Backpass: MLS Hits and Misses

MLS is in its 29th season. Some things this year are major advances. Others are still not quite up to par.

This is my eleventh season as a close observer of Major League Soccer, and there’s no doubt the league has come not only a long way from its inaugural season in 1996, but even a long way from when I first attended a match in 2013. Some of the choices made most recently can be seen as great steps towards a better overall product and fan experience. Others, less so.

What MLS is getting right

The shameless and consistent promotion of Lionel Messi.

I know that we say that we’re all a little sick of turning of seeing Lionel Messi’s mug everywhere. Saturday I turned on Apple TV and the main graphic for MLS Season Pass was a big picture of Messi. I flipped on the pregame show and the first match they previewed was Inter Miami, and the commentary staff predictably gushed and fawned over he-who-is-arguably-the-second-holiest-Argentinian-on-earth. Then there was the gap between pre-game and the 7:30 EST match (yes, I watched Miami vs NYRB) and the first two ads were: Messi in potato chip ad, followed by Messi in a lite beer ad.

And you know what? I do not mind it. At all. Make. That. Paper. The twilight of Messi’s career (which is going much better than the backside of Cristino Ronaldo’s) should be milked for everything it is worth.

I really enjoy knowing that the league has one of the best ever to play the game in it. His masterful, magisterial, five assist performance this past week only confirms that he really is magic.

Apple interface is slick and professional

In comparison to such clunky and unprofessional viewing/streaming options as Youtube; a bunch of cable channels in the numbered range of 5001-5031 (remember MLS Direct Kick?); and an actual inability to see your own team in your market without an insanely overpriced cable package or a VPN; Apple TV is a godsend.

Just being on the same ‘network’ as Ted Lasso, Silo, the motion picture ‘Napolean’, etc, is a brand-lift for MLS. But the interface itself - with special links to shows or games, video highlights, and just a very clean look drawing it all together - is wonderful. Very grateful for this.

Game Quality has never been higher

I’ve watched a lot of soccer: MLS, but also USL, Serie A, Bundesliga, Uefa Champions League, World Cup, NWSL, Israeli Premier League, NCAA. A lot. Of. Soccer.

MLS has never been as good. The on-field quality standard is high. Whereas in the old days you could count on some very athletic players lacking technical skills, or very technical players that maybe had lost a step, today’s MLS is made up of players like Cucho Hernandez, Hany Muktar, and Thiago Almada; homegrowns like Cole Bassett, Jordan Morris, and Ted Ku-Pietro. Even the ‘retirement league’ type players are better, like Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba, Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris.

It’s a better quality of match than in 2019, or 2015, or 2010, by far.¹

Broadcast teams rounding into form

The commentators in general for all games are professional and informative. Sure, they sometimes trend towards a little bland and generic - I noted a few weeks ago on the podcast that I was tired of the rotating cast of lead commenters on Rapids broadcasts noting that Zack Steffen, Sam Vines, and Cole Bassett are ‘working their way back into the national setup’. But overall, they know the teams they are dealing with, they pronounce the player names well, and the color commentators throw in interesting tactical observations that I sometimes learn from. In particular Maurice Edu, Taylor Twellman, Jake Zivin, Brian Dunseth, and Max Bretos are really fun.

Statefarm-Home Depot tie-ins feel professional

I remember when the Rapids had metal benches and were one of the last teams in the league with digital advertising hoardings. Now, advertising is prevalent everywhere in the game, but not in a tacky or overwhelming way. I’m glad to see the league generating income and also creating a broadcast-to-advertising ratio that closely resembles other professional sports leagues in North America.

What MLS is getting wrong 

Need more storytelling BEYOND Messi

The league created a behind the scenes documentary for Messi. The Rapids created a behind the scenes documentary on the locker room a few seasons ago called ‘Elevate’. Both were kinda meh - there’s a general desire to “control the narrative” and sanitize things for the public.

There are so many good stories in MLS; there are more stories and more interesting stories than are being told in ‘Welcome to Wrexham’, and yet nobody is telling them. Apple and MLS need to lean into storytelling, and invest in spending some money on that storytelling. Additional tie-ins would be advisable too. What about a Ted Lasso spinoff rooted in MLS? Coach Beard takes on the new expansion team in Detroit, and signs Dani Rojas and GK Zorro to the squad. Zorro is canonically a signing from Montreal Impact already.

MLS is a great property. Apple can grow it, if willing to spend a little money, and take some risks; and if MLS is willing to show off teams and players, warts and all.

MLS Fantasy sucks

Way back in the 2000s, I was a huge fan of fantasy baseball on Yahoo. MLS’ fantasy game started off pretty fun: the ability to change your lineup every week, but have any players appreciate in value to help your bottom line is cool.

Unfortunately, nothing else is really new or different or interesting over the past several years. There are no real rule changes. There’s barely any prizes - basically like the top 8 people out of 17,000 win $500 or a sweatshirt. There’s no promotion of it. There’s *no mobile app,* which is just absurd.²

MLS may have orphaned the product because there are other ‘games’ the league has a tie-in to promote. There is the sorare card collection game, which is effectively an NFT trading platform for football. It kind of intrigues me, except I’m not entirely sure that it won’t all turn out the way Upper Deck baseball cards did in the 1990s: a Griffey Jr. rookie card is valuable, so Upper Deck starting printing a billion of them, and then the cards weren’t valuable anymore. Imagine the same scenario but with a *digital* card, and you see the potential problem. There is also MLS officially recognizing betting – bet365 is the current official partner, although the marketing is actually quite subtle. And there’s also MLS Pick ‘Em, which they are promoting far more than MLS Fantasy, but is totally uninteresting to me.

I think the league needs a new game, or a new approach, or some new fantasy rules. At least try, dammit.

CCC and US Open Cup needed to be on Apple

Concacaf Champions League and US Open Cup are awesome competitions, and the best way to grow the league and increase interest is to promote and monetize existing undervalued properties. Apple needs to snap up the broadcast rights to CCC and US Open Cup. This would also be an effective way to get Don Garber to backtrack on his lunkheaded decision to try and pull MLS out of USOC: show him the money. As long as the MLS teams are getting a cut, even a small one, of the broadcast revenue, they’ll travel to Akron or Omaha or Honduras or whatever.

Pre-Game and Post-Game Coverage pretty flat

I like some of the broadcast team that does MLS 360, and pre-game, and post game, specifically Bradley Wright-Phillips, Sacha Kljestan team, and Andrew Wiebe. But the whole thing is a little sanitized; a little flat. There’s no feature stories from the field. There’s no quick banter debates. There’s a bit of X and Os analysis but it isn’t super deep. There’s not a lot of off-script chemistry. It’s just all kind of meh.

Compare all that to the TNT Basketball broadcasts with Shaq and Charles Barkley; the Paramount TV Champions League team of Kate Abdo, Jamie Carragher, Thierry Henry, and Micah Richards; the NBC team of the two Robbies and Rebecca Lowe. Alexis Guerreros, formerly of the Cooligans, is also super fun.

MLS’ current team doesn’t carry the the same vibe and energy and camaraderie.

I might be nostalgic, but I thought the studio team before Apple took over: Matt Doyle, Andrew Wiebe, Susannah Collins and Calen Carr was a great team. Don’t get me wrong: the broadcast team is fine. But there’s untapped opportunity here to make MLS smart and fun.

1. I will very briefly note that officiating is better too, including the use and explanation of VAR. Why isn’t this its own item? Because not everyone agrees, and because there’s still a degree to which the officiating could be better. (Ahem, Omir Fernandez’ goal against SJ being called back on some fake offsides interference bullshit Ahem.)

2. If you go to the MLS app, and you find the right menu, Fantasy is there. However, adjusting your lineup on a cellphone is torture.