Exclusive: MLS commish on Messi mania, Saudis and his expiring contract

MLS commissioner Don Garber has never been so popular among friends as he was during the 2023 MLS season, the league’s 28th year of existence. 

The reason can be summed up in one word: Messi. 

The arrival of the beautiful game’s greatest player — Argentina native Lionel Messi is a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner — infused America’s professional league with energy, creating a mania not often seen in the U.S. sports landscape. 

“With Messi, every game is almost like the Super Bowl, with the celebrity presence and the global media presence,” said Garber, laughing as he explained he’s never been hit up for free ticket requests more than he was in 2023, and how he often had to explain to friends and family that “we are not in the business of comping tickets, we’re in the business of selling tickets.” 

According to Garber, who spoke exclusively with USA TODAY Sports ahead of the MLS Cup final Saturday between Columbus and LAFC, the timing of Messi’s arrival couldn’t have been better. 

MLS was already in the midst of its best-ever season before Messi joined the party July 21. Expansion has been a hit, with St. Louis CITY FC selling out every match; MLS debuted its exclusive global streaming deal with Apple TV+, which hauled in subscribers when Messi got to Miami; and it became the first American men’s professional league to host an in-season tournament, an innovative move now being copied by the NBA. (The NWSL did it before anyone.)

What’s more, interest in soccer is surging across the United States just a couple years before North America is set to host the 2026 men’s World Cup. 

“There are tens of millions of soccer fans in the United States, and hundreds of millions around the world, and our goal is to be front and center,” Garber said, acknowledging Messi can help make that happen. The GOAT already “overdelivered on our expectations,” Garber said. 

And he expects the return on investment to keep growing. 

Messi expanded MLS global presence. Is Saudi investment next?

Messi’s success — he led Inter Miami to the 2023 Leagues Cup, delivering the club’s first-ever trophy, shortly after signing a deal worth up to $150 million in cash — has made Garber and other stakeholders consider what’s next. 

“Messi joining the league became a global story that raised the profile of our league,” Garber said. “The greatest player of all time made MLS his league of choice — what could that mean to the next group of (international) players who are now watching our games on a global platform, who are following what Leo did with Miami?

“He expanded and grew our global presence. We’re just beginning to understand what that could mean.”  

How to capitalize on the attention is the biggest task at hand. Do other MLS teams need to travel outside of the U.S. for games? How can the league attract other global superstars — Uruguay’s Luis Suarez will reportedly join Messi in Miami, while France’s Antoine Griezmann has repeatedly expressed interest in MLS, among others — at a time when the Saudi Pro League is spending excessively for top talent, too?

“I think any emerging league needs to make whatever decisions make sense for them to try to be part of the global conversation, and that’s what the Saudis have done,” Garber said. “I’ve seen it so many times before, and in some of those cases it’s worked. In the in the case of China and the Chinese league, it hasn’t worked. Time will be the judge of if (the Saudis’) plan was effective or not. It speaks to the challenger leagues making an important statement that it’s not just about the big leagues in Europe, it’s about the rest of the world, and we’re part of the rest of the world. 

“So I am hoping that they’re successful. We’re not afraid of it or concerned about it.” 

Garber is bullish about the need for more international investors in MLS, saying that “the best way we can be a global league is not just to have global representation on the field, but off the field as well.” 

As for how Garber and MLS would handle Saudi interest in an MLS team — the nation has already wormed its way into pro golf, despite the protest of players and 9/11 survivors — the commissioner said “it’s not something we’ve had to address yet.”  

Too few MLS players on USMNT roster?

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, there’s concern (again) about the lack of MSL players on the U.S. Men’s National Team roster. 

Two MLS players were on the roster for the last two USMNT camps, and Miles Robinson was the only one to see action, playing in one of the four games. For the Nations League game, Robinson was the only MLS field player to make the roster.

But Garber pushed back on the importance of that narrative. 

“I wouldn’t frame it that way,” he said. “We are playing the global game. For years we were a domestic sport playing in a global landscape. It is as important to us to have 37 MLS players who played on World Cup rosters in Qatar; that’s the most of any league in the Western Hemisphere.

“This idea that the only thing that would validate MLS is how many U.S. players are on the roster is not the way we’re thinking about it. This is a diverse league playing in a diverse market, playing the global game. It is a very important driver of our league to continue to develop U.S. players and we’ve done a really good job of that, but it’s as important to us that we have great players from around the world (in MLS) who are playing for their national teams.”

Don Garber’s contract is up. What’s next?

As for Garber’s future, the league’s second-ever commissioner — he’s been in his role since 1999 — hopes to stay exactly where he is, though his contract is up at the end of the 2023 season but he’s not looking for a new position.

‘I’m sure the MLS Board will sit down with me and discuss what our future might be together,’ Garber said. ‘I think I’ve got an unbelievable job, it’s been many years, been a labor of love. Right now I’m very focused on getting through MLS Cup.’  

After 25 years on the job, Garber knows his role is to be neutral, rooting for his league and all his players, never tipping the scales toward a particular club. He watches games as a business executive, not a fan. But even he can admit that this season, Messi Mania lured him back into fandom. 

“When you’re running a pro sports league, somebody is winning and somebody is losing every day,” Garber said. “You really are neutral. But I will tell you, I was sitting in an on-field box for Messi’s first game vs. Cruz Azul and all the sudden he has this last-second opportunity to create a lifetime memory. I turned to my guests and said, ‘We (MLS) really deserve this.’ And then, all the sudden, I just hear screaming. I didn’t even see the goal, I couldn’t watch. But will never forget that moment.” 

Follow Lindsay Schnell on social media: @Lindsay_Schnell