l About MLS

League Officials

Don Garber / Commissioner

Since Garber accepted Major League Soccer's top position, his vision and leadership have enabled MLS to build a strong foundation for professional soccer in the United States. Garber has guided MLS through decisions that have solidified the League's core business, guaranteed its long-term viability and positioned it for growth.

Many recent accomplishments highlight Garber's impact on soccer in America. During his tenure, the League has added seven new investors, expanding and diversifying the League's ownership group, including three new expansion teams since 2005. In addition, five soccer-specific stadiums have been built, including two - - Bank of Montreal Field in Toronto and Dick's Sporting Goods Park near Denver - - that will open during the 2007 MLS season. In addition, Red Bull Park and Real Salt Lake's new stadium are scheduled to open in 2008, thus providing custom-built venues for nine of the 13 MLS teams.

During the last 12 months, Garber has secured long-term national television agreements for Major League Soccer with four national television broadcast partners, including ABC/ESPN, Fox, HDnet and Univision, an unprecedented accomplishment for the sport in the United States. Additionally, he implemented ground-breaking player initiatives such as the MLS Designated Player Rule and created the MLS Youth Development Initiative, positioning the League as the leader of the sport that now totals nearly 18 million participants in the United States.

In 2001, Garber re-structured MLS and spearheaded the formation of Soccer United Marketing (SUM), a company owned by MLS investors that is the preeminent commercial soccer entity in North America. SUM represents several prominent soccer properties, including the U.S. Soccer Federation, the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the Mexican Soccer Federation for all sponsorship, marketing and game promotion in the United States. In addition, SUM manages American tours for some of the world's most powerful soccer clubs, including Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Chivas de Guadalajara. Most recently, Garber was instrumental in the creation of SuperLiga, the innovative professional tournament between MLS and Mexico's First Division clubs that begins in July 2007. SUM previously owned the English-language television rights for the FIFA Men's World Cup in Germany 2006 and Korea/Japan in 2002 and the 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup.

In 2007, Garber formed MLS W.O.R.K.S, the League's community outreach initiative, dedicated to addressing important social issues affecting young people throughout America.

Prior to becoming Commissioner of MLS, Garber spent 16 years with the National Football League, finishing his tenure as the senior vice president/managing director of NFL International, where he oversaw all aspects of the NFL's business outside the United States, including the NFL Europe League. Garber began his career at NFL Properties in 1984 as a marketing manager and became the League's director of marketing in 1988. In 1992, he was appointed the NFL's senior vice president of business development and was responsible for a variety of television, special event and marketing activities.

Garber serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Soccer Federation and The United States Soccer Foundation, as well as the Board of the Hope and Heroes Foundation at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York. He is on the Board of Advisors for New York University's Tisch School for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management and the University of Central Florida, DeVos Sports Business Management Program. Garber also is a member of the National Board of Directors for the Center for Sports in Society in Boston and the Advisory Board for the World Congress of Sports.

He lives in New Jersey with his wife, their two children and two dogs.

Mark Abbott / President, Major League Soccer

The architect of Major League Soccer's business plan, Mark Abbott oversees all business operations for the league. His responsibilities include supervising the broadcasting, legal and finance departments at the MLS League office. Along with MLS Commissioner Don Garber, Abbott is the league's primary contact in discussions with potential investors and expansion cities.

The League headquarters' primary liaison to the MLS Board of Governors, Abbott has been involved with Major League Soccer since its inception. MLS' first employee in 1993, Abbott was the principal author of the league's business plan, ultimately approved by FIFA as a legacy of World Cup USA 1994, the most successful World Cup in history.

Abbott played a primary role in creating the League's structure and negotiating with the initial investor-operator group. He has been named to Sports Business Journal's Forty Under Forty during each of the last two years (2001 and 2002).

Prior to joining MLS, Abbott practiced law as an associate of Alan I. Rothenberg with Latham & Watkins, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and commercial law.

Abbott earned his law degree in 1989 from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley, Abbott was the Managing Editor of the California Law Review. A soccer player as a youth, Abbott is a 1986 graduate of Georgetown University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Foreign Service degree in international economics, cum laude, and an honors certificate in international business diplomacy.

Born August 20, 1964 in Wigston, England, Abbott resides in Greenwich, Connecticut with his wife and two children.

Douglas Quinn / President, Soccer United Marketing

One of the top executives in international sports, Douglas Quinn is president of Soccer United Marketing. He is responsible for all operations of the preeminent commercial soccer company in North America. His role as SUM president includes the development of commercial rights for all SUM properties including corporate partnerships, media sales, broadcasting and licensing of consumer products. Quinn also manages SUM's marketing, communications, international matches, special events, new media/publishing, property development and fan development efforts.

Since joining Soccer United Marketing in May 2004, Quinn has spearheaded Major League Soccer's landmark agreement with adidas and the League's significant increase in sponsorship revenue and activation. Additionally, he has developed a new business model for SUM and MLS special events and restructured various departments within the organization. Quinn was part of the SUM executive team that secured long-term national television agreements for Major League Soccer with ABC/ESPN, Univision, Fox Soccer Channel and HDNet. Most recently, he managed the creation of SuperLiga, the innovative professional tournament between MLS and Mexico's First Division clubs that begins in July, 2007.

Quinn has extensive experience in the sports and entertainment industries, including 14 years with the National Football League in a number of senior management, marketing and sales positions. Prior to joining SUM, Quinn served as president of Entertainment Marketing Partners, EMP, an entertainment media and corporate consulting firm based in Los Angeles.

Quinn's career with the NFL saw him contribute to the NFL's triple-digit growth in retail sales during the early 1990s, as he developed many of the NFL's most successful integrated marketing programs with key corporate partners like VISA, FOX and Reebok.

In his role as senior vice president and managing director of NFL International, Quinn was responsible for the NFL's international operations and development activities, including management of a staff of more than 190 people across 11 offices, overseeing media sales, production and distribution, corporate partnerships, licensing, and marketing. Quinn also supervised the development and production of the American Bowl games and the NFL's six-team development league, NFL Europe.

Born November 9, 1962, Quinn, earned bachelors degrees in marketing and English from Southern Methodist University and an MBA concentrating in international business and finance from the University of Texas. Quinn and his family reside in Manhattan.