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MLS enters Year 6
Updated: Thursday April 12, 2001 3:45 PM
Ridge Mahoney, Soccer America FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- For the final game on the final night of MLS Spring Training 2001, the elements for an enjoyable evening were in place. The night was warm, the lights were bright, the tickets were free, and the players were about as sharp as they can be two weeks before the start of real games. About 2,000 fans were scattered around Lockhart's multi-colored seats and benches as the Florida derby between Miami and Tampa Bay kicked off. (A sideline smart-aleck wondered if it would be the Fusion's best crowd of the season.) Miracle of miracles, the game was a good one. Miami battled back from a 2-0 deficit before conceding a stoppage-time penalty kick and losing, 3-2. Watching this entertaining tussle, one could have easily forgotten a Florida derby played less than two years ago on ESPN2, a game so God-awful that then-commissioner Doug Logan joked, "I think we set the game back 20 years, and this is only our fourth season."
With the sixth season about to begin, there's much to lament about MLS: staggering financial losses, a patchwork puzzle of ownerships, shrouded player movement and another legal sinkhole looming. There are also indicators of progress: increased season-ticket sales, ambitious marketing programs at the league and team levels, an aggressive television promotion campaign and stadium construction slated to begin this summer in Southern California. And there are better players and better games. The difference in the Florida derbies, although an isolated comparison, isn't atypical. The trick for MLS is to sell American soccer fans on the idea that its brand of soccer is worth following. GOALS. Commissioner Don Garber took over for Logan 18 months ago with virtually no knowledge of the American soccer market or the challenge facing MLS. Talking with fans, attending meetings and listening to team and staff members gradually revealed to him one of the league's glaring incongruities, that somehow it had ignored the logic of selling MLS to the nation's soccer fans. "Our research showed there were tons of people out there that cared about the game," says Garber, "but MLS wasn't talking to them. Even worse, in many cases they weren't even aware of the league. So focusing on the soccer market is a bit of a change of strategy in most of our team cities." The skateboard-shop uniforms, the shootout and general-market advertising have given way to an approach targeted at those already involved in the sport. Garber cites D.C. United, with its traditional uniform design and soccer-specific programs, as an example of what to do. "I think that our primary ticket base is young adult soccer fans," says D.C. United president Kevin Payne, whose team has averaged 16,793 fans in its five seasons. "We sell a fair number to families, don't get me wrong, but I'd say more of our season-ticket holders are 20- to 35-year-old people who've grown up with the game and now have some disposable income. Where the youth market really comes into play is in group tickets." Garber has formed a grass-roots department in the league's marketing division. Teams have been directed to not just sell to the youth market, but to service it as well. "Even if we were calling those people in the past, we weren't following through," says Garber. Says Payne, "Everybody's getting back to basics. I think Don realizes that's what you have to do, and it's just a grind. It's a hard business." League officials have trumpeted an increase of 16 percent over last season in season-ticket sales (41,206 as of March 16). Garber says by the start of the season he expects the league to break its all-time record of 43,782 set in 1999. OWNERSHIP. Garber predicts that only Dallas will be without an operator when the season begins. San Jose (Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment), D.C. United (Anschutz Entertainment Group) and Tampa Bay (Glazer family) will be run by organizations and not the league in 2001. "Hopefully, those operators will look to purchase the equity in those teams in the future," said Garber. "We'd much rather have investors for those teams, but the next best thing is to have someone like Phil Anschutz running a team like D.C. United." STADIUMS. Bill Peterson of AEG believes construction of a soccer stadium complex for the Galaxy will commence this summer. "The final approvals are due in mid-May," said Peterson. "If construction begins on schedule, we're looking at about 12 months to build, with a completion date around August 2002." The facility will hold about 25,000 people and will be expandable, although Peterson said the final design is not yet completed. The estimated cost will be approximately $100 million for the complex, which includes facilities for tennis, cycling and track & field. Naming the new Los Angeles stadium as the site for MLS Cup 2002 has been discussed. New Jersey sites in Newark and Harrison continue to be the frontrunners for a MetroStars stadium. LEGALITIES. A court date of May 9 in Boston has been set for a mediation hearing in the appeal filed by the MLS Players' Association. The mediation hearing is mandated by the processes of the First Circuit Court of Appeals, in which the MLSPA appeal was filed. "Our view has been this should be over and we have supported a system [single-entity] that is necessary for this sport," said Garber. "We've spent $10 million defending it, and it's time for them to sit down with us and negotiate and not have the threat of ongoing litigation be a part of this process. As long as they're suing us, we will not sit down and negotiate with them." OFFICIATING. Referees have been instructed to crack down on dangerous tackles as well as dissent. In the past two seasons, only twice did referees issue a player a second yellow card for dissent. Referees have been encouraged to send off players, if appropriate. The fourth official has been empowered to signal the referee if he sees off-the-ball incidents that merit disciplinary action. OUTLOOK. The commissioner is optimistic, as he must be. "I was as much frustrated as confused at the end of last year," said Garber. "I was confused as to why with so many positive things going on and off the field as to why we weren't able to see some increases. I realized you need to work this, you need to work it every day and you need to have staff working it every day. I am feeling better about it." Ridge Mahoney is a senior editor at Soccer America magazine.
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