There will be football, there will be beer, there will be pies, and there will be plenty of MLS talk at this weekend’s inaugural BlazerCon – a conference hosted at the Brooklyn Expo Center by Men in Blazers duo Roger Bennett and Michael Davies, featuring keynotes and panels from some of the biggest names in global and domestic soccer.
Among the featured speakers is MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who will open Saturday’s slate of panels with an MLS “State of the Union” address. Alexi Lalas will also hold a session with three MLS owners, while FS1’s Katie Nolan will host a panel with 2015 Women’s World Cup champions Ali Kreiger, Heather O’Reilly and Becky Sauerbrunn of the US national team.
Additionally, the US men’s national team’s opening World Cup Qualifier against St. Vincent & The Grenadines will play a prominent part in the Friday night festivities, with a screening party and live halftime breakdown on the BlazerCon schedule.
"Our hope with this convention was to create a place where American soccer fans can come together and explore the rapidly changing face of the game we all adore,” Bennett said. “We are thrilled to have representatives from the women's game, Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, and of course, MLS.”
Garber will speak from 9-9:50 a.m. ET on Saturday, sitting down with Bennett to discuss MLS’ goal of becoming one of the top leagues in the world, touching on topics ranging from quality of play to youth development, supporters groups, soccer TV consumption and more.
“My plan is to have Don Garber down a few Guinnesses before I interview him,” Bennett joked. “But among the panels I am most looking forward to is Alexi Lalas's session with the MLS owners, where we’ll travel for an hour to the year 2035, to discuss their differing visions for the league at 40.”
The MLS owners’ session, moderated by Lalas and featuring Seattle Sounders FC owner Joe Roth, New England Revolution owner Jonathan Kraft, and Orlando City SC owner Phil Rawlins, will look at what lies ahead for MLS as it wraps up its 20th season. Among the topics to be discussed: what the league’s structure, supporters groups, stadiums, and ownership will look like in 2035, and how MLS will stack up with the world’s top leagues. The panel will run from 1:50-2:40 p.m.
“The main question I want them to answer is whether Donovan Ricketts will still be playing," Bennett said.
