David Beckham really got the ball rolling in Major League Soccer and Lionel Messi now dribbles the ball onwards, driving MLS upwards into a competition worthy of comparison with many leagues around the world, according to the outgoing commissioner Don Garber.
The man who has developed MLS beyond all recognition since becoming commissioner in 1999 – new and full stadia, clubs worth $1bn, stars like Messi - now hopes to see Harry Kane in the US one day, playing MLS and fulfilling his dream to be an NFL kicker. “I'd love for him to do that,” Garber says.
Kane is 33 and expected to extend his Bayern Munich contract soon but has talked of playing for many more years, emulating his friend the quarterback Tom Brady, who played until he was 44. Seven owners of NFL teams also own MLS teams. And MLS is on the up with Messi leading the way. “We wanted to create something that would have the Harry Kanes of the world say, ‘I'd like to play MLS’,” adds Garber.
Garber: 'There's more respect for 'soccer' in America'
On a flying visit to London this week, the New Yorker reflected on the huge impact of the World Cup on American “soccer”, and especially the perception of the US as a genuine “soccer nation”.
He says, “Post-World Cup, it’s a different dynamic, there's much more respect for what's going on in America. I could remember coming here over the years, and people would look at me like I had three heads. ‘Who's this Yank trying to build this league in America?’ Particularly in the UK, there wasn’t a lot of confidence that we would pull it off. Then we went through an era where David Beckham was rumoured to come.” And he did, to LA Galaxy, and really got the party started.
“David put this league on the path to credibility and respect. At the prime of his career, he came here to LA. We were talking 2006 (arrived 2007). A couple years before, we were having bankruptcy discussions.” The league almost folded in 2001.
So Beckham’s arrival was massive. “He and his family lit up the city. I remember the opening party that we introduced him, and every top actor and celebrity in LA was welcoming him. And he played well. He showed the world that this league can be competitive, respected and fun. It could have great players. It attracted [Thierry] Henry [to New York Red Bulls in 2010], and many, many other players right after that.
“Without David, there's probably no Major League Soccer. That said, Major League Soccer would not be the global phenomenon and not be on the hearts and minds of just about anybody in the world without Leo Messi. It just shocks me how competitive he is, how he just plays 90 minutes, regardless of the score, how focused he is on his club and his country, how great a team-mate he is.
“I love seeing him on the field with his kids. I was speaking to somebody the other day who was looking to invest in MLS, who lives in the same area.” Messi lives with his wife and three sons in Fort Lauderdale, near Inter Miami’s training complex. “The oldest son plays in an [Inter Miami] academy team and plays with this guy's son. And the dad is going to training and Leo's there and Jordi Alba was there last year, and [Luis] Suarez is there. They’re dads who just want to be part of what's going on in MLS, what's going on in America.”
Garber mentions Antoine Griezmann, 35, another enjoying Florida, over at Orlando City. “He loves being in Orlando. He's going to basketball games, and he's playing well. There was this idea that players, at a certain age, couldn't still play, and that they played well in MLS because MLS wasn't good enough. Then Messi plays in MLS, goes in the World Cup, and could have been the Golden Ball winner.”
Messi returns to Miami for Sunday’s game against DC United following his poignant final match for Argentina in Buenos Aires. Garber was moved by Tuesday’s scenes at El Monumental. “I was emotional watching what that city did for an athlete. He’s an athlete not the Pope! An unbelievable athlete. The country loves him like he's their son, because he's just been a good guy, a great competitor. He's quiet, he's humble, he's serious.”
Er, didn't Messi once wag his finger at the commissioner over a refereeing issue? Garber laughs. “Players wag their fingers at me all the time! I don't know that anybody would pay attention to it if it wasn't Messi. It's a gift that in our league, kids can say, ‘I saw Messi score’. You're living in a world where legends are alive."
Messi is there, in Uncle Sam’s backyard. “He will be a part of MLS history forever. He will be more important than any stadium, more important than any owner, more important than any commissioner. He came, and he delivered. And that doesn't always happen in life. We’re the league of choice for Leo.”
Garber wants to continue growing the league, a mission his successor Larry Berg, a Harvard MBA and formerly co-founder of LAFC, aims to continue. “We have to have a league that is more competitive, that has an ability to get into the Club World Cup and win games. Miami won one [against Porto in 2025]. Not just be there, but have people think that an MLS team can compete against other clubs in the world now. Can it compete with Chelsea? Can it complete with PSG? It's a long way from that. We have the resources. We’ve just got to get better.”
Home-grown talent does emerge. USMNT played four friendlies during the international break, beating Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada. Teenagers like Cavan Sullivan, Julian Hall, Justin Ellis and Mathis Albert all played their part. “I'm encouraged by the performance of our young players,” Garber says. Sullivan, the 17-year-old Philadelphia Union attacker, is due at Manchester City when he turns 18.
“I'd rather have him forever. I would imagine the next Cavan Sullivan might stay later than 18. The fact that he's playing the way he is at 17 [makes European interest inevitable]. He's not the only one. Julian Hall (18, New York Red Bulls) is lighting it up, three goals in this window. It used to be you have one player pop out and the world would go, ‘Wow, maybe something's happening’. But there's dozens and dozens of players, and that's the American system.
“I'd love to see more of our players go play at a higher level. Champions League level, starting at top teams. Cavan Sullivan is one of our highest-paid players. We never used to do that. We didn't want to lose them at 15. You're going to see this with Chelsea signing Benji Flowers, Dallas 15-year-old. He's special.” The FC Dallas attacker is due at Cobham when he turns 18.
It’s a global recruitment market. I ask Garber whether he ever sees a world league. He’s not a fan. “Any time teams are coming out of their leagues or losing dates, it has a detrimental impact to what the game is locally, which is what makes England so amazing. One of guys who works with us is a Burnley fan, and he could really not care where Burnley is [division-wise]. He's going be a Burnley fan, no matter where they are.
“If you do something where clubs don't have the ability to continue that community-based generational support, because they're no longer part of the community because it might generate more revenue, I’m not sure that's a good thing. It’s what these teams mean in the community, what they mean in the minds of parents and kids who go to games together.
“I was not a fan of the [European] Super League. I would not be a fan of it now. Could there be a more global competition? Well, FIFA would say they have that in the Club World Cup.” The US hosted it last year, and could again. “We had the most successful World Cup of all time. We have big stadiums already built.”
He understands English resistance to closed leagues like MLS which lack promotion and relegation. But Garner counters, “Look how MLS has grown - and it doesn't have promotion and relegation, because you can't relegate a team that's building. New teams are coming in, investing a billion and a half dollars into facilities, a team and a roster, and there isn't the structure yet for them to be relegated to.”
Garber finally reflects on how far MLS has come in his 27 years. “I’d go to the Champions League final, and be invited to the dinner prior. In the early days, I was sitting with guys that were representing countries that I didn't even know were in UEFA. But now I'm sitting at the head of the table.”
