Instead, I’ve accepted a new position at a marketing company in a different industry, one I had before I launched WST in 2005.

You may remember that I successfully sold World Soccer Talk in 2022. Since then, I’ve been working on transitioning the site over to the new owners. My mission is complete, and they’ll continue running the site.

Looking back through World Soccer Talk history

Looking back, I have so many wonderful memories to reflect upon. One of my proudest accomplishments was to take what started as a blog (EPL Talk) written in my bedroom on nights and weekends and to transform it into World Soccer Talk, which grew to rank in the top five English-language soccer websites in the United States. At its height, World Soccer Talk generated more traffic than FIFA.com, MLSsoccer.com, PremierLeague.com, and RealMadrid.com.

Along the way, we broke so many exclusive stories, which was an incredible achievement for me and my team since we were an independent publisher. At our height, we had five full-time employees and a team of 15-20 freelance writers worldwide. Managing that team was one of my proudest achievements, and building the site into a profitable, debt-free company was something I was very proud of especially when so many competing websites crashed and burned.

World Soccer Talk means different things to different people. Some remember us as one of the OG soccer podcasts. After launching the pod in 2005, we had an incredible run of 20 years where the show took on many different forms. An interview podcast that included conversations with some of the biggest names in the sport. A preview/review of weekend games. And then finally, a TV/streaming industry podcast that caught listeners up on the latest ways to watch games, as well as a deep dive into many of the biggest stories from the world of soccer.

Over the years, we published books (remember, SoccerWarz), an EPL Talk Magazine, soccer T-shirts, the Soccer TV Schedules app, a daily email newsletter (WST Insider), documentaries, and how-to-watch guides, among many other things.

From day one, my goal was to help grow the game of soccer in the United States. Our focus in later years on making our TV schedules as accessible as possible helped a great deal with that, to make it easier for people to find out where to watch games especially when there were so many confusing options.

Thank you everyone

Of course, I couldn’t have done it without you, the readers, and the support of the World Soccer Talk team.

Hopefully, we’ve brought joy, information, or spirited debate into your life. It’s a goodbye from me, but feel free to contact me on social media. I’m looking forward to watching the sport as a fan, continuing to support Swansea City, and traveling more around the world.

Thanks for the journey.

Cheers,
The Gaffer

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST EPISODE

Launched in 2006, the World Soccer Talk Podcast is the longest-running podcast on the planet.

What grew out of EPL Talk in 2005 and evolved into World Soccer Talk, the World Soccer Talk Podcast quickly established into one of the most popular and influential soccer podcasts in the United States.

I want to thank everyone who contributed to the podcast over the years including Kartik Krishnaiyer, Kyle Fansler, Laurence McKenna, Nick Webster, David Mosse, Nate Abaurrea, Richard Farley, Paul Scanling, Morgan Green, Matthew Duncan, Kristan Heneage, and many others.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST EPISODE

To find out when soccer games are on, download the free Soccer TV Schedules App which includes listings of all of the live soccer matches available in the United States (available on Apple iOS devices and Android devices).

Written by Greg Lansdowne, each of the 85 stars featured includes a selection of photos of the player as featured in Panini stickers from his or her career. Plus there’s a short biography and a list of which Panini albums the star appears in. For the stickers of the stars that are more collectible, the book includes insight into how much some of those individual stickers have sold for at auction.

While featuring legends worldwide, the book is certainly more British-centric. For example, the first six of the seven players featured are British. Keegan, Dalglish, Bale, Gascoigne, Lineker, and Beckham. The exception is Diego Maradona. It would have been more interesting to spread the British stars throughout the book instead of being so very British-heavy in the opening pages.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of other players to browse through of players from around the world.

Panini Legends book review: Is it worth purchasing?

Beautifully illustrated, Panini Legends is more helpful as a reference book, stocking stuffer, or collector’s item for enthusiasts who collect Panini soccer stickers. Certainly, however, the opening several pages where it discusses the rise in popularity of Panini soccer stickers is interesting, particularly the interest in stickers for women’s soccer competitions such as the Women’s World Cup.

Overall, though, it’s best experienced as a book to flick through. Each player’s history in Panini stickers isn’t must-read material even for someone like myself who is obsessed with collecting Panini stickers.

So, the book ends up being more visually appealing than an interesting read. For many fans, that’s fine in itself. It’s the ideal coffee table book for diehard soccer fans.

Speaking of visuals, it’s eye-opening to see how some players look so different from year to year in the Panini stickers. You can see Thierry Henry practically transform his look in the pages of this book. On the other hand, Mo Salah looks the same now as he did in his early Panini sticker photographs at Fiorentina and AS Roma.

All in all, there are more than 900 stickers featured in the book, so there’s plenty to look at even if the reading is less interesting.

MSRP $24.00; 240 pages. Available on Amazon and at other fine booksellers.

Apple promoted the highly anticipated interview as a look back at his past, present, and future like you’ve never seen before. From the first minute, it looks promising. It’s a sit-down interview in a unique location that we don’t normally see, the home locker room at Inter Miami’s Chase Stadium.

Since Lowe is an expert interviewer who often goes deep into thought-provoking topics with his guests, the anticipation is that we get something different from this conversation with Messi. Instead, we got 23 minutes of banality.

There are so many things wrong with this interview. First, the way it’s edited makes the viewer think that Messi hears Lowe’s question in English and that he completely understands the language so well that he immediately answers the entire question in Spanish. However, it always feels like there’s a translator in the room that we don’t see. That’s very obvious when Lowe ends his question with something irreverent or that makes Lowe smile, and then we get a quick edit where we see Messi smile or laugh in response, but it’s awkward and feels staged because the reaction presumably happens a couple of minutes after Lowe makes the remark.

Presumably, someone in the room translates Lowe’s long questions into Spanish, and then Messi reacts. But the way it’s edited makes it feel very unauthentic. For example, you never see a “two shot” when Lowe finishes his question and Messi immediately answers the question. Instead, it’s always a quick edit to a close-up of Messi answering in Spanish, and English subtitles appear at the bottom of the screen.

My issue with it is that Apple’s editing process makes us want to believe that Messi understands everything in English but prefers to answer the questions in Spanish. That may be the case, but it’s unlikely. It’s perfectly fine if Messi doesn’t understand English in a long-form interview, but it would have been more authentic and transparent if Lowe had explained that upfront. Instead, the editing technique is a distraction throughout the entire 23 minutes of the interview.

Second, the interview doesn’t feel like a real conversation for two reasons. First, the interview feels very scripted as if someone at Apple or MLS supplied Lowe and Messi with the questions beforehand. Every question is a softball question, and there aren’t any deep-dive questions that Lowe is known for. Similarly, there are zero interruptions in the conversation. Normally when two humans speak, one of them may interrupt mid-sentence, and then the conversation feels very fluid. This Lowe-Messi collaboration doesn’t feel like an organic conversation. Instead, it’s Lowe asking a long question. Messi gave his long response. Lowe asked the next question from his list on his iPad. Messi answers, and so on.

Third, I’m sorry Messi fans, but if Dos Equis ever needs a new spokesman for their beers, Messi could be The Most Boring Man In The World. There’s not one enlightening moment in the entire 23 minutes. For example, here’s part of Messi’s response when he was asked about why he came to MLS: “Coming to play at Inter Miami was an opportunity and it attracted me and it was something I wanted to do.” That says nothing. Every answer he gives to every question is vapid.

Fourth and finally, the last time anyone in the United States was allowed to interview Messi was in August 2023. For the last 18 months, Major League Soccer and Messi have carefully prevented the American press from asking him a single question. Now that Messi has been temporarily released from his cocoon, the first person who sits down to interview him is an Apple employee who reads scripted questions. This is not how it works in American sports. Reporters are often granted interviews with the biggest stars.

For instance, this is how Miami Herald reporter Michelle Kaufman described the situation last year: “The biggest stars in NFL teams, even during Super Bowl weeks, are talking to the media. In basketball during the NBA finals, the top players talk to the media. Messi just never has, and he clearly doesn’t have to.”

Let the American soccer reporters ask the questions instead of Lowe who is just taking paychecks from Apple. At least the soccer reporters can ask something meaningful.

One of the most famous sitcoms on television was described by its creators as a “show about nothing.” That description of Seinfeld reminds me of this interview with Messi. What could have been something memorable is instead a carefully orchestrated conversation about a superstar who shares nothing of substance. On the pitch, he’s one of the greatest players ever. Off the pitch, even in his native Spanish tongue, he’s completely uninteresting. And for the usually reliable Lowe to not get anything interesting out of the star, the Kiwi is the biggest disappointment.

The MLS and Apple interview with Messi is disguised as a real conversation, but it feels like just another overhyped marketing piece that delivers nothing. There’s an art to interviews, and this one is a colossal failure.

Photo credit: Zane Lowe on Apple Music

That was long before documentaries such as Sunderland ‘Til I Die and Welcome to Wrexham were a dream in the eyes of film producers.

Given the popularity of those two shows alone, it’s extremely likely that the number of Americans in favor of a pro/rel system for US club soccer far exceeds 88% from the survey conducted by Deloitte in 2016.

It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s above 90%. After all, everyone seems to want it. Even MLS players do. So does a former MLS executive. It seems that the only people against promotion and relegation are either current MLS employees, Alexi Lalas, or the billionaires invested in Major League Soccer.

USL charts new path that would resonate with American soccer fans

Therefore, the timing of USL’s announcement in February 2025 that the league intends to launch a D1 soccer league as early as 2027 should be music to the ears of soccer fans in the United States if the league decides to adopt promotion and relegation.

The demand is there. Plus an American soccer league with promotion and relegation would offer a product differentiation to MLS. After all, the likelihood of MLS adopting promotion and relegation is a non-starter.

San Diego midfielder Luca De La Torre admitted that MLS is a different sport without promotion and relegation. He’s not wrong, but let MLS be. Major League Soccer will never adopt promotion and relegation, so let a different league be the first one that implements it in the United States.

Instantaneously, USL would become more interesting if and when it adopts promotion and relegation. Just like MLS, it’s fine as it is now. But by embracing pro/rel, there’s more skin in the game for soccer fans in the United States. Pro/rel adds jeopardy. The good teams rise, and the bad teams fall. It’s more of a democratic and capitalist way of running a sports league.

Perfect timing for USL to adopt pro/rel

Also newsworthy is that the time for USL to strike is now, i.e. 2027. Major League Soccer is locked into its 10-year deal with Apple through the end of 2032. So if USL can extend its partnership with CBS Sports and other partners, it has the opportunity to deliver a more relevant league to fans of club soccer in the United States.

Of course, World Cup 2026 on our shores will bring a bigger spotlight on the game and will offer innovative leagues such as USL an opportunity to sign major commercial sponsorship deals to generate more revenue.

Finally, if USL can pull it off and adopt promotion and relegation, it would attract more foreign ownership groups to invest in USL. Many of them want to try to develop the next American stars and then ship them over to Europe, but the current expansion fee for MLS is too exorbitant, which limits growth across the entire country.

The list of soccer games in 2025 is listed below in chronological order. If we missed any, let us know in the comments section at the foot of this article.

Soccer games in 2025

How to watch soccer games in 2025

No matter where you live worldwide, consider watching the games this year by signing up to a VPN. A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, is a technology that allows you to establish a secure and encrypted connection over the internet. It protects your sensitive information from potential threats and allows you to access streams of soccer games from around the world.

Out of all of the VPNs we’ve tested, the one that works the best is NordVPN, which is currently offering a special rate for World Soccer Talk readers.

Check our soccer TV schedules to see listings of upcoming games and where to watch them via streaming services in the United States.

The significance of Liverpool on the verge of tying that domestic record is massive in English football. The Merseyside club had long been the most successful team in England after its incredible run of titles in the 1970s through the 1980s.

Before England’s top tier became the Premier League, Liverpool had won an incredible 18 First Division titles to Manchester United’s seven. Those glory days for the Reds helped Liverpool rise to the top of the perch of English football.

However, it wasn’t to last long.

United’s success in the Premier League era of 13 titles saw the Red Devils rise in the ascendancy. So much so that Sir Alex Ferguson famously said, in 2002, “My greatest challenge is not what’s happening at the moment, my greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their f**king perch. And you can print that.”

Since the beginning of the Premier League, Liverpool has only won one Premier League title. And that was in 2019/20 during the COVID epidemic.

The tables have turned for both clubs. Manchester United’s last Premier League title win seems like eons ago. It was in the 2012/13 season, Ferguson’s final season in charge of the Red Devils.

Given the way that Arne Slot has been an immediate success at Liverpool, as well as the strength of its squad, it’s far more likely that the Reds will leapfrog Manchester United’s 20 titles in the next few years. Particularly when you consider the mess that United is currently in. The Old Trafford club has had a second round of massive layoffs. And if the club doesn’t win the Europa League this season, thus eliminating their only way into the UEFA Champions League, more cutbacks are likely as the club continues to fall on hard times.

For anyone who has experienced the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United, you’ll know how fierce it is.

Among my cousins who live in the United Kingdom, there’s a huge divide between those who support Liverpool and the other half who support Manchester United. No matter how well Manchester City or Arsenal may have done in previous years when they lifted Premier League trophies, Manchester United supporters always view Liverpool as their number one enemy, and vice-versa.

How soon will it be before, this time, Liverpool knocks Manchester United off its perch?

For example, who’s up for Inter Miami vs LA Galaxy at the renovated Camp Nou in Barcelona?

Instead of worrying about foreign teams playing competitive games on U.S. soil, MLS should embrace the threat and do the same thing overseas. More specifically, MLS needs to play Messi overseas before he hangs up his boots. Otherwise, it may be too late.

Garber drops a hint about playing MLS games overseas

Speaking with Front Office Sports last month, Garber admitted that MLS is looking at many possibilities for the future. “Should we be thinking about international exhibitions similar to what the NFL is doing overseas, or what some of the European soccer leagues are looking to do around the world,” asked Garber.

English soccer teams already have their Premier League Summer Series in the United States. There’s been plenty of talk about UEFA playing Champions League matches in the States. Plus, of course, LaLiga keeps trying to get permission to play competitive league matches here to gain a superior advantage over the Premier League.

Garber is no stranger to the world of the NFL. He worked for 16 years at the NFL before becoming MLS commissioner. By playing competitive games around the world, the NFL is growing in popularity abroad, as I wrote about in November when I attended an NFL game in Germany.

If you look at the upcoming schedule of NFL games abroad, it’s quite impressive. In 2025 alone, the NFL has scheduled seven league games overseas in

• 1 game in Sao Paulo, Brazil
• 2 games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England
• 1 game at Wembley Stadium in London, England
• 1 game in Berlin, Germany
• 1 game in Madrid, Spain, and
• 1 game in Dublin, Ireland.

In 2026, the NFL has already scheduled a game to be played in Australia, while many more games are expected to be announced soon.

How is it fair that the NFL can go into foreign countries to play games when other soccer leagues aren’t allowed to do the same?

Last year, Relevent Sports reached an agreement with FIFA which involved dropping the world’s governing body from its lawsuit against U.S. Soccer. That opens the door to a possible decision by FIFA that it will allow foreign leagues to play competitive games in the United States. Vice-versa, it would allow MLS (and other leagues) to play some of its games overseas too, if they so wished.

Now is the time for MLS to put its wheels in motion to take advantage of this likely development. Otherwise, it could risk being left behind.

At the same time, with Trump aligning himself more closely with Russia and Vladimir Putin, what impact will it have on world soccer? In the scope of things, soccer is of little to no significance to much bigger and more important global issues such as the future of Ukraine and Gaza, but since this is a soccer website and the topic has been raised, let’s look at it more closely.

The FIFA World Cup trophy on the desk behind Trump is a constant reminder of the close relationship between Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. If you missed it, the two have created quite a bromance, having met several times in recent years, including a visit to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago palace in Florida. Infantino was even at Trump’s inauguration. Trump also opened the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup draw in December via a pre-recorded message.

Infantino recently wrote on Instagram, “Thank you Mr President for your time and for supporting FIFA over the coming months. America welcomes the World and Football Unites The World!”

Russia’s return to UEFA is almost impossible

So what if Infantino and Trump are bosom buddies? How does that impact world soccer, especially when Trump is aligning himself with Putin? The cozier the relationship between Trump and Infantino, the more likely it is that Trump and Putin may discuss privately the topic of Russia being allowed back into the world’s game, with Trump’s help.

Similarly, the meetings between officials from the United States and Russia this past week could open the door for a Russian entry point into future competitions. It is noteworthy that the US-Russia discussions about Ukraine were held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup and has sought to present itself as a global peacemaker. Surely, Russia and Putin would gladly welcome a return to FIFA World Cup competitions.

Since 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine to start its war, many European leagues as well as UEFA and US Soccer came out in opposition to Russia’s attempt to expand its territory. If you remember, UEFA quickly moved the 2022 UEFA Champions League Final from Russia to France. All of the Premier League clubs showed solidarity for Ukraine with its Football Stands Together campaign. Bundesliga clubs painted a peace symbol on their pitches. LaLiga displayed a message on its broadcasts. US Soccer denounced Russia and said it would not compete against Russia until peace and freedom were restored.

Furthermore, FIFA and UEFA expelled Russia from international competitions. As recently as November 2024, both FIFA and UEFA extended that decision, which means that Russia is excluded from future soccer international competitions such as World Cup 2026, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Trump + Russia + World Cup: Russia’s path back to the World Cup?

The likelihood of Russia being allowed back into UEFA is almost impossible at this time. Instead, it’s quite possible that Russia may consider joining the Asian Confederation instead in hopes of a qualification path to future FIFA competitions. Russia previously decided not to vote on it, but that was well before its war against Ukraine dragged on.

Russia has run out of time to qualify for World Cup 2026, so Trump can’t help them here. However, World Cup 2030 is quite possible if Russia can be added to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

While the possible scenarios for Russia in a future World Cup are notable, Russia and Putin have far bigger problems ahead of their country than a World Cup right now. Putin still has a warrant for his arrest for allegedly committing war crimes against humanity. Russia, meanwhile, needs its illegal war to end to avoid a bleak financial future.

Before watching Onside, I wanted three questions answered by the end of the docuseries. First, was I entertained? Second, what did I learn? And third, I was looking forward to hearing Lionel Messi speak. So what would he say given that the filmmakers, Box To Box Films, had unlimited access to players from all 29 teams during 2024?

Onside: Major League Soccer: What’s a must-see

Let’s start with what the docuseries does well. Without any shadow of a doubt, the best part of the series is the game highlights. The filmmakers do an excellent job of pulling you into the games, showing a lot of never-seen-before close-ups and new angles to show what MLS does best: Performing on the pitch. The most exciting part was hearing what the coaches said on the sidelines during the game. It’s something we rarely hear in the sport. Expletives and all.

By making the games the main thrust of the series, Onside delivers in making you want to watch MLS games more often. That, in turn, should translate to more MLS Season Pass subscriptions for Apple.

Other than the games, three segments from the eight episodes stand out for praise. The first is episode four with the suspense surrounding the potential sacking of Bradley Carnell from St. Louis City. The cameras offer a rare glimpse at the discussion among the STL’s executives about whether they fire him or not. After he gets sacked, the cameras keep rolling on his drive home as we hear him share his raw reaction to the decision.

The second memorable segment is in episode one where we see Riqui Puig in the comforts of his home as his friend cooks a meal for the Spaniard and some of his LA Galaxy teammates. What I liked about that segment is that you get to understand Puig as a person and what drives him more than just about him as an athlete.

Last but not least, the life story of Malachi Jones coming from an orphanage in war-torn Sierra Leone to the United States, and making the big time with New York City FC was incredibly compelling.

An honorable mention goes to the section of the series where Tim Parker is moved from St. Louis City to New England Revolution, and how the transfer tears him apart from his newborn baby and wife.

What’s missing

Overall, the majority of the episodes are mostly unmemorable. Episode 2 focuses on the “Hell is Real” derby between Cincinnati and Columbus. Episode 3 draws on Cavan Sullivan’s story. Episode 4 revolves around St. Louis City versus Sporting KC. In episode 5, it’s all about the New York derby. Episode 6 is the summer transfer window moves. Episode 7 focuses on the transformation under a new coach at Atlanta United after a poor start to the season. And then episode 8 finishes the docuseries with the MLS Cup final where, as we know, LA Galaxy defeats the New York Red Bulls.

Strangely, and most likely on purpose, the team that delivered the biggest stories and most interest in 2024 is almost invisible in the series. After the intro of episode one, Onside spends five minutes focused on Inter Miami before it sets the stage for the Galaxy-Miami game. And then the rest of the episodes don’t mention Inter Miami at all until near the end of the series where Atlanta pulls off the shocking playoff win in episode 7.

What I wanted was to see inside the locker room of the Inter Miami team. Locker room footage from several other teams is included in Onside, so why not one second inside Inter Miami’s locker room? Furthermore, we didn’t get to hear one word spoken by Messi, which was one of my expectations before watching the docuseries.

MLS, Apple, and Box To Box Films seemingly didn’t want to make Inter Miami the story of Onside, and they delivered on that.

Sometimes it’s what’s missing that tells more of the story than what’s included. For instance, in the 5+ hours of footage from the entire series, there are zero mentions of:

• US Open Cup,
• Leagues Cup, and
• The replacement referees were brought in for the opening weeks of the season because MLS couldn’t agree on a CBA with the referee union.

Take that for what it’s worth.

Attention to detail is missing

Some improvements should have been made to this series before it was released.

First, after the intro in episode one, the opening scene has the word “Miami” shown on-screen with images of Ocean Drive in Miami Beach. Then it’s a quick cut to Chase Stadium where the viewers are supposed to believe they’re still in Miami. However, Chase Stadium is in Fort Lauderdale, 35 miles away from Ocean Drive and a completely different county. Thirty-five miles is the same distance between the English cities of Liverpool and Manchester.

Second, the other strange aspect is how so much of the focus of the first episode is framed around the featured game between LA Galaxy and Inter Miami being the start of the 2024 season. Even the on-screen graphics for LA Galaxy vs Inter Miami mention “MLS Season Kickoff.” Except there’s a big problem. Inter Miami opened the 2024 MLS season four days earlier when the team defeated Real Salt Lake. There’s no mention of that game or result. It’s as if the game has been erased from the arc of the Onside docuseries.

Those mistakes may have been made on purpose to build a narrative of Inter Miami as a “Miami team” instead of being housed in a temporary stadium that was the former home of the failed MLS team the Miami Fusion. I get that, but why not be honest with the viewer instead of trying to skirt past those details?

Overall, Onside: Major League Soccer feels like two things. First, it’s catering to an audience who may have never watched MLS. Some of the information throughout the series feels like a beginner’s guide to MLS where they explain who the teams are, discuss the history such as David Beckham playing with LA Galaxy, mention Freddy Adu and what happened to him, and how Cavan Sullivan needs to avoid a similar path.

For viewers, some of that background is boring because we know the history. Most of us already know the storylines and what happens in the games from the 2024 season, so those aren’t new either.

A perfect example of how the series is trying to cater to casuals is episode three which focuses on Cavan Sullivan and the build-up to his professional debut as a 14-year-old for Philadelphia Union. I wasn’t moved by the episode because I knew the history, but my wife was swept away by the storyline and cried tears of joy after Sullivan entered the field. She wasn’t familiar with his story, but she certainly is now. Score one for the casuals!

Conclusion

Despite its faults, Onside: Major League Soccer is hands-down the best documentary ever produced about MLS. I appreciate that the filmmakers made it mostly about the games, players, and coaches. Having said that, I would have liked to have seen more of the other teams featured. Fifty-five percent of the MLS teams from the 2024 season didn’t even get a mention in the 5+ hours of the docuseries. When you have the largest number of teams in a league worldwide, it’s difficult to include them all.

When I asked Executive Producer and Co-founder of Box to Box Films Paul Martin about that topic, here’s what he told World Soccer Talk. “There are 29 teams in the league, but you have to make choices on characters, players, and teams to be featured. You want to show what best represents the league and what is reflective of what is happening at that time. So, we choose players and teams that are best for what is happening then.”

So in answer to my questions before the docuseries started, was I entertained? Yes, for some of the episodes. Did I learn anything? I certainly gained more of an appreciation for Malachi Jones, and his life story. Was I moved during the docuseries? Yes, at times. But overall, across all 5+ hours, Onside: Major League Soccer feels more like a glorified review of the 2024 season that fans can go back and watch to familiarize themselves with what happened.

We are not the target audience. The series is focused on winning over Apple TV+ subscribers who may not pay much attention to MLS. In doing so, the hope is that it’ll convert those people over to MLS Season Pass subscriptions, and that alone is worth the effort.

Will Onside change the world and make MLS a hit like Box to Box did with Formula 1? No, but it’s certainly not going to do any negative damage. Now the question is whether Apple TV+ subscribers will watch it or not.

Onside: Major League Soccer debuts on Apple TV+ on Friday, February 21. The first episode is available for free to MLS Season Pass subscribers, too. Episodes two through eight are exclusively available on Apple TV+.

If USL can pull it off and implement a system of promotion and relegation between its leagues, it’ll give the majority of soccer fans in the United States something it has been craving for decades: A logical organizational structure for the sport, i.e. a pyramid.

No Major League Soccer (MLS) teams would be part of the pyramid. Besides, MLS owners would never agree to a system of promotion and relegation despite Commissioner Don Garber’s history of moving the goalposts on the topic. Major League Soccer’s game plan is to continue operating as a closed super league of North American teams.

USL’s announcement opens the door to a brighter future for the sport in the U.S.

USL’s announcement, while not yet agreeing to adopt promotion and relegation, gives hope to soccer fans in the United States that it can be included.

“I think I speak for every true soccer fan in the United States that we would hope and pray for promotion and relegation in this country,” said Sporting JAX Chief Community Officer Tony Allegretti on The Sporting Pod. “When it finally does happen, it thrills me that somewhere we will be in that system.”

Sporting JAX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, plans to launch a men’s team in USL during 2026.

If a team has no opportunity to reach the top tier, what’s the point of existence?

And if a team can join the top tier like MLS with an investment of $500 million or more, does it no longer become a sport but purely a business decision? Where’s the fun in that?

USL D1 announcement is the kick up the backside MLS needed

If USL can pull off its plan to launch the new top-tier division in 2027, it’ll give MLS a much-needed kick up the backside. Monopolies often prevent innovation, so if USL can become a stronger competitor to MLS, that’s to the benefit of soccer across the entire United States.

It gives hope to smaller cities across the United States that a team could move up the leagues to the top tier. Currently, that dream doesn’t exist, which prevents investment at the local level. It also limits player growth, which certainly hurts the US Men’s National Team.

Looking at MLS from a 50,000-foot view, the top-flight American league is thriving with record attendances, the 2025 launch of MLS’ 30th team, as well as signing well-known stars such as Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Marco Reus.

Therefore, if you live in a MLS city, you’ll enjoy the benefits of seeing your local team play against decent opposition. With MLS only in 27 cities in the United States, that means the rest of us, i.e. the vast majority of people in this country, have no local MLS to support. 

Without a local MLS team, soccer fans are then faced with a choice of figuring out which league to watch on TV and/or streaming, or supporting a local team — if you have one — in USL or a different lower league. With dozens of leagues from around the world to choose from that are more accessible to viewers in the United States across television and streaming options, this is where MLS and club soccer in the United States fall flat.

It’s not necessarily the quality of these other foreign leagues that’s the reason why they’re more popular than MLS. Instead, MLS’ major flaw is that it doesn’t give viewers enough reasons to watch the league.

What’s missing from MLS

In almost every other soccer league around the world, the key components that keep fans enthralled for the majority of the season are missing from MLS:

– A system where every game matters
– A league season that has suspense from game one through the last match
– Sporting merit, and
– Jeopardy, i.e. promotion and relegation

USL’s plans, while preliminary, have a lot of key ingredients in place to be a success, and to give soccer fans in the United States a reason to believe as well as hopefully a local team to support. A fan of Liverpool FC living in any town in the United States would be open to supporting his local team if there was a pyramid where that team could rise to the top.

That is enticing not only to local US soccer fans but also to foreign investors who are looking for an opportunity to invest in a market where the cost of entry isn’t half a billion dollars.

In total, 18 of the 61 games will be shown by TelevisaUnivision. That’s less than 11% of the FIFA Club World Cup. The only way to watch all 61 games is on DAZN, a streaming service.

How we got here

In December, DAZN rolled the dice with FIFA when it announced it scooped up the global broadcast rights to the 2025 Club World Cup. The $1 billion acquisition fee was a gamble because it’s unproven whether or not the FIFA Club World Cup will be a success. The competition and previous incarnations of it haven’t exactly set the world on fire.

What DAZN taking the risk did do, however, was to make it more palatable to broadcasters in the United States. As part of the deal, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup will be exclusive to DAZN worldwide except in the United States, where FIFA has allowed DAZN to sublicense select games to television broadcasters stateside.

Why? It’s pretty simple. DAZN is practically invisible in the U.S. market. Having a streaming service that most sports fans in the United States have never heard of is a recipe for disaster if it’s the only place to watch games. So while having select games available on television makes sense, the biggest reason is another matter entirely.

Why FIFA needs TelevisaUnivision

To put it bluntly, FIFA needs DAZN to sublicense select games to television broadcasters (such as Univision) to expand the awareness that the competition is taking place. In doing so, that will help try to drive ticket sales.

So far, those sales aren’t going too well based on the news that FIFA has slashed ticket prices.

If FIFA had to rely on DAZN to generate awareness and interest in this summer’s Club World Cup, it would be in a world of hurt. Therefore, today’s news is music to the ears of FIFA who can now rely on TelevisaUnivision to start pumping up the competition ahead of the June start date.

According to the TelevisaUnivision press release, DAZN and TelevisaUnivision will “work closely together on a promotional and marketing strategy that will maximize reach of the tournament to millions of soccer fans in the U.S.”

Which broadcaster will pick up the English-language TV rights?

As I predicted in December 2024, “Currently, in the United States, DAZN has very little focus on the Spanish-language audience, so a hypothetical deal for DAZN to sub-license games to TelevisaUnivision and/or Telemundo would make sense. That’s especially true when you consider the competition features fan-favorites Inter Miami, Real Madrid, River Plate, Boca Juniors, and Monterrey.”

The question, now, is whether DAZN will do a deal with an English-language television broadcaster. And if so, which one? The Spanish-language deal with TelevisaUnivision makes perfect sense. The English-language option is a lot more complicated.

First of all, are there any English-language broadcasters in the States that would be interested? Teams like Inter Miami, Real Madrid, River Plate, Boca Juniors, and Monterrey are all homerun hits for Spanish-language audiences. But what clubs would appeal to largely English-language audiences? The only two Premier League clubs competing are Manchester City and Chelsea. And Manchester City doesn’t have a significant supporter base here.

There’s no Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal or Tottenham in the competition. So outside of the Premier League, there’s not much that would interest English-language Americans. Perhaps the closest would be Juventus, where Weston McKennie has been playing well.

Made for Spanish-language TV

The 2025 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup is made for Spanish-language audiences. For English-language audiences, it’s a tough sell especially given that the US Men’s National Team will be playing in the Concacaf Gold Cup on practically the same calendar dates. Plus it looks likely that Manchester United and five other Premier League clubs will be playing across the U.S. this summer in the latest edition of the Premier League Summer Series.

Unless DAZN is willing to sublicense the English-language rights for free or practically for peanuts, I sense that the TelevisaUnivision TV deal is enough. Anyone, whether they speak English or Spanish, can watch the games across Univision. And if they’re so swept away by the competition (or if they support U.S. teams Seattle and Inter Miami), they can sign up to DAZN.

There’s just too much risk for an English-language broadcaster to fork out a significant amount of money for an unproven competition.

Free to everyone, the Apple TV app is immediately available for download. Once installed, you can subscribe to MLS Season Pass for $14.99 per month (or $99/year). That gives you access to every single MLS game as well as Leagues Cup, playoffs, and the MLS Cup final.

Previously, MLS fans wanting to watch games on an Android mobile phone had to watch it through a browser pointing to the tv.apple.com website. Thankfully, Android users can now watch it through an app, which is far easier and a better user experience.

The app is available for Android mobile phones and tablets.

Apple TV on Android is a smart move

When you browse through the Google Play Store, there is a “living room” version of the Apple TV app that has been available since January 2021. That is for smart TVs that are running Android.

Up until recently, one of the main backlashes to MLS Season Pass was the inability to watch on Android mobile devices because there was no Apple TV app. Rumored since 2023, today’s Android news will be a welcome relief for a lot of soccer fans.

Android is currently used by more than 3 billion people worldwide. Apple has closer to 2.2 billion devices in use. Here in the United States, 40% of consumers have an Android phone, but this figure jumps to 70% when considering people worldwide.

Hopefully, the addition of Apple TV to Android phones will help give a boost to MLS Season Pass subscription numbers.

First, Google Trends data from the last 12 months (see below) shows that the English FA Cup has been more popular than the Club World Cup during eight of the past twelve months. The four months where web searches for the FIFA Club World Cup were more popular were July, October, November, and December, all in 2024.

Web searches for the Club World Cup increased in October after the 11 host cities were announced on September 29. In November, Inter Miami was controversially awarded a place in the competition. Certainly, December’s FIFA Club World Cup draw and the schedule being revealed drew a lot of interest. Last, but not least, it’s likely that the Club World Cup drove more web searches in July 2024 stemming from the publicity that FIFA had to find a new TV partner for the competition after Apple dropped out of the running.

Interest in the FIFA Club World Cup has almost flatlined since tickets went on sale

Second, after the draw and schedule were announced in December, interest in the FIFA Club World Cup has decreased compared to December. This is despite tickets going on sale since December 19. According to a new report last week, FIFA has slashed ticket prices for the Club World Cup after concerns about a lack of interest in the controversial tournament.

Third, Google Trends reports that the English FA Cup is more popular than the FIFA Club World Cup in all 50 states. Out of the 50 states, the two that have generated the most interest in the FIFA Club World Cup are Florida followed by Washington state. Unsurprisingly, that’s because those are the only two states where U.S.-based teams are competing in the competition after Seattle Sounders and Inter Miami qualified.

Reasons for lack of interest in FIFA Club World Cup

In theory, an expanded FIFA Club World Cup featuring 32 of the best teams around the world, competing to be crowned world champion should generate a lot of interest in the United States. However, there is very little pent-up demand for a competition like this. Fans of individual clubs are excited, but as we’ve repeatedly seen from previous Club World Cups, the interest in the competition based on TV viewership is minuscule.

Thus far, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup feels like a glorified International Champions Cup. The vast majority of the clubs participating from Europe have played in the United States during most summers, so this is nothing new.

Certainly, interest in the Club World Cup will pick up in late spring as the tournament nears. Until then, FIFA has a lot of selling to do to convince fans to watch the competition exclusively on DAZN or to attend in person.

Behind the scenes, an incredible amount of work goes into the productions (check out this team photo for The Golazo Show as an example, and that’s only one of CBS’ two main shows). At the center of it is the visionary team led by CBS Sports Sr. Creative Director & VP of Production Pete Radovich who spoke exclusively with World Soccer Talk to discuss the evolution of the coverage. Radovich is also the Coordinating Producer of CBS Sports’ UEFA Champions League coverage.

Here’s my full-length interview with Radovich where he opens up about several revealing topics including:

• What some of the biggest soccer clubs in the world have offered CBS Sports,
• How studio analysts like Kate Scott, Jamie Carragher, Thierry Henry, and Micah Richards compare to the competition,
• Where the inspiration for UCL Today comes from, and
• The only frustrating thing for Radovich about how CBS Sports’ coverage is perceived.

Our interview with Pete Radovich from CBS Sports:

Christopher Harris: I want to catch up with you about the evolution of the UCL Today show. How much of it has been a master plan and how much of it has been serendipity in terms of talent being available at the right time to pull this whole thing off?

Pete Radovich: “Evolving is something any good show will do, and I think evolving requires having an open mind and constantly trying things and testing things, and knowing that along the way, some things work, some things won’t.

“Someone recently told me if you watched the last season of Sopranos, for example, and then after it’s done, go watch the first episode or the first season, it’s two different shows. Like literally right? It’s different shows, people sound different, the shots look different, and it’s a lot brighter. The first season evolved to what it was. And you go back to look at it’s like ‘Oh my God.’

“I think if we went it back, similarly went back and looked at our first show for a season. We probably couldn’t believe how different we are. So evolving, 100 percent. Proud of that. We will continue to evolve.

“Evolving means that we’re getting better. In my mind evolving means that we’re constantly pushing ourselves. I’ve said this from day one, year one, we’re never going to go in cruise control. We’re not going to copy and paste, so we’re not going to be the same thing over and over again. We’re never gonna, at least try not to beat a dead horse. We did a little bit with table time. We learned and then we moved on from that.

“So, we have some fun, but the evolution is something I’m proud of, and was that by design from day one. We knew that we’d never done this before. I had never worked in the sport before although I know it. We never worked together before. Chemistry takes time, and figuring out what your niche, style, and vibe are, takes time.

“And I think now after four or five seasons, we know who we are, and we know what we are. This is a real good place to be because we’re on a very strong foundation. And this is where we can really now go next level. So that’s now the biggest challenge.”

The social media effect

Harris: In the history of soccer on television worldwide, I can’t think of any other show that’s had the global boom that this show has. The only one I can think of is Match of the Day, but it’s very English. It’s very British. Outside of the UK, most Americans don’t know what it is.

As far as the social media part of it, was that in place from day one? Were you like, ‘Hey, let’s think about social media’? Also, were you thinking from day one about how to distribute all these clips on social media to help it grow that way?

Radovich: “Quite literally day one. We hired Rush [Sawhney], our social media director — who’s still with us — before the first season started. And it was day one. ‘Hey, you’re in a production meeting, you’re in a control room, you’re sitting in a row right behind me because during the show, I want us to have eye contact. I want us to be able to communicate.’ So, 100 percent from day one that was in the plan.

“It was something that was really important for a number of reasons. One, at that point, it was the future. Right now, it’s the present. If you’re not social, you’re not relevant. But two, we knew we needed to make noise because a lot of times we’re behind a paywall, and if you’re not inside the tent, how do we reach you? The only way for us to reach you outside is through social, so we needed to make content that was going to cut through. That people thought was interesting and entertaining and intriguing, and somehow get it to people so they can get a taste of it so that they come to the tent. The old days [to reach people] was a press release and put out a commercial.

“Now, the way to reach — everyone, yourself included, the media — fans, viewers. This is the way to reach every generation.

“You can’t say that social media is just a young audience. Everyone’s on social media. Every generation. So yeah that was that was very much by design.”

Approaches from the biggest soccer clubs in the world

Harris: As far as the boom in popularity on TV as well as the success of social media, and the two things working hand in hand, has that helped you in other ways? Whether it’s having conversations with other leagues, or potentially new rights possibilities in the future where now all of a sudden they’re looking at you as not just a TV production company, but also as content creators? Also, in terms of taking the Champions League from what it was to where it is today. Are those other conversations going on that are going to help you with future opportunities on the rights side?

Radovich: “It’s already helped us. I don’t want to speak out of school and I don’t want to give numbers, but I know that we’ve been in situations where we’ve done deals with leagues probably for less money than others because they just wanted to be with us.

“I know I can speak specifically about clubs. Year one when we would knock on doors, send emails out for interviews, they were ignored because ‘It’s CBS America. Who cares?’ Now clubs are knocking down our door. I mean, big clubs. We’ve had clubs offer to pay for our studio to come to their Champions League games pitch-side because otherwise we wouldn’t have gone there, which I would never do because it’s a conflict of interest. But the fact that clubs are willing to actually pay for our production costs for us to come on-site to their stadiums — big clubs — is insane to me. Like, I never saw this coming.

“So, from how much it’s helped us in terms of access with players? Incredible. Jude Bellingham’s of the world coming on and talking to CBS already knowing us. Pep Guardiola. Haaland. All of these megastars coming on our show. Maldini telling us, ‘I love your show.’ Zlatan. Just megastars in Europe, global icons, coming on our show, aware of exactly who we are and what we do.

“What we do doesn’t work without buy-in from the talent. What they do is so rare and so special that they’re willing to be vulnerable on television. That is not an easy thing to do. It is not easy to go on live TV and never know when someone’s going to take a shot at you. Try to, in a good-natured way, embarrass you. To be able to laugh at yourself. To be able to take a joke. All of that requires a real sense of security and chemistry. It’s one thing when someone gives you sh** of somebody you don’t like, you’re gonna take it a certain way. The only way that works is if they all like each other. They do, so they can do that.

“The other thing is that everyone’s sensitive to some degree. So to be able for them to put that aside and be able to put themselves out there is amazing. I think we try to put them in a position to succeed. But at the end of the day, without the buy-in from Kate [Scott], Thierry [Henry], Jamie [Carragher], Micah [Richards], even Peter [Schmeichel] on the road, these are Champions League winners and World Cup winners, Premier League winners. Hall of Famers that are just willing to take you know jokes and shots at their own expense. You don’t really see that a lot outside of maybe Inside The NBA and a couple of other places, it’s rare.”

Beware of copycats

Harris: Do you think there’ll be some copycats, though? Looking at the formula that’s worked so well, some of these other TV production companies thinking, ‘Hey, we need to up our game.’

Radovich: “I encourage it. I’m not speaking out of school, I know Jamie and Micah and others have come to us and said they’ve been in production meetings at other broadcast networks, and they’ve said, what can we do to be more like CBS? That’s fact. They’ve said that on the record in interviews.

“I welcome it. I love competition and I hope for the best, especially in America. I don’t look at any of the other networks that do this sport in America’s competition. I root for everyone because I want this sport to succeed here and the better that NBC, ESPN, FOX and everyone is that’s doing this sport, the better for all of us.

“It’s not for everyone. Everyone’s going to develop their own style. This is not for every producer. This is not for every talent, but I think if nothing else if we’re opening a door to some people just having a little bit more fun and maybe taking some more chances even, that’s kind of cool.

“I don’t really worry about what other people are doing. If they want to, I welcome it. Like I said, to me, this is fun. We’re not saving lives. This is like we’re all stealing money working in this sport. It’s a pleasure to be doing this. And like I said, for me, if anyone else is trying to do what we do, I encourage it because we didn’t invent this. I’ve been very open about Inside The NBA. It’s been an inspiration for us. So without them, I don’t know that we would be able to do this. Everyone, every entertainment, just draws inspiration from somewhere and we certainly did that.”

Bigger than the games?

Harris: Do you feel on some days that the show is bigger than the games? You’re hoping that the goals go in, but sometimes for the viewer on a slow day, UCL Today is more entertaining to watch.

Radovich: “I think for the casuals, yes. Thankfully, I’m in love with the new format. I think it’s been a really really smart change. I think it’s helped us. It got us away from those dog days of matchday five and six where there was very little at stake. I think on those days, back in the day, yeah. I think there was really not much to watch. Games that mean something but not really.

“I think your point about ‘bigger than the games,’ Thierry would be the first one to say, ‘The star of our shows are the games.’ Our commentators on those games. Game coverage that we take from the world feed that UEFA does but we supplement at times with our own guys like Clive Tyldesley. We don’t mess with the Integrity of the game ever because that’s the most important thing.

“I would never be in a position and say what we do is bigger or more important. If people enjoy it on some days more than the games, that I can understand because there are days when games are bad. And if that makes the day a little bit easier and makes the afternoon of watching Paramount+ a little easier, then fantastic. But we’ll never ever, ever put ourselves ahead of the games. That is the number one priority in everything we do.”

World-class commentators

Harris: Speaking of commentators including Clive Tyldesley, Chris Wittyngham, and many others, that too has evolved too from the beginning of CBS’ Champions League coverage to to where we are today. Can you talk about that a little bit?

Radovich: “Clive’s been there from day one. To his credit, he reached out to me. When he heard that we got the contract, he emailed me directly. We were going to go with full world feed at the time just because we had six weeks to get on the air with a studio. The last thing I needed to worry about was the game [commentaries] when we’re provided world feed. Solid world-feed commentating. So having Clive from day one has been great.

“Peter Drury was fantastic. Having that one-two punch was fantastic for years, but you know, I think Witty gives us an authentic American voice that clearly knows the game. Clearly, he’s excited about the game. To me, you don’t listen to him and think ‘Oh, it’s an American commentator.’ You just think this is a guy that knows the game and the teams and knows the storylines and rises to the occasion when it’s a big moment.

“You know, having Ray Hudson. I remember, back in the day, listening to him doing Messi games. I never thought in a million years we’d be working together.

“Rob Green, I’m very proud of, and it’s often overlooked for obvious reasons, but I’m very, very proud of what we’ve done on the game side, with our commentators. I put them up against anyone, anywhere, Not just in the States. Any country.

“So, I’m glad you asked about that honestly because I do feel that sometimes gets overshadowed because of all the studio stuff. But we made very little changes on that front, to be honest. Peter [Drury] left because he took an exclusive deal [in England] which I was happy for him. Great for him. Obviously it didn’t help us but, you know, whatever, we moved on, but I’m glad that you asked about it because I wish [the commentators] got a little bit more attention or a lot more because it’s deserved.”

Addressing an important perception

Harris: Anything you want to bring up that we haven’t mentioned that you think is important to share?

Radovich: “The one thing that I will bring up because it’s going to be a point of emphasis moving forward. It’s a tough needle to thread because I think a lot of attention is put on the fun stuff that we do because we’re geo-blocked when we do analysis. [Editor’s note: The tactical game analysis that UCL Today broadcasts can’t be seen outside the United States on social media or television because CBS only has the rights to show it in the U.S.]

“I put our analysis up against anybody, especially in the States. [You look at the career and resumes of] Thierry and Jamie. Second most-played games in Liverpool history. Played in a World Cup. Champions League winner.

“Even Micah. We always joke about it partly because of injuries but he played on a Premier League team that won [the title].

“I put our guy’s analysis and breakdown of highlights pre- and post-game against literally anyone. Not just in the States, but in the world.

“I think the people that enjoy us on social, it’s the number one priority of mine is to make clear to people that this show has got a lot more depth. It’s really something that probably irks me and Thierry more than anyone, the two of us have talked about it, but there’s a way to do it. We’re addressing it but I think that if there’s a frustration. that’s the only one because for anyone who says we don’t do analysis… eighty to ninety percent of our show is highlights, analysis, and previews. The fun stuff is a fraction.”

How the analysis compares

Harris: I like watching especially when it’s the big screen and you have Thierry (or any of the talent) in front of it because that’s a different angle we’re not used to traditionally. For me, having watched the game my entire life, it’s like watching a coaching clinic, which I love because I’m learning new things.

Radovich: “I implore anyone. Look down the rosters of any network, American or abroad, and I would put our guys against anyone for analysis.”

Coverage of the UEFA Champions League continues on CBS Sports and Paramount+. See the Champions League TV schedule for full details.

While details are sparse, much of the programming from the FOX network will likely find its way onto the paid streaming service. That will likely include soccer matches shown on the over-the-air FOX network. With FOX having the rights to World Cup 2026, expect many of those games to stream on the new service as well as appear on over-the-air television. However, games appearing on FS1 and FS2 will probably not be on the new app so that FOX doesn’t break any of the carrier agreements FOX Corp has with cable providers who pay FOX to air that programming.

For soccer fans, after years of waiting, it means that we can finally have a paid streaming service from FOX.

More recently, FOX has used Tubi to stream select European qualifiers and Concacaf games. Tubi is a FAST channel (free ad-supported television) owned by FOX Corp, but its inclusion of commercials during live games isn’t ideal for soccer fans craving an uninterrupted viewing experience. It is, however, streaming this Sunday’s Super Bowl on Tubi, but given the number of commercial breaks a typical NFL game has, it won’t encounter the same issues that soccer fans have.

FOX had hoped to launch Venu as a joint venture with ESPN and WarnerBros Discovery in 2024, but those plans failed to materialize after Fubo won a court case preventing its launch. With Venu jettisoned, it means that FOX has to prepare its own streaming service. Otherwise, it’ll be left behind since all of the other four major TV networks in the United States (ABC, NBC, and CBS) already have their streaming services.

In FOX Sports’ history, it did previously offer direct-to-consumer streaming services (FOXSoccer.tv as well as FOX Soccer 2GO), but this will be the first time it offers sports and news programming on a paid app.

Murdoch didn’t mention pricing details, but shared that it’ll be “relatively low, certainly relative to what our peers have spent in this space.” The streaming service is expected to launch by the end of 2025.

Other than World Cup 2026, what soccer games from FOX would you like to see on the new streaming service? Let us know in the comments section below.

While soccer fans wanting reform in the United States may have been disappointed with the jury’s verdict, NASL looks likely to appeal the decision. NASL counsel Jeff Kessler told Front Office Sports, “We have great respect for the jury process, but there were some fundamental legal errors made which prevented the jurors from receiving important evidence or being instructed on the correct legal standards and claims. Our client accordingly expects to appeal.”

US Soccer issues bizarre statement

Certainly, the NASL has made a catalog of mistakes during its existence as well as during its case against US Soccer and MLS. NASL is no angel, by any means. But I have to take issue with the US Soccer Federation in its statement following the decision.

In particular, the point raised by US Soccer that “this decision validates US Soccer’s commitment to fostering a broad and healthy ecosystem of professional soccer leagues across all divisions” struck a nerve with me.

As both Krishnaiyer and I have argued many times previously, US Soccer has been an absentee landlord when it comes to regulating the men’s soccer leagues in the United States.

Without any shadow of a doubt, the United States does not have a healthy ecosystem of professional soccer leagues. Certainly, it does have a very healthy Division I league in MLS. However, everything below that is a chaotic mess as a result of the United States not creating a pyramid, as well as its reluctance to seemingly do anything to put pressure on MLS.

For US Soccer to describe US soccer as a “healthy ecosystem of professional soccer leagues across all divisions” is laughable. After all, the United States has the worst record of soccer clubs going out of existence. From 1992 to the present, more than 150 men’s and women’s professional soccer teams have gone out of business.

Furthermore, when MLS announced it was quitting the 2024 US Open Cup, its decision violated the Pro League Standards from US Soccer which requires Division I leagues to play in the US Open Cup.

Instead of US Soccer disciplining MLS, the US Soccer Federation bowed down to MLS and agreed on a compromise that allowed select Major League Soccer teams to play reserve sides in the competition.

In what world does US Soccer seriously believe that its ecosystem is healthy?

US Soccer NASL lawsuit doesn’t change a thing

After the compromise was reached for the 2024 US Open Cup, which was very much in favor of Major League Soccer, MLS has again snubbed US Soccer by announcing it will only send a portion of its teams to play in the 2025 competition.

As respected US soccer expert Nick Webster wrote this week, “MLS is the piper that calls the tune, and US Soccer is the organization that is dancing.”

To put it another way, when MLS says JUMP, US Soccer says HOW HIGH?

Regardless of whether NASL appeals this week’s decision or not, it doesn’t change the fact that US Soccer seems more interested in its national teams than it is in the professional club game. Instead of applauding its win in the NASL lawsuit, it should be a wake-up call to US Soccer that it needs to structure its professional leagues in a way that benefits the sport as a whole.

After offering it for free to T-Mobile subscribers in 2023, MLS decided to skip the offer in 2024. Thankfully for T-Mobile customers, MLS Season Pass will be free beginning February 18, 2025, with offer details available through the T-Life app. The free offer is also available to Metro by T-Mobile customers.

With a retail price tag of $99 per year for consumers, making the subscription service available for free is a considerable cost savings. At the same time, it’s a logical way to boost subscriber numbers overnight.

While not as attractive as the T-Mobile free offer, MLS also announced this week that MLS Season Pass will be free to all Xfinity customers from February 22 (the opening day of the 2025 MLS season) through March 2. The nine-day preview is in addition to Xfinity making MLS 360 available for free for the entire season.

Expanding distribution by offering MLS Season Pass for free

Having MLS Season Pass integrated into the Xfinity user interface is the bigger news here. Instead of being locked behind the paywall inside Apple TV, having MLS Season Pass available within the Xfinity service (albeit at an additional cost for Xfinity subscribers who want to sign up for the whole season) is still a paywall but will feel less of one for most American cable TV customers who don’t consider cable a paywall in itself.

No doubt, the distribution deals through T-Mobile and Xfinity are a much-needed boost for MLS Season Pass subscriber numbers. Looking back, the last time the subscriber count for MLS Season Pass was made available was over 13 months ago. At the end of 2023, the number was reportedly 2 million, but after that, MLS decided not to renew its deal with T-Mobile and didn’t give T-Mobile customers the service for free last year. Since then, executives at Apple and MLS have been silent on any updates to the subscriber number.

If the perception is that very few people are watching Major League Soccer on Apple TV, it becomes a reality in the minds of many people. Out of sight, out of mind. Therefore, the deals that MLS has secured with T-Mobile and Xfinity are crucial. It allows MLS executives, if they want, to defend themselves in 2025 by telling journalists that MLS Season Pass is in more homes than ever before. Whether people are paying for the subscription is another issue entirely.

The double-edged sword of offering a product for free

Offering MLS Season Pass for free is a double-edged sword for both MLS and Apple. By offering a product for free, you reduce its perceived value. At the same time, MLS needs more eyeballs to watch the MLS 360 whip-around show to satisfy the advertisers who are running all of the TV commercials during breaks.

For MLS, the hope for marketers is that you get enough interest from the people who come in for free that a large number of them will convert to paid customers when the offer ends. Judging by MLS’ decision to return to the free T-Mobile offer after skipping it in 2024, that doesn’t appear to be the case. That is substantiated by former managing director of The Athletic, Ed Malyon, who this week wrote:

“I worked an almost identical promotion with T-Mobile a few years ago and it did bring in a large number of subscribers. Those subscribers were, however, the least-engaged cohort in our database and almost all of them (90%+ if I recall correctly) churned after the free period had elapsed.”

The question has to be asked then. What is a fair price for MLS Season Pass?

it’s already available for free to all season ticket holders, T-Mobile customers, and Metro by T-Mobile subscribers. So, what price should the general public pay if it can’t get it for free from the above offers?

At its current price of $14.99/month (or $99/year), it’s the most expensive soccer streaming service on the market, by far. Yes, Apple customers have more spending power than Android users, but fifteen bucks per month is too expensive.

Internally, MLS must feel that it can do a better job of marketing to convert the free subscribers into paid ones. But if it was unable to do so in 2024 even with Lionel Messi, the world’s greatest player in its league, what hope does it have that it can do so in 2025 and beyond?

Depending on who you ask, the fair market price for MLS Season Pass should range from $5 to $10 per month. Trying to get fans to upgrade from free to five or ten bucks shouldn’t be difficult. Furthermore, who wouldn’t snap up MLS Season Pass for $5-$10/month if that price was available?

Customers could get used to free

The concern is that, unless it changes, Apple and Major League Soccer could be conditioning fans to expect MLS Season Pass to be available for free every season.

Perhaps MLS executives feel that if they can continue kicking the can down the road by offering MLS Season Pass for free it will eventually see a wave of new signups after the bounce it receives from this summer’s Club World Cup and/or FIFA World Cup 2026.

And then at that point, MLS will finally hit pay dirt.

The move is being made by MLS Productions, the media and broadcast production arm of the league, who today announced an expanded partnership with IMG, one of the leading sports production firms.

In the announcement, MLS mentions, “The brand-new dedicated facility features best-in-class production offerings and new cutting-edge technology to further elevate the production of MLS Season Pass.

“The new location for MLS Season Pass will enable MLS Productions to add programming in the new season.”

The Studios at WWE is a 30,000-square-foot production facility equipped with five studios with the latest technologies including a virtual production stage.

A new chapter for MLS Season Pass studios

One of the most impressive visuals in MLS Season Pass is the gigantic studio that’s used as the set for the MLS 360 whip-around show. The aesthetics pull the viewer into the broadcast featuring host Kevin Egan, and analysts Sacha Kljestan, Kaylyn Kyle, and Bradley Wright-Phillips. Hopefully, the new studio will be as visually stunning as the one previously used in Manhattan.

Egan will be no stranger to WWE. He previously was a key part of its RAW broadcasts where he used his stage name, Kevin Patrick.

“We believe that WWE’s new state-of-the-art facilities will help take [MLS’] collective capabilities to even greater heights,” said Lee Fitting, EVP, Media & Production, WWE.

Major League Soccer’s move to Stamford is part of a new, multi-year partnership between MLS and IMG whereby IMG will continue to produce live match and studio productions and programming for more than 600 annual games on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

The WWE facility is part of TKO Group Holdings, which recently reached an agreement with Endeavor to acquire IMG, in a transaction expected to be completed in the first half of 2025.

“Together with MLS and Apple and their other partners, we have set a new standard for the MLS viewing experience, creating a new era of entertaining, highly engaging content for football fans globally,” said Barney Francis, EVP, Studios, IMG. “Over the coming years, we will take this to the next level with cutting-edge technology and creativity, powered by our incredible new home, Studios at WWE, and IMG’s industry-leading production experience and capabilities.”

MLS prepares for 30th season

If you’re unfamiliar with IMG, you’ll know their work. IMG produces content for some of the world’s biggest leagues and events, including the Premier League, English Football League, Saudi Pro League, CBS’ UEFA Champions League and Europa League coverage, UFC, DP World Tour, The Ryder Cup, and The Open Championship.

At the same time, Stamford is quickly becoming the home of soccer studio production in the United States. NBC Sports has televised its Premier League studio coverage from the town since 2013. Plus much of CBS Sports’ Golazo Network coverage comes out of Stamford, too.

With MLS celebrating its 30th consecutive season this year, all eyes will be on MLS Season Pass this February to see the start of the new season. Between now and then, we’re expecting more announcements from MLS and Apple TV about their coverage plans.

The 2025 MLS season kicks off on Saturday, February 22.

For example, imagine if the Premier League didn’t have promotion and relegation. There’d be zero chance of Leicester City, Nottingham Forest, Brighton, Brentford, or Bournemouth playing in Europe’s top league. Those clubs and many others have breathed new life into the Premier League since it was founded in 1992.

MLS, founded in 1993, has had the same teams playing in the league every year except for expansion teams that have been added, and for the three clubs that were contracted when Major League Soccer nearly went bust.

No matter how bad a team is in MLS, they’ll keep on playing every year unless they go out of business. As a result, the teams in MLS have no jeopardy. Have a horrible season? Here’s a pat on the back, and we’ll see you again next year.

So, what if MLS had relegation?

So what would MLS look like if the league had relegation? We went back in the history books to see who the worst-performing teams were.

Here are the seven worst teams in MLS history from dreadful to absolute worst. It’s based on their finishing place in the overall standings each year.

So, there you have it. Commiserations to fans of San Jose. Last season, they finished dead last with a goal difference of minus 37. The last time the team made the playoffs was in 2020 when the team was knocked out of the first round. DC United didn’t fare much better either.

If MLS had relegation, San Jose and DC United would be ideal candidates to get sent down a division.

Of course, all of this is hypothetical because US soccer doesn’t have a pyramid. Instead, Major League Soccer is a closed league, essentially a Super League of American teams where none of the teams are relegated. The Premier League, and almost every single other soccer league in the world, uses an open league format where teams can get relegated if they’re the worst in a season.

MLS fans will argue that teams would go out of business if they were relegated. But if US soccer had a pyramid, teams like San Jose and DC United could win their way back into the top league by proving themselves where it matters… by winning more points than the other teams.

Even the giants of soccer get relegated. Clubs such as Manchester United, AC Milan, Liverpool, Spurs, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Juventus, and many others have been out of their top divisions in their history.

Who would replace San Jose and other poor MLS teams?

So if San Jose was relegated, as a hypothetical example, who would move up from the second tier to MLS? The USL Championship is a D2 soccer league in the United States but its pathway isn’t connected with MLS.

But if it was, the team that finished in first place in the 2024 regular USL Championship season to replace San Jose is Louisville City FC.

If that happened, it would certainly make MLS more interesting, no offense to San Jose fans.

Several factors are in your favor for a European vacation this year. First, the strong American dollar means that Europe isn’t as pricey as it once was. Second, several international budget airlines have emerged that have caused prices to drop. Third and finally, once you arrive in Europe, you can find incredible prices for flights from city to city.

Altogether, taking a trip to Europe can be less expensive than a vacation within the United States.

Take it from me. I found some amazing deals last summer when I took my wife and three of my children to Europe for 30 days. We visited seven countries, traveled 12,000 miles on planes, trains, and automobiles, and had the trip of a lifetime. It’s hard to believe, but we spent less money than if we had stayed a week at a Disney World hotel and theme park just 140 miles away.

How is this all possible? Here are my golden rules for making an affordable dream trip to Europe possible.

Escape to Europe: Find the flight that fits your budget

Out of all of the costs of a European vacation, the most important one to master is to find an affordable plane ticket. Undoubtedly, the best tool to use is Google Flights, which is free.

To get the most out of Google Flights, type in a range of airports in your area where you’d be flying from. Also, enter in several choices for the destination airport. For example, for London as a destination, you should enter LGW (London Gatwick Airport), LHR (Heathrow) and MAN (Manchester). Wherever you’re traveling from and to, including several nearby airports will give you more deals to choose from.

Once you click the ‘Departure’ date option, you’ll immediately see prices listed for each day. The ones listed in green are good deals, while the prices listed in black are less so. By being able to view which deals look promising before you even choose a departure and return date, it lets you to see which dates offer the best savings.

The ‘Search’ results page is the heart of Google Flights. From here, you can see the ‘Best’ as well as ‘Cheapest’ options. You can also use the ‘Date grid’ and ‘Pricing graph’ to drill down to find the best days of the week to fly. The best feature is the ‘Track prices’ option, where Google will send you an email whenever the prices drop. You can also choose to only include direct flights in your search.

The more flexible you are with the dates, the more likely you are to find a deal. And if you don’t immediately find one, be patient. Airlines often run deals around different times of the year such as Black Friday, Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, etcetera.

If you’re patient and want to keep your options open for amazing deals, bookmark Secret Flying. As an alternative to Google Flights, Skyscanner is very good, too.

Fly with a budget airline, if you want

As you look through the deals on Google Flights, remember that it’s not just the airlines you’re familiar with that offer the best deals. For instance, you can usually find great deals with international budget airlines such as TAP Air Portugal (to Portugal), French Bee (to France), Icelandair (to the UK), and Aer Lingus (to England and Ireland). Other than those, my favorite is Norse Atlantic Airways. I flew with them to London in 2023. It’s a no-frills airline (food, heavy suitcases, and seat selection are extra), but they almost always offer great deals. I’ve been able to find deals for as low as $400 (in the winter) to $600 roundtrip (summer) from Florida to London.

To be fair, the quality of service from most major airlines has dropped so much from what it used to be that there isn’t much difference between them and the international budget airlines. Most of them use the same type of planes. With Norse or other budget airlines, bring some food with you to eat on the plane, don’t worry about the seat selection, and pack lightly.

Speaking of packing lightly, before you take your departure flight, don’t go crazy when you’re filling your suitcase with clothes. Learn some packing tips, and — if you feel daring — take a backpack instead of a suitcase. When you take a backpack, it can use it as carry-on luggage. Plus, it’s easier to travel with it on your back instead of lugging your suitcase all over the streets of Europe.

When my family went on the 30-day European trip last summer, our only luggage was one backpack each. It saved us so much time zipping through airports when others were waiting for carousels to unload their checked luggage. And it helped us get in and out of planes, trains, and automobiles once we arrived in Europe.

If you don’t believe me, here’s a photo of our backpacks shortly before we dropped them off at a luggage storage location in Edinburgh, Scotland. The extra Primark bag was just for some souvenirs we picked up earlier on our trip.

So how did we do it? First, we had enough clothes for seven days. Every week, we found a laundromat in whichever town we were in that day. Second, I highly recommend the Matein backpack (pictured above on the far left). It has so many compartments inside the backpack where you can store shoes, clothes, etcetera. It even has space for a laptop if you need to bring one with you.

Other travel tips to take before heading to Europe

Once you’ve landed in Europe, you’ll find that public transportation makes it easy to get around — whether you want to take a bus, train, or plane. Buses will differ in every country, but Flixbus is certainly one to take a look at.

The high-speed trains in Italy and France are wonderful. The rest of Europe has great train service too. If you are planning on taking a lot of train journeys, definitely check out Eurail and BritRail as options. The train passes are only available in the United States, and they’re often much cheaper than if you bought rain tickets in Europe. I’ve used them both on previous trips, and I love the comfort of sitting on a train as we relax and enjoy the views out of the window as the trains speed through the countryside.

A huge advantage of traveling in Europe is how cheap airfare is from city to city. Last summer, we took a flight from Manchester, England to a city in southern Italy called Brindisi. For the flight of just over three hours, we paid approximately $25 per ticket on RyanAir. We saved so much because we found the deals on the RyanAir website. Plus, we didn’t have any checked luggage, so those backpacks saved us a lot of money too.

While RyanAir and other European budget airlines offer incredibly great deals, they’re not luxurious. As can be seen from my photo below, the seats don’t have much comfort, and legroom is at a minimum.

Just like before, Google Flights is a great resource to check for airline deals from European city to city.

Last but not least, when it comes to where to stay when you’re in Europe, I recommend Booking.com. If you use their app to make a booking, it’s cheaper than its website. Plus both the Booking.com app and website aggregate listings of hotels, apartment rentals, and bed-and-breakfasts into one.

Safe travels.

Just as Leicester rose from the Championship to win the Premier League, Nottingham Forest has created a team chemistry and underdog mentality that makes you want the club to succeed. 

Forest, like the Leicester of old, has a cutting edge where the club takes its chances and isn’t intimidated by the opposition. 

Anthony Elanga and Chris Wood have been revelations up front. Belgium goalkeeper Matz Sels has been flawless between the nets. Meanwhile, Morgan Gibbs-White shows why he has such a bright future ahead of him in England’s midfield. And Murillo has been a rock in defense. 

From back to front, Nottingham Forest is stacked. The only worry is whether injuries could disrupt the scintillating form the team is in. Undefeated in its last 7 matches, Forest currently has the best form in the entire league based on the last 6 games. 

Nottingham Forest’s fairytale: Can Forest do a Leicester?

Can Forest do a Leicester and go all the way to winning the Premier League trophy? Why not? 

The club’s meteoric rise is only the latest chapter in what has been a rollercoaster ride. As recently as 2008, Nottingham Forest was in the third tier of the English pyramid. Since that time, the club has been through a cavalcade of ownership groups through to the latest one run by Greek shipping tycoon Vangelis Marinakis.

As a neutral observer of the Premier League, seeing so many clubs break the Big 6 monopoly is a breath of fresh air. The likes of Brentford, Fulham, Bournemouth, and Brighton challenging the status quo. At the same time, giants such as Manchester United and Tottenham struggling in the bottom half of the table. Manchester City, long the seemingly invincible, is for the first time appearing to be human where wins are no longer a guarantee. 

It’s turning into one of the most riveting Premier League seasons in years with Nottingham Forest as the cherry on top (or at least, the cherry in second place). 
Of course, we can’t go without mentioning the work that head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has done. Last season, he kept Nottingham Forest out of the relegation zone after manager Steve Cooper was sacked. The soft spoken Portuguese has this year surprised everyone by turning the team into the talk of the league. 

Last but not least, Nottingham Forest fans continue to create an electric atmosphere at the City Ground. In the stadium where manager Brian Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor brought the club its greatest achievements, Nuno is on pace to give them both a run for their money. As Clough once said, “They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I wasn’t on that particular job.”

If Cloughie was still alive, I’m sure he would loved to see Nuno on that construction project. 

So why all of a sudden is there such a scarcity of American goalkeepers playing in the best league in the world? Blame it on their feet.

Modern goalkeepers are a different breed than Friedel, Howard, Guzan and company. They have to be as skilled with the ball at their feet as the defenders lined up ahead of them. Many teams play from the back, which requires quick precision to keep the ball moving from player to player, including the goalkeeper. When done well, the goalkeeper becomes an integral part of the game, playing inch-perfect passes on the ground to lead his team forward.

Unfortunately, the current breed of US goalkeepers are failing in that department. So much so that opposition teams have capitalized on the poor ball control by American goalkeepers to turn that spit-second indecision into goalscoring opportunities.

US goalkeepers need to improve

The list of goalkeepers who have poor ball-control skills reads like a who’s who of USMNT goalkeepers. Matt Turner, Zack Steffen, Ethan Horvath and Drake Callender have all made mistakes for their club teams. Horvath is no longer starting matches for Cardiff City, and after watching this example, it’s not hard to understand why. Turner is an excellent shot stopper, but he’s no sweeper keeper, which is one of the main reasons why he was moved out of Arsenal and eventually dropped by Nottingham Forest before moving to Crystal Palace where he’s been on the bench.

The same applies to Steffen, who Pep Guardiola pushed out to Middlesbrough not long after this mistake so he could bring in Stefan Ortega as the backup for Emerson. Likewise, Drake Callender has come under a lot of criticism from Inter Miami fans last season for several mistakes, including this one.

Playing at the highest level and having first-rate ball control skills isn’t easy. But in this modern game, it’s a noticable difference that separates the average goalkeepers from the best.

To be fair, you don’t often see the type of ball control skill mistakes that are made when you’re watching games in CONCACAF or MLS. That’s no slight on those two, but the game is played at a much faster pace in England. Hence the reason why it’s more likely to see those mistakes being made there.

For Turner, in particular, opposition teams in the Premier League caught on quickly to his poor ball control skills. So much so that you could see opponents pressing Turner in their attempt to make him spill the ball. When a team has a weakness that’s exposed like that, especially in the Premier League, coaches have to make the tough decisions which is why Turner, Horvath and Steffen have all been replaced at their respective clubs.

That’s to take nothing away from their shot stopper abilities, but in the modern game, top-level coaches expect goalkeepers to be well rounded in all areas.

Why are there so few US goalkeepers who are good with their feet?

So why then are US goalkeepers not as good with their feet as other top goalkeepers?

There are a few reasons why. In the past, there have been a lot of really good American goalkeepers because they were raised playing American sports, all of which require good hand skills. Other than soccer, I can’t think of any American sports that require expert skills with your feet.

With CONCACAF and MLS games playing a slower style of soccer, US goalkeepers don’t get as much practice making split-second decisions in fast-paced games. Yes, it can be coached but real game situations are the best way to improve.

Thankfully, hope is on the horizon. Barcelona recently signed Diego Kochen to a new deal that will keep him at the club until 2028. Among his many skills, 18-year-old Kochen is reportedly very skilled as a sweeper keeper. Since he’s gone through Barcelona’s La Masia academy, that isn’t surprising.

He could be one for the future to lead the next generation of US goalkeepers in the top European leagues. Meanwhile, there’s always the chance that MLS goalkeepers such as Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte and others could adapt to a faster game. Overall though, Kochen seems like the best bet given his time at Barcelona.

Photo credit: George Frey / Stringer / GettyImages

Launched in 1996, Major League Soccer is celebrating its 30th season this year. In that time, the league has grown to become a permanent fixture in American sports. With the 30th team (San Diego) joining its ranks this year, the league’s greatest achievement has been its permanance. At its going rate, it’s on a path to exponential growth as it expands its reach from youth soccer through to its controlling relationship with US Soccer Federation.

So, what’s with all of the excuses by MLS fans who answer most criticism with explaining how young the league is? It’s an automatic defense mechanism used by many to avoid explaining the league’s shortcomings. By trying to change the topic to focus on the age of the league, it’s their attempt to deflect the criticism.

I get that a league that is more than 100 years old has an advantage over MLS that is 30 years old, but at what time in the future will its age excuse end? Thirty years is a long time in the soccer world. Japan’s J-League launched 33 years ago, but we don’t hear Japanese soccer fans whining that they’re not a big league because “they’ve only been around for 33 years.” 

MLS has a lot of positive things going for the league, but the willingness of the MLS fans and media to give them a free ride because “the league is only 30 years old” needs to stop. It’s time to take off the training wheels and to realize that MLS is old enough now to be evaluated on its own merits.

100 years of soccer history

Most criticisms of MLS are met with a “Well, those other leagues are older than MLS, so of course they’re bigger” response.

However, it’s not the rest of the world’s fault that the United States has had a history of mismanaging its soccer leagues. The English Football League (EFL) was founded in 1888 and is still going strong. But while MLS fans and Americans who like to make excuses about MLS quickly retort that “MLS has only been around 30 years, so it doesn’t have the history that other countries have,” soccer in the United States has, in fact, a history as long as those in most European countries.

The golden age of soccer in the United States was in the 1920s when it was one of the most popular sports here. Soccer ranked second only to baseball in the early 20th century.

Except for the periods of success for the NASL in the late 1970s and early 1980s, as well as MLS’ success rate from 2002, when it shut down two teams, to now, the popularity of the sport declined since the 1930s due to disagreements between professional leagues. Sadly, that infighting between separate leagues has been ongoing in US soccer for the last 100 years. And it’s still continuing with the soccerwarz now between MLS and USL as evidenced by last year’s US Open Cup debacle, as well as NASL’s court case against MLS and US Soccer that is in trial this week.

Given the long history of different soccer leagues fighting against each other since the 1920s, the popularity of soccer declined from the number two spot to the fifth most popular sport. A large part of the blame falls on the US Soccer Federation, who has been an absentee landlord where it prioritizes its focus on the national teams instead of governing the club game.

Time to put an end to the excuses

In future discussions about MLS and how it can improve, don’t fall for the “soccer doesn’t have a 100+ year history in this country” excuse. The United States has a very rich history of soccer from the late 1800s to now (look through the research records of the Society for American Soccer History if you want to learn more).

So while it’s important to look at the past, it’s more important to remember that “The only way to predict the future is to learn from the past.” Imagine, for example, if all of the professional leagues in England weren’t connected. Each of them was working independently to try to establish themselves as a Division 1 league with no promotion or relegation between each league. It would be mass chaos.

That’s precisely what we have in the United States where MLS operates on its own as one of the best (or worst, depending on your viewpoint) super leagues where teams are only allowed to participate by paying hundreds of millions of dollars to join. Meanwhile, you have USL with its many different divisions acting independently, and the dormant NASL fighting for its life in court. That doesn’t even include the other leagues who are all unconnected such as NISA, NPSL, etcetera.

The mass chaos and lack of leadership from the US Soccer Federation only helps to grow MLS as it’s the league that’s featured most prominently and benefits from building strong fanbases in many of the cities where it has teams.

But the next time you hear someone start with the “MLS is only 30 years old” excuse, be sure to answer them back and ask them how many years will it take for the league to stop using that as an excuse.

Photo credit: Adidas

Before Saturday’s game against Bayern Munich, Scally spoke with World Soccer Talk and other U.S. outlets in a media roundtable. The American discussed a range of topics including Mauricio Pochettino, what life is like in Germany, and why Gladbach supporters are some of the best in the world.

Joe Scally interview: In his own words

You guys didn’t exactly have the best start to the season, but really turned things around in the second half of the Hinrunde. What exactly was it that coach Gerardo Seoane did to get you guys going?

Joe Scally: “Yeah, I think we played some of the toughest teams in the league, right off the bat. I think we started with Leverkusen, then Bochum which we won against, and then Frankfurt and other teams.

“We knew the beginning was going to be tough. We won the games we should. And I guess you can say lost the games that on paper we were supposed to. I think that was just the unfortunate thing, and then we turn it around by winning games, winning games that maybe on the outside looked like we shouldn’t have. So that’s the main thing.”

I wanted to ask about the winter break because it’s something not unique to the Bundesliga, a few other leagues do it. But it’s something that a lot of your national teammates don’t necessarily get like Christian Pulisic who was out there playing in Saudi Arabia yesterday.

Scally: “Always having this 10-day break where where we have off is so nice to just forget about soccer, be with friends, family and at home for the holidays. It was so nice just to relax and reset. And then it makes it easier to focus on the game because you have so much hype and energy. Just like you’re you’re a kid again. You have this time off and then you have the game again. So it’s a lot of fun.”

You’ve played a lot of games, you’ve been a starter for a long time with Gladbach now, I think over 100 Bundesliga games. But it feels like watching you this season that this is your best season yet. I’m just curious what you attribute that to, what sort of things you worked on, how you got to the spot right now. And if you if you agree with my assessment that it’s your best year so far.

Scally: “Each year has gotten better and better so thank you, it’s nice to hear that. But I think overall as a team, we’ve just gotten better. I think each player individually has just kind of stepped up their game stepped up to their level because we all know what it takes to be a top team.

“So I think just having players around me who, who can push me every day in training and, staying focused, I got older, I got more mature and I think that’s something that definitely helped my game on the field and every day, I’m just trying to get better, watch video, watch film and just things that I can improve on.”

Were there any specific areas Joe that you focused on and feel you have improved?

Scally: “Yeah. This year and a little bit of last year I started to play in three-in-the-back with the ball. I think that’s something I improved.

“I can play multiple positions like I’ve shown in in the recent years and yeah, just I guess staying more focused throughout the whole game staying clean on the ball and just creating different different angles.”

Scally’s improvement as a footballer at Gladbach

How much of a challenge is it to come back from winter break and have the game that you have coming up against Bayern Munich to go from a kind of rest mode into one of the toughest tests you’ll have this season. And is there any extra kind of pressure to live up to some of the performances that you’ve had against Bayern Munich in recent years as a club?

Scally: “Yeah, I think it also benefits us because they’ve also had the break, they’ve had so many games. So even for them it’s more so they’re they’re also maybe slow getting into it which can help us a lot.

“In my first season, we played them the first game and we came out on fire. So I think it’s extra motivation for us. But at the same time, we’re home. We’re such a strong team at home and I think it’s always special when we play them.”

Which coach has had the biggest impact on your career thus far?

Scally: “It’s difficult to say. I’ve had so many coaches now, from MLS to here and the national team. So, of course, I think I’d have to say that my coach now, Gerardo Seoane. He’s taught me to play in different positions, and given me trust to full games for two seasons in a row now. And I think he’s definitely helped me with the defensive side of the game and the offensive side of the game.

“He’s shown me that I’m not only an outside back, I can also play center back so I think that’s something that I take a lot of pride in.”

You recently played your 100th game for Borussia Monchengladbach at such a young age. I put you in a class with a player like [former Gladbach footballer] Lothar Matthaus. You were born years after he was a star. How much did you know about Matthaus and his status in Germany, and also the history of Gladbach?

Scally: “I didn’t learn about it so much. Of course, I’ve heard of the players. I’ve seen highlights on YouTube and things like that, but I’m not so familiar with their stature and and who they are, I guess. Of course, the players told me when I saw it in the stats, things like that. I saw it and it definitely was special. But other than that, I really don’t know much.”

Return of the original Klassiker

You guys have a lot of success playing Bayern Munich. And there’s always so much talk about Bayern against Dortmund being the Klassiker, of course, but there’s some of us who are old enough to remember that the actual Klassiker is Bayern against Gladbach. Are you aware of that history? And what is it that makes makes it such a big game for Gladbach? Why is it that you always turn up for this kind of kind of game and always make it difficult for Bayern?

Scally: “Yeah, I’m not so familiar with the history of it. I just know both are such historic old clubs who have won a lot of trophies in the past and Bayern, of course, now winning still in the present. But yes, as players you always get up for these type of games, and you always want to showcase yourself to prove that you can play with the best players in the world. And I think so far it has played to our favor. You know, we’ve always turned up for these games and I think that’s it. I think everyone’s just extra motivated.”

Playing under Mauricio Pochettino

What’s it been like under Mauricio Pochettino so far? What has he said to you, where does he see you, how does the way he want you to play different than than other coaches in the past?

And then you mentioned playing left back. I know you’ve done that a couple times already this year. Jedi was named the top us player last year but it feels like it’s an open competition behind him. How much will that help you being able to switch sides with the national team in a pinch if necessary?

Scally: “To your first question, it’s amazing for the team to have such a high quality coach like him who was coached such great teams and great players. So it’s it’s something for us that we can really look up to and fight to earn his trust and fight to play for the national team and try and achieve great things. So far, he’s instilled in us that we are America, one of the best countries in the world. So we have to have that fighting spirit that we can go out and pretty much win every game.

“And then on the flip side, when I’m playing left back, it’s always helped me with playing games… being on rosters, different things like that of course. First, I’m a right back. With the national team, I’ve played right center back in a three [at the back] the last couple games. So for me, I’m more focused on the right side and basically staying there and playing games there like the last two years.

“So not so much focused on the left but if I ever need to be I will of course be there in a second.”

I think the last time we had one of these calls was the spring or summer of 2023 and you talked about what happened in Qatar [World Cup 2022], and how it affected you being on the bench, not getting a minute and and not understanding perhaps why that had come about. Do you feel that the communication around the national team, and with the coaching setup that you’ve got now is a little bit better that you kind of understand decisions are being taken and also why?

Scally: “We’ve only had two camps with Pochettino. So it’s still everyone getting used to it, of course. There’s still a year and a half until the World Cup, but things are are still getting underway. We’re still all understanding how we’re going communicate things like that but everything is is going in the right direction. Yeah, you see the way we’ve been playing. Everyone has so much confidence.

“The coach has talked to all of us individually and told us what he likes in any transition and everything like that. So it’s definitely everything’s on the right path.”

One of the best fanbases in the world

I was at the RB Leipzig-Gladbach game back in November, the nil-nil draw. And one of the things that really kind of caught me by surprise was how hardcore the Gladbach supporters were for the first 20 minutes of the match. They didn’t say anything. No banners, no flags. It was basically just whistling as a form of protest against RB Leipzig.

I was just wondering from your perspective what’s it like playing in front of those Gladbach fans. It seemed like old school hardcore fans compared to other fan bases that are a little bit more family-friendly.

Scally: “Yeah, I think we have one of the best fanbases in the world. I mean, our last game before the Christmas break, we played Hoffenheim away and it felt like a home game. We had so many supporters there and so many fans, so I think it’s definitely special to always play in front of this crowd who always feels like they’re doing more than us on the field. They are always jumping and singing for 90 minutes straight, so it’s extra special at home, they give us extra motivation and I think you can see that with the results.”

German culture clash

A couple of years ago, there was a story in the German press that you had noticed in Germany that when the pedestrian light was red, even if there weren’t any cars, Germans wouldn’t cross the street.

Have you noticed any other things about living in Germany and German culture and just being a different country that were a challenge for you to adjust to? And if you ever leave Germany, if you ever moved somewhere else, is there something about Germany that you think you’d miss in particular?

Scally: “Definitely another thing, especially now, that’s on my mind — even after going home for the 10 days — is the weather. Now, as I’m getting older, it’s starting to like really be like ‘This is terrible.’ You wake up in the morning, the sun is not up. It’s raining all day and then you come home from training, the sun is down. So when I was in New York for the for the winter break, it was cold, of course, maybe even colder than here, but the the sun was out.

“You have to get over it and look forward to the summers, but definitely the winters are tough.”

Anything that you would miss when you’re not in Germany?

Scally: “Yeah, I think just the way the German people treat the cities. I live in Dusseldorf and it’s very clean. I don’t think you get this in most places where everyone is very respectful towards the way the city is and the infrastructure. I think, that’s something I’ll definitely miss.”

Photo credit: Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty Images

As part of the agreement with Disney, Fubo will continue to be led by Fubo’s executive team, and both Fubo as well as Hulu + Live TV will continue to operate under their separate brands. That’ll allow Fubo to continue its focus on sports and news, while Hulu + Live TV focuses on entertainment and being a replacemet for cable TV.

The combination creates the second-biggest paid over-the-top streaming company in North America, behind YouTube TV. Fubo and Hulu + Live TV combined now has more than 6.2 million subscribers in North America.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Disney to create a consumer-first streaming company that combines the strengths of the Fubo and Hulu + Live TV brands,” said Fubo CEO David Gandler. “This combination enables us to deliver on our promise to provide consumers with greater choice and flexibility. Additionally, this agreement allows us to scale effectively, strengthens Fubo’s balance sheet and positions us for positive cash flow. It’s a win for consumers, our shareholders, and the entire streaming industry.”

Disney becomes majority investor in Fubo: What it means for soccer fans

So what does this all mean for soccer fans? There are several important things to know.

First, for the time being, don’t expect any major changes to the Fubo and/or Hulu + Live TV services. The merger is subject to regulatory and Fubo shareholder approval. By the time the deal is approved, it may be 2026 before that happens.

Second, Disney will enter into a new carriage agreement with Fubo that will allow Fubo to create a new Sports & Broadcast service, featuring Disney’s premier sports and broadcast networks including ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, SECN, ACCN, ESPNEWS, as well as ESPN+. For soccer fans, the convenience of getting the ESPN channels (including games on ESPN+, which is an exciting development) through Fubo will be interesting to see the price and how that works.

Third, the agreement between Disney and Fubo clears the way for the future launch of Venu Sports. The Venu Sports streaming service was supposed to launch in the Fall of 2024 but the joint venture between Disney/FOX/Warner Bros Discovery was held up after Fubo sued to block the streaming service. In today’s announcement, Fubo will receive a settlement of $220 million for settling the litigation.

Fourth and finally, after the deal is approved by regulatory and shareholders, don’t be surprised if prices for both Fubo and Hulu + Live TV increase.

When Fubo first launched in 2015, it was a disruptor that streamed soccer matches from around the world to consumers in the United States. Now that it’ll be majority-owned by Disney, it’s only a matter of time before the House of Mouse tries to squeeze more money out of the public.

Photo credit: Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

While impressive, Liga MX viewership has declined overall since 2023. According to sports media analyst Larry Johnson, the Premier League has been averaging more viewers than Liga MX since 2023 on U.S. television and streaming.

For instance, the 2.02 million viewers for the second leg was down from the 2.21 million who watched the second leg in December 2023 (between Club America and Tigres UANL). That playoff final in 2023 had the same number of viewers as a Liverpool versus Manchester United match earlier that day. Furthermore, a Premier League regular season game this past August for Chelsea against Manchester City averaged 2.21 million viewers across NBC, Telemundo, and Peacock.

Liga MX viewership isn’t what it used to be

Johnson from Helltown Beer analyzed the statistics on Liga MX and Premier League viewership on Univision from 2022 and 2023. The average Univision viewership for the Mexican top flight in 2022 was around 900,000. By comparison, the Premier League viewership on NBC or USA Network was just shy of 800,000. Fast forward to 2023, and those rankings flipped. The Premier League was relatively flat, as average viewership was 700,000. Comparatively, Liga MX plummeted to just over 600,000. In other words, the average Liga MX viewership on Univision was down 30%.

Comparing viewership between Liga MX and Premier League isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison. That’s because Liga MX features playoff games and doesn’t have an open-league system like the Premier League. As a result, there isn’t a playoff final in the Premier League pitting the two best teams against each other to decide who wins a trophy. Instead, the Premier League features the suspense of a balanced league system where every team plays each other once at home and once away in a 38-game season.

Recently, Liga MX executives have made several poor decisions that have upset fans of Mexican soccer. Those include getting rid of promotion and relegation, launching the Leagues Cup with MLS where none of the games are played in Mexico, and the inability to secure a league-wide media rights deal that would have benefitted the league as a whole.

Photo: IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

For women’s soccer, it secures top billing on a streaming service with 66 million subscribers in the United States. In doing so, it’ll help increase subscriptions by sports fans to Netflix. For example, the recent Jake Paul versus Mike Tyson fight attracted 1.43 million new subscribers to Netflix (while 60 million people watched the fight live worldwide). No doubt, the streaming service will be hoping for even better results for the next two Women’s World Cups.

With the United States women’s team winning the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, it’s the perfect segue going into the next Women’s World Cup competition in 2027, when it’s hosted in Brazil. For 2031, the hopes are that the Women’s World Cup will be played in the United States.

As of press time, the financial details of the Netflix/FIFA deal have not been disclosed. Even without them, this deal is groundbreaking for several reasons.

Netflix’s Women’s World Cup with FIFA is a groundbreaker

Broadcasts of the FIFA Women’s World Cup have come a long way in a relatively short time.

The first official Women’s World Cup in 1991 was only shown on tape delay via a conglomeration of regional sports cable channels called SportsChannel America. Coverage improved marginally in 1995 when games were shown on ESPN. Well, sort of. ESPN only televised the games featuring the US Women’s National Team. To make matters worse, ABC declined to broadcast the final after the U.S. got knocked out in the semi-final.

Over time, broadcasts improved dramatically. From the iconic coverage of the 1999 Women’s World Cup, when all 32 games were televised, through to the 2011 edition of the competition, ESPN had the exclusive English-language rights to the competition.

Coverage of the competition returned to over-the-air broadcast television from 2015 through 2023 with the FOX network airing many of the games.

From regional sports television to broadcasters only showing select games to network television, the next phase will see the games exclusively shown on a streaming service.

“I’ve seen the fandom for the FIFA Women’s World Cup grow tremendously – from the electric atmosphere in France in 2019 to, most recently, the incredible energy we saw across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand last year,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria. “Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix isn’t just about streaming matches, it’s also about celebrating the players, the culture, and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sport.”

Other soccer rights up for grabs

There were rumors that a non-traditional media company was trying to get the rights, and many insiders presumed it was DAZN. So, when FIFA broke the news, it was a surprise to everyone. At the same time, it’s a big blow for FOX Sports and Telemundo Deportes, who were both interested in renewing the rights to the competition.

FOX and Telemundo’s loss is Netflix’s gain. But the bigger story here could be that Netflix has now opened the door to other potential soccer media rights deals. Netflix already has NFL games, as well as boxing. So, what else is on the table for Netflix to discuss as possible acquisitions?

Netflix’s acquisition of the exclusive media rights to the Women’s World Cup could be the first in a string of acquisitions of major soccer properties. Other rights that will be available to Netflix in the near to distant future include:

– FIFA World Cup 2030 and 2034 tournaments
– English Premier League: Seasons 2028/29 through 2034/35
– UEFA Champions League: Seasons 2030/31 through 2035/36
– Serie A: Seasons 2026/27 through 2028/29

Soccer’s next chapter on Netflix

Soccer coverage in the United States needs a breath of fresh air, and Netflix could be the one to deliver it.

Questions remain about the streaming service’s live streaming technology and whether it’ll be able to withstand the surge of traffic streaming specific games. But assuming that the technical gremlins can be resolved, what will the coverage itself look like? Given that the first live broadcast will happen one year after the men’s World Cup in 2026, interest will be heightened.

A lot can happen between now and then, but one thing is certain. All eyes will be on Netflix in 2027.

Photo: IMAGO / NurPhoto

The pending departure of host Gary Lineker from BBC’s Match of the Day has caused a domino effect. In his replacement, it’s widely reported that Sky Sports lead presenter Kelly Cates, daughter of Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish, will replace Lineker on the UK’s flagship soccer show.  

With Cates set to leave Sky Sports, the pay-TV broadcaster wants to fill her shoes with a star. Not surprisingly, The Sun reports that Lowe is being considered for the role. 

World Soccer Talk reached out to NBC Sports for a statement, but the spokesperson declined to comment.

Rebecca Lowe leaving NBC? It could happen

It’s worth noting that the same company, Comcast, owns both NBC Sports and Sky Sports. So if Lowe did leave NBC for Sky, it would at least be a move within the same media giant.

Could Lowe be enticed with a return back to the United Kingdom? Indeed, she has become a household name in the United States thanks to her stellar work for NBC Sports across the Premier League, Olympic Games, and the Kentucky Derby. So, after recently signing a new contract with NBC until 2028, what else is left for her in the United States that she hasn’t already achieved?

In a recent interview with The Athletic, Lowe mentioned, “I joined [in 2013] thinking I’ll be here [at NBC Sports] for a few years and go back to England. That would just be a great experience. [NBC’s Premier League coverage] has turned into a bit of a juggernaut, which I’m incredibly proud of.”

After launching the Premier League coverage in 2013, those “few years” with NBC Sports have turned into 11 so far.

United Kingdom offers Lowe a new opportunity

Before Lowe joined NBC Sports in 2013, her work for Setanta Sports and ESPN UK, as well as a sideline reporter for the BBC, was well-known by hardcore English soccer enthusiasts, but she was a relative unknown in most U.S. sports circles.

After conquering the United States, Lowe now has a golden opportunity to enter the lion’s den of Premier League football in England, her own country. It’d be a brand-new challenge for her to perform at the highest level on Sky Sports. Plus, it would allow her to be near her parents (including her father, retired BBC presenter Chris Lowe). Certainly, Rebecca’s young son would enjoy spending more time with his grandparents, too.

If Lowe wants a new career challenge, Sky Sports would be it. She would need to work diligently on becoming a household name in her own country and judging by her career at NBC Sports, that would be attainable.

After all, she has accomplished everything in the United States and has enjoyed living here. So, if she is driven by new career challenges, Sky Sports would provide it. Of course, we would hate to see her leave NBC Sports, but we would understand the decision.

For Rebecca Lowe, the world is her oyster.

If there is a change at NBC Sports, it won’t happen until after the end of the season. Cates is expected to start her role at the beginning of the next Premier League season, sharing Match of the Day hosting responsibilities with Mark Chapman and Gabby Logan.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Pro Sports Images

Many of the kickoff times for games featuring some of the biggest clubs from Europe have been scheduled for early-to-mid-afternoon local time in the United States when temperatures are much hotter than later in the day.

“From a climate perspective, FIFA’s scheduling during the midday or midafternoon in summer raises significant concerns,” explains Alessandro Romei, a climate change and sustainability expert. “These are the peak heat hours, and the combination of extreme temperatures and high humidity, as indicated by the heat index for these games, increases the risks of heat stress, dehydration, and related illnesses for both players and fans.”

FIFA Club World Cup climate change concerns

The reason why many kickoff times are scheduled so early is to ensure that many of the games kick off in primetime hours for viewers in Europe.

“FIFA’s decision likely prioritizes viewership and broadcasting logistics over player and spectator health,” added Romei, who works for OCA Global, a European firm that helps companies attain the highest standards of quality, safety, health, and environmental management. “But it must be emphasized that such a trade-off [by FIFA] could result in severe consequences, undermining the spirit of the sport and safety standards.”

To get a better understanding of the expected heat index next summer that players and fans may experience, World Soccer Talk looked at the heat index recorded for the same day, time, and location from the summer of 2024, courtesy of Weather Underground.

The hottest expected heat indexes for the 2025 Club World Cup games are as follows:

Extreme heat indexes are one thing, but playing in stadiums without roofs compounds the issue. For instance, three of the stadiums listed above (Camping World in Orlando, Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, and Bank of Atlantic Stadium in Charlotte) don’t have roofs.

“Athletes exerting themselves in these conditions are at risk of heat exhaustion or even heatstroke, and fans—particularly children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing conditions—are similarly vulnerable,” Romei said.

Hurricanes and tornadoes causing havoc in the United States

Ultimately, those extreme temperatures may cause havoc at next summer’s Club World Cup where the health of players and fans could be at risk. To make matters worse, the temperatures continue to increase each year. The United States has seen an increase in larger, more powerful hurricanes. In fact, climate change is also increasing the frequency and intensity of tornadoes in the United States.

With the Club World Cup being played mostly on the eastern side of the United States, Club World Cup host cities such as Orlando, Miami, Charlotte, Atlanta, and Nashville are particularly susceptible to hurricanes and tornadoes.

For context, FIFA asserts that its “match schedule is the result of a collaborative approach that has been developed with players and fans at the heart of every consideration.”

Furthermore, FIFA adds that it has minimized the amount of travel for both players and fans. “This will ensure that both players and fans have shorter journeys, particularly throughout the Group Stage, and provide FIFA with the best possible opportunity to schedule more matches at favorable times for global audiences.”

That’s the biggest challenge. How do you schedule games with kickoff times that are ideal for European TV audiences but also are during times of the day when the weather is slightly cooler? It’s impossible unless you’re willing to move the competition to the winter months.

At the same time, event organizers and FIFA must be ready and prepared for the possibility of extreme weather such as hurricanes, tropical storms, and tornadoes that have become more deadly in recent years.

How the Club World Cup compares to other competitions

Of course, playing a major soccer competition in the summer is a common occurrence. For instance, the Gold Cup will be played on practically the same dates as the FIFA Club World Cup next summer.

So how do the kickoff times and temperatures compare for the Gold Cup?

As of press time, the finalized schedule for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup hasn’t been revealed. However, if the Gold Cup plays a similar schedule to the 2023 competition, the heat index for the July 6 final at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas could be 82°F. That’s based on the heat index for July 6 and the last time the competition was played (in 2023).

To be fair, the CONCACAF Gold Cup benefits from having its games played in the evening or later at night when the temperatures are cooler. As a direct comparison, the Club World Cup stadium in Charlotte hosted two games during the 2023 Gold Cup. The heat indexes for those two matches were 94°F (for a 7 PM kickoff) and 91°F (for a 9 PM kickoff that same night). That’s cooler than the expected heat indexes for Charlotte’s two Group Stage games in the upcoming Club World Cup — 95°F. While that may not seem like much of a difference, the 3 PM kickoff times for the Club World Cup games will certainly feel hotter for players and fans with the Sun beating down on a roofless stadium.

No doubt, extreme weather conditions have been a concern for FIFA during previous competitions. The most recent example is the 2022 FIFA World Cup where Qatar and FIFA moved the competition to December to avoid the intense summer heat.

The result? The 2022 FIFA World Cup Final was played at 5 PM local time in Doha with a heat index at kickoff of 72°F. If the game had been played at a 5 PM local time kickoff time in Doha on July 15, 2022, the heat index would have been 115°F.

FIFA needs to take climate change concerns more seriously

Romei believes that FIFA needs to take climate change concerns more seriously. He recommends that FIFA and other sports organizations should take the following actions:

• Flexible Scheduling: Prioritize health by scheduling matches during cooler parts of the day, such as early morning or evening, regardless of viewership convenience.
• Seasonal Adjustments: Host tournaments in seasons with milder temperatures or in locations where summer heat is less extreme. This shift acknowledges the increasing intensity of heat waves worldwide.
• Venue Selection: Consider venues with climate-resilient infrastructure, such as stadiums equipped with advanced cooling systems or shaded designs to mitigate heat exposure.
• Sustainability Commitments: FIFA could take a leadership role by setting stricter environmental and climate-conscious goals, such as net-zero carbon footprints for events and promoting renewable energy use across venues.

FIFA’s stance on environmental and sustainability issues

Furthermore, Romei believes FIFA should do more.

“Another critical consideration is the adoption of international standards like ISO 20121, which focuses on sustainable event management. If properly implemented, this standard can guide FIFA and other organizations in reducing the environmental and social impact of their events. By embedding sustainability into the planning and operational processes, ISO 20121 can ensure a more balanced approach that prioritizes health, safety, and environmental stewardship alongside the excitement of the games.

“In addition to sustainability, FIFA could leverage its platform to promote climate awareness, collaborating with environmental organizations to educate fans and stakeholders about the importance of climate resilience and proactive action. This would not only align with global sustainability goals but also enhance FIFA’s reputation as a forward-thinking and responsible organization.”

In its communications for World Cup 2026, which again also applies to Club World Cup 2025, FIFA explains that it “is developing a comprehensive sustainability strategy that will cover a number of key areas including environmental protection.

“By minimizing the journeys that players and fans have to make, FIFA will also be contributing to the implementation of a sustainable event.

“FIFA is committed to reducing emissions by 50% by 2030 and reaching net zero by 2040 as part of a detailed FIFA Climate Strategy that lays out plans to accelerate solutions to protect our planet and our game.”

Whether those targets will be reached in time, experts will surely be monitoring FIFA’s progress.

Photo credit: IMAGO / Xinhua

Ourand, who now writes for the sports industry newsletter Puck, added that the game didn’t fare much better on television either.

“[The] TV ratings were abysmal, averaging just 468,000 viewers on both FOX and FOX Deportes.”

Combining the TV and streaming numbers, the MLS Cup final between LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls was watched by approximately 533,000 viewers. In its 29-year history, that’s a new low for an MLS Cup final. The previous worst was in 2010 when 748,000 watched the final.

To make matters worse for MLS, the 2024 TV number was down almost 50% compared to last year when FOX and FOX Deportes also showed the final. Furthermore, the 2024 MLS Cup final was far less than the recent television broadcast of the NWSL Championship final (967,900 on CBS).

How Ourand estimated the MLS Cup viewership on MLS Season Pass

Both Apple and MLS have been reluctant to release any viewership numbers for the MLS Season Pass. As a result, Ourand’s findings are particularly eye-opening.

To determine how many people watched the 2024 MLS Cup final, Ourand employed some simple math.

“Apple, which streamed the game, doesn’t release viewer figures, but all of Apple TV+ averaged just 287,000 viewers during the MLS Cup time slot on game night, per Nielsen’s Streaming Platform Ratings,” wrote Ourand.

“For context, some 222,000 people were watching Apple TV+ during the same window the previous Saturday, when no live MLS match was being streamed, suggesting that MLS Cup led to an incremental gain of just 65,000 viewers,” Ourand added. “In the hour before the MLS Cup, total Apple TV+ viewership was at 251,000. Then, in the hour after the MLS Cup, that figure was up to 385,000.”

The 65,000 viewing number checks out. Recently, MLS Commissioner Don Garber mentioned that there are approximately one million views for MLS games on Apple TV every weekend. With an average of 14 MLS matches per weekend, that translates to an audience of roughly 71,428 per game.

Given that the MLS Cup final was also shown on FOX and FOX Deportes, that most likely cannibalized the MLS Season Pass viewing number.

MLS’ gamble with Apple TV

The 2024 MLS Cup final concluded year two of Major League Soccer’s 10-year deal with Apple TV. In what Awful Announcing describes as maybe “one of the worst contracts in the history of sports broadcasting, both for the league and for the media company,” the $250 million per year deal doesn’t end until the end of 2032.

While Apple paying MLS $250 million a year for the global rights sounds like a lot of money, MLS pays for all of the production costs which runs into the tens of millions of dollars per year.

It’s no wonder that Garber cast doubts on the Apple deal in October, stating, “If we’re wrong and the world doesn’t go into the streaming environment the way we think it is, then you’ve just got to be smart, make a decision and if it’s not the right decision, you figure out what you need to do to go forward.”

After almost two years since the MLS partnership began with Apple, even with the addition of the world’s greatest player (Lionel Messi) to the league, Major League Soccer has been unable to surpass the minimum guarantee to trigger the revenue share part of the deal with Apple.

In late 2023, Garber himself admitted that the deal could pose a risk. “After we hit the minimum guarantee from Apple, we make 50 cents of every dollar.

“I’m highly, highly confident we’ll get into that revenue share.”

More than one year later, World Soccer Talk understands that MLS is nowhere close to hitting the minimum guarantee, which is an undisclosed target based on an MLS Season Pass subscriber number that Apple and MLS set as a goal.

Judging by the viewership for the 2024 MLS Cup final, the league is going backward, not forward.

Photo: IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

Looking ahead to the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles during 2028, Florida has emerged as a surprise candidate as one of the states interested in hosting pre-Olympics events.

That’s according to Jason Siegel, President and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, who told World Soccer Talk, “We’re having a number of conversations [about hosting some pre-LA28 events in Orlando]. I was in Paris. I spent a lot of time with a lot of the leaders from different governing bodies. Not only with the USOPC (United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee) but also with the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to see what might be available to us.”

LA28 Olympics pre-events in Orlando to include soccer?

Qualification hasn’t begun yet for LA28’s soccer competitions for both men and women. However, if the IOC decides to follow a similar format as the 2024 Summer Olympics, the United States will automatically qualify as the host nation. For all of the other countries attempting to qualify, there are a range of different qualification paths to reach LA28. Quite possibly, some of those qualifying games could end up in Orlando, Siegel revealed.

“The spring of 2028 will provide some possible opportunities as it relates to qualifiers, but we want to make sure that everyone knows that we’re on the radar and that we’re going to invest and seek out opportunities around the lead-in to LA28.

“Those include opportunities in 2027, too. We’re very bullish.”

Having been crowned as Olympic champions five different times (1996, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2024), the US Women’s National Team will be looking forward to the prospect of playing on home turf in the 2028 competition. So too will the US Men’s National Team who reached the quarterfinals of the 2024 competition before being knocked out by Morocco.

Between now and then, Orlando has already been confirmed as a host city for the 2025 Club World Cup. While we won’t know for quite a while whether Orlando also gets some of the pre-LA28 games, Siegel has made it clear that Orlando is ready if given the opportunity.

“We have a great relationship with the Wasserman Group, but at the same time we want to make sure that folks that are looking for places to train, stay, or compete – whether it’s FIBA and basketball tours, certainly FIFA and soccer exhibitions leading in [to LA28]  – [that they know] we’re very excited to be part of the mix.”

Photo credit: IMAGO / Xinhua

At next summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, Orlando will host six games, including four Group Stage matches, one Round of 16 game, and one Quarterfinal. Orlando’s four Group Stage matches are Juventus vs. Manchester City (June 26), Club Leon vs. Flamengo (June 24), Benfica vs. Auckland (June 20), and Ulsan vs. Mamelodi Sundowns FC (June 17).

Orlando is one of eleven cities hosting the Club World Cup next summer, but “O-Town” is the only city to host games at two different stadiums — the sprawling Camping World Stadium, which has a capacity of 60,000, and the 25,000-seater Inter&Co Stadium.

It’s not just soccer matches that Orlando is hosting either, as Jason Siegel, President and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission explained to World Soccer Talk during an exclusive interview.

Soccer is rocket fuel for the Orlando area

“We’ve made international soccer a top priority to become part of the DNA of our community, especially in our sports ecosystem,” explained Siegel. “To have an international stage and a spotlight shone on us, this opportunity to host clicks two boxes.

“Certainly the sports ecosystem and what we’re trying to do to stimulate economic impact and development, no question. But also with our tourism partners — the theme parks, hoteliers, and restauranteurs — to get the added exposure that will be organically generated by hosting an event of this size with the international scope is significant.”

How significant? Before the draw was announced, Siegel conservatively estimated that the economic impact of the Club World Cup on Orlando would be in the neighborhood of $70-90 million. And that’s before taking into consideration the FIFA World Cup, which will have a considerably greater economic impact on the area.

Aside from soccer, Orlando has plenty of other new entertainment planned. Universal Studios is opening a new theme park in May 2025 called Epic Universe. It’ll feature five new immersive worlds including Super Nintendo World.

Furthermore, Camping World Stadium has a string of concerts planned before the Club World Cup kicks off. Those include Shakira (June 4), Post Malone (June 10), and Stray Kids (June 14).

“We’re going to have a busy 2025 and an equally busy 2026,” said Siegel. “If you take a look at our typical visitation [numbers] during the months of June and July, we see somewhere in the neighborhood of 600,000 to 700,000 additional visitors coming to the marketplace. So it’d be a great time to have all the excitement going on at the same time on the sports side of things too.”

Orlando talks with Brazil officials

Looking further ahead to 2026, Siegel is keeping his fingers crossed that Brazil may be enticed to set up its training base camp in Orlando.

“If Brazil were to have their [pre-World Cup 2026] base camp here that would be a significant bump-up from what other cities may or may not be able to drive on our behalf.”

Siegel said that Greater Orlando Sports Commission executives have had great conversations with Brazilian officials. Ultimately, if Brazil qualifies for the competition, the training site decision rests with the CBF (Confederation of Brazilian Football), but Orlando would be an ideal location for many reasons.

First, Florida is home to the largest Brazilian population in the United States. Of those living in Orlando, the Brazilian embassy to the United States estimates it’s as many as 190,000. Second, Orlando is a favorite destination for Brazilians. In 2023, 696,000 of them visited Orlando on vacation, representing a 21% increase from the previous year. Third, Orlando has a long list of training sites to choose from that are regularly used by visiting clubs and national teams.

Orlando investing in soccer

Furthermore, there are more soccer plans in the works.

“In 2025, we anticipate the FC Series, [organized by] our friends over at Florida Citrus Sports, will also host as they have many times before some Premier League [friendlies], so you’d have the lead-in being Club World Cup [before the FC Series games happen later in the summer],” Siegel noted.

Camping World Stadium is often used as one of the host stadiums for the FC Series of international friendlies.

Looking further ahead, Orlando is investing $400 million in improvements to prepare the stadium for 2026.

From World Cup 1994 to the home of Orlando City SC in MLS, Orlando has a rich history of successfully hosting major soccer games and tournaments. Take your pick from current NWSL Championship winners Orlando Pride to US Soccer internationals and pre-season games, Orlando has seen it all.

No doubt, the future for Orlando and soccer looks bright in the Sunshine State with the Club World Cup just over seven months away.

“The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 offers a unique opportunity to showcase Orlando on the global stage and forge connections with fans and worldwide,” concluded Siegel. “We are honored to work with FIFA to deliver a truly unforgettable experience for all and leave a lasting legacy in our community.”

Photo credit: IMAGO / Pond5 Images

Alan Shearer interview – Thoughts on Newcastle’s stadium situation

Here’s my interview with Alan Shearer, who now works as an ambassador for the Premier League:

World Soccer Talk: St. James’s Park has so many memorable moments for you there. What’s your opinion? Should the club redevelop the stadium or move to a different site?

Alan Shearer: “If it’s at all possible to extend the ground and stay there, then that would be my preferred choice.

“I don’t know the ins and outs and the financials and all of those things, but on a level playing field, if everything was normal, I would prefer to stay at St. James’ Park.

“Even if they’re not [planning on staying at St James’ Park], I think it would be really important to keep it centrally located because that’s one of the key things. The great thing about our club is that it’s right in the middle of the city, and it means so much to everyone.”

Memories of playing against the USA and, in particular, Alexi Lalas

World Soccer Talk: What are your memories from 1994 when England played the United States at Wembley?

Shearer: “Yeah, I scored two goals that night. I think the center-half that evening was Alexi Lalas. And I’m pretty sure he said one or two things about me before the game which I remember.

“I remember thinking that was all the motivation that I needed to go out and score a couple of goals. I always enjoyed that. I loved it when people said one or two things against me, whether that was crowds, managers, or players that I was playing against. I enjoyed that side of things because It just sort of gave me that extra little bit of motivation to go out and prove him or them wrong.

“So yeah, I’ve got fond memories of that game at Wembley.”

World Soccer Talk: Did you get a chance to say anything to Lalas or did you let the goals do the talking?

Shearer: “I might have said one or two things after I scored.

“I have come across him since and said hello and shook hands, so there’s no hard feelings.”

Shearer’s thoughts on the legacy Gary Lineker leaves behind after the host announced he’s leaving Match of the Day

World Soccer Talk: I was wondering if you could give your thoughts on Gary Lineker… host of BBC’s Match of the Day, who has created a legacy. You’ve worked with him a lot on the show and doing the podcast. What are your thoughts on his legacy and the future of the show?

Shearer: “He’s been amazing in everything that he’s done. He’s been there for so long now, and he’s played a huge part in such an iconic program. I watched it as a kid.

“I was lucky enough to play with him with England and then sort of work with him, ever since 2006, since I retired. He’s had a great stint at it.

“I think it’s really good for both parties that he can go out on a high in the World Cup in America. I know he’s not doing Match of the Day next season, just the FA Cup, and then he’ll finish with the World Cup.

“For the first time I opened [Match of the Day] last week, and I only had to come up with eight words. And when the editor and producer are in your ear, and then they’re counting down… ten, nine, eight.., and you see it’s ‘on air’ and I had to open the show, and I’ve only had to get eight words right and I could feel the beads of sweat.

“So for him to do that for so long, and he’s pretty flawless at everything that he’s done, it’s not an easy job sitting presenting Match of the Day. He’s been brilliant at it for so long now. Someone else is going to come in, and it’s going to be big boots to fill.”

Photo credit: IMAGO / Action Plus, IMAGO / Every Second Media, and IMAGO / PA Images.

The UK-based streaming service, which has made losses of several billion dollars, plans to broadcast all 63 games for free. The FIFA Club World Cup, which has been at the center of much controversy, will feature 32 teams from six confederations competing to be crowned the club world champion.

Among the teams qualified for the competition, it includes Inter Miami (starring Lionel Messi), Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Palmeiras, Manchester City, River Plate, and 25 other clubs.

The Club World Cup begins June 15 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami (with Inter Miami playing in the opening game) and runs until July 13, with the final taking place at MetLife Stadium in New York.

DAZN’s option for a TV partnership

In a statement, FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the competition as “the most widely accessible club soccer tournament ever.” While that may be true based on potential audience, DAZN is relatively unknown in the United States. Sublicensing games to over-the-air television broadcasters in the United States may be necessary to bridge the gap for FIFA.

DAZN (pronounced Da-Zone) currently streams boxing and MMA on its paid platform ($29.99/month) in the U.S. where its brand recognition is very low. That’s in contrast to Europe where DAZN is a major player, streaming the UEFA Champions League, Bundesliga, and Serie A throughout several countries.

By DAZN acquiring the rights to the Club World Cup, it reduces the risk for potential television broadcasters. DAZN has fronted the reported $1 billion rights fee, freeing up a television broadcaster to strike a sub-license deal.

Currently, in the United States, DAZN has very little focus on the Spanish-language audience, so a hypothetical deal for DAZN to sub-license games to TelevisaUnivision and/or Telemundo would make sense. That’s especially true when you consider the competition features fan-favorites Inter Miami, Real Madrid, River Plate, Boca Juniors, and Monterrey.

An English-language TV broadcaster would be interested now especially after DAZN has done the heavy lifting of signing the reported $1 billion rights fee.

Another benefit of DAZN potentially sub-licensing games to a U.S. television broadcaster is reach. FIFA needs a broadcaster who can create excitement and awareness for next summer’s competition. If it’s just DAZN talking about the competition on its streaming service, very few people will see or hear that message. FIFA and DAZN both need U.S. television partners to make American audiences aware that the Club World Cup is coming stateside. DAZN cannot do it alone.

DAZN to expand its FIFA content

Another option for DAZN is to broadcast much of its free content on YouTube. Currently, that’s the strategy that DAZN has been using to broadcast much of its women’s soccer content. Instead of putting it behind the less well-known DAZN paywall, it makes it available for free on YouTube.

Meanwhile, as part of DAZN’s acquisition of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup rights, it also means the end of FIFA+. According to DAZN, the partnership between FIFA and DAZN “includes integrating FIFA+, FIFA’s library of iconic soccer moments and full-match replays, as well as live fixtures, into the DAZN platform.”

Up until Wednesday before a broadcast partner was found, FIFA planned to stream the Club World Cup Draw on FIFA.com and FIFA+.

Instead, fans worldwide can now watch the draw for free on Thursday from 1 PM ET via DAZN.com as well as via the DAZN app.

Analysis: FIFA faces several Club World Cup stumbling blocks

DAZN has saved FIFA the embarrassment of not having any broadcaster willing to air the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

The last-minute deal only announced one day before the draw for the Club World Cup raises questions about the financial viability of DAZN, which is financed by Russian-Ukrainian billionaire Len Blavatnik. According to Bloomberg, DAZN is aiming to raise up to $1 billion from external investors. At the same time, there have been several reports from industry insiders that Saudi Arabia is interested in using its Public Investment Fund to invest in DAZN.

FIFA has solved the issue of finding a broadcaster to stream the competition, but that’s just the start of several major issues for the revamped tournament.

Those challenges include:

The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is running in parallel with the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is also scheduled to be played in the United States next summer. Club World Cup matches are scheduled to be played in the afternoons in stadiums on or near the East Coast. Meanwhile, Gold Cup games are mostly scheduled in the Midwest and West Coast in the evenings and late at night. While that plan helps with ticket sales, the abundance of games daily from both competitions could hurt overall viewership.

In the same manner, there isn’t much public interest or pent-up demand for the expanded FIFA Club World Cup. Fans of individual clubs are excited, but as we’ve repeatedly seen from previous Club World Cups, the interest in the competition based on TV viewership is minuscule. FIFA and DAZN have a lot of selling to do to convince fans to watch.

Last but not least, FIFA faces several legal challenges to the competition from player unions who are pushing back. For instance, FIFPro has filed a legal claim against FIFA claiming that “Players and their unions have consistently highlighted the current [soccer] calendar as overloaded and unworkable.”

Photo credit: IMAGO / Avalon.red and IMAGO / Future Image

As of press time, Messi has made no indication that he plans to extend his contract. However, Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas remains optimistic that Messi will sign a new deal, stating last week “Messi is under contract through 2025; Leo and I will sit and discuss the future.

“As I have said before, and I will repeat it now: I fully expect that in the opening of our new stadium in 2026 and the opening of our 2026 MLS season after a trophy-laden 2025 season, that Leo Messi will be our No. 10.”

Miami Freedom Park stadium progress is promising

While Inter Miami continues to play its games at the temporary Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, significant construction progress at Miami Freedom Park has been made in the last 90 days. Located near Miami International Airport, the 131-acre site will include a 58-acre public park, as well as office spaces and an entertainment district plus a hotel.

In new video footage revealed this week by Futbol Miami TV, Miami Freedom Park’s exterior structure is starting to take shape. The stadium now has concrete support pillars in place in an oval formation for the exterior of the building. Very noticeable too is the abundance of building supplies in place for the next phase of the construction. Also evident are several job site trailers for the project managers who are supervising the project.

Compared to the stadium site in September 2024, the construction team has made tremendous progress in a short time.

What the fans are saying about the stadium build

Futbol Miami TV host Pieter Brown isn’t too concerned about whether the stadium will be ready in time before the 2026 season.

“It’s not a big deal because [Inter Miami has] a stadium that it already owns,” said Brown. “It’s not like some teams who are in the same situation where they’re getting evicted, it’s an expensive lease, and all these other things. That’s not the case here. [Inter Miami] owns the stadium in Fort Lauderdale, so they could move in the middle of the 2026 season, that’s fine.”

Photo: Miami Freedom Park

The proposed reversal would have changed the age groups for soccer. Currently, the cutoff for each year is January 1. In other words, those born from January 1 to December 31 are in the same age group. Under the proposed plan, players would have been separated into teams based on the different school grade levels.

However, instead of establishing a nationwide policy, the US Soccer Federation is launching a new system where leagues and soccer organizers can make their own decisions.

The decision reached by US Soccer

Nick Webster, chairman of Cal-South, told Inside World Football, “Starting in the fall of 2026, members and leagues will have reasonable flexibility to choose the best registration option for their participants meaning they can choose between birth year or school year for the 2026-2027 season.

“There’ll be no change for the 2025-26 season giving clubs and leagues the time to transition to the system that best suits their membership and ecosystem, thereby providing the best experience for all participants.”

Webster is responsible for the creation and implementation of youth soccer programs throughout Southern California.

Webster writes that US Soccer has “missed the opportunity to create a coherent structure, ceding their leadership to ‘mom and pop’ organizations to dictate American soccer – surely a recipe for continued disaster.”

Why US Soccer wanted to change the policy in the first place

US Soccer identified several reasons why it wanted to revert to the school-based system. For one, there is an issue of “trapped” players in the calendar-based system. Players born at the beginning of the year are in a different school grade than those at the end of the year. That can contribute to isolation from peers and teammates. In many cases, other activities in the United States revolve around the school calendar. Going to the school system could have also increased participation, according to US Soccer.

Around the globe, using January 1 as the cutoff is standard. FIFA, which hosts various youth tournaments for men’s and women’s soccer, applies the January 1 cutoff to its tournaments. At the 2023 U-20 World Cup, players born between January 1, 2003, and December 31, 2007, were eligible to compete. 

New decision shows US Soccer’s lack of leadership

As Webster perfectly sums it up, the new decision made by US Soccer to let the leagues decide whether to choose birth year or school year “re-enforces the USSF’s total disregard for taking leadership in the youth game. Instead of being a voice of reason for the millions of youth players, it has thrown a problem back to the capitalistic club owners that run the youth game.”

Photo: Imago

NWSL, which runs almost identically to MLS as a single-entity closed league, is benefitting from a rise of interest in women’s sports and better luck with the timing of its deals. Formed in 2012, the women’s league has evolved on a similar path to MLS as it finds new investors to purchase stakes in the league as it expands nationwide.

NWSL’s fortunate timing alludes to its new media rights deal that brought games to a roster of 12 different TV networks and/or streaming services during 2024. Figuring out which channels were showing specific games required extra work for fans, but at the same time, it allowed NWSL to increase the reach of its games far and wide across TV partners (CBS, ESPN, and ION) as well as several streaming outlets (Amazon Prime, ESPN+, Paramount+, and the in-house NWSL+).

NWSL timed its new media deal perfectly

The $60 million/year NWSL media rights deal came at a time when free ad-supported TV channels (abbreviated as FAST) have become popular in the mainstream with channels such as Pluto TV, Tubi, and Roku Channel. As a result, the CBS Sports Golazo Network, ION, and NWSL+ FAST channels played a key role in making NWSL games and shoulder programming more available for free nationwide.

This came at the same time that MLS took the opposite path. In 2023, MLS began the first year of its 10-year deal to put games behind the Apple TV paywall. Taking 2024 as an example, only 6% of MLS games were available on television. Therefore, MLS Season Pass (priced at $14.99 per month) was the only way to access all 496 games.

The timing of MLS’ deal with Apple, which runs through 2032, couldn’t have come at a worse time for the league. It was launched just six weeks before CBS Sports Golazo Network debuted, a FAST that offers free soccer coverage and games. For instance, in 2024, it streamed seven NWSL games for free in addition to countless numbers of women’s soccer games, UEFA Champions League, English Football League, and international matches, all part of its 24/7 network.

NWSL’s record-breaking weekend

Meanwhile, NWSL has been enjoying record viewing numbers. This past Sunday’s NWSL Championship game between Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit averaged more than 1 million viewers (967,900 on the CBS network as well as an unreported number on Paramount+). It was an 18% increase from the 2023 final, and 6% better than the 2022 final game.

Similarly, NWSL averaged over 500,000 viewers for the broadcasts of its knock-out round games, as well as averaging more than 175,000 people per game during the entire season.

In contrast, with so few games available on television, MLS has struggled this season. Its biggest game of the year featuring Columbus Crew against Inter Miami averaged 157,000 viewers on FS1 and FOX Deportes combined. Not included in that number was the viewing figure for MLS Season Pass, but regardless, it illustrates how the league’s viewership on television has dropped off even with a star like Lionel Messi playing.

Everything comes full circle

The irony of NWSL’s successful media rights offering that includes 12 channels showing games is that MLS had something very similar from 2015 through 2022. During that time, MLS games were shown across roughly the same number as NWSL is now. That included FOX, FS1, FS2, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+, Univision, UniMas, and TUDN, as well as a long list of regional sports networks.

What worked for MLS from 2015 through 2022 before it moved to streaming is now working wonders for NWSL. Whether it’s luck or a strategic vision, what NWSL’s media partners provide is incredible reach. 

For example, NWSL was able to leverage its partnership with CBS. Last Friday, the CBS Mornings program aired live from CPKC Stadium ahead of the final. By doing that, CBS brought the NWSL into the homes of Americans nationwide. Typically, CBS Mornings has more than 2 million viewers per week for its morning show.

That’s something that Apple and MLS can’t replicate. Apple, with its MLS Season Pass streaming service, has no relationship with television networks that it can leverage to promote the league. At the same time, FOX Sports – with the 34 games it televises each season – isn’t invested in promoting MLS’ coverage on Apple TV.

NWSL’s major advantage over MLS

To be fair, Major League Soccer’s Apple TV deal is ahead of its time. League executives bet on the future of broadcasting being streaming. What it didn’t anticipate is that it’s impossible to compete with a free product such as CBS Sports Golazo Network or NWSL+ at the same time that Apple is charging $14.99 per month.

Over time, MLS Season Pass may be a success for the league, but it has come at the cost of not being on television as much as the NWSL and other soccer leagues.

NWSL also has one major advantage over MLS. 

While NWSL doesn’t have a Messi-type female player it can sign right now, it is one of the world’s top women’s soccer leagues. Major League Soccer faces major competition from a string of top leagues including the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, Liga MX, and NWSL itself.

When you have very little competition as well as a robust media rights deal, it’s no wonder that NWSL is in a purple patch right now.

Photo: IMAGO / Sports Press Photo

No, it’s not CBS Sports’ coverage of the competition, although it is extraordinarily good. The biggest difference is Germany’s whip-around show for the UEFA Champions League.

What it’s like watching the Champions League whip-around show in Germany

Recently, while sitting in a restaurant near the market square in Leipzig (which dates back to before the year 1500), I had a chance to experience what it’s like watching the Champions League on a typical Wednesday night.

I was pretty shocked by what I saw.

First, the whip-around show in Germany is live on DAZN. No surprise there, but hearing about the cost of the streaming service was certainly sticker shock. Soccer fans in Germany pay either €45 ($46.80) per month for DAZN or €30 ($31.25) per month for an annual subscription. In comparison, Paramount+’s monthly price of $7.99 is a steal.

Second, the whip-around show itself is very similar in format to Paramount+’s The Golazo Show. No surprise there. But I was soon to experience a major shock during an evening when seven Champions League games were in action. The whip-around show bounced around from game to game, as it normally does. But as the broadcast continued, I kept on feeling like I was missing something.

Several minutes later, I realized what it was. The DAZN whip-around broadcast wasn’t showing any action from the biggest Champions League game of the night (which happened to be Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund).

But why?

I quickly discovered that Amazon Prime Video has the first pick of the biggest Champions League match, so Real Madrid-Dortmund was streaming exclusively on Amazon instead. And DAZN’s whip-around coverage wasn’t allowed to show any clips of it. Even more strange was that after the games were over, DAZN didn’t show any highlights of the Amazon game either.

So, in Germany, you need two devices and two separate subscriptions to watch all of the Champions League matches happening at the same time. That’s so bizarre compared to what we’re used to in the United States.

A monthly subscription to Amazon Prime is €9 in Germany ($9.38), or you can get an annual subscription for €90 ($93.78).

Ouch! To watch all of the Champions League matches in Germany, you’re paying $56 per month unless you take advantage of the cost savings of getting an annual subscription to DAZN and Amazon. Of course, both those services include a ton of other sports and content, but so too does Paramount+.

So, it puts Paramount+’s price in context. Plus it gives me a lens into how expensive it is to stream soccer in Germany. Das ist nicht gut, ja?

Photo: IMAGO / Sportimage

World Soccer Talk recently sat down with RB Leipzig Managing Director Johann Plenge to ask about the club’s growth as well as future ambitions.

World Soccer Talk: Is there any frustration that the Bundesliga isn’t as big as it should be? I mean, it’s “football as it’s meant to be” with some of the best stadium atmospheres, some of the biggest attendances, good football on the pitch, and a well-produced product on television. Is there any frustration that it’s not as popular or more popular than it is currently?

Johann Plenge: “Not at all. I would say it’s the opposite. It’s even driving our ambition to grow, not just as a club but as a league. You can see that the Premier League has done an amazing job in the past 20 years. La Liga did a great job in the past 10 years, and now it’s our driver to also develop because we as a Bundesliga have a good product. 

“We do have strong brands and we try to work beside Borussia Dortmund, Leverkusen, and Frankfurt to have a strong competition, and we are not frustrated at all. But we just push the Bundesliga, and the Bundesliga pushes the clubs to do more. 

“And I’m 100 percent convinced that if we go further with this direction, like us being in the U.S. last year, Frankfurt was there last summer, and if we do more of this, we will probably not be able to actually close the gap, but minimize the gap each and every year, and then become smaller and smaller, and then in 10 years, we’ll see where we are then but I would say frustration is not the right word.”

World Soccer Talk: As a follow-up to that, do you have a personal ambition for RB Leipzig? In terms of being in the top 10 or 20 clubs in the world, whether that’s on the pitch or off it?

Johann Plenge: “In the Bundesliga, we clearly have the ambition to be the top challenger of Bayern Munich. This is what we want to do. This is what we have been working on. So that’s our domestic ambition, and we want to win titles. If you start winning titles like [the DFB-Pokal trophies] we did in 2022 and 2023, we want more of them. 

“Internationally, on the pitch, we want to establish ourselves in the top 10 of Europe. If you have a look at the past five years and you look at the European coefficient, we are in 9th place due to the poor Champions League performance in the past four matches. Obviously, we have to try hard and finally get our Champions League points in the upcoming matches to be successful in this but becoming established as a top European club is something that we want to go for. 

“Off the pitch, economically when it comes to revenue and etcetera, I think it’ll take a bit longer due to the different revenue streams other clubs have that we don’t have yet here, but we are also working on that. And we made some great steps [recently] for the future. We [increased] our sponsorships, For example, when we changed from Nike to Puma this season, this was a huge step. BMW (and Mini), as a car manufacturer, so there are more big brands coming in, but it’s something that will take some time. 

“But also, you have to keep in mind that if you compare a Bundesliga club’s revenue to a Premier League club, for example, we want to be limited in some revenue spaces. So, matchday revenue, for example. In Germany, it’s not about [charging] the highest price in the stadium, it’s about finding the sweet spot between generating revenues and, on the other hand, it’s important to be affordable for everyone.”

However, RB Leipzig’s current form is a concern for fans

As recently as the weekend of October 25-27, RB Leipzig was joint top with Bayern Munich, separated only by goal difference. But the club’s league results in November have been dreadful, losing to Borussia Dortmund and Hoffenheim as well as a goalless draw in a match against Borussia Monchengladbach where RB was fortunate to come away with a point. 

To make matters worse, RB Leipzig lost in the UEFA Champions League to Celtic in early November, meaning that the German club hasn’t won a single UEFA game this season. That has pushed the club further down UEFA’s new-fangled table to near the very bottom.

With its winless streak of three Bundesliga matches, RB Leipzig has fallen to third in the table while Bayern Munich remains undefeated this season. Yes, injuries to key players such as David Raum and Xavi Simons have been part of the reason why RB Leipzig has stumbled. Nevertheless, the team in recent weeks has been a shadow of itself compared to last season when Leipzig finished the season strong. For a club that has such grand aspirations, the pressure is mounting on head coach Mario Rose to fix the decline.

Winning games and growing the club’s reach worldwide go hand in hand. It’s imperative that a club has success on the pitch in order to expand globally. While the past four winless matches have been a blip for RB Leipzig, the slump mustn’t continue.

In our interview with RB Leipzig, Plenge mentioned the club has a clear ambition to be a top challenger to Bayern Munich. With RB Leipzig eight points behind Bayern after eleven matches this season, the current league form isn’t good enough. Surely, the board of directors at Leipzig will decide soon if Marco Rose is the coach to continue moving forward. And if so, whether Rose will need some new signings in the January transfer window to give a boost to the squad.

Getting the winning formula both on and off the pitch at the same time is extremely difficult. Just ask Manchester United. However, we’re confident that RB Leipzig will make the best decisions in the next few months to ensure the club is competing at the highest level.

Photo: IMAGO / motivio

While FC Bayern continues to dominate the revenue table among Bundesliga clubs in Germany, the competition to attract new players has become more of a challenge as of late.

“At least 10 or 11 Premier League clubs probably have more money than we have,” Bayern Munich Director of Youth Development Jochen Sauer said this month. For the Premier League clubs, that means more scouts, the ability to offer players more money, and better training facilities.

Yet Bayern Munich isn’t compromising on the type of youth players it wants to sign.

“We need players that are technically at the highest level because Bayern Munich is all possession,” Sauer said. “It’s probably the opposite of Red Bull football. Red Bull football is very intense, [a lot of] pressing, athletic and physical. With Bayern Munich, as soon as we have the ball, we want to play with it.”

According to Sauer, the search for the next Jamal Musiala goes well beyond the country’s borders. Among them is the United States where Bayern Munich has a unique partnership.

Bayern Munich’s search for exceptional talent

“It is very logical for us to try to get to the most interesting talent markets [including the United States],” explained Sauer. “In my eyes, if you compare MLS today to ten years ago, there’s been a huge improvement. There is a lot of talent in soccer in the United States so we said ‘We need to get into the US market.’

“We started a partnership in 2018 with FC Dallas and the Hunt family. It was very successful in terms of bringing players to Europe. Chris Richards is one example. Now he’s playing in the Premier League for Crystal Palace.

“But Dallas was not ready at that time to go outside of the United States, to cover other markets such as South America and Europe. So we decided in 2021 to change partnerships in MLS. Now we are together with LAFC, a very ambitious club. One of the best teams in MLS at present.

“We’ve founded a joint venture Red&Gold Football, which is based in Munich. It’s a 50/50 joint venture with LAFC. Our focus is now the [North] American, South American, and African markets to develop talent for Bayern Munich and LAFC.”

Bayern Munich’s unique partnership with LAFC

FC Bayern’s partnership with LAFC is unique.

“One of the reasons why we have this partnership with LAFC, especially in California, is because they have a very close connection to North and South America,” Sauer said. “So we share a little bit of the responsibilities. LAFC oversees more of the South American market because they have their scouts on the ground in South America. They have a lot of players in their team from South America and North America. We, [Bayern Munich], oversee the European and African market.”

That division of responsibilities allows both clubs to focus on key geographic areas instead of getting bogged down trying to scout worldwide.

A perfect example of this is in South America, where last year Red&Gold Football became the majority shareholder of Racing Club de Montevideo, a club in Uruguay’s top division.

Individual pathways for players

In September, Red&Gold Football loaned a talented Argentina striker named Tomas Veron Lupi from Montevideo to Grasshopper Club Zurich in the Swiss Super League. The majority owner of Grasshopper is LAFC, who purchased more than 90% of the shares in the company earlier this year.

Asked how the decision was made to determine if a player like Lupi moves to either Bayern Munich or LAFC, Sauer told World Soccer Talk, “It always depends on the individual and the quality of the player. It could be that he goes directly to Europe.

“If we feel that the move to LA would be the best in terms of getting more integrated into a different culture and learning the English language, then it could be the right pathway to move the player to LA where you can speak Spanish and English, and where he can learn English, and then come to Germany where it would be easier for him to integrate and adapt in Germany. We always try to develop an individual pathway for each player.”

In Lupi’s case, the decision was made that the 24-year-old was ready to move directly to Europe.

Playing time challenges for youth players in Germany

Discovering the next Jamal Musiala is like finding a diamond in the rough. The talented attacking midfielder began playing football in Germany until the age of seven before moving to England, where he lived for the rest of his childhood. His first academy in England was at Southampton, but soon after, he joined Chelsea’s academy before moving to Bayern Munich.

While Sauer is certainly focused on developing the next Musiala, playing in Germany does have its challenges compared to England, France, and Portugal.

“I would rate our academy system [in Germany] on the same level as English and French academies,” Sauer said. “Our biggest problem is getting those players into [professional] men’s football [matches].

“If you look at the average age of a French Ligue 2 team, it’s an average of 21 or 22 years old. They are far better at integrating players into men’s football. It’s the same in England. You have a very strong Championship, League One and League Two. 

“I think having five regional leagues in Germany and a third league with an average age of way over 25, and a Bundesliga 2 age average of over 26, those are the problems in Germany. If you compare an English Championship team to a Bundesliga 2 club, you will find out that the average age is much younger. They give a platform for their [younger] players.

“We have 56 academies in Germany. If they all develop one player good enough for the Bundesliga, where should they play? There is simply no platform for those players. I think we lose the most talent as soon as they are coming out of the academy system, having no club where they can prove their quality or where they can get playing minutes. That’s a huge advantage of the French, Portuguese, and English systems.”

Searching for the next Musiala – Parting thoughts

Playing time challenges aside, Bayern Munich has created a joint-venture partnership where it’ll be fascinating to see what Red&Gold Football produces. Can LAFC unearth a raw talent who’ll be transformed into the next Bayern Munich star, or vice versa? Only time will tell.

Photo: IMAGO / MIS

After all, typically four or more Premier League games are shown across USA Network every weekend. Each of those matches on USA Network is exclusive to the cable channel and isn’t available via Peacock.

As announced this week, Comcast plans to spin off USA Network along with CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, E!, SyFy, and Golf Channel (all of which have shown Premier League matches on the final day of previous seasons). The spin-off, which NBC is labeling the group of cable channels as a separate entity called SpinCo, is expected to be sold within the next 12 months.

NBC, the over-the-air network, and Peacock — both of which also broadcast Premier League matches — will remain part of NBCUniversal and will continue to show games.

Comcast’s plan for Premier League games on USA Network

Comcast, who bought NBCUniversal more than a decade ago, has already decided what happens to the Premier League games that are typically shown on USA Network.

The decision reached is that the Premier League games will remain on USA Network as before, even after a new corporation purchases the cable network as part of SpinCo.

“From a sports perspective, the partners that we have on cable assets like Golf Channel and USA, we’re going to fulfill every obligation and every promise we made to them across NBC and SpinCo, which is the cable assets,” NBC Sports President Rick Cordella explained this week at the SBJ Conference.

That’s promising news for Premier League viewers in the United States. NBCUniversal’s current media rights deal with the Premier League doesn’t end until 2028, so there’s unlikely to be any change between now and then.

What it means is more consistency from the Premier League’s television plans. It’ll also mean that NBCUniversal will be sub-licensing a select number of Premier League games to SpinCo so the games can continue to be televised across USA Network. For the viewer at home, it’ll be a seamless transition without any interruptions.

Part of the reason for the smooth transition is that CEO Mark Lazarus, who has served as chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group since July 2023, will be the head of SpinCo.

Analysis

Comcast’s decision to spin off USA Network along with other channels is a wise move for the media giant. Having the Premier League as one of the sports featured on USA Network is a selling point for SpinCo. If they had moved all of the USA Network games to Peacock, it would have decreased the value of SpinCo to prospective buyers.

Ultimately, for soccer fans, the fact that there will be no changes is a relief. It was only two years ago that the transition of Premier League games from NBCSN to USA Network happened.

Consistency has been a key ingredient to the Premier League’s success on US television. With NBCUniversal being the US home of the league since 2013, it’s reassuring to know that coverage will continue as planned through 2028.

Photo: IMAGO / PA Images

Sunday’s game saw NFL fans travel from across Europe and the United States. Dressed in a kaleidoscope of NFL jerseys representing almost every team, the majority in attendance were Germans. These weren’t your casual fans either. Many of them were hardcore fans of NFL teams who watch the sport weekly on TV. Just as European soccer benefits from Saturday morning kickoffs on US TV, many Germans enjoy watching the early Sunday kickoffs in primetime on Sunday evenings via Sky Sports Germany.

Joining them were thousands of Americans wearing Panthers and Giants colors. In total, the game was a prime example of the NFL’s international expansion efforts and how, from start to finish, it was flawless and will further help expand the reach of America’s sport to fans in Europe. In fact, last week, Berlin launched an official bid campaign to host an NFL game at the Olympic Stadium for the next five seasons.

Bundesliga’s agreement with the NFL

So how does this tie in with soccer? NFL’s international expansion is due in large part to a partnership agreement with the Bundesliga, signed in 2022, where both organizations share best practices and help with marketing efforts. For the NFL, the Americans are certainly the greater beneficiary of its agreement with the Bundesliga, and after witnessing Sunday’s game in person, the NFL is already seeing tremendous success.

For the Bundesliga, it’s a little more complicated. The German top-flight league gets to see first-hand how the NFL operates. Not just the game itself, but all of the activations and marketing it does in the run-up to the game, and how they make the game feel like an event.

It begs the question though that if the NFL is playing games in Europe, is America paving the way for European soccer clubs to play competitive games in the States? After all, Germany, and the Bundesliga, are very open to Americans coming to their country and playing games stateside. There’s nothing wrong with that, but while the door has been opened for the American sports invasion of Germany, it appears to be permanently shut for the Bundesliga to play competitive games in the United States. Or does it?

While in Germany, World Soccer Talk asked Brett Gosper, Head of NFL Europe and the UK, whether the NFL would be open to seeing competitive German games played in the States.

“I don’t think we’d have any problem with that,” Gosper said. “It’s up to the leagues themselves to determine whether they want to do that.” 

Bundesliga International’s Chief Marketing Officer Peer Naubert quickly erased any hope of that happening. “I think it’s super unrealistic that we would ever play a regular season game anywhere abroad, even in the United States.”

However, Naubert did give hope that the DFL Supercup could be played overseas in the future. 

“That’s something many people have discussed already,” Naubert said. “[Playing the DFL Supercup outside of Germany] might be different. There’s nothing in the pipeline at the moment. Nothing discussed. But that’s something where I could imagine that this ‘never-ever’ [stance on not playing games overseas] might not count as much as for regular games.”

Without the Deutsche Fussball League (DFL) playing games in the United States, the partnership feels unbalanced and is certainly in the favor of the NFL since it has no qualms about playing competitive games in Europe.

Bundesliga and NFL: Opposites attract

As organizations, the Bundesliga and NFL are strange bedfellows and couldn’t be more different. The German league is supporter-driven and built on its ‘football as it’s meant to be’ slogan. Supporter groups – thanks to the Bundesliga’s 50+1 rule – play a central role in how the sport is run, many of whom are majority owners and have voting rights at their favorite German clubs. The league, as addressed above, is unlikely ever to play competitive games abroad because the fans won’t allow it.

Also, the Bundesliga clubs are very focused on making ticket prices and concessions affordable. German league executives boast about an average ticket price of $27 per game. Want a German hot dog and beer at a game? It’ll cost you less than $8.50 in total. Compare that to the NFL where prices are substantially higher.

The NFL sees Germany as a captive market. Speaking with Carolina Panthers Chief Strategy Officer Jake Burns, he explained that there are currently 820,000 NFL fans in Germany who haven’t picked a team yet. That’s a great opportunity for the Panthers and other teams to capture those fans as their own and increase profits.

For the Bundesliga, being associated with the NFL is certainly beneficial for its efforts to expand the awareness and reach of the league with Americans. At the same time, the German league is continuing its efforts to have more clubs play friendlies in the United States.

The irony of the Bundesliga partnering with the NFL

The irony of the Bundesliga having a memorandum of understanding with the NFL is that it was the NFL itself that was the inspiration for the creation of the Premier League.

In the mid-1980s, then Arsenal chairman David Dein saw how well the NFL experience was when he went to see the Miami Dolphins play. Meanwhile, across the pond, the English Football League, which governed all 92 professional clubs in England and Wales, was a bureaucratic, old-world organization that was poorly marketed. In 1983, the entire EFL brought in a paltry £5.2 million for a two-year TV deal, while the NFL’s deal in 1982 was a five-year $2 billion TV deal. Even worse for English soccer, the 1985/86 season wasn’t televised at all in the United Kingdom. In the late 1980s, there wasn’t much progress either. 

There was much to like about the way the NFL was doing business. Dein found similar bedfellows with Tottenham Hotspur chairman Irving Scholar and Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards, both of whom agreed with Dein that change was needed and that the NFL model was the path forward.

Thirty-two years after the Premier League launched in 1992, it’s the Bundesliga that’s seeking to copy the best practices of the NFL in its attempt to close the gap with the domination of the English league in the United States.

Photos: Christopher Harris and DFL/Getty Images/Daniel Kopatsch

Ask any fan of a Bundesliga club which league is most likely to play league games abroad, and the guaranteed answer is either La Liga, Premier League, or both. Mention the Bundesliga in that same conversation, and you’ll get an avalanche of reasons why the German league will never play overseas.

So, when the 39-year-old RB Leipzig executive addressed the topic last week, Plenge told World Soccer Talk, “I don’t see it [happening] in the near future, no.”

However, he didn’t rule it out from happening in the long term.

He said, “Never say no to anything. In the end, this is important, football has to develop its product the way the fans would like to have it. The fan is in the center of everything, and if the majority of the fans would like to adopt a format, or talk about where cup finals should take place, these are discussions you would have to be open for.”

Bundesliga playing overseas? More work needs to be done first

Plenge prefaced the surprise comment by mentioning all of the steps that need to happen before the possibility of playing games overseas.

“For us in Germany, [having games played overseas] is not a discussion we need to have at the moment. We have to have easier discussions such as how we can improve our product, strengthen the relationship with foreign broadcasters, etc. I think this is three, four, or five steps too far [ahead], but we should focus on the next immediate steps first. [For example], the tender of the Bundesliga is currently running.

“So we have to do our homework first there before we can talk about having Bundesliga matches somewhere out of Germany or even out of Europe.”

Plenge’s frank comments received some pushback from reporters.

Plenge reiterated, “I think [playing games overseas] should not be the discussion we’re having next season or the next two, three or four years. How performance will look like in ten or fifteen years, I would leave it up to the fans about how they would like to have it. The Bundesliga has to structure the competition the way the fans want it.

“We would not say categorically no to whatever the fans would like to have the structure and location of where to play Bundesliga matches.”

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Bundesliga’s next international media rights deal

A telltale sign of where the Bundesliga’s head is at is the recent signing of a deal with Relevent Sports, the agency that is trying to bring La Liga games to the United States, who also work closely with the English Football League and UEFA Champions League. For instance, it’s no secret that there have been several reports about the possibility of EFL and Champions League games being played in the United States in the future, so the link up with Relevent is clear.

Relevent is the common thread that binds them all together. Not only that but Relevent will be handling the Bundesliga’s marketing and communications in the United States. That may mean a new broadcaster in the future, but it could open the door for games being played stateside too.

“[The Bundesliga clubs] have some great stories to tell. We have to tell and distribute them properly. This is what the Bundesliga is doing at the moment. We just had the Relevent deal in place for the Americas. We think this will help the Bundesliga to grow. We have to be more than brave to try out new things.”

Plenge discussed innovation in the Bundesliga and how an example of this was the RB Leipzig bodycam that was used during last summer’s friendly versus Aston Villa, as well as in a training session during preparations for a Champions League match last week.

RB Leipzig blazes a trail

RB Leipzig is among one of a small group of innovative, forward-thinking Bundesliga clubs that are pushing the envelope in Germany.

As Plenge explained, “The conversations we do have with Bayern, Borussia Dortmund, Leverkusen and Frankfurt, they’re very driven about the future of how we can innovate the Bundesliga. There are some clubs that are the frontrunners of these conversations, and we want to be part of these.

“But the others who are not the drivers, they are open to discuss and to hear. And then we have to evaluate the impact for the fan and the commercial impact.”

Overall, Germany itself appears to be struggling with half of the country wanting transformative change, while the other half wants to remain traditional. For instance, many of the country’s government offices still use fax machines, which is just one example of many of the excessive bureaucracy in Germany.

At the same time, Germany has been seen as one of the most innovative countries in the world. It’s this clash between tradition and innovation that appears to be happening in the Bundesliga too. For now, though, the ultimate decision about playing games overseas rests with the supporters of Bundesliga clubs. It’s not going to be happening anytime soon, but the fact that the conversation is even happening is a big leap (forward or backward, depending on your viewpoint) for German football.

Photo: Imago

The year 2016 was the club’s first in the Bundesliga where it has remained ever since.

Given the very traditional format of German soccer as well as the strong opinions expressed by supporter groups throughout the country, it came as no surprise that RB Leipzig faced a lot of backlash.

Here are the 5 biggest misconceptions about RB Leipzig:

1. “Germans hate RB Leipzig”

If you listen to social media, you may think that RB Leipzig ranks as the most despised club in Germany. However, according to a 2024 Nielsen study, RB Leipzig is the seventh most-liked Bundesliga club in the country.

As hard as it may be for some to believe, several clubs aren’t as liked nationally as Leipzig, according to the same study. Those include Bayer Leverkusen, Werder Bremen, Wolfsburg, and Borussia Monchengladbach.

In the surrounding regions, outside Saxony, RB Leipzig is the most-liked club, far more than Bayern Munich.

Certainly, some still despise RB Leipzig for the way that a giant corporation bought a club to advance them to the Bundesliga. But this appears to be a very small vocal minority. Bayern Munich, for example, has the honor of being both the most-disliked team in Germany, as well as the most-liked.

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2. “Foreigners hate RB Leipzig too”

Outside of Germany, RB Leipzig is the third most-liked Bundesliga team. FC Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund rank number one and two respectively.

Internationally, there isn’t the distaste that some Germans have for RB Leipzig. Perhaps part of that reason may be the success the club has achieved. That includes winning the DFB-Pokal in 2022 and 2023 as well as winning the DFL Supercup in 2023.

The other reason could be how multicultural the team is. Several players are from the Netherlands, Hungary, France, Norway, Mali, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, and Slovenia. No doubt that helps attract more foreign fans who naturally have more affinity with Leipzig.

3. “The club has no fan culture”

Having attended two RB Leipzig games in recent months, the fanbase is authentic. It may not be as loud or aggressive as the ultras at Eintracht Frankfurt, but Leipzig fans certainly create an electric atmosphere on matchdays. The most passionate fans are located behind the one goal where the entire area of that stadium joins in the celebration of different songs and chants.

What’s different about RB Leipzig fans, overall, is that the stadium seems more fan-friendly than other grounds across Germany. With the Red Bull Arena located near the center of the city, it feels like part of the community instead of being miles away next to the autobahn like some other clubs.

Related to that, RB Leipzig has recently launched an innovative program to go into the local schools to promote the benefits of playing soccer to students in elementary schools. It isn’t branded with RB Leipzig’s name, but the effort is an admirable one, helping educate students about the sport. It’s indirect, but it’s bound to help build a better fan culture locally for the club.

4. “Attendances for RB Leipzig are poor”

RB Leipzig has the 7th highest attendance in the Bundesliga with an average of 45,175 for the 2023/24 season. The stadium’s capacity is 47,069. So expect a full house for almost every single match throughout each season.

5. “The club has exploited loopholes in the 50+1 rules“

Technically, RB Leipzig complies with the Bundesliga’s 50+1 rule that ensures that supporters are the majority owners of each club. The club has a membership scheme, and RB Leipzig is not registered as a private company. However, very little information is available about who is part of the membership scheme, and how many of those members have voting rights.

Photo: IMAGO / Gonzales Photo.

The last time I shared a hotel with a professional soccer club was in Swansea where I stayed near the marina in the 1990s. Crystal Palace was in town to play a friendly. So, when I walked into the hotel elevator to see then-manager Steve Coppell, I was taken aback to be in the same space as an England legend. Coppell was a talented footballer for both The Three Lions and Manchester United, and I had no idea Palace was staying at the hotel until I saw him. 

This week, Liverpool’s arrival at the hotel wasn’t so discreet. The day before the RB Leipzig versus Liverpool game, Liverpool’s team bus was spotted in the hotel parking lot. With the players arriving at the nearby Leipzig airport via a charter flight, it meant that the tour bus had to come separately, a journey of 16 hours from Merseyside to Leipzig. Likely, the comfort and surroundings of an official Liverpool team bus trumps getting a local one from Germany.

While I didn’t know beforehand that Liverpool would be at the hotel, the team didn’t have too much of an impact on the hotel’s inner workings. The team ate their breakfast in a completely separate part of the hotel to the guests. The team blended in smoothly, except for some extra security personnel. 

Outside the hotel was a completely different story.

As we exited the hotel to go for a walk, there was a heavy presence of local police as well as barricades blocking the path. Behind them were a dozen Liverpool fans congregating in the hopes of seeing any random footballer.

You’ll Never Walk Into a Liverpool FC Hotel Lobby Alone

Much later, when we returned to the hotel after seeing Liverpool win the match one-nil, it was a different experience. The outside of the hotel was completely barricaded. At least a dozen armed police who controlled the outside of the premises not only prevented hotel guests from entering but also guarded the Liverpool team bus that was carrying the players and staff.

Wednesday turned to Thursday as we waited around 15 minutes. However, our patience wore off, and we snuck around the other side of the hotel. There, we saw a gap behind the metal barricades. Fellow journalists and I could snake our way to the revolving door of the hotel entrance.

Stepping inside the revolving door, I could see the ‘finishing line’ of the hotel lobby. I squeezed my way past the Liverpool supporters. Flashing my hotel access card, I gained the nod of approval from the hotel security. Once inside, I looked back to see several fellow journalists who were less lucky than me. They were trapped inside the revolving door. The same Liverpool supporters I pushed past were preventing the door from moving. The fans, who weren’t hotel guests, got into an argument with security as they pushed each other back and forth.

Thankfully, all was resolved in a few minutes, and the journalists were able to gain access.

Being in the same hotel as a club isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. Inside the hotel, the team was practically invisible. Outside the front door, it was an entirely different experience. Speaking of which, downtown Leipzig is a joy to walk. I didn’t take too many photographs, but here’s the St Thomas Church at dusk.

Photos: IMAGO / Christian Grube, and Christopher Harris

The Belgian international has scored four goals in just seven Bundesliga matches this season. His speed and precision in front of the goal have been a joy since he joined the team in July 2023.

Based on Openda’s eye for goal, it’s not hugely surprising who his hero was whom he idolized from a young age.

“When I was young, it was Didier Drogba,” Openda told World Soccer Talk. “I was [watching] him every time when he was playing in the Champions League, and I saw every goal from him.

“He was scoring with his side foot, free-kicks, right foot, left foot, head, and everything.”

Drogba’s versatility as a striker is an ideal role model for Openda. With RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League and doing so well in the German league, he’s at the ideal club to grow as a player. The coach can be a vital part of that trajectory.

Lois Openda and Marco Rose

Openda raves about the way that RB Leipzig head coach Rose has had an impact on his career at the club. It’s not only professional, but it’s also personal.

“This relationship that I have with the coach is special,” said Openda. “We talk more. He is like a father and a son [relationship]. He always tries to help me [with] what I can do better. And if I do something wrong, he will also tell me that it’s not good and I have to change. He pushes me every day to try to be the best on the pitch.”

That hard work is paying off for both the club and Openda in different ways.

Difference between Bundesliga and other European leagues

“The intensity is really different. I can tell you that the first day when I was here, one year ago, after the first training, I went to my bed and slept for four hours.” Openda explained. “[Before I joined RB Leipzig], my agent told me, ‘If you want to go to Germany, you have to run and work hard’ because it’s not like the Belgian, French or Netherlands leagues.

“When we go 100 percent on the training, we try to produce it on the pitch. And that’s why we perform [at] a higher level.”

It matters not just on the pitch. Openda enthuses about the multicultural team the club has built.

“I’m really happy about what [is happening] here, on the pitch and also at home,” Openda said. “The facilities, and the people here, I think you see how nice the people are. Here, we have some coaches who also try to speak French for us. English, and German; it’s a mix of everything. That makes you feel like a family here.”

Photo: Imago

If any MLS game could have delivered impressive TV viewership, this was it. The game lived up to its promise on the field as the entertaining spectacle ended in a 3-2 win for Inter Miami. Columbus Crew missed a late penalty that could have tied the game.

MLS game generates poor TV ratings across FOX Sports

On television, the viewership was poor. Only 76,000 people watched the game on FS1. On FOX Deportes, the audience averaged 81,000. Combined, the total viewership was 157,000, according to TV Media Blog.

Of course, the viewership number didn’t include MLS Season Pass. More on that later.

In contrast, a recent game between Ipswich Town and Aston VIlla on September 29 averaged 381,000 viewers. Likewise, Brighton against Nottingham Forest on September 22 averaged 370,000 viewers.

For the 2024 season thus far, Premier League games are averaging 426,000 viewers on the USA Network. That’s an increase of 20% compared to what the Premier League was getting on USA Network as recently as 2021. Of course, that’s just the USA Network. Viewership for the bigger games more recently has broken records. For example, Chelsea against Manchester City on opening weekend averaged 2.218 million viewers. It nearly eclipsed the 2.6 million who watched Manchester City vs Arsenal last season.

The MLS Season Pass mystery

So, what about MLS Season Pass? Apple TV’s streaming service is a mystery. MLS hasn’t leaked any subscription numbers recently. The last reported number was 2 million subscribers as of December 2023. Since then, MLS dropped the free subscription offer through T-Mobile, which certainly would have resulted in a massive dent in the overall numbers for 2024.

More worryingly, MLS failed to make a single mention of any numbers, not even in percentages, about MLS Season Pass in its Key Business Metrics report it published in July 2024.

If MLS ever wanted to know how many people are interested in watching its league, it now knows that number after almost two full seasons of the league on Apple TV. Prior to Apple TV, MLS could rely on casual fans who tuned in to watch the league across FOX, ESPN, and Univision. Now though, with all games behind a paywall except for the small number that FOX shows, the league knows exactly how many are willing to pay to watch MLS.

What we do know about MLS Season Pass is that the league has still not reached the minimum guarantee. That’s the number agreed by MLS and Apple where the league can significantly increase the amount of media rights revenue it generates. Currently, Apple pays MLS $250 million a year for global rights, which works out to be around $8 million a year per team. MLS Commissioner Don Garber explained more details last year about the revenue share incentive, saying “It’s a partnership, and that’s the most different aspect of it. After we hit the minimum guarantee from Apple, we make 50 cents of every dollar. That’s the risk in this deal. I’m highly, highly confident we’ll get into that revenue share.”

Until MLS reaches that goal, the league is stuck in a 10-year agreement that runs through 2032. The $250 million-per-year deal with Apple is less than what the bottom two relegated teams get in the Premier League. That metric is worth repeating. The bottom two relegated Premier League clubs earn more TV revenue than all 29 teams in MLS.

By 2032, that gulf will be even greater unless the league can hit the minimum guarantee of subscribers. If the league can’t hit that number with the world’s greatest player featured on MLS Season Pass, what will it take to get there? With Messi in the league until the end of 2025, it’s disappointing to see an MLS game with poor TV ratings.

Photos: Imago

How does that compare to an English Premier League club such as Manchester United? We decided to take a closer look.

Interestingly, Bloomberg reports that gameday revenue is Inter Miami’s largest revenue source. While the specific number wasn’t disclosed, it does highlight the gigantic gulf between Inter Miami and Manchester United. For example, while gameday revenue is Inter Miami’s biggest revenue producer, matchday revenue represents only 20% of Manchester United’s revenue per season. Manchester United’s gameday revenue ($180 million/year) is almost as much as Inter Miami’s total revenue for the year.

See the table below for a breakdown of the revenues between Inter Miami and Manchester United.

Inter Miami vs Manchester United revenues per season

What is most revealing is how much revenue the team generates on every gameday. While exact figures weren’t revealed, we do know that Inter Miami has the most expensive soccer season tickets worldwide.

From 2020 to 2024, Inter Miami season ticket prices increased from between 104% to at least 171%. Season ticket prices range from $867 for the cheapest seat to $45,900 for Premium seats.

Pieter Brown, host of Futbol Miami TV, lamented the high prices.

“They have now priced out a percentage of their fanbase,” Brown told World Soccer Talk. “Soccer in the US has always been a cheap to reasonably priced sporting event, not anymore. It shows that they don’t care if you renew because there is a long waiting list to purchase season tickets.”

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See the table below for a comparison between gameday prices at Inter Miami and Manchester United.

Comparison of gameday revenue for Inter Miami vs Man United

Those prices are just a sampling of a typical gameday for Inter Miami and Manchester United fans.

When Manchester United generates more broadcast revenue each year than MLS does from Apple’s $250 million per-season deal, it helps explain why Inter Miami’s gameday prices are so high to try to find some way to close the enormous gap.

At the end of the day, it’s Inter Miami fans who are paying the price. No, it’s not because of supply and demand at the 21,550-seat Chase Stadium. Demand has increased for tickets to see Messi play, but there are still plenty of seats available for every game. Throughout 2024, tickets have been available on the secondary market for much less than the face value of Inter Miami tickets.

As long as there’s interest in seeing Messi play, Inter Miami will continue to maximize ticket revenue for each home game. Not only that, but Inter Miami is breaking MLS rules to generate more and more revenue from Messi jersey sales.

At the same time, Inter Miami is cutting corners to save money while maximizing the amount of revenue it can make from season ticket holders.

Photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The trio launched It’s Called Soccer! on September 18. The show, according to a press release, promises to “discuss and debate the biggest leagues from around the world, the strongest clubs, the most important games and the best players — they will also interview top talent across sports, film, TV and music about their love of soccer.”

Neville, of course, is a Manchester United and England legend, while Carragher is legendary as a Liverpool defender who helped his team win the 2005 UEFA Champions League. Similarly, Lowe has an impressive track record as the voice of the Premier League in the United States after her work presenting the league to US audiences through NBC Sports.

During the episode available below, Neville discusses what to expect in the series, as well as his memories of how close he was to becoming a co-commentator for a US television broadcaster, his thoughts on promotion and relegation, and how It’s Called Soccer! plans to differentiate from the competition. Episodes are available via Spotify and YouTube.

Alongside Gary Neville’s media channel The Overlap, Buzz16 (a Miroma Group Company), will co-produce the series, with Wave Sports + Entertainment overseeing sales and distribution in the U.S.

Gary Neville interview

Launched in 2006, the World Soccer Talk Podcast is the longest-running podcast on the planet.

Send in your questions, comments, and feedback via e-mail to web@worldsoccertalk.com, via Twitter (@worldsoccertalk), or via Facebook. We’ll read them out on-air in the next episode. Or call our voicemail line and leave a message at 561-247-4625.

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.

To find out when soccer games are on, download the free Soccer TV Schedules App which includes listings of all of the live soccer matches available in the United States (available on Apple iOS devices and Android devices).

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