NEW YORK — Don Garber keeps a fireman's hat in his office.
"When you're running a business like this, you are a fireman. You're putting out fires every day," he said.
Garber's 20th anniversary as Major League Soccer's commissioner is Sunday, and the league's challenge these days is growth, an upward trajectory that will be boosted when the U.S. co-hosts the World Cup in 2026.
He was senior vice president of the NFL's international division when he was hired in 1999 to replace Doug Logan, who had run the league since its launch in 1996. MLS has doubled in size to 24 teams under Garber's leadership, plays primarily in soccer specific stadiums and maintains an average attendance among the top 10 soccer leagues in the world.