The MLS All-Star Game is a focal point of the Major League Soccer season where the entire league gathers to discuss and celebrate the events of the previous year. It was therefore only fitting, said MLS Commissioner Don Garber, that the 2008 All-Star Game be held in the league's most prosperous new market in the wake of the league's most successful year.
"What with the excitement, success and soccer passion that exists here in the city, we believed very early on that this would be the perfect site for our annual All-Star Game," Garber said. "Our expansion in Toronto will go down as one of the key moments in Major League Soccer history and I for one believe that the launch of Toronto FC was one of the most memorable and successful new-team launches in the history of professional sports in North America."
The commissioner praised TFC's ownership group, corporate sponsorship and most of all fan support several times during his biennial state of the league address on Wednesday, even noting at one point that his remarks were beginning to sound like "an advertisement for Toronto." Still, Garber was effusive in his praise of TFC's quick evolution into one of the model organizations of MLS after just a season and a half of play. The latest example, Garber said, was the extensive schedule of interactive fan events, concerts and activities set in motion for the All-Star week.
"This is the first time we've had municipalities get behind the event in the way that they have. This will set the stage for what we hope will happen in cities for the next number of All-Star Games," Garber said. "[Toronto FC ownership group] Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment working with the city of Toronto and the province of Ontario have put together an unprecedented level of activities for the week. This is by far the most comprehensive All-Star event group of activities we've ever had. It's clear to say that MLSE has set a new standard for our league just in terms of management and marketing innovation.
"The best sales vehicle we have for MLS is BMO Field and TFC. ... That's one of the best environments in professional sports, whether it's soccer or any other sport. The fan connectivity with the sport exists in that stadium in ways that I just haven't seen in a lot of sports events that I've attended."
The Toronto club's success was just one of several positives for MLS that Garber highlighted during his address. He referred to 2007 as "a landmark year for Major League Soccer, arguably the best year [ever] for soccer in North America," citing the league's new TV deal, new soccer-specific stadiums in Toronto and Colorado, the launch of the SuperLiga, and unprecedented corporate and sponsorship interest for not just MLS, but for North American soccer as a whole.
Garber pointed to five central factors that were essential to this growth and to the future of the league over the next several years.
Raising the level of respect and credibility given to MLS in both North America and around the world: Garber said the signing of David Beckham, arguably the world's most famous soccer star, made the international community take notice of the league. Most importantly, Beckham's high caliber of play on the field has cut through the media hype and won him the respect of fans across MLS.
"We've achieved more with the signing of David Beckham than I think we [thought] that ever could be achieved," Garber said.
"Our success during the last 12 to 18 months has really generated, most important to us, an increased level of respect and support for our sport not just here but abroad. That support is shown in the benefits to us both in terms of players' interest in coming here, broadcasters interested in our TV rights, new investors interested in coming into our league -- all of the measures that are important to pro sports teams."
Garber also said that his league's profile is being raised by the increasing acknowledgment of the talent generated in North America. The commissioner pointed to the recent sale of New York Red Bulls product Jozy Altidore to Spanish club Villarreal as a transaction that would never have happened were it not for Altidore's emergence taking place in Major League Soccer. Garber said that while he thinks the league will one day grow to the point that it can afford to keep all of its young talent, such transfers can only help promote the quality of MLS players and such fees will help the clubs continue to improve themselves.
Get all MLS teams playing in team-owned and operated soccer-only stadiums that are integrated into their communities: Garber said that by 2010, 12 of the league's 16 teams will be in soccer-specific stadiums, including Real Salt Lake's new home opening next season, New York in late 2009, Philadelphia in 2010 and new stadium projects underway in San Jose and Kansas City.
Continued growth in metrics like TV ratings, attendance and corporate support: 2008 is the first season in which every MLS game is broadcast either locally or nationally on ESPN, ABC, Univision, Fox Soccer Channel, HDNet, and in Canada, Rogers Sportsnet and CBC. These games are shown not just in North America, but also to Mexico, Central America, Europe and parts of Asia. Garber said TV ratings are up 20 percent from last season on ESPN, and 10 percent on Univision.
Fans aren't just watching the games on TV, Garber noted.
"The 2008 season has featured our highest attendance last year since year one," Garber said. "Though we're playing in two very small, temporary facilities in San Jose and Kansas City ... we're currently 11 percent ahead of our year-to-date attendances compared to where we were at this time last year."
The commissioner also cited the fact that 10 MLS teams now have sponsored jerseys, as is common practice in Europe and abroad.
Turn North American soccer fans into MLS fans: "We want to do all we can to convert those people who love the game into passionate fans of the local team and strong followers of Major League Soccer," Garber said. "We want Major League Soccer to be at the center of their soccer passion."
While watching Tuesday night's Canadian Championship match between Toronto FC and the USL's Montreal Impact, Garber said he was struck by the intensity of the fans, particularly one young Reds supporter who was so caught up by a near-miss by TFC in the closing minutes that the boy started to weep on his father's shoulders.
"That's the kind of passion we want young people to show for their local MLS team," Garber said. "We like the fact that they go to our games because they play the game; we want them to go to our games because they love the game, they care about the players and they care about that local team. If we achieve that, then we've achieved all that we've set out to achieve with the sport here [in Canada] and in the U.S."
Continue to improve the quality of play, and come up with innovative ideas to reaching new levels of quality: Garber said MLS is committed to creating both more opportunities for North American talent so fans can see top-quality players from their own countries.
"We recognize that the future of the league and really the sport in North America is based on the growing development of domestic players here in Canada and throughout the United States," Garber said. "Last year we made a major commitment to player development with a rule change that allows MLS teams to retain the rights to what we call homegrown players. That's an important priority for us."
At the same time, however, Garber acknowledged the popularity of international players like Beckham and said that for MLS to be a true world-class league, it must be a source of great soccer skill from all countries. That was the impetus behind the designated player rule, which Garber called "a transformational decision" for the league in attracting major stars.
"We've signed dozens and dozens of players over the last two years in both the winter and summer transfer windows," Garber said. "Exciting players, guys that have come from Latin America, Mexico, Central America. Players that have flair, that bring something to the game that's helping us connect with that hardcore soccer fans, regardless of the ethnicity of that fan."
In addition to these major points, Garber also discussed other issues concerning the league, including the ongoing problem of fixture congestion. The commissioner admitted there was no solution at hand simply because the MLS April-October schedule is the opposite of the August-May schedule favored by so many other countries' leagues, and thus FIFA schedules international dates with the majority in mind. Garber said rescheduling games that are in conflict with international games isn't an option due to stadium availability, possible travel difficulties and the fact that midweek games generally lead to lower interest from fans.
Expansion was a popular topic of discussion, particularly in Toronto where TFC's success has created speculation that other Canadian cities may be contenders for a new MLS club. Garber said that Montreal, Ottawa and Vancouver are on a short list that also includes Atlanta, Las Vegas, Miami, Portland, St. Louis and possibly a second New York team.
Garber dismissed concerns that the MLS owners would be more apt to favor U.S. expansion teams than Canadian ones.
"I think that's a quintessentially Canadian way of thinking that Canadians won't be able to compete." Garber joked. "We don't have a market reacting quite the way we've experienced in Toronto; that's a pretty good leg up on many other cities."
The commissioner said that the new Seattle team has already sold close to 16,000 season tickets in anticipation of their 2009 debut, and the Philadelphia club coming in 2010 have close to 5,000 season tickets sold. These two teams will raise the league's total to 16, and Garber said the short-term goal is add expansion clubs in two of the aforementioned group of contending cities and then re-evaluate the situation. He said he hoped to have more details on new teams by MLS Cup in November.
The last thing MLS is doing, Garber said, is growing just for the sake of growing.
"We're in no rush to expand," Garber said. "We don't need to expand. We want to expand if we can have the right owner, right facility, play in the right market and the right fan support and very very importantly we must ensure that our league carefully manages this growth in the context of ensuring that our player quality continues to improve and that our teams and league have managed all of this growth with real focus."
With new teams, new stadiums, new players and untold new opportunities on the horizon, it is hard to predict that MLS will look like in the next decade. In Garber's view, the league's growth shows no signs of slowing down. He noted that MLS was named the 2008 Professional Sports League Of The Year by SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily, and as long as the league's plan continues to succeed, Garber predicted a future when soccer is as much a part of the sporting landscape as the NFL, NBA, or Major League Baseball.
"If you just look at the progress we've achieved in the last four or five years, we believe our next five years, our best years, are still ahead of us," Garber said. "[Our] goal is to be one of the best soccer leagues in the world and we think we can achieve that. Our goal was also to be one of the top professional sports leagues in the world. ... With all of the passion that exists for the sport here and down in the United States, we have no doubt that at some point we can achieve that goal."
Mark Polishuk is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
