NEW YORK – The time was right.
According to MLS commissioner Don Garber, the league was primed for a brand overhaul that better aligned with its current identity as well as its vision for the future. That fresh look was unveiled on Thursday at an official presentation in a trendy downtown Manhattan establishment.
"That's why this press event is not in a ballroom in midtown," Garber told media after the event. "It’s down in the Meatpacking District, where many of the millennials and those that are supporters of our league live and hang out."
Garber noted how those same supporters were just little kids when the league launched 20 years ago in 1996. It was time for league's look and feel to reflect the core of its new fan base.
"Next year is our 20th season and it’s an important milestone for us because it's the first full turn of a generation," Garber noted. "We’ve seen this enormous connection that we’ve had with young people who’ve grown up with the game and early in the league’s history were players and youth participants and not really engaged fans.
"Now they’ve all grown up and they’re energized. They’re active supporters of their local MLS club and their respective national teams. And we wanted to reflect that new energy."
Also fueling the desire to implement a makeover was the impending 2015 season which is set to mark a new phase in the league's history with: the debut of two expansion teams (New York City FC and Orlando City), the start of a landmark eight-year TV deal, the christening of the 15th soccer-specific stadium in MLS (San Jose), the negotiation of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with players and "a new strategy for Canada," details of which were not shared.
"Today is about a new vision for our future," Garber said during his presentation. "That future we call 'MLS Next,' a reminder that our best days are ahead. It's a reminder that tomorrow is going to be great, but the day after tomorrow and the day after that will be better for us."
