Last week in Orlando, Don Garber presided over a board of governors meeting that included 42 board members and considered bids that would add at least three more teams into the fold. It was a stark change from his early days as commissioner, when critical decisions were made around one round table, with just three owners responsible for the league’s 10 teams.



The weekend marked Garber’s 20th anniversary as commissioner of MLS. Across those two decades the 61-year-old has shepherded MLS into relevancy — from a league that nearly folded in 2001, to one now set to grow to at least 30 teams by 2023. It has been impressive growth, backed by billions of dollars of investment, and has been marked not just by the league’s expansion but by a permanence in the American soccer landscape — most notably 20 soccer-specific stadiums, with at least five more to be built in the coming years.



Regardless of your opinion of MLS in the landscape of soccer in...