Anyone know when Garber's contract is up with the league? In your opinion, has he done a good enough job to keep on, or should SEM start looking for new blood/ideas?
He's done a pretty good job in my opinion. Most of the things that happened to the league probably would have happened regardless of who was in charge. This is a guy who went through the same process in Europe so he has some insight into what needs to be done and he seems to have the league going in the right direction. I do believe after a couple of years the league should look for new blood just so that it wont stagnate.
I believe he signed a 3 year gig right before MLS Cup 99 and it should end any day now. Yes he should be kept on. Some of the stuff he can be held partly responsible for has moved a bit slowly - no new owners, stadiums, hanging on to some poor logos and weak marketing ideas, poor playoff format. But he is only one man and does not hold all the power. However, league attendance has gone up significantly 2 years in a row and there are several other accomplishments he can take credit for (tv deal thru 2006, improved uniforms, rules changes, etc...) He has given MLS a spokesperson, a direction and a purpose that seemed to be lacking under Logan. Keep him on for another 3 years I say. He's a soccer guy thru and thru by now - it would be a shame to throw all that experience away just for the sake of new blood.
I agree. I think hes done very well. The only real downer was the contraction but I think he may have made the right,tough call on that also.
He is not a soccer guy, which may be a benefit because he then deals with the business side of things and listens to people that do know soccer.
Keep Garber. Despite contraction the league really seems to be moving in the right direction. There is lots of momentum to build upon.
HA, HA, HA.. Garber NFL wiz kid, soccer guy ??? ha, ha, ha.. him and his cronies got no clue, what passion is, and what the sport is all about, and to truly capitalize on that. OUT with Garberchiov.. dont you wary! when he will CONTRACT your team, you will agree. expand, contract, expand.. ????? comedy of errors
Similar to your post. Garber has been the commissioner long enough to earn a degree in Accounting in a university. He could be called an an accountant. Why after 3 years of spending 80 hours plus a week devoted to soccer (not necessarily in the office, but watching games on TV, thinking about it, reading, etc...) is he not a soccer guy? How long before he can be called a soccer guy? Is there a minimum number of hours you need? Does it have to be passed down from your parents? Am I a soccer guy - I think I am, but maybe I am deluding myself.
Garber...out 3 years as a exec does not make you a "soccer guy" he is a business exec, that is it. Passion or loyalty or knowledge of the game , he has not... he does not know a soccer market if it bits him in the butt. Besides, he is a BS artist. Contraction is coming to your town, soon!! Garber!!! out go back to NFL
leca, do you realy think that you can blame contraction on Garber? When Horowitz wanted out, what was Garber supposed to do? The fact of the matter is that the Investor in Miami wanted out, and Tampa had no investor and was losing tons of money. MLS is better off today than last year no doubt about it. I know you are upset 'cause there is no team there, but look at the other Pro sports in Florida, Marlins, Devil Rays, Heat, there is plenty of seats available to watch those teams play. I guess Florida is not a great place for proffesional sports.
I forgot to mention that Garber is doing a good job, not great. But his hands are tied by Uncle Phil, the more I think about it, I realize how clueless Logan was.
How many years does it take in your opinion to become a soccer guy? 4 years, 5 years or does being an exec working for MLS preclude him from ever being a soccer guy. How do you know this? Have you met him? Have you talked with him? Did he tell you this? I have not had the privelege of meeting the man, but after listening to him and reading what he has had to say he knows a heck of a lot, he is still learning and is not afraid to say when he does not know something. Define a soccer market. Miami may or may not be a soccer market, but for 4 years it was not a MLS market. Why that is so we can debate for years, but I shed no tears for losing those 9,000 fans per game in Miami. I want the league to live on for eternity and not die while trying to survive in a market that does not seem to be interested. Much like yourself. And me. If you work for a living and are good at it, you are a BS artist. At some point, you're going to have to move on. Yours was a sacrifice for the greater good and we appreciate it. But you're going to have to let go.
PROOF...GarberNFL is not doing a great job... IS exactly what he lead you to perceive, and misleading you about the SE Florida market. Yes, we had a crap owner, but GarberNFL&cronies knew this from the start, and mismanaged SE Florida market, out of existence. If you live here, follow local, national, and international soccer, YOU will agree this is a great area for a pro team. From West Palm Beach to Miami Beach, 80 miles, with Lockhart one of the best soccer venues in US, smack in the middle. As far as the Dolphins, Panthers, Marlins...that is their business. SOCCER is a different story...BUT, it takes work, intelligence, and knowledge of what makes a market click. Monkeys can run this market better then GarberNFL (Pinocchio with a goat T) & cronies. If you have not lived, played, and watched soccer here, you just dont know, and if you believed Garber/NFL...than that is the proof that he failed miserably, and damaged this market mortally. Also, he is guilty of lowering the quality of play to a 3 rate division. out with PinocchioGarberNFL a couple months ago at the Orange Bowl Boca vs River Plate 36,000 fans showed up (the ones that Garber told YOU that dont exist)
MLS does NOT need new blood. MLS needs a long term plan (which they have) and they need to stick to it. Period. Garber is the right guy for the job. Keep him.
Garbes the BS Artist Hmmm! interesting posts! Obviously the ones supporting Garber don't know the diff between their butts or their heads.They may think they know alot about soccer and may in fact know more about MLS but MLS in its current state is not soccer. Go back to supporting your besibol and leave this sport for those who really appreaciate it. MLS is a JOKE, Garber is the lead Clown! my 2 cents on this thread!
yes River, yes Soccer4sFlorida lots of MLS experts here, I respect them for their opinions, because I have mine MLS is a JOKE, that was total crap, 3 rate soccer season with a 10 team MonkeyLeagueSucker..!! my 15 year olds travel team, show more flair than half the MLS teams. Clown ? Pinocchio ? yes, fits well and that includes his cronies... SE Florida, PB to Miami Beach... Floridians Argentinians Brazilians Brits Germans Central Americans Hatians Irish Ukranians Romanians Fins Italians 100% soccer knowledge, 100% soccer market but, Idiots running the show
you 2 are funny. Your area knows so much about soccer that you lost not 1 but 2 teams. That must be some sort of record. If you dont like MLS fine. Have fun watching all those great leagues thousands of miles away. Maybe if you get to the red lobster early enough you can watch your foreign leagues while eating the early bird with all the old farts down there. Me, I'll be going to about 6 doubleheaders next summer. Have fun watching the south florida 15 year olds.
Falcon6 and all you other imbecils! Trust me when I say this! Cause I really mean it. Watching 15 years in South Florida is and has been more exciting than watching MLS in its current state. We didn't loose our teamsin this state, its the bozos running the MLS that caused us to loose our teams. Why? Greed and incompetence are the primary reasons sureley there are many others. You can go ahead and hate Floridians if you want go ahead and ridicule us for not having a team. We really don't give a Sh..T ; imbeciles like you are to narrow minded to understand the total picture here.
Like I said enjoy the 15 year olds. LOL. I'll be watching doubleheaders with Rangers, River Platte, Man United. While also watching Tim Howard and Clint Mathis every game. Granted I know those 2 arent the quality of those Florida 15 year olds but I'll manage. You lost teams because no fans showed up. MLS cut its losses this year by 50% by dumping the 2 Florida teams. How could you say that was the wrong thing to do based on this? If you were one of the loyal people who showed up it, I feel bad for you. But leagues move teams all the time in order to gain a better financial situation. They still do it even in the nfl and nba. If Garbers job is about the financial bottom line of this league, then I think he's doing a good job.
What possible motivation would he have? I will remind you folks for the nth time, Horowitz wasn't the only owner that quit. The difference - the only difference - is that Anschutz didn't bail the team out. The question you have to ask is whether Miami is one of the 10 or even 12 best places to have a team. Obviously, not. The same could be said about a few other teams. The basic thing you fail to appreciate is what a miracle it is that this thing is still going. The life expectancy of US sports leagues is not very long. Garber has done a terrific job. One other thing. There's always some hope for Miami getting a team in the future. Probably not a lot in the near future, but eventually. Seeing how all the Miami fans (at least here) are so hostile to MLS, well, this can't help matters.
This close to Halloween, looks like we have quite a few spooky posts on this thread. I think Garber is working hard for the ultimate success of MLS. If this makes him a "soccer guy" in our eyes, so be it. He's definitely proved he's not going to change things to "Americanize" the game-- something most of us were afraid of when he was hired... that he wouldn't understand the few, the proud, the real MLS fans... But the real reason for Garber's success is that he ISN'T a "soccer guy." No. Three years experience as a league exec. doesn't qualify when MANY people have been working for the success of soccer in this country for DECADES. Imagine if major league baseball, frustrated at lower TV ratings and the inability to "contract" unsuccessful franchises, hired a Garber-type... would he EVER be considered a "baseball guy?" I think not. ...Garber, to his credit, didn't make promises/prophesies/predictions like Logan... no promise to Seattle, no bold projections of over 20,000 fans per game for a league average... would Logan's office have disavowed TimL's statement that in 20 years soccer would be the nation's 2nd most popular sport?... nope, Garber's not a "soccer guy," and I am grateful he's not... As for the contraction crazed Fusion fans, going on about how bad the quality of play is in MLS just shows how much you missed by not going to games the final year of the Fusion. MLS gets more exciting each year--our youngest players are the most exciting to watch. "Sour grapes" scores no points with me. But Miami and Tampa certainly weren't the only teams losing $$$... and if fan support was the only factor, then any number of teams-- KC, SJ, Dallas, and until this year Colorado (and those July 4th games) could have qualified along with Miami and Tampa as candidates for contraction. Why were the 2 Florida teams singled out? Ownership (or lack of), stadium, and $$$... think of MLS like you would a department store chain or fast food business... like JC Penney or Sears or K-Mart or Wendy's... they decide to close down a couple of "franchises" due to a combination of poor location, high rent, and lack of business... that doesn't mean they won't be back in the future... God knows if MLS could operate a profitable franchise if Florida, I BET THEY WOULD... 36,000 at an international exhibition at the Orange Bowl? How many of those people woulda traveled to Lockhart? I have little sympathy or patience with people who piss on MLS for quality of play... that last season Miami played some very entertaining soccer... to deny that just exposes the snobbish ignorance many who couldn't pass up a chance to number among the 36,000 at the Orange Bowl (ditto to over 70,000 at East Rutherford, NJ) for passionless exhibitions failed to appreciate.