MLS COMMISIONER SAYS FUTURE OF LEAGUE IS IN FOOTBALL-SPECIFIC STADIA

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Doug Garber, the commissioner of the American Major League Soccer (MLS), spoke optimistically about the future of the league in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

Speaking shortly before the start of the season, Garber touted the construction and proposed construction of several football-specific stadia.

“Whereas big-name players were the early driving force for MLS, soccer-specific stadiums are now the most important factor contributing to business and stability," Garber said. “What was a 10-team league with no stadiums of its own in 1996 had become a 12-team league with four stadiums in 2006, and would be a 16-team league with 10 stadiums by 2010.”

An expansion team in Toronto is scheduled to debut next year, playing in a football-specific stadium, and another expansion team will be announced soon, with St. Louis a strong possibility. The league also announced plans last month for an expansion team out side of Philadelphia, with plans to play in a football-specific stadium that would be part of an expansion of Rowan University.

The Chicago Fire will debut its new stadium in June and the Colorado Rapids expected to move into its new stadium next season.

Real Salt Lake, the New York Red Bulls (formerly Metrostars) and the new expansion team would all have stadiums by 2009 at the latest.

“It's about what do we need to do to go forward and continue the growth of professional soccer in the United States,” Garber said. “What are our priorities? How do we get deeper engaged within the Hispanic community? How do we get all those kids who play to be fans? How do we get the media to think about us as a priority, as opposed to an afterthought? How do we get more stadiums built? How do we expand our league and get into those markets that we feel we need to be in in order to be a national league? "We're making progress in all of these areas.”