Two years ago in November of 2007 MLS Commisioner Don Garber was in Seattle to award an MLS franchise to the city. Now he's back for MLS Cup Final Week, and praising Sounders FC for their impact on the pro version of the sport of soccer in America. (MLS photo)
UPDATE: More from MLSnet.com
Don Garber gave his Major League Soccer State of the League Address today via conference call, and he gushed over the 2009 launch of Seattle Sounders FC. You can listen to the entire conference call at MLSnet.com.
Garber praised Seattle as an "indication of what the sport can be in this country" and went on to list examples of records Sounders FC have set in local advertising, attendance and TV ratings, merhandising, and sponsorships. He paused and then added "Most importantly, that team (Seattle) was just plain relevant. People cared about it from the governor to the mayor to the man on the street...to those people who love the game. And that's what we need, at the end of the day. We need more relevance (in MLS)."
Press respond to Garber's words today
USSoccerplayers.com reports: Garber referred to the Seattle expansion as: "one of the key moments in the history of the sport in this country." "Early on we believed this was going to be one of the best expansion launches." Garber didn't limit that to professional soccer, calling it "an indication of what the sport can be in this country." "That team was just plain relevant. People cared about it... that's what we need. We need more relevance." Garber talked of using Seattle as a case study, that their first-year success 'wasn't a coincidence.'
Reuters reports: "We are beginning to see a real evolution of the soccer fan in our country," Garber told reporters ahead of Sunday's MLS Cup final. "For many, many years, people said, 'Hey, soccer is never going to make it because Americans don't understand the game, it's a foreign sport, people might play the game but they stop playing as teenagers.' "We have proven in many, many markets, we've proven it in Toronto, we've proven it in Seattle, in Chicago and Colombus, that all of these people who have grown up with the game now can get into stands and can replicate that aspect of the game that gets them very excited when they are watching the EPL (English Premier League) or La Liga on television," he added.
Supporters Culture is growing in Seattle and around MLS. (Rick Morrison)
Stephen Goff: "There is support to strongly consider moving MLS Cup away from a designated site and into a market where the team that earns the right to host it does so. We obviously have a lot of logistical challenges that we are working through to figure out whether or not we can pull it off. Years ago it wasn't really a possiblitity because we didn't have enough stadiums where we could even control the dates. We also had a handful of markets where we questioned whether we would be able to get the support, and I don't believe there is any market in this country that, if they got MLS Cup, wouldn't be able to do a terrific job in a short period of time and get a very big passionate fan base. Look what Chicago did [for the conference final on short notice] in just four days."
A few days ago with Glenn Davis: "I think this sport was poised to have a special moment like this year in Seattle. They over-delivered on all our expectations, and we continue to hope to build on the excitement in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest.
You know what the other teams can learn about? That this wasn't luck or good fortune. This was about a lot of hard work and careful planning, good sports administration, effective marketing and committed ownership and deeply embedded community progress with players focused on and off the field."
Comments