Don Garber Wants Full MLS Season

Confirmed that Major League Soccer is facing many options in these unknown times the Coronavirus pandemic brings, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said he is looking for the league to still have a full season despite of the current shutdown.

Don Garber Growing the MLS

Don Garber is the second commissioner of the MLS, and prior to joining Major League Soccer he spent 16 years in the NFL.  Commissioner Garber is a busy guy for sure, and in addition to being CEO of Soccer United Marketing and director on the board of the US Soccer Federation, he also finds a lot of time to be in touch with all involved in Soccer in America, including players, fans, owners, coaches, staff and more.

Under Garber’s watch, Major League Soccer, as well as the game of soccer itself, has become one of the top played and most followed sports in the country.  Beyond MLS growth and expansion teams being added every season, the league is also seeing soccer-specific stadiums, youth academies cultivating young soccer talent, major media rights and TV deals and more.

Dealing with Current Challenges

Since taking office from the first Major League Soccer commissioner Doug Logan in 1999, Don Garber has taken the MLS to new highest, and navigated the US top-flight soccer league through difficult times.  However even with the wheel at the safe and experienced hands of Garber, the MLS like the rest of major league sports in the country and around the world, is going through challenges it has never met before.

Starting with the suspension of all Major League Soccer games two weeks into the 2020 season, Don Garber sent a message to the MLS fans explaining the decision and urging everyone to stay safe and healthy.


Major League Soccer clubs have all been provided with guidelines and have already put in place training programs as well as counselling and support for players, coaches and staff.  And many of the MLS players are also developing additional skills relating to their soccer capacity.

Garber is also initiating many steps to keep the fans passionate and in touch with the league.  “Can we play something that might be fun and exciting during the postponement? We are working hard to put the ideas in place.” He said.

He also added that fans are “so deeply concerned with their clubs,” and the response to MLS and other major league teams in the US and globally read out an “important statement of the power of sport.”

Still Looking Ahead for Full 2020 Season

For now, although looking at different options, Garber and the MLS top brass are still looking to playing an entire 34-week season this year, once Major League Soccer gets the go-ahead to resume activities.

On the ESPN morning show “Get UP”, Garber told host Mike Greenberg that the decision made last year to move up the MLS Cup to the beginning of November (from early December) actually gives the MLS some breathing room to deal with the current shutdown.

“Our intent is to play as many games as possible.  That means moving our regular season later into November, it means moving the MLS Cup back to December and we had that for many, many years.” Said Garber.

The single-elimination format that was introduced last season and considered a great success by Major League Soccer fans around the world is probably here to stay.  “We are very confident that we can go back to that format.  Our is to still have single elimination.” Garber Added.

So when will the league resume? Garber isn’t sure of it at all, but like others in the MLS he is optimistic about playing a full season.  “Once we are comfortable we can get our players with three or four weeks of training and we have the guidance that we can get crowds back into our stadiums, then we will begin to relaunch our season” promised Garber.