We don\u2019t often reference other authors in our SBJ column, but a late July story by The Athletic\u2019s Paul Tenorio in The New York Times grabbed our attention like a quiet earthquake rumbling through our respective backyards.<\/p>\n
In that piece \u2014 \u201c\u2018Seismic\u2019 MLS Changes Would Align the League with the Rest of the World\u201d \u2014 Tenorio laid out \u201cthree tiers of major changes\u201d MLS Commissioner Don Garber potentially will pursue for his owners, players and fans. Any one of them would be hugely significant, but to attempt them all at once, following the arrival of the 2026 FIFA World Cup to North America, is herculean.<\/p>\n
Missed that story and now curious? Well, here they are (paraphrasing Tenorio\u2019s excellent work): <\/p>\n
Change the MLS schedule<\/a> to a fall-spring setup, thus aligning MLS with FIFA\u2019s international\/European calendar and giving teams more incentive when it comes to player transfers.Wholesale remodeling of MLS\u2019s regular season and playoffs and, according to Garber, \u201cmore aligned with the rest of the world\u201d with a \u201cplayoff format [that] will be really cool [and] different\u201d from anything that happens in North America.An overhaul of the MLS roster strategy<\/a> with an intention to transform rules so MLS teams are aggressively competitive when it comes to fighting for world-class talent.<\/p>\n All of the above would bring about what Garber called MLS 3.0, or the third iteration of a league that humbly launched its first season two years after the 1994 FIFA World Cup. <\/p>\n Tenorio\u2019s work grabbed our attention, particularly given our recent book on MLS \u2014 where we researched the league\u2019s recent success and also suggested that MLS is primed (with some of the aforementioned tweaks) to rival the greatest soccer leagues on the planet.<\/p>\n Interestingly, our book caught the attention of many in Europe \u2014 England and France, in particular \u2014 who pushed back on our premise that an updated format, schedule and transfer window, plus how the pending \u201cmassive\u201d (our words) impact of the 2026 World Cup, could thrust MLS up to equaling the stature of Europe\u2019s top soccer leagues.<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, we accepted numerous invitations to record podcasts, conduct interviews, appear on radio shows and provide quotes defending this premise: that MLS is about to elevate to the level of the Serie A or Ligue 1. Many interesting conversations emerged. <\/p>\n All of the above noted, here\u2019s our take: If MLS 3.0 is achieved, it will bring the league from its 1993 founding, through the ragtag assemblages of the late 1990s and early 2000s, through the David Beckham elevation and Lionel Messi quantum leap (2007-25) to a place, a standing, as an international sports property, where it is ready to tussle with the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and La Liga.<\/p>\n Our view, based on continuing research, suggests these three things need to be done (albeit when the time is right) and constructed concurrently.<\/p>\n Great. All well and good.<\/p>\n But let\u2019s discuss the magnitude of attempting all three of the above, assuming arrangements can be made with the players association (MLSPA), media partners, sponsors and influencers. What MLS wants to do is the equivalent of the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL making unimaginable changes. <\/p>\n Imagine the NHL changing its calendar to make the International Olympic Committee\u2019s Winter Olympics the most important event of the year, or the NBA changing its rules to facilitate frequent participation at international tournaments. Think about the NFL switching its schedule so it played all games during North America\u2019s summer months. <\/p>\n Preposterous. Outrageous. Impossible. Never.<\/p>\n Of course, in the NFL\u2019s case, the Shield is already the leading league on the planet, not a follower like MLS. Classic business strategy says a follower must act very differently than the market leader. <\/p>\n So, not only does MLS have to contend with local regional leagues such as the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB, it also must acknowledge it operates in a global sport marketplace, and therefore continually challenge traditional leagues in England, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Mexico, Australia and Brazil. <\/p>\n What\u2019s more intriguing from a business standpoint is noting that MLS has consistently presented plans for operationalizing strategic change and then delivering the goods. MLS 1.0, with single entity ownership at launch, birthed by the 1994 World Cup and endorsed by FIFA, got things rolling. <\/p>\n The Beckham experiment, soccer-only stadiums, the bodacious agreement with Messi and the bold embracing of Apple TV are examples of what supercharged MLS 2.0. <\/p>\n To be sure, MLS 3.0 will require an enormous lift, but the league has perhaps the strongest wind at its back any follower could imagine: having 16 North American cities host next summer\u2019s FIFA World Cup<\/a>. That monthlong mega event could make our words and those of Tenorio ring true.<\/p>\n The devil, as they say, is always in the details. The enormous amount of dealmaking, ego-sacrificing, concession-granting, plus blood, sweat and tears that go into ground-shaking developments is never a straight line, nor easy by any standard. <\/p>\n Cynics may doubt the league\u2019s ability to think \u201cearthquake\u201d big. We don\u2019t.<\/p>\n