Major League Soccer (MLS) has experienced a significant transformation in 2023, with record-breaking attendance, increased digital engagement, and the arrival of Lionel Messi. The league's commissioner, Don Garber, recently shared these insights during his annual state of the league address.
The commissioner also noted that merchandise sales reached new highs alongside digital and social media engagement.
While specific metrics were not provided, Garber quoted Apple CEO Tim Cook stating that subscription numbers had surpassed their expectations. Furthermore, Eddy Cue - Apple's senior vice president for services - revealed that multiple games attracted over one million viewers each.
MLS commissioner, Don Garber, said:
"What we're focused on is the amount of subscriptions that we're selling, the amount of time that those people who are watching those games in front of and behind the paywall are spending on our broadcasts," Garber said.
"How are they engaging with that content? What is the demographic of that content? And then all of those things are things that we and Apple have to work together on so that we could, at the right time, communicate: 'Is all of this working for us? Is it working for Apple?'"
Despite these promising early results, Garber emphasized that it is still early days for this partnership.
Messi’s move to the Inter Miami squad has injected a surge of excitement into the league and sparked interest in the Leagues Cup – a midseason tournament involving every team from both MLS and Liga MX.
However, questions have been raised about how the league plans to maximize Messi's time before his contract expires after the 2025 season and what will happen post-Messi era.
Garber also dismissed any talk of adding an additional designated player slot in 2024
Suggestions have been made about increasing spending and modifying roster rules to attract more elite players like Messi to MLS. However, Garber stated there are currently "no plans" to allow teams to sign a fourth designated player for the 2024 MLS season.
Nevertheless, an owner's meeting scheduled for December 14 in New York may bring other changes to league rules.
The arrival of Messi has raised concerns about fans being priced out of games. Inter Miami season-ticket prices have doubled in most cases, and these worries extend to road matches as well. However, Garber defended the price increases and insisted that the league's games remain affordable.
MLS has experienced a year of transformation with record-breaking numbers and Messi’s arrival. While there are concerns about ticket prices and future plans post-Messi era, the commissioner remains optimistic about the league's growth trajectory.
