Please read the article on MLS in Business magazine 11/22/04. Finally positive comments about MLS : Kick it up a notch.. and MLS looks healthier. Now its game needs spice..
The online version is only free to magazine subscibers. And yes, those of us with no hope of seeing the actual magazine would appreciate a summary!
Summay: MLS has still lost $350M since inception in '96. Garber goes on about growing slowly and steadily. Summary: Bit about parity and Eurosnobs wanting to watch higher level of soccer instead of the domestic league. Single entity and limited SIs="uninspiring parity." Criticism of playoff format (all but 2 make the postseason). Summary: Say Uncle: Phil Anschutz, Lamar Hunt, and Bob Kraft. The big 3 in MLS...blah blah. Only the Galaxy have ever turned a profit. Loosen foreign player restrictions, marketing international stars. Use Beckham as an example. Talk about the Champions Tour as well as the good days of the NASL, re: quality of play. Reformat the playoff structure, etc. Overall, nothing that hasen't been discussed on end on these boards almost daily. Not a bad piece in the end if you don't hang out here and already know it.
But it gives us a great idea of what the 'outside world' thinks. And it represents a distinct change in tone from what was going aound a couple years ago.
What we say on these Boards may not have an impact on Garber and the owners and that kind of article may have a smidge of influence either. BUT GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPENING. It seems like Garber et al know it's time to take the show to the next level--higher Cap, new teams. more SSS, larger rosters, more SI's and TI's, reserve system, more attacking style of play---etc etc etc.--and all this within that cost constraints/containment of Single Entry. I think we will not see any change away from single entry for many years to come.
Nor should we. Single entity is still a new and unproven concept but so far it has worked to keep a young league stable. In terms of sports leagues MLS is still in a pre-adolescent stage. It still needs to keep teams so close in terms of parity until the generation who were children back in 96 can bring their own children. That may be at least another 10 years, but in 10 years is what it may be to iron out the wrinkles that plague the league today. Scheduling, low salary caps, television contracts, stadiums, and number of teams, playoff system (number of teams,or to have them at all). It is better to take time to do it right the first time when sweeping changes can be done with a top down ran league than a league that left problems to owners who were pushed out quickly to fight it out in the free market.
I think every team needs to show individual profitability before we can start thinking about moving away from single-entity.