“I’d love to play in the US actually. I’d love to play there at least for a season. First of all, their season is shorter, so I’d get three months’ vacation,” Neymar told Brazilian streamer Gaules on Twitch.

Even though many would be thrilled with the idea of seeing the former Barcelona star in the US, his comment didn’t sit well with everyone. Especially with commissioner Don Garber, who has made clear MLS is not a ‘retirement’ league.

MLS commissioner Don Garber gives a harsh response to Neymar’s comments

“We want our story to be about young players who are coming here at the earliest stages in their career or in their prime of their careers, and making our league their league of choice,” Garber said in a press conference, as quoted by Sports Illustrated. “And you’ve seen a dramatic shift from where we were to where we are today.

“When we look at bringing players at 30 and younger than that, I’m proud of that. As it relates to when they get older, if that makes sense, that’s great. If they’re not here to come and play and be a great contributor to their club and to our league and to respect the league and its fans, then we don’t want them in Major League Soccer. So we don’t need to bring in a big-name player at the end of their career because they’ve decided they’d like to retire in MLS.”

Garber on the changein MLS over the years

The league has made a significant switch over the last few years, attracting young players with a lot of potential instead of setting their sights on veteran stars. However, Garber recognizes the rolethat the likes of Thierry Henry and David Beckham have played and is glad to have Xherdan Shaqiri for this season.

“I can’t imagine what [MLS] would be without players like that,” Garber said. “But you’ll also think about Josef Martínez and you think about [former Atlanta playmaker Miguel Almirón] and you think about some of the players that have come in recently, they’re what is what making [MLS] the league it is today.

“When Zlatan [Ibrahimović] left [the Galaxy] nobody said that he went to go retire in Italy. And frankly I was insulted by that,” Garber said about Zlatan’s return to AC Milan after his stint with the Galaxy. “Because if Zlatan came to us at the same age he went back to Milan, it would’ve been a ‘retirement move’ on his part. And he worked his tail off in MLS and he’s working his tail off in Serie A. So I’m not quite sure why we’re viewed differently. But that is what it is.”

Unlike many of the other sports leagues in the United States, MLS does not have a huge television deal when compared to the NBA or MLB. The league has a TV deal that is estimated at roughly $600 million, a far cry from the NFL’s $7 billion television package. MLS depends greatly on fans attending their games and with restrictions in almost every market the revenue stream has run a bit dry.

Major League Soccer is set to kick off the 2021 season on April 17th, following the implementation of the new CBA, which forced the league to push back the season. Despite the losses all players are expected to receive 100% compensation for the upcoming season.

MLS 2021 season updates

At the moment, the league will look to ride the wave of the pandemic, hoping that sooner rather than later fans will be able to return in some capacity to all their stadiums. The Canadian teams for example will have to play their home games in the US as per the restrictions in Canada regarding travel.

“Right now, our focus is trying to get an understanding as to when our [Canadian] teams can play in their home markets, and in the event that they’re not able to, as our season is in front of us, having them have homes in the United States, where they’ll be able to do sort of like they did at the end of last year, to be able to play their own matches.”

While the pandemic has hit many teams hard, some continue to spend as Austin FC has brought in their second DP, Argentine Tomas Pochettino, while the Galaxy have placed a bid of roughly $9.4 million for Cristian Pavón.

During the campaign, many athletes and key figures of the sports world have lent their endorsement to both President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden. Today these athletes will head to the voting booth to cast their vote and help determine thefuture president of the United States.

As election day has approached many athletes have not been shy about voicing their opinions regarding either candidate. Gregg Popovich for example, has called out President Trump on various occasions. The President is not without his support asBill Bellichick and many others in the Sports world have signaled their support.

Sports figures are encouraging to vote.

Sports figures from LeBron James, Michael Jordan,Alejandro Bedoya, Don Garber, Jack Brewer, Burgess Owens, Magic Johnson, Curt Schilling, Stephen Curry, Billie Jean King, Megan Rapinoe, Chris Paul, Patrick Mahomes, Mark Cuban, and Stan Van Gundy are very active on election day.