The MLS season kicks off on Saturday and for the “first time in recent years, the biggest story entering the ... season isn't expansion, "but rather “acknowledging a decade of successes,” according to Tim Booth of the AP. The league since ‘02 “has successfully added teams and diversified its ownership in nearly every corner of the country, gone north by bringing on three Canadian franchises and raised the talent level to where the quality of play is gaining international respect.” Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said, “The improvement of the league over the last 10 years is exponentially more than 10 years.” Booth noted the Impact will become the 19th team in the league, and the club is “hoping to achieve a modicum of the success that recent expansion markets -- Toronto, Seattle, Portland and Vancouver -- have enjoyed.” This season also “might as well be highlighted by individuals who turned down overseas offers to continue playing in North America’s top league,” with the return of L.A. Galaxy MFs David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Juninho and Fs Robbie Keane and Edson Buddle (AP, 3/7). In L.A., Nick Green wrote MLS “remains a young league entering its 17th season that drew more fans and media coverage than ever last year, a trend that is expected to continue.” This season features “more teams than ever (19) playing more regular-season games (a total of 646) in a season that starts earlier than ever and won't culminate until Dec. 1, the latest MLS has ever gone in a calendar year.” The Sounders, which “averaged a league-record 38,000 last year, have opened up yet more seats for soccer in their NFL stadium, while national MLS coverage heads to higher profile NBC” (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 3/6).
MAKING AN IMPACT: The CP's Neil Davidson reported the Impact are “expected to draw 50,000 for their early home games at Olympic Stadium” before moving into a renovated Saputo Stadium. Garber said that despite the Canadian success stories, he “did not necessarily expect Vancouver and Montreal would be successes out of the box -- despite the popularity of the Toronto franchise” (CP, 3/8). In DC, Steven Goff notes while Saputo Stadium undergoes a $23M renovation “to boost capacity by 7,000 to more than 20,000,” the Impact will play the “first seven home matches next door at the domed Olympic Stadium.” Meanwhile, this season will see the Dynamo move into BBVA Compass Stadium, the club's $110M "downtown digs within walking distance of the city’s other sports venues,” after spending six years sharing Robertson Stadium with the Univ. of Houston football team. Goff writes up next on the new stadium list is “the San Jose Earthquakes, who plan to open an 18,000-seater within two years.” Only DC United in RFK Stadium and the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium are “in need of a real estate agent” (WASHINGTON POST, 3/9).
KEYS TO SUCCESS: Garber said, “One of the key elements that has made MLS so successful in the last couple of years is the development of a true supporters culture. Fortunately, that passionate environment has really helped elevate MLS into a very, very legitimate professional soccer league, not just here, but around the world.” The league signed a new broadcast deal with NBC Sports Group and Garber said of fans, “We're working with them to have them understand that there are certain standards and practices that our broadcast partners require, and there are just certain standards of good taste and civility that we're going to expect and, in many ways, demand from all fans.” Meanwhile, Garber said of revenues: “I think until the TV audience for MLS grows significantly, which we hope to see happen in the years to come, I think for the foreseeable future ticketing will be our primary revenue source.” He added, “Our core issue is driving revenues. Where those revenues come from is really immaterial. It's certainly a lot easier to have TV revenues than to go out and sell a ticket. ... We're not at capacity in our stadiums yet. We still have a relatively low average ticket price” (ESPN.com, 3/7).
DIVERSIFYING: USA TODAY’s Mike Foss noted the league in ’07 started the Homegrown Player Initiative with the “onus placed on teams to develop top young players in their markets.” Those players can then be “signed directly to a professional contract, forgoing the MLS Draft.” MLS Technical Dir of Competition Jeff Agoos said, “The risk is much smaller in terms of assimilation.” Foss noted that the year before the initiative was adopted, 244 MLS players "were born in the USA.” Five years later, that number “has risen 29% with 314 U.S. players” (USA TODAY, 3/7).
