I'm a friend in the context that we helped fight a battle together for survival of the American Football League. But I don't consider myself close to Al in recent years. You just don't continually sue your business partners like he has.

I'm a friend in the context that we helped fight a battle together for survival of the American Football League. But I don't consider myself close to Al in recent years. You just don't continually sue your business partners like he has.

We literally had all 10 teams alive for a playoff position in the final week of the season. That outstanding balance and those close races created a major surge in attendance in the last month of the season.

I get asked this a lot: Why has soccer not succeeded? My answer is, soccer has succeeded. It is already the fastest growing youth participation sport in the U.S. It has already succeeded at the youth level, no question.

It isnt easy to put all of the ingredients together and one of the key things is this is the first time theres been a real, significant governmental body participation. In our case, its Collin County and the City of Frisco, the Frisco Economic Development group and the Frisco Independent School District. Those bodies, and Hunt Sports Group, obviously, put money into the project, and that has helped make it work.

The equality of play was a surprise-it was the most competitive race in the seven-year history of MLS.

He is not someone who went off to play in Europe and only a few Americans follow. He has the potential to be on magazine covers and more newspaper coverage.