MLS Commish Don Garber Speaks
Garber gave an earlier and less formal state of the league address than he has in years past in a teleconference with reporters today.
Garber announced the MLS Best XI during the call, which includes one player apiece from the Galaxy and Chivas USA:
goalkeeper - Zach Thornton
defenders - Chad Marshall, Wilman Conde, Geoff Cameron
midfielders - Dwayne DeRosario, Landon Donovan, Stuart Holden, Shalrie Joseph, Freddie Ljungberg
forwards - Conor Casey, Jeff Cunningham
Other major talking points included:
*A reiteration MLS is looking to become a 20-team league. There will be 18 teams when Philadelphia (which is nearing the 8,500 season ticket mark) joins next season and Portland and Vancouver the year after that. MLS has had "productive discussions" about team No. 19 going to Montreal, but no real movement on the 20th franchise.
*That MLS is evaluating its playoff format and is considering following the lead of WPS and allowing the regular season winner to host the final:
"There's support here in the league to strongly consider moving MLS Cup away from a designated site and into a market where the team that earns the right (to host the game) does so," Garber said. "We think it's a good idea, but we're still working through the details to see if we can pull it off."'
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
Thank you a lot for sharing those Garber State of the League Infos, it's appreciated.