Ever since the departure of legendary footballers Pele and Giorgio Chinaglia in the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL), American soccer fans haven't had something to cheer about for quite some time. Perhaps taking a backseat to the traditionally preferred pastimes such as baseball and football, the general American public seemed to lose interest in the beautiful game.
It was only after hosting one of the largest international sporting events in the 1994 FIFA World Cup where Americans began to acknowledge soccer again for what it was truly worth. The recent success of the tournament led to the creation of Major League Soccer (MLS), which was formed later on in 1994. With hopes of rekindling the lost interest in the game, the league found themselves struggling with poor attendance following the first full season of the MLS.
The league that once showed signs of promise continued to spiral into further financial debts and was a contributing factor to the resignation of Doug Logan from his role as commissioner of the league. In need of desperate help, the league turned to Don Garber, the former National Football League International Chief and a veteran within the sporting industry.
Unlike the previous commissioners in the NASL and MLS, Garber emphasized the importance of taking small steps to assure stability within the league for the future. With only one team having a soccer specific stadium of their own (Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium), the league found itself facing an astronomical debt of $34 million US in 1998.
The newly appointed commissioner decided to take precautionary measures in order to allow for the league's survival in the United States. Garber and his fellow league owners decided to implement a commercial soccer company called Soccer United Marketing with the aim of gaining the rights of all commercial soccer properties within the United States.
The project turned out to pay big dividends and eventually led to the construction of the Home Depot Center, home to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2003. Following in the footsteps of the Columbus Crew and LA Galaxy respectively, five teams are currently supporting soccer specific stadiums of their own--with the addition of two more stadiums being built by 2010.
Sticking to the plan implemented by Garber, the league witnessed significant growth both financially and in the quality of soccer being played in the United States. Relying heavily on building a foundation for strong domestic talent through "drafts", the league saw the emergence of a number of American and Canadian stars that have gone on to impress in the elite competitions of Europe.
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