Who becomes MLS new soccer powerbroker?
If MLS Commissioner Don Garber lends his face to the league, Gazidis provided its body. Garber isn’t a soccer guy, no matter how well he has guided the league during his tenure and how brilliant his marketing and business nous remains. Gazidis filled the role of the X’s and O’s executive who combined business acumen with a knowledge of how the soccer world worked. Someone in the league office will have to step in and fill that role. 2. Will transfer and contract negotiations be impacted? Gazidis said upon his unveiling in North London that “every single player signing [came] through his office.” That leaves a gaping hole for MLS to fill. Most expect MLS President Mark Abbott to increase his role on the player personnel side, but questions remain about how a new face will approach player negotiations. The insularity of the American soccer community and the impending expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement makes it unlikely that Abbott or anyone else who assumes this role will
