Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis called the rise of MLS in the last five or six years "quite extraordinary," but noted that further growth will depend on the league's ability to develop players.
Gazidis has a unique perspective on MLS and the growth of the game in North America. In 1996, he joined MLS as part of the league's first management team. He went on to serve as MLS deputy commissioner from 2001 until 2008, when he left to join Arsenal's executive ranks.
"The globalization of the world, and the increasingly multicultural diverse population of the U.