Seeing the manner in which players who could be key players in MLS in the future get the chance to hone their craft in a competitive environment in the USL has been gratifying for Garber.

“In order for us to be one of the top leagues in the world, we’ve just got to get a focused plan to improve our quality of play,” he said. “Our relationship with the USL is a key component of that. I believe sitting here today our league is better, significantly better, because of that relationship.”

The USL has also had its own success stories emerge, with players like the LA Galaxy’s Daniel Steres, Colorado Rapids’ Micheal Azira and the Philadelphia Union’s Richie Marquez all getting significant minutes in the USL before emerging as starters for their respective teams in MLS.

“I don’t think those players would be playing first-team soccer if it wasn’t for the experience and competitive environment they were in with the USL, full stop,” said Garber. “The USL is a competitive league, and as you can see while we had one of our clubs win the championship, it was not an easy ride for any of these players, and that’s what we need. They need to be playing in front of big crowds, they need to be performing with guys that are trying to nick at their heels and prove that they too are capable of playing for an MLS team.”