<p>In 2021, US Soccer decided to not renew its 17-year partnership with MLS’ marketing arm Soccer United Marketing (SUM). As part of the partnership, SUM attracted deals for TV rights, sponsorship revenue, and other commercial agreements, and then split the money between US Soccer and SUM. By that time many felt that <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/us-soccer-must-unbundle-uswnt-mls-sum-tv-rights-deal-20190807-CMS-277066.html">ending the partnership with SUM and MLS</a> would allow for greater revenue growth. After finally splitting from SUM in early 2023, US Soccer appears to have made the right decision. </p>



<p>The financial year ending on March 31, 2024, showed that US Soccer earned projected revenues of $110 million. Just one year removed from the partnership with SUM and MLS, US Soccer is earning 243% more revenue than it did with that agreement. Overall revenue for the Federation as a whole may surpass $200 million to further establish its growth. US Soccer has taken a different approach compared to what SUM was doing.</p>



<p>The main revenue stream for US Soccer is now advertisements and sponsorships. Coca-Cola, Visa, Nike and Marriott Bonvoy are some of the biggest sponsors of US Soccer to help grow this revenue stream. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20241009_WST_534007_Hayes-US-Soccer-1200x675_e2410f88.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-534048" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Hayes-US-Soccer-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Hayes-US-Soccer-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Hayes-US-Soccer-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Hayes-US-Soccer-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/10/Hayes-US-Soccer.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<h2>US Soccer is more financially free without SUM and MLS deal</h2>



<p>Such an increased revenue stream has allowed US Soccer to be more aggressive with how it spends its money. For example, the federation made two high-profile signings for the senior men’s and women’s teams. The first of those was Emma Hayes, who is earning $2 million per year to oversee the United States Women’s National Team. Then, in the summer of 2024, US Soccer named Mauricio Pochettino as the replacement for Gregg Berhalter as the head coach of the USMNT. The Argentine is earning $6 million per year with the USMNT. </p>



<p>US Soccer chief commercial officer David Wright told <em><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5805919/2024/10/02/diarra-case-transfers-us-soccer-revenue/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The New York Times</a></em> the growth is coming rapidly for the federation, and it is doing what it can to cash in on the excitement surrounding soccer in the United States. </p>



<p>“We’ve got 122 million fans of US Soccer – we’re projecting that to be well north of 150 million coming out of the 2026 World Cup. Those numbers have everyone who is connected with the game very excited. And now managing our own commercial rights, which we’ve been doing for less than two years, the receptiveness we’ve received in the marketplace is off the charts. The business is growing exponentially.”</p>



<p>Results will dictate how effective US Soccer’s revenue has been. Pochettino makes his debut in the USMNT dugout during the October international break. Meanwhile, Emma Hayes has done well in her admittedly brief time as the head coach of the USWNT. Major domestic tournaments that Wright mentioned will further establish growth for US Soccer.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em></p>

US Soccer's split from MLS and SUM pays off for federation

US Soccer previously had an agreement with Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the marketing arm of MLS, that expired in 2021.

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<p>MLS’s marketing arm SUM has bought a sponsored article in Ad Age to promote the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/mexico-national-team-tv-schedule/">Mexico national team</a>. </p>



<p>The fact that MLS’ marketing division Soccer United Marketing (SUM) is responsible for marketing and profiting from the national team of Mexico is surreal. For instance, imagine if the English FA (or Premier League) was marketing the national football teams of Germany or Scotland. It would never happen.</p>



<p>Regardless, SUM’s <a href="https://adage.com/article/marketing-news-strategy/why-brands-shouldnt-wait-until-2026-invest-mexican-mens-national-team/2497561" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">advertorial</a> features the logos of MLS and SUM in the article that’s titled <em>Why brands shouldn’t wait until 2026 to invest in the Mexican Men’s National Team</em>. </p>



<p>Paid stories such as this one are meant to look like any article that’s published in a magazine or website. However, there’s a big difference. The content is approved and paid for by the client (in this case, SUM) before publication. This way, SUM has complete editorial control to position themselves exactly how they want. </p>



<p>It looks and feels like a real story, but it isn’t. These sort of deals are usually conducted between the client (SUM) and Ad Age’s sales department.</p>



<h2>MLS and Ad Age: The bizarro world of US soccer</h2>



<p>It’s another bizarre story about MLS during the same week when an Inter Miami player criticized the league for <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/inter-miamis-pizarro-criticizes-mls-player-trades-without-consent-20230706-WST-441451.html">trading players without their consent</a> —&nbsp;a practice that only happens in Major League Soccer.</p>



<p>While it may appear odd that <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/mls-tv-schedule/">MLS</a> would promote the Mexico national team, considering that teams in the league are only in the US and Canada, SUM holds exclusive commercial and marketing rights to the Mexican national team here in the States. </p>



<p>New York-based MLS and SUM working with the Mexican soccer federation creates a strange situation. For instance, when the US failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but Mexico did, SUM hired former US soccer players such as Landon Donovan and Alexi Lalas to cheer for Mexico.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Join Landon Donovan to cheer on the Mexican National Team during the big tournament.  <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MyOtherTeamisMexico?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MyOtherTeamisMexico</a> <a href="https://t.co/uzgNdUI9HF">pic.twitter.com/uzgNdUI9HF</a></p>— Wells Fargo (@WellsFargo) <a href="https://twitter.com/WellsFargo/status/1007695242269810691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2018</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2>How SUM tries to sell Mexico to US brands</h2>



<p>SUM’s vice president of properties Pablo Zarate is quoted in the article, where he says “The Mexican National Team is the premier Hispanic property in sports across North America.</p>



<p>“Their matches are one of the most-watched, most-attended soccer events among any national team in the world. There is nothing like the interest and passion these fans have for their team.</p>



<p>“Many first-generation Mexican Americans follow the team largely, as well as an avid second- and third-generation group of young bicultural, tech-savvy digital natives.”</p>



<p>MLS, the top-flight US soccer league, is hoping to advance the Mexico national team well before the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2026/">2026 World Cup</a>. MLS and Ad Age have had a long partnership together, and this paid article is a follow-up to a piece from last year where <a href="https://adage.com/article/advertising/nielsen-how-major-league-soccer-drives-strong-sponsor-sales/2410526" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">MLS paid for Nielsen to publish a research report</a> about fan loyalty.</p>



<h2>Mexican national team has loyal and passionate fan base</h2>



<p>In the paid article, Ad Age shares data regarding the Mexico national team. According to the outlet, 89% of the team’s fan base “take pride” in supporting El Tri. Passionate supporters tend to follow the team closely, which is obviously extremely important in marketing.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-youtube"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Mexico vs. Qatar Highlights | CONCACAF Gold Cup" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DK_UDQIuUC8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>
</div></figure>



<p>This is clearly evident in a previous poll of Mexican fans around the time of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. A poll suggested that 68% of the Mexican national team supporters also supported a partner brand of El Tri. </p>



<p>This would be music to the ears of companies looking to form a potential alliance with the team and MLS / SUM.</p>



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Major League Soccer's marketing division has purchased an Ad Age article to promote the Mexican national team ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

MLS buys Ad Age article to promote Mexico team - World Soccer Talk

MLS buys Ad Age article to promote Mexico team

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US Soccer's split from MLS and SUM pays off for federation

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MLS buys Ad Age article to promote Mexico team