[News of the deal broke on Oct. 5, when Adidas announced the partnership at its Investor Day in Germany, and sports business mavens took notice.] To have historically the No. 1 soccer brand in the world invest in your league as a key sponsor is a great legitimizing statement to the league at a time when it's looking to expand again, ... My initial response when I first heard of the deal was that [sixth-year MLS commissioner] Don Garber and his group are sort of hitting their stride. The long-term approach to building a soccer league with managed and realistic expectations has really begun to show its dividends.

Paul Swangard