As '08 opens up, MLS future looks promising

Major League Soccer deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis adamantly declared during a conference call with the media Tuesday that MLS is in a very healthy position heading into the 2008 season. Based on the happenings of the 2007 season — highlighted by the David Beckham signing — not to mention the great strides of this past offseason, Gazidis' remark hardly seems like a case of tooting one's own horn.

With San Jose joining the league this year, and Seattle and Philadelphia coming on board in 2009 and 2010, respectively, there's little doubt any longer about MLS' long-term viability on the U.S. sporting scene.

A year after expansion club Toronto FC sold out every game in 2007, Seattle has already accepted over 12,000 season ticket deposits for 2009, and Philadelphia will soon begin construction on its own soccer-specific stadium in anticipation for the 2010 season.

Much of that buzz is off the field and in the future, but there's plenty to be excited about heading into the 2008 season, which kicks off in less than two weeks.

Recognizing the need to improve its on-field product, MLS has taken some "game-first" initiatives drawing largely upon the success of the English Premiere League.

In the 1990s, Gazidis referenced how the EPL increased the number of foreign players permitted per team, and more than a decade later, the English league has evolved into arguably the best and most lucrative sports league in the world.

On a significantly smaller scale, MLS is taking similar steps in 2008. Teams are now allowed eight foreigners on their 28-man rosters, and no longer is there a distinction between senior internationals and youth internationals.

Some have expressed concern that this increase will slow the development of American players, but Gazidis disagrees for several reasons. To be financially viable, the league needs to put the best product possible on the field, and diving into the global talent pool is a way to do so. By increasing that quality, young players watching in the stands are exposed to a higher level which can only have a positive impact down the road.

As for the current crop of young Americans in MLS who will inevitably lose playing time to more experienced and talented foreigner, Gazidis believes it's a positive because they'll have to work even harder to eventually crack the line-up. The MLS deputy commissioner referenced the emergence of New York teenager Jozy Altidore, who took his game to the next level in 2007 while playing alongside Red Bulls designated player Juan Pablo Angel.