Despite rumblings that some MLS owners "were chafing against" David Beckham's discounted Miami expansion fee of $25M, Commissioner Don Garber yesterday "indicated that he didn't think that would be an impediment to Beckham getting a franchise," according to Jeff Carlisle of ESPN FC. Garber's stance is "given that [Beckham's] investment group now includes" Sprint President & CEO Marcelo Claure, partner Simon Fuller, Oak View Group CEO Tim Leiweke and Eldridge Industries Chair & CEO Todd Boehly. Garber: "I speak on behalf of all the owners, when we give our word to somebody, we're going to follow up on it. There is grumbling in everything when it comes to pro sports. This is not one that I'm particularly concerned about." Meanwhile, Garber said that he was "encouraged by the current state of MLS expansion efforts even though both St. Louis and San Diego took hits in recent months." Garber: "We couldn't be more excited about where we are." He cited recent developments in the Detroit, Sacramento and Nashville markets as examples, and said there "remain lots of different, great markets" for MLS to go to. He added that the league "may decide" as soon as tomorrow "whether to hold a vote to grant" Beckham's group and the city of Miami an expansion franchise. He said of Miami, "We're at the finish line. We're not over the finish line yet. We've been working hard for a really long time. We feel like we've got everything where we need it to be" (ESPNFC.com, 7/31).
TEN-YEAR PLAN: ESPN FC's Austin Lindberg notes Fire MF Bastian Schweinsteiger believes that MLS is a "decade away from joining the level set by the world's elite leagues." Schweinsteiger joined the Fire from EPL club Manchester United on March 29. He said, "MLS is a quite young league, but somehow it says to me in 10 years this league could be on the same level as, maybe like the Italian league or also very close to the Bundesliga. There's a lot of potential and I hope the people know that." But Schweinsteiger noted that changes "needed to be made if the league is serious about recruiting Europe's best players en masse." He said, "The rules, first of all, are different than in Europe. I'm sure players in Europe would like to play in MLS, but you maybe have to change some little things to make it more attractive for the players in Europe" (ESPNFC.com, 7/31).
HOST WITH THE MOST: The '17 MLS All-Star Game takes place tomorrow in Chicago at Soldier Field, but in Atlanta, Doug Roberson notes MLS "hasn't announced" where the '18 ASG will be held. There are "two logical options: Orlando, which features Orlando City’s beautiful new" $155M soccer-specific stadium, and Atlanta, where Atlanta Untied will play in the $1.5B Mercedes-Benz Stadium (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 8/1).
