defy everyone's expectations,” Garber said. “And at some point, five years from now or 10 years from now, there will be some player who is thinking about Major League Soccer because he saw the success and experience of Lionel Messi with Inter Miami.”
Messi, part of a star-filled unveiling celebration Sunday evening, had his first practice session on Tuesday while the All-Stars trained in D.C. He could make his debut Friday when Miami host Liga MX side Cruz Azul for an initial 2023 Leagues Cup clash (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Univision).
“It’s a transformational moment for our league,” said Garber. “The event in Miami was spectacular. The energy in and around that signing was even defying our expectations. To have the best player in the history of the game choosing Major League Soccer is something we could not be more excited about.”
Leagues Cup on tap
Two sleeps after the MLS All-Stars compete against Arsenal, the revamped Leagues Cup begins. It pits 47 clubs – 18 from Liga MX and 29 from MLS – in a World Cup-style tournament that qualifies three clubs for the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup. Increased prize money is on the line, too.
The stakes are high, with rivalry themes shaping bordering leagues that share long-term goals and push each to succeed.
“Our expectations are high, it's new and like everything, you have to take risks and have ambition when you are trying to continue to move forward,” said Garber.
Big picture
Looking long-term, Garber also addressed some of the biggest topics shaping MLS’s future. St. Louis CITY SC have been a smash success this season as team No. 29, San Diego will join as team No. 30 in 2025, and the expanded World Cup is coming to North America in 2026.
All along, it’s year one of the 10-year partnership with Apple and games being broadcast on MLS Season Pass. The adidas partnership also got renewed in February, and earlier this month an MLS single-game attendance record was set (82,110 fans) at the Rose Bowl to watch LAFC and LA Galaxy meet in El Tráfico.
It all adds up to an exciting growth trajectory.
“It's been a great season,” said Garber. “And for those of who you have been with me on this journey for many years, we seem to say that every year.
“At some point, it's going to normalize, and it's not going to be about growth and about sort of we are achieving the unimaginable and defying what's possible because we'll be just another Major League that's doing what it does in creating thrills and agony on the field.”
The energy transcends beyond MLS’s first team, into the sport overall.
“I will tell you as somebody that's been involved for decades,” Garber began, “the opportunity and excitement and energy about what's going to happen over the next number of years is going to have the whole world say, well, they finally got it: great leagues, men's leagues and women's leagues, unbelievable competition, rising youth game, rising opportunity in and around the commercial business and the media business. And with all of that, our best days are still ahead of us.”
