Garber Admits Missteps In NYC FC Lampard Signing, Discusses CBA Talks, Expansion

MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Thursday said NYC FC's signing of EPL club Manchester City MF Frank Lampard and the subsequent announcement "could have been handled better," according to the AP. Lampard will not join the expansion club until July instead of at the start of the season as initially thought, and Garber said, "It needs to be handled better going forward. We've learned lessons from this, and those lessons are that transparency is more and more important." Garber "defended NYCFC by saying the club never intended to intentionally 'mislead the fans'" when it announced last July that it had signed Lampard to a two-year deal beginning Aug. 1, but added that NYC FC "'characterized it improperly' when first announcing Lampard's signing" (AP, 1/15). Garber added, "There was not enough information made available to the public at the time and the information made available was not all correct, so we have to be ultra-focused on getting these things right." Meanwhile, he said of labor talks with the MLSPU, "There have been proposals going back and forth. I will say the dynamic is more positive than it was five years ago. Players are smarter, the union is more experienced. We have a better understanding what the issues are. We are more mature, they are more mature." He also addressed candidates for expansion clubs, saying, "I am going to be out in St. Louis in the next couple of weeks. St. Louis has got a lot of activity going on with a stadium they are trying to get done for the Rams. There is a big soccer community there and we would love to see the soccer stadium downtown like they are thinking about with a football stadium. San Antonio has been very active. There is a lot of stuff going on. There is a lot of interest in expansion" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 1/15).

I AM LEGEND: In L.A., Kevin Baxter notes MLS on Thursday guaranteed Landon Donovan will "forever be linked" to the league's MVP honor, "renaming the trophy the Landon Donovan MVP Award." The foot-high trophy, crafted by Tiffany & Co., "features a silhouette of Donovan before a sterling MLS crest." Donovan retired from MLS following the '14 season (L.A. TIMES, 1/16).

AWARD SEASON: MLS on Thursday following the SuperDraft named the winners of its year-end executive and club awards. Real Salt Lake President Bill Manning received the Doug Hamilton Exec of the Year award, the second time in three years he has received the honor. Both Sporting K.C. and the Timbers received four awards (Ian Thomas, Staff Writer).