Why Is MLS Refusing to Make Significant Changes?

Cause they ain't serious, I'm sorry but anyone with a brain saw this coming. Everyone knew they would just milk Messi and try and use it for money rather than actually making the league more competitive and better overall. I stopped worrying about this yrs ago tho tbf 🤷🏽‍♂️

Don Garber is just a mouthpiece for the owners. He doesn’t have the power to change league rules unless it’s approved by the majority of the owners.

It’s the old guard that’s keeping the league from reaching its potential.

MLS Teams are gonna be embarassed more in the coming years. Might not even qualify a single team in the cwc 2029.

Adding Pro/Rel and getting rid of the salary cap would make MLS the equivalent of Brazil in its confederation.
The dominant League.

Do the teams vote to take these decisions, or does Garber hear everyone but has the final choice???

As an outsider, Garber’s approach to MLS expansion is overly cautious and lacking ambition.

What’s the long-term goal for the league? What will it look like in ten years time? More of the same, I think.

If nothing changes..may the owners retire the teams and make another league, like the Super League in Europe. Make a league with the top 16 or 18 teams without salary caps and go all out? I understand the franchise model, but it doesn't work for the development of a great futbol league. My opinion of course.

I can't see them getting rid of the salary cap but something needs to happen to allow teams to spend more, even a luxury tax would be something, allow teams to go over the cap but there is a luxury tax for doing so, like for example if your $1 over you have to pay another dollar into the luxury tax pot...I was also thinking earlier about players that MLS clubs could go for, Ben Chilwell, LB at Chelsea, he doesn't really fit Maresca's system, if anyone needs a new left back why not, Chilwell is only 27 years old too, another one is Saul Niguez, CM for Atletico Madrid, he's currently on loan at Sevilla, he's a decent player, only 30, would be ideal for say Houston as a Hector Herrera replacement, and if Atletico don't really want him, again why not, even if you have to wait until the summer, Djed Spence, RB at Tottenham, cant get a game for Spurs, 24 years old, is again a pretty good player, my point is there's some good players out there that are probably available if you want them

I mean I'm not an MLS fan My club is in USL I'm a USL supporter and a league MX supporter But yeah it's tough man when you have don garber as your commissioner thank god he's not commissioning USL

Sadly, I'm not surprised. Even if they increased the max salary by 400k to be over a million, which makes TAM over 2 mil, then add 4 mil to salary cap would be a big boost. MLS just doesn't get the importance of these international tournaments for outside exposure. They should be putting importance into win as many CCCs as possible to get those CWC spots, but.... Anyways, I wonder at what point it becomes like college football and the ambitious teams pack up and create their own league.

I always wonder what Garber is thinking when he sees MLS teams get easily bounced from the CONCACAF champions league tournament against Liga MX teams. It infuriates me to think he doesn’t care as much as we do as MLS fans. The on field product needs to continue to improve if not people will get bored with stagnation.

I think they will change to just a hard salary cap when San Diego FC are solidified, meaning in about 2 years.

I think is about time someone like Messi speak up and tell this MLS owners or the ones that are holding the League back his words carry alot of weight needs to say if the league wants to progress needs to do more spending so MLS could be more competitive without blowing up the league

How this guy is still Commissioner after 2026 pisses me off. He's done enough to get MLS to where it is now. A New Commissioner is needed. Sure the MLS Final Matchup are from the Biggest Media Markets, but LA Galaxy has been so bad for 10 years that it's only now they're good again. Red Bulls went on a decline to the point that they can't even sell out their Stadium. It was a Final for Relevancy for the 96' Clubs. Hence why it's probably low TV viewership.

I find it shocking and amazing and maybe a little embarrassing for every game played in the states for the World Cup will probably be at a American football stadium instead of one of the MLS club fields

I find it really hard to believe that the MLS couldn’t literally double the salary cap over night,when literal billionaires own these teams.Even if it means the MLS contributing more General Allocation to less wealthy teams.

I think it would be cool to have pro/rel but I don't think MLS would make as much money if they did that.

it’s ridiculous, I get it’s the owners mainly but he needs to loosen the caps a lot, 6/7 dps ect and let the owners who wanna spend spend and the ones who are cheapskates can get what they deserve from fans. Every year concafaf is an embarrassment to the league, think how many players would love to move to America…

A couple of points. As you pointed out, the TV ratings were abysmal. But ratings are down for almost all professional leagues. I think post pandemic people would rather spend their time and money on live events. Which incidentally is what Garber said when asked what the main revenue of MLS is. He said ticket sales. With that info, he knows the future of MLS doesn't lie on linear tv or streaming. He knows the Apple TV deal is a bust but provided some capital. For now the live experience is where the money is at. I think Garber is waiting to see how the DAZN deal with FIFA will work. If it does, the creation of MLS TV could become a reality.

League almost folded in 2003, we had a worldwide pandemic that eliminated revenue for about 2 years straight a few years ago, but without knowing anything about their finances you know better than sharp billionaires and MLS should just throw money at the league.

You also forgot to mention that MLS will have two teams representing the league in the Club World Cup which is just as important for league perception and reputation among domestic casual audiences as well as international ones. And they are moving like they don't care for that. That could be damaging to the brand and they seem almost oblivious to what's coming.

i aint paying Apple TV + MLS Pass. i got the free streaming links

I don't always approve of Don Garber's decisions. But I'm also old enough to remember what MLS was like before Garber was hired as commissioner. I have witnessed the incredible expansion and growth of the game under his leadership. MLS literally still exists today because of him.

Garber and many of the owners are destroying soccer in this country. I’m a diehard fan from 1996. I’ve had season tickets with DC United for YEARS. But, I canceled them for 2025, and not just because DCU is a miserable franchise. I also dropped them because I simply am running out of patience with MLS leadership holding back spending to make the product better. It is becoming harder and harder to back the league and to care.

Yeah I agree that if we can get casual fans and have them grab ahold of the culture of soccer in this country it would be huge. And yeah everyone is hoping the World Cup in 2026 will make that happen but it really needs to happen NOW. By using the MLS like you were talking about. We have Messi in the MLS... And I feel like no one even really knows about it outside of diehard soccer fans in this country. Like 99% of people I talk to personally and are around personally have no idea what's going on with Messi, MLS, or soccer in general. I barely know any other soccer fans where I live. And that makes No Sense when the best player in the world is playing right here in the USA. Only one state over from me. Garber and MLS in general are striking out on this bad. It's literally going to extra time on this and Messi WILL retire in a few years... And the excitement will likely retire with him. Even if the World Cup goes over fairly well. I think at this point the Only hope for soccer in this country is if somehow the USMNT actually wins the whole thing at World Cup 2026. And I just don't see that happening.

bro this dude cant even buy LED BOARDS .

Honestly, they need to redo the tv deal and make it accessible to everyone. No one is paying to have access to the games behind a paywall, unless you’re a die hard fan! I liked when we had double headers with the epl, nbc or nfl and fox. This helped spread the game to the casual fan. They would advertise the mls cup during epl or nfl games. None of that takes place with Apple, and no one even knew the mls cup was going on!

Don Garber maybe should have a meeting with the guys/gals who run the EPL.
Also, MLS footballers/teams need something to fight for (limited spots for play offs), and something to fight against(relegation).
The MLS is too 'safe'. The stakes are not high enough. It need some jeopardy.
Yes, and some loosening of the purse strings.

They have to change things.

I stopped following the league after Beckham left, becuz I saw no ambition from the owners to spend and improve the level of play. Messi, brought me back with hopes that purse strings would be opened up more, but alas MLS owners don't really care. I barely even watched any MLS games this season. Maybe like 5.

They don't have to increase spending and we don't need to watch MLS. Who wants to watch a league that aspires to mediocrity?

I think we all want change - but you say Don Garber has to sell owners on new ideas, I agree, but if he gives them too many ideas that all the owners dont want, hes out of a job. It's not 2+2=4 levels of simple. If you make significant change as well you also have to contend with the CBA needing changes, Players will want more guaranteed if there is significant change to Cap and Spending rules. We can mess with the mechanisms and add stuff on... which they did just do a little in the middle of last year, but big changes cant really happen until post CBA unless they get the players on board with bigger changes sooner. but ultimately... its the owners.

I hope change happens going into the World Cup year - but making it seem like its all Don and it should be more simple is disingenuous imo. It's the old head owners that are the ones holding back the growth. Look at the owners that are on the board to discuss changes - half of them are guys that dont want to change off the status quo. I would love to see a new commish as well... but I do not think a new commish will reach significant change

Sorry for the ramble, commented while video was still going and kept adding points.

if you (a person, no one specific) were in New England this season and watched any game other than the one Montreal match, what you would have seen would definitely not have converted you as a new fan

The obvious solution is two things:
1. Raise the salary cap by $10M
2. Tell all teams that PRO-REL starts in 2029

The big teams (LA, NY, SEA, MIA, etc.) will be able to build bigger more exciting teams capable of winning international match-ups.

The littler teams (Colorado, Chicago and San Jose etc.) will have time to put up or shut up.

PRO-REL is what will make every game much closer to must-watch matches. Imagine every game at the bottom of the table being just as exciting as the matches at the top of the table. It's not rocket science.

Of course, yes, I know, that the owners don't want PRO-REL, at least not immediately, because they want to greedily protect their investment. But they must be shown how a smaller slice of a bigger pie works. They have to see how powerful it is for drawing excitement. And then give teams 5 years of warning. That's the obvious solution.

Don could only get 250 million from apple and mls still pays for production, the nhl which by all metrics were ahead of got 400 million from disney and another 200 from tnt and they cover production we are a joke with this commissioner the nhl salary cap is also over 80 mill per team plus were behind a paywall. when he presented this deal he should have been fired.

Apple TV is trash

It's simply a numbers game. Whether we like it or not, it''s a for profit business for the owners. In addition the competitiveness among teams its important to maintain. Otherwise MLS will become like other leagues where only less than a handful of teams can win it. Since we don't have access to the numbers, we must trust thst they are maximizing their investment based on these numbers. Plus MLS teams are spending more than ever before.

TRASH CONTENT

They’re boring teams.

Do you have faith in Don Garber?
Are you disappointed in this decision by the league?