On Tuesday, Major League Soccer and the German Bundesliga announced a formal agreement to …meet twice a year to exchange ideas. That’s right, it’s another promotional partnership that doesn’t even go so far as the “coaching exchange” the Colorado Rapids set up with the English club Arsenal. Under this new agreement, the German Bundesliga will help promote soccer in the United States (there was no mention of how) and the two leagues will exchange business (mostly marketing) ideas in meetings held twice annually.
For example, the Bundesliga might benefit financially from a greater knowledge of the American salary-cap system, while MLS could learn a thing or two about stadium development (Germany’s stadiums are stunning) and player development. As always, the partnership will certainly produce co-sponsored tournaments and exhibition matches.
“The idea is to share the know-how of both leagues and … support the growth of soccer in the United States,” Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert said, “because the more interested people are in soccer in the U.S., the more they are interested also in international leagues like the Bundesliga.”