MLS may subsidize Canadian DPs
Domestic players on the radar, Garber says during media Q&A
You know soccer season is almost here when the head man makes an appearance: Don Garber, commissioner of the MLS, was in Vancouver Monday to meet with fans at an evening town hall, put in a charity appearance at Covenant House and to chat with the media.
At the media roundtable, the questions were many and varied. Here’s a sampling:
On Canadian development
It’s no surprise that, visiting a Canadian city, Garber was keen to emphasize the work being doing by the Whitecaps in their academy and residency programs. So far, so good was the suggestion from Garber, an added recognition that growing beyond local markets is a must do in the years to come.
“We’re very focused on the three clubs we have representing very large cities in this county — and representing ... 50 per cent of the population — and our task is to make sure those clubs become more relevant,” he said.
He pointed to the Caps spending $6 million on their youth development programs as a statement of commitment to growth.
“Our task over the next number of years is to connect the dots between those three cities, and create a national fan base. I don’t believe we need additional teams to achieve that.”
Having domestic players playing in front of Canadians is another target, and Garber revealed that the idea of a Canadian designated-player category is on the table.
“We will subsidize Canadian teams’ efforts to bring a Canadian designated player in to Major League Soccer,” he said. “We’re doing that for the same reason we subsidized L.A. to bring in David Beckham — because we believed that’s in the best interests of Major League Soccer.”
A player like Atiba Hutchinson, Canada’s greatest player, would be a fit for such a roster spot.
“I know there has been interest in bringing Atiba home,” Garber said. “I don’t know why a deal was never done with him, so I can’t comment on that. As we did with the top American players, we do need to bring as many of the top Canadian players home to Canada to play in Major League Soccer. We want our league and our clubs to be a league of choice.”
On growing the game and the business
Expansion is still on the way. Investor groups from a dozen cities put in bids. “That energy gives us validation that we’re one of the top leagues in the world,” he said.
A billion dollars will come into the league in expansion fees over the next five years. Multimillion-dollar stadiums will be built. The investment picture is strong, Garber confirmed — even if the league is still operating at a loss, as he also claimed.