Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber has described the recently completed 2023 season as “transformational” for the league, highlighting Lionel Messi’s presence at Inter Miami and the media deal with Apple.

Garber told reporters on the eve of the MLS Cup that the league has set new records for gear sales, as well as digital and social media engagement. He also stated that the 2023 season set a new record for total attendance, with nearly 11 million people attending games.

The MLS’s ten-year global broadcast agreement with Apple began this year. Leading individuals from the technological behemoth have voiced their satisfaction with the alliance thus far, a view Garber echoed while also noting that the collaboration has a long way to go.

“What we’re focused on is the amount of subscriptions that we’re selling, the amount of time that those people who are watching those games in front of and behind the paywall are spending on our broadcasts,” he said.

“How are they interacting with the content?” What is the target audience for that content? And then there are things that we and Apple must collaborate on so that we can communicate at the appropriate time: ‘Is all of this working for us? ‘Does it work for Apple?'”

While Messi’s presence has undoubtedly benefited the league, its commissioner is cognizant of the need to guarantee that his impact lasts beyond 2025, when the Argentinian’s contract expires.

Though further rule modifications will be reviewed at the competition’s next owner’s meeting later this week, Garber stated that there are currently “no plans” to allow teams to sign a fourth designated player for next season. This would have allowed additional teams to entice some of the sport’s best names to join the Inter Miami star in the United States.

“I wouldn’t say that the timing is when Lionel Messi leaves MLS,” Garber went on to remark. “It’s really about where we want to be in 2027.” We’ll have all eyes on us (for the 2026 World Cup), and the soccer market in the United States will be exposed to the entire global soccer and football community.

“What exactly is the product that we provide?” That offering includes more than simply the athletes and field experience. Everything around them is against them, including the competition itself and the competition format. All of these things necessitate an assessment procedure.

“First and foremost, I hope Lionel decides to stay beyond 2025, so that ’25 isn’t the deadline.” Our strategy is to transform the league into what we want it to be in 2027.”

Concerning how to deal with an increasingly crowded schedule, Garber maintained that the league would not shut down for other competitions, while admitting that games will not take place during the 2026 Fifa World Cup. The Leagues Cup, which includes MLS and Liga MX teams, was expanded this season, while Fifa has also indicated that its Club World Cup will include more teams beginning in 2025.

“Let me say we can’t afford it, so that’s a message for everybody,” he stated. “If we have to shut down the league, we lose games, which affects our players, our partners, our fans, and everything else that MLS has to offer to all of our stakeholders.”

“That being said, we’ve got to manage through that process and be clever and creative and figure out how do we configure the schedule with all these different events so that we can make it work.”

The following year will also witness the entrance of the competition’s newest expansion team, San Diego FC. While Garber stated that there are presently no plans to add more clubs, he did not rule out the possibility entirely.

“We have no plans to go beyond 30 teams at this point, but I’ll say we never say never to anything,” he said.

“We’ve got to look at how all this develops over the next number of years and if expansion makes sense at the right time, there’s a market with the facility and the opportunity for us to manage the competitive format and everything related to that, then we’ll certainly consider it.”