Garber & Co. have made tweaks to MLS' playoff system over the years, but the commissioner says an American-style postseason is here to stay. Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

I'm happy and sad when a young promising American player leaves MLS and joins a major European team. I want Americans to flourish on the European scene and show the world that Americans are good and improving at soccer, but at the same time, I want to see MLS improve its overall quality of play. It seems to be a double-edged sword. What's more beneficial for the growth of American soccer?
-- Evan, Iowa City, Iowa

With the exception of one or two players, we haven't seen an American player leave the league and go out to great success in Europe. It doesn't make sense for MLS to invest in that player to keep him here. Is it worth paying Clint Dempsey what it would have required to keep him here? Or are we better off letting him go and develop at Fulham and get several million dollars in a transfer fee that, by rule, has to be invested back into our business -- money that goes toward our reserve system, new stadiums and keeping existing rosters together?

That said, at some point, this league needs to become a place where every American player can not just grow up here, but stay here. That's going to take some time. We do need to have a good number of American players playing for our league. When, ultimately, they go on to star for the U.S. national team at the World Cup, as long as we have a good core of that team, I'm comfortable that the league is well represented.

Has MLS ever considered a merger with the USL? This would definitely increase the player pool in the long run and hopefully, incorporate the relegation system that every American soccer purist craves.
-- Pedro Geliga, Cocoa, Fla.

Promotion and relegation is what makes soccer so exciting around the world. But international ownership structures are very different than ours is here in the U.S. I don't necessarily see promotion and relegation any more than I see the Oneonta Tigers getting promoted into Major League Baseball or the New York Yankees getting relegated. That being said, the USL has a handful of owners who I think are doing an incredible job. I'd like to see some relationship that makes sense. But as we're a very immature business -- only now in our 12th year -- it's hard to be all things for all people. There are only so many things you can do and do right. The USL is on that list, but it's probably not the highest thing right now.

Beckham is right: Soccer on turf is terrible. It's bad for the game (less tackling, poor passing). Quality players don't want to play on it. Yet there are more and more turf stadiums popping up, many of them recently. Why does MLS keep awarding franchises to cities that play on turf?
-- Jason Wilder, Columbus, Ohio

You know, FIFA recently allowed England to play in a Euro qualifying game in Moscow on turf, so I think this is a purist issue as opposed to a practical issue. Practically, especially in places where weather is an issue, you're going to start seeing more and more turf fields in our stadiums. We all prefer games on grass -- I don't think grass will ever be replaced entirely by turf -- but there will be situations in cold-weather markets where turf is going to not just be acceptable, it's going to proliferate both here and around the world.

What level of support, financial or otherwise, is MLS prepared to give to the new women's professional league that will launch in '09?
-- Rick Golden, Stafford, Va.

We will be their marketing arm -- Soccer United Marketing will represent the league. Financially, we'll help them get off the ground by managing their television sponsorship and licensing business. A number of our owners will field their own teams or allow their stadiums to be utilized by the league's operations and we'll do our part to ensure that we're leading the sport at all levels to support women's soccer.

Is this the most successful year MLS has had since the inaugural season of 1996?
-- Bruce Jagarosovich, Los Angeles

This is arguably the best year MLS has ever seen. The inaugural season was so much about buzz. This one is about very strong fundamentals. Our quality of players is perhaps as high as it's ever been, and a number of our developmental players have become terrific players -- Jozy Altidore is probably the best example of that.

Expansion continues to go strong. When you look at San Diego, Portland, Vancouver, Montreal, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Miami and a second team in New York, just to name a few, there are more serious prospects for expansion than we have available teams. Our ownership group is as strong as it's ever been and soccer-specific stadium development is going extremely well. Sponsorship is at an all-time high and we went past the 3 million mark in attendance for first time in league history. It's an exciting time for MLS.