NEW YORK -- Wednesday was a good day to be at Major League Soccer headquarters.The league unveiled its 2011 playoff format, which will include 10 clubs rather than eight for the first time. It was an eagerly awaited announcement that, like a lot of what's handed down from the midtown Manhattan office, generated plenty of conflicting opinions.
At the focal point of all those decisions and subsequent conversations is Don Garber (above, right), the 53-year-old New York City native now entering his 12th full season as MLS commissioner.
He came to soccer late in life, but one could argue that he's had more influence on the fate of the global game in its final frontier than any other American. And as MLS continues to grow, with 18 teams planning to play this year and a 19th coming aboard in 2012, there are no signs his influence is on the wane.
On Wednesday afternoon, after 22 months covering soccer for FanHouse, I had the opportunity to spend about an hour in Garber's office. We examined the day's big news (and a favorite subject of ours), of course, but also looked back to the failed 2022 World Cup bid and discussed David Beckham, branding, ESPN, the challenges of creating a soccer nation and how much power the commissioner really has, among other things.
Thanks to MLS Executive VP Dan Courtemanche and Director of Communications Will Kuhns for setting up the interview, and thanks to our readers for supporting FanHouse's soccer coverage over the past two years.
And now, the Q&A:
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