On his The Commissioner Speaks Blog, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said the following in his most recent post today:

"Many of you have read articles this week noting Toronto Head Coach John Carver's opinions on how MLS referees have managed their relationship with him this year and the treatment he has received from officials. One of those articles came from respected soccer writer Grahame Jones of the Los Angeles Times. The article in Wednesday's Times stated that the main story regarding Toronto FC was not the club's recent success, but "whether Major League Soccer's suits, in their infinite wisdom, will allow Carver to coach the way he knows how to coach or whether they will again try to stifle the emotion and intensity he brings to the sport."

The last thing we are trying to do is stifle emotion and intensity. We encourage and welcome passion from our technical staff and players, but passion is not the same as disrespect for officials or the game. I feel strongly that our coaches, like our players, are representing the sport at the highest level and must act on and off the field in a ways that the entire sport can respect and emulate. Our coaches, in particular, provide leadership and must set an appropriate tone in their dealings with each other and with officials.

By the way, as a follow up to John Carver's concerns with the referees, you can see from Wednesday's article in the Globe and Mail by Larry Millson that Joe Machnik and Alfonso Mondelo called Coach Carver to discuss his concerns. John Carver has done a great job in Toronto and we encourage him to bring passion and intensity to every match, albeit in a professional manner."

And on the prospect of NBA star Steve Nash joining the MLS ownership fold...

"Also joining me on the trip to Montreal was Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash, former Yahoo! President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Mallett and MLS President Mark Abbott. Steve, who comes from a soccer family (his brother plays for the Whitecaps), and Jeff, who was part of Canada's National and Olympic soccer team programs as a teenager, are investors in Women's Professional Soccer and could be part of an ownership group for future MLS expansion into Canada. Steve is a world-class basketball player who truly loves soccer. I've been told that he plays on a number of amateur clubs during the offseason and has plans to co-host a charity soccer event with Claudio Reyna later this summer."