Garber praised TFC and Seattle in state of league address for setting standard

“I think what Toronto did when they came in in 2007 is showed the North American market in many ways what an environment of passionate soccer supporters can be,” Garber said. “And how having a downtown stadium that was supported by the Red Patch Boys, and a whole bunch of other travelling passionate flag-waving fans, that environment became sort of a brand statement — this is what we think MLS can be and you see that being replicated in many other markets.

“We’ve had lots of passionate supporters (in other cities). But there was something about how the supporter movement — downtown stadium, small stadium, great brand — all came together to tell a very good story.”

Both franchises know how to draw fans through the turnstiles. Seattle led the league in attendance this season, averaging 42,636 a game, while Toronto was third (behind Orlando) at 26,583.

Garber said Toronto’s ownership group, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, didn’t treat its soccer team as the younger sibling, and that was key.

“When the leadership of that organization says our team is going to be treated the same as the Maple Leafs, the same as the Raptors, our stadium is going to be no different than Air Canada Centre, I think that was a pretty big talisman that they held and had many other clubs say: We ought to do that,” Garber said.

The Sounders, who share CenturyLink Field with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, followed Toronto’s lead.

“A lot of that came from this idea that MLSE treated all of their brands equally and proudly and we see that now with every one of our clubs,” Garber said.

On the field however, the Sounders found success right out of the gate. They’re the first team in history to make the playoffs in all eight of their seasons since they entered the league in 2009. Toronto made its first playoff appearance last year, but was dispatched by the Montreal Impact in one game.

Since neither team has played for the Cup, a new champion will be crowned Saturday, one of numerous firsts that Garber highlighted during his hour-long session with the media.

Among others:

— It’s both the first time the game will be broadcast live on network TV in the United States on Fox, and it’s the first time the MLS Cup will be offered in virtual reality. The game will be shown in a 170 countries in more than 90 different languages — both records;

— The game sold out in less than four minutes, and it will be the highest attended MLS Cup (36,000) since the league moved to its new playoff format;

— The Eastern Conference final between Toronto and Montreal set viewership records on TSN and RDS, and more than 100,000 fans packed Olympic Stadium and BMO Field;

Garber was at the conference final nail-biter at BMO Field, and said it epitomized what the league had hoped for when it expanded into Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

“It was one of the great games in our league’s young history,” Garber said. “As I was sitting in those stands, hoping to have something memorable happen, to see it happen on the field and give us something that I think will create lifetime memories for all the people who are fans of this team, memories for the fans of the Montreal Impact, it’s going to provide us with a very solid future for the sport and Major League Soccer here in this country.”

Garber also announced several changes for next season, including expanding the Target Allocation Program, which provides clubs cash to spend strategically to improve their rosters. All 21 teams, he said, will receive US$1.2 million — an increase in US$400,000 per club, and US$800,000 of what we announced last year.

And they hope to implement VAR — video-assisted refereeing — by the second half of 2017 MLS season.

Lori Ewing , The Canadian Press

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version incorrectly stated Saturday’s game was the first championship final held in Canada.

by Canadian Press

Garber praised TFC and Seattle in state of league address for setting standard

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