How soccer-specific stadiums have (and haven’t) transformed MLS

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How soccer-specific stadiums have (and haven’t) transformed MLS

Henry Bushnell

FC Yahoo•Aug 26, 2016, 7:13 AM

LOS ANGELES — When Don Garber took over as Major League Soccer commissioner on Aug. 4, 1999, his league had 12 teams. One, the Columbus Crew, had just built its own stadium. The majority of the other 11 were desperately hanging on to the coattails of NFL teams or colleges. The New York Metrostars played at the Meadowlands; the Colorado Rapids played at Mile High; the Chicago Fire played at Soldier Field; the Kansas City Wizards played at Arrowhead; and so on.

“When the original business came together, there was no plan for soccer stadiums,” Garber says. “They thought that MLS would play in everybody else’s large buildings as a secondary tenant.”

As Garber speaks now, 17 years later, he peers through big round sunglasses towards a stage, some dirt, more than a dozen black and gold shovels, and more than a dozen men posing for photos. Magic Johnson and Will Ferrell are among them. Behind them is a rendering of Los Angeles Football Club’s new $250 million stadium, which will be entirely privately funded.

When Garber took over at the league’s helm, he quickly recognized that the secondary tenant model was less than ideal. It prevented MLS clubs from controlling revenue streams. It preempted any warmth or intimate feel among fans. It led to swaths of empty seats and a forgettable gameday experience.