This has happened despite very little media coverage from the written press that focuses on the United States’ other D1 league, NWSL. Nationwide, more high-level playing opportunities and professional development are always a positive. So, the introduction of eight new first-division women’s clubs in the United States should be welcomed by all stakeholders in the game. 

Tampa Bay Sun-Dallas Trinity 

On Sunday evening, I was in Tampa for the Tampa Bay Sun’s opener against Dallas Trinity FC. The level of play was as good as any NWSL match I’ve previously attended. Albeit the flashy superstars of that league were not present for this match. The Sun was missing four international players who have not yet been cleared including English veteran Jade Moore who featured in two Women’s World Cup semifinal matches. 

One of the most impressive aspects of the match was the number of fans who showed up wearing Sun kits, scarves, and T-shirts. Through the years, I’ve been to roughly a dozen debut games for clubs in the United States and I have never seen the amount of people wearing that team’s gear. Normally, you’d expect to see random Premier League or US National Team shirts in the crowd.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, featuring a vocal crowd, and some high-level finishing. Dallas has assembled an experienced squad and will face European champion FC Barcelona Femení on August 30 at the Cotton Bowl in its first home match. 

Carolina Ascent breaks women’s attendance record in North Carolina

On Saturday, the Carolina Ascent played its first match at home in Charlotte against DC Power. The home side won 1-0 but the real story was the crowd. The Ascent is playing in the same home state as one of NWSL’s most successful clubs, the North Carolina Courage. Yet the Ascent set a record for a professional women’s club match for the state of North Carolina with an attendance of nearly 10,500. 

As a soccer market, Charlotte has matured greatly in recent years as evidenced by both MLS’ success there as well as the crowds for international games in the Queen City. Women’s professional soccer appears to be breaking through there as well.

Spokane sells out the opening match against Fort Lauderdale

Spokane Zephyr FC hosted Fort Lauderdale United, and the home side registered an impressive sellout. The match was a high-level affair with Fort Lauderdale looking especially good in the second half. After training for six weeks, the South Florida club managed by former Burnley defender Tyrone Mears looked fluid in possession. The 1-1 result felt fair and the standard of play was at a higher level than anticipated considering neither side had on their roster players we’d consider identifiable stars. 

Fort Lauderdale United has sold, per my sources, a good number of season tickets and sponsorship deals ahead of its inaugural campaign, perhaps proving a market that has been tricky for men’s pro soccer is embracing the women’s game. 

League leadership sets an example

USL’s built-out league system on the men’s side as well as the existing infrastructure for the amateur women’s W League has helped with the launch. The synergies created by having sponsorship dollars locked down and relationships with broadcasters have helped the Super League get moving. The media deal the league has where every game is streamed on Peacock compliments USL’s relationship with NBC Sports Engine on the digital side as well as with its amateur leagues streaming component. 

USL Super League President Amanda Vandervort (pictured below) has professionally built out a league staff that’s filled with experience and was able to execute the first weekend without a hitch. 

Social Media isn’t real life in local markets

The Twitterverse has a skewed view of what does and does not matter in this sport. As someone who has worked in the sport, for years I went from viewing social media conversations as critical to learning they were largely irrelevant. Oftentimes, perceptions on Twitter are not reality. 

It’s been pointed out to me by nearly a dozen people that there was very little social media buzz this weekend about the start of USL Super League. But the proof is in the pudding. Local markets are not only embracing the league based on crowd turnout, but my understanding is that the league is exceeding expectations on the sponsorship side for most of the eight clubs.

People seeking local entertainment options in Tampa, Charlotte, Spokane, Fort Lauderdale, Dallas, and other Super League markets aren’t glued to the soccer Twitterverse. Whether the USL Super League is trending on Twitter, it makes no difference to people buying tickets locally. The financial sustainability of the clubs in the USL Super League is not going to be determined by whether or not the league is trending on X.

Deepening the player pool

The real winner in week one of the USL Super League is the American female soccer player whose professional opportunities were limited by NWSL and whose opportunity to advance through an academy program into a pro team never existed before the formation of this league. In week one, we saw countless players who showed their skills that before this year would have had to pursue careers abroad or in a different profession.

Before the formation of the USL Super League about 98% of college players didn’t have domestic professional playing opportunities once their college careers ended. This league with its initial eight teams, eventual build-out, and promise of linking the USL league system will create the sort of pyramid that has never existed before in women’s soccer in the US. 

While the United States has had lots of international success, there have been historic drop-offs beyond national team players to other professional women – in terms of salary, exposure, and playing opportunities. This league will help to change that and push NWSL to better itself at scouting, building vertically integrated clubs, and hopefully about where and when it expands. 

USL Super League’s opening weekend was a big hit, and the new women’s first division is off to a running start. 

Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

Jonathan Wilson joins World Soccer Talk to discuss his new soccer newsletter that’s written specifically for the U.S. audience, the evolution of soccer managers, his thoughts about Marcelo Bielsa and what he can accomplish at Uruguay, how writing for a U.S. audience is different, whether he feels American soccer fans are informed or not about the world’s game.

Wilson also reveals news about an updated edition of his book about Brian Clough, how he would write his Sunderland book differently now in hindsight, why Brian Clough doesn’t have as much of a legacy as other English football managers, comparing Klopp to Guardiola, and how Clough’s upbringing had an impact on his role as a manager.

The newsletter Soccer With Jonathan Wilson is available on The Guardian’s website.

Jonathan Wilson writes about football for The Guardian and Observer, including a weekly column for The Observer. He has written 11 books, including Inverting the Pyramid, and is the editor of The Blizzard.

Listen to the Jonathan Wilson interview

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Courtesy of World Soccer Talk, download a complimentary copy of The Ultimate Soccer TV And Streaming Guide, which details where to watch all of the leagues from around the world on US TV & streaming.

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France’s top division on the men’s side, Ligue Un, has faced challenges in terms of breaking into the US market. PSG has exhibited success both on the pitch and from a marketability standpoint. Still, Ligue Un, or LFP, lags behind the other “big five” European leagues in terms of visibility in the US. Much of this has been due to a deal with beIN Sports. It has been the league’s broadcast partner since 2013. That deal has hamstrung growth in the US market. 

Recently, World Soccer Talk sat down with LFP Chief Executive Ben Morel. He discussed the league’s strategy for penetrating the US market.

Morel came to Ligue Un earlier in 2023 after a five-year stint as CEO of Six Nations Rugby. Before that, Morel served in various capacities for the NBA for over 20 years. That experience gives Morel an insight into the US market that was previously lacking at Ligue Un. 

Morel addressed the broadcast situation with World Soccer Talk. He indicated the league is looking very seriously at how it better engages the US market with its upcoming deal. The current rights package with beIN Sports expires at the end of this season, in June 2024. 

The next US TV deal

“Ligue 1 wants to connect with fans in a very different way than before,” Morel said.

That includes the US broadcast deal it is currently working on. That is the key part where Morel understands Ligue 1 needs to do things differently.

“We believe we are well primed to be successful there [in the USA].” 

Beyond an enhanced broadcast media presence, the league needs to upgrade its visibility in other areas. “We need to improve our grassroots [efforts, upgrade] digitally, we have US players playing in our league we can market. It’s about how we are going to better connect with our fan base and potential fans.” 

The Ligue 1 executive indicated the impending deal will last three to five years. “We want a partner that embraces the ambition for us to tell the right story, we are also leading directly those discussions with the help of Octagon.”

This media firm brokered the first NWSL rights deal with CBS Sports in early 2020.

“We are supported by the rEvolution [agency] who are helping with our marketing and preparing the marketplace for the next season,” Morel continued. “We are working with the best agencies to help prepare the marketplace to work with a future broadcaster, which is about really creating something relevant for our US fans.” 

This is a clear sign that Ligue Un knows it must pivot to another broadcaster in the United States. Simultaneously the league must upgrade the visibility and relevance of its product to work with a new media partner. 

American Investment in French soccer as a potential driver of US interest

In recent years, American investors have seen France as an attractive target for new investment in the game. Multiple high-profile French clubs have either majority owners that are from the US or strategic investments from US-based firms. Morel sees that as an opportunity to build the Ligue Un footprint in the US as well with this increased investment into the league from the US,

“Yeah, we are extremely pleased to see all this investment coming from the US for many years. We see ourselves in French football as one of the best in the world if not the best. When you consider the national team, young players, the quality of our academies, and the breadth of talent. That has not translated yet into the strength of our league. We need to become more relevant internationally, and the US is a key market to that.”

Elite young talents and street culture provide a connection to the USA

The young-player advantage of Ligue Un Morel feels represents an opportunity in the US market.

“Because of the level of talent that’s coming through our league each year, we have a long-term strategy of how we are going to retain them. The way we are going to grow revenues is one component of this, the way we’re going to reward European performances with additional revenue is part of this, so there’s lots of potential. We are probably behind in terms of international activity in terms of communications but at the same time, we have to plan for the US market.

“I spent 20 years very successfully promoting the NBA, so now I know what it takes to market a French property in the US. You need time and resources, we have that. But also, we need to connect with all angles possible.

“It starts with a strong broadcast relationship, which is fundamental. We are in the process of discussing strong alliances with US broadcasters. That’s our goal. We want to be, the league of diversity, we believe French football has that specificity. We have a diversity of talent, in our youth of cultures. France combined that talent and street culture in our football. We have the street credibility and culture. The two aspects resonate with both France and the US. You see it with the NBA’s success in France and we believe you will see it with French soccer in the US.” 

Better storytelling and development of content to connect with US fans

In terms of marketing individual clubs and storylines, La Liga recently set up a studio exclusively dedicated to developing content for the North American market. Following up on the success of the Premier League in creating context, storyline, and color behind its product in the US, Ligue Un is planning to ramp up its efforts at original storytelling as well as developing the brand identities of its clubs in the US market. 

“It’s absolutely fundamental [to market clubs] as part of the new brand platform we’re developing for the 2024-25 season. We are in the authentic unscripted storytelling business. The US audience wants to know the character of the show, who is playing, what’s the story behind it. Because of the diversity of our league, we have fascinating stories to tell. With our strong investment in new content development which will be very relevant in our key international markets of which the US is number one, we will be telling stories in a unique and effective way.”

PSG is a very well-known brand in mainstream US sports culture, but beyond that club, French soccer falls into a smaller vacuum in the United States. One of Ligue Un’s challenges in this market is to improve the visibility and supportability of other clubs. Morel feels the recent success of other clubs such as Lyon, Lille, Monaco, and others can help.

“PSG is a wonderful leader for us in spearheading our efforts,” Morel said. “They have become a true brand that spans the globe but especially in the US. But our job as a league is to promote the diversity of all our teams and the way those clubs approach local culture. Look at Lens, who finished just one point back last year [behind PSG]. They have a local culture and captivate a whole region. They are in the Champions League this year. Toulouse recently had a win against Liverpool in European competition. All of this creates additional stories. We reduced [the size of the first division] from 20 teams to 18, and that gives us the ability to tell a strong story about competition for European places.” 

Bottom Line

Ligue Un realizes it is behind other top European leagues in penetrating the US market but is quickly pivoting on multiple fronts to grow its profile and relevance for US fans. This process includes securing a better media deal than the league currently has as well as leveraging key stories and other advantages such as youth players and street culture in the US market.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

Her manner of explaining referee decisions and interpretation of the laws of soccer has been the most effective on English-language television. Her presence on air has deepened our understanding of the rules. It allows the viewer to understand why referees make decisions. Others simply say whether a call was correct or not. 

Previously, Unkel worked a decorated career as a referee. That included stops in WPS and NWSL. She also served as a high-level referee and rules assessment panelist for both USSF and FIFA. After that, she pivoted to working in the media but also now works as president of Tampa Bay Sun, a new professional women’s team.

Back to the soccer coverage, her explanations and discussions of rules and interpretations of current directives are essential to CBS. They also benefited audiences when she worked for Fox during major tournaments.

“I see it as bridging the gap and actually explaining the education of the laws to viewers,” said Unkel.

Beginnings in media

Unkel had never worked in media before the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. Still, FOX Sports had a producer who knew she might be available for the tournament. 

“In 2019 I knew I was going to be stepping off the (FIFA referees) panel. I didn’t think I’d enter the punditry world, but a producer that always came to the locker rooms took me kicking, dragging, and screaming to the 2019 Women’s World Cup for FOX Sports.” 

During the summer of 2019, FOX Sports aired both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The latter was in the United States. Unkel was thrown into the fire as a rules expert during both tournaments. But her experience as a referee who worked high-profile games helped. She spent time meeting and getting to know both commentators and producers on the media side. 

“My first TV work was a World Cup then a Gold Cup. When I was officiating I did get to know all of the commentators and producers doing games. One, just to know them, and second truly everyone wants to speak with clarity about football to know the laws of the game. It helps to make the game better for everyone.” 

Accessibility to referees was always important to me when I commentated on matches, so I appreciate this approach. Too often commentators do not know the laws of the game or are not up on current directives. That can destroy in-match commentary. Quite frankly, any match has one or two calls that demand clarification and viewers’ understanding.

At CBS Sports, Christina Unkel has comfortably moved into a role where she is always around and on call for rules interpretations. And true to form, whenever there is controversy in a match, she can be seen on-air explaining to us why the referee or VAR official made the decision they did. 

Christina Unkel answers moments of controversy with CBS Sports

During the last UEFA Champions League matchday, controversy surrounded the match between PSG and Newcastle. Tino Livramento was charged with a handball in the area after a lengthy VAR review. In most leagues around the world, Livramento’s offense would not yield a penalty. That includes the domestic leagues the two clubs play in. However, in UEFA competitions, the interpretation is different.

“FIFA, IFAB comes with interpretations. Then there is an application, case law, jurisprudence, etc. The current interpretation has been a little further along than it needs to be. UEFA is not the governing body when it comes to the laws, but they are asking their referees to interpret this differently than IFAB. That’s where we are right now and we’re seeing a little bit of tension which is only causing more confusion.” 

Identifying the differences as a referee

This inconsistency justifiably confuses fans. Also, it forces Unkel and other FIFA officials to contextualize the games they are analyzing. Competitions and leagues are different in the same way as the cultures of different regions and nations. 

“It’s not easy. Sometimes when you’re a FIFA referee, when you’re outside the country, and when you come back, then you referee as a domestic referee. The number one thing people want is consistency, universally across the board.

“FIFA has this hard position of trying to make regulations and laws as well as applications so that all their member associations so everything that happens in Japan and Turkey is the same as in the US and [South America]. But when the rules get pushed down there are different people instructing it and implementing it everywhere. So maybe our culture or our game wants it to be slightly different.“

As viewers of the sport, we see the differences week in and week out. If you watch the Premier League and Bundesliga simultaneously on a Saturday morning, you witness dramatically differing interpretations of rules. It becomes even more pronounced if you watch leagues later on the same day from the Americas. Despite FIFA and IFAB’s best efforts to create a consistent structure for rules and interpretations, there will always be differences. 

“When you referee in CONMEBOL it’s not the same as referring in UEFA. We’d like to think it is, but it just isn’t due to customs and implementations. It’s very difficult. I always applaud the referees that can referee across the associations and confederations. Even FIFA and UEFA have their differences as we saw with the Newcastle (vs PSG) decision.”

More than just a referee

Simultaneously with her work at CBS Sports, Unkel has become the President of the new USL Super League club in the Tampa Bay Area. The Tampa Bay Sun will kick off in August 2024, just as the UEFA Champions League is starting back up on CBS for the 2024-25 season. 

Wearing multiple hats suits Unkel well and will further inform her ability to interpret the rules in an understandable fashion for viewers in the future.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

In exclusive interviews, World Soccer Talk sat down with several different CBS Sports executives as well as on-air talent to delve deeper into their production of soccer. 

The most obvious takeaway from our conversations is that CBS is willing to take chances in presenting the sport. CBS pushes the envelope and isn’t afraid of making mistakes or pivoting along the way. The goal is an organic presentation that stays authentic and honest. 

But, how do they do it?

The role of CBS Sports’ Pete Radovich

CBS Sports Senior Creative Director and Executive Producer of CBS UEFA Champions League and Serie A coverage Pete Radovich has been instrumental in setting the tone for how the broadcaster presents its soccer coverage. Radovich spoke about the challenge of acquiring and capturing that relationship on the screen.

“To get that chemistry, to get that thing, it’s not going to be clean. There is an obsession in sports television about clean shows. It never made sense to me. No mistakes and making sure everything is perfect. But it’s live television. The fans at home want to be entertained.

“So we embrace the occasional mistakes and train wrecks. We know the only people who are going to be offended by it are inside TV people. We care about the audience. If it’s not perfect, so be it. The audience does not care. They just want to be entertained.“

A personable Champions League crew

This approach was exemplified in the manner in which Micah Richards’ style evolved. Richards has been an integral part of the CBS Sports studio presentation of UEFA Champions League coverage since its inception. 

“Certain shows on BBC and Sky have been the same way for a long time. You come into that and fit in a (defined) role,” Richards said. “Coming to CBS, [producer] Pete Radovich said, ‘I’ve seen a couple of your films, I think you’re good but you’re too tense. You can loosen up a bit.’

“That was mad, hearing it from a producer! Hearing you have the license to be yourself. Express yourself. That was the day I knew broadcasting was for me when you have the backing of the producers. We want to see this Micah. It was that moment I knew I could be myself.“

The talent including Richards has the license to go where they feel they need to go, Matt Curtis, CBS Live Producer for UEFA Champions League content, explained. 

“They played the game at a high level, and we do plan for the next matchday maybe a week out. But, very rarely when we do pre-production, about three hours before a telecast do we have the same rundown that ends up on air. Debates start (in the meeting), conversations happen, and we realize we need to do this on the air, [to] capture the same feeling on camera.”

In other words, CBS Sports production team does not script their on-air debates and banter between hosts. In fact, they embrace the talent going where it is they feel they should go on-air. 

CBS soccer production continues to pull in praise

Since CBS Sports seeks to push the boundaries of what has previously been the standard for sports broadcasting, they’ve received rave reviews not only here in the United States but in Europe as well. 

“Thankfully, we’re very much in tune about enjoying ourselves and taking chances,” Curtis told us. “I had been producing sports in the UK for 10 or 12 years when I came to CBS. If I am being brutally honest, British TV was too regimented. It had gotten stale. And the desire came very, very quickly in talking to Pete (Radovich) we’re going to do this differently.” 

Sky Sports broadcasts the majority of Premier League matches in the UK. It has taken note of how CBS operates. Some of this is, of course, down to shared talent in Richards, Jamie Carragher, and Thierry Henry. 

“We take great pride in it (Sky emulating us),” said Radovich. “I hear from talent who work at Sky have been in meetings and they discuss ‘how can we be more like CBS?’” 

In fact, Radovich has encountered fans of CBS Champions League coverage all over Europe. This is partly down to the way social media drives conversations. Clips from CBS’ coverage regularly circulate on social media, allowing global fans to see the cast in action.

The effect of using clips and social media in CBS’ production of soccer

“I was at a game in Croatia, and I had a teenage guy who followed me and wanted to introduce himself. He follows me on Twitter, and he’s getting all the clips on social media. I was at FK Crvena Zvezda and the club came over and told me, ‘You guys are like the most popular thing in Serbia.’ Those moments are surreal for me,” Radovich told us. 

The social media strategy is paying off by design.

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“We’re doing an international program,” Curtis said. “We have an unashamed commitment to social media. Some people are cynical about that. Why wouldn’t you want to open it up? We now have an awareness that we’re talking to the world. If we go across Europe and we’re talking to clubs, everyone tells us they love the show. We can be in France; we can be in Spain or in Manchester and we get accolades everywhere. The respect that we seem to have developed from our peers and supporters puts pride at the forefront.”

“If you’re a sports television producer in 2023 and your intention is to produce just for television and not social media, you don’t get it. You’re not doing your job. It’s not the future anymore, it’s here,“ Radovich said. 

Individual properties with individual character

CBS has also been successful in understanding how the soccer audience is segmented in this country. The World Soccer Talk Podcast goes into detail about CBS presenting each soccer league differently. CBS wants to cater to different audiences and their preferences for each property. 

Jeff Gerttula, the Executive Vice President, Digital, CBS Sports and CBS News and Stations, talked about the differences in presentation. “A lot of it is trial and error. We have an idea and try to be authentic to the voice of the sport and the specific properties of fans of the sport and spend a lot of time scouring social media to get a sense of reaction and dynamics. To get the right voice for the specific audience because we treat each soccer property as its own fan base.

“In time things might come together more, but we’re at an incubation standpoint right now because the culture is different, the stories are different and the fan base is different so we have to take all of that into account.”

Echoing Gertulla’s sentiment, Radovich told us, “Every show has a different personality, and it organically develops. Producers tend to overproduce and then talent becomes robotic. We were very intentional to give the talent the runaway to be themselves. When we acquired Serie A, we took the same philosophy to give the talent some guidance but let them go.” 

‘Sports is entertainment’

The studio shows matter for CBS perhaps more than they matter to other broadcasters. Some networks do little with pre-game and post-match coverage. We’ve seen this for example with Turner Sports coverage of the US men’s and women’s national teams. 

“Sports is entertainment, and we care if our team wins or loses but we’re here to entertain. Pete said to me that hour before the game can never be white noise, it can never be just on in the background. That’s an hour-long TV show that we need to make it stand out,” said Curtis.

The chemistry between pundits is what makes CBS Sports studio programs so unique and lively. Radovich feels the less tinkering and more empowerment you give to the talent, the more entertaining and organic the production becomes. 

The proof is in the pudding. Whether you like the style of CBS Sports soccer studio programs or not, it is without question that they have driven the conversation about the sport. CBS is moving the needle in terms of how soccer is presented on television. With six more seasons of UEFA rights after the current competitions end, we can expect more edgy content and innovation from the broadcaster. 

PHOTOS: IMAGO and Mary Kouw/CBS.

Since then, the programming decisions CBS makes in soccer have been driven largely by a desire to drive potential subscribers to Paramount+ and to incentivize those who sign up to stay with Paramount Global’s streaming service. 

In an exclusive interview, World Soccer Talk sat down with Jeffrey Gerttula who serves as the Executive Vice President for Digital, CBS Sports and CBS News and Stations. In a wide-ranging discussion, we discussed CBS’ decisions regarding where to place soccer coverage in terms of streaming, cable, and network television as well as the overall strategies behind CBS Sports’ soccer coverage. 

The launch of the CBS Sports Golazo Network

CBS Sports’ most notable soccer move in 2023 was the launch of a 24/7 streaming soccer platform, the CBS Sports Golazo Network. Gerttula was tasked with the responsibility of leading the launch of the Golazo channel in the spring of 2023. This launch came five years after he was the key individual in CBS’ launch of CBS Sports HQ. This similar concept catered to traditional American sports. 

“Soccer rights have been acquired for multiple reasons but with one goal in mind,” Gerttula said. “We acquired the rights for Paramount+. We then use Golazo and the free streaming distribution of that network to expand the audience and broaden the engagement. But, still, at its core the idea is to build the relationship, so people subscribe to Paramount+.”

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The launch of The Golazo Network has been well-received by the public and has also satisfied CBS Sports executives. The launch was not without significant risk. An active marketing campaign included strategic spots and reads during CBS’ coverage of other sports. Two of its popular entities, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and The Masters, had ad reads of the program.

“We’re thrilled, we couldn’t be more excited with how Golazo is developing. But we are still in the very early stages of the build-out. We like Morning Footy and love what we do in the afternoons,” Gerttula told us. 

Figuring out the potential of the platform

Gerttula is using the experience of programming the five-year-old CBS Sports HQ channel to inform decisions on Golazo. He concedes there is more trial and error in terms of learning what the soccer audience might want at certain times of the day or week.

“We’re still trying to figure out what we do with highlights and transitions between live games. There is a lot of learning to do. With CBS Sports HQ we already understood the rhythm of American sports when fans come in. On Saturdays, we knew it was about college football and basketball, on Sundays the NFL. During the week lots of evening games from NBA, NHL, MLB. So, our programming on that channel reflects something we knew.”

But for Gerttula and the CBS Sports programming team, the Golazo Network provides more potential questions. 

“We’re now trying to understand that rhythm for the soccer fans. We are working to get a sense of how we transition from one match to another, what times of the day and week people want certain programming and reactions. What we want to have is soccer fans turning it on at a certain time and knowing that of course we’ll be talking about the big story or previewing the big match coming up. We’re still trying to figure out the nights and weekends but it’s a work in progress.”

Linear television

The Golazo Network is complemented by a robust strategy of cable and broadcast telecasts. These programming decisions are not easy, outside of the weekday UEFA Champions League telecasts. This is because soccer outside of the Premier League and UEFA Champions League has not yet established itself as a ratings winner in the US English-language media. 

But for CBS, as Gerttula articulated to us, it is a long-term bet to drive sign-ups and retention at Paramount+. Still, he conceded oftentimes the opportunity costs of putting a soccer match on linear television, particularly on CBS over-the-air channels are substantial. 

“For cable and broadcast [TV], we try to pick our spots where it makes sense. For us, the opportunity costs of programming displacement are huge. So, we have to pick our spots so we are not costing the broader business more losses than they can tolerate. But it’s a great resource to get [a] broader reach. But for our business model the goal is still to drive subscribers to sign up for Paramount+,” Gerttula said. 

NWSL and USL – Covering the domestic landscape

In recent years NWSL has provided CBS Sports Network with summertime programming as well as giving CBS over-the-air affiliates a lead-in to college football games on Saturdays.

CBS Sports just renewed its deal with NWSL. From 2024 to 2027 the network will broadcast a minimum of 21 games a season on linear television. 

Furthering CBS’ penetration in the domestic soccer space was a recent deal with USL, where the network will broadcast 100 matches a year from USL’s Championship and League One divisions. Twenty-five of those matches will be on linear television including five on over-the-air CBS. 

By broadcasting NWSL and USL on over-the-air CBS, the network is giving local affiliates content with domestic clubs, and in some cases local soccer clubs in those markets. This is a value add for CBS Sports, even though the focus remains on driving soccer fans toward Paramount+ subscriptions. 

“We’re going to carefully pick our spots with USL (on linear television),” Gerttula told us.

This past season, CBS Sports was able to broadcast significant portions of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup competition, including the Final. Warner Bros. Discovery’s Turner Sports holds the rights through 2030. As of now, there is no word whether CBS will continue to air US Open Cup matches in 2024.

Documentaries and features

A unique aspect of CBS Sports’ commitment to soccer is the deepening documentary and special features library about the sport on Paramount+. Quite frankly this is a strategy that ESPN with its all-encompassing 30 for 30 sports documentary series missed. 

ESPN has not released much in the way of soccer documentaries or feature content since 2014. Meanwhile, CBS continues to push the conversation forward on this front. Gerttula expressed excitement about the value these programs give Paramount+ to soccer fans. He indicated it’s been a big commitment from CBS to put together this type of programming. 

On Dec. 11, Paramount+ will debut the Billion Dollar Goal. This three-part documentary series details Paul Caligiuri’s strike against Trinidad and Tobago in 1989. The goal had a massive impact on the business of soccer in the United States. It is a feature and story idea that needs a longer-form documentary. But surprisingly it’s CBS Sports and not ESPN that pursued the idea. 

“In terms of documentaries like (Destination) European Nights and The Billion Dollar Goal, it comes down to whether we think there is a really interesting story that people will want to hear and subscribe to Paramount+ as a result. So, we are looking for the right story with the right draw and reach so soccer fans feel they have to subscribe to Paramount+,” Gerttula said. 

These feature programs add to the incentive for soccer fans to stick with Paramount+. 

“We want it to be a no-brainer if you are a serious soccer fan. Because we understand that it’s hard to get people to commit to taking their credit cards out to subscribe to us versus other streaming services. And we have to constantly reinforce that this is the place for soccer fans,” Gerttula said. 

The Billion Dollar Goal has already created anticipation among US-based soccer fans for its release. Gerttula says the idea of making a film about the development of soccer in the United States jumped out at CBS. 

“When we had documentary ideas, the billion-dollar goal popped up at the top pretty quickly. So, we then need to know if we can hit the right notes and tell it the right way. Once we determined that we could, it became the same as everything else. Let’s do it in a way that drives traffic to Paramount+ and reinforces our strength to soccer fans.” 

Summary

CBS Sports’ portfolio of soccer rights in the United States is the largest for a US broadcaster. Each year, it continues to grow. This year’s launch of the Golazo Network as well as new documentary content has furthered CBS’ reach in this sport. The goal of the broadcaster is to make Paramount+ the streaming service soccer fans cannot live without. There is a highly competitive streaming landscape. Paramount+ represents the single most important service any soccer fan in the US can have. 

PHOTOS: IMAGO.

When CBS Sports began broadcasting UEFA Champions League matches in the summer of 2020, they introduced Micah Richards to an American audience. Fast forward to now, and the former Manchester City defender has become one of the most compelling and popular figures covering European soccer in the United States. 

The CBS Sports studio for UEFA Champions League coverage has won critical acclaim from media pundits and fans. Richards’ broadcasting style and personality have proven a hit as well as an important part of the formula for CBS’ success. 

A product of Manchester City’s academy, Richards along with fellow academy product Nedum Onuoha were in the unique position to be part of the club’s transition from mid-table side to European powerhouse. Both have since gone on to become noted pundits. 

We caught up with Richards and discussed his broadcasting career and his assessment of his former club Manchester City. 

Micah Richards interview: His first steps

Richards got his start soon after retiring from playing in radio at BBC Five Live. 

“When I first started in punditry, I did a lot of radio,” Richards said. “And radio helps you express yourself in a longer form. Sometimes you have 30 seconds to say something that should be two or three minutes. At the start of TV, it was really (difficult) for me because you can’t be yourself when you’re worrying about something. Radio helped me to express long form and then also short form to break things down quickly. I got my start on BBC Five Live.”

The transition from radio to television for Richards put him in more familiar settings in the UK. But when he joined CBS, the attitude and approach were different. 

“Certain shows on BBC and Sky have been the same way for a long time,” Richards explained. “You come into that and fit in a (defined) role. [Speaking] to CBS (Senior Creative Director) Pete Radovich, he said ‘I’ve seen a couple of your films, I think you’re good but you’re too tense. You can loosen up a bit.’

“That was mad, hearing it from a producer! Hearing you have the license to be yourself.  Express yourself. That was the day I knew broadcasting was for me, when you have the backing of the producers. We want to see this Micah. It was that moment I knew I could be myself.”

Working with Jamie Carragher

Richards played against Jamie Carragher in some epic Manchester City-Liverpool clashes of the past. Both were standout defenders who have developed a unique on-air chemistry. This chemistry feeds off their personalities, their friendship, and having worked together so often at both Sky Sports and CBS. 

“At CBS we have the license to show our personalities,” said Richards. “We trust each other on the serious and analytical stuff. When we have trust in a person. Sometimes we go back and forth. Some viewers think we’re mad at each other, but it’s just like two friends having an argument. Because we work together for Sky and CBS we have great chemistry. We understand each other. We know where the line is, but we can both be self-deprecating. If I say something to someone else they may take it to heart, but I know with him, he just rolls with the punches and knows where I am coming from.“ 

Manchester City’s rise

Richards’ playing and broadcast career has coincided with the emergence of his boyhood club Manchester City, from the shadows to being treble winners. Richards feels it’s not just money that’s moved Manchester City to the forefront of English and European football. It’s also the smart way in which they have built. 

“With Man City, every year we seemed to get strong both on and off the pitch,” Richards said. “Whether it was commercial or young players coming through or better support and backroom staff, the transition from when I first started there to now was incredible. Sure, they had a lot of money, but you have to get things right.

“Look at Everton, they’ve spent what, £500 million recently, and they have still not gotten it right. They’ve bought the same position over and over again. You still need people working at the top of their game and Manchester City don’t get enough credit for that.“

A perfect fit at CBS Sports

CBS Creative Director Pete Radovich is one of the most acclaimed producers of sports content in the media business. Richards has strong feelings about Radovich’s positive influence on his career and how he can be likened to a coach of a club, with some differences in approach. 

“Normally in TV, everyone always says you’re doing a great job. One thing about Pete is he’s honest. Some might say it can be hard or brutal, but he’s straight with you. When you come from football managers who may say you’re not playing but it’s because of this other player, but with Pete, he says to you directly this what we want from you. If we get this version of you, you’ll be doing this forever, if not, well then you are not going to be here.

“It was refreshing, having that honesty. And his creativity is immense. He takes risks in every show. He’s always willing to give new ideas a try. Sometimes it doesn’t come off, but he’s willing to try things. That is what I love the most about CBS.“

Broadcasting to a US audience has been fulfilling from Richards point of view. He’s impressed by the knowledge and passion of American fans as well as the growth of the game in the country. Richards is impressed by the number of fans turning out for CBS events and trophy tours around the country. 

“The fans here are some of the most passionate and informed I see. [Soccer] isn’t the number one sport here with NFL, basketball, baseball. But there are so many amazing fans here.

“I went on a trophy tour to LA, New York, Miami, and Las Vegas and the turnout was amazing. To see people come all this way to this event for a sport that’s not even number one in this country is incredible. I really hope it can keep growing. It may not be as tribal as fans in England, but in terms of the passion and knowledge of the game it’s great here.” 

Photo: IMAGO / Sportsphoto and Sportimage.

Many fans might say, “I know what has happened on the pitch with Wrexham, why watch the series?” That might seem a logical conclusion, but this documentary is so well done in its explanation of backstories and the culture around a town and its club that anyone with any interest in the sport beyond just the big clubs and international stars has to watch. And for aficionados like me, we hang on every episode, every week as a new adventure into the unknown and an exploration of the passion around the sport we love. 

Welcome to Wrexham picks up where season one left off

Welcome to Wrexham’s Season Two has kicked off on FX and Hulu in the US and on Disney+ for international audiences. Much like season one, the focus of the epic documentary series alternates between the quest for a club down on its luck since 2007 to win promotion back to the professional ranks and the Welsh town to mirror the club’s desire to re-emerge “on the map,” so to speak. 

“Welcome Back to Wrexham,” the first episode of the second season, was perfectly choreographed with an assist from the royal family. We see a club looking to retool after a tragic end to the previous season and a town with a new vigor, optimism, and spirit thanks to the club’s commitment to connecting the community with a rebuilding project on the pitch. 

Those of us who are geography nerds will often claim to “be on the map” of Great Britain you need to be accorded city status by the royal family. We separate “cities” from “towns” in the United Kingdom somewhat like a religious ritual. To be accorded city status means you really matter. To not be a city means in a simpletons world, you’re less important. 

Wrexham for all its history was not accorded city status until May 20, 2022. By the time the ceremony took place, Queen Elizabeth II had passed and King Charles III had become king, and the first episode of the new season chronicles the king’s visit to Wrexham. 

Royal visits are always big deals, but for Wrexham, this was an especially big deal. And the episode was perfectly placed to start a new season as the north Wales city (yes we can say that now!) is formally now part of the map of the United Kingdom as well as being back on the map of world football thanks to Wrexham AFC. 

Wrexham’s season in the National League

Episode one sets up the season perfectly. Wrexham is now a full-fledged city, and international audiences are flocking to watch the club as they pursue promotion. In Episode three we see the results on the pitch as Wrexham are running away atop the National League and engendering resentment from opposition fans, but one club can compete with them- Notts County, a similarly historic club that has recently fallen on hard times. 

For much of its history, Notts County and local rival Nottingham Forest were in a similar footballing universe. That began to change in the late 1970s as Forest became a European power while Notts County yo-yo’ed between the divisions. But it’s never been as pronounced as in the 2020s when Notts County, which had one of the longest runs as a professional club in the world, found itself out of the professional ranks for the first time ever. Meanwhile, local rival Forest was promoted back to the Premier League in 2022. 

In episode 3 we see Notts County knock off the Wrexham juggernaut and leave us with the question, will Wrexham again fail to be promoted, just as we saw at the end of last season?

Welcome to Wrexham best-ever episode

In between episodes 1 and 3 was a heartfelt occasion discussing the autism of star striker Paul Mullin’s son as well as longtime Wrexham supporter Millie Tippin. The show was a reminder of the human side of football and the communities clubs live in. It was also a simultaneous demonstration of the fragility of life, but also the compassionate side of humanity and community. Episode 2 left me in tears by the time the show ended. 

This episode was not only a tearjerker, but it also firmly reminded us why Welcome to Wrexham is so uniquely successful among sports documentaries. 

Episode four began to take us in a new direction both showing the celebrity owners at times to be in over their heads when politics interjects into the program.  

Shaun Harvey’s first holiday since joining Wrexham results in the celebrity owners arriving and making mistakes due to a sense of ignorance or entitlement. Harvey, though not the CEO of the club, had acted in that capacity or a similar one for several “bigger” clubs and the Football League itself in the past. As viewers of the show already knew before Episode 4 of Season 2, Harvey helped Wrexham to hum operationally as a business. The first season of the series clearly establishes the club cannot operate to its level of ambition without him. 

What becomes obvious is that in Harvey’s absence, Reynolds and McElhenney don’t quite grasp the nuance and rules as well as they should if they are actually running operations. 

The politics of soccer

Two faux pas, one being the co-owners liking Paul Mullin’s overtly political attack on the Conservative Party on social media and two being a lack of understanding of the blackout rules around domestic match broadcasts forced Harvey to intervene from vacation and almost cut his holiday short. 

This episode is among my favorites in the show because it shows the willingness to highlight errors by the owners and to dive into politics – something the club, as Harvey demonstrates, wants to avoid, but players like Mullin are independent characters with their own world views and opinions. 

The fifth episode had more familiar vibes for US viewers. A discussion of McElhenney’s favorite domestic sports clubs, the Philadelphia Union, Phillies and Eagles all finishing second in their leagues in 2022, a worrying trend as Wrexham has fallen behind Notts County in the Conference by this point. Also, an interview with Susan Lucci, famous for finishing runner-up in terms of winning Emmy awards is a highlight. 

There are some other neat stories in this episode including one involving an amateur club that was promoted 12 times in a quarter century as well as a neat look into Jacob Mendy’s life before becoming a defender for Wrexham. 

2023: The year of the women

The year 2023 was a Women’s World Cup year and with England reaching the World Cup Final and the US having entered the tournament as favorites, it’s only natural Wrexham would highlight their women’s club. In episode six, we learn all about the highs and lows for Wrexham’s women’s side and the quest for promotion to the Welsh top-flight. The viewers learn of the tragedy involved with some of the key contributors to the women’s side as well as the strong connections between the current women’s team and the recent history of the men’s side. 

Episode six highlights how hard Reynolds and McElhenney are working to make Wrexham a complete football club, which means the women’s game cannot be neglected. We learn the women’s side rolls through the campaign and the episode leaves off with the team on the cusp of promotion. 

Much like the men’s side, we will have to wait until further along in the season to find out if the women’s team earns promotion.

This series combines sport, community, business, humanity, and society in a way no series ever produced about this game or any sport has in the past. Every episode proves a unique trip into what we think we know about a club and community but provides us with the unknown and an incredible guide into the passion that drives soccer at all levels around the world. 

Photo: FX.

With this in mind, FOX will undoubtedly face serious competition for the 2027 rights to the Women’s World Cup. Still, it remains in the pole position to retain this competition.

FOX Sports aired both the 2015 and 2019 editions of the competition. Fortunately for FOX, the USWNT won both. From our vantage point, though, FOX did a terrific job presenting the 2015 tournament in Canada. That standard of coverage slipped for the 2019 Women’s World Cup.

The broadcaster has its fair share of critics in the US Soccer landscape. It continues to shell out millions on rights fees for sports. However, there is a growing sense that FOX faces a difficult road in the international soccer landscape. Its current deals expire with the 2026 World Cup, joint-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

It can be strongly argued FOX has done better with Women’s World Cup coverage than that of men’s edition. Nonetheless, many fans in the United States want to see FOX lose the rights. Despite these complaints, FOX expanded its portfolio of international soccer competition rights recently. Long-term incumbent ESPN lost out on the UEFA international competitions.

Who could take the competition away from FOX? The options seem plentiful. In reality, FOX remains a favorite. But let’s look at each of the potential new destinations for the Women’s World Cup. 

Contenders for the 2027 Women’s World Cup rights

ESPN

An assumption exists among many soccer fans that ESPN would be the favorite to regain the rights to the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The broadcaster televised FIFA tournaments from 1991 through 2014. Therefore, it can get back into the fray for both the men’s and women’s competitions. That is simply not the case at the moment. ESPN’s parent company, Disney, has been struggling financially. ESPN lost out on rights to several sports properties recently. Notably, that includes the Big Ten Conference. Also, ESPN reportedly will not bid for Pac-12 rights. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post wrote about the significance of that.

“ESPN passed on the Big Ten, Sunday Ticket, Premier League, Champions League, and MLS, so the idea that it will be completely out on the Pac-12 is not in the least bit surprising,” Marchand said. “Things can always change, and maybe the Pac-12 can figure out a creative way to get ESPN involved, but right now, that seems very unlikely.”  

In soccer, ESPN spent a great deal to gain LaLiga rights for the period from 2021 to 2029. Everything else, though, has been a struggle. In addition, I would not be surprised in the least if the Bundesliga chooses to move on from ESPN. That rights deal expires in June 2025.

Given this current landscape it seems unlikely ESPN would have the resources to both acquire the rights and to properly broadcast the competition. 

NBC Sports

NBC Sports has excelled in its broadcasts of the Premier League. It whiffed, though, on retaining rights to England’s top women’s soccer league, the Women’s Super League. Consequently, NBC showed little interest in broadcasting other soccer competitions.

However, this week’s 7v7 “The Soccer Tournament” has been broadcast exclusively in English on NBC platforms. At the least, that shows NBC’s commitment to filling summer holes with programming.

Assuming NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service continues to grow, the Women’s World Cup could provide a nice platform to mix streaming and broadcast in the Summer of 2027. Also, NBCUniversal definitely wants to keep its Spanish-language rights. NBCUniversal’s Telemundo and Universo will broadcast its third successive Women’s World Cup in Spanish this summer. 

Creating the obvious synergies between English- and Spanish-language coverage in the US would be one very attractive card for NBC Sports to play in negotiations with FIFA. 

CBS Sports

Paramount Global’s CBS Sports division has been aggressively pursuing soccer properties in the US market. Truthfully, it is forgoing other sports properties in the process. CBS Sports has its mainstays. For example, it broadcasts the NFL, NCAA Basketball and PGA Tour. Most recently, it acquired a piece of the Big Ten football rights. Otherwise, it’s all-in on soccer at CBS Sports. 

In the women’s space, CBS is the established market leader. Currently, it shows the NWSL, WSL, select Women’s UEFA competitions and an assortment of other women’s matches from Europe. The Women’s World Cup would be a logical extension of CBS’ recent dominance of  women’s soccer properties.

CBS has four platforms it can use to show matches. The CBS OTA channel primarily broadcasts select UEFA Champions League matches and the occasional NWSL fixture. Second, CBS Sports Network shows a potpourri of soccer. Then, the new CBS Sports Golazo channel broadcasts spillover live matches in various competitions for free. Finally, Paramount+ is the well-known streaming service.

Word in the industry is that Paramount+ is very dependent on shows such as 1883 and Yellowstone to drive subscriptions. Sports content beyond soccer is effectively limited to competitions also airing on CBS’s linear channels. CBS doesn’t have an inventory of matches or tournaments from US sports leagues or college conferences to dump on its streaming platform that competitors have. This property could be especially lucrative. 

Having made a big move into soccer in the last four years, CBS seems poised to make even more moves. it probably presents FOX’s biggest competition to keep English-language rights.

WarnerDiscovery

WarnerDiscovery’s Max streaming service and cable channels TNT and TBS already broadcast the USWNT. Therefore, it would be a decent landing spot for the competition. However, it seems unlikely at this moment. The Warner-Discovery yielded a clear coverage roadmap that would please FIFA. Additionally, would WarnerDiscovery have the desire to launch a lucrative bid for a one-off competition? Maybe, but it appears they’re probably not a serious contender at this moment. 

Apple 

Apple’s big gambit on MLS shows a long-term commitment to soccer. Also, the tech is willing to splash cash to blow traditional broadcasters out of the water in terms of rights fees. Ultimately, launching a bid might depend on the success of MLS Season Pass. Can it drive subscribers to Apple TV+ and prove lucrative in stimulating more sales of Apple hardware? 

Additionally, Apple might want to bid for the rights in more than just the United States market. That could prove either lucrative or a hindrance for FIFA, depending on how much money they can generate from potential bidders around the world, particularly in western Europe. 

Amazon

Amazon Prime has to be considered a leading contender for any special event US-based sports rights going forward. It has the bandwidth and cash to make this happen. The broadcaster’s experience in the Premier League where they handle special event days with simultaneous kickoffs in the UK market has been met with rave reviews, as has its coverage of US sports in the US market.

My assumption is Amazon would want both the English- and Spanish-language rights to the 2027 Women’s World Cup. It would almost certainly take one or the other if that’s all it could acquire. 

DAZN

I keep mentioning DAZN as a potential contender for rights. If anything, that seems for posterity’s sake. But, DAZN is still a player in some major international markets. Moreover, it does air the UEFA Women’s Champions League globally. Chances are, they will not be a serious actor in bidding. 

In conclusion, I believe FOX has a decent chance of retaining the rights, with CBS and potentially Apple and Amazon the biggest competition as it appears at the moment. Things, however, change on a dime in the media and streaming industries so watch this space in the coming months. A great deal can and likely will change. 

PHOTO: IMAGO / PA Images

Each fixture in NWSL gameweek 7

Racing Louisville 3-0 Chicago Red Stars

Lousiville got its first win of the season with a decisive 3-0 win over Chicago on Friday night at home. The home side dominated the early moments of the match. Consequently, Uchenna Kanu almost opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Kanu took a through ball on the left side, cut inside to beat a number of defenders. But, she sent her final ball over the crossbar denying herself what would have been a spectacular opener. 

Louisville broke the deadlock in the 34th minute when a penalty. Chicago defender Tierna Davidson took down Paige Monaghan in the area. Savannah DeMelo converted the spot kick. 

During first-half stoppage time, Racing got a second penalty and once again converted, this time it was Wang Shuang getting her spot kick past Alyssa Naeher. 

Chicago’s best spell of play came after the 77th minute. The Red Stars peppered the Louisville area with chances and half chances. But, the final goal, yet again, fell to Louisville. On a counter-attack, Parker Goins pounced on a through-ball and ran to the six-yard box. She fired a low shot into the far corner.

The solo finish capped off a great evening for fans in attendance at Lynn Family Stadium.

Houston  Dash 2-1 Portland Thorns

Houston scored two second-half goals with Joelle Anderson and Ebony Salmon overturning an early deficit against Portland. The comeback gives the Dash its first home win of the campaign. As a result, it was the Thorns’ first loss of the season.

The Thorns started the match on the front foot creating better chances in the first half and maintaining control of possession and tempo. As usual, Sophia Smith looked dangerous going forward. On the other side of the midfield, Olivia Moultrie was particularly influential.

In minute 34, Moultrie set up Raquel Rodríguez for a right-footed shot. She powered that to the near post, and it snuck by Jane Camp which she delivered to the near post, sneaking by Jane Campbell in the Houston net. Portland took that one-goal lead into the half-time break.

The second half began with Houston creating lots of early pressure. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Joelle Anderson, a second-half substitute found the back of the net. Thorns goalkeeper Bella Bixby pushed a save from Ebony Salmon’s shot into Anderson’s path.

Just two minutes later though Campbell had to make a  dramatic save on Smith as Portland’s ace attacker was played one-on-one with the Houston keeper after an attacking move that began on the left side of Portland’s midfield. 

In minute 71, Salmon won the game for Houston with a fantastic run and finish. She received the ball about 35 yards from goal, beat two Thorns defenders and slotted home a classy finish. 

Despite several attempts to equalize late on, Portland could not find the final ball or the back of the net and suffered their first loss of the campaign. In the current three-match winless run, the Thorns conceded eight goals. Five of those are in the second half of matches. Certainly, it is still early in the campaign. However, in that first month of the campaign, Portland looked head and shoulders above the field. Now, it appears quite vulnerable.

Angel City FC 0-1 Washington Spirit

A late Ashley Hatch penalty gave Washington all three points away from home and catapulted the Spirit to the top of the league table.

The first half was fairly pedestrian though the Spirit had the better half chances. In the second half, the match opened up. Within the first minute of the half, Washington’s Trinity Rodman had missed a chance that drifted just wide of the far post. 

The sides exchanged chances throughout the half as the game became increasingly stretched. In second-half stoppage time, Angel City was increasingly on the back foot, and after a few decent chances, the Spirit drew a penalty when Mary Alice Vignola handled Marissa Sheva’s attempt. 

After a lengthy delay for a VAR check and some gamesmanship by Angel City goalkeeper Didi Haračić, Hatch calmly dispatched the spot kick into the top-right corner. That lifted her side to victory, as there were just a couple of minutes of stoppage time left after.

North Carolina Courage 1-0 OL Reign

Tyler Lussi’s 34th-minute goal was enough to lift North Carolina at home to a 1-0 victory over OL Reign. The Courage dominated possession in the match, with Denise O’Sullivan, Emily Fox and Ryan Williams standing out. 

The result prevented OL Reign from grabbing first in the standings. Given what was on the line and how well Seattle has been performing, it was an incredibly meek effort. Despite the scoreline, North Carolina was comfortable in control of the match from the point of Lussi’s goal onward. 

OL Reign wasn’t able to create the sort of advantage in wide areas they have in previous matches with Fox and Williams excelling in denying running room or passing lanes to both Megan Rapinoe and Veronica Latsko. 

North Carolina’s dominance in midfield was so complete that they attempted 540 passes during the game. This is the highest total by any team in a single match this season.

The victory snapped a difficult stretch for the Courage where they had won just once in the last seven matches in all competitions. 

Gotham FC 0-0 Orlando Pride 

NY/NJ Gotham and Orlando played out a scoreless draw Sunday night at Red Bull Arena. Orlando had the bulk of chances in the match and came close to scoring on multiple occasions but Gotham’sGoalkeeper Abby Smith had a standout night, while the backline performed very well. 

Gotham’s veteran central defensive pairing of Ali Krieger and Kristen Edmonds was regularly called into duty and made several key late challenges to preserve the clean sheet. 

While Orlando’s finishing touch was elusive, Marta once again proved she’s a timeless wonder in midfield and Mikalya Cluff played well, winning the ball back in open play eight times and also linking up well with both Marta and Viviana Villacorta. 

The Pride had conceded four goals in midweek Challenge Cup action against Washington. However, she bounced back in NWSL play for gameweek 7. Her comprehensive and convincing effort could not quite lock in the three points, though. Orlando is now undefeated in their last three league games after losing their first four Regular Season matches.

Kansas City Current 0-2 San Diego Wave 

The Wave snapped a two-game losing streak in league play in a 2-0 victory in Kansas City against the Current. 

San Diego struck twice in the first half. The first goal came when Alex Morgan hit the right post and the deflection came off Current Goalkeeper Adrianna Franch to give the Wave the lead. San Diego kept the pressure up as Morgan and Daniele Colaprico both had excellent chances to double the lead before minute 40. 

Finally, one minute before halftime, Belle Briede took a right-footed shot from the center of the area that she blasted to the top of the far corner. The strike was so clean and perfectly placed that Franch had no chance to save it. The goal gave San Diego a 2-0 lead heading into halftime. 

Throughout the second half, Kansas City dominated possession and the flow of play. Vanessa DeBernardo was particularly influential both in terms of creating changes for herself and setting up her teammates. But the Wave’s backline stepped up. Particularly good at the back was Kaleigh Riehl as well as Naomi Girma who is in the final stretch of making her case for USWNT selection for this summer’s World Cup. 

PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Lynn Williams and Megan Rapinoe made strong cases to be on the plane to the World Cup for the USWNT this week, too. This week, we also saw a dominant midfield performance from the legendary Marta of Orlando. Angel City’s Jun Endo put in a strong shift in her outing. Finally, Portland and North Carolina delivered another classic of a match.

Breaking down NWSL Gameweek 6

Washington Spirit 3-1 San Diego Wave

Standout performances from Trinity Rodman and Ashley Sanchez paced the Spirit’s 3-1 win. With the victory, Washington remains unbeaten on the season. Meanwhile, San Diego dropped its second-consecutive match. 

A national audience on CBS broadcast was treated to a great show of attacking soccer by the Spirit. Rodman is on the cusp of breaking into a key role with the US Women’s National Team. Her goal and assist were among two more great opportunities to score.

Rodman and Sanchez showed incredible understanding of each other’s game. The attacking duo combined on several potent attacking moves, leading to the Spirit’s first two goals.

Washington capped its scoring in the 80th minute with a goal from Paige Metayer. Her header followed a lovely cross from Sam Staab. Alex Morgan scored a late consolation goal for San Diego. 

Unlike most standout performances this season, the Spirit did not get much in terms of attacking prowess from Ashley Hatch. Yet, that made little difference, as Washington ran out 3-1 winners.

Orlando Pride 1-0 Racing Louisville 

Anna Morehouse made seven saves in goal for Orlando. That helped the Pride win its second-straight, this time against Racing Louisville. Messiah Bright’s 21st-minute goal was enough for the home side to run out winners. 

Bright’s goal came on a header from the center of the area that she directed to the top left corner of the goal off a corner that was well-struck by Kylie Storm. 

This match was one of the best in terms of midfield play this season in NWSL. Both clubs’ midfield showed an ability to control possession in critical moments and initiate strong build-up play. Much of NWSL’s early season action has been stretched and built around wide play and counter-attacks. This match was very different. 

Throughout much of the match, Jaelin Howell dictated tempo by creating attacking opportunities for Louisville. Similarly, the Orlando midfield, particularly the sublime Marta and excellent Adriana Leal were very good. 

The win for the Pride further relieves the mounting pressure during the early portion of the season on Head Coach Seb Hines.

North Carolina Courage 3-3 Portland Thorns

For the second successive week, Portland rescued a point with a late goal in a 3-3 draw. 

North Carolina welcomed over 7,000 fans to WakeMed Soccer Park for only the fifth time in club history. This rivalry has been an intense one since the epic 2017 NWSL Final in Orlando where Portland used some stingy defending to blunt a Courage side that entered that match as the best in the league by some distance. This matchup has routinely been appointment viewing in the Triangle Area of North Carolina and fans got their money’s worth for sure on Saturday. 

With the crowd in an early frenzy, the Courage wasted no time in giving the fans something to cheer about. About 30 seconds after the kickoff, Ryan Williams drove toward the end line and sent a cross into the area that deflected off the unfortunate Emily Menges and into the net. The own goal gave the Courage the lead on the fastest goal scored in club history. 

Portland answered 20 minutes later when Sophia Smith found Crystal Dunn in the box for a one-time redirect. Dunn’s goal against her former side was quickly canceled out. Just two minutes later, Kerolin Nicoli sent a long-range curler off the inside of the post and past Bella Bixby to put the Courage back in front. It was the third goal of the year for Kerolin.

Both sides remained unchanged at the start of the second half. Portland would again tie things up in minute 53 with a direct ball from Meghan Klingenberg that found Dunn on a darting run. The Thorns winger calmly took a right-footed shot that found the bottom left corner to even the score. 

A pair of substitutes combined in minute 70 to give North Carolina its third lead of the night. Olivia Wingate made a wide run with the ball on the right wing and cut inside towards the area, then dropped a perfect lay-off to Victoria Pickett, who was making her first appearance for the Courage. 

Portland leveled in minute 83 just a minute after Sophia Smith’s curling shot from the left corner of the box was saved by Casey Murphy. A challenge gave the Thorns possession at midfield, and Natalia Kuikka found Olivia Moultrie who struck from outside the box to once again level things for the visitors. 

The match ended 3-3. 

OL Reign 2-0 Houston Dash

Veronica Latsko and Jordyn Huitema scored goals as OL Reign’s good run continued in a 2-0 win over Houston on Saturday. Also of note was the contributions of Megan Rapinoe whose return to form is great news for the US Women’s National Team. With Mallory Swanson likely out of the World Cup, the US attacking options are in flux. It seems increasingly likely Rapinoe will make the final roster, something that wasn’t clear a few months ago. Her performances the last few weeks have served as reminders as to the utility she provides in wide areas in open play as well as her outstanding set piece delivery. 

The home side thought they had taken the lead in the 13th minute, but VAR judged that Huitema had handled the ball before putting it in the back of the net from close range. In minute 36, Megan Rapinoe had a great opportunity to give Reign the lead from within the area, but the Dash’s Jane Campbell made an excellent save, pushing the shot away to safety. 

Both sides went into halftime level, but early in the second half the home side went on top as Rapinoe streaked down the left flank and played a lofted cross to Latsko who redirected the ball with a snap header toward the near post beating Campbell. 

Just 15 minutes later in minute 68, the Reign doubled the lead when Latsko became the provider, playing a cross from the right into the area which Huitema headed toward goal. Campbell got her fingertips to the ball and almost kept it from completely crossing the line. But, it did, and OL Reign scored its second for security in the win.

Chicago Red Stars 1-2 NJ/NY Gotham 

Lynn Williams is all the talk of NWSL lately. Perhaps motivated by the door to a USWNT return being thrown open due to Mallory Swanson’s injury, Williams is on a tear. She scored another game-winner on Sunday, her third in four weeks as Gotham defeated the Chicago Red Stars 2-1 in Bridgeview, Illinois. 

Jenna Nighswonger opened the scoring in minute four converting from close range after a strong minute of build-up play by Gotham. Williams played an influential role the rest of the first half, helping create chances for herself, Yazmeen Ryan and Taylor Smith throughout the rest of the first half. Allie Long and Kristie Mewis were influential in midfield throughout the first half which culminated with a Williams goal right at the end of the half.

The second half was more even and Chicago got a goal back in minute 54. Ella Stevens scored off a set piece when she rose to head in a corner taken by Julia Bianchi. Chicago had a few chances to equalize as the second half wore on but didn’t sustain attacking moves particularly effectively. In the end, Gotham ran out 2-1 winners in a match that felt comfortable. 

Angel City FC 3-2 Kansas City Current

Angel City raced out to a three-goal lead by halftime. However, the hosts had to hold on at the end. Kansas City clawed back into the game with two goals early in the second half.

Jun Endo, Angel City’s star left-sided player, had a hand in all three Angel City FC goals. To start, she played the ball that resulted in Alyssa Thompson’s 31st-minute opener.

Then, Endo set up Claire Emslie’s goal a dozen minutes later. Endo added one of her own in first-half stoppage time.

The match felt like it was done and dusted by halftime. Not only did Angel City enter the break with a three-goal cushion. For much of that first 45, it dominated the attacking play.

But, Kansas City fought back valiantly. Cecilia Kizer’s play was particularly impressive. Kizer set up a 57th-minute goal that Izzy Rodriguez put away brilliantly. Then, Kizer scored from inside the area just four minutes later. That cut the deficit to one. Kizer scored herself from inside the area in minute 61. She was instrumental in the link-up play. She beat several defenders on her own on multiple attacking opportunities looking to equalize after the second Current goal. 

Kansas City’s best chance to salvage something from the match occurred in second-half stoppage time. Alexa Spaanstra took a layoff from Debinha and struck it almost perfectly. The shot went just wide of the near post by a matter of inches. Thus, Angel City hung on for a 3-2 victory.

PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

As we approach the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, NWSL play is becoming more open and aggressive. Many players are vying to impress their respective national team managers to get a call-up. This past weekend, we were treated to several open, end-to-end matches. There is some buzz around that the number of goals this season reflects a lack of defensive effort players may exhibit at the World Cup. To a certain extent, we had a similar discussion about the men’s game and European club matches prior to the Qatar 2022 event. 

Whatever the case, the open play and outstanding attacking skill are creating a situation where the league is enjoyable to watch. This provides an entertainment spectacle that should hook casual viewers especially given it is a World Cup year. 

Highlights of NWSL gameweek 5

Houston Dash 0-1 North Carolina Courage

A weather-shortened match that was called in minute 51 allowed North Carolina to break its three-match NWSL Regular Season losing streak. 

The lone goal in the match came near the half-hour mark when Emily Fox made a darting run down the left flank. Fox delivered a dangerous cross in front of the goal. Tyler Lussi made the run and put a foot to the ball, redirecting the whipping cross into the back of the net.

North Carolina had several other chances in the first half, including a disallowed goal by VAR for offside and a dangerous chance at the tail end of the half that was saved by the Dash’s Jane Campbell. 

The second half began with weather imminent, the hope being the storms would hold off long enough to get as much of the second half complete as possible. Alas, in the 51st minute, and with lightning in the area, officials halted the match. The weather did not move out. Per NWSL regulations, a match that starts the second half but cannot resume is final. Therefore, North Carolina picked up its second win of the season.

Racing Louisville 2-2 OL Reign 

OL Reign came back from two goals down at halftime to draw Racing Louisville in what was NWSL’s 1,000th match. The equalizer arrived in the dying moments of the game on a looping header from Jordyn Huitema. Louisville finished the match with 10 players due to the sending-off of Savannah DeMelo in the 72nd minute.

The hosts took an early lead with Paige Monaghan scoring in the seventh minute. Louisville’s Ary Borges took a touch just outside the area and then drive toward the goal. Her shot took a deflection and ended at the feet of Monaghan. She took a single touch and scored at the far post.

Megan Rapinoe almost equalized in minute 27. The American hit the crossbar with a left-footed effort that followed a direct run on the left flank into the area. Right before halftime, Louisville doubled its lead. DeMelo connected with a poor clearance off a corner. Then, she belted a powerful shot into the back of the net. 

Reign’s first goal came in minute 67 on a spot kick by Rapinoe. The opportunity came due to Louisville’s Katie Lund taking down Huitema in the area. 

Following DeMelo’s sending-off, OL Reign had multiple chances to equalize before Huitema’s 90th-minute goal, but Louisville’s defensive shape was quite good, especially in the final third. 

Chicago Red Stars 1-1 Washington Spirit 

The Washington Spirit continued their unbeaten start to the 2023 NWSL campaign with a 1-1 draw at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois against Chicago Red Stars. 

Washington’s Ashley Hatch converted from the spot in the 29th minute but minutes later the Red Stars booked an equalizer from Chicago defender Bianca St-Georges after a great team move in open play, which St-Georges began with a headed layoff to teammate Ally Schlegel and then finished when she received the return ball. 

While the Spirit dominated play after the equalizer, they were not able to find a winner and Chicago had its chances as well to snatch a winner. 

San Diego Wave 1-3 Orlando Pride

In the most eye-catching result of the season thus far, Orlando traveled to San Diego and won 3-1 after falling behind very early. The result gave the Pride its first three points of the campaign. 

San Diego’s Jaedyn Shaw opened the scoring in minute 12, and Makenzy Doniak had a wonderful chance to double the Wave’s lead but had her effort in minute 16 cleared off the line. 

But suddenly, Orlando came into the match, In the 26th minute Mikayla Cluff got on the end of a corner kick by Adriana. Cluff got her head to the ball and beat the Wave defense to equalize the match. 

The Pride took the lead just before halftime. Haley McCutcheon perfectly placed a lopping header following a beautiful cross from Viviana Villacorta. 

Given how the season has gone for both sides thus far, one expected a San Diego second-half rally. But, in fact, it was Orlando who scored the second stanza’s only goal, when in minute 69, Adriana deftly created space in the area and placed a strike perfectly to beat the Wave defense. 

Angel City FC 3-3 Portland Thorns 

Whenever goalkeepers score it is news. Bella Bixby’s equalizer at the death to snatch a point for Portland was as dramatic as any goal you will ever see. Bixby found the bottom left corner of the goal after her opposite number Dijana Haračić couldn’t come up with an inswinging ball from a corner after coming off her line. 

It was the last chance for Portland to maintain their unbeaten start, having allowed a lead to slip away earlier in the half. Bixby came up into the attacking area to provide an additional attacker for what was certain to be a last opportunity. It was a calculated risk by Portland Manager Mike Norris that reaped dividends. 

Bixby’s dramatic equalizer came after she was beaten three times in the match by a rampant Angel City attack. Those three goals included two clinical finishes. The goal that put Angel City ahead came with 10 minutes left in the 90 from Julie Ertz, whose return to play has been welcome news not only for her club but potentially for the USA. Alyssa Thompson had opened the scoring in minute 10 with a clean finish where she streaked down the left flank, cut inside and took a shot with her weaker right foot. Angel City also benefited from an own goal. 

The home side was poor defensively all night, needing last-ditch defending and some bad luck from the Thorns to stay in the match until the 74th-minute own goal by Natalie Kuikka brought them back into the match. 

After that, the game was frenzied with Ertz’s header putting the hosts ahead only to be canceled out by Bixby’s heroics. 

Kansas City Current 2-0 NY/NJ Gotham

Debinha shook off what has been a slow start to 2023 by her standards to score twice early in the second half. The win was the second of the season for the Current. 

The first half saw an active Current attack paced by Debinha and Lo’eau LeBonta. The home side looked better for much of the half, but Gotham had opportunities as Kristie Mewis pulled the strings for Gotham in open play and on the counter-attack. 

In minute 57, Bonta played a through ball to an on-running Debinha, who struck the ball at pace with her right foot beating Abby Smith. Minutes later Debinha connected with a loose ball and struck the back of the net from close range. 

Kansas City almost made it three when Cece Kizer just missed wide of the far post on a counter-attacking breakaway initiated by Hailie Mace. 

Lynn Williams has been the talk of women’s soccer circles the last few weeks as a potential first-choice USWNT replacement for the injured Mallory Swanson. Williams had a relatively quiet game after having two golden opportunities to put Gotham ahead early in the match. It was the first match in three weeks in all competitions where Williams did not find herself on the scoresheet. 

PHOTO: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo

Recapping NWSL gameweek 4

OL Reign 5-2 Chicago Red Stars

Bethany Balcer’s two early strikes opened up a match that featured seven goals in a match that was end-to-end and largely even in terms of possession and good chances for each side. 

Balcer opened the scoring with a shot from the center of the area that found the bottom left corner in minute 15. Five minutes later she struck again, this time with a header set up by an outstanding Lauren Barnes cross. 

Chicago got a goal back in minute 32 with a strike from Arin Wright that beat Phallon Tullis-Joyce to the top corner. But OL Reign regained a two-goal cushion to take into the locker room at halftime when in stoppage time Jess Fishlock ripped a left-footed shot off an Emily Sonnett corner into the center of the net.

But almost immediately off the second-half kickoff, Ally Schlegel halved the Reign lead with a right-footed strike to the center of the goal.

Minutes later OL Reign almost restored its two-goal cushion when Megan Rapinoe who came on at halftime took a ball played by Sofia Huerta and shot it just over the crossbar. 

Both sides exchanged good chances, but Rapinoe finally converted in minute 73 belting a free kick from outside the area on the left side into the bottom left corner with her right foot. Minutes later Fishlock recorded her second of the night to close the scoring. Balcer played a cross into the area, where Fishlock gained possession of the ball and whipped a right-footed shot down the center of the goal mouth to secure OL Reign a 5-2 victory. 

Washington Spirit 0-0 Houston Dash

A scoreless draw played out in front of 7,073 fans at Audi Field Saturday night. Despite the scoreline, the match wasn’t as lifeless as might be assumed. Both teams created several good chances in the first 45 minutes, the best coming right before halftime as Houston’s Marisa Viggiano belted a left-footed shot from just outside the area that forced a good save out of Aubrey Bledsoe. 

The second half started quickly with Washington creating multiple chances. In minute 51 Ashley Hatch hit a low shot from just outside the area that forced a diving save from Jane Campbell. 

In minute 70, The Dash’s Sophie Schmidt had a header from just inside the six-yard box saved by Bledsoe. This was the best chance in the later stages of the match for either side. 

NY/NJ Gotham 1-0 North Carolina Courage

The homesteading side won with a late Lynn Williams goal, which was created on a surging counter-attack up the left side. Williams’ goal against her former team was her second successive game-winner and third goal in as many matches in all competitions. With Mallory Swanson’s injury potentially hobbling the US attack, Williams ought to be back under consideration for selection for this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup roster. The goal was Williams’ 60th of her NWSL career. 

The unseasonable weather in the New York Metropolitan area led to about a two-hour-and-fifteen-minute weather delay at halftime of this match. The match had a good pace to it in the first half, but following the weather delay, while both sides exchanged chances, the game felt disjointed. 

Gotham has now won three-straight games in all competitions, having defeated Washington Spirit midweek in the NWSL Challenge Cup. On the flip side, North Carolina has lost three straight league matches and needed a late goal to get a draw versus Orlando midweek in the NWSL Challenge Cup. 

Portland Thorns 2-0 Racing Louisville

Portland’s hot start continued with a 2-0 win at Providence Park against Racing Louisville. The Thorns opened the scoring almost immediately with a well-worked move that saw Sophia Smith, the player of the season thus far in NWSL play a diagonal ball for Crystal Dunn who had cut inside from her customary left-sides position. Dunn wisely played a dummy and allowed Christine Sinclair to pounce, hitting a powerful shot that found the near post. 

The Thorns doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time when Morgan Smith initiated a move from the left side that she finished after a nice passing sequence. Smith’s goal beat Katie Lund, who had been spectacular in defending Louisville’s goal for much of the first half. 

In the second half, Louisville created a flurry of chances between minutes 58 and 64 but could not convert. After that, the match became more static with Portland keeping its shape well and limiting opportunities for the visiting team to create good chances. 

Kansas City Current 2-0 Orlando Pride

Orlando Pride remains rooted to the bottom of the standings following a 2-0 loss to Kansas City in front of a crowd of 9,808 at Children’s Mercy Park. 

The Pride started the match well, and this supremacy culminated in an opportunity from Adriana. Yet, her shot at the bottom left corner met the mitts of Current Goalkeeper Cassie Miller. Over the course of the next twenty minutes, Kansas City had the better of the play and chances. From about 25 minutes onward, the play was even until halftime. 

In the second half, Kansas City broke through in minute 64 thanks to Debinha. The Brazilian International hit a shot from the center of the area that found the bottom left corner of the goal after an outstanding setup by Halie Mace. This had come minutes after Orlando had a golden chance to take the lead from Messiah Bright go just wide. 

Four minutes later, the Current struck again. Once again Mace set up one of her teammates in the center of the area. This time, it was Cece Kizer who dialed a shot right down the middle.

While Orlando controlled possession after the second Kansas City goal, they created nothing more than half chances, and the Current ran out rather comfortable 2-0 winners.  

Angel City FC 0-2 San Diego Wave 

San Diego beat Angel City FC 2-0 in Los Angeles on Sunday night in the California rivalry game that has helped stimulate greater interest in NWSL. 

The Wave used two second-half goals to log the win. On both sides, though, midfielders struggled at times. Defensive work from the Wave was key in picking up the victory. In the first half, the home side created several opportunities. Either San Diego’s defense or missed chances took the sting out of any attack.

The second half began with a number of Angel City chances. Spurred on by the Excellent play of Savannah McCaskill and Julie Ertz, making her return to NWSL, spurred the hosts. The home team had five clear-cut chances in the first 10 minutes of the second half. Each time, the wave’s defense withstood the threats.

In minute 70, Sofia Jakobsson received a ball from Christen Westphal and delivered it right into the top center of the goal frame. The effort beat Dijana Haracic giving the Wave a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later Alex Morgan found Makenz Doniak just outside the box after a free kick. Doniak used her left foot to perfectly place a shot in the top right corner that Haracic had no chance to get to. This doubled the visitors’ lead. 

Despite having the best opportunities before the two Wave goals, Angel City’s efforts petered out once they were chasing the game. The best chance for the home side to get a goal back was at the end of the 90. Katie Johnson’s shot from just inside the area forced a diving save at the near post by Kailen Sheridan.

PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Portland Thorns 1-1 Houston Dash

Houston held the Thorns at Providence Park, extending the Dash’s unbeaten streak to three when visiting Portland the last two seasons. 

Crystal Dunn’s 9th-minute goal put Portland on top, and it felt like the Thorns would be in cruise-control mode for the third successive week.

Dunn took a great ball from Sophia Smith, who had drifted into space on the left side and cleanly finished it.

The goal culminated an early period of aggressive Thorns play, which included three clear-cut opportunities to score. 

But the Dash shook off the poor early start and, after minute twenty, came into the match. A flurry of chances fell Houston’s way beginning in the 22nd minute culminating with a 24th-minute goal from Maria Sanchez on a well-placed left-footed shot to the near post. 

Dunn and Smith combined again in the 28th minute, but Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell saved the right-footed shot from Smith.

Smith had two more great chances before halftime, but one hit the crossbar, and another forced a save out of Campbell. Dunn also had a chance in minute 34 that didn’t dip and cleared the crossbar. 

At halftime, the match was level, but it felt like a Portland victory was inevitable. But the chances went both ways in the second half, and Houston sometimes seemed more likely to snatch a winner.

The match was stretched with counter-attacking opportunities often bypassing midfield. But in the end, neither side could snatch a winner and Portland’s winning run to start the campaign was snapped. 

North Carolina Courage 1-2 Washington Spirit 

Ashley Hatch’s second-half penalty gave Washington Spirit a 2-1 victory at WakeMed Soccer Park.

Hatch converted the spot kick after being fouled by Emily Fox, who had been impressive with the USWNT during the recent international break.  

The Spirit claimed the lead in minute seven after a giveaway in the defensive third left Trinity Rodman alone in space, and she buried the chance from distance, beating Case Murphy.

The Courage responded immediately, creating multiple chances within minutes of the Rodman goal. 

North Carolina broke through with the equalizer just before halftime when a brilliant combination play allowed Mille Gejl to get a good look from just outside the area.

She whipped a shot that forced a handball in the box, and Kerolin Nicoli converted the ensuing penalty for her second goal in as many matches. 

“We’re obviously a little disappointed with the results. I think not looking at the results we dominated, and we played really well. I think a lot of the things that we’re trying to do this year, you could really see in terms of like our possession and our aggressiveness to win the ball back and to keep going, going, going, whether it’s the first 10 or the 90th minute. So I think we’re really proud of that,” said Fox after the match. 

Orlando Pride 0-2 NJ/NY Gotham FC

The Pride’s awful start to the 2023 NWSL campaign continued with a 2-0 home loss to Gotham.

The visiting outfit used two second half stoppage time goals, including a delightful far post finish at the death by Lynn Williams, to claim the three points. 

Williams’ goal came in the 17th minute of second half stoppage time.

The added time was due to a combination of injury stoppages during the second half and a VAR delay to look at a handball in the area by Orlando’s Caitlin Cosme that took about five minutes.

The resulting penalty was converted by Gotham’s Midge Purce, about seven minutes after the initial handball. 

Despite the fireworks late in the match, this game was largely bogged down in midfield, and in terms of quality of play, perhaps the worst contest thus far of the young NWSL season. 

Significantly this is Gotham’s second road win already this season having won in Los Angeles the opening weekend. 

Chicago Red Stars 4-2 KC Current 

Unlike the game in Orlando, this matchup in Bridgeview, Illinois, was delightful to watch, particularly in the second half.

An end-to-end affair, where both sides counter-attacked with gusto and created great opportunities regularly, Chicago came out on top and earned their first three points of the season. 

The Red Stars started the match quickly and jumped on top early with a well-placed shot into the left corner by Ella Stevens in the fourth minute. Despite several half chances afterwards, the match remained 1-0 at the half. 

Stevens came out strong early in the second half and provided a beautiful through ball that freed Penelope Hocking for a left-footed effort that found the far corner in minute 49, doubling the Red Stars lead. 

Chicago struck again in the 60th minute when a lightning counter-attack culminated in Chena Matthews hitting the post with such power that the ball ricocheted off current goalkeeper Adrianna Franch into the back of the net. 

The Red Stars’ lead became 4-0 in the 67th minute when Hocking struck a right-footed shot from the left side of the area to the bottom corner of the far post on yet another counter begun with a through ball from Matthews. 

The Current got late goals from Debinha and Mimmi Larsson to claw back two goals, demonstrating some excellent quick passing moves and build-up play.

Nonetheless, the loss was Kansas City’s third straight to begin a season where they were expected to contend for a playoff spot. 

Angel City FC 2-2 Racing Louisville 

Angel City and Racing Louisville played out a 2-2 draw in Los Angeles on Saturday night.

The match was a tale of two halves as the away side scored twice before halftime, but Angel City only rallied to tie the match in the second half but peppered the Louisville area with opportunities. 

The homesteading team conceded a penalty in minute 2 as M.A. Vignola took down Louisville’s Savannah DeMelo. The ensuing penalty DeMelo calmly struck the dead ball right down the middle to give her team an early 1-0 lead. 

Louisville doubled their lead in minute 32 when DeMelo found a surging Kirsten Davis outside the area. Davis then struck a worldie from outside the area with her left foot that found the top left corner of the goal. 

Angel City almost got one back in minute 44 when Danielle Weatherholt hit the crossbar with a whipped shot from long range that was struck cleanly. 

The second half saw one-way traffic as the home team continually created chances, culminating in two goals. The first came in minute 68 when Katie Johnson finished from close-range a cross delivered by Savannah McCaskill.

The equalizer came in the 87th minute; after six minutes of intense pressure, McCaskill picked up a loose ball in the center of the area and found the bottom corner of the far post. 

Alyssa Thompson almost won the match for Angel City, hitting the left post at the beginning of second half stoppage time. The match ended 2-2. 

OL Reign 1-0 San Diego Wave

After a week of speculation about ownership and a potential relocation of OL Reign, the home-standing side put all of the noise in the background to secure a solid 1-0 win over San Diego Wave.

Olivia Van der Jagt’s spectacular finish from outside the area after a second half stoppage time corner won the match with one of the final kicks of the game. 

The match had started with the high-flying Wave, who had begun the season with two successive wins creating two good chances in the first ten minutes before OL Reign got a foothold in the match.

For the remainder of the first half the Reign were the better side, though the best scoring chance fell to the Wave in minute 34 when Kristen McNabb misdirected a free header just wide of the right post. 

The second half began with a great chance for Alex Morgan to give her San Diego team the lead, but like McNabb in the first half, she snapped a header just wide, this time to the left.

In the 49th minute, Morgan got another chance, but Phallon Tullis-Joyce saved her shot which was sneaking toward the lower left corner. 

Given Morgan missed two chances, we often see her bury; perhaps it was at this point we should have realized it would not be the Wave’s night. Both sides generated lots of chances and half chances between minutes 50 and 75. 

The best chance to break the deadlock before Van der Jagt’s winner was in 78th minute when OL Reign’s Bethan Balcer cleanly hit a header that was saved at the far post. 

The attendance of 9,219, despite the off-field speculation this past week, indicated that the Seattle/Tacoma area is still a hotbed for women’s soccer and a market that NWSL should work to ensure continues to have a club in the league.

Photo credit: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

NWSL gameweek 2 brings goal fest

KC Current 1-4 Portland Thorns 

You know it’s a big occasion when a match is on over-the-air broadcast television and Jaqui Oatley is on commentary. The crowd of 11,301 in Kansas City was in high spirits as the home-standing Current hosted the Thorns in a rematch of last year’s NWSL Championship Final.  

Vlatko Andonovski, the US women’s National Team Coach has a long history in the Kansas City area of coaching and playing. He was in attendance at Children’s Mercy Park. There is no doubt USWNT striker Sophia Smith impressed Andonovski. Following a strong outing in the first NWSL matchday, Smith continued her performances of excellence.

Crystal Dunn opened the scoring with her weaker right foot finding the top corner near post in the third minute. In the 18th minute, Smith drew a foul in the opposition area and then calmly converted a penalty to double the Thorns lead. As the first half drew to the close, Portland continued to generate excellent scoring opportunities. In minute 39, Hina Sugita missed a left-footed shot just wide of the far post. Three minutes later, Dunn played in Morgan Weaver who skied her opportunity. 

Kansas City came out the better side in the second half, generating multiple opportunities in the first 15 minutes culminating with a goal from Cece Kizer, who headed in a nicely placed free kick from Alex Loera. 

The Current spent the next ten minutes feverishly chasing an equalizer, before the match settled back into its familiar pattern from the first half. As Portland reasserted its control over the match, they were able to generate both opportunities from possession and counter-attacking chances. Smith scored twice more. The first was off a mazy run in minute 83. Then, a spectacular strike five minutes later from outside of the area curled into the bottom corner of the net.

Portland’s win marks the second-successive four-goal explosion. Plus, it lays a clear indication that they are the once again the team to beat this season. 

Chicago Red Stars 1-2 Houston Dash

Diana Ordóñez’s 60th-minute penalty was the difference between the two sides as the Dash ran out winners at SeatGeek Stadium. María Sánchez opened the scoring for Houston in the fourth minute. The Mexican converted a shot from about 12 yards out into the top left corner of the opposition net. 

Chicago equalized not long after on an own goal by Houston’s Natalie Jacobs. The Red Stars had earned a corner after sustaining several minutes of pressure in the Dash half of the field. 

The winner from Ordóñez came after VAR confirmed a foul by Chicago’s Tatumn Milazzo in the area. But, the VAR check took approximately three minutes, and the introduction of video replay has created a new element in NWSL matches thus far this season. Long delays result in the breakup of flow in the game. After the penalty, the Red Stars were arguably the better side, creating several good opportunities to equalize, but in the end the Dash held on for a valuable three points away from home. 

Racing Louisville 2-2 Washington Spirit

Racing Louisville came back from two goals down at home against the Washington Spirit to split the points. The match despite the comeback was a back-and-forth contest where both sides created about an equal amount of chances and half chances, with both halves being fairly even in terms of control of the match. 

The Spirit opened the scoring just after the quarter-hour mark behind Ashley Hatch, who drove a right-footed shot into the middle of the goal beating Louisville’s keeper Katie Lund. After half an hour, Hatch recorded her second goal, a neatly placed left-footed strike to the bottom right corner. Hatch finished the chance, being nicely set up by Trinity Rodman.

The home side struck back immediately after halftime when Abby Erceg scored on a header from close-range after Wang Shuang whipped in a great ball. The two sides exchanged more chances until Racing equalized in the 65th minute when Ary Borges beautifully struck a loose ball into the top right corner of the opposition goal. 

Washington’s Page Metayer was sent off for a rough foul in second half stoppage time. She had been previously booked, earlier in the second half. 

San Diego Wave 3-1 North Carolina Courage

The San Diego Wave ran out winners by a 3-1 scoreline in front of an active home crowd.

The Courage began the match well, controlling much of the possession and creating more chances in the first half. But, late in the first half, the Wave pounced on a loose ball in the opposition area that Jaedyn Shaw smashed into the top left corner to give the home side the lead. 

Minutes after halftime, A bad North Carolina giveaway was picked up by San Diego’s Danielle Caliprico, who played a preciseball that put Alex Morgan in behind  and she strike to double the Wave advantage.

In minute 67, VAR struck again to award San Diego a penalty on a handball by the Courage’s Kiara Pickett. However, once again the VAR review took several minutes and it wasn’t until minute 73, Morgan actually struck the resulting penalty to give the Wave a 3-0 lead.  

Kerolin Nicoli drew a penalty for North Carolina  just a few minutes later . She would convert the spot kick, to cut the San Diego lead to 3-1. That’s how the match ended. 

NY/NJ Gotham 0-2 OL Reign 

Gotham lost a disappointing home opener 2-0 to OL Reign as 7,534 fans convened at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night. The match was fairly even. But, OL Reign were better in the key moments. OL Reign had a great spell of play between between the 25th and 31st minutes. That culminated in a through ball from Rose Lavelle that found Jess Fishlock who scored a critical goal. 

Just before halftime, Krisitie Mewis had a great chance to equalize for Gotham, and her left-footed shot from outside the area dipped just a second late to catch the top left corner. It would have been a spectacular equalizer that no doubt would have shot energy into both the crowd and the home-standing side right before the break. 

In minute 62, Reign doubled the lead when Bethany Baicer’s left-footed shot off a corner found the near post. Following the second goal, Gotham had the better of the play. Mewis, in particular, rose to the forefront as she created several chances that could not find the back of the target. In fact, despite all of their good connectivity in the final third, Gotham did not record a shot on target. It lost, 2-0.

Orlando Pride 1-2 Angel City FC

Katie Johnson’s goal in the tenth minute of second-half stoppage gave Angel City FC a dramatic 2-1 win in Orlando’s home opener in front of 7,137. 

The first 35 minutes were close. Angel City earned a penalty after Emily Madril of the Pride committed a foul on Alyssa Thompson in the area. VAR was quick and decisive to declare a foul on the play. This was a stark difference of other VAR incidents at the weekend in NWSL.

First-half stoppage time yielded two great chances, one for each side. First Thompson hit a shot from a tight angle that forced a save out of Anna Moorhouse. A minute later, Orlando nearly equalized as Adriana hit the post with a shot that crossed the face of goal. 

The Pride came out of halftime the better side. Six minutes after the restart, Messiah Bright found the bottom left corner of the net with a nicely placed effort. The match then turned cagey for the next 25 minutes or so. In the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time, Orlando’s Summer Yates hit a ball on her left foot. Yet, the shot drifted just to the right of the post. A minute later, Angel City had a great chance of its own. But, Moorhouse dove to the right to save the effort by MA Vignola. 

Then, Johnson struck in the tenth minute of stoppage time. Her near-post header came off an excellent cross from Claire Emslie. The full time whistle blew less than a minute after the goal, denying Orlando an opportunity to level the match again.

PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Regardless, gameweek 1 in the NWSL featured great performances. Portland put together a strong performance as it begins its title defense. Then, a huge crowd in San Diego enjoyed an instant classic.

NWSL gameweek 1 recap

North Carolina Courage 1-0 KC Current 

The North Carolina Courage opened its 2023 NWSL campaign with a 1-0 win over the KC Current. Mile Geji, making her NWSL debut, converted a one-on-one with the Current goalkeeper Ad French.

North Carolina Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy kept her 18th career clean sheet in the victory. North Carolina maintained possession for much of the match, and missed several golden opportunities to score a second. Kansas City had a few really good chances, including one late in the first half. Ultimately, Murphy made three saves for the Courage.

North Carolina Head Coach Sean Nahas commented on the victory.

“It was a gutsy three points. We had some really good spells in what we were doing, and then in the second half I thought we dropped off a bit, which is normal. I thought we had several, several quality chances, thought we could maybe put the game away. But, young players are going to learn.”

“That’s [KC Current] a good team, they’re deep. I know they were missing a lot of players but we still have to go out there and get three points and I felt that the group battled. For a young group, a new group, to get three points it’s only a small step with where we want to go, but it’s a really good foundation to set.”  

San Diego Wave 3-2 Chicago Red Stars

Alex Morgan’s late penalty was the difference in San Diego’s 3-2 win against Chicago in front of 30,854 fans at Snapdragon Stadium. Morgan converted the penalty in the 89th minute following a hand ball in the area by the Red Stars’ Arin Wright. The spot kick came after about ten minutes of sustained pressure from the Wave.

Chicago suffered a blow early in the match with an injury to star fullback Casey Krueger in the 13th minute. Five minutes later, Yuki Nagasoto put Chicago ahead with a left-footed shot she placed in the top-right corner of the opposition goal. 

The lead wouldn’t last long, though, as an active crowd spurred San Diego on. In the 22nd minute, Amirah Ali beat Alyssa Naeher with a close-range header. The standout USWNT goalkeeper would put together a forgettable night. Ten minutes after the equalizer, the hosts took the lead with Jaeyden Shaw placing a shot from outside the area into the bottom right corner. On the goal, Naeher’s positioning, as well as the location of her defense, was questionable.

In first-half stoppage time, Mallory Swanson converted a penalty for Chicago after a Danieller Colaprico foul. This leveled the match at 2-2 going into halftime. 

The early stages of the second half saw Chicago create the best opportunities. Most notably, Swanson’s 54th minute attempt came after some nice team play with Nagosato on the left side of the attack. But, in the last ten minutes, San Diego took control and earned the penalty that Morgan converted. The Wave ran out winners after that. 

A notable point in this match is that both Morgan and Swanson scored, which will delight USWNT fans. They continue to look like the two most likely names to lead the line for the national team at the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

Washington Spirit 1-0 OL Reign

Trinity Rodman opened her 2023 NWSL campaign in style. She scored the contest’s lone goal in the 54th minute with a beautiful strike from outside the area. The US international took a nice pass from Doiran Bailey after an overlapping run. Then, Rodman struck the ball with her left foot and found the bottom right corner of the OL Reign net.

The victory for the Spirit came despite being outplayed for long portions of the match. Washington was sloppy in possession, and OL Reign had several big chances denied by Spirit keeper Audrey Bledsoe. USWNT standout Emily Sonnett was influential in midfield for OL Reign all afternoon. In the end, though, the Spirt did enough defensively to secure all three points. 

Portland Thorns 4-0 Orlando Pride

Sophia Smith turned in a virtuoso performance while scoring a goal and recording an assist in Portland’s 4-0 rout of Orlando on Sunday. The Thorns were so dominant, they had 16 shots on target and scored four times in front of 15,204 at Providence Park. 

The Thorns came out flying, having seven good chances to score before finally breaking through in minute 16 behind Morgan Weaver. Smith doubled the lead six minutes later. She found the top corner after a great ball from Christine Sinclair. Portland scored twice after halftime, although Orlando began to control more of the ball. This is particularly after Hina Sugita’s 49th minute goal. Michele  Vasconcelos rounded out the scoring in minute 76. 

Houston Dash 0-0 Racing Louisville

Houston Dash were held to a 0-0 draw in a cagey match in front of  5,722 fans at Shell Energy Stadium. The match took on a frenzied pace early with Jessica McDonald missing a great chance set up by Carson Pickett for Louisville. Minutes later, Houston saw attempts by Ryan Gareis and Ebony Salmon saved by Katie Lund. 

Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell proved to be the busier keeper in the second half. She made several critical saves, including a diving save in the bottom left corner on Wang Shuang’s attempt. In second half stoppage time, Lund made a late save to preserve the draw. The Dash’s Diana Ordóñez took a shot from a tight angle that was easily saved. 

Angel City FC  1-2   NY/NJ Gotham

A second-half Gotham comeback spoiled the atmosphere in front of a 22,000 fan crowd in Los Angeles. In addition, VAR made its presence felt in this NWSL gameweek 1 finale.

Angel City’s Alyssa Thompson put the crowd into a frenzy with a golazo from outside the area into the top right corner in minute eleven. Minutes later the home side appeared to double its lead when Jun Endo scored on a beautifully lofted chip from distance, but the goal was disallowed by VAR, the first ever use of VAR in NWSL. Apparently, the goal was chalked off due to a foul in the buildup.

The match went to halftime with Angel City leading 1-0. But, in the second half, Gotham was awarded a penalty on a foul by keeper Dijana Haracic. The call was reviewed and confirmed by VAR. Two picked up bookings for dissent. Gotham’s Midge Purce converted the penalty. In the 65th minute, Purce played in Lynn Williams who gave Gotham the lead with a nicely slotted shot to the far post which Haracic had no chance to save.

Following Williams’ goal, Gotham were the better side and had the best chances to score and extend their lead. In the end they ran out 2-1 winners, but VAR will dominate the discussions of this match during the week.

PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

Much of the credit goes to the Premier League’s head-start in the US. Also, the work with NBC Sports stands out against other leagues in Europe. Still, it is a reflection of the increasing cultural influence of Britain on the United States. This influence is especially prominent among younger generations.

Explaining Premier League success in the USA

Linguistic ties

This is the most logical and commonly held explanation for the success of the Premier League among English-language fans in the USA. While it may not be the biggest factor for Americans, it is elsewhere. The Persian Gulf, India and Malaysia have massive Premier League followings. The seamlessness of language benefitted the league’s global strategy.

British Movies and Music

In 1964, British culture spread rampantly in the United States. James Bond’s From Russia With Love was a hit. The Beatles led the “British Invasion” of rock music into this country. Prior to the Beatles, it was almost impossible for a British recording artist to sell records in the United States. Since 1964, it’s become commonplace for British or Australian musicians to register hits in the US.

Almost 60 years later, the James Bond franchise and the Beatles are as big as ever. Young people in the United States don 007 merchandise or listen to the latest remastered version of Beatles albums. For many young Americans, it is a rite of passage. This longstanding success is a strong testament to the lasting cultural influence British exports have on subsequent generations of Americans. Likewise, English football remains omnipresent in the discussion of soccer in this country.

In fact, since the 1960s the penetration of British culture into American households has increased. It ballooned to the point where many in the United States look across the pond for inspiration in any number of things.  British actors and actresses are regularly tapped for roles in Hollywood films. Productions from London-area film studios, like Pinewood, see regular releases in US movie theaters, unlike the pre-James-Bond era. 

For what it is worth, The Beatles have had a direct impact on making Americans into soccer fans.

Football Culture/Tourism

Oftentimes, for middle-class Americans, London is the first major trip outside North America. Multiple people relayed through the years that a trip to West London turned them into Fulham fans. The frequent appearances for USMNT talents at Craven Cottage like Clint Dempsey, Tim Ream and Brian McBride.

More critical, though, is the location of the club. Craven Cottage sits on the north bank of the River Thames. Americans always have a fascination with the river that bisects London.

Traveling to London sometimes hooks Americans on the sport. Even more seductive is a trip to Liverpool, the proving ground of the Beatles and Gerry and Pacemakers. A trip to Merseyside for music or culture often results in absorption into soccer culture. American-football- or baseball-driven friends of mine have made the pilgrimage to explore Beatles sites like Penny Lane or Strawberry Fields. As an unexpected result after a weeklong trip, they walk away supporters of either Everton or Liverpool. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the number of my contacts this has happened with. 

In other cases, the supporters’ culture of certain clubs grabs Americans who want an authentic cultural experience. Smaller, more remote locales like Ipswich Town and Blackburn Rovers adopt fans seeking a more rural English experience.

There are other examples of Americans tracing their roots to smaller towns in the Midlands or the North. To connect with their home, they take on the fandom of those clubs. That could be Wolverhampton Wanderers or Sunderland AFC, for example.

The same patterns exist for Serie A or Bundesliga fans. However, due to frequency and connection, it adds another layer of fandom to the English game in the States.

Culinary influence 

American servicemen serving in WWII once English food considered bland, boring and tasteless. Now, English culinary delights now have a large following in the US. Indian food, with heavy British influence, has become more popular in the US in the last ten years.

The British staple Fish and Chips, once considered pedestrian, has experienced a comeback statewide in the last 20 years. Additionally, the Ploughman’s Lunch and various British types of cheese have become more popular in the US. This is especially the case in suburban areas over the last decade and more.

British ales and beers, as well as various chocolates, Heinz baked beans and drinks such a barley water, have increasingly penetrated American tastebuds. Local grocery stores now often have a British section within the international food aisle, something we didn’t see 25 years ago. 

PBS Shows

Ever since Fawlty Towers and Monty Python became a thing in the United States and Masterpiece Theatre surged in popularity, PBS has become a destination for Americans looking beyond the stereotypical experience of American sitcoms and soap operas. 

Keeping up Appearances and Are You Being Served? became huge hits many years after their runs in the UK. Accredit that to PBS.

In the era of streaming, you can get a plethora of previously unavailable entertainment options. It is amazing how much cultural sway PBS’s library of British shows continues to have. Eastenders, for example, has had a 40-year run on PBS. The program turned some people, including my wife, from not caring about sports at all, to being a West Ham fan. 

Speaking of streaming, BritBox brings Americans the best of ITV and BBC programs for a small monthly fee. Its popularity continues to rise. Therefore, it is delivering British programs to younger American audiences. These people may not watch PBS or other linear TV with regularity.

Other British Sports

The number of people in the United States that are younger than me and have an interest in Cricket, Rugby and Formula One Auto Racing has shocked me. Almost universally when engaging these young Americans, they prefer the Premier League to other soccer leagues. Oftentimes, they exclusively watch English soccer with a focus on the men’s and women’s England national teams.

Whatever your opinion is of these attitudes, it’s real and demonstrates the massive penetration British culture and sport have on younger Americans, who fit the demographic group advertisers and sponsors are most concerned about. 

Bottom Line

British culture is ubiquitous in the United States in this day and age and that has served to drive audiences toward English soccer. This cultural penetration gives England’s leagues and teams a built-in advantage over its competitors in the US markets. 

PHOTO: IMAGO / Colorsport

What exactly is a third division in a system with no promotion and relegation? Well, It’s a free-standing professional division meeting the USSF’s arbitrary Pro League Standards for a Division Three league. This level of soccer provides important player development opportunities in a professional setting for young domestic starlets. At the same time, it is a proving ground for small- and medium-sized cities or local communities growing the beautiful game. Oftentimes, these are within larger metropolitan areas.

A pyramid, or a maze?

Other soccer-playing nations consolidated their pyramids building foundations at the bottom. Yet, US Soccer created a system where predatory competition between professional and adult-amateur leagues is not just permitted. Rather, it is tacitly encouraged.

This amounts to creating a chaotic soccer landscape throughout the country. One where palace intrigue and in-flighting dominate more than anything tangible in a sporting sense.

US Soccer currently boasts three independently-managed and sanctioned professional third divisions. There are no less than four separate national adult-amateur fourth divisions. Then, factor in roughly 12 regional leagues that can also fall under the ‘fouth division’ umbrella.

No serious nation involved in this sport has such disarray in its setup for the professional and adult-amateur game. It leads directly to the sort of predatory behavior that often curtails logical long-term growth for players. Consequently, it damages the understanding of the soccer divisions for fans. Additionally, the virtual anarchy at the lower division level contributed greatly to an unprecedented laundry list of club failures. This is unrivaled by other major industralized nations. 

Just this past week, MLS Next Pro’s Rochester New York FC (RNYFC), announced they were not going to contest the 2023 season. RNYFC played one year in the MLS-run third division created in 2021. MLS Next Pro launched to further player development. However, it was also a vehicle for MLS to destabilize USL.

Destabilizing competing leagues

In the past several months, countless people have spoken to me about clubs pondering the jump from USL League 2 to a professional league. MLS Next Pro provides the nomenclature of professional in the US soccer pyramid. The wider ultimate goal, multiple sources believe, is to cast doubt about USL’s long-term viability. At the same time, MLS’s net ecosystem grows with more clubs.

The prospect of commercial association with MLS is unquestionably very tempting to lower clubs’ owners and investors. Now, the Rochester situation casts doubt into whether MLS is operating a viable third-division for independent ownership. In fact, since last Friday, I have heard from multiple contacts that the Rochester hiatus will serve as a victory for USL. Reason being, MLS’s third division now looks no more stable for independent clubs than that of USL or NISA. MLS Next Pro will field 27 teams in 2023. Each of those 27 is an affiliate of existing MLS clubs. 

Meanwhile, NISA, sanctioned as a third division by USSF, has seen three of its clubs defect to USL in the last four years. It loses several other teams in the usual manner that lower division soccer clubs fail. NISA will play the 2023 season with just nine teams, including expansion sides in Savannah and Central Florida.

US Soccer’s willingness to allow corporate entities to fight it out left the sporting landscape resembles the wild west. The Federation only paid token interest to lower divisions in the last several years. US Soccer instead focused solely on its senior national teams, fending off litigation. Former USSF President Sunil Gulati warranted many of his criticisms. At least he tracked lower soccer divisions to try and play peacemaker when problems arose. Since Gulati’s departure in 2018, we have seen no effort from US Soccer whatsoever to deal with the mayhem below MLS.

The plight of lower divisions in US Soccer

Earlier this week, I had a conversation with a figure in the sport that has long consulted for lower division clubs in the United States. This person said to me that their advice to prospective owners today is simple.

“Don’t start or buy a club in the United States.”

US Soccer is unwilling to serve as an honest and fair facilitator at the lower division level. The ensuing havoc with MLS’s foray into the field destabilized an already volatile situation. In fact, investment at this time is just unwise. That is even with the US having won the right to co-host the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. 

Instability is the name of the game in the United States thanks to the USSF role as an absentee landlord. Take south Florida, for example. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area has been ravaged. It lost an MLS team in 2001, a second-division NASL side in 2016, and our remaining second division side was forced to play in an adult-amateur league in 2018 due to a situation beyond the club’s control. 

By 2020, south Florida had three professional clubs, two of which were brand new, including an MLS entrant. Backtracking to 2018, the year we lacked a club in a professional league locally, we still had 12 teams playing in a national fourth division. These clubs split between PDL (now USL League 2), NPSL and UPSL. Since 2018, many of the 12 clubs have either gone under or changed leagues. This discussion does not even factor in the large number of clubs that have come and gone in local leagues the Florida Adult Soccer Association (FASA) sanctions.

Effect on fans 

Southern Florida is but one areas of the country where this sort of disarray has created an unstable and unsustainable soccer environment. It also leads directly to fans becoming jaded and quitting the domestic game, instead choosing to focus on foreign soccer or worse yet, other entertainment pursuits. 

Yet all of this, seems to go above the heads of those running US Soccer and many in the media that cover the sport in this country. With the United States co-hosting a FIFA World Cup in 2026, the time is now for some degree of consolidation and logical build-out of the US Soccer pyramid to take place. Alas, it appears like bringing a semblance of order to lower division pro soccer is not among the priorities for the US Soccer Federation. 

PHOTO: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire

The United States Men’s National Team legend is the primary American-accented studio voice analyzing the English top flight for a US audience. Howard is currently in his third season in NBC’s Premier League Live studio. That follows a playing career as the most-capped goalkeeper in the history of the US men. He is one of the most recognizable figures in the sport in North America.

Howard’s long club career took him from MLS to the Premier League, where he spent well over a decade. Then, he returned to MLS before ending his career in USL. He concluded the 24 years between the sticks with Memphis 901 FC, a club he co-owns.

Co-commentary opportunities augmented his playing days. In fact, Howard served as a co-commentator for NBC Sports in their very first year of covering the Premier League during the 2013-14 season. That experience helped Howard grasp the responsibilities of analyzing matches. Therefore, he transitioned smoothly into his post-playing career.

Speaking exclusively to World Soccer Talk at the recent Premier League Fan Fest in Orlando, Howard spoke in more detail about the transition.

“I think the fact that I was able to work some co-comms with NBC helped me transition. I knew the people, I already had a great working relationship with [NBC Sports’ Premier League producer] Pierre Moossa, the Robbies (Earle and Mustoe) and Rebecca (Lowe). It’s always a difficult transition for any athlete retiring from playing. But, ultimately, that experience helped me feel safe, wanted and welcome.”

Return trips to England and past experience

As a famous former player, Tim Howard garners considerable attention when NBC’s studio crew visits England. NBC makes that pilgrimage at least once per season. Rebecca Lowe recounts that Howard, as a player for Everton and Manchester United, earns so much attention due to his high profile in the game and his sizeable contact list.

Trips to England helped Howard shape his viewpoints, stay connected to the league and become a stronger studio analyst. 

“I think it’s very important we get over there once or twice a season, it helps the broadcast and brings a real feel to the audience. It helps me, as well, as it brings the power and pace of the Premier League, something I experienced for years as a player. It’s something that’s breathtaking in person and so you try and get that across to the audience.“

Being a former standout goalkeeper also gives Howard a somewhat different perspective than field players who become analysts. Yet, a career spanning over two decades and time spent with hundreds of different players shapes his viewpoints too.

“The position we play in our careers gives us a view and different perspectives to the game and play on the pitch. I try and draw from that experience. There is a lot I learned across 22 years in the game of football, not just from a goalkeeping angle, but inside the dressing room, when the team travels and all of that. I want to try and use all those experiences to help convey my thoughts to the audience.” 

Tim Howard remains one connection away from Premier League

Having played for over two decades, Howard has many former teammates and coaches. One of Howard’s longtime former teammates is Mikel Arteta. The two played for five seasons together at Everton. Also, one of his former managers is David Moyes, who coached Howard for seven seasons at Goodison Park.

Overall, Howard spent a decade at Everton, and is a club legend for the Merseyside club. In Howard’s career, Everton qualified for European competition four times. Three of those European qualifications came under Moyes, with Arteta as a teammate. 

“With both Moyes and Arteta, and some others, I have a relationship with them where I know who they are as people where I get the tactical side of their thoughts and can work some of that out. It’s very important you give the viewer the insight into how these people are as managers and as teammates and as coaches, because I have had those experiences with them.”

Howard also noted the preparation involved in covering the league. It does not just shut off when matches end and flip on when the matches begin the following week. He relishes the continued work, saying it is akin, in many ways, to being part of a club team. 

The preparation for each weekend’s matches involves watching clips and full matches back. He can pick up on tactical trends and other important items. Therefore, the viewer watches and learns during each studio broadcast.

“The grind is beautiful. It’s what I was built for. It is what you miss when you can no longer play the game, you miss the team camaraderie, the intense schedule, the grind as you put it. We’re built for this, and you miss it when it is not there, so it is good to have it back.”

PHOTO: IMAGO / Propaganda Photo

Lowe talked to World Soccer Talk at this past weekend’s Premier League Fan Fest in Orlando. The studio show, headlined by Premier League Live, continues to evolve and grow. Now, it exceeds the show that revolutionized soccer coverage in the US.

“The first few years we were very studio based. But, when we made that first trip to England in 2015, it added a new dimension to the show, and then doing it as often as we’ve done it, and throwing in trips to the Kentucky Derby, two or three fan fests a year and all of a sudden you have a show that’s really dynamic, and even though our studio show is really good anyway, changing it up gives our show a breath of fresh air. What we have done is push the show to the max and give the fan a community and keep a balance. We don’t want to be gimmicky and do a fan fest every week but keep a balance.”

Building the credibility of NBC

NBC organized a trip to England at least once each season since 2015. The lone exception was the COVID-impacted time. Those ventures contribute immensely to NBC’s continued coverage.

“It’s created more credibility and authenticity. Robbie (Earle), Robbie (Mustoe), Tim (Howard) and I know so many people over there. Football in England doesn’t really change. I’ve been turning up at games since I was young, and the stewards and staff in the tunnel are often the same people. We can feel connected once again when we go there, so it helps us remain close to the league and keeps our connections and perspectives fresh. Doing the England trips and fan fests allows us to evolve things and make sure things don’t stay the same. We started in 2013, by the end of this current (rights) contract it’ll be 2028. We have to evolve, we cannot be complacent or static, and the trips really help us move the presentation along with time.” 

NBC’s coverage has not only enjoyed critical acclaim in the United States, but has surprisingly grown in terms of presence in the UK as well, helping to set a standard for global Premier League coverage. Lowe discussed the reaction to NBC in the UK. 

“A lot of people (from the UK) who either come on vacation here or see NBC on the internet, through clips on Twitter or Instagram are seeing our shows. Plus, the name NBC means so much around the world. It’s like the BBC or Sky now, in terms of the media world. Everyone knows it and respects it. Now, with so many American owners and players, it grows it more, giving us more access to interviews, because everyone wants to be on American TV. [The US is] such a huge market, it’s really well known there (the UK).”

Americanized media

In recent weeks we’ve seen matches between Brentford and Bournemouth where interviews and dressing room access were granted to broadcasters. Plus Arsenal hosted Manchester United, where the NBC commentators Peter Drury and Lee Dixon were joined by Sky Sports Gary Neville in the dressing room doing a set-piece segment. This is something you rarely if ever see in televised coverage of the Premier League. Lowe is hopeful that more access will be granted to NBC and other rights-holders in the future. 

“I think access is a slow-burn with the Premier League. Coming here and seeing how you guys do it with the NFL, you see how far behind the Premier League is. Now with more American owners coming into the league you’ll see changes because they’ll want that sort of access given. As much as I love English football, it’s still very traditional and people will push back and it’s in the blood over there to be more restrictive, but slowly, but surely more access is coming. There will be a pushback, but more access is coming.” 

Rebecca Lowe serves multiple roles in Premier League coverage

Another evolution of NBC’s coverage has been the weekly Sunday morning television segment, “The Lowe Down.” Originally, it provided the chance for fans to ask questions. Also, it allowed Lowe to don her analyst cap for a few minutes rather than serve as a host.

The segment has a different energy and vibe, helping to keep things fresh for the fans and pundits alike. It is available on YouTube and Sunday morning’s Premier League Live program.

“I was a bit hesitant at first where in England where you are not supposed to have strong opinions, and you are supposed to just facilitate traffic (on the set), but I have a lot of opinions and spend the whole day talking to the guys giving my opinions, so for me it’s quite normal to give opinions but it is fascinating how much other people find it interesting, but I suppose that’s like everyone at home who has opinions and I never know the questions from the guys, so I have to be quick with my thoughts and responses.“

NBC Sports will continue to be the exclusive broadcaster of the Premier League in the United States until at least the end of the 2027-28 season, with Rebecca Lowe likely behind the desk for all of it. That represents 15 years of broadcasting the world’s most popular soccer league exclusively in the United States.

And with Rebecca Lowe at the helm, soccer fans should feel fortunate to have such a charismatic presenter bringing Premier League soccer to us each and every week. The future looks incredibly bright.

PHOTO: Nicholas Casanova/NBC Sports

Grant Wahl, a fixture on the American and global soccer scene, passed away suddenly on Friday. Wahl was 49.

Wahl was no ordinary soccer writer. Rather, he was an institution in the game and a mentor to so many. Even more critical, arguably, was the role Wahl played in growing the game in the United States. 

Wahl wrote about soccer for over two decades at Sports Illustrated. He first caught my eye during the France 1998 World Cup. Then, his prose was unique among American writers at a mainstream platform at the time. This differed from many in the US. Covering soccer, for them, was a demotion from the traditional sports. It was a time flier or stepping stone into a mainstream sport.

Wahl embraced the culture and understanding of the sport for all its worldliness. 

Through the years, Wahl’s impact grew. Eventually, he became the most visible and well-read writer about the sport in the United States. By the time the mid 2000’s rolled around, I was addicted to his columns. They were a window to the world of soccer. For me, soccer was a fandom, and Wahl provided all the content I could desire. He was the outlet for a sport that barely registered in the US landscape.

A tribute to Grant Wahl

Wahl was such a talented and visible presence. He could have went on to write about college basketball. Or, he had the potential to breach other, more prominent, US sports. We cannot understate his impact on growing the game’s popularity. Its current standing in terms of visibility is much to the credit of Wahl’s determination.

In 2006, I started writing about soccer in a more serious fashion. The form Wahl used in his writing was my clearest model. His writing style gave context and background to a game that was foreign to most Americans. Soccer needed a special touch from writers who were trying to sell the game to the masses. 

Storytelling was his forte and it reached new heights in his 2009 book, The Beckham Experiment. I lauded that book for this website. It remains, today, a quintessential read in terms of storytelling and understanding of the trials and tribulations around Major League Soccer in that era. 

Wahl’s byline in this era conveyed a seriousness to the reader. A story gained traction and importance if he was the writer assigned to it.

I jumped to the other side of the desk, so to speak, in 2010. The North American Soccer League (NASL) brought me on as Communications Director. Quite quickly, I registered the potential of getting Wahl to cover stories related to our league. It would be beyond helpful to grow this upstart second division league.

The reach of the writer

Such opportunities did present themselves, perhaps not as regularly as I had hoped but often enough. Wahl dug into stories related to our league and teams. That began with a Tampa Bay Rowdies player who was featuring for the Palestine national team in 2011. It culminated, at least in my experience, with the announcement of Brazilian great Ronaldo buying a portion of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. It was on this last story, in early 2015, that we felt the full impact of Wahl’s persona. He had begun contributing to FOX Sports soccer coverage a few years earlier. 

One of the challenges of giving stories to national writers with a platform was that local reporters who work long hours for little pay, covering local teams sometimes become resentful. But, in the case of Wahl, when you worked with him on a story, everyone in the game understood the magnitude of the platform he had.

As my role in the game evolved, I came across more people who said Wahl was an inspiration or a mentor. He was someone who always had time to speak to a soccer writer or press officer, no matter how relatively inconsequential they were. He took the time to mentor a whole generation of young writers and was instrumental in helping revive a largely dormant, The North America Soccer Writers (NASR) professional organization, of which I served as Vice President from 2017 to 2019. 

Additionally, he was a friend to so many in the business. Three months ago, Neil Blackmon, one of my closest associates and friends in this business, lost his father. One of the first phone calls Neil received was from Grant Wahl, who was never too busy to spare a minute and a thought for a colleague. 

A pioneer for soccer

Grant was almost like a missionary for the beautiful game, spreading the gospel of a sport that was secondary or even unknown to most American sports fans. He sought out national news platforms and any other vehicle to talk about and promote the sport to a greater constituency than regularly watched it.

While breaking news was in his wheelhouse, as described above, more important to him was his efforts to promote the people and personalities around the game as well as the culture not just in the United States but globally that fueled the passion in soccer. 

Speaking the truth

After leaving FOX Sports in 2019 and Sports Illustrated in 2020, Wahl’s voice became arguably even more important. As a freelancer, he became even more committed to telling stories and giving important context about a sport that was becoming increasingly questionable in its ethics and its impact. Wahl was no stranger to controversies around FIFA, briefly considering a run for president of the organization a decade earlier, in 2011. Wahl had hammered FIFA for years for its scandal and ethical lapses, but as the World Cup in Qatar approached and governance of the game became even more questionable, he sharpened his pencil and penned many a column, that raised alarm bells around key issues surrounding the game. 

In 2021 and 2022, writing on a substack platform, Wahl penned some of his most important pieces, which effectively fused activism with a passion for the sport. His final piece, penned the day before his passing, discussed FIFA World Cup 2022 host Qatar’s shameful treatment of migrant workers from South Asia, and the political efforts to silence conversation about it. 

It was a fitting tribute for Grant Wahl to end his career, as that piece reflected his deep sense of justice as well his desire for the beautiful game to be just that. Beautiful, once again. 

PHOTO: IMAGO / Bildbyran

US rights-holders FOX Sports (English) and Telemundo Deportes (Spanish) have taken different approaches to the presentation of the competition. Both broadcasters have strengths and weaknesses we’ve seen thus far in the tournament through eight matches. 

FOX Sports’ coverage of World Cup 2022

Let’s start with English-language broadcaster FOX Sports. Despite intense coverage of the controversies connected with Qatar and FIFA from US-based media outlets ranging from ESPN to Netflix and the New York Times, FOX has made the editorial decision to ignore these controversies.

That is all good and well and can be defended as keeping the sport and competition in focus. However, FOX’s decision to spend much of its 90 minute pregame program on Sunday promoting Qatar left a very bad taste in the mouths of many. Rob Stone and Alexi Lalas were so over the top in their faux enthusiasm for Qatar that it appeared they were either “working” for the Qatari government or tourism board.

Stone, who was isolated due to COVID two weeks ago, has not appeared on the FOX since the pre-match coverage of Qatar-Ecuador. He’s been replaced by Jenny Taft, Kate Ad and Tom Rinaldi – all doing a credible job. Taft, in particular, has proven smooth and sharp as a presenter. 

Lalas has stood out among studio commentators for his willingness to challenge conventional norms and give some useful defensive tactical analysis. His break-down of Saudi Arabia’s defensive solidity and strategy in their stunning 2-1 upset of Argentina was a high point for FOX’s coverage. Eni Aluko has continued her strong performances in past tournaments both on UK and US television with some excellent analysis for FOX. 

Assessment of FOX’s World Cup commentators

Similarly that match, which was called by JP Dellacamera and Cobi Jones, highlighted how well FOX can do with commentary when something epic or unexpected is happening. Dr. Joe Machnik and Mark Clattenburg chiming in with rules interpretations has been timely, especially during the Argentina-Saudi Arabia match where close offside decisions were a major talking point. Similarly the team of Jaqui Oatley and Warren Barton were excellent. And Barton, who we’ve criticized in the past, has grown immensely as a co-commentator. 

On Monday, Ian Darke and John Strong called the biggest matches of the day for FOX. Both commentators have a talkative style, and are flanked by co-commentators in Landon Donovan and Stu Holden respectively who are very tactically savvy in their analysis. This has led to a good conversational style in the booth and some interesting discussions between the pairings. 

The standout of FOX’s coverage thus far from my vantage point has been Clint Dempsey. We’ve become accustomed to him on CBS Sports, where he has brought an attitude and willingness to speak with hyperbole to the set. The “soccer dude,” as I dub him, has been a stroke of lighting in a bottle for FOX, and is growing ever more comfortable as an on-camera presence as his broadcasting career continues to develop. 

FOX’s production issues

While FOX’s commentary teams and presenters have been solid, the production quality of the broadcasts have been shaky at times. FOX returned late to the Denmark-Tunisia match from halftime, and after the same match concluded they had an abrupt shift to a show about the NFL on FS1.

Later on Tuesday, on the FOX network, we got a blank screen following the full time whistle of Poland-Mexico.

We have also had a few clunky transitions from match to studio, but that can always be expected early in a major tournament. 

These production snafus have unfortunately been a long-term problem with FOX’s coverage of this sport, and while the commentary and presentation of the tournament is miles ahead of where it was at Russia 2018, FOX remains far less crisp in how they produce matches and tournaments than their predecessor ESPN was. 

What makes FOX Sports different

FOX seems to have leveraged the full media network still under the News Corp umbrella to promote their coverage. This was not the case in 2018, nor was it ever the case when ESPN and ABC televised previous World Cups. While Disney tooled its sports division to promoting the World Cup, they never did quite what FOX has this time in terms of pushing the World Cup into mainstream primetime television and every other sporting property FOX airs. 

The other major talking point about FOX is their obsession with Americanizing soccer coverage. While this does not fit my personal preferences as a more cosmopolitan fan of the sport, the reality is this. FOX is trying to attract casual sports and doing a good job of it. The over-emphasis on the US Men’s National Team, while annoying and somewhat patronizing given the lack of focus on the US’ opposition in the opening match, is what the audience wants. This is despite, however, skewed and delusional the analysis may sound to more seasoned soccer fans.

Telemundo’s coverage of World Cup 2022

FOX faces unprecedented competition for World Cup viewers this go-round. Not only is the World Cup being played in the winter, thus competing with American football and the holiday season as well, in addition to NBCUniversal’s efforts to promote their Spanish language broadcasts among core soccer fans who may have a dissatisfaction with the way FOX presents the tournament.  

Telemundo Deportes began its coverage Sunday with a different approach. They went directly at the controversies related to Qatar, and even addressed the controversy about Ecuador’s qualification for the competition. Telemundo’s coverage has been solid, with the usual colorful presentation we expect. For the broadcaster though, the tournament’s first two days was one big build up in hype to Mexico’s opener against Poland, with Telemundo very much treating Mexico the way FOX treats the US.

A refreshing element of Telemundo’s coverage was an extensive feature on Wales, qualifying for their first World Cup since 1958. This included an interview with Tottenham legend Cliff Jones, now 87 years old who was part of that Wales 1958 squad. This is the sort of feature I’d have loved to see on FOX or even on ESPNFC’s shoulder programming around the World Cup. 

Why Peacock is enticing to many soccer fans

The linear coverage on Telemundo is one piece of NBCUniversal’s attempts to win over English-language dominant hard-core soccer fan. But perhaps more importantly is the effort to migrate viewers who are accustomed to watching the Premier League on Peacock to the Telemundo coverage streaming in Peacock. 

Watching Peacock for the World Cup allows you to see one continuous stream of matches, unlike what the streaming service does for the Premier League, and the quality of picture at least for me is superior to linear Telemundo or FOX either on linear or streaming. Much like the Premier League broadcasts, if you tune in late on Peacock, you have the option of reviewing key plays in the match to that point in time. 

The only drawback of watching Peacock is that the stream tends to fall behind the linear coverage by as much as forty seconds in my experience thus far. If you can take missing the moment at the very second it happens, then Peacock offers a really handy, streaming option. 

Thus far into the World Cup, the premier sporting event on the globe has a bigger footprint in the US than ever before thanks to the competition between FOX and NBCUniversal as well as some serious upgrades to coverage and promotion. 

Feel free to share your feedback about FOX and Telemundo’s World Cup coverage; post your messages in the comments section below.

Major League Soccer (MLS) is hoping its next TV deal is worth significantly more per year than the current deal that expires at the end of next season. The current deal began in 2015. It includes properties owned by the US Soccer Federation (USSF) and managed by MLS’ marketing arm Soccer United Marketing (SUM). But how much of the MLS TV rights deal depends on Leagues Cup potential?

Current rights holders Univision as well as ESPN and FOX will likely bid in an effort to retain MLS rights. The expectation is that several other media companies including ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia will bid for MLS media rights.

MLS TV deal without US National Team rights

The next TV package will not include the USSF piece of the previous TV deal. In short, USSF has decided to bring its media rights back in house. This leaves MLS in a potentially precarious position. The rights to USMNT-USWNT matches were a major reason why the broadcasters combined paid $90 million annually for MLS.

It is pretty clear that a big chunk of the value was directly tied to the USSF piece of the package. Theoretically, the loss of the USSF part of the deal would make the next rights package less valuable. MLS’ TV ratings have not grown as well since the time of the previous media rights package. However, when MLS negotiated its last deal, the league had 20 teams. This deal will feature nine more clubs in the league with potentially more expansion on the horizon.

Enter Leagues Cup

MLS/SUM have created a clever way to add more value to the next TV deal despite losing the USSF package. Currently SUM operates a summer tournament known as Leagues Cup. It pits four top Liga MX sides against four selected MLS ones. Subsequently, when the new TV deal begins in 2023 for MLS, changes are afoot. The Leagues Cup will expand from eight teams to include the entire roster of MLS and Liga MX. That is a minimum of 47 teams in total.

Leagues Cup will be a component of the new MLS deal, effectively replacing the USSF portion of the previous package.

Both Liga MX and MLS will pause their respective seasons for a month in the summer for the competition. In addition, Leagues Cup now will carry with it sanctioning from Concacaf. Therefore, it will be the first cup competition in the world to include every team from two separate FIFA-sanctioned first divisions.

Expanding the competition in theory is about improving the level of club play in North America. MLS has touted the value of the new competition in many ways. First, to improve player development. Second, to increase squad depth. Third, to create more meaningful matches. Traditionally, MLS seasons have been long where in some cases you can lose or draw 60% of your matches and still qualify for postseason play. The league has said that the competition will provide a global window on players and clubs based in North America.

Selling an unproven cup competition

While all of MLS’ reasoning sounds nice, it could have a grain of truth attached to it. Leagues Cup is clearly designed to become the premier TV property under the SUM umbrella. MLS is taking a month off during its season for the competition. The hope is meaningful matches against Liga MX clubs will bring more eyeballs to the product. The winner, runners-up and third-placed team will get an automatic spot in the following season’s Concacaf Champions League. That competition gives every MLS side an opportunity to qualify for the expanded 2025 FIFA World Club Cup.

In an interview with The Athletic, Charlotte FC President Nick Kelly had this to say about the Leagues Cup:

Well, it is interesting because we have got the expanded Leagues Cup coming in 2023 and that is a big, formal start with [Liga MX]. The fact that we are going to shut down for a whole month to do it is at least a good first step. To work out what this is going to look like, what is the impact on MLS, what is the impact on Liga MX. I think there could be a huge impact from a broadcast point of view. If they have the same level of fandom that the Champions League has in Europe, it is just a home run. We will be coming out of a World Cup, so that is good timing. It could work out really well.

The highest television numbers for club soccer in the United States feature Liga MX. The profile of MLS on Univision exceeds any other property on the broadcaster’s multiple linear channels. Ensuring Univision or another Spanish-language broadcaster pays more in the next rights cycle is critical. Especially as part of the thinking around the expansion of this competition.

MLS TV rights deal depends on Leagues Cup potential

Additionally, Leagues Cup as both a linear-digital property may add more interest in the number of bidders on English language TV. Leagues Cup can fill a critical hole in the summer programming of many linear channels. It also can add increased content for the likes of current rights holders ESPN and FOX. It also will undoubtedly add lots of intriguing matches that streaming services such as ESPN+, WarnerMedia’s HBO Max, ViacomCBS’ Paramount+ and others would find interesting.

An expanded Leagues Cup appears to be something that will be entertaining and interesting for fans of the sport. It is a cup competition that virtually merges the two top leagues in North America together for a month of meaningful competitive matches. In a certain manner, the launching of this expanded tournament and the rationalizations around it is a concession from MLS that its regular season is largely meaningless at points, and that TV viewership would likely be higher with more critically competitive matches.

With all this in mind, it is very possible that the Leagues Cup expansion is to give MLS and SUM cover for its most glaring weakness as a media property. That is the lack of meaning to most soccer fans around individual matches during the summer. This need is due to SUM losing the USSF rights, which provided several meaningful matches guaranteed to garner good TV numbers.

Is Leagues Cup the remedy?

It is without question that the expanded Leagues Cup will add an exciting, new dimension to competitive club soccer in North America. But what is really critical to ponder is if this gambit, which involves MLS shutting down its own competition for a month and rendering it effectively secondary in the overall summer landscape of the sport, will net the league a substantial spike in both dollars earned from media rights and TV viewership?

We do not know the answer to this yet, but the Leagues Cup certainly will add flavor to MLS and more value to the competitiveness on the soccer side of its clubs.

But will it be the big TV hit the league needs? And what happens if Liga MX teams dominate winning the competition similar to Concacaf Champions League, making MLS teams look inferior? We do not quite know those answers yet. But a consideration is that MLS is banking its future TV rights success on attracting Liga MX viewers.

England’s top-flight league recently announced a new 6-year rights deal with NBC Sports to extend NBC’s Premier League coverage in the United States. Once the new $2.7 billion deal ends in 2028, it’ll equal a grand total of 15 years of continuous coverage.

NBC Sports’ aggressive promotion of the league and use of linear platforms has brought English soccer closer to the American public. It has created a new generation of viewers and has given existing fans even more live action and shoulder programming.

We take a look back at years one through nine to see how NBC’s coverage has done.

NBC’s Premier League coverage: 2013/14 to 2015/16

Beginning in the summer of 2013 on an initial three-year deal, NBC Sports elevated the profile of the Premier League in the US. Fans were brought closer to the league than ever before in the US. For example, the broadcaster aired several introductory programs to the league before kicking off action.

The Premier League rights acquisition also gave NBCSN weekend and midweek programming that it previously lacked. This made the channel more attractive to both cable providers and viewers.

In an effort to create buzz for the Premier League, NBC Sports ran skits of the Ted Lasso character. The commercials featuring Jason Sudeikis helped stimulate conversation about the Premier League. Plus, it served as the pretense for a fictional TV show about an English soccer club. The promotional videos evolved into the TV series. One that won countless awards and acclaim. That helped further establish soccer as a mainstream American presence.

Presenter Rebecca Lowe and lead commentator Arlo White have been two mainstays, among many, on the network. Both Lowe and White developed tremendous fan followings.

In the first few seasons of NBC Sports’ coverage, they supplemented match coverage with programs. For example, there was an American version of Match of the Day. Next, there was Premier League Download. Even Gary Lineker joined NBC Sports to provide on-site analysis. Plus he provided documentaries via his production studio, Goalhanger films.

Behind the scenes at NBC Sports

The documentaries and bumper programming enhanced NBC’s coverage. It bolstered American fans’ understanding of the league, history and culture. These programs gave NBC and NBCSN a programming block for most match days that covered eight to ten hours. NBC Sports aired over 30 matches each season on free-to-air NBC network television. At the time, that was a breakthrough for soccer broadcasting and visibility in the United States.

When Men in Blazers moved from ESPN to NBCSN in 2014, the show helped engage casual fans. It emphasized offbeat and humorous takes on the Premier League. Panned by critics, the show had a major, positive impact on the growth of the sport in the United States.

Premier League on NBC: 2016/17 to 2021/22

When NBC Sports renewed its contract with the Premier League in 2015 for more seasons, expectations were high. Many of us hoped the coverage would continue to elevate discussion and attract new fans.

A high point for NBC Sports were their fan festivals. Held in outdoor venues in major American cities, they helped connect the Premier League with fans at the local level in the US. Not only were the fan fests a big hit. They also gave many American fans a sense of ownership over a league played an ocean away.

Spanish-language broadcasts were handled by NBCUniversal-owned channels Telemundo and Universo. Featuring the legendary Andres Cantor, the broadcasts have incremental growth in viewership.

From Live Extra to Gold and Peacock

Throughout the period from 2015-2018, NBC’s coverage remained consistent. However, beginning in the summer of 2017, select matches were put behind a paywall on a service called NBC Sports Gold. The response was less than positive.

NBC Sports Gold’s introduction soured the relationship the network had with US-based fans. But the service proved a harbinger of what was to come. Not only for NBC, but for soccer fans in the US in general. The late 2010’s and early 2020’s have been marked by a clear shift. Many games have shifted from linear TV to OTT paid services.

In the summer of 2020, NBC retired the Gold platform replacing it with Peacock. Currently, the streaming services airs between 40-50% of all Premier League matches in a season.

While criticisms were aplenty, it is important to put things into perspective. NBC still made more matches available on TV than other rights-holders did for their respective soccer properties.

In 2018, NBCUniversal’s parent company Comcast acquired Sky in the UK. This brought synergies between Sky Sports’ and NBC Sports’ coverage of the Premier League.

NBC’s coverage also took on other elements in the 2018-2021 time period. Overall, NBC’s coverage slumped. Fewer bumper programs were aired, documentaries were fewer and far between while the network also lost talent. Restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic also had a negative impact on coverage. Thankfully, the 2021-22 season saw NBC Sports bounce back with a stronger presence in its final season.

NBC’s lasting legacy

Certainly, NBC Sports’ coverage of the Premier League has raised the coverage of the sport in this country. The broadcaster can be criticized for focusing too much on The Big 6. But despite that, its soccer coverage has left a legacy. We now have a more visible and popular league in the United States. Combine that with smarter wraparound coverage than we had every experienced before. NBC Sports should be congratulated for renewing the Premier League rights. It has left us with nine years of memorable coverage. Hopefully the next six years can be even better.

Anticipation is building at Premier League’s head office in London of a record-breaking U.S. media rights deal. Photo credit:
Jonathan Brady – PA Images.

When it comes to the US broadcasters battling for Premier League rights, there is a lot for the league to consider. For instance, it is a critical period in the evolution of sports broadcasting. Does the Premier League need to double down on a quality streaming service? Or is it time to maximize the distribution of television networks?

After all, which broadcasters are best equipped to grow the Premier League in the United States? When you consider what is at stake, it is possible the deal may reach as much as $3 billion over nine years. So, let us take a closer look at the main contenders. We also examine their strengths and weaknesses.

When the Premier League signed a six-year rights extension with NBC Sports in September 2015, the media world was different. At the time, over the top streaming services were largely limited to on-demand taped programming. Meanwhile, linear TV networks offered streaming services such as ESPN3 and NBCSports.com. They were complementary to cable and satellite subscriptions, requiring authentication.

NBC’s current six-year exclusive rights package expires at the end of the current Premier League campaign. So far, the rights have attracted no shortage of suitors. The U.S. media rights are expected to cost somewhere between $250-300 million a year. And as recently reported, the rights could be split evenly between potential media partners.

First, let us look together at the strengths and weaknesses of each major U.S. sports broadcaster:

Pros and cons of US broadcasters aiming to win Premier League rights

FOX Sports

	Strengths	Weaknesses
	Ability to cross-promote league across World Cup and European Championship; Checks all of the boxes for distribution (across TV, streaming and Spanish-language TV)	Weak studio talent; Some of their commentators don’t have much soccer experience; Poor communications and marketing of games; Tubi is not yet synonymous with sports; Other sports conflict with EPL programming; Unfavorable opinion among majority of US soccer fans; Overall, low soccer IQ
	Spanish-language network	Streaming service
	FOX Deportes	Tubi
	Channels available	Key factor
	FOX, FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus	Premier League would be ideal vehicle to use to promote FOX’s World Cup 2022 and 2026 coverage

FOX’s commitment to the NFL, Big Ten, NASCAR, MLB and other properties means the Premier League would likely not have many broadcast timeslots available on over-the-air FOX.

Unlike the last time FOX had the rights to the Premier League in the US, the network no longer owns a dedicated soccer channel. Additionally, the broadcaster no longer owns FX (which is now owned by Disney). In the past, that channel regularly saw aired spillover Premier League, Bundesliga and Champions League games.

Still, FOX likely would be able to dedicate time on FS1 and FS2 to the league outside of college football and basketball seasons. FOX may be able to show as many matches on TV as NBCUniversal but they would be buried on channels with fewer viewers.

CBS Sports

	Strengths	Weaknesses
	A-rated studio analysts; Hire top commentators; Have shown huge commitment to quantity and quality of shoulder programming; Excellent communications and advertising of games; High level of soccer IQ	No Spanish-language network; Paramount+ technical issues; other sports programming commitments limit amount of games on CBS network
	Spanish-language network	Streaming service
	None	Paramount+
	Channels available	Key factor
	CBS, CBS Sports Network	Premier League would make Paramount+ the streaming service for soccer fans, offering Europe’s two biggest competitions (ie EPL and Champions League).

CBS has become the broadcaster of choice for many American soccer fans. However, CBS would see the Premier League as mostly an acquisition for Paramount+. It already has a large number of soccer rights. Plus, it has a limited number of ViacomCBS-owned channels that air soccer. Currently, CBS does air one or two Serie A matches a weekend on CBS Sports Network.

The departure of the SEC football package from CBS following the 2023 season does potentially open more broadcast windows on the CBS network. College basketball continues to occupy much of the time in the spring, but the ratings for that sport continue to wane outside of March. Extensive PGA Tour coverage is also a roadblock to more broadcast over-the-air timeslots.

ESPN

	Strengths	Weaknesses
	Leader in US sports coverage; ESPN+ is number 1 sports streaming service; Have shown commitment to hiring strong talent; High level of soccer IQ; Daily soccer show is a plus	College football commitments reduce availability of open TV slots
	Spanish-language network	Streaming service
	ESPN Deportes	ESPN+
	Channels available	Key factor
	ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPNU, ESPN Deportes	ESPN needs the Premier League to hit aggressive subscriber growth numbers.

Given ESPN’s lack of broadcast television timeslots that are available, it’s doubtful they will be able to give the Premier League much attention on TV. The Premier League would be almost exclusively a streaming property.

The tradeoff is that ESPN’s actual production and studio programming is likely to be better than most offerings from NBC, CBS and FOX, with constant promotion of the league, the “greatest show on earth” via the Disney family of media properties. But does that offset being on linear television?

In my opinion, no. But without a doubt the proposition will tempt some in the Premier League if Disney flashes the cash for exclusive rights.

Second, let’s look at two different potential options for the packages among major media entities and break down each possibility. The two potential package options we will analyze are one partner gaining exclusive rights to all 380 yearly Premier League matches and a potential even 190/190 match split between two media partners.

NBC Sports

	Strengths	Weaknesses
	8 years of solid Premier League coverage; NBC’s Fan Fests have helped grow league across country; Studio talent and commentators enjoy critical success; High level of soccer IQ	Peacock technical issues; Reluctance to make all games available via streaming; Telemundo is still not in HD in many markets
	Spanish-language network	Streaming service
	Telemundo and Universo	Peacock TV
	Channels available	Key factor
	NBC, USA, CNBC, Telemundo, Universo	Premier League would continue to give Comcast ability to stem subscribers cutting the cord.

NBCUniversal retaining the rights would mean a mix of Comcast-owned channels including the NBC network, USA, CNBC and Peacock. The networks of NBCUniversal are still in the position to offer the Premier League more matches on linear television than any other potential broadcast partner. The only obstacle facing NBC on its over-the-air channel is the same as it has been the last nine seasons – golf. And with the PGA Tour season calendar significantly different than it was in 2013 when NBC began broadcasting the league, the schedule works out better for the network.

Realistically, NBCUniversal can probably air 3-4 matches each Premier League matchday on linear television, including one a week (with a few exceptions) on the NBC network. The remaining 60-65% of matches would likely be aired on NBCUniversal’s streaming service, Peacock. While that might not sound a great deal for viewers accustomed to well over half the matches on TV, that’s probably the best linear-to-streaming ratio possible.

A possible issue is NBC’s diminishing amount of bumper programming that is actually aired on linear TV regarding the Premier League. However, so long as NBC continues to stream those programs on Peacock and carry Premier League TV as a stand-alone channel within Peacock, the league will probably be satisfied.

Which broadcaster is the best fit

Analyzing all of the above broadcasters, there is no one ideal partner that has everything the Premier League wants. Each of them have their own limitations.

We believe the Premier League realizes that. For instance, that is why the Premier League has decided to offer broadcasters a choice of four packages. Here are the package options, according to The Athletic.

The first is the status quo: all 380 matches, to be split between the bidder’s various platforms. The second is new: all 380 games but shared on a co-exclusive basis between two partners.

The third and fourth are single, exclusive packages of 190 games each. One package would bring the first-, third-, fifth-, seventh- and ninth-choice games in odd rounds of matches, and the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and 10th picks in even rounds. The other package would flip the picks.

Given that there is a distinct possibility that the Premier League may decide to partner with more than one broadcaster, here is my analysis about the likely possibilities:

Could an NBC & CBS partnership work?

This would give the Premier League two of the traditional “big three” broadcast networks invested in English top flight soccer. The networks would trade-off picks every week in terms of top matches. This would allow maximum linear broadcast windows and permit both networks to schedule around existing commitments to other sports, most notably golf on Saturdays.

Benefits of a NBC & ESPN partnership

Given the enmity between Comcast and Disney at the corporate level, this would make a very uncomfortable shotgun marriage at many levels but it could work. The power of NBC’s linear channels and Disney’s growing presence on the streaming side would put the league in a unique position.

In addition, the marketing presence of both entities would be a dream for the Premier League. The prospect of being promoted by two media giants might be too good to pass up if an offer that split the rights between these two was on the table.

ESPN’s pragmatism with sports rights has been notable. Firstly, they have displayed a willingness to split the NBA’s cable package with Turner for two decades. Secondly, the new NHL package has a similar splits. Thirdly, splits abound for many college football conferences with CBS or FOX.

FOX & CBS?

In theory, this could work as FOX could air many matches on FS1 and FS2. CBS could air the occasional linear match with lots of Paramount+ content. In addition, CBS’ original studio programming around soccer might appeal to the Premier League.

However, it is difficult to see this partnership leading to the level of promotion that the league probably wants in the US market. In addition, FOX’s lack of a strong OTT streaming presence means that the entire streaming component of the deal likely ends up with CBS.

FOX & NBC – the last two Premier League rights-holders

This in theory would work with lots of broadcast windows for linear on both. However, FOX’s lack of a viable OTT streaming platform is an issue. Tubi could potentially be this but is not established enough as an option for live sports events yet. And it’s doubtful the Premier League would want to take a chance on it. This combination is not viable unless all streaming is given to NBC’s Peacock.

Could ESPN & CBS be the winning formula?

This split would be particularly intriguing as these are the two media entities most invested in club soccer at the current moment. The bumper programming produced in-house at both networks would be high-end. But again, like with other possibilities, ESPN’s piece would be largely streaming. However, the promotion capabilities of Disney’s media empire combined with the visibility CBS would give the league makes this potentially an outstanding combination for the Premier League.

Last but not least, FOX & ESPN

Even though this same exact split occurred in the 2009-13 time period for the US Premier League rights, neither network has adequate broadcast windows to make this work. It works for MLS because of the March to November calendar, but one could argue it does not really work once college football season begins.

This combination, though it was viable in the past, would simply not work well for the Premier League in the 2020’s.

The outsider: Amazon interest

How a combination of a broadcast network and Amazon Prime would look is difficult to forecast. I had believed the Premier League might break out a separate package of midweek and holiday fixtures for Amazon in the U.S. However, there is no indication based on published reports nor our own sourcing that the Premier League will do such a thing. So, Amazon likely has to partner with another entity or bid for the entire 380 match package, without a broadcast partner.

Recently, I felt Amazon had a real shot at securing a portion of the rights or the entire package. But in the last 18 months, there have been a lot of changes. Firstly, NBC’s interest in the Premier League rights has bounced back. Secondly, CBS has emerged as a huge player in the soccer space. Thirdly, FOX has renewed its commitment to the sport. For FOX, that seemed unlikely at the start of 2020.

Bottom Line

In conclusion, the Premier League has many options for its next US TV deal. It needs to weigh distribution as a key factor along with whomever bids the most.

The deadline for the broadcasters to submit their bids to the Premier League is November 8. Ultimately, the Premier League will decide which package to select. As a result, we will then know who will broadcast the English league from the 2022/23 season onwards.

What opinions do you have about the US broadcasters battling for Premier League rights? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Additional reporting and analysis by Christopher Harris

NBC’s Old Trafford coverage following the postponement of the game between Manchester United and Liverpool failed viewers.

Sunday’s events at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium had much of the world on the edge of its seats. Protests erupted over the ownership of the Glazer family who recently tried to move Manchester United into a largely-closed European Super League, after years of piling debt onto the club’s books. The protests led to the eventual postponement of Manchester United’s Premier League fixture with its biggest domestic rival, Liverpool.

Covering a live news story, NBC Sports’ Premier League studio and commentary team did an outstanding job of keeping viewers abreast of events and developments at the ground. The matches Sunday were aired on cable channel NBCSN. The network gave some context and decent analysis around the situation, but that unfortunately happened hours after the events of the day were completed.

On the flip side, NBC’s pundits offered some commentary that was off-the-mark particularly during the 11AM ET hour after the bulk of events that led to the postponement of Manchester United’s fixture with Liverpool had taken place. At the time of the postponement, whether it was because of being a Premier League rights holder or some other circumstance, NBC was clearly from my eyes trying to make the Manchester United supporters who were protesting look like the instigators of this situation, which they are most certainly not from my vantage point.

NBC’s Old Trafford coverage broken down

The Good

From about the 15th minute of the Newcastle-Arsenal match onward until late in the second half, NBC employed a split-screen with the ongoing match covering half the screen and the unfolding events at Old Trafford covering the other half.

At this point Rebecca Lowe as presenter and Arlo White as lead commentator were excelling. White noted he and his broadcast partner Lee Dixon had entered the gantry area at Old Trafford early as the likelihood of well-attended protests was well-known in advance of the match. From White’s broadcast position he was able to give a play-by-play of the ongoing events including a pitch invasion and ruckus behavior in the stands. We even witnessed the destruction of a tripod by a fan as a steward looked on.

After the postponement of the match was made official by the Premier League, NBC’s team did an excellent job of summarizing events as they happened from about 1:30PM ET onwards.

NBC’s ability to use its primary presenter Lowe and lead commentator White to cover and quickly digest breaking news was reminiscent of the job ESPN did during Euro 2016 in covering the strikes in Paris as well as the rowdy behavior from Russian fans plus the civil war within factions of the Croatian Football Federation that led to fan clashes between Croatian fans.

After the Spurs-Sheffield United match, NBC’s studio team and commentators did a fair job of summarizing the day’s events and giving some needed context on the protests. This however, was a completely different tone from what we experienced earlier.

The Bad

At times before 1PM ET, NBC’s studio team was insufferable in their seemingly one-sided analysis. Lowe’s tone at times, especially during the 11AM ET hour, came across as patronizing. And the analysis of studio pundits Robbie Earle and Robbie Mustoe were at times way off-the-mark. I focus on the 11AM ET in particular because that was the regularly scheduled hour for pre-match buildup and kickoff. The network would have had peak viewership at that time from the majority of viewers who were unaware of the fracas that had unfolded earlier.

A few comments really irked me as a viewer who admittedly is sympathetic with fan protest movements, but has some knowledge of how these situations can be handled, having been on both sides of the desk as a front office executive at multiple US-based clubs and at other times an elected officer in supporters groups.

The first comment that was particularly bothersome was Robbie Earle’s swipe at the potential of fan ownership which many of the protesting United supporters are demanding. He implied fan ownership could not work because of the rowdiness of fans.

What Earle nor anyone else in the NBC studio conveniently failed to mention is that members own 75% of Bayern Munich, widely acknowledged to be among the best run large clubs on the planet and arguably the most successful on the field.

The protestors at Old Trafford demanding fan ownership which included displays of signs that read “50 + 1” were advocating a successful model in which 32 of 36 teams in Germany’s top two divisions are organized. Closer to Old Trafford, the original protests against the Glazer family ownership led to formation by Manchester United supporters of FC United of Manchester which has successfully competed in England’s semi-professional ranks for more than a decade, building a base of supporters and members worldwide, something unprecedented for a semi-professional club.

Earle’s studio pundit partner, Robbie Mustoe — who is normally level-headed — made a claim during the same 11AM ET hour that implied Sunday’s events would conjure up images of hooliganism in English football again. This seemed purposely designed to appeal to biases and wrong-headed stereotypes of many American fans. The reality is this, hooliganism in England’s professional game is limited in this era and any incident of hooliganism gets magnified beyond any reasonable perspective by the tabloid press in Britain and the media that covers soccer abroad.

It is no secret that many casual American fans of the Premier League view English clubs the same way they view American sports franchises – as an entertainment vehicle and one in which they tend to support management in any dispute with players and local fans. This is not the culture in England as many have discovered in the past few weeks, and it seemed NBC’s tone particularly in that 11AM ET hour was geared toward the American casual and not the hardcore US-based legacy Manchester United fan who is as angry and frustrated by the Glazer family’s ownership of the club as local fans in the Northwest of England are.

During that hour, Lowe’s tone as presenter had turned from the serious, breaking news host she had excelled at the previous two hours to patronizing, looking to facilitate a discussion that placed the blame for the events squarely on Manchester United’s supporters. Never in that hour was there a reasonable discussion about fan ownership, the Glazer family or any balanced discussion of how else Manchester United fans could express their displeasure with the current situation at the club.

At one point from his position on the gantry commenting on the events with Dixon, White mentioned the protests had nothing to do with the European Super League. Really? Then, what prompted this display at this time from United supporters? The timing isn’t a coincidence. The European Super League failure will likely prove in the long-run as the final undoing of the tense truce between supporters of England’s three biggest clubs (Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal) with each club’s distant American owners.

The coverage from NBCSN that hour was not balanced and quite honestly leads to questions the network’s overall arch of Premier League coverage. It should be mentioned though the tone was much more balanced later on in the day but did it take the producers and some actual time off-air for reflection while NBCSN aired a Barclays fan program from 1PM ET to 1:30PM ET and a match from 2:15PM ET until 4:15PM ET to move the on-air talent to a more balanced position?

Or were the on-air talent purposely conservative in their analysis feeling that they needed to tow the line as a Premier League rights holder representing a network that is about to open fresh discussions about the next rights cycle? Perhaps this caution is partially justified if this is truly the case but what was clear to me is that the tone shifted later in the day to a more balanced perspective for whatever reason.

Summary

NBC’s Premier League coverage scored big with its ability to cover live breaking news events on Sunday. However, the analysis of its studio and commentary teams lacked the proper balance and perspective during a critical hour when the match was originally scheduled to kick off.

Last year, CBS Sports’ coverage of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) set a high bar for the broadcaster entering 2021, where a certain degree of normalcy will return to the sports calendar.

In 2021, NWSL will play its second short in-season league cup competition before moving on to a normal regular season on May 15. That 2021 Challenge Cup begins Friday.

CBS Sports coverage of the NWSL Challenge Cup launched earlier this week on Tuesday night with an intriguing documentary that looked at how NWSL’s 2020 Challenge Cup was the first test of professional sports in the United States in a bubble. In case you missed it, the program entitled The Original Bubble will re-air several times this week on CBS Sports Network in the lead-up to the beginning of the Challenge Cup.

CBS Sports’ Executive Vice President for Programming Dan Weinberg spoke to World Soccer Talk this week regarding The Original Bubble documentary and CBS’s coverage plans for the Challenge Cup.

“NWSL’s leadership and players worked together to figure out how to bring a team sport back in a bubble concept,” explained Weinberg. “It was remarkable what they figured out how to do it safely and pulled off and showed other organizations how to do it.”

Coverage of live matches begins Friday, April 9 with a rematch of the 2020 Challenge Cup Final between Houston and Chicago. That match will air on CBS Sports Network. Of note, J.P. Dellacamera, the legendary commentator, will call the match alongside Aly Wagner. Dellacamera is historically considered one of the top commentators for soccer on U.S. television.

“We are extremely excited to have J.P. Dellacamera as part of the NWSL broadcast team,” said NWSL Director of Broadcast and Content Dana Rubin. “As the premier American voice of soccer, his presence on the CBS broadcasts will continue to add to the credibility and entertainment value of these shows.”

In total, all 21 matches of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup will air on either CBS (over-the-air), CBS Sports Sports Network and Paramount+. The May 8th Challenge Cup Final will be televised nationally on the over-the-air CBS network with Dellacamera and Wagner again providing commentary.

The manner in which CBS Sports presented NWSL in 2020 was in many ways very different from the broadcaster’s UEFA Champions League Coverage. CBS tapped into the already strong base of commentators that have called women’s soccer matches on US television and added a layer of superior production to bring a new level of broadcast to American television and streaming.

Instead of reinventing the wheel and trying to force a new stamp on coverage, CBS Sports enhanced the already strong existing work of NWSL Productions. The use of commentators that had regularly called the women’s game and NWSL speaks to that, though CBS did put its own mark on the coverage in terms of presentation, graphics and extended pre- and post-match shows.

As CBS Sports portfolio of soccer properties grows, Weinberg made it clear that the strength of NWSL means it remains a priority for the broadcaster.

“We’ve got a really strong package this year – Challenge Cup then the regular season, also including the Championship in November on CBS (over-the-air), and when you look at our extensive portfolio in this sport, NWSL is a premier league in the world so it is a key piece of what we are doing,” said Weinberg. “It’s a key piece for us to establish ourselves where we hope to be the premier player in the (soccer) space.”

It is possible, says Weinberg, that we may see regular season matches being added to the schedule for CBS over-the-air network in addition to the Challenge Cup Final in May and NWSL Championship match in November. CBS surprised some analysts with its strong over-the-air ratings for NWSL in 2020.

SEE MORE: Schedule of NWSL games on US TV and streaming

“We do know that there is a loyal audience for this league and sport,” Weinberg said. “We know it’s growing, it’s diverse and for this league, [there’s] a strong female component. All of that is appealing from a programming standpoint. We want to align ourselves with best-in-class marquee athletes and marquee leagues that have a loyal fanbase.”

As we’ve discussed with reference to Serie A’s move to CBS, the broadcaster’s superior web presence and 24-hour CBS Sports HQ streaming service, CBS Sports will provide highlights, analysis as well as pre- and post-match coverage on the free streaming service. Sandra Herrera and Jenny Chiu will feature on the CBS Sports HQ coverage.

In addition, CBS Sports website and the CBS Sports App will have extensive content related to the competition including written editorial content.

The three NWSL Challenge Cup CBS Sports Network telecasts will feature Jenn Hildreth as the commentator with co-commentary provided by Lori Lindsey. Marisa Pilla will provide sideline reporting and commentary.

With all of this in place and a strong organizational commitment to the product, CBS Sports appears poised for a big second season of NWSL coverage.

Last week, the news was confirmed that CBS Sports has won the rights for Serie A in the United States from the 2021-22 season to the 2023-24 season. The bulk of matches will air on ViacomCBS streaming platform Paramount+ with limited matches airing on CBS Sports Network. Included in the deal are the rights to Coppa Italia, which had been part of a separate rights package in the U.S. market previously, and the Supercoppa Italiana.

ESPN, which has aired both Serie A and the Coppa Italia competition the last three seasons, has made an effort to push the league on its linear platforms, showing over 30 Serie A matches a season on television in addition to occasional Coppa Italia ties. But it can be strongly argued that ESPN, like every other U.S. broadcaster that aired Serie A, has had other priorities in soccer from a marketing standpoint.

Prior to its three year run on ESPN, Serie A was on beIN Sports. Prior to that Serie A gravitated back-and-forth between FOX’s cable channels and GolTV.

The reality is that Serie A has been passed around U.S. broadcasters like a hot potato. The league remains prominent enough to consistently elicit interest from those who don’t have the rights, but apparently limited in its upside to convince broadcasters to go the extra mile to promote it and maintain rights at all costs.

So what does CBS need to do to make Serie A a more visible property in the landscape of broadcast sports in the U.S. and soccer in general in this country?

Maintain high standards set on UEFA and NWSL Coverage

CBS has largely wowed the U.S. audience with its extensive coverage of both European club competitions and NWSL. After years of not bothering with soccer, the broadcaster has dived head first into the sport, acquiring properties at a frenzied pace. But as we’ve seen in the past with other networks, saturation of properties can either lead to critical mass creating great overall coverage, or some properties being neglected in favor of others.

For Serie A on CBS Sports to be successful they must maintain the similar standards to what they have established for the UEFA Champions League. That won’t be easy and will require acquiring broadcast on-air talent with a specific expertise in Italian football.

Wraparound coverage

Like ESPN, CBS needs to have in-depth prematch shows for the biggest matches and some sort of halftime and post match production. Using the world feed for matches is fine but that should not substitute for bumper programming.

ESPN improved the bumper show coverage of Serie A. Previous rights-holder beIN SPORTS generally crammed Serie A matches in between shows that focused predominantly on La Liga. However, whether or not ESPN had dedicated pre and post match coverage as well as an active halftime studio were left to arbitrary decision making. Usually it required a big match and coupled with no other big soccer-related event being on ESPN’s family of networks the same day.

CBS can do better by dedicating itself to giving Serie A a dedicated studio program be it on CBS Sports HQ or directly on Paramount+ or CBS Sports Network around every league matchday.

CBS Sports will have to make a decision regarding where to locate its Serie A studio. A London studio, which has been used for UEFA club competitions, might be more attractive because of the large number of broadcast media talent that lives in and around the United Kingdom capital. But it should be noted CBS might have a difficult time securing some of the talent they use on Champions League matches as most have obligations with other broadcasters on the weekends.

Another option is to have the studio in the New York area using some of the talent already on display at CBS Sports HQ. This might give the broadcasts a more American feel, but also attract new talent from various points domestically.

My hunch is that CBS Sports will use London as its base for Serie A and all future European competitions the network airs. This will also put CBS in close proximity to the commentators that IMG uses on the international English language world feed for the league. It may give CBS the opportunity to use some of those commentators on days they are not calling matches for the world feed.

Promote across its platforms

CBS Sports has historically had a stronger web presence than FOX, beIN SPORTS and NBC Sports divisions. In addition, CBS Sports HQ‘s 24 hour news service has created a strong brand in discussing soccer in a similar vein as ESPN’s studio and sports news programming.

Paramount+ has a clunky interface, yet it’s been fairly easy to locate UEFA Champions League and Europa League matches since the new app launched in early March. Additionally, NWSL coverage is already prominently advertised within the app. Giving Serie A similar treatment will be of the essence.

Serie A fans in the United States tend to be very clannish in terms of how they consume coverage. They demand a dedicated coverage and promotion scheme. CBS has the bandwidth to deliver on this in ways most broadcasters cannot.

Use CBS Sports linear broadcast windows

While ESPN showed one Serie A match a week on linear television, often those matches were poorly promoted early morning Sunday showdowns, which only involved top teams about half of the time. So while ESPN may end up airing more matches on TV than CBS plans, it is very possible that CBS could improve Serie A’s visibility based on when they air games.

As of now, It appears that CBS has three major network sporting priorities in the following order: the NFL, golf and NCAA basketball.

Weekly PGA Tour events generally attract solid television viewership and as soccer fans are well aware, the one circumstance where Premier League matches have been consistently bumped from NBC’s over-the-air channel is when conflicts with golf occur.

So on the surface, it might appear that CBS over-the-air network will have little opportunity to show Serie A. But perhaps that is not the case. The ratings for regular season college basketball have been declining in recent years as the “one-and-done” rule and shoe scandal have taken a toll on interest outside the NCAA Tournament. So in January and February, CBS might be tempted to place a big Serie A matchup with title implications.

During the last several seasons, we have regularly seen Premier League matches on NBC in the 12:30PM ET time slot out-do CBS college basketball regular season games in terms of overall viewership numbers. The drift of college basketball to a niche sport based around the month of March has opened the door for European soccer to compete effectively with it head-to-head outside of March. This very much could weigh into CBS long-term thinking with Serie A and soccer in general.

SEE MORE: Schedule of Serie A games on US TV and streaming

While CBS shows golf regularly, there are also weekends where NBC shows the weekly PGA Tour stop. Therefore, if the timing is right, CBS could always air a matchup in April or May.

As for CBS Sports Network, programming is often light on weekend mornings, so showing Serie A in a more visible time slot than what has been the case on ESPN’s networks is possible.

Paramount+ improvements

It’s imperative that Paramount+ adds the promised functionality to pause and rewind live games, to improve the overall user experience. The sooner that happens, the better — especially with the 2021/22 Serie A season scheduled to begin in August 2021.

In this story, we will be reviewing NBC’s EPL coverage seven years removed from their acquisition of the rights.

In the seven and a half years, NBC Sports Group have televised the Premier League across their various platforms. For the most part, U.S. fans have been very satisfied with the level of coverage they have received. But a strong case can be made that NBC’s best days of covering Premier League football are behind them. With Premier League rights coming up for bid next year for either a three or six year period beginning with the 2022-23 season, the time has never been better to review where NBC’s coverage has recently fallen short of the mark.

When NBC embarked on broadcasting the Premier League in 2013, for an initial three-year period, they set an incredibly high standard for presentation and production. World Soccer Talk visited NBC Sports Group’s Stamford, CT campus in the early days of NBC’s coverage of the Premier League. What we found then, and was conveyed over-the-air was a level of seriousness in covering a club soccer competition that at the time was unprecedented on American television.

In the summer of 2015, NBC’s rights to air the Premier League were extended a further six seasons, ending with the 2021-22 campaign. At the time, fans rejoiced as the fear of access to and presentation of the league backsliding to pre-2013 levels was real. However, during the course of this current six-year contract, NBC seems to have — of late — regressed relative to the competition that airs soccer in the United States.

Reviewing NBC’s EPL Coverage

Let’s look at some of the key points related to NBC’s recent coverage shortfalls.

Less insightful studio punditry

The usefulness of NBC’s pre- and post-match programming was already waning last season, but the loss of Kyle Martino, the network’s most analytical Premier League studio pundit, has been glaring this season. Tim Howard, his replacement, brings a different perspective and skill set to the job – one that viewers should appreciate as a recently retired player who has either played with or for a number of current managers in the league. But Howard doesn’t quite have the ability to break down matches the way Martino did, though he has recently improved.

Additionally, NBC’s emphasis even before the loss of Martino has shifted from covering the league as a whole to blowing up any story about the “big six” clubs that claim a disproportionate percentage of American fans. NBC’s studio team will spend countless hours discussing Liverpool or Manchester United, but seemingly ignore Brighton or Fulham. In NBC’s early days of covering the league, they spent lots of studio time focusing on every aspect of the competition, but at some point shifted to a top-heavy approach.

Danny Higginbotham’s addition to the studio team in the last few weeks has been a welcome one. The former Stoke City defender has an uncanny knowledge of the league and has an immense ability to talk about clubs outside the “big six.”

Presenter Rebecca Lowe has gone from being a gold standard studio host to someone who oftentimes asks the wrong questions or even the laziest ones. This may be less on Lowe and more on the drift of the NBC presentation in general. Many of the shows Lowe hosts are sprinkled with light entertainment features, something NBC always did, but now seem to take up more programming space than ever.

Less informative

Steve Bower’s regular appearances on Monday’s gave an insight not otherwise present on NBC’s Premier League programming. Prior to this, Bower had regularly hosted NBC’s studio, and served as a second lead commentator.

Gary Lineker’s departure from NBC left the network without a regular pitchside studio for big matches. Similarly, it lost the latest from Goalhanger films. This featured several documentaries hosted or produced by Lineker about non ”big six” clubs.

Semi-regular features with Mark Clattenburg on officiating were also very useful and informative for viewers. Those are now virtually non-existent on the network.

Less original reporting

It was out of NBC’s control, but Neil Ashton’s decision to leave journalism and become a public relations professional in January 2020 left a huge void in NBC’s presentation. NBC did not replace Ashton, like in the case of Bower and Clattenburg. Rather, it filled the void with more “big six” studio talk and fluffy entertainment driven features.

To have a complete studio production to wrap-around matches, you need someone who breaks the news. Or, someone who can make educated analysis and predictions going forward.

The lack of original reporting or analysis of news stories is a huge miss for NBC. Furthermore, replacing Ashton’s insight with occasional commentary from NBC’s sister network Sky Sports News is less useful than doing nothing.

More Sensationalism

Perhaps it is the influence of Sky, now owned by NBCUniversal parent Comcast, but NBC’s studio now seems obsessed with any scandalous story or ones involving large personalities. For example, let’s say a controversy develops involving Jose Mourinho, Jurgen Klopp or Paul Pogba. Expect NBC to devote significant studio time to discussing that rather than on-pitch action. Granted, any Premier League studio presentation discusses similar controversies. Yet, NBC visibly increased emphasis on these topics over recent seasons.

The new CBS standard

The CBS acquisition of the U.S. rights for UEFA club competitions in English changed the game completely. This applies to both studio production and match commentary. The studio crew of Kate Abdo, Micah Richards, Roberto Martinez and Jamie Carragher works well. Simultaneously, they produce cutting-edge analysis and light-hearted entertainment.

NBC used to do this as well. However, the service shifted toward a more entertainment-based focus centered around sensationalism. Consistent coverage of the likes of Jose Mourinho or Paul Pogba dominates air time.

CBS has also brought in at various times some of the best English-language reporters to discuss their areas of speciality in continental football. This is something severely lacking in NBC’s coverage, especially after the loss of Ashton.

In addition, CBS brought to match commentary two of the definitive voices of English-language soccer broadcasts in Clive Tyldesley and Peter Drury. NBC over relies on Arlo White. His dependency as a commentator and an analyst needs rehashing. White remains popular with his Americanized commentary style. But the loss of Bower has left White with too much to do. It’s time for more commentary firepower based in the UK if NBC plans to retain Premier League broadcast rights.

Summary

Indisputably, NBC shifted its emphasis from covering the entire league to more entertainment and the “top six”.

But it can be argued that NBC is just responding to what the market wants. After all, most Americans support “big six” clubs. And consistently in our Twitter polling, NBC studio shows and personalities remain the most popular among American soccer fandom. The coverage also remains “comfortable.” Premier League fans developed a routine of seeing the same commentators and pundits.

However, my view is that as CBS’ coverage penetrates deeper into the consciousness of American fans. Even those big club fans will find NBC’s coverage inferior by comparison. The recent addition of Higginbotham (who also does work for CBS Sports HQ) is a step in the right direction. Let’s hope it’s the first of many.

Surely, NBC plans to retain the Premier League rights in the United States. Therefore, a complete overhaul of the presentation may be necessary. Consequently, an overhaul breathes new life into NBC’s broadcasters.

A top media journalist predicts NBCSN shutting down as a channel is imminent. The home of the Premier League in the United States has a lifespan of possible less than 12 months.

Fans of the Premier League in the United States have for the last several years been accustomed to a default linear TV channel to watch the league. NBCSN has been the home of most Premier League linear telecasts in the U.S. since August 2013. However, last week, highly-respected writer John Ourand of Sports Business Journal echoed much of the chatter in the media industry making the prediction for 2021 that NBCSN will be gone by year’s end.

Ourand predicted:

Late in the year — think November or December — NBCSN will shut down its sports channel and move NHL and EPL programming to USA Network and Peacock. The move is part of a strategy to grow NBC’s streaming service, while keeping its big entertainment channel relevant in a cord-cutting world. The move creates a glut of smaller programming — like car shows and dog shows — in the media marketplace.

Broadcast television changed remarkably since Comcast completed its buyout of NBCUniversal in 2013. Later that year, the Premier League debuted on NBCSN. Prior to the takeover, Comcast owned this channel under the moniker Versus.

NBCSN Shutting Down

It is logical that NBCUniversal would look to consolidate content and close down NBCSN. For starters, the channel as a stand-alone property doesn’t bring either the viewership numbers nor the carriage fees that Disney’s ESPN sports channels do. Secondly, NBCSN content can be spread easily to Peacock to give NBC a competitive boost in its battle against Disney and Viacom-owned streaming competitors that mix sports, entertainment and news.

Streaming content, which was a supplementary add-on for most cable viewers in 2013, has as 2021 approaches become for many consumers an outright substitute for cable. For many Premier League viewers in the U.S., it might be easier to have access to all league content via Peacock, NBC’s over-the-air channel and USA Network, which is on basic cable in most places, than to have to keep a premium cable tier/sports pack to receive NBCSN. In a world of cord-cutting, while a shutdown of NBCSN would inconvenience some Premier League fans, for many it might provide an opportunity to consolidate viewing platforms and reduce costs.

Ourand made another NBC-related Premier League prediction which has far greater long-term implications for the league’s viewership in the U.S. than the potential shutdown of NBCSN. He predicted:

NBC will start negotiating a new EPL deal early in the summer. Even though other media companies will try to grab those rights, NBC will lock them up for another six-year term. NBC will create more windows on its broadcast channel, plus run games on USA Network and Peacock, while keeping the most matches behind a paywall on Peacock.

Curious timing

For the record, this prediction, unlike the one about NBCSN shutting down, surprised me. I have been operating for the last 12-18 months under the assumption that the flatlining of Premier League ratings on both NBC and NBCSN, the likely shutdown of NBCSN, as well as the gravitating of content to behind a paywall was a sign NBC was trying to recoup losses incurred on the current 6-year rights deal the broadcaster made with the league in 2015. As a result of these factors, I felt that in all likelihood, the Premier League would begin life with another U.S. media partner at the end of this rights cycle, in August 2022.

My assumption was that a purely streaming platform such as Amazon Prime, DAZN or Disney’s streaming services would have the resources and the bandwidth to pry the league away from NBC, who arguably overpaid in 2015 for the rights from 2016 to 2022. However, this makes sense from both NBC and the Premier League’s perspective.

How does this potentially create an advantage for the Premier League?

It puts the Premier League on distribution networks not solely dedicated to sports. It may surprise some fans, but being on a platform that features drama series, movies and news gives an additional ramp for non-sports driven people to explore soccer.

With Disney’s recent investor day announcement that they will build ESPN+ content (including several of the Premier League rival competitions) into the Hulu platform, the Premier League will benefit from being on a platform, Peacock, which it shares with popular entertainment and news programming.

READ MORE: Schedule of Premier League games on US TV and streaming

In addition, Peacock provides the Premier League with U.S. access to its in-house TV channel. Having Premier League TV on throughout the day in the U.S. is an important step for providing shoulder and ancillary programming for the league’s fans in this country.

Sticking with NBC would also give the league a leg up on competitors, as it would increase broadcasts on linear TV, which is an option no competitor can offer the league. Additionally, placing select matches on USA Network is an upgrade over matches that currently are on NBCSN or CNBC, in terms of general viewership. However, it might make each match more difficult to find, as a programming guide will be needed to know where each match is broadcast.

How this advantages NBC

With NBCSN shutting down, keeping the Premier League incentivizes more Peacock Premium sign-ups. As noted above, fans in the U.S. may benefit from the consolidation of matches into one streaming platform. It is certainly easier to keep track of compared to the split between streaming and linear TV.

Since Comcast purchased BSkyB in the U.K., we have seen greater synergies in NBC and Sky Sports Premier League coverage. If NBC can reach another long-term deal with the Premier League, it will further exploit those synergies. For one, this helps cut production costs. Also, it brings the U.S. and U.K. coverage of the league in sync.

Time will tell if Ourand’s predictions come to pass. But, one thing is for sure. In a media landscape changing rapidly due to streaming and COVID-19, Comcast will continue to tweak its operation. Positioning NBC properties in the best competitive situation possible is always the goal.

Danny Higginbotham, one of the top Premier League commentators the last few years, recently relocated to the USA. His move mirrors a similar one made recently by Premier League broadcast veteran Jon Champion who relocated to the U.S. in 2019 to become ESPN’s lead voice on MLS and U.S. Men’s National Team matches.

Higginbotham, who has been familiar to American Premier League viewers for his work on Sky Sports, Premier League Productions and BT Sport, has also appeared on NBC’s Premier League coverage in the past as well as this season. A familiar face as a player, he was part of Manchester United’s famous class of ’92, but is probably best known for his playing days at Stoke City during a period of time when the Premier League was growing quickly in popularity stateside.

This week, the Philadelphia Union announced that Higginbotham would join the commentary team of the 2020 MLS Supporter’s Shield winners ahead of the 2021 season.

Speaking to World Soccer Talk this week, Higginbotham talked about his move stateside.

“The main reason for moving initially was due to Philadelphia Union and the opportunity they have given me. When I first met up with them, you saw straight away how they want to do things and they want to be the best and it’s great to be on board. It has been the perfect move because my wife is also from Philadelphia as well so in terms of a family move it made sense as well.”

Danny Higginbotham and Analysis

Since moving to the United States in October, Higginbotham has featured on both CBS Sports HQ coverage during UEFA Champions League match days and on NBC’s Premier League coverage across its various platforms.

Analyzing UEFA club competitions for CBS Sports HQ, Higginbotham has enhanced an already strong team of analysts and commentators who take a deep dive into both Champions League and Europa League. The CBS Sports HQ coverage compliments both the traditional studio coverage on CBS All Access and CBS Sports Network as well as The Golazo Show on CBS Sports Network.

On Premier League coverage this season for NBC Sports, Higginbotham has added a seriousness of analysis and a layer of knowledge that has enhanced their studio presentation. On his very first post-match show, he was able to enhance the conversation and analysis of the Brighton-Southampton match, the type of fixture that recently NBC has minimized discussion of before moving on to topics related to big six clubs.

This past weekend, that level of analysis was once again present. For example, he pinpointed the strengths in emerging Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze’s game, having watched him at QPR the past few seasons in the Championship. Additionally, Danny Higginbotham gave the type of analysis of Fulham during halftime and post match of the Cottagers 1-1 draw with Liverpool that U.S. fans of the club have longed for. American Fulham fans have long complained both publicly on social media, and privately to me, about the “big six” slant of both NBC and ESPN studio shows when they discuss English football.

Diverse Work

Higginbotham is thus far enjoying his work with both CBS and NBC.

“It’s been great so far. The attention to detail from both and the professionalism and organization has been an absolute different class and both have amazing team work and have made me feel welcome from the get go.”

UK viewers accustomed to seeing Higginbotham on their television screens won’t lose out on him completely. He will still appear, when available, on Sky Sports News most Thursday morning’s to preview the upcoming weekend fixtures.

This coming weekend, Higginbotham will be in the NBC Premier League studio Saturday and Sunday alongside Robbie Mustoe to provide analysis. On Monday, Higginbotham will be flanked alongside Robbie Earle.

Editor’s note: View the Premier League schedule on NBC Sports for the next several weeks.

The American soccer Twitterverse can’t stop discussing the record numbers of American men playing in the UEFA Champions League, so we thought it appropriate to go back into the time machine to review the history of Americans in Champions League. This 2020/21 season, there are ten USMNT-eligible players who have made Group Stage rosters, exceeding the previous record of six in the 2004-2005 season.

Several Americans this season have the possibility of playing key roles in knockout stages should their teams progress. Last season, RB Leipzig’s Tyler Adams scored the match-winning goal in the quarterfinal phase against Atletico Madrid. Meanwhile, the likes of Sergino Dest, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and others continue to play key roles in this campaign. The other Americans on this year’s UEFA Champions League Group Stage squad lists are Zack Steffen, Ethan Horvath, Konrad de la Fuente, Chris Richards and Alex Mendez.

Let’s look back at the history of Americans in Champions League, and specifically to the previous high point for Americans in the UEFA Champions League, which was the 2004-05 season, as well as looking at other American contributions throughout the years.

Americans in Champions League

2004-2005

The 2004/05 season was the previous high-water mark for Americans in Europe’s premier club competition with six Americans featuring in the competition at various times including DaMarcus Beasley who played in the semifinals for PSV.

DaMarcus Beasley

In 2005, Beasley became the first American to play in the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. PSV was eliminated on away goals after a 3-3 semi final draw with AC Milan, but the then-23 year old winger led PSV with 4 goals in the competition, making appearances in all twelve PSV UEFA Champions League matches.

Beasley would play six more times in the Champions League at PSV and twice for Rangers in future seasons.

Landon Donovan

By the time Donovan returned to his parent club Bayer Leverkusen, he had been the centerpiece of two MLS Cup winning sides with San Jose. However, European and domestic German competition was a bridge too far for Donovan. Infamously, he flopped badly in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 against eventual Champions Liverpool. Donovan’s performance was so abject he returned to MLS soon after, freed from his contract at Leverkusen.

Donovan would never play in another UEFA Champions League match after his performance against Liverpool.

Tim Howard

Howard was Manchester United’s starting goalkeeper in the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League and had allowed Porto to advance with an error in misplaying Benni McCarthy’s shot and allowing a tap in for a Porto player. This result was a key moment in making Jose Mourinho, then managing Porto, into a managerial legend.

Howard was in-and-out of the lineup during the 2004-05 campaign, regularly swapping the number one goalkeeper position with Roy Carroll. At the end of the season, Edwin van Der Sar was signed from Fulham and Howard was relegated to backup duty before moving to Everton a year later.

At Everton, Howard would regularly feature in the UEFA Cup/Europa League but never again saw Champions League football.

Jermaine Jones

A teammate of Donovan at Leverkusen, Jones appeared twice in the Group Stage. He was at the time part of the German National Team setup. After three Germany senior appearances, Jones became one of the first players to take advantage of a FIFA rule change and switched his allegiance to the US.

Jones played over thirty times in Europe, including 19 Champions League appearances, mostly for Schalke over a long career. However, he notably missed out on the club’s 2010-11 run to the semifinals as he was on loan at Blackburn that season.

Robbie Russell

The former Duke Blue Devil standout made multiple starts for Rosenborg in the 2004-05 UEFA Champions League. He bounced around Scandinavia for several years before moving to MLS in 2008 where fellow Duke alumnus Garth Lagerway was running the club’s soccer operations and Duke alumnus Jason Kreis was the head coach.

Russell was never capped for the USMNT but was called into multiple January camps as cover for the right back position.

Jonathan Spector

A youngster signed in 2003 after sterling performances for the US U-20 team at the Milk Cup, Spector was originally supposed to go out on loan to Blackburn for the 04-05 season. Instead he stayed at United as defensive cover, making just eight appearances including two in the UEFA Champions League Group Stage.

Other Americans in the Champions League:

Freddy Adu

Made two appearances for Benfica in the 2007-08 Group Stage.

Julian Green

Made a single appearance in the 2015-16 tournament as a Bayern Munich player.

Mo Edu

Made four starts for Rangers in the 2010-11 Group Stage.

Benny Feilhaber

Started three matches for Hamburg in the 2006-07 UEFA Champions League.

Frankie Hejduk

Made six appearances over two different campaigns with Bayer Leverkusen between 1999 and 2001. Did not feature in the 2001-02 tournament when Leverkusen were runners-up, losing in the final to Real Madrid.

Jovan Kirovski

Earned a winners medal as part of Borussia Dortmund’s 1996-1997 UEFA Champions League winning side. Played occasionally in the Group Stage but did not feature in the later rounds. In total, Kirovski played five UEFA Champions League matches over two seasons with Dortmund.

Sacha Kljestan

Played in three straight UEFA Champions League tournaments from 2012-13 through 2014-15 for Anderlecht.

Fabian Johnson

USMNT winger played 10 times for Borussia Mönchengladbach over two UEFA Champions League campaigns between 2015 and 2017.

John O’Brien

The Oft-injured USMNT star midfielder made five appearances for Ajax including both legs of the quarterfinals in the 2002-03 tournament.

Michael Parkhurst

Played every minute of the Group Stage for Nordsjælland in the 2012-13 competition.

Claudio Reyna

Made eight UEFA Champions League appearances for Rangers between 1999 and 2001.

Tony Sanneh

Made six appearances with Hertha Berlin during the 1999-2000 campaign.

Kenny Saief

The Florida-born midfielder made seven UEFA Champions League appearances for Gent in 2015. At the time, Saief was part of Israel’s national team setup but filed a one-time switch to USMNT in 2017. Earned four caps for the US Men’s National Team.

Nevan Subotic

American-raised defender who spent most of his childhood in Utah and Florida. Subotic featured regularly for the US Youth National Teams between 2005 and 2008, but opted to play for Serbia at the senior level, making a one-time switch in 2009. Made a total of 37 UEFA Champions League appearances for Dortmund, currently a record for any US-raised player. He started the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final when Dortmund lost against Bayern Munich.

Gedion Zelalem

Made a single appearance for Arsenal in the 2014-15 tournament.

Watch live coverage of every round, including every game of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League on Paramount+. New to Paramount+? Get your 7-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

Have any questions about the history of Americans in Champions League? Let us know in the comments section below.

ESPN’s acquisition of Bundesliga rights in the United States was met with optimism by most American-based fans of German soccer. The first feature ESPN is airing related to the Bundesliga is an “SC Featured” on American star Gio Reyna who broke into Borussia Dortmund’s first team late last season. This feature, titled The American Dream (based on a nickname Reyna has been given by Erling Haaland) will air Sunday morning.

The feature and its placement on SportsCenter illustrates first hand ESPN’s ability to leverage its other sports programming to promote the Bundesliga and the American players in the league. The piece was made possible by the multi-year deal between the Bundesliga and ESPN as its US media partner, and helps kick off the new league campaign, coming just a week after Bayern Munich lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in Lisbon.

Reyna’s story, which is presented by reporter Sam Borden, hooks the viewer by opening logically with Taylor Twellman’s now famous October 10, 2017 rant on ESPNEWS after the United States lost to Trinidad & Tobago. It takes a look at the career of Gio Reyna’s famous parents, both of whom played for the US national team and gives a sense into his family life growing up.

As most fans of American soccer are aware, Gio’s older brother Jack died in 2012 of brain cancer at 13. At the time Gio was 9. The loss was especially difficult for Gio and drove him forward.

Reyna’s performances with the youth ranks of his hometown club New York City FC led to him being placed on the radar of several top European clubs. Michael Zorc, Dortmund’s Sporting Director and Lars Ricken, the club’s top youth coach, both share their impressions of Reyna’s play and development in the piece.

When coronavirus struck, Reyna was not able to leave Dortmund. His family describes the difficulty of not seeing him. We get an inside view of the family back in the United States rising early in the day when Dortmund defeated Fortuna Düsseldorf and watching Reyna enter the match with twenty minutes remaining.

SEE MORE: Schedule of Bundesliga games on US TV and streaming

Unfortunately, Reyna fell ill after this match but thankfully he did not contract COVID-19. He was away from the team for while he recovered from strep throat, but returned to serve up an assist to Haaland in his first ever Bundesliga start against RB Leipzig. The win clinched Dortmund’s spot in next season’s UEFA Champions League.

How Reyna fits into the US Men’s National Team picture and comparisons to Christian Pulisic are also part of the piece.

The feature has a serious documentary-type tone toward the newest potential American superstar, who has worked his way into one of the top Bundesliga sides and a serious look at how his older brother’s death impacted his career.

For soccer fans in the US, this feature is a must-view. The piece will help set up the Bundesliga season on ESPN’s family of networks as well as raise anticipation around this season’s Borussia Dortmund side and whether or not Gio Reyna will make a major impact in the coming campaign. Set your DVR to record the Sunday morning SportsCenter or tune in live to watch the feature.

Editor’s note: The American Dream airs Sunday in the 8AM ET window of SportsCenter on ESPN, and will re-air in the 10AM ET-hour window.

CBS has made a positive first impression among American audiences with both its NWSL and UEFA club competition coverage. So positive, in fact, that CBS Sports plan to take the studio on the road to appear on-site in stadiums across Europe for select games in the future after the Group Stage begins in October.

“I do know that even our studio will hit the road, once we’re allowed on occasion for a big game,” said CBS Sports Senior Creative Director Pete Radovich. “That’s something I’m really looking forward to full stadiums, and we’re on the sidelines, doing it the way it’s meant to be.

“Once things normalize, we’ll do it the right way. We’ll have our commentators and reporters on-site, when we can. Of course, we won’t do it with every match. And we’ll also have our studio on-site when we can.”

Rewinding to earlier this summer, CBS Sports had a very short window between the time it acquired UEFA rights for the remainder of the period Turner was contracted to broadcast Champions and Europa League in the United States. Yet, somehow, CBS has made this work, setting a new standard for soccer broadcasting the US, and creating a remarkable amount of bumper programming around each match broadcast.

To underscore the network’s commitment to broadcasting UEFA club competitions in the most authentic way possible, Radovich relocated to London and quickly created a London-based studio and set of talent unmatched on American television that has garnered rave reviews from fans.

This week, World Soccer Talk spoke to Radovich, who revealed that CBS plans to continue use of the London studio to host broadcasts in the 2020-21 season, and that a decision about whether to relocate the studio to the US or continue with London for the 2021-2024 time period will be made at a later date. “For the near future the plan is to continue as we have been doing these past few weeks,” Radovich said. In fact, he indicated that we may see the studio team on-site for some matches next season.

CBS has had lots of experience airing American sports. In particular, CBS’ coverage of college basketball, SEC football, the NFL and golf has helped set the standard for televised sports broadcasts in the United States. The presentation of both the Champions League and Europa League feels European and a CBS broadcast all at the same time. “The biggest thing for us is that it looks and feels like CBS, it’s definitely not an accident that it does,” Radovich told us.

With only 28 days to create a full production and pull together a team of on-air talent, CBS was under-the-gun from the minute they agreed to assume the remainder of Turner’s commitment to UEFA. The network was ultimately able to not only create a top-tier production and great lineup of talent but was able to create an on-air dynamic many other experienced productions have lacked.

Radovich explained, “We made quick decisions on talent, scheduling and everything. We made some very good decisions and are happy with them. Before we went on the air, we did two full days of rehearsals and, for me, it was more about chemistry building.“

The roster of talent CBS has hired is both impressive and deep in its understanding of the European game. The studio hosted by Kate Abdo and featuring Belgium manager Roberto Martinez and former standout players Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards and Peter Schmeichel has wowed critics to this point and been very well-received by fans. This past week, Jermaine Jenas was added to CBS’ coverage of both the Champions League and Europa League, serving as both a co-commentator and a studio analyst. The addition of Jenas gives CBS another former player who has worked on-camera extensively for UK-based broadcasters in the past.

Match commentary, which originally was to have been left to the world feed, has seen CBS bring two of the definitive voices of English-language soccer broadcasts to an American network. Radovich indicated that both Clive Tyldesley — who will call the Champions League Final — and Peter Drury — who will call the Europa League final — were excited to get the call to work for CBS and that the broadcaster was already a known commodity in British media circles.

Factors that helped CBS Sports hire many of the top names in the business, both for the studio and commentary, included the travel restrictions of UK talent, who were unable to take their usual summer holiday due to the Coronavirus travel restrictions. Additionally, the desire for Drury and Tyldesley to be on-air in the United States was an additional bonus.

Thus far, astandout from the coverage has been Rafa Honigstein. The Athletic writer is no stranger to American audiences. The London-based German journalist had appeared for years on The Guardian’s popular Football Weekly podcast as well as the ESPN FC studio show, hosted by Dan Thomas. But in those roles, Honigstein was more of a reporter who gave some insight on personalities than an analyst of the action on the pitch.

Honigstein has proven to be an outstanding studio analyst, and has emerged as a versatile performer for CBS Sports, whether it has been as an on-site reporter for Bayern versus Chelsea, a studio analyst for Europa League or an additional voice for CBS’ talent-laden Champions League pre- and post- match shows. Radovich has been pleased by what a good hire Honigstein has been, and revealed he will be on-site for the Europa League Final, Friday in Cologne.

SEE MORE: Schedule of UEFA Champions League on US TV and streaming

The Europa League has never had much coverage in the United States, but CBS has chosen to not only create a full studio wraparound for the matches on CBS All Access but to also replay the matches on CBS Sports Network, usually within hours of completion. The new found television love for UEFA’s second-tier competition comes partly from Radovich’s experience growing up in Croatia. For smaller nations, the Europa League has been a big competition, particularly for those in Eastern Europe. Having a special place in his heart for the Europa League gave Radovich and CBS Sports the impetus to give the competition the sort of attention it has rarely, if ever, gotten from an American broadcaster.

From the conversation with Radovich, two things were abundantly clear. First, while CBS had some lucky breaks in assembling their coverage team, most of the success has been down to quick, yet intelligent, planning and a clear understanding of the audience preferences of English-language dominant American viewers in terms of what they want to see in a soccer broadcast. Second, CBS will continue with this formula for as long as it makes sense, and will continue to build upon their strong start covering UEFA competitions.

For soccer fans in the United States, these are — no doubt — welcome developments.

Watch live coverage of every round, including every game of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League on CBS All Access. New to CBS All Access? Get your 7-day free trial & start streaming instantly >

The NWSL Challenge Cup Coverage marked the first free-to-air broadcast of a women’s club soccer match in the United States. The first broadcast for the network was Saturday’s clash between North Carolina and Portland; perennially the top two teams in the league, and the most intense rivalry in American women’s club soccer.

CBS Sports’ recent interest in soccer has been a welcome entry to the market, creating curiosity about how they would cover the sport. Soccer fans eagerly watched this broadcast to see what new elements to airing the sport CBS might bring to the table.

COVID-19 has shifted league and broadcast plans dramatically, so instead of an NWSL Regular Season we have a “Challenge Cup,” set up like an international tournament and held in a single state, Utah. This has also impacted CBS’s schedule availability on the free-to-air broadcast network.

CBS’s programming schedule for sports on weekends is fuller than that of other US networks currently, since the PGA Tour resumed in mid-June. Most of the golf tournaments that were rescheduled for the summer are being aired on CBS rather than NBC, the tour’s other media broadcast partner.

The original 2020 NWSL season plan was for 12 matches to be broadcast between CBS and CBS Sports Network. This shifted to two free-to-air broadcasts for the NWSL Challenge Cup coverage. The next broadcast following Saturday’s match will be the Challenge Cup Final on July 26 (see the complete NWSL TV schedule).

It is notable that NWSL was left with only two free-to-air broadcast windows in the four week tournament. Unforeseen before the aborted Regular season when CBS had plenty of windows to show matches, the timing of the Challenge Cup probably meant that the league would have had more exposure had they opted to sign with NBC.

NWSL Challenge Cup Coverage

CBS beat NBC to gain the media rights to NWSL, and overall a typical regular season probably fits CBS’s schedule better. But with broadcast times for CBS free-to-air matches influenced by the PGA Tour commitments on CBS, leading to early kickoff times locally, all other matches have been bumped to CBS’s OTT platform, CBS All Access.

Further complicating matters was the late withdrawal of the Orlando Pride due to the club recording ten positive COVID-19 tests last week. This led to a shift in scheduling of the tournament though it only impacted matches being aired on All Access.

CBS’s opening introduction of the broadcast was a neat montage of women’s soccer players saying “we are back,” COVID-19 and Black Lives Matter clips. It was a socially conscious and appropriate welcome back to live team sports in the US. The production qualify and feel good factor for this introduction to a new broadcaster and the first US team sports league to resume play was tremendous.

Following the introduction, Marisa Pilla — who is on-site in Utah — gave some reporting before throwing the broadcast to the familiar duo of Jenn Hildreth and Aly Wagner who were both broadcasting remotely.

On-air Talent

The Hildreth and Wagner team have worked together so consistently on several different networks broadcasting women’s soccer – so the remote location they found themselves in was not the sort of impediment it might have been for other broadcasters. Social distancing meant the two, though in the same studio, could not appear on camera together, but their chemistry remained consistent throughout the broadcast.

Wagner is a top analyst who consumes soccer from all over the world. We’ve seen her in the past contribute to men’s coverage so she was comfortable discussing the Bundesliga and Premier League restarts and using that knowledge to enhance CBS’s coverage. Wagner was able to reference those leagues to give perspective to the lack of match fitness and sharpness that we saw for much of the game. Factoring in the attitude, Wagner was able to accurately analyze player fitness and potential squad changes for most of the match.

The broadcast team of Hildreth and Wagner is comforting to the ears, for fans of the women’s game. Had CBS tried to insert their own talent into the coverage, it almost certainly would have backfired and caused a certain amount of backlash. In this sense, the status quo is positive, especially when enhanced by CBS’s graphics and promotional material.

In-game coverage

Up until the first half water break, besides the CBS graphics, the broadcast resembled the high-quality NWSL matches aired on Lifetime in 2017 and 2018. Not only was the broadcast talent the same, but so were the levels of production and types of camera angles. Lifetime’s work was always crisp and while soccer fans tend to rate ESPN highly, last year’s NWSL broadcasts on that network were a step backward, according to this writer’s opinion.

The first half was progressing nicely until stunningly, CBS used the water break to air a quick 30 second commercial. Though it must be noted the cut-away and return was surprisingly crisp and they did not miss a single kick of the ball. During the second half, an AppleTV+ ad aired during the hydration break. The Courage’s Ally Watt was injured and stretchered off during the break, so the commercial took up less than half of the stoppage.

However, seeing a 30-second ad neatly fit into water breaks does lend the question if this now will become a new opportunity for networks to force commercials into broadcasts. COVID-19 has demonstrated to the world that media deals are more important to many soccer leagues from around the globe than any other consideration. The ability to monetize breaks could prove a potential breakthrough to further wet the interest in soccer of newer media players such as streaming services and second-tier cable channels.

The halftime was filled with commercials, taped segments, advertisements for NWSL and some analysis. Whether the COVID-19 situation scuttled a potential studio show we will not be able to answer until a later date.

Transitions to and from Marisa Pilla’s on-pitch segments were crisp and both commentators were able to play off those segments with additional commentary well. Post Match, Pilla was able to provide pitchside interviews while Hildreth and Wagner added analysis. The commentary duo also did a deep-dive post match into the entire league, which time had not permitted either pre match or at halftime. The post match show again was characterized by frequent commercials. Again, as noted above we do not know if CBS had a studio show planned before COVID-19.

Key Takeaways

What we saw was a routine soccer broadcast with the notable exception of commercials during the hydration breaks. While CBS didn’t show the innovative nature we’ve become accustomed to from NBC’s coverage of the Premier League, they also didn’t regress soccer coverage in any manner the way Turner Sports did with UEFA Champions League coverage. Given that at some point in the future, the Champions League is headed to CBS, the initial broadcast of NWSL should reassure fans that CBS is not planning on radically altering the existing formula for covering soccer in this country.

Amazon Prime Video recently made available many of the official FIFA World Cup films that capture one of the greatest-ever golden periods of world soccer.

Currently, with many soccer leagues shut down across much of the world, I rewatched the official films from the 1978 World Cup (hosted in Argentina) as well as 1982 (hosted by Spain) and culminating in Mexico’s 1986 World Cup. It was a decade punctuated by two Argentine triumphs in World Cups with an Italian interlude of 1982, sandwiched in-between.

Amazon’s World Cup Films

These films were refreshing in that they provided honest accounts of the competition and came before the era of mass commercialization of the game and FIFA’s propaganda-driven messaging. Before viewing the videos, it is also important to remember all three of these World Cups all had different competition formats.

In 1978, the competition featured 16 teams with the top two teams in four team groups advancing to an eight team knockout stage. In 1982, the tournament featured 24 teams for the first time and the top two teams in four team groups advanced to a second knockout stage of four 3-team groups. From this the group winners advanced to the semifinals. In 1986, 24 teams placed in six four team groups were cut to 16 after the Group Stage and from the Round 16 onward was a straight knockout competition. This straight knockout format from 16 teams that began in 1986 continues today, but will be altered for the 2026 FIFA World Cup when the knockout stages will be increased to 32 teams and the Group Stage cut to two matches each.

One of the first things that jumps out watching all three films in close succession is the upgrade in production quality from one film to the next. Another evolving impression from each video is that of the field-level advertising boards and the increase in FIFA sponsorships during the period. Some sponsors such as Coca-Cola were consistently FIFA partners while others came or dropped off during the period.

One of the great ironies of these retrospectives is that the 1978 and 1982 films spent lots of time building up two stars that would be the standout performers of the next FIFA World Cup – Paolo Rossi and Diego Maradona respectively. This is a reminder that in an era when club soccer wasn’t as widely televised throughout the world, the stars of tournaments to come were often discovered in the previous major tournament or World Cup.

Don’t cry for me Argentina

The 1978 film was produced differently than the other two. The film starts with a walkthrough of the potential tournament stars by narrator Steve Hudson. Scotland featured prominently in the build-up while 1966 winners England had missed qualification for the second successive FIFA World Cup. Keir Radnedge, the founder of World Soccer magazine, wrote the script for Hudson’s narration.

The film was honest about the then-recent change in Argentine government and the sort of fan culture that it brought to the competition. However, the allegations of match-fixing in the Group Stage match between Peru and Argentina did not surface until decades later and so were not in the film.

A personal thrill for me in the film was the mention of Franz Beckenbauer of West Germany, the captain of the defending champions playing his club soccer in the USA at the New York Cosmos. The USA had at the time last qualified for a FIFA World Cup in 1950 and throughout the next three decades contributed little to the global game. Since 1978, every FIFA World Cup save the 1986 one has featured one or more players active with a US-based professional club in the competition.

Argentina won the World Cup on home soil. Osvaldo Ardiles and Mario Kempes proved the biggest stars in a team full of bright players.

The film served as a video narrative to the competition but the production level paled when compared to the 1982 and especially the 1986 film.

Diamonds Are Forever

Strikingly, the 1982 film is narrated by Sean Connery, whose distinct Scottish accent and diction make the presentation even more lively.

Oddly an Indian flag appeared at the very beginning when scenes of people waving flags from the opening ceremony in Spain were aired. India has never qualified for a FIFA World Cup.

The 1982 film was presented in Fujicolor because Fuji film had by this time become a FIFA Sponsor. The video placed credits in both the opening and close in a manner reminiscent of many of the best 1980’s productions. At this point in time, the general level of TV production for live sports and archived sporting film was much higher in the United States than elsewhere.

The 1982 film’s narrative starts with a discussion of the new star of the game – one Diego Maradona. His presence was seen as critical as holders Argentina looked to repeat as World Champions. However Argentina lost 1-0 to Belgium in the opening match, leaving a frustrated Maradona.

Amazon’s World Cup Films feature

A highlight of the competition was when Northern Ireland beat host Spain in the final match of the first Group Stage. The win put the upstart Northern Irish through to the next phase but the hosts qualified as well. The film showed how a celebration ensued and fans from both nations partied together. Northern Ireland’s progress to the next round meant new flights had to be booked as the team had pessimistically booked to go home after the first phase of the competition.

The joyous scenes are contrasted with England’s qualification for its first FIFA World Cup since Mexico 1970. Spanish police were ready to deal with England’s infamous fans as this was the height of the era of hooliganism.

Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking were injured for England, but Bryan Robson’s goal after 27 seconds, the fastest goal in World Cup history helped England beat France. The Three Lions went on to win all three matches in the first stage of the tournament. But in classic English fashion, they failed miserably in the second stage, not scoring a goal.

Dramatic Storylines

The film goes into great detail regarding Italy’s 3-2 win over Brazil in the second stage. This match, arguably the greatest ever played by two high level sides in the history of international soccer is decided by a Rossi winner. Zico, to that point the player of the tournament, would not reach the semifinals. Connery’s narration makes one of the greatest occasions in the history of the sport seem even grander.

France and West Germany reached the semifinal and played out an epic contest going all the way to penalties. while in the other match, Rossi scored twice to lead Italy past Poland. The final yielded an Italian victory.

The film once again has some very honest moments delivered via Connery’s voice including honesty about France’s internal problem with Larios being sent home after an affair with Platini’s wife. The film also notes Germany’s “non-aggression pact” with Austria, which was described as one of the most disgraceful episodes in the history of the competition – and is the reason the final group stage matches or final match days in top league do not stagger kickoffs anymore. Algeria was eliminated on the basis of this deal made between West Germany and Austria to play out a 1-0 German victory, which was the lone scoreline that would allow both nations to the next round.

Not a lot of people know that

The 1986 film begins with production titles and a crackling sound unlike 1978 and 1982. Beginning with music and images of Maradona, a crowd doing the Mexican Wave, and Argentine celebrations was markedly different than the previous two films. Then the film goes through the titles of the stars of the tournament beginning with Maradona, again in a completely different style than previous films.

Narrated by Michael Caine, the narrative begins with a look at the devastation of Mexico City after the 1985 Earthquake. It’s often forgotten that the 1986 FIFA World Cup hosting was originally awarded to Colombia but moved to Mexico, successful hosts of the 1970 FIFA World Cup, in 1983 when Colombia withdrew hosting claiming they could not economically afford to put on the event.

Caine’s narration while not as silky smooth as Connery’s in the 1982 film is also outstanding. The action from Group A where the winners of the last two FIFA World Cups, Italy and Argentina were paired with Bulgaria and South Korea, dominates the early part of the film. An open and entertaining match, the group provided lots of exciting moments chronicled in the film.

One of the most memorable World Cups

Morocco’s triumphed in a group with three European powers, including 1982 semifinalist Poland and 1966 winner England, was chronicled in detail. England’s Gary Lineker was one of the stars of the tournament. But the best part of the tournament was still to come.

The knockout stages of the 1986 tournament are considered among the greatest in the history of the competition. From Maradona’s incredible solo goal, to his hand of god, as well Belgium’s improbable run to the semifinals and Michel Platini’s brilliance before being shut down by West Germany’s negative approach, everything is covered in great detail.

Caine’s narration takes us to a final where Argentina bested West Germany and once again lifted the Jules Rimet Trophy, but this time led by the great Maradona.

Sign up for a free 30-day trial to Amazon Prime to watch Amazon’s World Cup films. Also, get all of the benefits of being an Amazon Prime customer.

The soccer world ground to a halt this past weekend as fears about the coronavirus threat shut down European and American sport. Prior to the suspensions and cancellations of events, we had a full matchday of UEFA Champions League and the fallout from the US Soccer’s continued stumbles. It was a week like no other for soccer news making ESPN’s flagship soccer program ESPN FC more valuable than perhaps any time in the show’s seven year run. As soccer shut down, ESPN FC ramped up.

Turner’s UEFA Champions League turnaround

Credit B/R Football with the most rapid turnaround of the season in US-based soccer television. The BR Live/TNT pregame and post match shows flipped the switch from mistake-laden fluff for the first set of UEFA Champions League Round of 16 fixtures to a much more serious approach last week. Sure we had a few Kate Abdo errors as well as a fluff piece or two, but the discussion on the whole was more intelligent and soccer-centric.

The presentation both pre and post match on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week is the best Turner has provided since they began broadcasting UEFA club competitions in August 2018.

Stu Holden once again excelled. And Tim Howard’s return to a career as a player (with USL’s Memphis 901) seemed to sharpen his analysis. Howard has a unique perspective on Liverpool as someone who played a decade for the Reds local rival, Everton. Howard’s analysis of playing at Anfield in big matches was the type of analysis often missing from US broadcasts of European soccer. Holden seems more dialed-in than ever in his career, even more so than during the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His knowledge of European soccer at the elite level has consistently improved throughout his career and now is comparable to anyone on American television.

Also credit to TNT for pivoting to an approach where pre match comments from players and managers and postgame interviews were aired frequently last week. This has been a big miss of Turner’s coverage the last two seasons as interviews with coaches and players around the matches aired sparingly, if at all. Airing these interviews also helped drive the studio discussion in a way that pre-taped features and other random topics do not.

ESPN FC on top of European scenarios and US Soccer mess

Last week was a big one for ESPN FC on ESPN+ as hosts Dan Thomas and Adrian Healey were effectively able to present an indispensable news program amidst all the happenings in a week like no other we’ve ever seen in the soccer world. Gab Marcotti, Julien Laurens and Sid Lowe were able to give timely updates on coronavirus’ impact on European leagues. Marcotti’s reporting kept ESPN FC viewers abreast of potential scenarios for resumptions of leagues, voiding of seasons, knock-out styled playoffs to determine champions and relegation or abbreviated seasons.

ESPN FC is becoming even more important for soccer fans in the United States. This is anecdotal but within my soccer circle, the number of people anxiously waiting for the newest episode to be posted on ESPN+ was significantly higher than usual last week. While part of this is most certainly people sitting at home with less to do and a desire to watch something, as well as the likelihood more people are using OTT services right now than ever before, much of it has to do with the timeliness of how ESPN FC presents current news during a turbulent week.

Having actual reporters and journalists and not just soccer commentators on the show is a major reason why the program continues to be unlike any other in the United States.

Carlos Cordeiro’s resignation as President of US Soccer Federation was greeted warmly throughout most of the soccer insider class in the US. Many felt this was a moment to move on and rally behind the new President Cindy Parlow Cone. However, Herculez Gomez appearing on Friday’s show felt differently and pointed out that the strategies employed in many cases predated Cordeiro or needed board approval. Given the current climate at US Soccer and the number of lawsuits and legal claims the organization has faced, he suggested the whole board should resign.

Julie Foudy correctly chimed in that the Latham firm which US Soccer was now handling the USWNT equality lawsuit was the same firm that handled some of US Soccer’s problematic claims toward the women in 2016 when an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaint was filed by the US women.

NBCSN features replays – but what about a studio show?

The postponement of the weekend’s Premier League fixtures didn’t come until Friday morning. As a result, NBC adjusted its programming schedule by showing January’s Liverpool-Manchester United clash and other previously taped programming, including studio and magazine shows. NBCSN has a large library of previously played matches to show and they tapped into that reservoir to air several matches throughout the weekend. It was disappointing that NBC didn’t fit in a two or three hour show to discuss the season thus far, and options going forward.

Some very serious reporting has been done about options for either completing, finalizing or abandoning the season in England. It would have been beneficial for American Premier League fans who are hearing every rumor under the sun and may not watch the ESPN FC program to get a full update on the potential scenarios for both England and Europe. Post-Neil Ashton (who left in January to start a PR agency that represents Manchester United), NBCSN seems to have little ability to report on news.

NBCSN will give us a healthy dose of Sky Sports News going forward as a substitute for live, US-based programming. This is a positive development no doubt, but this past weekend was a missed opportunity. NBC has so often set the tone for soccer coverage both in this country and of the Premier League in general but unfortunately I sense the network mailed it in this weekend when an opportunity to further distance itself from the competition was available.

Grant Wahl at FOX Soccer never allowed the reporter to be overly critical of the US Soccer Federation. Sports Illustrated writer Grant Wahl has gone from US Soccer Federation insider to critic in a short span of time. Wahl’s evolution reflects the changing attitudes of the soccer media in the United States towards the USSF. But it also reflects Wahl’s shifting professional position from FOX Sports on-air talent to exclusive SI writer, which has seemingly influenced the shift in his analysis.

Wahl’s forte has always been his ability to use his contacts to report stories related to the sport. When it comes to covering the matches he reports on, his analysis has generally been weaker. But like many American writers who cover soccer, he’s been generally defensive of MLS while being cultivated for years by those in the upper echelons of the game in this country. His reporting on European soccer would generally have an American angle of some sort, and his access seemed to guide much of his reporting.

Change of emotion regarding USSF

As criticism of US Soccer grew throughout this decade, culminating in multiple lawsuits against the governing body for the game in the US, Wahl generally reported on these developments with a skeptical or establishment eye. This earned him the ire of many reformers and a perhaps undeserved wrap as an establishment shill on Twitter. His frequent appearances on FOX’s coverage of MLS or UEFA Champions League coverage appeared to be, more often than not, promotional set pieces for MLS or the USSF, reporting stories favorable on-air such as big player signings or positive ownership changes in American soccer.

FOX’s coverage has a definitive pro-American and pro-MLS slant. The network essentially has served as a propaganda arm for the establishment clique that runs US Soccer. FOX’s desire to consistently over-hype players in MLS as well as the competitiveness of the US or Mexican men’s national teams has a definitive nativist tinge. As an on-air reporter for FOX Sports, Wahl was largely boxed-in, it appeared (often ignoring the anti-establishment voices), in delivering the type of news that would be acceptable to the FOX viewer and presentation style.

It is important to remind the readers at this point that Wahl is a reporter, not a commentator or analyst. While many reformers saw him as a shill, I was never in that camp, and honestly didn’t have much time for that view because those who articulated that point misread Wahl’s role. Reporters can be advocates but can also be straight news gatherers. They need to go where the facts or information at their disposal takes them.

Grant Wahl at FOX Soccer no more

Wahl is a reporter whose sources were largely in and around the established governing circles of American soccer. Did that skew his world view? In my opinion, absolutely, but that did not make him a shill by any stretch of the imagination. Reporting and perspectives of news reporters are often shaped by the world they live in, and Wahl’s world was the hallowed glass house of the American soccer establishment. It’s naive to think he could create overnight the sort of network of contacts outside the US that would be necessary to have a broader perspective. In many ways, Wahl was no different than any number of leading British writers, whose global views of football are shaped by watching the Premier League and stereotyping lazily in some cases continental football and what happens in other corners of the globe. This all having been said, Wahl’s perspectives on the global game were often badly out of order with what many of us saw as reality.

But these are no ordinary times in the world of American soccer and Wahl being a reporter first showed a growing willingness to question those in power during 2018. Wahl’s reaction to the US Men’s National Team missing qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup was to float trial balloons about potential USSF Presidential candidates, and broke the news about Columbus Crew owner Anthony Precourt’s desire to relocate his club to Austin.

Frustration at FOX Soccer

Then in 2018, Wahl reported about efforts to “twist arms” to support Kathy Carter’s establishment-driven bid to become the President of the USSF. Carter was the President of Soccer United Marketing (SUM) — an entity whose ownership by MLS and relationship with US Soccer has long been the focal point for critics who consider the governance of the sport in this country broken. Wahl’s reporting on this matter was on SI’s website, not on FOX.

The breaking point for Wahl appeared to be his report on FOX of the USSF refusing to interview recently-departed Real Madrid Manager Julen Lopetegui in October 2018. The former Spain Manager expressed interest in the US job, reported Wahl, but he was told that the federation was not interested.

Wahl as a reporter

Wahl’s ability to track down this news that would have originated in Europe and then report on it in a very critical fashion showed a growth as a reporter and a growing dose of healthy skepticism about the federation. Lopetegui, plainly by any objective standard, would have been a fantastic hire for a men’s national team that was growing more and more irrelevant. The unwillingness of the federation to even grant him an interview rightly resulted in indignation across the fandom of American soccer, with Wahl suddenly becoming the figure that led the chorus of anger.

Wahl’s reporting on this matter reflected the growing sentiment within the frustrated US fanbase that qualified candidates were turned down for interviews, while the process took a long year with a preordained result.

Since that moment, Wahl has become more critical of US Soccer, MLS and the general establishment narrative often offered on FOX and by other writers. Wahl’s general reporting on US Soccer matters has been marked by a more critical eye in the last 18 months since the Lopetegui interview rejection.

Interestingly, after Wahl left his on-air position with FOX Sports, this seemingly gave him more freedom to sharpen his writing pen and question the US Soccer establishment.

The ongoing legal process involving the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) and US Soccer Federation (USSF) led to yet another ugly turn this week as depositions revealed the USSF’s strategy for winning the case. The underlying theme of the USSF’s strategy was to paint the World champions as biologically inferior to the US men and to claim that men’s soccer was more difficult than women’s soccer. The Federation also chose to make the case that the US men have a disadvantage in home games because of support for other nations within the United States – an argument that has racist undertones and has consistently been used by apologists of the failing men’s program to excuse poor performances.

To clean up the mess especially after sponsors expressed displeasure, US Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro put out a bizarre statement of apology that was read on air by a stunned ESPN Commentator Seb Salazar toward the end of the US-Japan SheBelieves Cup match on Wednesday night.

For Wahl, this poorly worded statement appears to have been the final straw. The one-time establishment journalist called for the immediate resignation of Cordeiro.

Wahl’s evolution has been something to watch over the course of the last 12-18 months and he’s gone from the position of US soccer cheerleader to a critically important journalist covering the sport. His voice is important as more fans and stakeholders in the sport lose faith in how soccer is being governed in this country.

Wahl’s reporting has always been top notch in terms of gathering stories from his contacts in a timely fashion. Now, freed of FOX Sports agenda-driven advocacy of US Soccer’s establishment, Wahl has joined the growing ranks of American writers being critical of the federation’s business practices and decision making. As a writer with an outsized influence, he is having a real impact on shaping the debate and putting the USSF on the back foot. As a soccer nation, we are better thanks to his current posture.

TUDN kicked off Major League Soccer’s 25th season with the debut of arguably the league’s second-biggest ever signing, Chicharito. It was the highlight of a day-long of soccer on TUDN, beginning with the Bundesliga in the morning, running through Chicharito’s MLS debut for the LA Galaxy against Houston and culminating with Liga MX.

Chicharito has a unique ability to move the needle in a way no other available active player can for MLS on TV. TUDN started the season with a three man booth led byJose Luis Lopez Salido. Throughout the match Diego Balado, Raul Guzman and Iván Kasanzew kept the viewers updated on Chicharito but also focused on the bigger picture in the match, the first of the new look LA Galaxy after an active off-season.

It should be noted the need to accommodate TUDN for this showdown probably explains the empty seats in Houston for the match. The match was reported as a sellout though throughout much of the game, the stadium appeared about 75% full at best.

FOX Sports’ primetime coverage of Nashville SC versus Atlanta United was outstanding. Sara Walsh and Alexi Lalas shined in hosting the pre- and post- match programs. John Strong and Stu Holden have a chemistry so many others lack in the broadcast booth with an ability to play off one another and interject conversations that might seem tangential but are interesting. Strong talks a lot during a match, maybe too much for some fans. But his knowledge and ability to interject player histories is about as good as it gets. Strong’s excitability is something that does polarize audiences. More on this shortly.

ESPN’s Sunday coverage was as you’d expect, quite competent. One big miss though for ESPN from where I sit continues to be Max Bretos. The LAFC commentator provided a historical perspective that ESPN could use in the studio or as a broadcast host. Adrian Healey (who called the Seattle-Chicago match with Alejandro Moreno) still provides that perspective.

ESPN’s top commentary team is Jon Champion and Taylor Twellman for the second season with LAFC-Inter Miami on Sunday. Champion’s general cadence and willingness to let matches flow is very different from Strong who called LAFC’s dramatic CONCACAF Champions League victory over Club Leon midweek for FS1. Both are fantastic commentators but the styles of the two lead MLS commentators in English could not be more different.

beIN SPORTS’ coverage of el Clásico

After an underwhelming midweek El Clásico presentation in December, beIN SPORTS bounced back this week. Gary Bailey and Thomas Rongen both provided good studio tactical analysis in advance of the match while George Metellus proved a capable and confident host. The use of three analysts on site added some flavor to the telecast, if not any real additional layers of analysis.

Ray Hudson, who missed December’s El Clásico broadcast, paired with Phil Schoen for this match. But oddly Hudson was more subdued than usual (relatively speaking of course). And beIN SPORTS very oddly cut off their live feed twice during the match to promote beIN SPORTS XTRA. This was not only a bad look. It really felt inappropriate.

Halftime production was crisp, and analysis from Bailey and Rongen was also quite good. But more than anything, Metellus stood out as a knowledgeable and engaging host. Since beIN SPORTS has recently lost some of its top presenters in Jeremy St Louis, Terri Leigh, Kay Murray and Kev Egan, Metellus’ emergence is welcome news for the broadcaster who has had to shuffle its talent lineup all too often in the last 18 months.

UEFA Champions League on TNT continues to confound

At this point, we just have to accept what we are getting with studio programming from TNT and B/R Live for the duration of their contract between now and the end of the 2020/21 season.

It’s difficult to rationalize the difference between the competent, professional Kate Abdo we see on FOX’s Bundesliga coverage and have previously seen at Russia 2018 with the TNT version who seems to be trying to conduct a light comedy routine. This is reminiscent of the rough start in 2013 that host Julie Stewart-Binks had on FOX Soccer Daily had. Stewart-Binks would go on to be a very good host and sideline reporter for FOX and ESPN. She became someone who could weave analysis into her role after the shackles of FOX’s lightweight show was taken off her. I sense the same with Abdo on Turner. Why she’s being cast in a role as a moderator of a clownish type set is beyond me

In Abdo’s absence, Stu Holden once again seemed to do well as a host on Wednesday. Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe was brought to Atlanta from London and slotted in well to provide some good studio analysis in advance of Real Madrid-Manchester City and Lyon-Juventus.

Now FOX might want to consider using Holden as a studio host or play-by-play voice in the future. Holden’s pairing with John Strong is among the best combinations FOX has but Holden seems to be becoming a genuine commentary superstar with an extensive knowledge of the sport outside the United States and improving hosting abilities.

Robbie Mustoe showcases his continental knowledge

Premier League Live on Friday spent more time on European results and discussion than any time I can recall in the seven seasons NBC has broadcast the Premier League. Rebecca Lowe directed Kyle Martino and Robbie Mustoe through a full discussion of the midweek UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches including extensive highlights.

During the program, Mustoe showed off his knowledge of continental football in the analysis.

Back in the days of ESPN Press Pass, Mustoe was a go-to studio analyst on Italian and Spanish football. As great as Mustoe’s contributions have been to Premier League-related conversations, I always feel like he’s being wasted at NBC focused on a single league.

It should also be noted that during this segment, Martino — refreshingly for an American pundit — talked about Alphonso Davies as a player and his impact on Bayern, instead of using the opportunity to talk up MLS (the league where Davies began his professional career), which is what I reckon most Americans would do in that situation.

In general, NBC behaves like the Premier League is a self-contained English competition often discussing through the years more about domestic cup competitions than European football. The success of English clubs in Europe during the 2018-19 season (though it must be pointed out neither Spurs or Liverpool actually won their groups in the Champions League and both then had a difficult road to the final) seems to have changed NBC’s attitude to the competitions. With the Premier League poised to have finalists or even again multiple finalists in both UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League this season, expect more NBC conversation about Europe.

Ups and downs on ESPN FC

It seems the memos from our World Soccer Talk Podcast and this column have been received at ESPN regarding using their studio talent more. The postponement of Juventus-Inter due to the Coronavirus outbreak in Italy may have scrapped ESPN’s plans for Sunday. But the network persisted with a studio of Dan Thomas, Craig Burley and Steve Nicol for both the Lecce-Atalanta Serie A match on ESPN2 and the Carabao Cup Final on ESPN+ and the ESPN App.

Steve Nicol made perhaps the most important point of the week at halftime of the Lecce-Atalanta match. Lazio now top the Serie A table, but the club does not have anywhere near the squad depth as Juventus or Inter. If postponements continue to pile up as they likely will due to Coronavirus, Lazio will be at a disadvantage if matches are played every 3-4 days to complete the season.

Audio problems marred the halftime show of the Carabao Cup Final, forcing ESPN to stay with the world feed and then run a large number of commercials on loop. What resulted was a brief, abbreviated halftime show that ran about three minutes. The studio team didn’t cover the ground that it would have liked to have while reminding us that even ESPN, the market leader in sports broadcasts, has technical problems from time to time.

The post match show was focused on the brilliant Manchester City youngster Phil Foden, as well as selecting the controversy at the end of the Everton-Man United Premier League match. Steve Nicol’s analysis was again spot on when discussing De Gea’s line of sight.

UEFA Champions League action returned this past week. TUDN, as expected, gave crisp coverage. And in between its catalog of networks, it televised every match on linear television. Additionally, TUDN brought us the UEFA Matchday highlights show on Thursday and multiple Europa League matches. The UEFA coverage being presented on Univision’s networks is the best we have ever seen in the USA on a Spanish language channel. ESPN Deportes provided some shoulder shows as did FOX Deportes but nothing like what Univision does with its superior TUDN production levels and analysis provided.

On the English side, however, things weren’t as smooth. First off, Borussia Dortmund versus PSG and Atalanta-Valencia were behind the B/R Live paywall. Considering that in terms of open and entertaining attacking football, Dortmund and Atalanta might be the two best sides in Europe, this forced consumers who wanted to watch the matches in English to throw down $2.99 per match. If someone bought both matches, that would equal a monthly bill for ESPN+, which brings you every league game from Atalanta and every Serie A match not on linear TV, in addition to so much more soccer content.

Those watching Univision might have missed the Turner studio shows which once again were a lively topic of discussion among soccer fans this week. Kate Abdo, who directs traffic fairly well on FOX’s Bundesliga coverage seems a completely different person on TNT’s UEFA Champions League studio show. Whether or not she’s tired, unprepared or simply trying to be funny, it’s not coming off very well from where I sit. Tuesday’s prematch show was a bit of a disaster.

On Wednesday, Stu Holden took over hosting duties which unfortunately takes away from him doing what he is best at – analyzing the competition. Holden did alright in the role, and Tim Howard seems to always rise to the occasion with some good critical analysis. But in general, TNT’s week was forgettable.

Still, we must remind ourselves that TNT’s distribution and mainstream status among US cable channels has increased the value of the UEFA Champions League’s scope in the English language. Ratings are generally much higher than what they were on FOX. Turner Sports have paid the price as CBS surprisingly swooped in and took the rights away starting in August 2021, but fans, despite the clunkiness of broadcasts, should be thankful Turner made this investment.

NBC Press Pass deja vu

NBCSN’s midweek studio shows before and after Manchester City-West Ham United were a throwback to the days of the ESPN Press Pass program which preceded ESPN FC as the network’s soccer news offering. Derek Rae, the long-time host of Press Pass, was flanked by Robbie Mustoe who spent several years as an analyst on the program. The show was heavy with discussion of Manchester City’s UEFA club competition ban for violating Financial Fair Play (FFP). And Mustoe had the opportunity to lay out several scenarios in terms of how FFP could impact Manchester City and continental football as a whole.

FOX elevating Bundesliga coverage after losing out on rights

Saturday’s FS1 coverage of Werder Bremen versus Borussia Dortmund might have been the best FOX has provided us in their five years of coverage. A full pregame show discussing Erling Braut Håland, Gio Reyna, Josh Sargent and Werder Bremen’s relegation woes was followed by an outstanding commentating of the match featuring Keith Costigan and Warren Barton.

Ian Joy hosted the FOX Sports studio. And at halftime, the former FC St Pauli player was able to guide the audience through the highlights of the Hamburg Derby. Very few matches played at a second division level will have 57,000 fans in attendance, making the atmosphere electric. It should be noted that FC St Pauli has developed an underground supporters base in the United States due to the club’s image as a hipster, progressive outlet.

Barton had an important piece of analysis regarding Haaland that he “scores all sorts of goals, worldies, tight angles, tap ins.” Barton also correctly detected Bremen’s body language early the second half, indicating that they were quitting on the match as they fell further into a relegation mire.

FS1 provided a stunning switch of games at full time of Bremen-Dortmund. This flip to Gladbach-Hoffenheim was just in time for Lucas Ribeiro’s equalizer for Hoffenheim. It’s a shame FOX hasn’t done this more often in the past, but with such an exciting title race ongoing this season, they’re getting it right. Better late than never.

CBS needs to make a positive first impression with NWSL coverage

According to my sources, production company Vista Worldlink based in Fort Lauderdale will continue to play host to NWSL Productions as it does with USL Productions. With new NWSL rights holder CBS having a CBS Interactive complex including studios right down the street, synergies in coverage previously unavailable with Lifetime and CBS might be possible.

CBS’ reported coverage plans are exciting and will place the first soccer telecasts on the broadcast network’s over-the-air channel since the 1970’s. CBS Sports Network has experience in broadcasting soccer having shown NASL matches in 2016 and regularly airing some college soccer matches, but never has a league with as much of a following and regular media coverage aired on CBS.

For some, NWSL will be seen as a building-block and a laboratory for how CBS will cover the UEFA Champions League and Europa League once they take over the rights in August 2021. However, it can be argued that the network will need to get the broadcasts right from the get-go considering the type of critical analysis those who cover women’s soccer in this country have historically provided regarding television coverage.

Serie A on ESPN handling Coronavirus

Serie A postponed a number of matches this weekend due to the Coronavirus. This limited number of matches meant that Mark Donaldson and Matteo Bonetti could show highlights at halftime of Sunday’s ESPN2 broadcast of Genoa-Lazio. Therefore, the network pre-taped a segment about Napoli and Juventus’ upcoming UEFA Champions League ties with Dan Thomas, Steve Nicol and Craig Burley.

ESPN’s versatility and ability to throw the ESPN FC studio team into any situation is a great asset. It would be useful if the network began using the ESPN FC team more on ESPN+ as they did with the recent Milan and Manchester derbies that the OTT service aired.

I cannot understate the power of Disney+’s soccer coverage. Granted, most audiences do not think of Disney+ as a sports provider. Usually, ESPN+, Paramount+ or Peacock get that designation.

Last week, SportBusiness writer Bob Williams reported growing ESPN+ numbers. While encouraging, they do not come anywhere close to the subscriber numbers for Disney+ which was launched about 18 months after ESPN+.

What this tells us is that the Disney+ bundle that includes ESPN+ has been purchased by fewer than a third of subscribers to Disney’s new streaming service. But it also reflects the sheer power of Disney to gain so many sign-ups for direct-to-consumer in such a short period of time partly thanks to an incredibly low price point. 

The power of Disney+’s soccer coverage

The ESPN+ number, while growing at an impressive rate, is small compared to the subscriptions for a service that was launched 18 months after ESPN+ . This also reminds us that live sports still are nowhere near as popular as streaming content in the US such as on-demand movies and TV programs. But it seems clear that live streaming sports are an important part of any comprehensive direct-to-consumer media offering, and that soccer is a critical part of any such plan. 

Bundles incentivize sign-ups in a streaming market with growing competition. This is why CBS targeted the UEFA Champions League as an enhancement to its existing CBS All-Access streaming service which has a similar styled library of content as Disney+ and Hulu when taken together. Adding live sports gives CBS All Access the ability to compete with the Disney+ bundle with one service. CBS, like Disney, recognizes the fanatical nature of soccer fans as well as how streaming savvy those who watch the beautiful game tend to be. 

Peacock, NBCUniversal’s new streaming service, will also compete with the Disney+ bundle. This leaves players who have split their offering like FOX Sports, B/R Live/Turner and others without a direct-to-consumer platform that can counter the power of Disney+’s soccer coverage. But distribution deals with other streaming services such as fubo and Sling are likely to at least somewhat even the playing field for the other broadcasters.

NBC coverage of Manchester City’s UEFA ban 

NBCSN’s Premier League Live on Friday opened with breaking news. Just 15 minutes or so before the 2PM ET start of the program, UEFA announced a two-year ban for Manchester City in any UEFA club competition. On the fly, Ahmed Fareed directed the discussion in studio as well as NBCSN’s clever use of its partner Sky Sports in the UK to bring up-to-the minute information on the ban.  

Fareed was able to lead an intelligent discussion on the subject with Robbie Mustoe and Kyle Martino. It’s important to note during the show that rumors were circulating on social media about the scope of the ban. It’s difficult to deal with live breaking news even if you have the resources of a CNN or BBC. NBC pulled together a show and some really high-end discussion quickly, and once again demonstrated why they are uniquely equipped to present the news of sport better than most of the competition. 

On Saturday, Rebecca Lowe hosted a smart discussion on the same topic in the middle of a three hour show that focused mostly on Liverpool. 

Sunday’s discussion gave more clarity as Robbie Mustoe went through each potential scenario for Pep Guardiola, while Kyle Martino shared his perspective on reported contract clauses that would allow Manchester City players to leave if Champions League football is not in the offing. 

ESPN needs to consider hiring Ian Joy for Bundesliga coverage

Ian Joy, normally heard on FOX Sports, provided co-commentary on the world feed of Dortmund-Eintracht Frankfurt Friday. Joy is a top co-commentator. Additionally, he serves as an excellent studio host at FOX, as he did at beIN SPORTS.

Joy, who played in England, Germany, Scotland, MLS and USSF D2, has an uncanny knowledge of the European game. Joy calls matches in Europe, a rare opportunity for an American. Fortunately, he excels in that position. His versatility was on display during FOX’s broadcast of Bayern-RB Leipzig on February 9 when he was able to knowledgeably discuss the three former MLS players that started that match – including Angelino who Joy had covered as NYCFC co-commentator for local broadcasts. 

ESPN, as they fire up Bundesliga coverage next season, would be well-advised to take a serious and long look at Joy either as a presenter or co-commentator. ESPN desires an aura of expertise. Joy, along with Taylor Twellman, Adrian Healey and Craig Burley provide that. Moreover, this team provides the seriousness the Bundesliga never felt in this country.

Joy played a role in FOX’s 2018 FIFA World Cup coverage, and could play a similar role for ESPN at Euro 2020 if they so desire. 

Serie A on ESPN moving forward

ESPN had a full halftime show during Sunday’s Juventus-Brescia on ESPN2, where they looked at the Serie A title race and ahead to the match later in the day between Lazio and Inter who both entered the day a point behind Juventus. Dan Thomas hosted the halftime show with Gab Marcotti as his analyst. Gab’s expertise on Serie A has been a big boost to ESPN’s coverage. 

As always, Mark Donaldson and Matteo Bonetti called the game well. But, one of the best aspects of ESPN’s coverage for U.S. Serie A coverage is the in-match highlights from other games in the division. The clips aired minutes after goals from Sampdoria-Fiorentina and Parma-Sassuolo, which allowed Donaldson and Bonetti to discuss the league as a whole and keep viewers updated on developments elsewhere. 

ESPN’s timing in acquiring Serie A rights seems to have been perfect. Napoli had run Juventus almost to the wire for the title in the 17-18 season, the last of six on beIN SPORTS. In each of those six seasons, Juventus won the title. But ESPN has not only come in as Juventus’ grip on the league is loosening, but as Inter, perhaps the only club with resources to truly challenge Juventus long-term, has reemerged from one of the worst periods in the club’s modern history. 

Editor’s note: Every week, World Soccer Talk Senior Writer Kartik Krishnaiyer shares his observations of watching world soccer on US television and streaming, as well as insights into the latest developments within the soccer TV media industry.

MLS CBA and its impact on media rights 

Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) agreed between the MLS Players Union and the league last week, “Beginning in 2023 and 2024, MLS will increase player spending by an amount equal to 25% of the increased media revenue above the amount generated by the league in 2022 plus $100 million.” 

The league’s current national and international media rights partnerships expire ahead of the 2022 season. Many questions will now have to be asked about what happens in the next rights cycle with MLS. Will Soccer United Marketing (SUM) continue to bundle MLS with US Men’s and Women’s National Team rights? The US Men have seen dwindling interest, attendance and TV numbers in English since the last negotiation in 2015. Do Spanish-language rights for the MLS and US bundle increase in value? 

So what exactly the promise in the CBA made to players about media revenues means is to be determined. But one thing is for certain – by promising players a portion of the media revenues, MLS hopes to improve its public relations on the issue of SUM’s media deals, which as has been pointed out frequently by critics, does not directly trickle revenue down to lower divisions, grassroots soccer or the women’s game. 

Time will tell how US Soccer views the possible new package. My understanding is the combination of USSF Secretary General Dan Flynn’s retirement, sinking TV ratings for the men’s team as well as the much-talked about negative Glassdoor reviews, have the USSF thinking about its long-term strategy and transparency more than any time in recent years. Even if the USSF rights continue as part of the SUM bundle, it is possible we get a level of openness and transparency about the rights fee and payments that we have not previously been exposed to. 

TUDN “Soccer Saturday”

This past Saturday, TUDN had fifteen consecutive hours of soccer coverage. Two live Bundesliga matches and four Liga MX clashes were bracketed by Futbol Central, TUDN’s flagship soccer show. TUDN is often forgotten as an option for English-language viewers in the US, but the presentation style is entertaining and — even if you know just a little Spanish — it’s informative. 

One major change in TUDN’s presentation from that of its predecessor network Univision Deportes is the growing number of studio programs done from Mexico instead of the United States. Most Liga MX broadcasts are now based out of Mexico City and not Miami as they previously were. 

The development of TUDN in tandem with Televisa in Mexico has also helped over-the-air Univision improve their entire scope of coverage of Liga MX. 

FOX improves on a big Bundesliga weekend 

We’ve spoken extensively on the World Soccer Talk Podcast about our displeasure with FOX’s “mail it in” approach for matches on FS2. This week, however, FOX Sports kept its studio team of Kate Abdo, Alexi Lalas and Warren Barton for FS2 matches because of big late games on both Saturday and Sunday. It was a pleasant surprise and especially odd given FOX is on its way out as the broadcast partner for the Bundesliga in the United States.

The pre-packaged graphics associated with the bumper programming however kept indicating it was the “Bundesliga on FS1” rather than FS2. 

The showdown between Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund that was televised on FS2 and TUDN provided an epic back-and-forth match with seven goals scored, three goals disallowed and several near misses. For those watching the game on FS2, former Middlesbrough and Fulham Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was outstanding in his co-commentary. It’s the first time I have taken note of Schwarzer as an analyst. His commentary about poor defensive work and other lapses of concentration were generally spot-on. 

Bundesliga on ESPN 

Former Scotland and Premier League midfielder Don Hutchison has emerged this season as ESPN FC TV’s resident go-to Bundesliga expert.

With the Bundesliga title race tighter than it has been in recent years, Hutchison’s versatility and ability to analyze the German league has been useful on the program, adding another layer of analysis to what the studio team in Bristol, as well as Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens provide. Though he is based in London, might ESPN use Hutchison next season on US broadcasts of the Bundesliga? Hutchison does work for BT Sport and Premier League productions, but should ESPN ever broadcast matches directly from the grounds in Germany, Hutchison would be a stellar choice of co-commentator or studio talent. 

NWSL on CBS

CBS’ reported acquisition of NWSL rights sent ripples through the American soccer community last week. The broadcaster, who had shown little interest in soccer in the last thirty years outside of a single season broadcasting NASL, has now acquired two big properties in three months. Unlike the UEFA Champions League and Europa League that CBS will start broadcasting in August 2021, NWSL coverage will begin in two months.  

What CBS will be able to provide NWSL is a window into the mainstream sporting and soccer culture in the US. Lifetime, which broadcast NWSL in 2017 and 2018 as part of the league’s equity deal with A&E, provided excellent production and a dedicated weekly match window. But Lifetime wasn’t a place sports fans were accustomed to turning to for matches. And even though it is one of the top rated networks on cable, the audience was different. CBS seems a more logical fit. 

Both CBS over-the-air and CBS Sports Network’s summer programming lineup is weak. The over-the-air network’s one lucrative summer property is the weekly PGA Tour event. The summer golf schedule is mostly carried on CBS, though the two summer majors are on FOX and NBC respectively. The move of the PGA Championship to May and the shift of the tour schedule to end of August leaves several potential holes in the programming schedule. CBS’s other summer sporting properties are less lucrative, such as the Big3 Basketball league and Professional Rodeo.

With these gaps in CBS’ summer schedule in mind, NWSL being potentially given over-the-air network exposure during the summer months could lead to a big spike in TV interest following up nicely on the increase in attendance we saw late last season. 

NWSL has, for several years, used Vista Worldlink as a producer for its matches. Vista is based near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, which is just miles from a CBS Sports facility. Currently Jeremy St Louis and Thomas Rongen use the CBS Sports studios in Fort Lauderdale to tape a soccer segment for CBS All Access. I’d expect the current talent calling NWSL matches to use the CBS Sports studio in Fort Lauderdale for the matches not broadcast on linear television. 

As for the matches on linear TV, the tried-and-tested team of Jenn Hildreth and Aly Wagner — who have paired for NWSL matches on three different networks (FOX, Lifetime and ESPN) — would be my top choice to lead CBS’ coverage. 

Just 7,616 attended Preston’s FA Cup game Saturday despite the stadium having a capacity of 23,404.

• Despite top English clubs competing in the FA Cup Third Round, fans of most clubs have ‘checked out’ on watching their favorite club — both in person and on television.

• Clubs laser-focused on league place in Premier League and impact of UEFA Champions League have pushed FA Cup way down the list of priorities.

• Fans’ obsession with Premier League and Champions League have marginalized international breaks, FA Cup and other lesser important competitions.

Ten years ago this weekend, Leeds United defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford. Jermaine Beckford’s winning goal was celebrated through football fandom around the globe. Once great title rivals of Manchester United, Leeds had fallen on hard times and plummeted all the way to League One. The match was highly anticipated and the result sent reverberations across the soccer world.

Beckford’s goal and Leeds victory was seen at the time as a celebration of football. But in this day and age “cupsets,” they often exist in a vacuum and are viewed by fans of bigger clubs as a blip on the radar, or even perhaps an opportunity to refocus on what really matters — the Premier League and the Champions League. Television’s role in this shift in priorities is unmistakable.

The FA Cup Third Round weekend was long considered the greatest weekend in English football. Plucky underdogs that had advanced to this point in the competition got the chance to knock-off Premier League and Championship sides – the very giant killings that previously made the football world go-round. The FA Cup has lost its luster as a television property. Timing, football fatigue and the seriousness with which clubs take the competition all factor into this decline.

This weekend’s FA Cup Third Round has, for many TV viewers around the world, become a weekend off from football, a time to catch up on other things after the intense festive period and 39 Premier League matches in 13 days. Broadcasters and media companies that show the Premier League often do not have FA Cup rights or do not promote them with the same vigor.

SEE MORE: Schedule of FA Cup games on US TV and streaming

For the top clubs, selling tickets has become difficult for cup ties as the matches lack appeal, and few clubs in the top two flights of English football put out full-strength sides. In the UK, the FA Cup does have matches on free-to-air television unlike the Premier League, but more often than not those matches aren’t attractive or don’t feature anything similar to the full strength sides on display week-in and week-out in the league.

For every club in the Premier League and the Championship, save a few, the FA Cup Third Round comes at the wrong time on the calendar and provides a chance to rotate the squad and experiment rather than emphasize results. The FA’s inability to generate the sort of TV revenue through the competition that is meaningful for bigger clubs means an emphasis on qualifying for Europe, staying in the Premier League or being promoted to the Premier League — all of which drives the priorities of clubs. This in turn drives coaching decisions and the emphasis of fans. Many fans and casuals have understood these priorities, and year-after-year shift further toward emphasis on the league and Europe.

Make no mistake about it, the shifting priorities for clubs has everything to do with television money and attracting viewers and fans from across the globe. Success in the Premier League and European competitions drive television interest and revenue while FA Cup or Carabao Cup failures make little difference in the overall profile of a club in this era. In many cases, fans and even those connected with the club quickly forget cup failures and move on to the more important business at hand, the league and for the very top clubs, Europe. Additionally, the FA Cup impact for each club from television revenue is minimal and cup success does little to attract new fans who are attracted to the English game based on television. The days of waxing lyrically about FA Cup Finals and their relevance for the biggest clubs in England ended probably around the time of the 2007 final between Chelsea and Manchester United. Since then, even when big clubs face off with each other in FA Cup semifinals and finals, the matches seem secondary to any league clashes between the same clubs even if silverware is not on the line.

In today’s atmosphere, the two great television properties of England’s Premier League and the UEFA Champions League dictate viewing habits and interests. Much like International breaks outside the major summer tournaments, the FA Cup Third Round weekend has become a time many tune out.

Romanticism remains a big part of football’s lore — the idea of giant killings drive narratives in the media and among older school soccer fans. However, in this era few fans are going out of their way to watch a giant killing on TV or streaming video live. If an upset along the lines of the Leeds win over Manchester United occurs, it becomes a temporary talking point or Twitter meme, before more important business resumes.

Fans who watch the sport regularly see FA Cup weekends in the same way as many view international breaks. The core, die-hard football fan, the romantic and the media stay engaged but the more casual fans, driven by television or by the more prestigious competitions, by and large, tune out.

The FA Cup still holds a lore for many fans, but in today’s age of Premier League domination of television, fixture congestion and global fans, its importance has faded. The relevance the cup has for fans had faded accordingly, and the biggest driver of this is television.

There is a serious issue regarding MLS games losing to foreign competition and leagues abroad.

Many soccer fans in the United States are accustomed to getting up in the morning and watching matches from Europe, leading to burnout by the end of each weekend day. Others focus on Liga MX and Latin American competitions that run concurrent with Major League Soccer and USL Championship matches. Others simply don’t like the product offered by the domestic league in the United States and opt not to watch it.

MLS games losing to foreign competition

MLS TV ratings are poorer in the fall than during the summer. For those who take a very narrow Americanized-view of things this is due to the start of American football season. It is also quite likely that some of the drop-off in MLS viewership on ESPN and FS1 in the fall correlates with the start of the domestic soccer seasons in Europe’s “big five” leagues. We see MLS struggle at times in the spring as well after the initial excitement and promotion for the first few weeks of the season wear off.

I’ve spoken to quite a number of people who work in soccer or watch the sport closely. For some, it is true American sports, particularly college football more than the NFL, that’s the main reason for not watching MLS or USL matches in the evening. For others, it is the availability of matches from Latin America that dominates thoughts — though extremely late Eastern Time kickoffs such as the LA Derby or the Cascadia matches do appeal to them. A general sense is that matches on the west coast have a better appeal because of fan atmosphere. And quality of those teams drives interest. But if MLS has a late start time set to fit later TV windows or accommodate local fans, the potential viewership for these matchups is diminished. But it can be argued the Premier League deals with this regularly with many of the most appealing matches being aired during the early morning hours on the west coast.

It is also quite shocking the numbers the combined Turner and Univision viewership of UEFA Champions League gets relative to MLS considering the Champions League is a midweek, midday competition for American viewers. This is another indication MLS’ TV troubles are due to deeper causes than just when the matches take place and the prominence of American sports.

The timing problem

The response to the critiques by MLS fans and some in the US Soccer media generally is based on personal preferences or assumptions. The assumption that people are more likely to watch sporting events in the morning when no other sports are on than in the evening when others are on. Let me ask a frank question – when exactly do the viewers of the Premier League get to spend time with their families, go shopping, service their automobiles or handle the other errands associated with weekend lives for working people? Could it be that they have made a conscious choice to either push that to later in the day when traditional American sporting events take place or that they don’t watch as much of the Premier League or other European soccer as they possibly could because of the timing?

SEE MORE: Schedule of MLS games on US TV and streaming

As MLS expands, it’s also convenient for the league’s proponents and defenders to claim the next bundled TV deal will be the “big one.” But to this point, expansion has only helped in certain markets. Seattle’s entry to the league in 2009 made MLS marginally a more attractive media property. The same can be said for Atlanta’s 2017 entry. But by and large, MLS expansion hasn’t moved the needle enough, even as second clubs were launched with great fanfare and on-field success in New York and Los Angeles — the nation’s two largest TV markets. TV ratings for MLS are not much different today than they were in the late 1990’s. While it is true that the newness factor of the league wore off in the 2000’s leading to lower ratings, the marginal increase in numbers in the last five years has helped MLS simply recover lost ground in spite of constant expansion. By contrast, Premier League numbers are far higher now on NBC’s family of networks than they ever were on FOX or ESPN networks.

Moving forward

MLS on TV suffers from multiple problems. Burnout for core soccer fans is one of the leading causes of sagging TV ratings particularly during the spring and fall months. When combined with the lack of compelling storylines, the shifting broadcast windows as well as the general poor targeting of soccer fans by MLS, it is no wonder they are struggling for ratings.

As MLS moves forward with its next TV deal and looking ahead towards the World Cup in 2026, they’d be well served to understand fan burnout and the preferences of general soccer fans rather than spinning and making excuses related to general American sports.

FOX Sports’ second cycle as the US English-language FIFA rights holder has begun this summer with coverage of the FIFA Women’s World Cup as well as the FIFA Under-20 World Cup. Following last summer’s coverage of Russia 2018, FOX seems to have returned to a “back-to-basics” approach with Women’s World Cup.

Women’s World Cup Coverage Review

Studio

Rob Stone, as a host, continues to be styled more for American sports. He began FOX’s month of live Women’s World Cup coverage with stand up at Eiffel Tower and interjected stand-up spots throughout the weekend. But Stone, for all his drawbacks, is smooth and an advocate for soccer among mainstream sporting personalities. His presence as host elevates the possibility of FOX hooking casuals.

Heather O’Reilly, one of the great versatile players of recent years in the women’s game (sort of a James Milner-type), has provided analysis in the outdoor Parisian studio with an Eiffel Tower backdrop alongside a rotating case of Ariane Hingst, Kelly Smith, Kate Gill, Alexi Lalas and Karina LeBlanc. O’Reilly has been very good, though FOX’s decision to keep only Americans in the studio to discuss the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) on Friday was patronizing. However, FOX’s USA! USA! first approach we saw in 2015 for this tournament has been toned down. Having been burnt on the men’s side by building coverage around the USA, FOX seems to be taking a more cosmopolitan and balanced tone this time around.

The general tone in the studio setup is simple. Alexi Lalas, from time to time, brings tactics and style into the discussions but the analysts are generally very basic giving stats and thoughts like “she’s very experienced,” or “she has been at X number of World Cups.” One of the more annoying features of the “back to basics” approach is the narrated features with music that air during every studio show. This is classic FOX and represents a far different approach to international events than other US networks.

Eni Aluko’s appearance on Sunday was very welcome. Aluko, the former England and Chelsea star, brings an intellectual approach to her analysis, something often on display in her excellent newspaper columns. Aluko, who now plays for Juventus but no longer is part of the England set-up, had more in-depth understanding of how the players on both England and Scotland are currently performing versus what we had seen in the build-up to other matches.

SEE MORE: Schedule of Women’s World Cup games on US TV and streaming

US Women’s coverage over the weekend generally emanated from Alex Curry’s “USWNT Report,” which aired during every studio show. The US playing its first match on the fifth day of the tournament has allowed FOX Sports to gradually introduce every US player properly.

FOX has surprisingly not shied away from the Ada Hegerberg absence at this World Cup. As a FIFA rights-holder, it has felt in the past that FOX pulled its punches on some of the critical issues facing the game. But when it came to equal pay and Hegerberg, they had a vibrant conversation though both O’Reilly and Lalas claimed the Norwegian superstar had not provided enough clarity about her grievances. Lalas summed up his frustration in the lack of clear messaging from the reigning Ballon d’or winner by asking “Ada tell us what exactly you want!”

Grant Wahl’s role as a reporter-at-large has been minimal. This is likely to change as other stories emerge during the tournament or if FOX decides to push MLS/USMNT news into the broadcasts.

Saturday’s Spain-South Africa match was shrouded in VAR-induced controversy, and the FOX studio pulled apart both the penalty decision for Spain with a great deal of enthusiasm. It was the most lively discussion of the weekend to that point but was quickly followed up by the conversation about Hegerberg, which was equally passionate.

Jenny Taft, who has helped Stone with early morning hosting duties, has been solid if unspectacular.

One takeaway though on the FOX studio is if Lalas doesn’t stimulate argumentative conversation, it generally doesn’t happen. Lalas isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and I admit I myself blow hot and cold on him but this past weekend he has been dialed in, offering some very insightful commentary while pushing buttons to elicit reactions out of the rest of the studio team. During the course of the tournament, this should be an interesting dynamic to keep an eye on.

Game Commentary

My initial concern entering the tournament was about Lisa Byington who is not a soccer announcer, but someone known for calling American sports. But she’s been very good and helped by a smart pairing with Cat Whitehill. Byington is a professional, and she clearly has become more comfortable with calling soccer. Byington has learned the art of letting matches breathe a quality male American sports-oriented announcers would do well to emulate.

The broadcast duo of Jenn Hildreth and Kyndra de St Aubin, who called the controversial Spain-South Africa match, were fantastic. They didn’t miss a single critical match event. Hildreth’s timing on when to interject stories about the players or teams was perfect. Her improvement since she first began calling WPS games in 2009 for FOX has been exponential. In those days, Hildreth was raw, coming off time doing ACC basketball and football. In those days, she’d over call a match but in the years since she’s become one of the best American commentators on the sport.

Pairing Hildreth with de St Aubin, who has become one of the best MLS co-commentators in her work for Minnesota United, has given FOX an elite, all-female broadcast pairing. De St Aubin is a rising star in the field of American soccer co-commentary, and one with the potential to break all sorts of glass ceilings in the future.

Derek Rae and Danielle Slaton were unsparingly solid as were JP Dellacamera and Aly Wagner. Glenn Davis and Angela Hucles called what might be one of the matches of the tournament between Australia and Italy. Both did well on that match.

FOX’s decision to leave lead soccer commentator John Strong behind in the United States to call CONCACAF Gold Cup and MLS action this month wasn’t something I felt was wise given the brand of FOX Soccer has become so tied to Strong. But through the first weekend, Strong hasn’t been missed. However, during knockout stages of the tournament, I sense this concentration might be revisited. The reality is that despite FOX’s efforts to promote the US Men’s National Team, interest is waning in that product and Strong is in my opinion more tied to the FOX brand than to the US men’s brand. Not having him at FOX’s big showcase remains a decision worth critiquing.

In general, I have to conclude that female commentators in the United States are not only better for women’s soccer, they are generally better for high-level men’s soccer as well. Most don’t over talk or over call a match. The female co-commentators tend to be very analytical as well. Something has to be said for the fact that American women have played the sport at a much higher level relative to most of the men – so while most American men can do alright on MLS matches when it comes to higher level internationals even women tend to have a better perspective – this is something I noticed with Julie Foudy years ago when ESPN would use her on men’s international tournaments. She tended to have more useful perspectives in the later stages of the tournament because she had experienced that level of pressure and competition. Exceptions exist to this general feeling but it’s something I’ve come to believe over a number of years of soccer viewing.

Rules Expert

Christina Unkel is a major upgrade over Dr. Joe Machnik. She’s more media savvy and far more direct in making her point. Unkel has been spot on in her contributions regarding VAR calls. As an active official, Unkel seems to be more practical in her analysis than Machnik was. Not that he wasn’t usually right, but his explanations were often more academic in how they were delivered.

Bottom Line

FOX’s studio is classic FOX, i.e. a back-to-basics approach that has left some fans I talk to searching for BBC coverage behind a VPN or watching Telemundo. However, with the larger audience expected of casual sports fans as well as the toned down USA rhetoric, FOX’s coverage of the first weekend of the World Cup was an improvement over previous efforts. Standing out were the match commentary teams who excelled all weekend long.

The broadcast tenor of FOX isn’t appealing to core soccer fans but with crisper production and well-prepared talent, this tournament could be the network’s best yet. We’ll have to see in a Women’s World Cup coverage review following the conclusion of the tournament.

There’s no doubt that NBC Sports has transformed the fortunes and perception of the Premier League in the United States, but it is often forgotten NBC Sports actually acquired the rights to show Major League Soccer (MLS) for three seasons from 2012-2014 before they acquired the US’ Premier League rights.

NBC’s coverage of MLS was outstanding enough to win plaudits from fans and media, but as the US-based top flight league approaching its nineteenth season, MLS executives were — according to a World Soccer Talk source — demanding a massive increase in the rights fees to broadcast the domestic league, which were nowhere in line with the poor TV ratings the league were generating across all nationwide broadcasters. The math simply didn’t add up for NBC Sports, so the network decided to take a pass before the 2015 season began.

In hindsight, did MLS make the correct decision in overvaluing the TV rights for the league instead of focusing on long-term growth with a world-class broadcaster that “got” soccer?

MLS shifting away from NBC Sports was in retrospect unfortunate. The type of hard-hitting, no holds barred discussions you see on NBC’s Premier League coverage are generally lacking on FOX’s MLS’ telecasts. Bumper programs so important to the engagement of fans for all sporting events would be well-produced on NBC and create a certain degree of controversy. If MLS was still with NBC, more tactically focused fans would be engaged in MLS and it would improve the image of the league.

Where we are now

Currently a stigma has developed about Major League Soccer among those who prefer the European and particularly the English game in the United States. But the types of cross-promotion for MLS that could have occurred during Premier League matches, as well as an effort to to discuss things in more tactical and strategic ways than on FOX would have benefited the league and almost certainly in time could have helped win over skeptics.

But if the league had remained on NBC Sports, it is conceivable that an integration of MLS fans with those of European football would have been more seamless. Today, with FOX’s patronizing attitude toward fans which might be reflective of a deep-seeded insecurity about MLS’ overall place in the world club soccer landscape, fans of the US top-flight league seem as distant and hostile as ever toward large elements of the global game and the fans of foreign clubs.

While ESPN’s broadcast crews around MLS are outstanding, the allotment of time on the network is hit or miss. Taylor Twellman, in particular continues to be an exemplary co-commentator capable of linking MLS with the world game while not talking down to an audience or blatantly cheerleading for the league. But as the current eight-year media rights deal has worn on, it is FOX’s tenor that has won the day among MLS fans, creating further divisions within the fractured soccer community in the United States.

The addition of Jon Champion as lead MLS commentator on ESPN this season is a welcome addition that will add credibility to the league. Similarly, the appearances, though infrequent of Max Bretos for bigger events elevates the quality of ESPN’s product.

But the reality of ESPN continues to be pretty straightforward. Major League Soccer has often times simply disappeared into the ESPN family of networks programming catalog without much consideration for promotion. As good as the product is that ESPN produces, promotion is limited and while ratings have grown marginally since the start of this eight-year rights cycle, it’s also very possible NBC could have grown the product more aggressively and effectively, complimenting ESPN’s good work but limited bandwidth to spend on the league.

NBC Sports’s MLS coverage in modern times

Let’s start with Arlo White.

Arlo White’s role as NBC’s voice of MLS before shifting to the Premier League in 2013 probably could have continued to attract fans of the game to MLS, if let’s say he called a few matches during the summer months for NBC, when the Premier League is in its closed season. White has an uncanny ability to connect with European football fans because of his accent and knowledge while presenting matches in a very Americanized style that relies heavily on storytelling and colorful anecdotes.

White’s style grates on some traditional football watchers who prefer less talking during broadcasts. However, the former BBC and Seattle Sounders announcer demonstrated in the early days of the Premier League being on NBC an uncanny ability to educate less knowledgeable fans during broadcasts. White did the same when he called MLS on NBC but at that point in time the crossover appeal of the league was limited and the network did not have Premier League rights.

Meanwhile, the excellent John Strong who called games for NBC in 2013 and 2014 and actually did some Premier League work would have potentially stayed with the network as the lead commentator, with White broadcasting special events. Strong is one of the real assets FOX has in its MLS arsenal currently, and probably would have been even more effective as part of an enhanced NBC production.

Off-field product

NBC’s studio shows, as demonstrated in coverage of the Premier League, can shape audience perceptions and inform as well as entertain. When NBC previously aired MLS, it was more of a niche product than it is today, and it can be assumed NBC’s coverage would have grown with the league had they remained a broadcast partner.

In addition, NBC’s level of promotion for the Premier League during other NBC Sports programming indicates a commitment level that ESPN doesn’t have to soccer in general. NBC likely could have penetrated more mainstream American sports fans to watch MLS – something the league has long desired but largely struck out at doing consistently. While one-off broadcasts particularly when involving Atlanta United attract fans of other sports, the consistent level of fandom for MLS on national TV remains relatively low.

MLS has grown in stature the last few years. The quality of play is noticeably improved from when NBC televised the matches. However, FOX’s tenor, which reflects the clannishness and defensiveness of MLS fans for many years doesn’t reflect a new confidence the league should have nor does it communicate effectively with core soccer fans who might be intrigued by the uptick in MLS’ quality.

SEE MORE: Rating each network on how it promotes its soccer coverage

What has resulted is two separate tracks for English-language dominant soccer viewers in the US. Those watching the Premier League have gravitated to NBC while MLS fans and those of the US Men’s National Team have remained largely in a separate ecosystem. Social media is dominated by the two sides taking shots at each other.

NBC Now

Meanwhile, NBC with its superior coverage of soccer has not had to really tackle the issues of the US Men’s National Team or MLS. NBC’s more critically focused and effective coverage could have helped shape the debate about the domestic game in a clearer way.

The net result of NBC broadcasting MLS likely would have been better promotion and less clannishness around soccer fans in the US. Alas, we will never know how it might have played out had NBC continued into this current media rights cycle as an MLS partner.

While Premier League interest and ratings remain steady in the United States, many fans I speak with including several who post on social media have come to a similar conclusion as me – the Premier League is less compelling, less competitive beyond its top clubs and less entertaining than any time since it became an accessible property on US television. Some weeks the Premier League entertains like none other, and the talent on NBC Sports is quick to point out how exciting the gameweek was. However, all too often the league throws up boring fixture after boring fixture.

At the same time, the Championship is providing entertainment and exciting soccer on just about every matchday. The league, that moved 18 months ago from beIN SPORTS where it was largely buried to ESPN, now is a centerpiece of the ESPN+ soccer offering. For just $4.99 a month, fans across the United States have almost as much access to England’s second-tier as they do to the Premier League without purchasing NBC Sports Gold.

The Championship now has similar potential penetration to what the Premier League enjoyed from 1999 to 2009 when the league was exclusively buried on premium package cable channels FOX Sports World and then FOX Soccer Channel. Since 2009 however, ESPN and then later NBC have elevated the Premier League as a standalone property in the United States, making it the most popular television European-based soccer league in the nation.

SEE MORE: Schedule of Championship games on ESPN+

At this moment in time, the Premier League is almost three distinct divisions, and matches between a club from one mini-division against one from another are almost always underwhelming. Meanwhile almost any match in the Championship provides some degree of compelling mystery and often time the entertainment we’re lacking from the top flight division. In private conversations with other keen football watchers, I’ve found many have similar opinions and often these days are forcing themselves to sit through Premier League matches while actually enjoying the Championship experience. The same can be said for other top European leagues, which like the Premier League have grown more predictable and arguably more stale over time.

The Premier League was designed as a breakaway that gave its clubs the ability to control revenue and make more money. The league has been so successful that the last round of TV deals made it even more prohibitive to drop out of the division financially for club owners. This has led directly to less open football and more safe, defensive tactics among sides that are fighting relegation. It has led to more bunkering and to a greater disparity in actual “footballing” between the top sides, those in mid-table and those perennially fighting the drop. While Premier League defenders would argue this has always been the case to a certain extent, for many – including myself – the shift has been especially more pronounced in the last three seasons.

The financial reward of entry to the Premier League for owners though has stimulated good football – open, attacking and entertaining. It’s also prompted club owners to spend money on attacking players and try and attract managers who favor attacking football. The disparity between financial rewards for competing in England’s top two tiers has grown into a gulf of epic proportions, forcing clubs to adjust tactics accordingly.

For example, Fulham’s struggles this season in the Premier League when trying to play the same brand of entertaining passing football as in the Championship show very clearly the difference in the two leagues. Slaviša Jokanovic had made the Cottagers a can’t-miss side last season, and Fulham’s promotion to the Premier League was met with cheers from neutrals because they were playing football “the right way.”

After spending generously on several players over the summer to fit Jokanovic’s preferred attacking setup, Fulham found life in the Premier League daunting. Playing nice, attractive, passing soccer wasn’t an option. Fulham leaked goal and Jokanovic was sacked only about a third of the way through the campaign. Fulham now are playing a much less adventurous style under Claudio Ranieri and have become difficult to watch like most Premier League clubs fighting relegation.

In the United States, the Championship suffered even in its best seasons by a lack of exposure. The stigma of being a second division and being buried on networks committed to other soccer properties limited the interest in the league. But now ESPN+ – and the seeming predictability of the Premier League as well as other top European leagues – is fueling an uptick in interest in the Championship. Fans who tune in to England’s second tier won’t be disappointed. It’s the type of competitive, open football that actually delivers instead of the broken promises from other leagues around the world that aren’t consistent enough.

Editor’s note: Kartik Krishnaiyer and Christopher Harris  provide insight while rating the best soccer TV channels in the US.

Soccer fans in the United States often complain that the sport isn’t properly advertised or promoted by the networks who hold the rights to show the most popular leagues. While soccer still sits behind many other sports in terms of promotion, some networks do a better job than others in making viewers aware of what soccer properties they air.

The success of a league measured by TV viewing numbers can be attributed to several factors outside of how entertaining a league is. After all, if no one knows when the games are being televised, it can have a dramatic impact on the viewing numbers no matter how good the league is. Vice versa, some leagues may end up getting promoted more heavily than others, but if the quality of the soccer on display isn’t worth watching, the league’s TV viewing numbers may be insufficient even if the league is promoted ad nauseam.

Before we dive into analyzing how well each soccer-related broadcaster is doing promoting the major soccer properties they have the rights to, what do we consider to be promotion anyway? We’re looking at in-house ads on the respective TV networks. We look at the advertiser that each network does to promote the leagues on other media such as website banner ads, TV commercials on other networks and sponsored ads on social media. Plus, promos during other shows on networks are important in addition to getting the word out to journalists via media publicity (i.e. public relations).

All of these are factored into the analysis of each network, and the grade we’ve given them.

Here’s our review of how well the networks are promoting their soccer properties, which includes analysis and grades from both myself and World Soccer Talk publisher Christopher Harris:

Rating the best soccer TV channels

beIN SPORTS

Kartik: There is little question that beIN SPORTS promotes and covers soccer as well if not better than any other network in the United States. This is a network that very forcefully promotes all of its soccer properties and clearly advertises on the network when they are showing big matches several days, if not weeks in advance.

But with beIN’s diminishing footprint, the network has become more dependent than ever on legal streaming platforms Sling TV and fuboTV among others to promote its programming. What has resulted is less visibility for beIN’s excellent bumper programming like The Xtra and The Express, both of which have typically enjoyed lots of promotion on the network.

Nonetheless, beIN is doing everything they can to promote the sport at a higher level than just about any other network.

Christopher: If you only watch beIN SPORTS, you’ll have a good idea of what games and leagues they cover. But much like FOX Sports, beIN SPORTS suffers from not promoting their coverage outside of their comfort zone — i.e. their own channels.

It’s rare that you’ll see an advertisement on TV or online for a beIN SPORTS game or league unless it’s on beIN SPORTS’ own website or TV channel. It’s also rare that you’ll see their @beINSPORTSUSA Twitter account interacting with the public on a personal one-to-one basis by answering questions or engaging in a conversation. As a result, there always seems to be a large disconnect between beIN SPORTS and the viewer, which makes it harder for soccer fans who are not watching beIN SPORTS every day to know what coverage is coming up on the network.

On a positive, beIN SPORTS has been a trailblazer in signing deals with streaming platforms to make their networks and Connect channels as accessible as possible, so that helps in the promotion of their leagues they broadcast.

• Grade: A (Kartik Krishnaiyer)
• Grade: D (Christopher Harris)
• Average grade: C+

NBC Sports/Telemundo

Kartik: NBC’s outstanding promotion of its Premier League package, now in its sixth season, stands alone at the top of the English language US-based networks commitment to promoting soccer. NBC Sports Group has used the Olympics, prominent golf events such as the Ryder Cup, the Open Championship, auto racing, the NHL and even Notre Dame Football to promote the Premier League. NBC has also significantly included the Premier League among its general sports ads which show the league and sport alongside the NFL, NHL, the Olympics, Golf and the French Open, the only Grand Slam tennis event still airing on the network.

NBC’s aggressive cross-promotion of events on Spanish-language carrier Telemundo on English language broadcasts appeared to have netted some benefit during this past summer’s World Cup. The cross-promotion has continued into this Premier League season. For its part, Telemundo’s soccer coverage has gotten a tremendous boost from hosting the World Cup and now the network has more forcefully promoted its own Premier League coverage in the first few months of the new season.

Overall, NBC Sports Group has focused its sporting properties on people who enjoy international sports and have worked to maintain a level of authenticity around the presentation even in advertisements during more mainstream American sporting events.

Christopher: It’s no surprise that part of the reason why viewing numbers for the Premier League have been strong can be tied back to the hard work that NBC Sports has done in promoting the league in the United States. Whether it’s advertising their coverage on TV networks and websites not affiliated with NBC Sports, promoting their coverage on subway cars and taxis throughout New York City, or highlighting Premier League coverage during NFL and the Olympics, NBC Sports are leaders in knowing how to get the word out about their coverage.

Behind the scenes, the PR department at NBC Sports is the most approachable and helpful of all of the different publicity departments at sports networks in the United States.

On top of all of this, NBC Sports knows how to mix things up to keep things fresh. That includes getting out of their comfort zone and taking their show on the road such as the recent Premier League fan fest in Washington DC (with more dates to be announced soon) as well as organizing different promotions with bars and pubs across the United States to promote their coverage.

• Grade: A (Kartik Krishnaiyer)
• Grade: A (Christopher Harris)
• Average grade: A

Univision Deportes

Kartik: Univision’s recent forays into European club football complement its already superior promotion of Liga MX broadcasts. Simply put, nobody promotes soccer more during non-soccer or non-sports events than Univision.

One of the outstanding aspects of Univision’s coverage in the past several months is the unrelenting promoting of UEFA Champions League and Bundesliga during Liga MX matches in addition to the BundesGol and SomosBundesliga bumper programs that should serve as templates of what FOX Sports could do on the English-language side with the same league.

Christopher: To add to Kartik’s praise of Univision, I’ve been particularly impressed by the way that Univision Deportes advertises on sites not owned or operated by the Spanish-language broadcaster. Also, their PR department is helpful and accessible, which helps to get the word out about all of the soccer coverage they share.

• Grade: A (Kartik Krishnaiyer)
• Grade: B (Christopher Harris)
• Average grade: B+

FOX Sports

Kartik: FOX Sports does a decent job of pushing its soccer properties if they involve an American components. US Men’s and Women’s National Team matches as well as Major League Soccer enjoy strong promotion during FOX events of the network’s choosing. But all too often during FOX’s most-watched events, the NFL, College Football and Major League Baseball, promotion of soccer properties is absent. The network fails to promote its Bundesliga coverage even on other soccer programming unless an American angle is present, for example when Schalke or Borussia Dortmund which feature American men’s stars are playing.

The promotion of FOX’s streaming product FOX Soccer Match Pass has almost dissipated along with the attractive rights the network holds in the sport.

The approach from FOX is exemplified by a new Dr. Pepper commercial that airs during College Football games, where parents of a young boy are deeply offended their son is reading a magazine about soccer instead of about american football. FOX ultimately promotes soccer to audiences it feels it won’t offend by promoting soccer, which is ultimately different than the approach of NBC. FOX feels a certain generation of classic American sports fan sees soccer as foreign and offensive, much like the Dr. Pepper commercial which is marketing to American football fan implies. But then again, FOX’s entire manner of broadcasting sporting events and interaction with the audience is quite different from that of NBC, and reflects a certain degree of isolated Americanism that perhaps market research indicates is the network’s best bet for competing.

Christopher: Out of all of the public relations departments for sports networks in the United States, FOX Sports PR is by far the most incompetent, uncommunicative and disorganized group I’ve ever had the displeasure of working with in the 13 years that I’ve been running World Soccer Talk. There’s a reason that so many soccer fans get discouraged by the lack of promotion that FOX Sports gives to the Bundesliga in the United States, and it begins with the lack of communication from FOX Sports PR. It’s almost as if FOX Sports doesn’t care, which is a sad indictment for the home of the German league, one of the most entertaining soccer leagues on US television.

Public relations aside, the other promotion that FOX Sports gives to soccer isn’t much better. FOX relies on in-house ads to promote their leagues. The issue is that most soccer fans aren’t watching FOX Sports during weekdays, so the in-house ads aren’t reaching the target audience because they’re not tuning in. Outside of in-house ads, FOX Sports does very little to zero paid advertising to promote their soccer coverage on other websites. In contrast, you may have noticed NBC Sports promoting its Premier League TV coverage on websites such as BBC News, The Guardian, PremierLeague.com and other destinations for soccer fans.

FOX Sports does a good job at scheduling their soccer talent to appear on FOX Sports talking head shows to promote their soccer coverage. While it’s sometimes refreshing to hear people like Alexi Lalas and Rob Stone discussing soccer on talking head shows that hardly mention the word soccer, the tactic again falls flat on its face because soccer fans aren’t watching these broadcasts.

The only aspect of FOX’s promotion that works is their social media. But it’s opt-in, so if you like me don’t follow their social media accounts, you won’t get the updates and you’re out of the loop.

• Grade: C+ (Kartik Krishnaiyer)
• Grade: F (Christopher Harris)
• Average grade: D

ESPN

Kartik: ESPN’s approach to promoting its extensive portfolio of soccer properties is a scattergun one. The Disney-owned network seems to subscribe at least partially to FOX’s thinking in terms of when and where to promote the sport. Similarly to FOX Sports, ESPN will promote MLS Cup Playoff matches and critical US Men’s and Women’s qualifiers or tournaments in passing during sporting events with a mainstream American following. However, ESPN’s promotions for these broadcasts appear more regularly than they do on FOX Sports, a reality that reflects in the television ratings.

But much like FOX, ESPN appears reluctant to advertise other soccer properties during events such as NFL, College Football, NBA or MLB games, and tends to stick to soccer programming to promote other soccer programming. That having been said, if you watch a MLS match on ESPN, you are likely to know when the next Serie A broadcast on one of the network’s linear channels is airing. If you watch the network’s anchor soccer program ESPNFC, which is on ESPN+ every day but makes somewhat random periodic appearances on the linear channels (such as on Friday October 5), you’ll know of every upcoming soccer-related broadcast on an ESPN over-the-air channel. But ESPN does need to promote its ESPN+ soccer portfolio better than it currently does, but that I trust is on its way as many of the most lucrative rights in the sport acquired by the streaming service have taken place in the past few months.

ESPN’s cross-promotion of soccer programming on ESPN Deportes is inconsistent and needs improvement. However, ESPN’s digital experience via its app or website does incorporate Deportes programming more consistently and seamlessly into what English-language dominant fans see based on their personal settings/preferences.

The lack of a soccer anchor program on FOX Sports is ultimately the biggest difference in how ESPN is able to leverage its platforms to promote soccer versus FOX. However, like FOX, ESPN falls short of the commitment level NBC demonstrates in assertively placing its marquee soccer properties on the same level as American sports.

Christopher: I’m more positive about ESPN’s promotion of soccer than Kartik is. For me, I’ve always been impressed by the amount of paid advertising that ESPN does outside of their ESPN websites to promote their coverage as well as external TV commercials that air on networks other than ESPN.

Many soccer fans complain they could do more, but my feeling is that they go above-and-beyond to promote the leagues they broadcast on television — almost to a fault where they promote MLS so much that you would expect the top-flight American league to generate massive TV ratings, which they do not.

• Grade: C (Kartik Krishnaiyer)
• Grade: A- (Christopher Harris)
• Average grade: B

Lifetime

Kartik: The primary broadcast carrier of NWSL has a spotty record of promoting matches. The run-up to each of the 2017 and 2018 NWSL Regular Seasons and playoffs were excellent with the network aggressively touting its property on other shows and even on other A&E owned networks including occasionally on Disney-owned broadcast channels. A&E networks have aired commercials during regular programming promoting NWSL and upcoming early season matches only to ramp down the advertising it seems during the middle portion of the season.

However, following that noticeable drop off in promotion that has occurred both on Lifetime itself and other A&E Network, both in 2017 and 2018 the advertising has been ramped up again as the post-season approached. Next season it would be nice to see more consistency.

Christopher: Honestly, I can’t remember any promotion that Lifetime has done to publicize their coverage of NWSL other than press releases from their PR department. Maybe I don’t watch the TV networks that Lifetime advertises their coverage of women’s soccer on, but I haven’t seen anything.

• Grade: B- (Kartik Krishnaiyer)
• Grade: F (Christopher Harris)
• Average grade: D

Turner Sports

Kartik: At the time of writing, we assume (or perhaps more accurately hope) Turner’s approach to promoting UEFA Champions League broadcasts on TNT and an assortment of soccer properties on streaming service B/R Live is a work in progress. This is because outside of a few plugs on CNN and CNN International, promotion has been almost non-existent outside late running Internet ads as matchdays approach of Champions League. What’s worse is we’ve seen almost zero promotion of Turner’s other soccer properties streamed on B/R Live which are more numerous than many might be aware of.

Right now Turner’s promotion is poor and can only get better.

Christopher: I’ve seen Turner Sports promoting B/R Live on Facebook and Twitter ads as well as on select sites through the Google Adsense network, but outside of that paid advertising, there has been very little promotion to get the word out there about their TV coverage. The impression I get is that they overestimated the number of Bleacher Report website audience that would gravitate to their TV and online soccer coverage. There are so many soccer fans out there that don’t consume their soccer news or information from Bleacher Report.

What I will say is that their public relations department has been working diligently to get details out about their Champions League and Europa League coverage, so that’s a big positive compared to other networks.

• Grade: F (Kartik Krishnaiyer)
• Grade: C (Christopher Harris)
• Average grade: D

Watching soccer is going to get expensive for the millions of fans in the United States.

In the next five years, we are certain to see more volatility in the way soccer is broadcast and delivered to US audiences. As the broadcast and media industry in the United States continues to evolve in order to adjust to new realities in terms of audiences, it’s likely that change will be a common theme for the next several years as well as adding more confusing for consumers as they try to watch their favorite club, league or tournament. Undoubtedly, watching soccer is going to get expensive stateside.

This spring, ESPN Plus will launch with a $4.99/month price point. The service will include all MLS matches not on national television in the US. It is also likely to include USL, EFL Championship, League 1 and League 2 as well as the League Cup. While MLS broadcasts not offered nationally have always been on a pay platform, the other properties mentioned have been generally more accessible with a cable subscription or even simply by having a computer with internet access.

At the start of the new European season in August 2018, Turner Sports is expected to launch a new pay streaming service which will exclusively air close to 80% of matches from UEFA club competitions. When you factor in the costs of already existing services such as FOX Soccer Match Pass and the extra tier of cable that needs to be purchased to gain access to beIN SPORTS, the costs of being a soccer fan are growing rapidly. In addition, as of now, NBC Sports is expected to continue offering Premier League matches not broadcast on one of its networks via its pay NBC Sports Gold package.

As cable subscriptions drop and cord-cutting becomes more of the norm, especially since soccer fans in the US tend to fit the millennial demographic, more and more soccer matches are likely to be offered on internet-based, pay platforms.

Non-Liga MX and “Big Six” Premier League club football remains a niche in terms of the US sports market. But it’s a powerful niche with fans largely so passionate about the leagues and clubs they follow that they are willing to go to great lengths to watch matches and bumper programming legally even, as we have seen at an additional cost.

Looking over the horizon it is entirely possible the low ratings non-US Women’s and Men’s National Team soccer programming gets on FS1 and FS2 will lead to the network dropping Bundesliga coverage outright and eventually after 2022 placing more MLS games on its online platform exclusively. The sale of FOX’s regional sports channels to Disney also limits the need to have broadcasts of soccer programming. For the last several years, Bundesliga and UEFA Champions League reruns have often been used to fill dead air on these networks.

ESPN might very well drop out of the soccer business entirely on television outside of UEFA internationals and US games if they are not forced to show MLS matches to secure US rights. The resignation of John Skipper as ESPN’s President has been underplayed by soccer aficionados, but could have a devastating impact on the presence of the sport on America’s flagship sports network. Skipper dragged ESPN’s programming into the modern era by emphasizing soccer content, but in the post-Skipper era which is coinciding with the launch of ESPN Plus, the nightly ESPN FC news program might be the only regular soccer-centric content on the network in 2023.

NBC Sports should retain rights to the Premier League after the expiry of the current rights deal in May 2022, but chances of the league securing a higher fee for the US market than the current 6 year/$1bn package is unlikely. As ratings have only slightly improved for the Premier League since NBC signed its latest deal, the expectation for fans should be that the network continues to try and recoup portions of the inflated fee it paid for the product through its NBC Sports Gold product. However, given the sloppy rollout and PR troubles it cost NBC in year one of Premier League Pass, the cost of this service is likely to remain a flat $50 a season or somewhere in the neighborhood of that price point.

As for beIN SPORTS, either the network will have to try and increase its cable package distribution and online product or might simply exit the US market when the current rights deals expire. Parent company Al Jazeera abandoned its US news network two years ago and has found much more success with the BeIN brand in other markets. Turner Sports could pick up the rights to La Liga and make it a largely digital product, which would compliment its aforementioned soon-to-be-launched program.

Will Univision make a play for more European leagues to fill programming on Univision Deportes? It already has the UEFA Champions League and Europa League for 2018/19 onwards. Potentially, with complete control now of Liga MX US rights, the network will be able to pick and choose where to continue to empire build.

The real x-factors going forward will be the efforts of Amazon, Netflix, YouTube, go90, Facebook and Twitter. Amazon and Netflix already have dipped into the market of making original documentary content about European football and both are likely at some point to bid on a live rights package – in fact Amazon might do so in the very near future for the UK market. YouTube has previously aired USL games and this season YouTube TV has an exclusive local pay deal with MLS’ LAFC. Facebook Live has aired UEFA Champions League games this season in cooperation with FOX and Twitter broadcast matches from NASL’s San Francisco Deltas during the team’s 2017 championship-winning campaign. Both Facebook and Twitter are likely to try and continue to gain access to content, with Facebook likely securing more lucrative content, perhaps even the Bundesliga when FOX inevitably dumps it from its cable channels. The big question here is whether Facebook and Twitter will start charging a premium for streaming live events, since we’ve already seen YouTube is willing to dispense with its previously free model to air live matches.

Ultimately those who provide soccer content to cord-cutters at an affordable rate like Sling TV and FuboTV might prove to be the biggest winners. As Sling, Fubo and other similar services make deals to gain the content and perhaps offer the streaming services as part of their premium packages, they can raise prices that yet seem affordable for the average fan – giving consumers an easier way to accumulate access to all the content they want at what might seem a relatively reasonable cost.

When it comes to projecting the future of the soccer broadcast business in the US, one thing is for certain – the industry is evolving away from a TV-centric model toward a more streaming-oriented one using paid services.

Self-dubbed as the “Netflix for sports,” ESPN+, a new streaming service from Disney is set to make its debut this spring. Beyond the recycling nomenclature once used by ESPN to brand syndicated college sports broadcasts on regional sports networks and local over-the-air channel, this concept is entirely new. The service will cost just $5.99 a month, but serves as a hybrid of sorts — giving access to ESPN and ESPN programming if you have a cable or satellite subscription to those channels, but also offering a slew of niche sports which are exclusively available via ESPN+ but don’t require a cable/satellite subscription.

With declining ad revenue and subscriptions to cable, Disney seems to have little choice but to launch this service, though it appears its appeal may be more to followers of non NFL, NBA or MLB-based content on the ESPN networks.

As cord-cutting continues and Disney’s losses mount on its ESPN division, the launching of an all-econcomposing pay service makes perfect sense. Tied to long-term deals for US sports, especially college conferences and dealing with the law of diminishing returns in terms of how rights-holders benefit from deals signed for a period of more than three or four years, recouping losses is a key to understanding why ESPN is now launching this service.

Soccer programming will be a key component of ESPN Plus’ lineup. It was announced that MLS Live will be folded into ESPN Plus. This will also likely include lots of domestic content including, according to our sources, matches from the second division USL and both men’s and women’s college soccer content currently thrown on ESPN3 to fulfill contractual obligations to the conferences.

For Major League Soccer (MLS), the long-standing online pay service MLS Live has worked well for hardcore fans of the league. But a product like this, which appeals simply to a niche fan base, has done little to grow the accessibility to MLS matches beyond the very narrow base of support the league has currently. Fans of individual teams in local markets tend to eschew MLS Live because of the availability of games from the team they support on regional cable networks or even in some cases in-market over-the-air channels.

The shift of MLS Live’s programming to ESPN+ can only help grow the footprint of MLS. Being featured on a platform that will include other sports and presumably other soccer leagues should help exposure for the league. It could also in theory help the teams that don’t get much national exposure like Columbus, Colorado or San Jose.

While it’s possible MLS could get lost in the shuffle with so much programming on the ESPN Plus platform, the move should be beneficial. It is true that in the past, MLS has had trouble breaking through on platforms that cater to mainstream sports audiences. Despite consistent shuffling of time slots, shifting in thought-processes as to what attracts viewers and a continued presence on the top national all-sports cable channels, the league simply hasn’t done well on television by any truly objective measurement.

MLS television ratings continue to underwhelm. But the cord-cutting demographic fits soccer coverage perhaps better than the traditional TV model, and if MLS’ goal is to capture more core soccer supporters than mainstream American sports fans, ESPN Plus being a platform that has other soccer properties could benefit MLS. With 30% of sports viewers in the US consuming content on phones and tablets rather than through the traditional broadcast means, MLS could be well-positioned to take better advantage of a pay service like ESPN Plus than most other domestic sporting properties. ESPN Plus at least initially feels like a service that will cater to multiple niches, be it soccer fans, fans of smaller college sports programs, lacrosse fans, those who like volleyball or tennis, auto racing fans or whatever. The service may not appeal at least initially to NFL, MLB, NHL or NBA fans, but that shouldn’t impact how it benefits MLS.

It is largely assumed the BAMTech license to broadcast Football League and League Cup matches from England will lead to a shift of these properties to the new pay streaming service. The availability of both products on ESPN3 this season has increased the interest in these competitions in the US market. Additionally, other soccer properties such as the DFB Pokal, UEFA Nations League and many international friendlies are likely to be placed on ESPN Plus, giving further incentive for soccer fans to sign up.

To a large extent, ESPN Plus might serve certain niche’s rather than a full complement of mainstream sports fans. But for soccer fans in the US, accustomed for years of paying additional to get access to the (non-Premier League) matches we want to see, ESPN+’ low price point might be a boon. This can only help MLS whose appeal to hardcore soccer fans continues to disappoint while the league’s appeals to win over masses of mainstream sports fans have also fallen flat, at least from a television perspective.

SEE MORE: Schedule of MLS games on US TV and streaming