Dave’s Football Blog

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has done a lot of talking this season, but none of us were really sure if he had done any listening. As it turns out, he has. Yesterday, Garber detailed a few changes for MLS in 2009, and those changes address several issues MLS has had in recent years.

The first big change is a small optional roster expansion. MLS clubs can now sign up to 20 players for the senior team, up from 18. In addition, MLS clubs can now carry up to 4 developmental players that don’t count toward the salary cap. My guess is that any additional developmental players will count toward the cap, but either way, this move allows clubs to have deeper rosters for additional competitions.

Speaking of additional competitions, remember that SuperLiga idea I wrote about here earlier this week? It’s happening. Starting in 2009, only the top teams that don’t qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League will play in SuperLiga. So we’ll see Chicago, Chivas USA, Kansas City and New England in next year’s big made-for-TV event.

Also, Garber said that all 14 U.S.-based MLS clubs will play in the U.S. Open Cup next season. No word on whether clubs outside the top 8 will have to go through a qualifying round again, but if not, we might see a rather large format change in the Open Cup next season.

Overall, I still think the roster size could be bigger, and the salary cap still needs a boost — I expect it to be about $2.4 million next season — but the fact that they’re going up at all indicates that MLS recognizes what it needs to do to make its teams more competitive outside of the league, and that’s a win for soccer in America.

There’s actually a ton to write about soccer in America today. I’ll get to more topics later today.