MLS Commissioner Don Garber has sat down with Kyle Martino for a wide-ranging conversation covering the past, present, and future of soccer in the United States.

The discussion, part of The Two Robbies and Friends podcast presented by Pepsi, comes as Garber prepares to wind down his long tenure leading the league.

Garber described the 2026 World Cup summer as something deeply personal, calling it “a love letter from the world to our country.”

He spoke emotionally about how far American soccer culture has travelled since MLS was founded in 1994, saying the tournament delivered the soccer nation the league had always been trying to build.

Garber revealed that 45 MLS players featured across the tournament, with the league ranking sixth in the world for minutes contributed by its players across different national teams.

He was equally moved by the fact that the best player in the tournament, Lionel Messi, plays his club football in MLS with Inter Miami, alongside players like Rodrigo de Paul and Thiago Almada.

Garber traced Messi’s arrival back to Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas, drawing a direct comparison to the influence of Phil Anschutz and Tim Leiweke in bringing David Beckham to the league years earlier.

He recalled the behind-the-scenes pressure that nearly prevented the Messi deal from happening, including Joan Laporta pushing for a return to Barcelona and competition from Saudi Arabia’s extraordinary financial resources.

“Throughout that whole process, all the back and forth and friendly with Joan Laporta, and Joan saying, ‘We’re gonna get him back to Barcelona, and you don’t wanna compete against the Saudis,'” Garber explained, crediting Mas for holding firm throughout.

Garber praised Messi’s relentless approach to the game, saying, “The guy plays every minute of every game, no matter what game that is, and that should be a lesson to every kid in MLS and every kid in the world.”

He reflected on the early struggles of the league, recalling the story of Lothar Matthus sitting in a middle seat on a Continental Airlines flight and walking into Garber’s office demanding to be recognised.

Garber acknowledged the structural challenges that defined MLS in its early years, including teams being run out of the league office and executives trading players between departments with his approval required.

He credited the league’s commercial foundations as crucial to its growth, including negotiating rights deals with ESPN and buying FIFA World Cup rights when the US was not yet considered a viable commercial soccer market.

Looking ahead, Garber said the next phase for MLS must be about making the league one of the top competitions in the world, describing the challenge as moving from hardware to software now that stadiums and infrastructure are in place.

He pointed to figures like US Soccer’s Cindy Cone and JT Batson as central to the continued growth of the game, and noted that investors like Ken Griffin are putting money in specifically to grow the sport rather than simply to own a team.

Garber’s advice to his successor was direct: “Work harder than you ever thought you would ever work. Believe in the game. Believe in your people, particularly the staff at the league office and at the clubs, because they are the army that you have to lead.”

He finished with a rallying call for whoever takes on the role next, urging them to be the cheerleader for the sport and to capitalise on the momentum generated by a World Cup summer that captured the attention of the entire country.

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