MLSnet.com - LIVE CHAT

Jonathan from Chicago
Do you ever foresee MLS Cup leaving its neutral site locations in favor of a packed house home team advantage atmosphere, or will it be on neutral territory for good?

Don Garber
That's a good question. We think about this all the time and have been discussing it in detail this past season. Remember, the two best atmospheres for MLS Cups were in 1997, when D.C. United played at RFK and 2002 when the Revolution played at Gillette. Certainly nothing beats a home team playing in their home stadium. That being said, so many things go on in and around MLS Cup each year that require a full year of planning and it's those plans that we try to balance each year. Never say never.

Milton from Queens, N.Y.
Is MLS considering going to a single table to crown a new champion in the 2007 campaign?

Don Garber
I'll be discussing this at the annual State of the League address, which will be streamed live video on MLSnet.com, so obviously I can't break it here, but let me discuss the issues. As I've said before, a single table without promotion and relegation doesn't have the true meaning that soccer fans are looking for. Conferences provide us with a very compelling playoff structure allowing us to have some real exciting games like last weekend's Eastern and Western Conference Championships. It also provides us the opportunity to create local and regional rivalries that would get diluted in a single-table structure.

Rodney from Long Beach, Calif.
When can we expect "professional" kits for all teams to come out?

Don Garber
We announced last month that Soccer United Marketing will provide each team the opportunity to sell their jersey front and retain that local revenue and we expect to announce our first jersey sponsor within the next few weeks. There's been tremendous interest, locally as well as nationally.

Ross from Warrenton, Va.
Will SUM be able to get Copa America and Gold Cup on English language TV?

Don Garber
Stay tuned. Our friends at CONCACAF are working on an English-language deal for the Gold Cup and I believe Univision has the exclusive rights to Copa America.

Jeremiah from Yucaipa, Calif.
How far is MLS willing to go to bring David Beckham to the LA Galaxy or another MLS team?

Don Garber
As you've read for the last number of months, we continue to look at a designated player rule that would allow teams to sign players like David Beckham, or Ronaldo, or Figo, for their teams. This would be a significant change for our player strategy and requires us to think through all of the implications it has on the league both short and long-term. Who could argue that these players would not attract lots of fans and add to the quality of play on our fields. But this country is littered with failed sports leagues that have chased after success with irrational spending so we need to tread carefully and ensure we make the right decision. As you'll hear if you tune into my address tomorrow (on MLSnet.com), more than just looking at a designated player rule, we're also looking at changes to our youth development rules and other changes to our competitive format to make our games more attractive and popular.

Josh from Pittsburgh, Pa.
What is your opinion about Clint Dempsey's statement comparing MLS franchises marketing strategies? He compared them to minor league baseball. Do you agree?

Don Garber
I didn't see his statement but having been in this business for 20 years, our teams are as creative and aggressive with the resources they have as the other major leagues (as opposed to minor leagues) in this country. Spending money on marketing isn't always the recipe for success. Having a strong and consistent brand, a successful team on the field, good facility, good community and media relations, etc., are as important as running an ad on local television. In my view, the former is more important.

Bill from Waco, Tx.
Will the participants of the "Champions League - style" tournament between MLS and the Mexican Footbal League be based on their performance in their respective leagues, or on some other factor (such as popularity)?

Don Garber
We'll be announcing may of our details of our USA - Mexico tournament on Sunday but I can assure you qualification will be about success on the field versus team popularity.

Frank from Seattle
Qwest Field was built with the promise of an MLS team. Is a soccer-specific stadium now a deal breaker in awarding expansion teams?

Don Garber
Seattle remains one of our true priority markets and we continue to have casual conversations with potential investors including two different groups that will join us here at MLS Cup this weekend. The right deal in a football stadium (think Gillette) can work temporarily as we develop plans on a soccer-specific stadium. And that's a plan that might make sense for us in Seattle.

Eric from Grand Rapids, Mich.
Will Freddy Adu be sold to a European club in the near future?

Don Garber
We have no plans to sell Freddy Adu. Freddy continues to develop as a player and we have great hopes for his future and I certainly hope that future has him staying in Major League Soccer. That being said, in the years to come I'm sure we'll be addressing both his desires and foreign club interest in him moving abroad. We'll deal with that when the time comes.

Don Garber
The 2007 season will be a real test for us with Gold Cup and Copa America. We'll certainly have a better understanding of the impact of these competitions on our players, our fans and our business. It will give us a real good understanding as to what changes we might need to make for the World Cup in 2010 but we still have some time to figure that out.

Rawle from Las Vegas
what is the mls going to do about keeping young talent in the united states?

Don Garber
It starts with our emphasis on player development, our generation adidas program and reserve league. We need to create those players who are deeply connected with our teams and aspire to both compete and excel in MLS. Like all leagues, some players will leave and players will return home. Remember, we operate in an international market so we have a relatively unlimited supply of international players.

Elliot from Appleton, Wis.
With three divsion's NCAA soccer tournaments kicking off around the nation, how much time does the MLS spend in the following and scouting of potential talent at the collegiate levels?

Don Garber
MLS clubs regularly scout the colleges and local amateur programs. Starting in 2007, the MLS league office will create a scouting resource as a service to all MLS teams.

Nicolas from Montreal, QC
Why isn't MLS allied with the USL? I think it would help in many aspects of the soccer structure in america if the two leagues would work together.

Don Garber
In twenty minutes I will be leading the US Soccer Pro Council meeting with representatives of MLS and the USL. We will discuss a variety of issues from the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to potential player development programs and other areas of collaboration.

David from Columbus, Ohio
How will you work with the unbalanced schedule next year? Should we expect more midweek games?

Don Garber
Next season, we will be challenged by an uneven number of teams, the Gold Cup, Copa America and four prime-time national games on Thursday night, Saturday nights (FSC and HDNet) and Sunday nights. We'll announce our competitive format tomorrow, including the number of games, playoff format, conference or single-table setup, etc., so tune in live to MLSnet.com.

Joseph from Manassas, Va.
I am an ardent support of D.C. United and I was wondering what ever happened to the proposal to build a new stadium for United?

Don Garber
D.C. United is very bullish about their plans for a stadium at Poplar Point. We hope to be in a position to break ground sometime in the next 12 months.

Paul from Freeman, Calif.
Re: San Jose Earthquakes: Does the 3 year option Lew Wolff has on the team mean he has to be playing in the 2008 season, or is the deadline 2009? What's the status of the possibility of returning to the Bay Area?

Don Garber
The option in San Jose requires the team to play no later than the 2010 season. That means a stadium would need to be built prior to that time.

Pat from Overland Park, Kan.
What is the stadium situation for the Kansas City Wizards for next year, as well as a new stadium? Also (since) the soccer complex vote failed, does that hurt the stadium chances?

Don Garber
The vote does not by any means derails any plans to pursue a soccer-specific stadium in the Kansas City metropolitan area. This organization's future has still never been brighter and our goals and mission remain the same. It is, however, a sad day for youth soccer in Johnson County as the need for quality playing fields there is necessary.

Mark from Orlando, Fla.
When do you think the salary cap will be extended so we can sign some of the top tier European/South American players to attract more fans and develop our young players for the increased competitions in the future?

Don Garber
The salary cap will grow modestly this year in line with our growth in revenue.

Taylor from Madison, Ala.
Mr. Garber, MLS has made it so far in the past eleven years. What are your main goals in the next decade?

Don Garber
Most importantly, an increased quality of play. To acheive that, we will need to spend more on players, player development and training facilities. To do that, we need to grow the overall popularity of the league to generate the revenues to support this increased expenditure. Additionally, we hope to have at least sixteen teams, all, if not most, in soccer-specific stadiums.

Adam from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Nationwide, interest in MLS wanes & TV windows shrink after September. Any chance of the schedule being altered?

Don Garber
Interestingly, our attendance and television ratings at the highest in the fall during the busiest time of the sports calendar. Unquestionably, it's harder and more difficult to generate interest during the strongest part of the NFL season and the beginning of the NBA and the NHL seasons. That being said, many in the competitive community believe we have too few instead of too many games.

Eric in Boston
When will youth academies in MLS be put in place instead of the SuperDraft? Every European team has a youth academy and it brings local talent that would increase fan support and would feel closer to the community.

Don Garber
Full details will be announced tomorrow on a new MLS youth initiative that will mirror more closely the European system.

MLSnet.com
Any final thoughts?

Don Garber
I appreciate all the great questions and hope everybody tunes in this weekend to what believe will be an exciting MLS Cup final.