MLS Commissioner Garber Speaks

Fifteen thousand fans showed up at Rio Tinto Stadium Tuesday to watch the CONCACAF Champions League match between Columbus and Real Salt Lake.

Soccer appears to still be growing in Utah.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber says Salt Lake doesn’t have the large population of expatriates as do larger markets, but it does have many people – like LDS returned missionaries – who have lived in foreign countries and have learned about soccer.

“You don’t have a lot of ex-pats in Salt Lake, where you have that population that exists in major cities across the country, so we can capitalize on interest because many of these cities are made up of countries around the world,” he said. “You don’t have necessarily that dynamic in Salt Lake, but you have the residents and citizens who have lived around the world. So we have the benefit to capitalize on it. People in this city and this state understand the game — in some ways much more so than an outsider would think. That’s why we’re successful here.”

Rio Tinto has made a major difference in the public perception, as opposed to the team’s days at Rice-Eccles Stadium, which wasn’t configured for soccer. Garber said new stadiums are helping the league grow, but not a guarantee of profits.

“In most cases, but not necessarily in all cases (it works); the stadium is not a panacea. Just because you have a stadium doesn’t mean you’re going to have a widely and profitable venture. You’ve still got to go and fill that stadium.”