MLS is facing a critical moment in its history.
This summer’s World Cup has long been billed as “rocket fuel” for the growth of soccer in America, and with it the further development of MLS. At the same time, MLS will be introducing major changes to its structure and operation – not in 2026, but in 2027.
The decisions the board and executive leadership make will dictate what the next decade-plus looks like for the league. There are some enormous calls yet to be made, including what levels of investment MLS puts into its on-field product, and who will lead the league into its next era.
Monday, we published Part 1 of our fifth annual anonymous MLS executive survey, which canvassed opinions for the bests and worsts around the league. In Part 2, we asked those same 22 team executives to dig into some bigger issues, including what the World Cup’s impact will look like and what the board needs to prioritize to push MLS into a new era of growth. In exchange for their candor, participants received full anonymity (you can use the tabs at the bottom of your screen to scroll more easily between topics).
The World Cup
What will be the biggest benefit for MLS of a North American-hosted World Cup?
It’s debatable whether the 2026 World Cup will be a transformational moment for MLS. It certainly won’t hurt to have 78 of the tournament’s 104 games played on U.S. soil and another 13 in Canada. If the expectation is for the World Cup to significantly increase the league’s global and domestic popularity, well, we’ll have to wait and see.
The officials we spoke to are not fortune tellers. The majority, however, are bullish on the World Cup’s unique ability to generate interest among casual fans and first-time spectators. “The trickle-down effect will happen for years,” claimed one executive.
Still, the key demographic for MLS executives are the participating players, rather than the fans who will pay to watch them.
“The biggest benefit? It serves as a recruiting trip for all the best players in the world,” said one chief soccer officer (CSO). “You’ll have the best players in the world playing in our stadiums, eating in our restaurants, staying in our hotels,” said another executive.
Advertisement
Added another CSO: “I look at what happened after the 1994 World Cup. Players will be training in MLS training grounds, they’re playing in some MLS stadiums. And I just hope that there’s this desire, ‘I want to come to this league.’ And sometimes it just takes a few key players to say it and then everyone says, ‘Oh it’s OK to say it. Now I want to come to MLS, too.’”
Not everything surrounding this World Cup is steeped in optimism. Security concerns and President Donald Trump’s immigration policies will be part of the tournament’s story.
“We’ve got to hope that there are no political negatives and all the things that could swirl around our country when the game is going on that could damage our credibility as a country,” a CSO said. “We have to hope that that doesn’t become a talking point.”
What does MLS need to do to capitalize on the World Cup bounce?
MLS has had an eight-year runway to prepare for this moment. Has it done enough to take advantage?
“I think it’s too late, right?” one exec said. “They’ve missed (the moment). They should have changed the calendar (for ‘26) and I think this should be a sprint season and we should be going into a new calendar at the end (of the World Cup) and we should have a new playoffs format, new league format, everything like that. They missed on that.”
Indeed, MLS’s decision to push back major infrastructure changes until 2027 makes navigating the potential of 2026 more difficult, especially when it comes to signing players. While many sporting directors think MLS should be more aggressive in the summer transfer window, it’s not as easy to accomplish that under the current structure.
“Simple answer is they took too long trying to change the rules,” one CSO said. “You can ask the teams to be more aggressive, but that’s only going to impact the teams that have a DP spot available. That, I think, is a huge missed opportunity from a roster perspective. We had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do something enormous coming out of the World Cup. … It could have been something that could really cement MLS into the sort of fabric of the world of soccer, and we’ve missed the opportunity.”
Advertisement
There are other ways to take advantage of a World Cup bounce. MLS has to find a way to “market themselves, really tell their story. The world will be here and all the media, broadcasters will be in our country and they have a lot of time to fill, and they will walk around and they will ask and look for stories. Stories in the market. Stories in our soccer landscape. And we have to be prepared to help them with the stories,” one exec said.
Will your team take a more aggressive approach to the summer 2026 window?
Recruiting international players to MLS is a painstaking process within a competitive global transfer market. A World Cup is a tricky tournament to scout. One performance can cloud an evaluator’s judgement. One CSO sees the World Cup as an opportunity to target players and meet with them and their agents in person. Another views it as an opportunity for “information gathering.”
“We’ll flag young players and ensure we watch young players, but that’s it,” said another CSO. “And by the way, if an 18-year-old has a good World Cup, he’s gonna get out of our price range.”
“We’ve actively identified targets that we think are going to be at the World Cup,” countered another executive. “We’re a club that’s going to be looking to make a big signing in the summer. And if one of those players happens to be one that we can see play live and even meet with during the World Cup, then all the better.”
For clubs that were more active during the winter transfer window, the summer may be where they fine-tune their squads rather than make a splash.
“We’ve set the team up here for us this season and probably realistically for the next season and a half or two seasons,” one CSO said. “We’ve made a conscious effort to do that. Will we get one or two players? Possibly.”
What has Pochettino’s outlook on MLS meant for the league?
Mauricio Pochettino has not been shy about his respect for MLS.
“We need to give MLS the value,” Pochettino said. “Because I think competing there, I think a player can show that they can perform in the national team. Because sometimes, the MLS — under my general assessment — is more competitive than some leagues in Europe.”
Has that helped the league’s global reputation?
Advertisement
“I don’t know how many people that’s reaching,” one exec said. “I don’t think it’s a negative, but I don’t think it’s like a big, big positive. Yeah, I think it’s normal for a national team coach to be positive on something like that… I think it more helps when you get really, really top players that say stuff like that, that are in the league.”
Said another: “I think what he’s saying is great for our league. I don’t know if he’s really saying that much more or anything different than someone like Gregg Berhalter said. I think the package is coming from a manager who was a household name in world football. It means more.”
However, the executives were unanimous in how meaningful it has been that Pochettino has called in and at times leaned on MLS players.
“I love that he respects our league, and I love that he backs it up by calling players in and look, next thing you know, (Alex) Freeman signed in La Liga,” one CSO said. “And if it wasn’t for Pochettino, then he doesn’t have that exposure and people don’t know about him. People think MLS players are lesser, so I really, really appreciate what he’s done, and I think ultimately it does help our league.”
Speaking of Freeman…
Breakout talents and potential incoming stars
*Kimbrough, 16, plays in USL Championship, not MLS, but garnered the vote anyway
This was a tough question for some voters to answer, which is why a chunk didn’t. There is a strong belief that players like Freeman, and Patrick Agyemang before him, had a physical profile that projects extremely well abroad.
“I’m just trying to think if I’ve seen any, like deluxe athletes coming along anywhere,” one pondered. “Thinking back to the U-17 World Cup, I wasn’t blown away with anybody there, really.”
While some CSOs loved Bombino, others felt he had already approached his ceiling.
Miller, though, “could be very similar where you could see a large transfer soon.”
Advertisement
Wolff got some love as well: “He is a dynamic attacking player. He can play multiple roles, and I think his game will translate to international football. And as Bruce Arena once said about Clint Dempsey, Owen tries s***.”
Gozo has already started to turn heads at youth international level and could be in line for a move soon.
“I don’t know if he’ll surprise people, because he’s playing well in the league,” one CSO said.
One name that came up numerous times: Mehmeti, who started in RBNY’s season-opening win.
“(Red Bulls II) played him every game as a six. He was the captain. Big, big kid,” one CSO said. “He’s really good. He has a good combination of being physically ready, technically smart, and he’s 16 years old. It’s already happened in the second team, he did well. Like, that’s a good player. Very good passing range.”
Said another: “He’s really talented. My goodness.”
If Freese, the presumed U.S. starter in goal, plays well or exceeds expectations, he could thrust himself into elite company with Tony Meola, Brad Friedel and Tim Howard — U.S. goalkeepers who had standout World Cups. On the other hand, an MLS player doesn’t need to make a World Cup Best XI to make an impression.
“I could see (Sebastian Berhalter) play actual minutes and just be really steady and solid,” said one CSO. Orlando City’s Pašalić received a vote as he’s likely to feature for Croatia in a difficult group that includes England, Ghana and Panama. In 2025, Luna broke through and became a mainstay for Pochettino.
“When I was in Europe a lot of clubs in Europe were looking at him and saying he’s still young,” an executive recalled. “He’s had a little bit of an interesting career, but there’s a huge upside.”
Lionel Messi playing in America has become normalized, even if it previously felt implausible. He is now a two-time MLS MVP and into his fourth season with Inter Miami.
Advertisement
“If you look back eight years, did you think it was possible for Messi to be here, or for (Thomas) Müller to be here?” James Rodríguez asked The Athletic recently. “No, nobody did.”
The problem for some MLS supporters, and for the league’s detractors, is the unending pursuit of overaged global stars. There will always be an appetite for those types of players in MLS. This summer’s World Cup stars over the age of 30 will be prime targets for several clubs. Antoine Griezmann is already being lined up by Orlando City, sources have told The Athletic.
“There are probably some guys out there right now who would never come to MLS,” one executive said. “And then after the tournament, they might be like, ‘Oh, you know what? I would like to come here.’”
Some teams just want better players on their rosters. “I would much rather see a young Ghanaian signed or something like that,” one CSO said.
“I think you can go get major, impactful players who will be at the World Cup, who are not big names, but who are available, and they’ll be really, really good,” another CSO said.
But big names make headlines. Lewandowski (Poland still must qualify), Salah (Egypt), Kane (England), De Bruyne (Belgium), Casemiro (Brazil) and Jiménez (Mexico) certainly check the all-important marketing and sporting boxes.
“I could see Harry Kane coming over in a year or two,” a CSO predicted. “I hate to say it, but I could see him in Atlanta or Seattle, one of the big NFL markets.”
Jiménez, 34, would be a home-run signing for any MLS club. His Fulham contract expires this summer. “I don’t think he’s coming, but it would be great to have him,” said one CSO.
Salah, whose relationship with Liverpool appears to have fractured, is “an interesting name,” another executive said. “He’s still doing it at a really high level. He would tear up any league.”
.dw-dark { display: none; } .native-mobile { .dw-dark { display: none; @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { display: block; } } .dw-light { @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) { display: none; } } }
Of the 22 sporting executives we spoke to, several answered with an adamant ‘Yes.’ At 41, and seemingly entrenched as the Saudi Pro League’s long-term ambassador, the likelihood of a Ronaldo MLS swan song seems improbable. But again, Messi to MLS was once a pipe dream.
Advertisement
As long as Messi and Ronaldo are playing, the thought of them meeting again is enticing. If both were in MLS, an annual Messi-Ronaldo derby would be globally relevant.
“Of course I would sign Cristiano,” one sporting director said. “He would offer MLS a complete turnaround. His age isn’t a problem. I think he still has two years of football left. He is an incredibly strong brand on his own. And having Cristiano and Messi in the same league, after the way they competed so intensely against each other. Yes I would.”
Executives commented on his tremendous international marketing power, his leadership abilities and his pedigree as one of the sport’s greatest scorers. “I would certainly consider it,” said another CSO. “Miami is proving that you can make the money back. And he’s going to score when he’s inside the box.”
“He’d be amazing to have in your team,” a sporting director said. “It would be very different from Messi. I don’t think it’s realistic that our club would take him. But I would. I would like to have him. But it would be a massive investment. And I’m not sure if we would go to that extent.”
The investment would likely surpass the financial commitment that Inter Miami, Apple, and several other third-party investors agreed to in order to land Messi. But the blueprint is in place.
“With all due respect,” added another sporting director, “I know what kind of club we are and which stadium we have. But if he calls me of course I would consider it. I will never say no to it. Signing Messi or Ronaldo, Son (Heung-min) or Müller is not a big risk, because you sell more tickets. You sell them at a higher price point. You sell more sponsorship deals. Even if he’s injured and not playing that much, everyone still wants to see him.”
Opposition to the idea was rather straightforward. “Not us. If somebody in the league could do it, it would be helpful,” one CSO said. “Do I want it to be my team? No.”
Advertisement
Another executive added: “Even if he’s on a free, what his salary demands would be would be so unrealistic that I just don’t know if it’s possible to be able to afford someone like him on a free transfer.”
The verdict, however, is rather simple, according to one sporting director who imagined Ronaldo scoring his 1,000th career goal in his team’s jersey. “I think I’d be nuts if I said I wouldn’t want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.”
The future of MLS
What does flipping the calendar mean?
Aligning with the top European leagues starting in July 2027 means it’ll build up the “credibility” and “legitimacy” of MLS in the global game.
“I really do believe it’s an absolutely enormous, positive, game-changing type decision,” one CSO said.
For the sporting execs, having MLS transfer windows synced with much of the rest of the world, will make buying an selling far easier.
“It just opens up possibilities for moving players in and out that we never had the ability to do before,” one said.
And another: “We’re now going to be in the European marketplace. It will be real players. So I think that’s where our league, I believe, can take off.”
Logistically, it will “raise the value of our players that we’re moving outside the league,” and “will make our league more of a choice for players who are coming out of the season getting ready for a preseason on their rhythm.” Said another exec: “It’ll also increase the number of players that are able to be loaned from big clubs.”
The CSOs also acknowledged the business realities.
“I’m fully aware of the cons for some of the really cold weather markets,” one said. “Not so much the games. It’s about finding the best solution for the training between those games, because you can play a game in very cold weather, that happens all over the world.”
Said another: “The weather is going to be a real issue, and you’re going to have a lot of unwatchable games. I think in the long run, it still is the right decision. You’re going to see more quality in the league, incoming and outgoing.”
Advertisement
The execs also brought up one point for those who play and work in MLS. The league has long had a short winter break — MLS wedding anniversaries are mostly in December — and it’s been tough to get away for many who work in the league.
“Having preseason in the summer, work-life balance, coaches and players can be off when the kids are off,” one said. “I think that’s not to be underestimated.”
Others said they believe it will push the league to prioritize making a better TV product — increasing the quality on the field — to better take advantage of superior postseason TV windows.
“For so long, MLS has just been a gameday experience type of league,” one CSO said. “In-stadium, gameday atmosphere and experience are of a really high level. But everyone knows media rights are where the money is, and hopefully that’s what happens. We’re putting the playoffs in a part of the calendar that has a lot less high-level competition, it is hopefully going to get a boost to the TV money overall.”
MLS matches in colder weather conditions should become more prevalent after the league flips its calendar (Kelvin Kuo / USA TODAY Sports)Is the league going in the right direction?
It’s not often we have 22 responses that sound mostly the same, but that’s exactly what happened on the next two questions. Here was the theme when asked if the league’s trajectory is the right one.
“Absolutely,” one CSO said. “We should be going north; we’re going like northeast. But generally, we are headed in the right direction.”
Mostly, there was optimism that the calendar change — and commissioner Don Garber’s public comments about changes to roster strategy — was a sign of more necessary change to come, with real momentum behind it.
“We’re at a point where most people around the table are nodding their heads in agreement that it’s time for substantive change,” one exec said. “For years it was only Garth (Lagerwey) screaming in the GM meetings, and now everybody’s kind of screaming the same thing. So I think we’re getting there.”
Advertisement
A few sporting directors pointed to the last decade’s strides and believe the league is now ready “to move things forward in a really aggressive way” on the field.
“The question is whether the league will take the next step, from a salary cap standpoint, to enable us to pursue the top players in the world in the prime of their career,” another exec said.
It all comes back to that first idea of how quickly the league decides to grow.
“There’s so much opportunity to improve this league faster than we do,” one CSO said. “I also do understand and get that the annual finances of every team are a real challenge right now. The revenues just simply aren’t there. The reality is that improving and going in the right direction as a league will probably end up needing to cost more money. I do get it’s a challenge. But I just think we could move significantly faster. … It feels like at least we’re having the right conversations that we probably haven’t had in a number of years.”
What should a new salary cap structure look like in the new MLS?
This question is basically manna for The Athletic’s resident rules nuts, but the answers became somewhat frustrating because they are almost so universally consistent — save for one GM who floated a luxury tax — that it’s maddening the league seems to have such a hard time figuring out what its next steps should be.
We could close our eyes and throw a dart and pick out an answer and speak for pretty much all 22 responses. We took one of the answers that went into a bit more detail beyond the first line of the response.
“As a broad blanket statement, it would be giving more flexibility for teams to decide their own path,” the CSO said. “I do believe competitive balance is an important thing in our league. I think it is one of the unique parts, and I think it makes our league great. And so I would not be in favor of ripping everything up and allowing teams to do whatever they want. Unsurprisingly, it would be some version of a cap and a floor that has enough space in it for teams that want to spend a bit more and be more aggressive, but invest across their roster, not just in three to six discretionary players.
Advertisement
“You have to keep DPs, in my opinion, because you can’t have a rule structure that will prevent you from signing the next Messi or Son. So you would need to keep that. But then, essentially, I would like to see the salary cap work where we can invest in players across our entire roster, rather than just a handful of players and then let teams pick their strategy.
“If you want to invest in young players and grow players to sell, you can do that. If you want to invest in performance impact players like Cincinnati, then you can do that too. Just leave the flexibility there for people to build how they think that fits for their club and their owners.”
Said another: “A bit less one-size-fits-all and more bespoke to market and club dynamics. The league has been built on stymieing competition, and I get it. And it’s been successful at keeping costs a little more predictable and not ballooning things out of control. But, at the same time, allowing more flexibility to build rosters based on how teams want to — and not being told not only how much you can spend, but how you have to spend it — I think will be a positive thing.»
Would you be in favor of full cap transparency, similar to NFL/NBA?
Growing MLS isn’t just about enhancing product quality, although that is paramount. The league also has to find a way to engage fans more often. The NFL is king at it. Fans stay engaged through the scouting combine, draft, annual meetings, minicamps, training camps, preseason, regular season and playoffs. A big part of the economy is offseason roster discussion — the NFL Draft is enormously popular, and full salary cap transparency allows journalists and fans to engage in deep analysis of every team.
MLS, on the other hand, has very little transparency. While the league now releases general allocation money amounts and the MLSPA provides salaries, attempting to truly analyze roster construction is akin to having 50 pieces of a 500-piece puzzle. You might have an idea of what the full thing looks like, but there’s still a lot of guesswork.
About two-thirds of the CSOs were in favor of more transparency.
“I think that’s really the only way to keep executives accountable and continue to raise the standard of executives in our league is having everything fully out there and the way that it is in other leagues,” one said.
“It would help if it would engage more fans onto that side of the game,” another said.
A few pushed back.
Advertisement
“Probably not because I think smart teams have a way of building and managing their cap that I wouldn’t necessarily want to let everybody in on,” one GM said.
Added another: “The issue that you have to overcome in our sport versus other American sports is by opening that up to fans, you’re also opening it up to other teams that are trying to buy your players, or (teams) knowing what cap space that we have when you’re trying to negotiate to sign players. In the NFL, NBA, everybody knows there is only one way to do things. I do think the global implications of that could be negative.”
One interesting answer: “I would advocate for it, because I’m genuinely curious how some of these teams make it work. But also there is shady stuff going on everywhere. Even if it was fully public, there are still shady agent things happening. And in our positions, we hear about this because agents call us and say, ‘Well, so-and-so did this.’»
Our favorite response: “I would be for that. And I would really like to see 2025 and 2024.”
Inter Miami is either beloved or loathed by MLS fans (Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images)Does MLS benefit from super teams?
The league has been so focused on competitive balance that it has sacrificed the potential high end that owners would spend in the name of lower-spending teams feeling as if they have a chance to win a trophy — even if most of them never do.
The overall interest in Inter Miami — globally, but even in the hate most other MLS fanbases show the team — is an argument for the super teams that exist across nearly every sport and league in the world.
As one GM said: “I would like us to stop trying to be the only super popular league in the world that does not have some version of super teams. I think (our current system) is proven to be not a needle-mover.”
Added another: “It certainly has been working for baseball with the Yankees and the Dodgers.”
Advertisement
And another: “The alternative to super teams in the current structure is the lowest common denominator. And I don’t think we’ll advance in that way.”
As for the other side of the debate:
“I know it’s frustrating for some people and fans that there aren’t those super teams, but it’s detrimental in too many of those leagues,” one CSO said. “The super team thing, if the league starts to get stratified like that, I think it would be detrimental and it’s maybe a slower growth model, but a model where the top and the bottom aren’t separated by a ton, and as spend increases, the top drags the bottom along, that’s going to be, long-term, the most beneficial.”
Multiple GMs argued for super teams by pointing to Inter Miami’s success and the need for the best MLS teams to be able to compete internationally in the Club World Cup as critical to enhancing the league’s reputation.
Another argued MLS needs to focus on increasing overall quality before it can fully embrace super teams: “If we talk about the Premier League, you have a core of six to 10 really good teams. But then you have five, six, seven teams that are not good, that people don’t watch or are not keen on following. They don’t bring revenue to the league. They’re competing, but they don’t bring any sort of revenue.
“The problem is that we have 30 clubs. You have one super team (Miami), another four or six or eight, they’re really good. And then you have like 20 or 22 teams that are tough to watch if you are a global fan of the game. If we had a better level of investment across the middle tier players of the roster, where there were less rules and less constraints, you would have better teams in general. And I think that would increase the quality of play in the league, and that would generate more revenues and more media attention because the league would eventually get better.”
One final say: “Super teams are good. I think every league has that, not just in soccer, but in the rest of American sports. And what do super teams do? They’re either loved or they’re hated, but everybody watches them. And that’s a positive for leagues.”
MLS commissioner Don Garber hopes to have his league capitalize on the World Cup being staged in North America (Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty Images)Who should be the next commissioner?
Garber’s contract runs through the end of 2027. The league has already started succession planning, putting together a committee of owners and hiring an outside firm to interview candidates. We asked what the league should prioritize in its next commissioner.
Advertisement
“It’s got to be somebody with media chops, I think that’s actually more important than the football chops,” one CSO said. “I think the commissioner should be somebody who is best positioned to get the media rights deal that will allow for accelerated product investment — or more sensible product investment.”
Said another: “The next person who succeeds Don has to be a visionary to not just to maintain where we are, but take us where we want to go. And for that, we probably need to have somebody who has experience not only of what a successful league looks like commercially, but also understands the American market.”
One put it succinctly: “Leadership. Bravery. Vision. The next commissioner has to be brave to be willing to lead this league into its next era.”
Many focused on candidates who can be involved deeply in the media side or who can grow revenue. Others were more focused on a commissioner who had a better understanding for the global soccer business and how to pull MLS into it in a more competitive fashion.
“I think we need a commissioner that is more connected to what is done in soccer globally, rather than only in American sports,” one said. “We need a commissioner that understands that we’re in a global game, not in an American game.”
While the vast majority of CSOs said the league needs “a fresh perspective, probably somebody from outside the league to bring in new ideas, new energy,” as one said, some believed a candidate doesn’t have to be vastly different from Garber.
“Garber’s done a great job of shepherding the league through this era,” one CSO said. “Whenever someone takes over for him I wouldn’t say it needs to be someone that’s really much different from what he’s been able to do or what his skill set is, because he’s obviously done a great job at it. If there’s any way to layer on top of that any type of skill set that can be to the benefit of generating the media rights money that the league’s going to need for the next phase, then great.”
Advertisement
Said another: “It’s always easy to look at what we don’t have, but the fact that the league has been around for 30 years with 30 teams under his stewardship, is something to celebrate. I think the next commissioner has to find a better balance between football, politics and innovation.”
MLS just kicked off another season with its matches broadcast on Apple TV (Steph Chambers / Getty Images)Will MLS on Apple TV work in the end?
In our talks, Apple’s deal with MLS was classified as either a step in the right direction or work in progress, but it has become a divisive product in American soccer. A subscription-based deal, for some, felt like an additional barrier.
The content, the production quality and studio shows were all addressed by most of the CSOs who participated in the survey. The resulting opinions tell the story of a league and a media partnership that haven’t quite found the right recipe.
“The length of the contract and the way it was structured was a mistake from the very beginning,” said one sporting director. “And I think the content leaves a lot to be desired. The game times on the weekend should be addressed too, but that’s the sporting culture that we’re in.”
“Clearly something is not working with Apple,” said another CSO.
In the past, one CSO recalled, MLS games would jump from Fox to FS1 at a moment’s notice. Some MLS games were bumped off the air by college softball or a NASCAR truck series race. Moving to Apple has prevented this from happening, although Fox has retained some MLS inventory, which keeps some games on linear television.
“I love the fact that we’re taking off the paywall. I think that makes a massive difference,” said one sporting director. “It opens it up to a lot of people who probably aren’t even sports fans but who have Apple TV.”
Several executives focused on the MLS weekend schedule as a major pain point, in particular the 7:30 p.m. kickoffs on Saturday and Sunday.
Advertisement
“I really like the forward thinking of (the Apple deal), because if you look at what other sports are doing, they’re essentially following that blueprint,” said a sporting director. “My issue is adjusting the game times. Our games should be at 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., so that when the European games finish and people go home they can watch MLS. And the paywall did hurt the ability to just have soccer for free everywhere.”
In terms of Apple’s studio talent, Dax McCarty was singled out for praise, but the general direction was met with mixed reviews.
“I get a little bit annoyed with some of the studio talent,” an executive said. “There isn’t really any critical analysis or any real high-level analysis of the games. It’s more just kind of like Gen Z pop culture banter.”
Another CSO lauded the contributions of former Portland Timbers head coach Gio Savarese, who is part of Apple’s Spanish-language studio shows. He then offered a suggestion for how MLS could improve its broadcasts.
“Regarding the coverage, I’m blown away when you see the popularity of the NFL, the most popular sport in our country,” he said. “Their studios are littered with coaches, with front office staff. And we have coverage with nobody offering that reference point: former players, respectfully, who think they know everything; former players have a skewed reference point. I don’t know how they haven’t given Peter Vermes a blank check.”