MLS Season Pass report card after month one

Major League Soccer made the leap into the great unknown on February 25th when it began streaming every game in a partnership deal with Apple. The 10-year deal is bold, risky and exciting, but how has the streaming subscription service done have month one? We take a look with the MLS Season Pass report card.

We broke the grading into several different categories.

Picture quality
Functionality
Commentators
Studio talent
Programming

Picture quality: A

The viewing experience on MLS Season Pass is exceptional. So much so that when you compare any game FOX shows at the same time as the one on MLS Season Pass, the difference is substantial.

Courtesy of MLS Season Pass, MLS has never looked as good as it does right now. There are still some random errant camera shots during games, but overall, the look-and-feel is significantly improved.

Functionality: D

This is the one category where Apple needs to make the most improvement. Android users still feel left out. A lot of Comcast Xfinity subscribers watching MLS Season Pass have given up. Meanwhile, the issues with spoilers being the default setting still remain.

Overall, the user experience is not intuitive. For a company that prides itself so much on creating quality products, it still feels like Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass weren’t intended for live sports. Figuring out how to watch full-game replays is a chore unless you know how to accomplish it. Similarly, trying to switch off score spoilers isn’t as simple as you would think.

Commentators: B

For the most part, the MLS commentators on MLS Season Pass have been a fine addition. And if you don’t like the ones you hear, the added plus is that you can choose the local, home announcer directly within the game itself. We all have our favorite commentators, so the fact that we can choose from two options in every game is nothing short of revolutionary when it comes to streaming soccer.

In particular, commentator Keith Costigan and, separately, co-commentator Danny Higginbotham have been fantastic. You can tell they do their homework before games. And listening to them is always a pleasure.

We’re still missing a world-class commentator on the level of a Jon Champion, though.

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Studio talent: A-

Sacha Kljestan on MLS 360 has been a revelation. So comfortable and engaging on camera, he’s been the biggest surprise on MLS Season Pass. Confident, his analysis has been right on the money. The other hit has been Bradley Wright-Phillips. The way he reads the game and shares his insight based on his experience as a former striker is so helpful to the viewer.

We’re starting to see more post-match interviews on MLS 360, which is welcome news. Of note, we particularly enjoyed Costigan’s post-match interview with Phil Neville a few weeks ago in Miami, where the Irish-American asked several thought-provoking questions that elicited revealing replies from the coach.

One thing we have found is that by the time MLS 360 hits the 10.30pm to 11pm ET time window, it loses steam and starts to feel repetitive. Part of the reason is because they start showing the highlights of the 7.30-9.30pm ET games. The other reason is that the talent sometimes start to sound repetitive in what they say, mentioning some of the same analysis they gave earlier in the show.

Programming: C

Outside of the games themselves and MLS 360, the quality of the shows available on MLS Season Pass have been disappointing. There is no series to come close to Welcome to Wrexham. Likewise, we haven’t been able to find any team-specific shows that are as good as NBC Sports’ old Behind The Badge series that took viewers behind the scenes.

MLS is working with the producers responsible for the Netflix Drive to Survive series, so there is hope for the future.

In conclusion, MLS Season Pass has passed the test with flying colors. There is certainly room for improvement. But the biggest challenge left is not the streaming subscription itself. It’s the league format and lack of big, new signings.

Photo credit: Apple