It’s an outburst that may have contributed to D.C. United’s unexpected first-round exit in last year’s playoffs. But Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber believes Freddy Adu’s public complaints last season about playing time — and the suspension that followed — was another lesson for a remarkable teenager growing up in the public eye playing professional soccer.
Making a stop in Washington on Wednesday as a part of his tour of each MLS city, Garber commented on Adu’s development and value to MLS as well as league expansion and potential changes to the league’s salary cap structure.
“The process that happened last year was healthy,” said Garber. “It was the process that young people go through with authority figures, in this case the coach, where Freddy learned the hard way that he is a professional athlete, and he’s a member of a team, and he has a coach.”
Garber said Adu’s development as a player has been great, but his dominance is no more important to the league than any other star player. Garber defended his position that Adu and other young American players should forego opportunities in European leagues to be “pioneers” that can help to grow soccer in the U.S.
MLS is also not banking on a big cash influx should Adu eventually leave the U.S. for a big-spending European club such as English champion Chelsea. MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis added that transfer fees are never part of the leagues financial projections.
“Whatever money we get from a transfer is not going to change us,” said Garber. “It’s not going to affect our business. It’s never been about our transfer fees, ever.”
The league’s board of directors, in the meantime, are scheduled this month to discuss the idea of a designated player exempt from the league’s salary cap, which could lead to the luring of international superstars like David Beckham or Ronaldo, who have both publicly voiced a desire to play in the U.S.
As proposed, one player per team could sign with MLS — the league owns all player contracts — but his salary would be paid specifically by the individual owner and team.
“The time is right for us to perhaps start thinking about expanding the market that we can capture here in this country,” said Garber.
Garber also had a meeting with potential local investors planned for Wednesday afternoon, and while he did not give new insights into progress concerning potential team owners or stadium development, he did hold up United as the league’s model franchise.
“These guys have gotten it right. The only thing they don’t have right is they don’t yet have their plan for a soccer stadium, and they have not yet secured their local owner,” said Garber. “Every other aspect of it — I don’t think we could’ve written the book any better. But now we’re at the point where we’ve got to take it to the next level.”
MLS to expand, eh?
» MLS commissioner Don Garber will be in Toronto today to announce the name of the league’s first Canadian franchise, which will join the league next season — Inter Toronto FC heads the shortlist, according to the Toronto Globe and Mail.
» Garber said he expects to announce the addition of a team in Cleveland or St. Louis for the 2008 season by the All-Star game this summer. Philadelphia, San Jose and Milwaukee are also prospects for 2009 or later, and MLS expects to have a 16-team league by the end of the decade.
