Don Garber, commissioner of Major League Soccer, claims his league has had a “transformational year” because to the arrival of Lionel Messi.

Don Garber, commissioner of Major League Soccer, says his league has had a “transformational year,” citing the arrival of Lionel Messi and the broadcast arrangement with Apple TV for unprecedented interest. While claiming that North America will become the “epicenter” of the game with the World Cup, Copa America, and FIFA Club World Cup all coming to the region, Garber admitted that juggling all of the club and country championships would be difficult. Garber said MLS was heading upwards in all critical areas in his annual “state of the league” talk before of Saturday’s MLS Cup final between Columbus Crew and Los Angeles FC.

“For the next chapter of his legendary soccer career, Lionel Messi had many options.” “The significance of his decision to join Major League Soccer cannot be overstated,” Garber added.

“In our league, we have a World Cup champion and an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner. “We’re not just part of the global sports conversation; we’re one of the biggest stories in the world, certainly one of the biggest stories this summer,” Garber continued.

Messi’s early entrance in a new 10-year global streaming arrangement with Apple TV means that “more fans watch MLS games here and around the world than ever before,” according to Garber, who did not divulge overall viewing estimates from Apple.

MLS has also seen an increase in the number of supporters in stadiums around the country, with the Los Angeles FC-Los Angeles Galaxy derby drawing a league record 82,110 to the Rose Bowl on July 4.

Garber stated that “nearly 12 million fans” attended MLS games this year and praised the new Leagues Cup, which was held in collaboration with clubs from Mexico’s Liga MX, as a “smashing success.”

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“It was a success by any measure, and as with so many other things this year, it exceeded so many of our expectations.” This is just the beginning. “This is a tournament that will continue to grow in size, scope, and reach in the coming years,” he said.

However, the inclusion of League Cup games into a calendar that will be compressed by major events coming to the United States in the future years.

The United States will host the Copa America next year before hosting the new, expanded 32-team FIFA Club World Cup a year before the World Cup proper, which will be co-hosted by Canada and Mexico.

“For the next few years, North America will be the epicenter for the beautiful game,” he went on to say.

Fitting in all of the games while preserving players from burn-out remains a concern with the Leagues Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup, US Open Cup, regular season, and playoffs.

Garber stated that MLS would not cease play during Copa America because they could not afford to do so and would have to be “creative” with their scheduling.

MLS typically plays through the regional CONCACAF Gold Cup, but Garber stated that the league would not be suspended during the World Cup.

“Clearly the World Cup in 2026 is a different animal, I can’t imagine we are going to be playing games during that, but the economic impact of that is significant,” he went on to say.

Garber stated that the larger picture may necessitate some adjustments to how the MLS season is organized, hinting that the “Apertura and Clausura” system, which is used in various South and Central American countries as well as Mexico, where the season is broken into two separate halves, could be one option.

Garber also stated that MLS was in discussions with US Soccer on ways to improve the knockout US Open Cup.

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“That process is ongoing and there might be changes to our participation sometime in the future, there is nothing we can announce right now,” he told reporters.