The following are quotes from the Aug. 10 MLS media teleconference which featured new MLS Commissioner Don Garber and MLS Executive V.P. Ivan Gazidis: Don Garber Opening Comments “I want to thank everyone for the coverage of my recent appointment… I’ve seen and read many provocative thoughts on the challenges that MLS faces in our next phase of development … I remain very excited about this opportunity … Clearly, there are challenges ahead … My first task is to identify the challenges and address our owners and demonstrate to them how we will achieve growth for the league.” “I’m still wearing two hats, as I’m winding down my position at the NFL, where I’ve spent the last 16 years, working there in the mornings and spending the afternoons at MLS … Doug Logan has been a great help, providing lots of advice; he is leaving the office formally on Thursday … I’ll start moving in the office on Friday, and I move into the position officially on September 1.” “As of that date, I am scheduled to meet with all of our teams … This past weekend, I went to Washington, D.C. and spent the day with United President and General Manager Kevin Payne and met the Mayor of D.C. … I’m going tomorrow night to the Meadowlands to see the United at MetroStars game … After the first of September, I will visit with all the clubs, and I’m looking forward to meeting their team personnel, players, media, business partners and stadium representatives … I will look at the challenges in each local market.” “I want to reiterate that I’ve not looked back for a moment … I’m terribly excited about this opportunity … We have a huge task facing many challenges and I’m sure that I will have fun in the years ahead with media … There is a short window where I can accept as much advice from those who want to provide it … I come from a league where there was interdependence with the media … My goal is to figure out how to work with writers and editors on how to get more coverage for the sport in the papers and on television … Those are the strategic challenges that we have.” “I couldn’t be happier and more excited about this opportunity.” Ivan Gazidis Opening Remarks “I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with Don … Things are relatively quiet on the player movement side … We could have some Project-40 assignments later this week (DaMarcus Beasley, Scott Vallow and Matt Nyman) … The league’s trade deadline is on Friday at 5:00 p.m., and there will be one or two trades before the close of business on Friday.” Garber on any sense of instability with MLS “I haven’t had a sense of instability during my conversations with the owners … They were concerned about the long-term plan that was in place … There is not any instability in the office, and the owners are not panicked about where the league is now … But they didn’t want to be in a position where next season couldn’t be impacted in terms of attendance and television ratings … Giving our partners, new blood and a new perspective was their priority.” “The public perception will come out of what key decisions are made in the near future … I need to prove to this community with Ivan and his management team that we can operate the soccer side of this business … We had a great TV rating this Sunday, our best of the season … I’m meeting with ESPN and ABC in the next few days to try and stimulate ratings … What will ensure stability and confidence are decisions I will make in the next few months.” Garber on level of concern for the MetroStars “I’m very concerned about not being successful in New York, and I’ll work with Stuart Subotnick on what can be done … I’ve yet to meet the staff there and Subotnick and I are having lunch tomorrow to discuss our plan … There is nothing more important on a club level than creating a New York team that has appeal and is winning some games.” “At this point, I can’t answer what the short-term solutions are; the problems are more than short-term … People have lost confidence in the team … On the competition side and the marketing side, the MetroStars have not inculcated the sports landscape in New York … While I was with the NFL, there was no city more difficult than London to sell a team and get coverage, and New York City is probably on the same level … It’s a major, major priority … If we’re successful on the competition and marketing side, we’ll be able to sit down with editors and get things done in this city.” Garber on the league’s shootout policy/changing tiebreaking systems “This is one of those tests that will ultimately give the public an idea where we’re headed … It’s one of the main issues that I need to address … There is a competition committee that meets each offseason and discusses this issue, among others … There is a fairly even split among fans … My first five minutes in D.C. this weekend I met with the Screaming Eagles and I had 10 people beg me to ban the shootout … But at the end of regulation, in the stands, there were a lot of folks cheering on the edge of their seat … I can’t take a position yet until I meet with the competition committee … Perhaps some bold moves need to be taken.” Garber on being bilingual and hiring a Hispanic executive “I’ll be honest: the two biggest issues with me are soccer experience that I don’t have, and the fact that I don’t speak Spanish … When I took over at NFL International (Paul Tagliabue asked me to oversee the division), the league didn’t have an international division and I had been outside the United States once, for my honeymoon in Italy … At that time, I had zero international experience and I don’t speak a foreign language … However, I opened seven offices outside the U.S., including places like Japan and Mexico … Culturally, Japan is one of the most complicated markets for an American business to operate … Wherever you are, you have to be understanding of challenges but respectful of differences … I found that everywhere, English is spoken and that you have to surround yourself with folks who speak the language and understand the culture.” “It is a major priority to have a Spanish speaker at a high level at MLS … Someone who is respected by the soccer community and the Latino soccer community … Many of our players at NFL Europe did not speak English, but we did treat people with respect and understood the culture … I have great confidence that my inability to speak Spanish will not be a major issue … We have a hugely successful American running the NFL office in Mexico City, and he obviously has hired quality staff that speak Spanish.” Garber on Fusion attendance challenges/South Florida market “I’ve spent some time talking with Ken Horowitz … The first place I need to get to is the stadium where he plays and the market in which he does business … I’ve not yet heard from Ken what the problems are other than he’s not playing in a stadium in Miami … At the NFL, we had many events — Super Bowls and grass-roots events — in South Florida … It’s a market where I can have success … The solutions I can’t now give you … There is some confusion on how the team is branded … I need to get up to speed on the history of negotiations with the Orange Bowl.” Garber on enjoyment of his first D.C. United game “When I look at that team, D.C. United seems to have a great logo, great colors, a powerful fan club, a stadium with an event atmosphere and fans tailgating and asking for autographs … Kevin Payne has a great rapport with the fans and everyone around the organization, the players are pumped up about the game, the mayor turned out, the sports commission was there … It is vitally important for the community to have a sense of commitment and that they are excited to help MLS reach its goals.” “It was an exciting game, although it was disappointing about the stabbing … The problems at stadiums often mirror the challenges that we face in society … At times I felt like I was at a Mutiny game, though, as some of the home fans were cheering for players on the opposite team … We need to work closely with that group and have them care about D.C. United and the team as Washington D.C.’s team … That kind of thing is not happening at any of the other major sports leagues … It was a great first game for me as Commissioner.” Garber on the European soccer experience “I have not yet had a chance to spend time with the Federation and Dr. Bob Contiguglia … The key to success in Europe is that there is clearly a pyramid of participation … That model, with kids playing up the ladder, is what was copied for NFL Europe … There is a pro league for them to aspire to … I went to the owners of the NFL Europe League (which has losses greater than those in MLS) and showed them that without a top league, there is nothing for kids to aspire to … Because of the NCAA and the governing of college sports and the value of education, you don’t have ability to create the same pyramid in this country … There is an increasing market for American soccer players both here in the U.S. and around the world … That creates sustenance and viability for an American league.” Garber on finding ownership for Dallas and Tampa Bay “Finding investor-operators for these teams is a great priority for a variety of reasons … We have broad strategic national challenges and with the single-entity system, managing teams on the local level is not something we’re as suited to as other things … While its always challenging to deal with ownership groups, bringing new investors and local commitments will help us improve on the local level … Those who have local business acumen and local nuances with local connections and a local presence is the key to any sports league … We need to have new thoughts and perspectives that will come with the right investor groups.” Garber on expansion timeline/adding a second team in the New York area “Our plans are still to go forward with expansion in 2001 … I’ve yet to meet with the specific investor groups that are interested … Developing a broad national landscape is important from several perspectives … Ken Horowitz is the chair of the expansion committee and the plans are to go full speed ahead in 2001 … ” “Clearly, Stuart Subotnick would tell you that having the MetroStars improve is a priority … But also, there are benefits and opportunities that two teams can compete and tap into various ethnic groups … There is a lot of development in Queens and I would say that Mr. Subotnick is looking at that opportunity and what relationship it has with his current fortunes is a major priority.” Garber on improved marketing — what can be done? “Marketing is a broad term to articulate lots of different things … MLS has as good a blue-chip lineup of sponsors as exists in any sport … I think it is amazing that we have achieved these partnerships at this stage in our lifespan … What we do to increase ticket sales, which is a team function, by using our media and broadcast relationships from a national level, is the key … That’s not something the league has focused on … We will support the teams, but ticket sales — getting butts in seats — is a team focus … We will have a marketing plan that we will share with the media and the world in the near future … Also, players have not been exposed in the way they need to be for kids and fans to connect with them … We have marketable players across all ethnic groups … We have the benefit of personalities and team brands … So, we need to spend some time thinking about that.” Garber on single-entity philosophy/powers to the teams “The single-entity structure is the core to the success and future success for this league … It is the future of where we in the sports industry think sports leagues are going.” Garber on being an advocate of the game “The role of any commissioner is to be respectful of and knowledgeable about the game with which he is involved … If I didn’t know enough about the sport to respectfully represent it and listen to what the fans want, then I wouldn’t have taken the job … That’s the same for any leader of any business … I will still be an advocate and representative for the sport and the league … I will responsibly and respectfully represent the game … Ultimately, time will tell whether I will be a good leader for MLS.” Garber on controversy regarding allocation of players/disclosure of salaries “We are moving to a system of more transparency, which is something that was happening anyway prior to my appointment … Hearing the frustration of those who cannot get salary information is the first step of seeing what the challenges are for the media and it’s something I’ll get back to you on.” Garber on improving quality and quantity of TV “I’m sitting down with ESPN this week and finding out why the coverage on the news side is a Chinese Wall apart from everything on the programming side … We need to figure out how to make it easier for them to promote and cover the day-to-day happenings for the league … We will come up with viable ideas, as this ranks in the top five priorities for the league … Unless we can improve the coverage we get from our broadcast carrier, we have some real challenges ahead … Generally, it’s not good business practice to publicly go after people you depend on for your lifeblood … Doug Logan was passionate about the lack of coverage we received from our partner … We need a firm commitment from them on what the coverage will be, and then we will get the word out to the fans and media … We might have to take a bigger role in getting news out to our fans.” Garber on TV consistency in scheduling “Scheduling marquee games and having games on at the same time each week is important … Destination viewing is important, that’s what’s made Monday Night Football into something that people plan their days and even their weeks around … However, some of those windows are not available to us at the times where we can sell the greatest number of tickets … Television exposure and stadium availability is a tough balancing act … You don’t want to impact ticket sales negatively.” Gazidis on the Lothar Matthaeus situation “Not much new to report … Matthaeus is interested in coming here … He is a player we are interested in and he is passionately interested in being a part of our league next season … He’s raised the situation with Franz Beckenbauer and Bayern Munich and they’ve told him that if he wants to leave after January 1, they’ll let him … It wouldn’t surprise me if we have developments in the next few weeks, but if nothing happens, that wouldn’t surprise me either.” Garber on signing marquee players “Having name players is important, and it certainly peaks interest … But our problems like the ones we have in New York go beyond anything one player can fix.” Gazidis on Joe Addo joining Tampa Bay “Yes, they need league permission to release players … If they brought Addo onto their roster, they would have to release another foreign player by the means available to them through the league.” Garber on MLS’ top five priorities First is the sale of the Dallas and Tampa Bay teams and expansion; Second would be our broadcast future with ESPN/ABC and Univision and the promotion of those games and those partnerships; Third, I need to spend time with the media and the things that have been troubling the media, as we look to create a symbiotic relationship much like the four other major sports enjoy; We need to spend time with sponsors and merchandising partners to find out what we’re delivering and not delivering to them; And finally, some of you might laugh at this, I need to spend time getting as broad an understanding of the soccer world as I can to be confident with the game and lead it in this country, appropriately.” Gazidis on the allocation of Ariel Graziani to New England/unilateral decisions as detriment to a team and coach “There was absolutely no incentive placed on New England to accept Graziani… He was a player available to us, and it was our responsibility to mention him even though they were looking at Joseph Addo … It was an internal decision for New England, which would have had the same result if we were single-entity or if there was a traditional league structure … If New England didn’t want Graziani, then we would have had 11 other willing takers.”