The Soccer Business
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The Business of North American Soccer Decoded
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Hi Reader,
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Welcome to this week's newsletter and a special welcome to our new subscribers. While we continue to bring you news and opinion through this newsletter we are also expanding our podcast offering in the coming weeks. As well as our regular news focused content, we are adding dedicated series which focus on specific areas of the soccer business.
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Today we dropped the first of our new "The Deal Room" series which takes a look at finance and investment in the game. In this opening show, former Liverpool FC CEO Peter Moore, now based in California, joined us to look at the implications of the minority investment in the club from a consortium featuring Amazon's Jeff Bezos. As always you can find our latest pod with links to various platforms in the Podcast section of our website.
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Right let's get into the news…
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As always, you can contact me at simon@thesoccerbusiness.com.
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Cheers,
Simon Evans
The Soccer Business
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European leagues want a piece of the American pie
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Post-World Cup, the Premier League is making another big push to strengthen its foothold in the American soccer market — and you can be sure their approach is going to be followed by other leagues.
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Next weekend, the EPL are holding in-person, live events in 15 cities across the United States to mark the opening fixtures of the new season. The initiative is called 'Coast to Coast' and it builds on the fan-fests they have held throughout recent years but on a much wider scale — former players and celebrities will be featuring and of course NBC, Peacock and USA are participating.
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On a smaller scale, but along similar lines, the EFL are holding official watch parties at Legends Bar in Manhattan this weekend for the launch of the new Championship season. And CBS/Paramount+, the broadcasters in this market, are supporting the events.
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The EFL is part of the Relevent Sports stable of properties and you can be sure that they will be watching closely how these events go. With the Bundesliga, La Liga and UEFA's Champions League among the competitions the Stephen M. Ross owned company represents, this market is only going to see more IRL events for fans of foreign leagues.
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It makes sense — moving beyond the 'broadcast+social media' model to a more immersive, in-person, event focused approach, leveraging the talent and reach of broadcasters, requires a bigger investment in terms of resources but it enables a far more intense and real connection with fans.
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What does this mean for those building domestic soccer clubs and leagues? It means North American leagues can no longer presume that they are the only properties offering the chance of participating as a fan rather than just being a passive consumer on the couch.
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Sure, MLS and USL can argue they are the only leagues offering a true, authentic stadium experience every weekend, but that doesn't mean there isn't a challenge here. And it is a good challenge, IMO, because engaging more with fans and offering them more ways to develop a real 'belonging' is good for business. Whether it be more watch-parties for road games, or other ways of bringing fans together outside of home game-days, there is plenty that North American clubs can be doing.
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NWSL should be wary of relocation talk
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Valuations are soaring and the NWSL is riding the wave of investor interest in women's sports, but the story last week that Racing Louisville's owners might consider relocation, as they struggle to keep up in a more costly environment, was disappointing to read.
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“We are not planning to move the team, but I think economic reality would be if you can't make it work here… If you build a restaurant somewhere and nobody comes in to eat, you either close it down or you move the restaurant, right?” said chairman John Neace.
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That makes sense as an economic argument but relocation always leaves a sour taste in the mouth. It's a rejection of a community and it makes all previous statements of commitment to a locality look insincere — even if they were heartfelt at the time. Louisville is a great sporting city, with a well located and modern stadium which is home to one of USL's more successful men's teams and a women's team which has been a positive part of the NWSL story. Let's hope that Neace and the club are successful in finding the investment they need.
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The EFL gets underway again this weekend and their latest numbers show that even a second tier European league is enjoying significant growth in the US market.
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The Deal Room: Bezos & Liverpool with Former LFC CEO Peter Moore
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In the first episode of our new investment series "The Deal Room," we look at the news that Amazon's Jeff Bezos is part of a consortium which has acquired a stake in Liverpool FC. With the club's valuation reported between $6–8 billion, what does this mean for FSG's ownership? Former Liverpool CEO Peter Moore returns to give his view.
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NYCFC II SET TO REBRAND AND RELOCATE TO NEW JERSEY UNDER MLS'S NEW "HOMETOWN SOCCER HOLDINGS": New York City FC's reserve team, NYCFC II, is on track to leave New York City for Middlesex County, New Jersey, according to sources cited by New York Soccer Journal. The presumed new home is Middlesex College Stadium in Edison — a soon-to-be-completed, 6,500-seat multi-purpose venue built to Big Ten, NCAA, Minor League Baseball and FIFA standards, which will also host Rutgers University's baseball team. The move would come under MLS Next Pro's new "Hometown Soccer Holdings" initiative, announced in April in partnership with private equity firm KKR: a central entity that would take over commercial operations for MLS Next Pro affiliates whose parent clubs opt in, relocating those reserve sides to new markets — ideally with new, appropriately sized soccer-specific venues — while MLS parent clubs keep full control of soccer decision-making.
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NYCFC president and CEO Brad Sims all but confirmed the move in a roundtable with reporters last week, telling New York Soccer Journal founder Andrew Leigh: “I'll give a quick answer: Yes, we're going to do it, yes I think we'll be one of the first teams that do it, maybe the first team that does it.” Sims said full details would be announced within “30-to-60 days” and praised Hometown Soccer Holdings as “a smart business model,” comparing it to Diamond Baseball Holdings — the roughly 50-team Minor League Baseball consolidator built via a similar private-equity partnership with Silver Lake. Hometown Soccer Holdings is led by CEO Tom Glick, who previously served as NYCFC's own president from 2015 to 2016.
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Little else is confirmed publicly, but sources indicate the move would amount to a full rebrand of NYCFC II, with a separate-but-connected front office in New Jersey and training operations split off from the club's existing facility in Orangeburg, NY. Hometown Soccer Holdings declined to comment, and NYCFC, KKR, and The Sports Facilities Companies (operator of the new Middlesex stadium) did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
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Source: New York Soccer Journal
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LAFC LOCKS UP CO-PRESIDENTS THORRINGTON AND FREEDMAN ON MULTI-YEAR EXTENSIONS: LAFC has signed general manager/co-president John Thorrington and chief business officer/co-president Larry Freedman to new multi-year contract extensions, keeping the pair who have built the club into MLS's most valuable and successful modern franchise both on and off the pitch. Thorrington, with the club since 2015, has overseen an MLS Cup (2022), two Supporters' Shields, and the league's best win/points/goals record since 2018. Freedman, on board since 2014, was MLS's 2019 Executive of the Year and has presided over a stadium that has sold out every home match in club history.
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“Our senior leadership team of John and Larry continues to do an incredible job of leading our Club to unprecedented success both on and off the field,” said lead managing owner Bennett Rosenthal. The extensions come as LAFC's ownership base continues to draw outside capital and attention — the club recently saw Joe Tsai exit and Carlos Vela join its ownership group in a stake sale that valued the franchise at $1.25 billion — underscoring how central Thorrington and Freedman have been to establishing LAFC's commercial and competitive template. Minority owner Larry Berg was last week appointed the new Commissioner of MLS and will have to divest his shares.
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Source: LAFC.com
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FSG CONFIRMS BEZOS-LINKED CONSORTIUM'S MINORITY INVESTMENT IN LIVERPOOL: Fenway Sports Group on Friday officially confirmed a strategic minority investment in Liverpool FC from 1892 Holdings, a consortium led by Amit Bhatia and including the Mittal family trusts, Jeff Bezos's K5 Global Fund, and Eduardo and Elaine Saverin's EE Capital. The stake size and investment amount weren't disclosed, but FSG will retain majority ownership and operational control of the club; the deal is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.
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“Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season and making decisions with the club's long-term interests in mind,” said FSG president Mike Gordon. Bhatia said the consortium was investing because it believes “deeply in Liverpool and its leadership,” and looks forward to “supporting the club's continued success.”
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Source: Liverpool FC
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CHARLOTTE FC NAMES FRIGIDAIRE FIRST-EVER BACK-OF-KIT PARTNER: Charlotte FC has named home-appliance brand Frigidaire as the first sponsor to occupy the club's new back-of-kit asset, a fresh MLS sponsorship inventory slot placed below player numbers. The Frigidaire logo debuted on Charlotte's kits this past weekend against Columbus Crew. Frigidaire, part of the Electrolux Group, has kept its North American headquarters in Charlotte for more than a century.
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Source: Charlotte FC
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KAYLYN KYLE DEPARTS MLS'S APPLE TV BROADCAST TEAM AFTER FOUR YEARS: Kaylyn Kyle, the former Canadian international who has been a fixture of MLS's Apple TV studio and match coverage, is leaving the league after four years as a host and analyst, Major League Soccer confirmed to Awful Announcing. Kyle — who earned 101 caps for Canada between 2007 and 2018, including a bronze medal at the 2012 London Olympics, before moving into media with TSN and a sideline-reporting stint with Inter Miami — joined MLS's on-air team in 2023 and became a regular presence on MLS Countdown and MLS 360. Her final show with the league airs Aug. 19, with MLS league play currently on pause for Leagues Cup.
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Kyle announced the move in an Instagram post, calling it “the hardest goodbye” and thanking the league and her colleagues without detailing her next step. She has recent experience beyond MLS, having hosted Fox Sports' digital coverage during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and her departure lands as most major US networks staff up soccer coverage — NBC (Premier League), ESPN (LaLiga), CBS (Serie A and Champions League), USA (Bundesliga) and Fox (international coverage) — with Netflix also expected to build a talent roster ahead of its presentation of the 2027 Women's World Cup.
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Source: Awful Announcing
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USL EXPANDS PARTNERSHIP WITH PREMIER SPORTS MEDICINE ACROSS ITS ECOSYSTEM: The United Soccer League has expanded its relationship with Premier Sports Medicine, naming it the league's preferred supplier of athletic trainer staffing across USL Championship, USL League Two and the W League — an ecosystem that includes more than 250 pre-professional clubs. The deal broadens a prior partnership that had been focused on youth soccer, giving clubs access to a national network of vetted, certified trainers and allowing continuity of care by contracting the same trainer through a season.
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Source: USL.com
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SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL EXTENDS FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR USL STADIUM SITE THROUGH 2027: Springfield, Missouri's City Council voted Aug. 10 to extend the city's exclusivity agreement with United Soccer League through Dec. 31, 2027 (with up to two further six-month extensions possible), giving both sides more time to study a potential soccer-specific stadium at the northwest corner of National Avenue and Trafficway. Initial geotechnical investigations and site surveys show the 8.9-acre, city-owned property — home since 2003 to "The Commons at Jordan Valley" greenspace — can accommodate a venue of this scale, according to Amanda Ohlensehlen, the city's director of workforce and economic vitality. But the site's history as a limestone quarry and landfill means additional environmental engineering and site-planning work is required before any final configuration, cost estimate or development recommendation can be presented.
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The council terminated its original 50/50 cost-share agreement with USL — struck in December 2024 — and replaced it with an amended letter of intent under which the city alone will fund and manage further feasibility work, up to $75,000, on top of the up-to-$75,000 it already committed to the first phase (USL has not asked to be reimbursed for costs it fronted). USL is proposing both a men's team, intended for USL League One, and a women's side for Springfield. As proposed, the new stadium would seat a minimum of 5,000, expandable to 10,000, with surrounding mixed-use development — housing, retail, a hotel and more — envisioned as the city's responsibility to pursue. Ohlensehlen called Springfield a “high-priority market” for USL given its growing soccer community.
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Source: Springfield Daily Citizen
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RENO PRO SOCCER TO UNVEIL USL EXPANSION TEAM NAME SEPT. 9: Reno Pro Soccer will reveal the name of its USL Championship expansion club on Sept. 9, the ownership group announced on social media, as it works toward reviving professional soccer in northern Nevada. USL officially awarded Reno Pro Soccer an expansion franchise in October 2025, nearly five years after the region's last pro side, Reno 1868 FC, folded following its 2015–20 run in the league.
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The group is planning an $80 million, 6,000-seat soccer-specific stadium at the former Jones West Ford site on Kietzke Lane, envisioned as the anchor of a much larger $350 million mixed-use development dubbed "The Boulevard Reno" that would also include a hotel and casino. Reno Pro Soccer has said it hopes to break ground on the stadium by the end of the year, making the September name reveal an early commercial marker — branding, merchandise and season-ticket campaigns typically follow a team-identity launch — ahead of construction getting underway.
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Source: Nevada Sports Net
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NYCFC NAMES VIAMERICAS OFFICIAL INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFER & REMITTANCE PARTNER: New York City FC has signed remittance company Viamericas as the club's Official International Money Transfer & Remittance Partner, with Viamericas becoming the first-ever sponsor to appear on the back of NYCFC's First Team training kit. The deal also carries an in-stadium presence on matchdays, aimed at introducing supporters to Viamericas' international money-transfer services.
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Source: New York City FC
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SOCCEREX AND CONCACAF STRIKE STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP FOR SOCCEREX MIAMI 2026: Global football business platform Soccerex has named Concacaf a strategic partner for Soccerex Miami 2026, giving the confederation a prominent presence — executive participation, thought-leadership sessions and a flagship exhibition booth — at the event. Concacaf, headquartered in Miami, will use the platform to promote the game across its 41 member associations spanning North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The event will be held at Inter Miami's Nu Stadium Sept 23-25.
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Source: Concacaf.com
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CAL NORTH SIGNS THREE-YEAR TECH PARTNERSHIP WITH VEO FOR YOUTH SOCCER VIDEO ANALYSIS: Cal North, the governing body for youth and adult soccer across Northern California, has named sports-technology company Veo its Official Capture & Analysis Partner (and Official Premier Technology Partner) in a three-year deal running through August 2029. The partnership will expand access to Veo's automated match- and training-capture technology across Cal North's member clubs and programs, including its Olympic Development Program and MLS NEXT pathways, giving coaches and players tools for review, recruiting and player development.
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Source: Cal North
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UNION OMAHA STRIKES LOCAL TV DEAL WITH FIRST ALERT 6/WOWT: USL League One side Union Omaha has signed a broadcast partnership with First Alert 6 WOWT to air nine regular-season matches, plus any playoff games, on the Golden Spike Sports and Entertainment Network — available on WOWT's 6.6 subchannel and Cox Cable channel 127. Coverage began Aug. 8 with the club's road match at Chattanooga Red Wolves and runs through an Oct. 24 regular-season finale at Forward Madison FC.
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The deal plugs the club into a network — launched in May 2026 by First Alert 6 WOWT and Gray Media — that already carries Omaha Storm Chasers baseball and local high school sports, giving Union Omaha a steadier local TV footprint as it builds its regional following.
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Source: Union Omaha
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GOOGLE'S SOCCER SPONSORSHIP SPREE HITS BAYERN MUNICH, BARCELONA AND PSG: Google has struck a run of near-identical two-brand sponsorship deals with three of Europe's biggest clubs within a single month, using the tie-ups to push Gemini and Pixel into new international fan bases. In each case, Google Gemini becomes the club's official consumer AI partner and Google Pixel becomes its official mobile phone partner, with Pixel also producing exclusive digital content — including behind-the-scenes and daily-activity coverage — around the men's and women's first teams. Bayern Munich signed first, in early August; Barcelona, last season's LaLiga champions, followed about a week later; Paris Saint-Germain's tie-up landed within the same August window. None of the deals' financial terms have been disclosed.
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The spree builds on California-based Google's sponsorship activity around the recent FIFA World Cup, where it backed multiple national teams.
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Source: Sportcal
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AC GRAND RAPIDS NAMES TED VAN ZELST CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER: MLS NEXT Pro expansion club AC Grand Rapids has hired veteran sports executive Ted Van Zelst as its first Chief Revenue Officer, effective Aug. 10, tasking him with building out corporate partnerships, ticketing, premium hospitality, group and single-match sales, and broader revenue operations ahead of the club's planned 2027 inaugural season at the new Amway Stadium. Van Zelst brings more than 25 years in sports revenue leadership, most recently as Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for the Detroit Pistons, where he modernized the franchise's sponsorship department, led its arena transition, and landed both the Pistons' practice-facility naming rights (Henry Ford Health System) and its first-ever jersey patch sponsor (Flagstar Bank). His résumé also includes seven years at NASCAR as Director of Corporate Marketing, senior roles at WWE and Live Nation, eight years with the New York Islanders, a stint as Chief Commercial Officer of Saudi Motorsport Company, and his own consulting firm, Zeker Solutions.
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A Michigan native from Sturgis with a sport marketing degree from Indiana University, Van Zelst gives AC Grand Rapids a hometown tie as it builds out its front office.
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Source: AC Grand Rapids
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