As foreign leagues inch closer to playing competitively in the United States, MLS commission Don Garber is playing defense. As the top soccer division in the United States, Major League Soccer has worked to grow its domestic audience. The principal competition has always been the domestic and continental leagues in Europe. These teams in the Premier League, LaLiga, Serie A and Bundesliga have regularly played friendlies in the United States. However, the looming possibility of playing meaningful fixtures in the United States is enough to have Garber worried.
“I hear that the Premier League is interested and that the fans aren’t in support of it,” Garber said. “It’s up to them. I for one know the value of a regular season game, I know what it means to fans, I know what sovereignty means – that football is based around borders. I believe in the importance of those borders.”
In this case, Garber is correct. Premier League supporters have been vocal in their disapproval of taking a competitive contest out from a team’s 38-game schedule and dropping it in the United States. From the standpoint of competition, that Premier League team is losing a home game. However, and perhaps more importantly, the fans would suffer because they cannot attend a game. One team out of 20 would play 18 home games, while the other teams would play 19.
The argument in favor of the Premier League or any other domestic competition in Europe centers around money. A competitive game in the United States would grow audiences to develop future revenue. Teams and leagues would benefit from ticket sales that would likely be higher in the United States, depending on which teams play and where the game is.
Garber defending borders for foreign leagues is in tune with previous comments
For MLS, foreign leagues playing in the United States run the risk of taking interest away from the American top flight. Even though MLS has a largely different calendar compared to European soccer leagues, a game among two prominent European sides could be more interesting for casual soccer fans than a standard MLS fixture. Of course, this is all dependent on which teams are playing and where the venue
Don Garber propping up borders connects to the order that he previously wanted among soccer leagues across the globe. Garber encouraged the development of the sport on a global scale. Yet, it should not happen at the cost of domestic leagues.
“Clearly, we all need to be very thoughtful about how our market develops so that everybody can be a winner,” Garber said. “I really care a lot about those people that are investing in the game, doing the work, building the game for the next generation, investing in infrastructure and player development under the guidelines and requirements of our federation and confederation.”
A recent legal victory for Relevent Sports ensured that it is possible for foreign leagues to invade MLS territory. Nothing is official yet, but LaLiga has been a pioneer in advocating for competitive games in the United States. The Club World Cup will develop an already prominent fan base. European leagues will continue to increase their presence in the US.
