The league’s growth is also reflected in the state of clubs’ facilities. In 2013, the Red Bulls moved into a new, state-of-the-art training facility. “A lot of other teams throughout the league were training at colleges and some of these, like, run-down, half-ass facilities,” Meara remembered.
A decade on, however, while the fields and amenities are fine, they are nowhere near the resplendent practice venues that LAFC, New England and many other teams have moved into. NYRB are in talks to build something new to keep up with the leaguewide infrastructure arms race.
Travel, too, has changed in dramatic ways. Long gone are the days of multiple connections on commercial flights. “Flying commercial [is] stressful for the players,” the Portland Timbers‘ Chara said. “Getting the charter, I feel like we have the opportunity to be much better prepared for the games.”
He does, however, miss getting all those frequent flyer miles. Toronto FC‘s Osorio agrees, noting that charter flights are especially nice for Canadian teams who don’t have to deal with customs. Not all charter flights are created equal, though. The Revs took a charter to MLS Cup 2014 in Los Angeles. Farrell recalled stopping twice to refuel, once in Mississippi and once somewhere in New Mexico.
“We thought it was crazy,” he said. “We took off three times to get to LA. Now we fly on a 737 and you basically get your own row.”
Among the players who have been around for long enough to have a decade of perspective, there are two competing ideas. One, that MLS has come a tremendously long way in a short period. “In football, a decade isn’t that long,” Osorio said. “I think MLS is establishing itself really, really quickly. It’s not a surprise that it has improved. It’s a surprise of how fast it has improved.”
And secondly, that more change needs to occur, and occur quickly.
“There’s been so much emphasis on competing with Liga MX now, but look at their rosters compared to ours,” Zusi said. “Maybe one through 11 are similar, but where they seem to have outshined us is players 12 through 25. That’s because of a multitude of factors, but I think the biggest one is the salary cap and the limitations on what you can give to those ‘second-tier’ players.”
There’s a general feeling that Messi’s arrival, along with the attention and money that he brings, as well as the push toward the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, will launch MLS into its next phase.
“I was lucky enough to catch the last year of having Beckham being in the league,” Meara said. “He kind of saved the league right when he came in. And now Messi signing I think is going to take the league to a whole other stratosphere. The sky’s the limit, you know?”
