As I was walking to Simon and listening to Marketplace today (yes on the radio, I haven’t gotten into regularly listenting to podcasts yet), I heard a very positive piece on Major League Soccer’s 10th season, ABC and soccer: Goal? Ed Derse states that MLS has made it (don’t tell fans of San Jose Earthquakes yet) as a niche sport in the country. He correctly argues that while soccer is not going to displace the NFL, NBA, or MLB anytime soon, the league’s finances are stabilizing and moving towards profitability. They discussed the recent ABC deal for World Cup rights, and the fact that NBC/Telemundo and Fox also put in bids this year. Surprisingly, they did not mention stadiums at all, which are the key to securing the leagues future. Already 3 teams have stadiums – Los Angeles Galaxy, Columbus Crew, and FC Dallas. The Metrostars and the Chicago Fire already have deals to build one, while DC United and Real Salt Lake have been working to secure their own stadium deals. With the league controlling their own stadiums, the future looks even more certain.