The following are quotes from the Aug. 4 press conference held to announce the appointment of Don Garber, former Senior Vice President of the National Football League’s International division, as Major League Soccer’s new Commissioner, President, and CEO. The conference was held at the Hotel Inter-Continental in New York City. The speakers included: new MLS Commissioner Don Garber, outgoing Commissioner Doug Logan and MLS Chairman and MetroStars Investor-Operator Stuart Subotnik. Doug Logan Opening Comments “There is no elegant way to say, ‘you’re fired’ … It’s time to move on.’ I’ve had my day: today is the new Commissioner’s day … All I ask of you is to give him the same opportunity you have given me.” “I can tell you some of what I’m going to be doing…I have not seen El Duque pitch this year, and there is a seat in right field that’s waiting for me … Alex Yannis has been asking me to golf with him for four years, so I’m going to do that too … I’m going out the door the same guy I walked in, and for that, I am grateful … I have no regrets, and I have no bitterness.” Stuart Subotnik Opening Remarks “The fan is no different from a customer… you have to get the loyalty of the customer. We must build [the league] from the fans.” “We decided to make the change at this time so that another year would not be lost.” “We have a huge community of soccer players, both male and female in this country, and a huge community of international residents that also know and love soccer. So while there may be some comparisons [with NFL Europe], I think Don has a bit of an advantage here.” “Without the influence of the MLS, that success in Mexico would not have happened.” Don Garber Opening Remarks “Today is the beginning of a new stage of growth for soccer in the United States.” “I have spent most of the last three years of my life trying to convince sports fans outside this country that a football is shaped like an egg, as opposed to being round. I now come back to the U.S. sports world with a profound respect for the power and potential of the game of soccer.” “My first real exposure to the sport was in Los Angeles while attending the Brazil-Italy final match during the World Cup in 1994. Seeing the massive and diverse crowd in the Rose Bowl — which equaled, if not surpassed, the attendance during Super Bowl XXVII, an event I was intimately involved with — allowed me to experience first hand the passion fans from both our country and abroad have for soccer. And I am particularly excited about coming to the sport now — at a point when I believe it is so uniquely positioned for long-term growth.” “There exists in this country a very real and widespread interest in the game of soccer overall — interest that extends well beyond what we currently think of as soccer’s core audience. I know that we can nurture and even exponentially grow that interest — as well as the current interest and commitment to the game.” “The explosion of youth soccer is in place to grow our fan base. The world continues to shrink into one global cultural community — with soccer as the dominant international sport.” “Our cornerstone, the product on the field, improves greatly each season. It is important to point out that MLS players scored five of the six U.S. goals to lead our country to its third-place finish at the FIFA Confederations Cup in Mexico.” “We need to continue to create an emotional connection to the game, its teams and players.” “I believe in the future of soccer. And I truly believe I can make a difference in that future. I left the NFL because of that belief and that’s why I am really excited about being here today.” Q&A SESSION On ideas for the league and long-term goals: Garber — “[The long term goal of the league is] to establish a broader and closer connection to those people that play the game and call themselves soccer fans.” On the Commissioner’s role in the league: Garber — “My role is not to just manage the business side of MLS, but to be a representative and an advocate of the game to the fans” On the New York/New Jersey MetroStars & quality of players: Subotnik — “I think the subject of the Metrostars is the subject of another press conference. I don’t see our organization stretching the rules for anybody. This is a single-entity organization, and that is not going to change…. As far as the talent of the players, I think you’re short-changing the league…. Each of the teams has some very attractive players. We have not done a very good job of promoting the players, that’s my point of view. We need to make some heroes, some people that young players will want to emulate.” Garber — “Some sports are more team-oriented, but clearly in a global sport like soccer, players need to be made into stars. People need to feel connected with them.” On the decision to change Commissioners: Subotnik — “One or two people don’t rule. It was a unanimous decision…. We wanted to be on time to have an effect on the next season. We have built ourselves up to a certain level…but the next level requires certain, additional talent.” On the role of international players in the League’s future: Garber — “You cannot have a local league based on foreign stars. You have to have local stars and grassroots heroes to play a local game…. There will always be a role in MLS for international players, because it is an international game.” On Garber’s limited soccer experience and plans to run the League: Garber — “The key to my success in the international business was to surround myself with experts of the sport, and to make sure that they had the resources they needed to do their jobs.” Subotnik — “What we’re trying to do in a very tough environment, a very crowded environment — with a lot of things trying to take peoples’ attention — is to make people notice soccer, and to make it stick.” On strategies to develop the League’s growth: Garber — “We need to look at treating the current fans with the utmost respect… while trying to figure out ways to market this game to a growing fan base.” On the possibility of re-hiring of former Deputy Commissioner Sunil Gulati: Garber — “Right now, there are no plans to hire Sunil Gulati back.” On possible plans for a women’s professional league: Subotnik — “The owners are taking a real hard look at how we can be involved in the launching of a women’s league. We’re right in the middle of the process of finding out how to best to [do] that.” On the competitiveness of the MLS for top international talent: Garber — “We intend to remain a single entity. I think for the viability of professional soccer, we need to be a single entity. We can acquire more resources as a league that any one individual team, to acquire top international ballplayers…. For us to compete, I think the single-entity makes a lot of sense.” On the decision to change Commissioners: Subotnik — “The process to change cannot be traced back to one single event…. A consensus was developing over time, but we did not have a concept of this as a group.” On the influence of the MLS on U.S. soccer, and on the need for media attention: Subotnik — “We, as a professional league, should have promoted the fact that the U.S. team beat Germany, because that national team is made up of an MLS coach and MLS players…. We need to get more media coverage and more media space, and that will help the success of the league.”