MLS Commissioner Don Garber: If we can build the stadium, we will have the 20th team in New York City
HARRISON, NJ - Jurgen Klinsmann’s words or criticism clearly carry weight.
Twenty four hours after the United States men’s national team manager criticized Major League Soccer for having too short of a season, commissioner Don Garber held a meeting with reporters during halftime of the Stars and Stripes’ match against Ecuador to discuss his insights on the issue, as well as possibly expanding teams.
“Listen, Jurgen’s right, the season is too short,” Garber conceded.
He then acknowledged that as much as he’d like to expand the league’s calendar, there are logistical issues that would make it difficult to happen.
“I’d love to be able to have global warming take effect and have the weather in our country change,” the Commissioner joked.
Garber was referencing the problems of having teams play in the winter where fans are less likely to attend matches. Still, he didn’t rule out the possibility of having a schedule change as the league’s fan base becomes more consistent.
“Our fan base is growing. We will have 56,000 people in Seattle [for Kasey Keller’s final home match for the Sounders], that’s something we wouldn’t have dreamed about two years ago,” Garber explained. “So I think the time will come where we can expand our season a little bit.”
As for the league’s 20th franchise, it is becoming more and more obvious that New York remains his top choice. He mentioned that he was entertaining three potential ownership groups during the U.S. match and stressed once again that the stadium is the most important step towards making it a reality.
“We’re making progress and the city has been supportive,” he said. “If we can build the stadium, we will have the 20th team in New York City.”
One thing that appeared less certain was the status of the New York Cosmos as the front runners for the move. Garber hinted that there were some internal issues within the hopeful franchise.
“We’ve talked to them, I don’t know if they are involved,” said Garber. “They’ve got some things that they’ve got to work out in their ownership group. As I’ve said before, they’ve done a great job of building their brand and when we’re ready to get that team launched if they want to be a part of that, we’d be happy to talk with them.”
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