SoccerWhat price another North American World Cup?

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So why did he say what he said? And to whom was he saying it? If MLS commissioner Don Garber is attempting to curry favour with FIFA's top brass, he can be sure they got the message.
 
The message, should you have missed it, pertains to the MLS calendar. For the first time in its 15-year history, Major League Soccer is ready to consider a seasonal shift away from the summer months. And the commissioner chose the MLS Cup in Canada to spring the surprise.
 
The timing of the comments was no accident - no slip of the tongue. Garber needs no reminding we are 10 days away from the 'Big Vote.' On December 2, FIFA's executive committee will announce which countries will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
 
The USA, which first welcomed the world in 1994, wants it back. And it wants it badly. While the 2018 tournament will, without a doubt, be held in Europe, there is a furious battle going on for the right to stage the global showpiece in 2022.
 
The American bid is seen by many as a front runner. And while it would naturally appeal to FIFA's executive with the promise of favourable weather and huge, sold-out stadia, it faces strong competition from others who believe it is their turn.
 
The World Cup has, for example, never taken place in Australia. For decades, there was neither need nor desire to go 'Down Under' simply because football was not important in that part of the world. But the emergence of the Socceroos has changed the sporting landscape.

World Cup coveted
 
Australia has hosted Olympic and Commonwealth Games, plus Cricket and Rugby World Cups. It now boasts its own professional soccer league, and the national team has qualified for the last two World Cups. No surprise then the Aussies want in on the World Cup.
 
Then there's the Middle East. The oil barons of Qatar can claim no rich football tradition or heritage, but money talks. FIFA president Sepp Blatter is on record as saying: "The Arabic world deserves a World Cup," but he and we all know the weather is a major stumbling block.
 
A summer World Cup in the middle of the desert? Daytime temperatures rocket above 40C and rarely dip below 30C at night. Despite assurances to implement technology that cools stadium temperatures by 20C, it seems Mother Nature will defeat them.
 
Japan and South Korea are also bidding for 2022. The two nations teamed up to share the World Cup in 2002, which is, principally, why neither is likely to get the nod this time around, even though, on this occasion, their respective bids are completely independent.

MLS irks Blatter    
 
The U.S. bid is watertight and would make money, lots of money. No problem trying to sell tickets to the locals who could not afford them. No issues about selling them on-line to impoverished fans without access to a personal computer.
 
But Blatter is not satisfied with the razzmatazz of an American-style World Cup. Something irks the most powerful man in world football. He likes things done the old-fashioned way. He doesn't like Major League Soccer, its conferences, its playoffs or its lack of promotion and relegation.
 
In short, Blatter doesn't think it's a 'proper' league. According to Garber, the FIFA president, when introduced to U.S. President Obama, inquired as to when America would adopt a more traditional approach. MLS is a metaphorical boil Blatter would like to lance.
 
Most of all though, Blatter doesn't like being ignored. And MLS has ignored FIFA for most of its entire existence. It has routinely played on through FIFA international dates and World Cups, while the rest of the football world respectfully takes a break.
 
Yet this year MLS closed down for a couple of weeks during the group stages of the 2010 World Cup. The commissioner has recently been making positive noises about falling into line with FIFA dates. Now he's ready to explore the possibility of a fall-to-spring season with an enforced winter break.

No pressure brought to bear
 
I spoke to Garber about this apparent shift in stance at a supporters' summit over the weekend. I suggested his sudden willingness to entertain such discussions must, in some way, be aimed at placating FIFA with regard to a successful U.S. bid for 2022.
 
I admitted I may be putting two and two together and making five. Garber flatly denied pressure had been brought to bear from FIFA's executive via the U.S. Soccer Federation. But surely, if you want to host FIFA's World Cup, you've got to be prepared to play by their rules.
 
Any radical change to the MLS season, by the way, isn't coming any time soon. If the U.S. bid is triumphant, Garber and his board of governors will have at least a decade to find a compromise which satisfies both its stakeholders and FIFA's hierarchy.

The World Cup may well return to North America 12 years from now. We'll find out very soon. But it may be much longer before we discover the true cost to Major League Soccer.

(Photo of MLS commissioner Don Garber by Richard Wolowicz/Getty Images)

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