If Don Garber is the CEO of MLS, his annual state of the league press conference is the company’s earnings call. Every year on the eve of MLS Cup, Garber addresses a room full of reporters to review the season, set a narrative for the upcoming campaign, field questions and occasionally break some news.



Most years, the talk is overwhelmingly positive and the 2019 edition was no different. Garber held court in a large, atrium-like conference room at a hotel in downtown Seattle last Friday, two days ahead of the Sounders’ victory against Toronto FC in Sunday’s final. He didn’t break any news this time around, but he did paint a picture of a league that, at least in his view, looks awfully rosy heading into its 25th season.



“(MLS) has transformed from a league on the rise to a league that has arrived as one of the great major leagues in our country, and, I think, exists as one of the top leagues in the world,” Garber said in...