El fútbol de Estados Unidos sigue animando los mercados de traspasos. Los clubes de la Major League Soccer son grandes candidatos para adquirir jugadores provenientes de Europa. Antoine Griezmann sería el nuevo “capricho” del fútbol estadounidense.
Según informaciones de The Athletic, Antonine Griezmann sería el principal objetivo del Orlando City. El conjunto estadounidense aún busca un nombre de peso para que ocupe el lugar de jugador franquicia. Griezmann es un fiel aficionado de la NBA y está al tanto de los grandes deportes de Estados Unidos. No sería descabellado su fichaje.
“Orlando City se encuentra en conversaciones avanzadas sobre el traspaso del delantero del Atlético de Madrid, Antoine Griezmann para su puesto vacante de jugador designado”, informan desde el portal.
Este interés no sería solo un rumor. Directivos del Orlando City estarían realizando viajes a España para contactar directamente con el jugador del Atlético Madrid. “The Lions” se adelantan en el intento de convencer a Griezmann de jugar en la MLS.
“Aún no hay acuerdos formales para el internacional francés, y Orlando City también está en contacto con otros jugadores. El director deportivo y gerente general del Orlando City, Ricardo Moreira, ha estado en España en varias ocasiones para trabajar en el acuerdo“, agrega el medio.
Estrellas que firmaron por Orlando City
El Orlando City ha contado con grandes futbolistas en los últimos años. A pesar de que no tienen un fuerte poder económico como sus rivales de conferencia, el club ha podido firmar a futbolistas de gran trayectoria.
“The Lions” han tenido en su plantilla a jugadores de la talla de Antonio Nocerino, proveniente del Milan en 2016, Júlio Baptista en 2016, Alexandre Pato en 2021, Nani en 2019 y Kaká en 2014. Antoine Griezmann sería el segundo campeón del mundo que se uniformaría con la camiseta del Orlando City; el primero fue Kaká.

Of all the teams in Major League Soccer, none has had a wilder two-season run than the L.A. Galaxy. In 2024, the Galaxy won the MLS Cup in grand style; in 2025, it went on a historic 16-match winless streak and finished well outside the playoffs.
How, then, does one judge the Galaxy in 2026? Is it reasonable to hold it to the high standards of 2024 or the low standards of 2025? Or is there a better way to evaluate its progress than those admittedly extreme goalposts?
Galaxy coach Greg Vanney thinks there is. In his preseason news conference, Vanney laid out three clear principles of play that he aims to master with his 2026 Galaxy team.
But what are they? Why do they matter? And how did the Galaxy perform them in its season-opening 1-1 draw with NYCFC?
“Front to back” defending
The Galaxy conceded a whopping 66 goals throughout the 2025 season, more than every other team in MLS bar Sporting Kansas City. It’s a sobering statistic and one that led the Galaxy toward a full defensive rebuild in the offseason — both in terms of personnel and mindset.
“For me, the defending part of it is from front to back,” Vanney said. “It’s making sure that in every situation we have everybody connected and working together inside of the defensive effort.”
The Galaxy did well bringing this mindset to its opening game against NYCFC. Its attacking trio wasn’t shy about settling deeper to assist its defensive partners. The gambit worked — the Galaxy held onto its one-goal advantage for much of the match and didn’t falter after conceding a controversial penalty — but Vanney was quick to point out that it had negative repercussions on his team’s attack.
“Gabe [Pec] was in the back line a lot,” he admitted. “Which means it was very hard for them to penetrate us, but it was also very hard for us to get pressure to the ball sometimes.”
The Galaxy is still working to find the right balance of defensive rigidity and offensive fluidity. Sunday’s 1-1 draw with NYCFC was an interesting start, but the team has a lot more to learn about switching between phases of play.
Finishing attacks on the move; less playmaking from standing stops
When the goals dried up for the Galaxy in 2025, it was a lack of service to winger Gabriel Pec that caused it. The team struggled to find him while on the move, and Pec struggled to convert chances given to him from standing stops. Vanney entered the 2026 season desperate to flip that script.
“It’s about us finding Gabe and finishing actions,” he said. “Not standing in stationary positions and trying to play-make from standing positions. If we do that, it’s going to be a long one for Gabe and for us.”
The Galaxy kicked off its 2026 season well in this regard: It scored in the opening two minutes of its debut game thanks to a fluid, on-the-move sequence involving Pec, Joseph Paintsil, Marco Reus and new striker Joao Klauss.
From there, though, the Galaxy struggled to keep that momentum.
“I thought the start of the game was fantastic, but then we struggled to build attacks for pretty much the rest of the game,” he admitted. “The combination of the group of players were having a hard time finding the sync with each other.”
There are clear signs of growth here, but this new-look Galaxy needs to get a few more reps in before it can establish itself as an on-the-move attacking threat.
“Our fair share … plus a little” approach to possession
“We want to be ball-oriented,” Vanney said before the season kicked off. “We want to have our fair share of possession plus a little. We’re probably in the right wheelhouse if we’re between 55-60% possession in games.”
The Galaxy wrapped its opening league game with just 36% of the ball — nowhere near its target. Heavy defensive work kept it from being the ball-playing team that it so desperately wishes to become.
The Galaxy will return to league action on Saturday against Charlotte FC.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

The 2026 Major League Soccer season has already begun, and the future of San Diego FC forward Hirving Lozano remains unresolved. Sporting director Tyler Heaps spoke again on the matter.
San Diego FC started the new MLS season on a good note, thrashing CF Montreal 5-0 at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday.
Mikey Varas’ team was a goal machine and did not need “Chucky” Lozano, who arrived in California just over a year ago, to be that source of goals for the newest MLS franchise.
At the start of the preseason ahead of the new campaign, sporting director Tyler Heaps revealed that the club would no longer count on Lozano, who even has Designated Player status.
This happened after the end of the 2025 season, when there were internal problems between head coach Varas and the player, according to reports.
San Diego FC Sporting Director Breaks Silence on Hirving Lozano Situation
Heaps spoke again on the matter. Questioned by SanDiego.Futbol’s journalist Tony Sanchez spoke about Lozano’s situation, the sporting director indicated that things remain the same, and confirmed interest from other clubs in the Mexican.
“And, on the action items on your desk in that same position, what we’ve been talking about, Lozano and his situation, you and Mike had mentioned that there have been clubs that were interested. Is there any update on that, or what the situation is with Lozano moving forward? Will he be here for the summer?” Sanchez asked.
Heaps said, “Yeah, there is interest, but there’s no update at this time. As soon as there is an update, I’ll be sure to let you guys know, and be as transparent as we can be.”

In the 2026 Major League Soccer season opener for both teams, New York Red Bulls held on for a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Orlando City SC at Inter&Co Stadium, with Julian Hall’s early strike and resolute defending enough to withstand a late Lions fightback that culminated in Tiago’s dramatic 96th-minute consolation. The result reflected the Red Bulls’ superiority across large stretches of a contest that kept supporters on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
The tone was set inside eight minutes. Hall’s right-footed finish from close range guided to the center of the goal after a slick assist from Emil Forsberg. It was an early statement of intent from the visitors, who had clearly arrived with a plan and the confidence to execute it. Maxime Crépeau, Orlando’s new goalkeeper, had already been tested twice before Hall broke the deadlock — Jorge Ruvalcaba forcing a sharp stop in the 12th minute after being found by Adri Mehmeti, and again in the 27th minute when Ruvalcaba’s right-footed effort from the left side of the box was palmed away, this time with Forsberg providing the service.
Orlando pushed for an equalizer and had their moments. Marco Pasalic tested Ethan Horvath from outside the box in the 31st minute, with Tyrese Spicer providing the assist, but the Red Bulls goalkeeper stood firm. Then came the blow that effectively settled the contest: Julian Hall struck again in the 40th minute, rifling a right-footed shot from close range into the top left corner following a corner routine, with Adri Mehmeti delivering the assist. Two goals to the good at the break, New York had done the hard work and appeared in complete control.
The second half brought renewed pressure from Orlando, and Horvath was called into action repeatedly. Griffin Dorsey tested him in the 70th minute with a left-footed effort from the center of the box, only to be denied. The Lions pressed with increasing urgency as the clock wound down, with Martín Ojeda and Braian Ojeda both forcing blocks in a frantic spell around the 83rd minute. Substitute Tiago came agonizingly close before eventually finding the net — his header blocked in the 90th minute before, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Tiago finally beat Horvath with a composed left-footed finish to the bottom left corner, assisted by fellow substitute Zakaria Taifi. It was a moment of quality, but it arrived too late to alter the outcome.
The statistics told the story of a match in which New York Red Bulls were the more dangerous side throughout. The Red Bulls outshot Orlando 22 to 17, and more tellingly, registered 13 shots on target compared to just six for the hosts. Possession was closely contested — New York edging it 52.2% to 47.8% — but the clinical edge belonged firmly to the visitors. The most remarkable number of the evening belonged to Crépeau, who made an extraordinary 11 saves. Without his heroics, the scoreline could have been far more damaging for Orlando.
The substitutions shaped the closing stages significantly. New York brought on Eric Choupo-Moting and Omar Valencia in the 75th minute, while Gustav Berggren replaced Mehmeti a minute later. Orlando responded by introducing Tiago for Spicer in the 76th minute and Taifi for Dorsey in the 86th — changes that ultimately produced the consolation goal but could not manufacture an equalizer. The tactical adjustments highlighted both teams’ desperation to control the match’s final chapter, though only the Red Bulls’ defensive organization held firm when it mattered most.
For Orlando, the defeat is a sobering start to their campaign, and the challenge now is recovering quickly. The Lions return to Inter&Co Stadium on March 1 when Inter Miami CF and Messi comes to town — a Florida Derby fixture that will carry extra weight after this result and demand an immediate response from Oscar Pareja’s side.

FRISCO — By the time DJ “G” cued up Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” last Friday night, the 24-hour party next to Toyota Stadium was already in full throttle: Dozens of fans feasted on 100 pizzas that FC Dallas supplied; two brave souls planned their evening near tents where they would, presumably, finally sleep.
This was the 21st year FC Dallas fans staged an around-the-clock tailgate. It had all the trappings of peak fandom: kids kicking soccer balls under moonlight, adults banging drums and painting a 30-by-30-foot tifo banner — a soccer fever dream lit by fire pit and streetlights. But this year, revelers primed for a season unlike any other, as soccer stakeholders expect the coming World Cup to super-charge the franchise and Major League Soccer.
Standing beside his eight-person tent, Charlie Ostrovich, an 11-year FC Dallas season-ticket holder who met his wife, Gina, through the team’s supporters’ club, the Dallas Beer Guardians, called the atmosphere “amazing.” The 1994 World Cup “kick-started soccer in the U.S.,” he said, “and once they finish renovating [Toyota Stadium], it will be poppin’ here.”
Thirty-two years after the last men’s World Cup on U.S. soil gave birth to MLS, FC Dallas and the league are heavily invested in using the largest World Cup in history — 48 teams — as a springboard to spread the type of passion that crescendoed in this nondescript Frisco parking lot. While the NFL has lapped all U.S sports in popularity, MLS believes it can close the gap on long-established leagues such as the NBA, NHL and MLB.
The challenge: How does a league fully capitalize on what it views as the greatest growth opportunity in its three-decade history?
Dan Hunt, President of FC Dallas, arrived at the tailgate a few hours before the team’s match against Toronto FC, making the rounds like the Pied Piper. He politely declined a fan’s offer of a potent shot before making this declaration to The Dallas Morning News: One day, MLS will rival Major League Baseball in popularity, and by 2029 it will be a top-five soccer league globally.
“The potential is limitless,” said Hunt, whose planning to take advantage of a World Cup bounce started when the bid was made in 2017. “This excitement and euphoria around the World Cup is like nothing we’ve ever seen before … This is the year of soccer.”
MLS told The News it made an “eight-figure” investment in World Cup-related campaigns. It believes it has wind at its back: team valuations, two-year attendance numbers and sponsorship dollars are up; viewership is expected to grow with the elimination of Apple TV’s additional paywall; and next year’s change to the season’s calendar is expected to attract more European talent. Seth Bacon, MLS’s Executive Vice President of Media, said the league is poised for “exponential growth” from this “generational” moment.
“We are looking at this as a huge injection of rocket fuel into this league,” Bacon told The News. “It’s going to be a transformational moment for the sport and the league, and we’re looking at how we create that next generation of what the league is going to look like, who our fans are going to be, how people interact with the sport.”
On the heels of the World Cup, he added, “the narrative isn’t going to be, ‘Hey, it’s the same old MLS.’”
Alan Rothenberg was chairman of the 1994 World Cup Organizing Committee and also launched MLS. He echoed Hunt’s sentiment that MLS will ultimately rival MLB in popularity in large part because of the soccer league’s young, diverse fan base.
“The question really is: How fast can MLS catch up?,” Rothenberg told The News. “I can’t give you a date, but I think it’s inevitable.”
West Virginia-based Kyle Sheldon is the founder and CEO of Name & Number, a soccer-specific marketing and creative agency whose client roster includes MLS, U.S. Soccer, Chelsea FC, Seattle Sounders FC and New York City FC. He said the “growth potential for soccer, and by extension MLS, may be the highest of any sport in America.”
“There will be a bump,” Sheldon, who has worked for D.C. United, Chicago Fire and the Seattle Sounders FC, told The News. “It’s a question of whether that bump is sustainable … MLS clubs, and the sport as a whole, are still kind of scratching the surface of what’s possible in the U.S., and the World Cup will be a massive accelerator for that.”
All 13 World Cup host cities in the U.S. and Canada are home to MLS clubs, and Arlington’s AT&T Stadium is hosting more matches (nine) than any other location. MLS stakeholders call this year a perfect soccer storm.
“The table is set,” John Kristick, who was the Executive Director of the United Bid Committee — leading the efforts to bring the World Cup to North America — told The News. “They’ve spent the last 35 years trying to get everything ready. It’s served up. They’ve got great ownership. They’ve got great soccer-specific stadiums. They’ve got brand awareness. They’ve got strong leaders across the clubs. Let’s eat.”
World Cup will create ‘the spark’
Michael Peticolas remembers walking into the Cotton Bowl on June 21, 1994, to watch the Bulgaria-Nigeria World Cup match, sitting with Nigerian fans and hearing their chants. What stayed with him wasn’t the final score, but rather what the game “felt” like — his first realization that soccer is the world’s game.
Last weekend, Peticolas stood beside the tailgating tent bearing the name of his brewery, Peticolas Brewing Company, one of the 24-hour tailgate’s sponsors. He’s attended FC Dallas matches since its first season at the Cotton Bowl and is such a big fan he once pitched the franchise on a FC Dallas beer.
“The World Cup is going to create the spark,” said Peticolas, who has purchased tickets for every World Cup since 2006. “But FC Dallas has to provide the firewood so, after it is over, they convert a once-in-a-lifetime event into a lasting relationship.”
The United States’ appetite for the World Cup is much different than what existed in 1994, Hunt said, when the game was “a novelty” and fans were still grasping the sport.
In order to secure the World Cup rights in 1994, FIFA mandated that the U.S. start a professional league. It was a big ask: Since Hunt’s late father, sports visionary Lamar Hunt, formed the American Football League in 1959, no new sports league had been successfully sustained. The AFL’s success and subsequent merger with the NFL created the modern NFL.
Rothenberg, whose recent book, “The Big Bounce,” details the growth of soccer in the U.S. from the ’94 World Cup, called Lamar Hunt an “essential keystone,” saying they couldn’t have created the league without him. And there were hurdles: In December 1993, when they announced the name of the league, MLB wrote Rothenberg demanding they “cease and desist” because MLS infringed on their name. Rothenberg told MLB: “Sue me. I’d love the headline ‘Major League Baseball Fears Major League Soccer.’”
These days, Rothenberg said, initial investors who put up $5 million each now have an asset package valued in excess of $1 billion. MLS said more than half of the 30 MLS teams are profitable.
To that point, five MLS teams now have valuations exceeding $1 billion, with Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami topping all teams at $1.45 billion, according to Sportico. The 30 teams, which have a combined valuation of $23 billion, have an average valuation of $767 million, an increase of 39% since Sportico’s first MLS valuation report in 2021. FC Dallas ranks 27th at $555 million.
Tel Aviv-based David Lasday, a strategic advisor who connects clubs, athletes and capital to emerging sports innovation, said the World Cup will lift the entire MLS ecosystem, but the valuation impact won’t be evenly distributed. Clubs in global gateway markets such as Los Angeles, Miami and New York will likely see the most immediate growth. Those markets, he said, attract international capital, sponsors and media attention that tends to compound around massive events.
“The bigger long-term story is structural,” Lasday told The News. “If the World Cup drives sustained media rights growth, deeper local sponsorship markets and stronger academy pipelines, mid-market clubs could see meaningful multiple expansion as well.”
Hunt said last season marked franchise highs in sponsorship and ticketing revenue. He said they’re on pace to surpass those figures this year, even though stadium capacity has been reduced because of a $200-million renovation project. In 2025, he said, the franchise saw a 10% increase in sponsorship dollars year over year.
Hunt declined to say whether the franchise is profitable, but said, “My brother [Clark] and I have never taken a single dollar out of FC Dallas. We have reinvested 100% of every revenue dollar back into players, facilities or staff.”
“We’re still very much in that growth-mode life cycle,” said Hunt, who is also the co-chair of the North Texas World Cup Organizing Committee. “We could not have picked a better time to really try to make a big leap in our revenue and coming on the heels of World Cup 2026 and also we’ll be developing the real estate around the stadium so we hope that that will also be a huge economic boost.”
Sheldon has told several clubs if they are not budgeting a minimum of $1 million specific to World Cup activations, “you’re missing the mark.”
“It’s not a question of should they be doing anything; it’s they should be doing everything,” Sheldon said. “It should be touching every single area of their business. Pull every lever they have.”
Sarah Kate Noftsinger, Atlanta United’s senior vice president and chief business officer, told The News the World Cup will be a “springboard” for the 10-year trajectory of the sport, and “how you put that in a jar and contain it is the million-dollar question for all of us.”
In January, MLS hired creative agency Ogilvy to lead its World Cup marketing strategy. The project is led by Ogilvy executive creative director Wes Phelan, whose previous career projects include the 2024 Super Bowl commercials for BMW and Mountain Dew.
The goal: accentuate how soccer “feels.” The initial campaign for the season is centered around the “MLS Is Back” creative, anchored by the spot “The Call,” featuring Magic Johnson, Son Heung-min, and MLS stars.
Efforts include coordinated club and league campaigns. The second phase of the campaign will focus on the MLS restart in July and a “Return to MLS” moment leading up to the World Cup final. MLS and premium experience company On Location are also working jointly to promote and sell World Cup hospitality packages.
“Without the Dan Hunts of the world — and go down the list of sports business leaders who are heavily invested in NFL [Robert Kraft, Arthur Blank, etc.] who also have an interest in soccer — this World Cup would likely not be here [otherwise] because they’ve all given the keys to the stadiums, and they found ways to work within FIFA’s guidelines so the stadiums can showcase the games,” said Kristick, now co-head of Consulting for Playfly Sports.
“That was major commitment from them and also it really gives this World Cup the chance to further accelerate the sport.”
MLS is in ‘pole position’
Tasked with the all-important duty of handling beverages during the 24-hour tailgate was Bailey Brown, the former president of the Dallas Beer Guardians, who is the current president of the Independent Supporters Council of North America, which advocates for 155 fan groups.
During a 2012 trip to Germany, she went to soccer watch parties and fell in love with the sport, which ultimately led her to FC Dallas games. Looking at the impact of this year’s World Cup, her focus will be on how the 30 MLS clubs work toward taking advantage of this moment.
As one barometer, teams are already benefiting from an increased appetite from brands to step into the MLS orbit. Team-specific sponsorship revenue reached $716 million last year, up 8% year over year.
Bob Lynch is the founder and CEO of SponsorUnited, which provides data on sponsorship and media partnerships. The company, which enables brands and rights holders to evaluate deals through data on more than 403,000 brands and 2.2 million deals, shared a trove of figures with The News to paint a picture of the sponsorship market in DFW and, more broadly, MLS.
From a sponsorship perspective, Lynch said, FC Dallas is toward the lower quartile among MLS teams. But from a growth perspective, the team has a “huge upside … If you look at their revenue generated on a per attendee basis, they generate more than $100 in sponsorship dollars per attendee.”
For the 2024 season, the most recent data SponsorUnited has on record, the average sponsorship deal for FC Dallas ranged from $180,000 to $240,000. That included 62 brand partners, which ranked 14th in MLS. [Hunt said sponsorship revenue increased 10% in 2025.]
For a snapshot of the DFW sports market, it has a mid-tier average deal size of $484,000. Brands such as AT&T, Blockchain.com and Globe Life are each committing more than 50% of their total sponsorship allocations to Dallas sports teams.
Nationally, there are new brands in the soccer market: Walmart’s first significant investment in soccer is a partnership with MLS. They’ve launched a campaign called Walmart Saturday Showdown. Financial technology company Chime last week announced a multi-year partnership with MLS.
“You’re going to have a whole new group of companies who are going to wake up to the sport this summer,” Sheldon said. “MLS is in pole position to capitalize on those sponsorship dollars because of their footprint in local markets, and obviously a growing national footprint.”
Andy Loughnane, President of Austin FC, which is entering its sixth season, told The News “corporate migration happening to Dallas, Houston and Austin should expand sponsorship opportunities for all the teams in Texas.”
Toyota has at least 14 partnerships with MLS teams, Lynch said. The automaker has been with half of those for more than seven years. Last fall, FC Dallas’ extension of its naming rights deal with Toyota Stadium was significant. David Christ, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division, said it’s a step for the franchise into a “new era.”
“We have so many new sponsors that are coming this way and either committed or showing interest,” Hunt said, “and especially with the new inventory that we have going into the building.”
FC Dallas ‘spared no expense’
Standing near pizza boxes stacked like a Jenga tower, Trent Meier took inventory of the growth of FC Dallas. A diehard supporter for two decades, he remembers FC Dallas playing in a stadium that was a third full, how Main Street in Frisco barely resembled the restaurant-laden terrain seen today.
Three new MLS stadiums — NYC FC, Chicago Fire and Inter Miami — will open over the next three years. Hunt expects FC Dallas’ $200 million renovation to reshape the fan experience at 21-year-old Toyota Stadium in 2028.
Hunt is intent on making it the nicest small soccer-specific stadium — with 22,500 seats — in MLS and potentially in the world. The project will include the installation of a 6,000-square-foot video board, the largest for a soccer-specific stadium in MLS. There will be three new stadium clubs, luxury suites, a new press box, a 59% increase in concession points-of-sale, a projected 26% increase in restroom facilities, and an upgraded field drainage system.
MLS’ Bacon said, “It’s clear, they spared no expense.”
MLS said more than 24 million fans attended matches the last two seasons, the two best seasons the league has ever had in attendance. And this past opening weekend saw 387,271 fans attend MLS matches, the highest all-time attendance for any MLS match weekend as it begins its 31st season.
The 75,673 fans who watched Miami FC-LAFC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum marked the second-largest standalone crowd in MLS history. In Frisco, FC Dallas achieved its 35th consecutive sell-out in Saturday’s match, as 11,004 fans watched a victory over Toronto in a stadium that remains at reduced capacity during renovations.
The longest active streak of MLS sellouts belongs to Austin FC, which has sold out all 88 regular-season and playoff games in its five-year history at 20,500-seat Q2 Stadium heading into this season. Langhnane, the team president, said the appetite for soccer in Austin is strong, prompting the team to have a two-pronged approach to capitalize on World Cup enthusiasm.
Austin FC plans to host a large World Cup watch party so thousands can attend. The club will also have a 40-day event at a local bar.
“The ability to generate and elevate fan affinity around a World Cup, it’s not just an exercise in wishful thinking; there’s a lot of historical data to suggest that new fans are, in fact, going to be introduced to our sport because it’s a World Cup year,” Langhnane said.
“Austin’s already a soccer city, and the World Cup can help us scale that growth funnel. It’s all of our jobs. Whether you’re in Dallas, you’re in Houston or you’re in Austin, our job is to grow the awareness and the excitement into, let’s call it, MLS curiosity.”
‘That’s my team, that’s my sport’
An FC Dallas scarf draped around his neck, 19-year-old Sean Colley stood in front of a large television at the 24-hour tailgate, recounting how he fell in love with the team. Three years ago, he stumbled upon FC Dallas on the league’s new media partner, Apple TV.
“Watching Dallas score a goal,” he said, “it clicked in my brain: ‘That’s my team; this is my sport; that is who I am.’”
The Apple TV deal is key to MLS’s growth strategy. In 2022, the league signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with the streaming giant. Viewership numbers have been opaque. But league commissioner Don Garber last year said MLS Season Pass averaged 120,000 unique viewers per match.
An additional paywall existed with MLS Season Pass, which no longer exists. All matches are now available to Apple TV subscribers.
“They don’t ever disclose how many subscribers they have,” Hunt said of Apple TV. “But I know it’s gigantic. So it’s easily accessible to people. I think our viewership numbers will be crazy.”
In November, it was reported that the parties are ending the deal after the 2028-2029 season, three and a half years earlier than originally planned.
Asked directly why MLS and Apple TV decided to end the deal early, MLS’s Bacon danced around the question like Messi eluding a defender, telling The News: “From a timing standpoint, having clarity and having the ability to manage the market from a media perspective is something that’s important to us. We played the long game from the start in our media process and our media strategy.
“We’re first mover in the digital space, and so having that clarity is beneficial to us, and it’s something that we did strategically, in partnership with Apple, but it’s something that’s going to benefit the league long term.”
Soccer executives said it’s advantageous financially for MLS — which also has a rights deal with FOX — to take its games to the open market on the heels of the World Cup, as well as the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which figures to provide another soccer bounce.
Rothenberg said MLS will be well-positioned to significantly increase the rights fees they’ve been receiving, which he believes will enable the league to have more money to keep some of the young American players from going to Europe and bring in some established players from Europe.
More than ‘Messi, Messi, Messi’
Dennis McGowan, vice president of the Dallas Beer Guardians, was in his element at the 24-hour tailgate, which he helped organize.
Taking a wide-lens assessment of FC Dallas, he said the team has traditionally been a developmental club, seasoning players such as Ricardo Pepi, Bryan Reynolds and Tanner Tessman and then selling them. “It was built from inception to be a developmental franchise that buys and sells players, and the league is evolving beyond that,” McGowan said, “so they have to find ways to be able to balance that with winning.”
FC Dallas has made several playoff appearances in recent years. Its accomplishments include winning the so-called domestic double in 2016 with the Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best regular-season record and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. And in 2010, it was the MLS Cup runner-up.
League-wise, Messi has sucked up a lot of the oxygen nationwide, attracting casual fans because of his global following. He has 18 brand endorsements and 629 million social media followers, according to SponsorUnited.
But there are other luminaries: Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Thomas Müller (14 endorsements, 43 million followers), LAFC’s Son Heung-min (13 endorsements, 20 million followers). Minnesota United FC signing James Rodriguez was a coup. FC Dallas forwards Petar Musa (Croatia) and Louicius Don Deedson (Haiti) could both compete in the World Cup.
In MLS’s efforts to ride the Messi wave, McGowan said, they need to strike a balance.
“Everything around this league is Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi,” McGowan said. “Come see Messi on Apple TV. Come see Messi and friends. We’ve got Son, come see Son versus Messi. We’re going to rent out a big stadium where we have 90,000 people to come in and see Messi. What happens when Messi goes away? What happens when the World Cup ends?”
The move next year to the traditional European calendar — July to May with a winter break — will benefit the league. Hunt said it may take two years, but to expect 60 to 100 new players that MLS teams take on loan or buy. It couldn’t happen before because the seasons didn’t line up.
Whether MLS can be a top-five soccer league globally by 2029 is a complex question, said Bob Heere, a University of North Texas professor of sports management and director of UNT Sports Innovation Space. A complicating factor: MLS is the only soccer league in the world that has implemented competitive balance measures, he said. This means their bottom-ranked teams are often stronger than bottom-ranked teams in other leagues, but their top teams are weaker than top teams in competitions that might overall not be as strong. For instance, top teams in MLS are still significantly weaker than top teams in the Portuguese, Netherlands and Turkish competitions, he added.
“Yes, MLS has the potential to be a top-five league in the world by 2029, but in all likelihood, it would be a distant fifth, far behind the top-four leagues in England, Germany, Spain and Italy,” Heere said. “To put this in an American context: Because of the World Cup, MLS has the opportunity to become the Mountain West Conference within the collegiate landscape.”
Another barrier MLS looks to crack is entry into the mainstream sports conversation. Whereas a generation ago that meant leading ESPN’s SportsCenter, now it’s through social media platforms, said Drew Epperley of BigDSoccer.com. He said it’s critical MLS becomes the talk of podcasts and fodder for media personalities like ESPN’s Pat McAfee.
“You want those bigger entities that a lot of younger audiences skew to talking about it,” Epperley told The News. “You want them leading with it more in the next few years, and if they are not leading with it, then this World Cup was a total bust.”
Atlanta United’s Noftsinger also said it’s about capturing youth, but in another respect — playing the game. Then, she said, you need to develop talent to create a more exciting professional product, which then puts more money back into the youth game.
“I really think that this is like a full circle opportunity here,” she said.
The combination of homegrown talent and global stars, she said, could potentially propel MLS into a top-three U.S. sports league and top-five global soccer league.
Hunt echoed those sentiments, noting the team’s long success with its academy. He also recalled what his dad, Lamar Hunt, said before he died in 2006: “I put you in the right place with the stadium.”
When the younger Hunt looks in all directions, he said he sees potential for growth. To the north, population growth extending to the Oklahoma border; to the east he sees Fort Worth and Dallas essentially merging; to the south he sees new $87 million Mansfield Stadium.
If MLS fully capitalizes on its World Cup bounce, Hunt said, that vision looks like sold-out stadiums, heightened viewership and more kids playing the game.
“For this league to continue to be successful,” he said, “we got to develop domestic stars.”
‘Table is set’ for MLS
When a Chevrolet Brightspot 400 electric van pulled up to the 24-hour tailgate last Friday night, a bearded man stuck his head out of the driver’s side window and said, “Is this the drunk-fest?”
Overall, this was a family-friendly affair. And an hour before the match started came chants and smoke and flag waving. A 3-year-old girl banged a drum as the traditional procession for several dozen fans began under the darkening sky toward the stadium.
Inside Toyota Stadium, the large soccer tifo banner appeared, rolled out and held up by fans after the national anthem, a nod of encouragement for the team’s coach, Eric Quill.
As Kristick, who led the efforts to bring the World Cup to North America, said, the “table is set” for MLS. Valuations and sponsorship revenues are up, viewership is poised to grow, and more eyes are on soccer with the World Cup taking hold. The onus is on FC Dallas and MLS to capitalize.

Diego Simeone has responded to growing speculation linking Antoine Griezmann with a move to Orlando City.
The Atletico Madrid forward has once again found himself at the centre of transfer speculation, with reports suggesting Major League Soccer could soon become his next destination.
The noise around a potential departure has intensified as Orlando City’s interest continues to gather momentum.
Diego Simeone comments on Antoine Griezmann Orlando City rumours
Against that backdrop, Simeone’s stance offers clarity on how the club views Griezmann’s situation and the autonomy he holds over his own future.
In remarks shared by Fabrizio Romano, Diego Simeone addressed the Orlando City links directly: “I won’t speak for him. I care about him a lot.
“I already told him what I think: that he should always choose what’s best for himself. He’s in a place where he deserves to decide what he wants to do.”
The Atletico Madrid manager’s response reflects the long-standing relationship between the two men. Rather than shutting down the rumours, Simeone acknowledged that Griezmann has earned the right to determine the direction of his career.
Antoine Griezmann linked with Orlando City MLS switch
Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Orlando City are positioning themselves to secure Antoine Griezmann should he decide to leave La Liga.
The MLS side are understood to hold a strong interest in bringing the French forward to Florida as part of their long-term project.
Griezmann, now 34, has previously spoken about the appeal of playing in the United States before retirement, which adds credibility to the current speculation.
However, he remains under contract at Atletico Madrid, and any move would require careful negotiation given his continued importance to the squad.
For now, the message from Diego Simeone is measured and consistent. The decision belongs to Antoine Griezmann, and that reality shapes everything that follows.

Josh Sargent has joined Toronto from Norwich City in England’s second-tier League Championship on, ending a messy situation in which the striker was exiled to the under-21 squad after he refused to play in an FA Cup match last month
February 27, 2026 at 3:35 p.m. EST1 minute ago
Josh Sargent joined Toronto from Norwich City in England’s second-tier League Championship on Friday, ending a difficult situation in which the striker was exiled to the under-21 squad after he refused to play in an FA Cup match last month.

Josh Sargent joined Toronto from Norwich City in England’s second-tier League Championship on Friday, ending a difficult situation in which the striker was exiled to the under-21 squad after he refused to play in an FA Cup match last month.
Sargent, 26, was signed as a designated player through the 2030-31 Major League Soccer season. He had eight goals this season and 56 goals in 157 appearances with the Canaries overall.
“Regardless of the manner of his departure, Josh has been a significant part of the club’s recent story, contributing greatly and captaining the team on many occasions,” Norwich sporting director Ben Knapper said in a statement. “He now moves on and we wish him well for his next step, and for his future beyond.”
Sargent is a Missouri native who signed with Germany’s Werder Bremen in 2018 and joined Norwich three years later. A member of the 2022 U.S. World Cup team, he appears to be behind Folarin Balogun, Haji Wright, Ricardo Pepi and Patrick Agyemang in the competition for forward spots on the 2026 World Cup roster.
“He brings high-level experience in some of the strongest leagues in the world and international pedigree at just 26 years old. He is a proven goal scorer, with a winning mentality and the intelligence that will lead our attack for years to come,” Toronto general manager Jason Hernandez said. “Josh will just begin to enter the prime of his career while representing our club and our city.”
Sargent has five goals in 29 international appearances, scoring in his U.S. debut against Bolivia on May 28, 2018. He played in all three group stage matches at the 2022 World Cup.
But he hasn’t scored an international goal since November 2019 and was not on the U.S. roster for last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. His last international appearance was when he started in a September friendly against South Korea.
Toronto acquired St. Louis’ right of first refusal for Sargent in exchange for $500,000 in General Allocation Money over the next two years and additional funds if performance metrics are met.
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Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution postponed their March 7 home opener against Houston because the field won’t be ready at Gillette Stadium.
New England now intends to plays its first home game on March 15 against Cincinnati.
“Due to this week’s historic winter weather in the northeast, the harvesting and delivery of the stadium’s new natural grass field has been delayed,” the team said in a statement Friday. “With field-related stadium infrastructure preparations completed on schedule, the Gillette Stadium field crew is prepared to install the grass when it arrives ahead of the Revolution’s new MLS home opener.”
New England opened with a 4-1 loss at Nashville last weekend and is at the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution postponed their March 7 home opener against Houston because the field won’t be ready at Gillette Stadium.
New England now intends to plays its first home game on March 15 against Cincinnati.
“Due to this week’s historic winter weather in the northeast, the harvesting and delivery of the stadium’s new natural grass field has been delayed,” the team said in a statement Friday. “With field-related stadium infrastructure preparations completed on schedule, the Gillette Stadium field crew is prepared to install the grass when it arrives ahead of the Revolution’s new MLS home opener.”
New England opened with a 4-1 loss at Nashville last weekend and is at the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.

As the 2026 Major League Soccer season gets into action, ESPN looks at the new campaign to see what we can expect from the African players in MLS this year.
The offseason saw a number of new African signings from all over the continent, and it will be interesting to see how much of an impact the players make on the league, especially in comparison to the NWSL, where Africa’s women have dominated the past two seasons.
Golden Boot contenders in MLS
Denis Bouanga (LAFC, Gabon)
Twinkle-toed Bouanga may have struggled at the Africa Cup of Nations, where Gabon were eliminated in the first round, but his legacy in Major League Soccer is already secured.
The talented wideman has established himself as one of Africa’s greatest gifts to US football, having become a genuine MLS superstar since swapping Saint-Etienne for Los Angeles FC in 2022.
He’s won a swathe of silverware — including the MLS Cup and Supporters’ Shield in 2022, as well as the US Open Cup two years later — and has been LAFC’s top scorer for each of the last four years.
The 31-year-old has been one of the major protagonists in the building of the current Los Angeles franchise’s identity, and he has unfinished business at the club as well, having starred during the run to the CONCACAF Champions League final in 2023, where LAFC were ultimately defeated by Leon.
He’s currently the top scorer in this year’s edition of the continent’s top competition, and will look to balance success against the region’s finest defences with yet another 20+-goal season in Major League Soccer.
LAFC’s new-look strikeforce, with Bouanga partnering Son Heung-min, could be one of the most devastating the division has ever seen…if incoming head coach Marc Dos Santos can get the best out of the duo.
Denis Bouanga slots in the goal for LAFC
Denis Bouanga slots in the goal for LAFC
Kévin Denkey (FC Cincinnati, Togo)
The then-record MLS signing when he joined FC Cincinnati from Cercle Brugge for $16.2 million in November ’24, Denkey enjoyed an encouraging first season with FCC, scoring 15 goals across 29 appearances.
It was enough to fire his new employers to second in the Eastern Conference as well as the overall MLS standings, before they were ultimately undone by Inter Miami CF in the semis.
For context, Denkey’s full debut campaign surpassed the maiden season for all of Africa’s MLS greats with the sole exception of Bouanga, far eclipsing Kei Kamara, Dominic Oduro, Fanendo Adi, and Obafemi Martins.
And there’s still much more to come from the powerful, instinctive striker who, at 25, represents the new profile of the kinds of players who are being targeted by MLS clubs and attracted by the opportunities the league can present.
There’s a sense that there’s still much more to come from Denkey’s partnership with Evander, and if the pair can click, expect The Garys to be challenging for major honours.
Wilfried Zaha (Charlotte FC, Ivory Coast)
There were flashes of excellence from Zaha during his debut MLS campaign last season, with the 33-year-old averaging just under a goal every three games while still adapting to life in a new country and league.
His loan runs until July, meaning the attacker will still have the opportunity to impose himself during the opening months of the season, before returning to Galatasaray (or elsewhere).
With the World Cup on the horizon, Zaha will be aware that he needs to continue to prove his class after failing to make much of an impact for the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Zaha has been unabashedly himself since arriving in North Carolina – winning some admirers in the process – but having to adapt to a new environment, while also arriving at a team in transition, means MLS hasn’t seen the best of the ex-Crystal Palace man yet.
African wonderkids to watch
Manu Duah (San Diego FC, Ghana)
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft in December ’24, becoming the first ever draft pick for San Diego FC, 20-year-old Duah promptly began to establish himself as one of the most exciting young centrebacks in the States.
The Ghanaian impressed in college football with UC Santa Barbara, often playing in a midfield role, and adapted quickly to both MLS and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.
Comfortable in possession, with attuned reading of the game, and excellent physical credentials, expect another year of growth under Mikey Varas.
Could he make a surprise late run into Ghana’s World Cup squad?
Rayan Elloumi (Vancouver Whitecaps, Tunisia)
Elloumi is another who could be a surprise inclusion at the World Cup if he starts the season strongly, although it remains to be seen whether his international future belongs to Tunisia, having represented the North Africans at U-23 level, or Canada, having featured for their B team earlier this year.
The 18-year-old signed his first professional contract in June, and netted his first MLS goal three months later, playing his part in the 7-0 demolition of Philadelphia Union. Sensational in MLS NEXT Pro, the talented forward could be the division’s breakout star in 2026.
Nimfasha Berchimas (Charlotte FC, Burundi-Tanzania)
Berchimas became the youngest player to score for the United States at the U-17 since wonderkid Freddy Adu 23 years ago when he netted in the 2023 tournament in South Korea, then aged only 15.
Since then, he’s progressed to the States’ U-20 team, while also taking his first steps as a professional in MLS, having cut his teeth with Charlotte’s NEXT Pro team, Crown Legacy.
The bright winger, who is eligible for both Burundi and Tanzania, has the potential to be the next big thing in Major League Soccer, although rumours of interest from Bayern Munich may yet lead to a transfer to Europe before the year is out.
New African signings to watch
Mbekezeli Mbokazi (Chicago Fire FC, South Africa)
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos may not have been impressed by Mbokazi’s decision to sign for Chicago Fire rather than move to Europe, infamously criticising the young defender in late 2025 in a headline-making outburst, although we believe that the 20-year-old can take his game to new heights in the States.
He caught the eye for Orlando Pirates after making his debut for the PSL heavyweights last year, and the Buccaneers are certainly struggling without him, having failed to replace the centreback’s pace, aerial ability and no-nonsense defensive approach in the backline.
Mbokazi has all the qualities to make Broos eat his words, although he must silence any suggestions that a lack of professionalism and focus are destined to hold him back.
Puso Dithejane (Chicago Fire FC, South Africa)
Signed by Fire alongside Mbokazi, although not as high-profile as his new teammate, Dithejane is another figure in the increasing South African presence in US soccer, with Olwethu Makhanya and Bongi Hlongwane among the other Mzansi stars set to feature in MLS this term.
21-year-old Dithejane, who made his South Africa debut in the 2023 COSAFA Cup, should bring explosive pace and direct dribbling to the Fire, while he also demonstrated his eye for goal while on loan at TS Galaxy.
Sekou Bangoura (Columbus Crew, Guinea)
The Crew parted with €1m to sign the Guinea international midfielder from Israel’s Kiryat Shmona in January, with Bangoura arriving as one of several notable signings for Henrik Rydstrom’s side.
The 23-year-old is a gamble — Crew are his sixth club since 2021, and he hasn’t yet settled anywhere to truly prove his credentials, although he now has an ideal opportunity to show what he can do.
A powerful box-to-box operator, can Bangoura replace the energy and dynamism that the Crew lost with the retirement of US international Darlington Nagbe?

Kai Trewin, NYCFC’s newest first-team signing, impressed in his Major League Soccer debut. The Australian helped his team claw back from a one-goal deficit to earn a 1-1 draw against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday night.
“The speed and the play here are really high, and it was definitely a step up for me,” Trewin said. “But I felt like I raised the level, and I really enjoyed the game.”
He started alongside Socceroo teammate Aiden O’Neill in front of the back four, and both acted as sweepers for NYC’s high press throughout the match. The pair played against each other whilst Trewin was at Brisbane Roar in the A-League, and shared the pitch for the national team.
“I played with him a few times before, but never next to him in midfield. And I really enjoyed today,” Trewin said. “I felt like we were able to connect quite well and help the team get back into the game after our slow start.”
He was not touch-tight to Marco Reus on the Galaxy’s opening goal, allowing the German to spin and find goalscorer João Klauss with a disguised back-heel pass.
Trewin grew into the game, though, after the first two minutes. He was always level with O’Neill when NYC drove forward. The Boys in Blue had the majority of possession during the match, which allowed both Aussies to sit 10 yards into the Galaxy half, stopping counterattacks before they had a chance to develop.
His one tackle won during the match was in exactly that space, and his heatmap showed he spent most of his time occupying the left-half channel in the midfield.
“When we talked about the game, the intensity was something [Trewin] really, really loved in his first experience in the MLS,” head coach Pascal Jansen said of his new midfielder.
However, it was not all rosy for the former Melbourne City midfielder. Trewin received a yellow card in the 56th minute after a lapse in concentration saw him jump out of the line he and O’Neill held to challenge Lucas Sanabria in the middle of the park.
The Uruguayan’s deft touch took the ball past Trewin, and NYC’s No. 5 went straight through him and into the referee’s books.
“He needs to be aware of the moments that, because playing aggressive and playing with pressure like he likes to do is one thing, but if you also have to be ready on your feet to make sure that you’re ready for players like Gabriel [Pec] or Justin Haak that can get by you with a single move,” Jansen noted after the match.
Yet Taylor Twellman, who was on the broadcast for the Sunday Night Soccer tie, said Trewin looked like a City Football Group player and has fit in seamlessly with the team. Melbourne City FC is just one of 13 men’s football teams they own, but the intense, high-pressing, front-foot style of soccer connects them all.
“There’s not too many things that I’m doing different,” Trewin said, “I feel like the way that we want to play here suits my game. I like being with the ball a lot, and when we don’t have the ball, I like to get a bit of a press on and try and win the ball up the pitch as high as possible.”
Only time will tell if NYCFC’s latest signing can have an impact on the squad as O’Neill did in his first season. But with Keaton Parks back from injury, and 18-year-old Jonny Shore, who Trewin was substituted off for in the closing stages, waiting in the wings, the onus is on Trewin to keep his starting spot.

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The 2026 Major League Soccer season has arrived and kicked things off with a bang.
The first whistle blew on Saturday, Feb. 21, with a whopping 15 matches taking place over the course of opening weekend. Most notably, Lionel Messi and the reigning champs Inter Miami FC traveled across the country to face Los Angeles Football Club. With the away team serving as favorites, LAFC pulled off a major upset, defeating Inter Miami 3-0 in front of 75,673 fans inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. It was the second-highest attended MLS match ever.
For soccer fans who don’t want to miss any more on-pitch action this season, every Major League Soccer match will be available to stream with an Apple TV subscription. Unlike in previous seasons, MLS Season Pass will no longer be offered. Instead, the 2026 season will be available as part of your existing streaming plan at no extra cost. There will also be 34 games available on Fox or FS1 as well, which you can stream with DirecTV.
How to Watch 2026 MLS Season, At a Glance:
For the 2026 MLS regular season, all 30 teams in the league will play exactly 34 games, 17 home and 17 away. However, due to the upcoming FIFA World Cup in June and July, the season will be put on pause during those summer months. A couple notable dates to remember though: on July 29, the MLS All-Star Game will be played on Wednesday, July 29 in Charlotte; and on Saturday, November 7, the final day of the regular season, which is also dubbed “Decision Day 2026”, will ultimately decide who makes it into the Audi 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs.
Here’s everything you need to know about watching the 2026 MLS season online for free. Keep scrolling to learn more.
How to Watch the 2026 MLS Season Online for Free
There are three great streaming options for soccer fans to tune into the 2026 MLS season without paying dime. With Apple TV, DirecTV and Hulu + Live TV offering free trials, new subscribers can watch their favorite teams take the pitch without stressing over monthly and yearly payment plans.
Want to watch every 2026 Major League Soccer match? Apple TV has you covered. Along with exclusive programming, all MLS games are included with a subscription to the Apple streamer. You can get a monthly subscription to Apple TV for $12.99/mo or snag an annual plan for $99. If you can’t decide, soccer fans can also use Apple TV’s 7-day free trial to stream your favorite MLS matches for free and without committing to a plan. After the trial period, users can cancel their subscription at anytime.
With Apple TV, users also gain access to hit shows like Pluribus, Severance, and Hijacks, plus the entire MLS season, MLB games and F1 races later this year.
A subscription to DirecTV — which comes with Fox — gets you access to live TV, local and cable channels, starting at $59.99 for the first two months of service ($69.99 per month). The service even offers a five-day free trial to watch for free if you sign up now.
You can watch local networks such as FOX and ABC, while you can watch many of the best sports networks, including ESPN, FOX Sports, NFL Network, NBA TV, NHL Network, Big Ten Network, TNT Sports, The Golf Channel, USA Network and many others.
Get the most content options including the option to watch FOX and FS1 with Hulu + Live TV. Not only will you get more than 95 live TV channels, but access to the entire Hulu library including exclusive content, originals and programming from FX and ABC. A regular subscription price starts at $89.99 per month.
Hulu offers music programming and documentaries, such as Summer of Soul, It’s All Country, Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and others. It even livestreams of popular music festivals, like Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, iHeartRadio Festival, iHeartCountry Festival and Austin City Limits Music Fest.

In the 2026 Major League Soccer season opener for both teams, New York Red Bulls held on for a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Orlando City SC at Inter&Co Stadium, with Julian Hall’s early strike and resolute defending enough to withstand a late Lions fightback that culminated in Tiago’s dramatic 96th-minute consolation. The result reflected the Red Bulls’ superiority across large stretches of a contest that kept supporters on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
The tone was set inside eight minutes. Hall’s right-footed finish from close range guided to the center of the goal after a slick assist from Emil Forsberg. It was an early statement of intent from the visitors, who had clearly arrived with a plan and the confidence to execute it. Maxime Crépeau, Orlando’s new goalkeeper, had already been tested twice before Hall broke the deadlock — Jorge Ruvalcaba forcing a sharp stop in the 12th minute after being found by Adri Mehmeti, and again in the 27th minute when Ruvalcaba’s right-footed effort from the left side of the box was palmed away, this time with Forsberg providing the service.
Orlando pushed for an equalizer and had their moments. Marco Pasalic tested Ethan Horvath from outside the box in the 31st minute, with Tyrese Spicer providing the assist, but the Red Bulls goalkeeper stood firm. Then came the blow that effectively settled the contest: Julian Hall struck again in the 40th minute, rifling a right-footed shot from close range into the top left corner following a corner routine, with Adri Mehmeti delivering the assist. Two goals to the good at the break, New York had done the hard work and appeared in complete control.
The second half brought renewed pressure from Orlando, and Horvath was called into action repeatedly. Griffin Dorsey tested him in the 70th minute with a left-footed effort from the center of the box, only to be denied. The Lions pressed with increasing urgency as the clock wound down, with Martín Ojeda and Braian Ojeda both forcing blocks in a frantic spell around the 83rd minute. Substitute Tiago came agonizingly close before eventually finding the net — his header blocked in the 90th minute before, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Tiago finally beat Horvath with a composed left-footed finish to the bottom left corner, assisted by fellow substitute Zakaria Taifi. It was a moment of quality, but it arrived too late to alter the outcome.
The statistics told the story of a match in which New York Red Bulls were the more dangerous side throughout. The Red Bulls outshot Orlando 22 to 17, and more tellingly, registered 13 shots on target compared to just six for the hosts. Possession was closely contested — New York edging it 52.2% to 47.8% — but the clinical edge belonged firmly to the visitors. The most remarkable number of the evening belonged to Crépeau, who made an extraordinary 11 saves. Without his heroics, the scoreline could have been far more damaging for Orlando.
The substitutions shaped the closing stages significantly. New York brought on Eric Choupo-Moting and Omar Valencia in the 75th minute, while Gustav Berggren replaced Mehmeti a minute later. Orlando responded by introducing Tiago for Spicer in the 76th minute and Taifi for Dorsey in the 86th — changes that ultimately produced the consolation goal but could not manufacture an equalizer. The tactical adjustments highlighted both teams’ desperation to control the match’s final chapter, though only the Red Bulls’ defensive organization held firm when it mattered most.
For Orlando, the defeat is a sobering start to their campaign, and the challenge now is recovering quickly. The Lions return to Inter&Co Stadium on March 1 when Inter Miami CF and Messi comes to town — a Florida Derby fixture that will carry extra weight after this result and demand an immediate response from Oscar Pareja’s side.

El fútbol de Estados Unidos sigue animando los mercados de traspasos. Los clubes de la Major League Soccer son grandes candidatos para adquirir jugadores provenientes de Europa. Antoine Griezmann sería el nuevo “capricho” del fútbol estadounidense.
Según informaciones de The Athletic, Antonine Griezmann sería el principal objetivo del Orlando City. El conjunto estadounidense aún busca un nombre de peso para que ocupe el lugar de jugador franquicia. Griezmann es un fiel aficionado de la NBA y está al tanto de los grandes deportes de Estados Unidos. No sería descabellado su fichaje.
“Orlando City se encuentra en conversaciones avanzadas sobre el traspaso del delantero del Atlético de Madrid, Antoine Griezmann para su puesto vacante de jugador designado”, informan desde el portal.
Este interés no sería solo un rumor. Directivos del Orlando City estarían realizando viajes a España para contactar directamente con el jugador del Atlético Madrid. “The Lions” se adelantan en el intento de convencer a Griezmann de jugar en la MLS.
“Aún no hay acuerdos formales para el internacional francés, y Orlando City también está en contacto con otros jugadores. El director deportivo y gerente general del Orlando City, Ricardo Moreira, ha estado en España en varias ocasiones para trabajar en el acuerdo“, agrega el medio.
Estrellas que firmaron por Orlando City
El Orlando City ha contado con grandes futbolistas en los últimos años. A pesar de que no tienen un fuerte poder económico como sus rivales de conferencia, el club ha podido firmar a futbolistas de gran trayectoria.
“The Lions” han tenido en su plantilla a jugadores de la talla de Antonio Nocerino, proveniente del Milan en 2016, Júlio Baptista en 2016, Alexandre Pato en 2021, Nani en 2019 y Kaká en 2014. Antoine Griezmann sería el segundo campeón del mundo que se uniformaría con la camiseta del Orlando City; el primero fue Kaká.

Of all the teams in Major League Soccer, none has had a wilder two-season run than the L.A. Galaxy. In 2024, the Galaxy won the MLS Cup in grand style; in 2025, it went on a historic 16-match winless streak and finished well outside the playoffs.
How, then, does one judge the Galaxy in 2026? Is it reasonable to hold it to the high standards of 2024 or the low standards of 2025? Or is there a better way to evaluate its progress than those admittedly extreme goalposts?
Galaxy coach Greg Vanney thinks there is. In his preseason news conference, Vanney laid out three clear principles of play that he aims to master with his 2026 Galaxy team.
But what are they? Why do they matter? And how did the Galaxy perform them in its season-opening 1-1 draw with NYCFC?

The 2026 Major League Soccer season has already begun, and the future of San Diego FC forward Hirving Lozano remains unresolved. Sporting director Tyler Heaps spoke again on the matter.
San Diego FC started the new MLS season on a good note, thrashing CF Montreal 5-0 at Snapdragon Stadium on Saturday.
Mikey Varas’ team was a goal machine and did not need

In the 2026 Major League Soccer season opener for both teams, New York Red Bulls held on for a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Orlando City SC at Inter&Co Stadium, with Julian Hall’s early strike and resolute defending enough to withstand a late Lions fightback that culminated in Tiago’s dramatic 96th-minute consolation. The result reflected the Red Bulls’ superiority across large stretches of a contest that kept supporters on the edge of their seats until the final whistle.
The tone was set inside eight minutes. Hall’s right-footed finish from close range guided to the center of the goal after a slick assist from Emil Forsberg. It was an early statement of intent from the visitors, who had clearly arrived with a plan and the confidence to execute it. Maxime Crépeau, Orlando’s new goalkeeper, had already been tested twice before Hall broke the deadlock — Jorge Ruvalcaba forcing a sharp stop in the 12th minute after being found by Adri Mehmeti, and again in the 27th minute when Ruvalcaba’s right-footed effort from the left side of the box was palmed away, this time with Forsberg providing the service.
Orlando pushed for an equalizer and had their moments. Marco Pasalic tested Ethan Horvath from outside the box in the 31st minute, with Tyrese Spicer providing the assist, but the Red Bulls goalkeeper stood firm. Then came the blow that effectively settled the contest: Julian Hall struck again in the 40th minute, rifling a right-footed shot from close range into the top left corner following a corner routine, with Adri Mehmeti delivering the assist. Two goals to the good at the break, New York had done the hard work and appeared in complete control.
The second half brought renewed pressure from Orlando, and Horvath was called into action repeatedly. Griffin Dorsey tested him in the 70th minute with a left-footed effort from the center of the box, only to be denied. The Lions pressed with increasing urgency as the clock wound down, with Martín Ojeda and Braian Ojeda both forcing blocks in a frantic spell around the 83rd minute. Substitute Tiago came agonizingly close before eventually finding the net — his header blocked in the 90th minute before, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Tiago finally beat Horvath with a composed left-footed finish to the bottom left corner, assisted by fellow substitute Zakaria Taifi. It was a moment of quality, but it arrived too late to alter the outcome.
The statistics told the story of a match in which New York Red Bulls were the more dangerous side throughout. The Red Bulls outshot Orlando 22 to 17, and more tellingly, registered 13 shots on target compared to just six for the hosts. Possession was closely contested — New York edging it 52.2% to 47.8% — but the clinical edge belonged firmly to the visitors. The most remarkable number of the evening belonged to Crépeau, who made an extraordinary 11 saves. Without his heroics, the scoreline could have been far more damaging for Orlando.
The substitutions shaped the closing stages significantly. New York brought on Eric Choupo-Moting and Omar Valencia in the 75th minute, while Gustav Berggren replaced Mehmeti a minute later. Orlando responded by introducing Tiago for Spicer in the 76th minute and Taifi for Dorsey in the 86th — changes that ultimately produced the consolation goal but could not manufacture an equalizer. The tactical adjustments highlighted both teams’ desperation to control the match’s final chapter, though only the Red Bulls’ defensive organization held firm when it mattered most.
For Orlando, the defeat is a sobering start to their campaign, and the challenge now is recovering quickly. The Lions return to Inter&Co Stadium on March 1 when Inter Miami CF and Messi comes to town — a Florida Derby fixture that will carry extra weight after this result and demand an immediate response from Oscar Pareja’s side.

FRISCO — By the time DJ “G” cued up Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” last Friday night, the 24-hour party next to Toyota Stadium was already in full throttle: Dozens of fans feasted on 100 pizzas that FC Dallas supplied; two brave souls planned their evening near tents where they would, presumably, finally sleep.
This was the 21st year FC Dallas fans staged an around-the-clock tailgate. It had all the trappings of peak fandom: kids kicking soccer balls under moonlight, adults banging drums and painting a 30-by-30-foot tifo banner — a soccer fever dream lit by fire pit and streetlights. But this year, revelers primed for a season unlike any other, as soccer stakeholders expect the coming World Cup to super-charge the franchise and Major League Soccer.
Standing beside his eight-person tent, Charlie Ostrovich, an 11-year FC Dallas season-ticket holder who met his wife, Gina, through the team’s supporters’ club, the Dallas Beer Guardians, called the atmosphere “amazing.” The 1994 World Cup “kick-started soccer in the U.S.,” he said, “and once they finish renovating [Toyota Stadium], it will be poppin’ here.”
Thirty-two years after the last men’s World Cup on U.S. soil gave birth to MLS, FC Dallas and the league are heavily invested in using the largest World Cup in history — 48 teams — as a springboard to spread the type of passion that crescendoed in this nondescript Frisco parking lot. While the NFL has lapped all U.S sports in popularity, MLS believes it can close the gap on long-established leagues such as the NBA, NHL and MLB.
The challenge: How does a league fully capitalize on what it views as the greatest growth opportunity in its three-decade history?
Dan Hunt, President of FC Dallas, arrived at the tailgate a few hours before the team’s match against Toronto FC, making the rounds like the Pied Piper. He politely declined a fan’s offer of a potent shot before making this declaration to The Dallas Morning News: One day, MLS will rival Major League Baseball in popularity, and by 2029 it will be a top-five soccer league globally.
“The potential is limitless,” said Hunt, whose planning to take advantage of a World Cup bounce started when the bid was made in 2017. “This excitement and euphoria around the World Cup is like nothing we’ve ever seen before … This is the year of soccer.”
MLS told The News it made an “eight-figure” investment in World Cup-related campaigns. It believes it has wind at its back: team valuations, two-year attendance numbers and sponsorship dollars are up; viewership is expected to grow with the elimination of Apple TV’s additional paywall; and next year’s change to the season’s calendar is expected to attract more European talent. Seth Bacon, MLS’s Executive Vice President of Media, said the league is poised for “exponential growth” from this “generational” moment.
“We are looking at this as a huge injection of rocket fuel into this league,” Bacon told The News. “It’s going to be a transformational moment for the sport and the league, and we’re looking at how we create that next generation of what the league is going to look like, who our fans are going to be, how people interact with the sport.”
On the heels of the World Cup, he added, “the narrative isn’t going to be, ‘Hey, it’s the same old MLS.’”
Alan Rothenberg was chairman of the 1994 World Cup Organizing Committee and also launched MLS. He echoed Hunt’s sentiment that MLS will ultimately rival MLB in popularity in large part because of the soccer league’s young, diverse fan base.
“The question really is: How fast can MLS catch up?,” Rothenberg told The News. “I can’t give you a date, but I think it’s inevitable.”
West Virginia-based Kyle Sheldon is the founder and CEO of Name & Number, a soccer-specific marketing and creative agency whose client roster includes MLS, U.S. Soccer, Chelsea FC, Seattle Sounders FC and New York City FC. He said the “growth potential for soccer, and by extension MLS, may be the highest of any sport in America.”
“There will be a bump,” Sheldon, who has worked for D.C. United, Chicago Fire and the Seattle Sounders FC, told The News. “It’s a question of whether that bump is sustainable … MLS clubs, and the sport as a whole, are still kind of scratching the surface of what’s possible in the U.S., and the World Cup will be a massive accelerator for that.”
All 13 World Cup host cities in the U.S. and Canada are home to MLS clubs, and Arlington’s AT&T Stadium is hosting more matches (nine) than any other location. MLS stakeholders call this year a perfect soccer storm.
“The table is set,” John Kristick, who was the Executive Director of the United Bid Committee — leading the efforts to bring the World Cup to North America — told The News. “They’ve spent the last 35 years trying to get everything ready. It’s served up. They’ve got great ownership. They’ve got great soccer-specific stadiums. They’ve got brand awareness. They’ve got strong leaders across the clubs. Let’s eat.”
World Cup will create ‘the spark’
Michael Peticolas remembers walking into the Cotton Bowl on June 21, 1994, to watch the Bulgaria-Nigeria World Cup match, sitting with Nigerian fans and hearing their chants. What stayed with him wasn’t the final score, but rather what the game “felt” like — his first realization that soccer is the world’s game.
Last weekend, Peticolas stood beside the tailgating tent bearing the name of his brewery, Peticolas Brewing Company, one of the 24-hour tailgate’s sponsors. He’s attended FC Dallas matches since its first season at the Cotton Bowl and is such a big fan he once pitched the franchise on a FC Dallas beer.
“The World Cup is going to create the spark,” said Peticolas, who has purchased tickets for every World Cup since 2006. “But FC Dallas has to provide the firewood so, after it is over, they convert a once-in-a-lifetime event into a lasting relationship.”
The United States’ appetite for the World Cup is much different than what existed in 1994, Hunt said, when the game was “a novelty” and fans were still grasping the sport.
In order to secure the World Cup rights in 1994, FIFA mandated that the U.S. start a professional league. It was a big ask: Since Hunt’s late father, sports visionary Lamar Hunt, formed the American Football League in 1959, no new sports league had been successfully sustained. The AFL’s success and subsequent merger with the NFL created the modern NFL.
Rothenberg, whose recent book, “The Big Bounce,” details the growth of soccer in the U.S. from the ’94 World Cup, called Lamar Hunt an “essential keystone,” saying they couldn’t have created the league without him. And there were hurdles: In December 1993, when they announced the name of the league, MLB wrote Rothenberg demanding they “cease and desist” because MLS infringed on their name. Rothenberg told MLB: “Sue me. I’d love the headline ‘Major League Baseball Fears Major League Soccer.’”
These days, Rothenberg said, initial investors who put up $5 million each now have an asset package valued in excess of $1 billion. MLS said more than half of the 30 MLS teams are profitable.
To that point, five MLS teams now have valuations exceeding $1 billion, with Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami topping all teams at $1.45 billion, according to Sportico. The 30 teams, which have a combined valuation of $23 billion, have an average valuation of $767 million, an increase of 39% since Sportico’s first MLS valuation report in 2021. FC Dallas ranks 27th at $555 million.
Tel Aviv-based David Lasday, a strategic advisor who connects clubs, athletes and capital to emerging sports innovation, said the World Cup will lift the entire MLS ecosystem, but the valuation impact won’t be evenly distributed. Clubs in global gateway markets such as Los Angeles, Miami and New York will likely see the most immediate growth. Those markets, he said, attract international capital, sponsors and media attention that tends to compound around massive events.
“The bigger long-term story is structural,” Lasday told The News. “If the World Cup drives sustained media rights growth, deeper local sponsorship markets and stronger academy pipelines, mid-market clubs could see meaningful multiple expansion as well.”
Hunt said last season marked franchise highs in sponsorship and ticketing revenue. He said they’re on pace to surpass those figures this year, even though stadium capacity has been reduced because of a $200-million renovation project. In 2025, he said, the franchise saw a 10% increase in sponsorship dollars year over year.
Hunt declined to say whether the franchise is profitable, but said, “My brother [Clark] and I have never taken a single dollar out of FC Dallas. We have reinvested 100% of every revenue dollar back into players, facilities or staff.”
“We’re still very much in that growth-mode life cycle,” said Hunt, who is also the co-chair of the North Texas World Cup Organizing Committee. “We could not have picked a better time to really try to make a big leap in our revenue and coming on the heels of World Cup 2026 and also we’ll be developing the real estate around the stadium so we hope that that will also be a huge economic boost.”
Sheldon has told several clubs if they are not budgeting a minimum of $1 million specific to World Cup activations, “you’re missing the mark.”
“It’s not a question of should they be doing anything; it’s they should be doing everything,” Sheldon said. “It should be touching every single area of their business. Pull every lever they have.”
Sarah Kate Noftsinger, Atlanta United’s senior vice president and chief business officer, told The News the World Cup will be a “springboard” for the 10-year trajectory of the sport, and “how you put that in a jar and contain it is the million-dollar question for all of us.”
In January, MLS hired creative agency Ogilvy to lead its World Cup marketing strategy. The project is led by Ogilvy executive creative director Wes Phelan, whose previous career projects include the 2024 Super Bowl commercials for BMW and Mountain Dew.
The goal: accentuate how soccer “feels.” The initial campaign for the season is centered around the “MLS Is Back” creative, anchored by the spot “The Call,” featuring Magic Johnson, Son Heung-min, and MLS stars.
Efforts include coordinated club and league campaigns. The second phase of the campaign will focus on the MLS restart in July and a “Return to MLS” moment leading up to the World Cup final. MLS and premium experience company On Location are also working jointly to promote and sell World Cup hospitality packages.
“Without the Dan Hunts of the world — and go down the list of sports business leaders who are heavily invested in NFL [Robert Kraft, Arthur Blank, etc.] who also have an interest in soccer — this World Cup would likely not be here [otherwise] because they’ve all given the keys to the stadiums, and they found ways to work within FIFA’s guidelines so the stadiums can showcase the games,” said Kristick, now co-head of Consulting for Playfly Sports.
“That was major commitment from them and also it really gives this World Cup the chance to further accelerate the sport.”
MLS is in ‘pole position’
Tasked with the all-important duty of handling beverages during the 24-hour tailgate was Bailey Brown, the former president of the Dallas Beer Guardians, who is the current president of the Independent Supporters Council of North America, which advocates for 155 fan groups.
During a 2012 trip to Germany, she went to soccer watch parties and fell in love with the sport, which ultimately led her to FC Dallas games. Looking at the impact of this year’s World Cup, her focus will be on how the 30 MLS clubs work toward taking advantage of this moment.
As one barometer, teams are already benefiting from an increased appetite from brands to step into the MLS orbit. Team-specific sponsorship revenue reached $716 million last year, up 8% year over year.
Bob Lynch is the founder and CEO of SponsorUnited, which provides data on sponsorship and media partnerships. The company, which enables brands and rights holders to evaluate deals through data on more than 403,000 brands and 2.2 million deals, shared a trove of figures with The News to paint a picture of the sponsorship market in DFW and, more broadly, MLS.
From a sponsorship perspective, Lynch said, FC Dallas is toward the lower quartile among MLS teams. But from a growth perspective, the team has a “huge upside … If you look at their revenue generated on a per attendee basis, they generate more than $100 in sponsorship dollars per attendee.”
For the 2024 season, the most recent data SponsorUnited has on record, the average sponsorship deal for FC Dallas ranged from $180,000 to $240,000. That included 62 brand partners, which ranked 14th in MLS. [Hunt said sponsorship revenue increased 10% in 2025.]
For a snapshot of the DFW sports market, it has a mid-tier average deal size of $484,000. Brands such as AT&T, Blockchain.com and Globe Life are each committing more than 50% of their total sponsorship allocations to Dallas sports teams.
Nationally, there are new brands in the soccer market: Walmart’s first significant investment in soccer is a partnership with MLS. They’ve launched a campaign called Walmart Saturday Showdown. Financial technology company Chime last week announced a multi-year partnership with MLS.
“You’re going to have a whole new group of companies who are going to wake up to the sport this summer,” Sheldon said. “MLS is in pole position to capitalize on those sponsorship dollars because of their footprint in local markets, and obviously a growing national footprint.”
Andy Loughnane, President of Austin FC, which is entering its sixth season, told The News “corporate migration happening to Dallas, Houston and Austin should expand sponsorship opportunities for all the teams in Texas.”
Toyota has at least 14 partnerships with MLS teams, Lynch said. The automaker has been with half of those for more than seven years. Last fall, FC Dallas’ extension of its naming rights deal with Toyota Stadium was significant. David Christ, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division, said it’s a step for the franchise into a “new era.”
“We have so many new sponsors that are coming this way and either committed or showing interest,” Hunt said, “and especially with the new inventory that we have going into the building.”
FC Dallas ‘spared no expense’
Standing near pizza boxes stacked like a Jenga tower, Trent Meier took inventory of the growth of FC Dallas. A diehard supporter for two decades, he remembers FC Dallas playing in a stadium that was a third full, how Main Street in Frisco barely resembled the restaurant-laden terrain seen today.
Three new MLS stadiums — NYC FC, Chicago Fire and Inter Miami — will open over the next three years. Hunt expects FC Dallas’ $200 million renovation to reshape the fan experience at 21-year-old Toyota Stadium in 2028.
Hunt is intent on making it the nicest small soccer-specific stadium — with 22,500 seats — in MLS and potentially in the world. The project will include the installation of a 6,000-square-foot video board, the largest for a soccer-specific stadium in MLS. There will be three new stadium clubs, luxury suites, a new press box, a 59% increase in concession points-of-sale, a projected 26% increase in restroom facilities, and an upgraded field drainage system.
MLS’ Bacon said, “It’s clear, they spared no expense.”
MLS said more than 24 million fans attended matches the last two seasons, the two best seasons the league has ever had in attendance. And this past opening weekend saw 387,271 fans attend MLS matches, the highest all-time attendance for any MLS match weekend as it begins its 31st season.
The 75,673 fans who watched Miami FC-LAFC at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum marked the second-largest standalone crowd in MLS history. In Frisco, FC Dallas achieved its 35th consecutive sell-out in Saturday’s match, as 11,004 fans watched a victory over Toronto in a stadium that remains at reduced capacity during renovations.
The longest active streak of MLS sellouts belongs to Austin FC, which has sold out all 88 regular-season and playoff games in its five-year history at 20,500-seat Q2 Stadium heading into this season. Langhnane, the team president, said the appetite for soccer in Austin is strong, prompting the team to have a two-pronged approach to capitalize on World Cup enthusiasm.
Austin FC plans to host a large World Cup watch party so thousands can attend. The club will also have a 40-day event at a local bar.
“The ability to generate and elevate fan affinity around a World Cup, it’s not just an exercise in wishful thinking; there’s a lot of historical data to suggest that new fans are, in fact, going to be introduced to our sport because it’s a World Cup year,” Langhnane said.
“Austin’s already a soccer city, and the World Cup can help us scale that growth funnel. It’s all of our jobs. Whether you’re in Dallas, you’re in Houston or you’re in Austin, our job is to grow the awareness and the excitement into, let’s call it, MLS curiosity.”
‘That’s my team, that’s my sport’
An FC Dallas scarf draped around his neck, 19-year-old Sean Colley stood in front of a large television at the 24-hour tailgate, recounting how he fell in love with the team. Three years ago, he stumbled upon FC Dallas on the league’s new media partner, Apple TV.
“Watching Dallas score a goal,” he said, “it clicked in my brain: ‘That’s my team; this is my sport; that is who I am.’”
The Apple TV deal is key to MLS’s growth strategy. In 2022, the league signed a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with the streaming giant. Viewership numbers have been opaque. But league commissioner Don Garber last year said MLS Season Pass averaged 120,000 unique viewers per match.
An additional paywall existed with MLS Season Pass, which no longer exists. All matches are now available to Apple TV subscribers.
“They don’t ever disclose how many subscribers they have,” Hunt said of Apple TV. “But I know it’s gigantic. So it’s easily accessible to people. I think our viewership numbers will be crazy.”
In November, it was reported that the parties are ending the deal after the 2028-2029 season, three and a half years earlier than originally planned.
Asked directly why MLS and Apple TV decided to end the deal early, MLS’s Bacon danced around the question like Messi eluding a defender, telling The News: “From a timing standpoint, having clarity and having the ability to manage the market from a media perspective is something that’s important to us. We played the long game from the start in our media process and our media strategy.
“We’re first mover in the digital space, and so having that clarity is beneficial to us, and it’s something that we did strategically, in partnership with Apple, but it’s something that’s going to benefit the league long term.”
Soccer executives said it’s advantageous financially for MLS — which also has a rights deal with FOX — to take its games to the open market on the heels of the World Cup, as well as the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which figures to provide another soccer bounce.
Rothenberg said MLS will be well-positioned to significantly increase the rights fees they’ve been receiving, which he believes will enable the league to have more money to keep some of the young American players from going to Europe and bring in some established players from Europe.
More than ‘Messi, Messi, Messi’
Dennis McGowan, vice president of the Dallas Beer Guardians, was in his element at the 24-hour tailgate, which he helped organize.
Taking a wide-lens assessment of FC Dallas, he said the team has traditionally been a developmental club, seasoning players such as Ricardo Pepi, Bryan Reynolds and Tanner Tessman and then selling them. “It was built from inception to be a developmental franchise that buys and sells players, and the league is evolving beyond that,” McGowan said, “so they have to find ways to be able to balance that with winning.”
FC Dallas has made several playoff appearances in recent years. Its accomplishments include winning the so-called domestic double in 2016 with the Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best regular-season record and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. And in 2010, it was the MLS Cup runner-up.
League-wise, Messi has sucked up a lot of the oxygen nationwide, attracting casual fans because of his global following. He has 18 brand endorsements and 629 million social media followers, according to SponsorUnited.
But there are other luminaries: Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Thomas Müller (14 endorsements, 43 million followers), LAFC’s Son Heung-min (13 endorsements, 20 million followers). Minnesota United FC signing James Rodriguez was a coup. FC Dallas forwards Petar Musa (Croatia) and Louicius Don Deedson (Haiti) could both compete in the World Cup.
In MLS’s efforts to ride the Messi wave, McGowan said, they need to strike a balance.
“Everything around this league is Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi, Messi,” McGowan said. “Come see Messi on Apple TV. Come see Messi and friends. We’ve got Son, come see Son versus Messi. We’re going to rent out a big stadium where we have 90,000 people to come in and see Messi. What happens when Messi goes away? What happens when the World Cup ends?”
The move next year to the traditional European calendar — July to May with a winter break — will benefit the league. Hunt said it may take two years, but to expect 60 to 100 new players that MLS teams take on loan or buy. It couldn’t happen before because the seasons didn’t line up.
Whether MLS can be a top-five soccer league globally by 2029 is a complex question, said Bob Heere, a University of North Texas professor of sports management and director of UNT Sports Innovation Space. A complicating factor: MLS is the only soccer league in the world that has implemented competitive balance measures, he said. This means their bottom-ranked teams are often stronger than bottom-ranked teams in other leagues, but their top teams are weaker than top teams in competitions that might overall not be as strong. For instance, top teams in MLS are still significantly weaker than top teams in the Portuguese, Netherlands and Turkish competitions, he added.
“Yes, MLS has the potential to be a top-five league in the world by 2029, but in all likelihood, it would be a distant fifth, far behind the top-four leagues in England, Germany, Spain and Italy,” Heere said. “To put this in an American context: Because of the World Cup, MLS has the opportunity to become the Mountain West Conference within the collegiate landscape.”
Another barrier MLS looks to crack is entry into the mainstream sports conversation. Whereas a generation ago that meant leading ESPN’s SportsCenter, now it’s through social media platforms, said Drew Epperley of BigDSoccer.com. He said it’s critical MLS becomes the talk of podcasts and fodder for media personalities like ESPN’s Pat McAfee.
“You want those bigger entities that a lot of younger audiences skew to talking about it,” Epperley told The News. “You want them leading with it more in the next few years, and if they are not leading with it, then this World Cup was a total bust.”
Atlanta United’s Noftsinger also said it’s about capturing youth, but in another respect — playing the game. Then, she said, you need to develop talent to create a more exciting professional product, which then puts more money back into the youth game.
“I really think that this is like a full circle opportunity here,” she said.
The combination of homegrown talent and global stars, she said, could potentially propel MLS into a top-three U.S. sports league and top-five global soccer league.
Hunt echoed those sentiments, noting the team’s long success with its academy. He also recalled what his dad, Lamar Hunt, said before he died in 2006: “I put you in the right place with the stadium.”
When the younger Hunt looks in all directions, he said he sees potential for growth. To the north, population growth extending to the Oklahoma border; to the east he sees Fort Worth and Dallas essentially merging; to the south he sees new $87 million Mansfield Stadium.
If MLS fully capitalizes on its World Cup bounce, Hunt said, that vision looks like sold-out stadiums, heightened viewership and more kids playing the game.
“For this league to continue to be successful,” he said, “we got to develop domestic stars.”
‘Table is set’ for MLS
When a Chevrolet Brightspot 400 electric van pulled up to the 24-hour tailgate last Friday night, a bearded man stuck his head out of the driver’s side window and said, “Is this the drunk-fest?”
Overall, this was a family-friendly affair. And an hour before the match started came chants and smoke and flag waving. A 3-year-old girl banged a drum as the traditional procession for several dozen fans began under the darkening sky toward the stadium.
Inside Toyota Stadium, the large soccer tifo banner appeared, rolled out and held up by fans after the national anthem, a nod of encouragement for the team’s coach, Eric Quill.
As Kristick, who led the efforts to bring the World Cup to North America, said, the “table is set” for MLS. Valuations and sponsorship revenues are up, viewership is poised to grow, and more eyes are on soccer with the World Cup taking hold. The onus is on FC Dallas and MLS to capitalize.

Diego Simeone has responded to growing speculation linking Antoine Griezmann with a move to Orlando City.
The Atletico Madrid forward has once again found himself at the centre of transfer speculation, with reports suggesting Major League Soccer could soon become his next destination.
The noise around a potential departure has intensified as Orlando City’s interest continues to gather momentum.
Diego Simeone comments on Antoine Griezmann Orlando City rumours
Against that backdrop, Simeone’s stance offers clarity on how the club views Griezmann’s situation and the autonomy he holds over his own future.
In remarks shared by Fabrizio Romano, Diego Simeone addressed the Orlando City links directly: “I won’t speak for him. I care about him a lot.
“I already told him what I think: that he should always choose what’s best for himself. He’s in a place where he deserves to decide what he wants to do.”
The Atletico Madrid manager’s response reflects the long-standing relationship between the two men. Rather than shutting down the rumours, Simeone acknowledged that Griezmann has earned the right to determine the direction of his career.
Antoine Griezmann linked with Orlando City MLS switch
Reports in recent weeks have suggested that Orlando City are positioning themselves to secure Antoine Griezmann should he decide to leave La Liga.
The MLS side are understood to hold a strong interest in bringing the French forward to Florida as part of their long-term project.
Griezmann, now 34, has previously spoken about the appeal of playing in the United States before retirement, which adds credibility to the current speculation.
However, he remains under contract at Atletico Madrid, and any move would require careful negotiation given his continued importance to the squad.
For now, the message from Diego Simeone is measured and consistent. The decision belongs to Antoine Griezmann, and that reality shapes everything that follows.