Garber hails 'spectacular' Seattle
Amid MLS Cup festivities, Commissioner speaks on league's future
Related
- ExtraTime All-Access: Don Garber
Watch
- Runaway success at Supporters Summit
- Garber presents Gulati with Commissioner's Award
- MLS Commissioner Garber talks MLS
- More MLS Cup 2009
In a season filled with storylines and talking points, the biggest one decked itself out in rave green. As Garber surveyed the 46,000 or so in attendance at MLS Cup 2009 and watched as Seattle outdid itself once again as host city to Major League Soccer's largest spectacle, he couldn't resist capturing a snapshot or two before what he called "a memorable night for soccer in America."
"It's been absolutely fantastic," Garber told a group of assembled reporters in the Qwest Field press box during halftime of Real Salt Lake's penalty-kick victory against Los Angeles. "I was out taking pictures on my iPhone on my way to the March to the Match. The logo, the branding and the celebration of the sport in the city has been nothing short of spectacular."
If Garber has his way, Seattle might just have the chance to host the final again much sooner than anticipated. A proposal is on the table to move MLS Cup from a neutral site to the home field of the higher-seeded team. The match would remain a one-off title decider in that scenario, but it would give the home side a true advantage. Even though Garber said he'd like to weigh it as a possibility, no decisions have been made about whether to switch the format.
MLS CUP NEWS
• RSL stun Galaxy in PK win • Rimando named MLS Cup MVP • Counted out, RSL never stopped • Kreis credits RSL's spirit, morale • Undecided fans lead pregame 'March' • RSL defy odds to lift MLS Cup • RSL shuffles midfield on fly • Saunders puts in remarkable effort • Dissappointment tinges pride for LA • Galaxy notes: Ricketts breaks hand • RSL notes: Findley shows quickness • MLS Cup 2009 notes & facts
MLS CUP SIGHTS & SOUNDS
Behind the scenes Watch RSL 1, LA 1 (5-4, PKs) Watch Findley ties the game Watch Magee puts LA ahead Watch Postgame penalty kicks Watch Russell's winning PK Watch MLS Cup presentation Watch RSL postgame presser Watch LA postgame presser Watch ET postgame show Watch ET All-Access: The Sitter Watch ET All-Access: Garber Watch MLS Cup pregame Watch Supporters Summit Watch Galaxy pregame presser Watch RSL pregame presser Watch |
"We haven't made the decision whether next year's will be hosted at a neutral site or whether it will move to a format where it will be hosted by the (higher-seeded) team," Garber said. "We'll deal with that over the next couple of months."
Expansion will also bubble to the surface in the near future as Garber said the league would like to add its 19th team by 2012. Montreal, the current USL-1 champions, is the leading candidate to fill that role right now, Garber said. The potential ownership group in Montreal met with Garber and other MLS dignitaries this week as the two parties continue to work towards a solution where the Impact would end up in the league in the near future.
Montreal's eventual acceptance will likely hinge on whether it can obtain the necessary financing package through a combination of private financing by the Saputo family and other potential investors in the team and public financing by the province of Quebec. In its current state, Stade Saputo simply isn't ready for MLS, according to Garber.
"We've got some work to do there," Garber said. "Most importantly, that stadium needs to be renovated and expanded. You see what's going on here (in Seattle) and you can see that it's probably not suitable for a MLS team today. We'll work with the Saputo family and the provincial government to make some progress on those renovations."
The current rumors linking David Beckham with the Montreal bid are wide of the mark, Garber said. Beckham does have the option to acquire an expansion team in conjunction with 19 Entertainment, but that potential team is slated to join as the 20th team at a later date, according to Garber.
The future isn't quite as distant when it comes to the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement. The previous agreement expires on January 31 and Garber said MLS is working hard with the MLS Players Union to hash out the details of a new pact.
"We have to get through this process," Garber said. "It's a sign of our development that we're having these kind of discussions and we're committed to doing a deal that makes sense for everybody. We've got a couple of months to get that deal done. Until that time, we're not going to spend any time internally discussing what our future spending is."
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
