Don Garber, the commissioner of MLS, held his annual press conference today and touched on these topics and a host of others as MLS readies the world for the MLS Cup Finals 2023. Enjoy!
USA Today – JD Mercer
On the Season Partnership with Apple and MLS Season Pass
“As Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a recent earnings call, MLS Season Pass over-delivered on all our expectations…We look forward to continuing to grow and evolve together in the years to come.”
On Expansion this season
“It’s hard to imagine that St. Louis, one of the founding cities for soccer in our country, didn’t have an MLS team. We worked for many years to put together the right ownership group…”
On Messi
Courtesy of Getty Images
“Lionel Messi had many options for the next chapter of his iconic soccer-playing career. The magnitude of his decision to join MLS cannot be overstated…Messi delivered in ways that few could have imagined.”
On MLS NEXT Pro
“Next year there will be 29 MLS NEXT Pro teams with several independent clubs. We have an ambitious plan to bring pro soccer to dozens of new markets in the years ahead with teams in Carolina, Chattanooga, Cleveland and Jacksonville coming onboard very soon.”
Garber took questions on a range of topics from adding a fourth DP (Designated Player) to easing the crazy schedule that will appear on the horizon for MLS the next few years. He also spoke to the lessons learned from Leagues Cup and how this affects the number of games teams have played and also to expansion plans.
We will delve into these in the next series of articles for MLS.
But Garber nailed the 2023 season. It was indeed an “epic” year for the 27 year old league! And it’s just begun to get even more entertaining!
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