Mall REITs' stats have suffered from the blowup of one prominent member, Mills Corp. (nyse: MLS - news - people ) Mills, once known as one of the best mall developers in the country, has run into problems with its giant Xanadu project under construction in the New Jersey Meadowlands.
Last week, Visa extended its partnership with the league, and will continue to have exclusive promotional rights at events like the MLS All-Star Game and MLS Cup.
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"We are proud to partner with our long-term partner Major League Soccer to debut our latest innovation the micoach Elite System at the MLS All-Star Game and then across the league in 2013, " said adidas Group CEO Herbert Hainer.
Last year we played against the MLS All-Stars which Landon Donovan actually played in.
Beckham, who joined Galaxy in 2007, suffered a miserable first season as the team missed out on the MLS play-offs and manager Ruud Gullit quit before the end of the campaign.
New York goalkeeper Luis Robles saved the first attempt by Wondolowski, who tied the MLS all-time single-season scoring record last year with 27 goals, but referee Ricardo Salazar awarded San Jose another chance after Miller entered the penalty area too soon.
"A lot of teams in MLS are hard-working and organized, but what they don't have is firepower, " says Andy Roxburgh, the Red Bulls sporting director.
When measured over 323 games that means that an additional 1, 065, 000 spectators watched MLS on an apples-to-apples basis.
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Adu will be a Project-40 player - an MLS program designed to accelerate the development of top young Americans while awarding them college scholarships for use in future years.
And pretty soon, they were up 3-1, and then midfielder Juninho was probably dancing the samba -- (laughter) -- the MLS Cup belonged to L.A. for the second straight year, and that was the fourth in Galaxy history.
Last week, Garber was politic about its effect on MLS's lower-league relationships, but the move certainly has a side effect of broadening the power base of a soccer pyramid that has MLS, and its controlled model, at its apex.
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Even more intriguing is MLS's partnership with the third-division U.S. league, USL Pro, that will see MLS reserve teams integrated into that league's schedule.
Per-game attendance for MLS rose 49% after Becks' debut, and ratings for ESPN2, one of MLS' national television partners, were up 25%.
The even gentler pace of the MLS will help his now 32-year-old legs extend their career over the length of a five-year contract.
Beginning in the 2013 season, all 19 MLS clubs will use the data-tracking technology from adidas, providing coaches, trainers and players with real-time performance metrics including heart rate, speed, acceleration, distance, field position and, for the first time, power.
Nonetheless, Rogers did not feel the environment was conducive to staying in the English game after his announcement and says he would have found it hard to come out at any global club -- after being asked whether he could have done so during a 2007-2011 stint with MLS side Columbus Crew.
From the 2003 through the 2010 season the playoff field consisted of eight teams, with the conference semifinals played on just such a two-legged aggregate goal format, the conference finals a single game at the home of the higher seed, and MLS Cup hosted at a pre-determined often-neutral sight regardless of who was in the final.
Seattle-Portland may be the league's most intense rivalry, but they've played just five times in MLS, with Seattle holding a 2-1-2 overall record.
He was selling that day in SoHo: selling the All-Star Game, selling the MLS, selling the concept of the "Beckham Effect" on the U.S. Soccer.
Beckham did not rule out a return to Europe when his deal ends in November, but said his aim is to win the MLS championship with Bruce Arena's Galaxy -- now top of the league's Western Conference with only two defeats in 22 matches.
Meanwhile, MLS is finding other ways to expand its power-base and geographical influence.
David Estrada scores first MLS hat trick of the season in a 3-1 Seattle win over TFC while Sporting KC sets the pace with three straight wins and will eventually extend that run to seven before losing in April.
The LA Galaxy won the MLS Cup last night, beating the Houston Dynamo 1-0 in Los Angeles.
Instead of finding a limited-service broker to list your home on MLS, you can also buy your way on to it through ForSaleByOwner.com.
Commissioner Don Garber has said MLS needs about nine acres for a 25, 000-seat stadium, assuming adequate public transportation, and NYC FC is looking for 10 to 13 acres for its home.
In MLS Los Angeles are the wrong end of a 4-0 drubbing from the Seattle Sounders but a week later they inflict the same punishment against city rivals Chivas USA. Sporting KC in the east and San Jose Earthquakes in the west continue to set the pace.
Beckham agreed a multi-million pound package when he left Real Madrid for the U.S. and the 33-year-old also has an option to become an MLS club owner.
Los Angeles Galaxy defeats Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1 to move in to the quarter finals of MLS Cup.
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