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Welcome to The League Soccer

Welcome to “The League” where I’ll be covering Major League Soccer. This is an exciting time for MLS and US Soccer fans. After years of financial struggle and limbo MLS has established a solid fan base and a steady financial footing, in part thanks to the new TV rights deal with Apple TV (which I’ll cover shortly). We’re also three years away from the United States hosting the World Cup for the first time in over 30 years. The 1994 World Cup launched soccer in the United States: multiple generations of talented American soccer players, multiple leagues including the MLS. More people watched the 2022 World Cup Finals in the US than watched the World Series, so we will see what kind of growth the sport has in and around the next World Cup.

 

2023 in particular is a unique year for MLS. This offseason they announced a 10 year partnership with Apple TV to carry games and the new Leagues Cup (a new competition between all MLS and Liga MX clubs that I will also touch on). Fox Sports will also carry games in a separate rights deal. 40% of all MLS games can be watched on Apple TV+ without subscribing to the new MLS Pass which will carry every game with no blackout restrictions. 

 

There are a lot of concerns about leaving readily available cable tv. Last year games were carried on Fox, ESPN/ABC, and ESPN+ in addition to local broadcasts. The thought is it may be harder for the casual fan to tune into games. I would argue based on ratings that you are just as likely to pick up new fans on a popular TV streaming service like Apple TV+ as you were on basic cable (which fewer and fewer people have). 

 

I’ve checked out the MLS section of Apple TV+ and so far I have been impressed. Apple puts MLS front and center on their streaming service and are 100% dedicated to the league. That is definitely something ESPN and Fox could not say. There is content already available like Club Profiles. I HIGHLY recommend checking out the club profiles. Most are under 10 minutes and whether you’re new to the sport, the league, or just want to get excited for the upcoming season it’s definitely worth your time. In the end Apple bet on the long-term growth of the league at a price point that is high right now but could be a steal come 2026. So if you really want to get into MLS, I highly recommend signing up for Apple TV+ or the MLS Pass if you’re ready to go all in. 

 

Now, this new League’s Cup. It’s a month long competition between MLS and Liga MX clubs that I have high hopes for. The draws have already been set so we know that there will be 3 team pools in which two teams advance with all competitions being played in the US. I’ll get into some more in depth coverage leading up to the competition, but it’s new and should be a lot of fun.

 

There’s a new team this season, St. Louis City ]\SC. The club has a solid financial backing, a beautiful new mid-town stadium, and a soccer crazy fan base (which I can confirm as one of the 60,000 people who placed season ticket deposits for a stadium that seats 25,000). 


This blog is probably going to be pretty raw for a while until I figure out the ins and outs of creating an aesthetically pleasing blog design. For now I want to get this content out and I truly hope you will find this fun and worth while!

 

To conclude my introduction I want to talk about what I’m going to try to do with this blog. I want to cover the League as a whole from an American fan perspective. I didn’t grow up playing soccer, I was a casual USMNT fan until the last couple of years and now I watch entirely too much soccer. We’ll be talking transfers, transfer rumors, prospects, and CONCACAF players within MLS. When the league is on a break you can probably expect some very opinionated USMNT coverage. If you like what you’ve read I hope you’ll leave a comment, share the blog with your friends, and keep reading! 

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