MLS commissioner Don Garber gave his annual state of the league address Friday. And the state of the league is so good, Garber said, that he expects no major initiatives will be adopted for the coming season.
No news is big news for a league whose only constant has been change through its first 28 seasons. But then Garber has reason to embrace the status quo.
With Saturday’s sold-out MLS Cup final between LAFC and the Columbus Crew, overall attendance this season will approach a record 12 million, including the league-high 82,110 that showed up at the Rose Bowl on July 4 to see the Galaxy beat LAFC.
Digital and social media engagement and merchandise sales all set records, and the first season of the league’s 10-year, $2.5-billion media rights deal with Apple more than tripled the league’s previous single-season record for broadcast earnings. Viewership exceeded expectations for both the league and Apple, with more than 1 million subscribers tuning in for multiple games.
“It was the most successful season in our history,” Garber said.
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And Lionel Messi was a big reason why because the Argentine World Cup champion’s midsummer signing with Inter Miami raised the league’s profile overnight.
“The greatest player to ever play the game made MLS his league of choice,” Garber said. “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.
“The eyes of the world are now on Major League Soccer, because the best player to ever play the game is here.”
So if the league’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it. Which — for the time being, at least — means no additional designated players, no additional allocation money and no expanded rosters.
The new playoff format, which included a controversial and widely unpopular three-game first round, will also remain and expansion, usually an annual topic of the commissioner’s address, has been paused. When San Diego joins MLS next season, it will become the league’s 30th team and Garber said that’s enough for now.
“We never thought the league would be as large as it is today,” he said. “So we have no plans to go beyond 30…