PORTLAND, Ore. -- For nearly two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has weighed heavy on Major League Soccer. The 2020 season barely got to the finish line in the wake of postponements and delays, while negotiations on a revised Collective Bargaining Agreement with the MLS Players Association meant a delay to the start of the 2021 campaign.
But with this season having reached its conclusion last weekend in Portland, MLS finds itself on firmer footing, and commissioner Don Garber can exhale a bit. There are revamped competitions like the Leagues Cup to look forward to, and expansion is once again on the minds of the league's executives.