MLS Commissioner Don Garber on Tuesday called the Columbus Crew and Crew Stadium trailblazers in the growth of soccer in the United States. Speaking at the Crew's monthly press luncheon, making his annual visit to the city as part of his "trip across the country," the Commissioner pointed to the opening of the first soccer-specific stadium in 1998 as the pathway to the progress being made in MLS and the game as a whole in the country.
"There is a fantastic movement to build the foundation and infrastructure of the sport. It never would have happened if not for the first soccer-specific stadium in the State of Ohio and the City of Columbus," Garber said. "This will always be the first. The Gold and Black of this team will always be close to the hearts of fans across America."
Garber reiterated the point with the announcement that ground will be broken on another new soccer-specific stadium -- the one for the New York Red Bulls in Harrison, N.J. -- on Sept. 19.
Still, Garber indicated an immediate challenge is to work on improvements around the stadium -- specifically the infrastructure of the facility and finding a naming rights partner. The Commissioner was to meet with a "handful of politicians" to address the issues. Yet, improving the stadium would not mean wholesale changes.
"I do not think there is anything wrong with the stadium at all. It needs to improve the infrastructure around the stadium so it can become a great complex," he said. "We are really focused on trying to get a naming rights partner for the stadium and working to support their infrastructure requests with the state."
The Commissioner and the Crew believe that the two go hand in hand. Improving the infrastructure around the stadium will greatly enhance the possibility of attracting more investment. Of immediate concern is improving the parking adjacent to the stadium and the access routes in and out of the stadium. Future events such as MLS Cups, All-Star Games, and even World Cup qualifiers could hang in the balance if such improvements are not made.
The Commissioner also addressed recent attendance concerns in Columbus.
"Attendance goes up and down and a lot of it has to do with how the team is performing. This team is ahead of the numbers from last year so it is improving," Garber said. "It is not nearly where it was in the early years when the stadium opened up. Performance has had something to do with that. There have been challenges to maintain momentum, but I am confident that they will be able to get it back."
On any visit to Columbus, there will ultimately be questions regarding single entity, salary caps and potential gaps between small and large market teams. For what seems like simple questions, there are no simple answers. Of most significance for the fans is the potential for player movement and acquisitions, especially in a market where the team's performance has struggled of late.
The Commissioner acknowledged that single entity and roster allocations are constantly evolving within MLS, but the ultimate decision making falls to the clubs.
"They have to find the right players and make good decisions," he said, adding that the league has made the rules surrounding such issues transparent and available on MLSnet.com.
Player development was also a hot topic, especially with the disappointing results of the U.S. national team in the World Cup. Questions abounded on playing in MLS vs. Europe and what is best for the development of the promising group of young U.S. players.
The Commissioner did not waver from his stance that "we need our best players here," of course done in "an economical, rational way." There are always players that will ultimately look for a different challenge, and hopefully those players will "go to the right clubs and you want them to play."
But Garber also pointed out "this country got excited about the World Cup in ways that it never did before." The evidence was in the television ratings for the final game of the World Cup.
"More people watched the final than in the final game of the NBA Championship. More people watched than in the final game of the World Series and both of those games were in prime time," he said.
The Commissioner also congratulated Crew head coach Sigi Schmid on being on "the short list of potential candidates for the U.S. national team job." Calling Schmid "one of the great coaches in soccer in this country," he stopped short of saying that he would advocate for his appointment. "I personally hope you are in Columbus," Garber said.
Despite the Crew's growing pains this season, finding someone to agree with him around central Ohio would not be difficult.
Walter Wheeler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
