MLS 3.0 is around the corner, and the stakes couldn't be higher
As Don Garber’s tenure as MLS commissioner winds down, Atlanta United's Josh Blank outlines what the league must do to move beyond survival and compete for real sporting relevance.
As fans and media wade through another season of Atlanta United and MLS, marked by the typical frustrations and occasional flashes of promise throughout the spring and summer, a very different league is already taking shape behind the scenes.
Next year, MLS will play a short “sprint season” in the spring before launching a full transition to a July-to-May calendar that aligns with European and Western Hemisphere soccer schedules. By the end of that transitional year, MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s contract will expire. His successor will then oversee one of the most consequential media rights negotiations in league history, replacing the current Apple deal that ends in 2029.
A new schedule, a new broadcast contract, and a new leader to steer it all mark an inflection point the league hasn’t witnessed since David Beckham moved across the pond.
Garber will leave having set in motion what he calls “MLS 3.0.” The league that spent two decades proving it could survive must now prove it can truly matter in American sports culture while competing for attention in a fractured media landscape. One of the pertinent voices on what that future requires comes from inside one of MLS’s most ambitious markets, and from an ownership group steeped in the NFL’s winning formula.
“To me, I think as we look forward to MLS 3.0 or whatever you want to call it… it’s about creating a product that ultimately fans and media want to consume,” said Josh Blank in a private discussion with Five Stripe Final and other local media at the Arthur M. Blank Family Office. Blank, son of Atlanta United and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, serves as the club’s representative on the MLS Board of Governors. “How do we create a product that is consistently delivering value for fans to show up, both in person, but also for the media partners?”
It’s a critical question, and one Garber arguably got wrong with the current Apple deal. While the contract brought much-needed revenue and dramatically improved production quality compared to the old regional Fox Sports era, it has severely limited reach. A pristine 4K broadcast means little if only the most dedicated fans are watching on the Apple TV app. Blank stressed that the next rights deal must prioritize accessibility alongside revenue, despite the cost in doing so.
“Without a doubt, we want to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into broadcasting MLS matches,” he said.
The calendar shift approved last year gives the league a genuine shot at capturing a broader audience. Starting in 2027, MLS will move to a July-to-May schedule, with playoffs in May instead of battling the NFL and college football for attention in the fall. Those two football properties dominate the sports calendar and advertising dollars.
Blank noted the NFL alone accounts for 49 percent of all U.S. sports media revenue. That means advertisers want in on football because Americans are in on football. But just like fans, advertisers have their limits and red lines. They don’t want to be spread too thin, only want to put their money to work where people are watching, and don’t where they aren’t. With the playoff and Supporters Shield race, MLS Cup Playoffs, and MLS Cup Final all taking place against the behemoth of football, a new league schedule made sense.
Atlanta United was “definitely in favor” of the schedule change for three key reasons.
“First and foremost, not having to play through FIFA breaks will be huge in terms of putting a better product on the field,” Blank said. “I know as a fan, showing up to a match and seeing five out of your 11 starters not playing because they’re away with the national team. It stinks.”
The new alignment will also improve player recruitment and retention by reducing conflicts with international duty and better syncing transfer windows with Europe. “You’ll see more player transactions moving forward, probably better players being able to come in… at a more discounted rate,” Blank added. He said MLS teams have often overpaid for players or sold others well below value due to mismatched windows, salary cap rules, and spending limits.
Finally, a true summer offseason makes logistical sense for both players and stadium operations. With the World Cup, Copa América, Club World Cup, and various European tours and friendlies clogging the calendar, summer had become an unavoidable conflict zone.
While the schedule vote was delayed a year according to sources, Blank said the majority of clubs ultimately supported the move. “We were definitely in favor of it. Fortunately, I think the majority of teams were always on board. It was more about fine-tuning the timing and some specific details. But I think the decision… was one that the majority of stakeholders thought was for the betterment of the league.”
Blank brings a unique perspective after four years working at NFL headquarters before returning to help run the Atlanta Falcons alongside his father. And he’s only 29 years old— right in line with a age profile MLS is attempting to capture. While some soccer fans bristle at football executives influencing MLS strategy, the NFL’s dominance across the board shouldn’t be dismissed.
“When I look at the NFL, first and foremost, they always put the product as the most important aspect,” Blank said. “They know that they have to drive storylines and engage fans, and you need to have an exciting product. You need to build star players. To do that, the NFL has been, in my opinion, at least in the United States, the best sports league at doing that.”
If MLS can replicate even a fraction of the NFL’s success in doing those things, the money will follow.
“The TV partners are ultimately paying for whatever they value the product itself as,” Blank said. “And if we can create as a league an amazing product that not just TV partners domestically want to be a part of, but internationally as well, then that will set the league up for success.”