The Wizard speaks: Single table, Champions League

Coming out behind the green curtain, the Commissioner spoke live, in person, rather than with his nebulous green face and fire spewing from colums on both sides.

In his speech he proved he has heart for the fans, courage to speak his mind, and most importantly, a brain for creating new ideas to improve the league in the coming years. Don Garber is not one to rush, but from what I gathered from his State of the League Address, he spoke a lot of truth that fans need to hear in regards on a myriad of issues, the best being his stance on the table and the CONCACAF Champions League.

East Side, West Side

Garber didn't say much about the single table debate, but I figure it's enough to get people off his back:

Not next year, no. And whether or not it's in the near future, we haven't gotten that far.

I guess if you want to break it down, the Don is basically saying that it is in the works, but in terms of planning it's going to take a little more time than just meeting with Sepp Blatter every once in a while to get the MLS on track with other leagues.

It won't happen next year, which means that people will still be upset in 2010 when he says that it's likely to not happen for the 2011 season. But really, did we expect change to come this quickly? With the World Cup coming up and larger issues in terms of scheduling, addressing the issue in 2012 probably seems like the most reasonable date to start rebranding the league.

Finally someone who cares

What I liked about his approach to the Champions League was that he came right out and said what MLS franchises should immediately know:

We need to win the Champions League. Those opportunities to compete in a global competition are important to show how far we have developed as a soccer nation, and the opportunity to do it on the pro club side is with the world club championship. We've got to win that [CONCACAF] tournament...There are things we have to look at so we are not penalizing those clubs and be disadvantaged in the league tournament, but probably more importantly, what do we need to do to ensure that these teams make it a priority? Right now, not all of our clubs believe it is a priority.

Right on the head. Garber also mentions in the address that teams don't find it 'fair' to be playing more games than other clubs since it puts them at a disadvantage with small rosters, but man, I can't agree more with what he is saying (which is a lot coming from me).

The league needs to grow, and taking a look at these quotes, it's clear that he realizes that additional prestige is earned internationally- if we can't be popular here, let's get it out everywhere else. Sure it's important that clubs win the domestic league; it's the only distinguishable way to prove that a team is good in American since a star is over the crest or a scudetto is on your chest. To win at the international level, however, means so much more to other clubs around the world that it can be just as good as winning the league.

Look at a quarter of the clubs participating in the UEFA Champions League. Would we know anyone from the Israeli league or from middle-of-nowhere Romania were it not for a big tournament like this? Probably not, considering no one really cares in America or in Western Europe. But the positive side is that they are being mentioned, regardless of derogatory or pejorative comments. Sometimes bad press is better than no press at all, which is close to what the MLS is receiving as the season ends, football amps up and basketball takes over weeknights.

Admittedly, the CONCACAF Champions League is still in its infancy, but all good things come to those that care about these tournaments. Come March it will be on quite a few people's mind, although only one team from the MLS has advanced for the quarterfinals. Hopefully next year it will be a different story, and if Garber has any influence on it, it will be.

Tomorrow: Commissioner talks about the Collective Bargaining Agreement
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