Liverpool: Steven Gerrard’s Anfield return in the MSL off-season, Beckham’s two clubs and the brand
Steven Gerrard will not play for Liverpool in the MLS off-season. Well, maybe. MLS Commissioner Don Garber goes on the record:
“I don’t think so. And I had not heard that was something that was being contemplated…”
Garber recalled when David Beckham joined AC Milan from LA Galaxy in 2009:
“And people in our country said: ‘what? he plays for two teams? and you are trying to build a sport’. It was a challenge getting people to understand that. You then realise if he is playing for the Galaxy and Milan what a great thing that says about your league…
“(But) I don’t believe we are going to see many more off-season loans happening in our league particularly at what I would call the high-level designated players. It’s been a couple of years (since it has happened). I don’t remember the last one we have had – Robbie Keane with (Aston) Villa, (Thierry) Henry with Arsenal (both 2012).”
He went on to trail a competition where the Premier League winners and the FA Cup winners would take on their MLS equivalents in a mini-tournament.
“I would love to find a way that we could play our FA Cup champion and our league champion against an FA Cup and league champion tournament and play it in New York City every year. I would love to do that. If not every year, then every four years because I know they have other places that they want to go to grow their brands. Overall there is no doubt that there are opportunities for the MLS and Premier League to work more closely together on either a tournament or some other type of activity, but that (an idea) is about as far as it has gone.”
The “brand”. One day footballers will be ‘brand ambassadors’. Something to look forward to, there…
Posted: 9th, September 2015 | In: Liverpool, Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
