Sport1.de, Germany's biggest sports page in the Internet, also has an article on this MLS season. While the kicker article was written by an American, this one is from a Germany based author I think: UPSWING OF SOCCER FINALLY IN SIGHT The mood in the Major League Soccer is good. The eighth season shall bring the upswing. The debts grow. The TV ratings are hardly recogniseable. International stars? None. Despite of that Commissioner Don Garber is not shattered. "We are cautiously optimistic regarding the 2003 season", says the boss of the US pro league Major League Soccer (MLS). His confidence may surprise, but the eighth season, which starts on Saturday with the game of the Champion Los Angeles Galaxy at Cup Winner Columbus Crew, could indeed be the turning point to the good. The real kick was the duel against Germany at the WC 2002. The US team lost 0:1, but "lots of people woke up when we reached the quarter final", says Garber. "Soccer never experienced such a push in this country", adds 20 year old Landon Donovan, who is loaned from Bayer Leverkusen to the San Jose Earthquakes for two further years. MLS won a profile by the WC - 15 players of the league were in the WC roster. For 2003 the ten clubs, which suddenly can present national stars, sold more season tickets than ever before. The league-guidance achieved to get new sponsors despite of the difficult economical situation - and even a second TV contract. And this despite of TV ratings of about 200.000 in the average. The Entertainment Group of billionaire Philip Anschutz (AEG), which next to Eisbären Berlin and Hamburg Freezers of the German Hockey League (DEL) also owns five MLS clubs, builds a soccer territory for 130 million dollars in Los Angeles. In June the own Galaxy and the US soccer federation are moving there. Heart of it is the 27.000 capacity stadium, for which also Leverkusen's BayArena was an ideal. "This will be one of the best stadiums of the world, the pride of our country", says MLS Boss Garber. Other investors are following. Ideal is cup winner Columbus Crew, one of three clubs, which belong to the sports group of billionaire Lamar Hunt. The Crew are playing in their own mere soccer stadium. And at least the stadium is making profit meanwhile. The clubs on the other hand are still making losses. In the first five years MLS made about 250 mio dollars debts. Garber doesn't want to comment the debts, just says: "In the last year we lost less money than in the years before and siginificantly less than in 2001." The financial crisis led to giving up the clubs Miami and Tampa Bay one year ago, but from 2005 on MLS slowly wants to grow. Big markets like Houston or Philadelphia as well as small markets like Rochester/NY or Tulsa/OK show interest in a franchise. "Somewhen", knows league boss Garber, "we will have to have 20 clubs". Only who is big, will be taken serious and recognised nationwide. Over are the days, when MLS believed to have to sign ageing soccer VIPs like Lothar Matthäus. Most known newcomer is South Korea's WC captain Hong Myung-Bo, who now shall amaze the South Korean emigrants in Los Angeles. Otherwise from foreign countries mainly talents are coming. "We learned our lesson. We prefer to sign young players, who want to make a name with us", says Ivan Gazidis, MLS-Vice, who is responsible for transfers. Additionally money is missing. On an internal list with possible transfer MLS has Bundesliga pros as Andreas Möller, Thomas Häßler, Dariusz Wosz or Krassimir Balakov, but these transfers will probably already fail because of the finances. The clubs may pay 1.73 million dollars to 24 players; the maximum for a single player is 280.000 dollars, the league average about 40.000 dollars. With commercial income and sponsor money players like Donovan or forward Brian McBride (formerly VfL Wolfsburg), who returns from FC Everton, earn about one million dollar annually.