SAN DIEGO — When Don Garber was named Major League Soccer’s commissioner in 1999, the league consisted of 12 teams. The Mutiny, MetroStars, Fusion, Burn and Clash, among others, settled ties with 35-yard shootouts. The clock counted down from 90 minutes to zero instead of the other way around. Players wore uniforms made by Nike and Adidas … and Umbro, Kappa and Reebok.

Garber will watch San Diego FC play its first-ever home match on Saturday night, and 1999 will seem like a lifetime ago.

Business is booming in MLS. SDFC chairman Mohamed Mansour paid a reported $500 million in expansion fees for the right to bring the 30th MLS franchise to Snapdragon Stadium and millions more to fill a roster.

The modern MLS is international, with franchises in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Last year’s MLS rosters included players from 79 countries. One of them, Argentina’s Lionel Messi of Inter Miami, is the most recognizable soccer player in the world.

So, yes. Sí. Oui. Things have changed.

“For us, it’s been a great journey, and as you know, I’ve been around most of that journey,” Garber said. “I think our best years still are ahead of us.”

Garber talked to the Union-Tribune this week about his first impressions of SDFC and Snapdragon Stadium, his thoughts on the league’s evolution and how many teams are enough for the growing MLS. Some of the questions and answers have been lightly edited for clarity:

Q. You were in Carson on Sunday for SDFC’s 2-0 win. What did you make of the first match — and the final result?

A. When you finally get a chance to experience the club live for the first time, it’s just really, really overwhelmingly fun and special.

I met with (SDFC chairman) Mohamed Mansour and (team CEO) Tom Penn prior to the game; Mohammed and his son Loutfy. They and their partners were just really excited. It was a pure celebration even before the first kick. I told them, ‘Hey, I might not be back in the box, because if you’re winning, I’ll give you a great shout-out at the end of the game; and if you’re losing, you might not want to see me.’

“It was just a very, very good day for the ownership, for Mikey (Varas) and his coaching group and for all their players. Just a great day.”

Q. What do you make of Snapdragon Stadium?

A. I’ve been there many times visiting the venue. From the very beginning, MLS was interested in the market when the Chargers left and Qualcomm (Stadium) was coming down. I think the end result (of planning and construction) was terrific for the city and for (San Diego State). It’s a beautiful stadium. It’s got a great setting, it’s very, very convenient for lots of people both south and north of the stadium, and I look forward to attending my first soccer match there on Saturday.

Q. SDFC’s stadium arrangement here is a little different from what we’ve seen in Major League Soccer in recent years, where soccer-only stadiums are the norm. Are you comfortable having an MLS club share a facility with other teams?

A: There’s no doubt that the stadium was built with MLS in mind. From the very beginning, we had the support of the university and the entire community that when the stadium got built, MLS would eventually put a team in the stadium. … MLS does have priority (at Snapdragon) after the university from a scheduling perspective, and that was important to the whole idea of bringing MLS to San Diego. I know that San Diego FC will be a great partner with the women’s team (the San Diego Wave) and with the university.

Q. It seems that, for lack of a better term, MLS is more serious than it was 30 years ago. Whether it’s the team names, the rules, the markets …

A. MLS always wanted to be a driver of the sport of soccer in North America from our very founding, but the sport of soccer at the professional level was really not developed to the extent it is today when it was launched in 1996. MLS had to operate a couple of teams. The league was deeply involved in signing players because you didn’t have experienced sporting directors. There weren’t coaches that had experience coaching at the high level. We didn’t understand the importance of soccer-specific stadiums in establishing our league and giving us almost virtual cathedrals to celebrate the game through facilities. We had no idea that we’d be able to develop training grounds and training programs like Right to Dream in San Diego. The entire ecosystem of the sport was fledgling.

Over the last 30 years, there’s been so much that has led to MLS having 30 teams and 26 stadiums and having the best player to ever play the game (Messi) and finally being able to launch a club in such a strategic market as San Diego.

Q. Who is your typical MLS fan today? Is that different from the kinds of people who were following the league 25 years ago?

A. I think the league was launched … with the idea that lots and lots of people played the game, and therefore they and their families ought to be fans and want to attend games. What we’ve learned over the past three decades is that America is a true soccer nation. We have people that have grown up with the game. MLS has been a part of their lives since the time they were born. They’re playing in organized youth programs and elite development programs and watching different leagues on almost a dozen different media outlets. We’ve lived through, fortunately, the growth and success of the (U.S.) men’s and women’s national teams. College is becoming a more important part of the development system. It’s creating, in my opinion, one of the most passionate fan bases in the world of global soccer.

Our fans are younger than any other league. They’re more diverse than any other league. They’re more digitally engaged than any league. The majority of our fans consume all their soccer via streaming services. They’re multilingual. They have seen how you can celebrate being a fan with banners and drums and all sorts of items that we allow in our stadiums. That has defined not only the MLS fan, but it has defined the MLS brand.”

Q. This is a league that keeps growing. San Diego is MLS’ 12th new club in 10 years. How big can the league get without diluting the quality of play? Is there an ideal number of franchises?

A: In the MLS, we’re playing the global game, and there’s almost an unlimited amount of talent from all parts of the world. We’re not a league that just relies on domestic talent, though we believe a big part of our DNA is the growth and further development of the American player. Should we expand (further), we have an opportunity to sign players from all parts of the soccer-playing world. We have expanded quite a bit over the last 10 years, and the quality (has improved) by every measure, whether it’s our own measure or external entities like Opta; you know, they rate MLS higher and higher every year.

As for your second question, there are some major leagues here in North America that have 32 teams. I do think that MLS could support 32 teams. We’re not there yet with any decisions, and even with the decision whether we are going to expand beyond 30, but I certainly think the U.S. in Canada could support that.

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