The Soccer Business Podcast

Are the Vancouver Whitecaps heading out of Canada and facing relocation to Las Vegas or Phoenix? Simon and Andre discuss the Athletics' report that MLS has been discussing relocation as an option. Plus we dive into the big numbers around NWSL after Jimmy Haslem forks out $205 million for an expansion slot in Columbus amid soaring valuations. Plus some USLgameday experience and some National League...

Marc Spiegel made history in 2025 by becoming the first American to take majority ownership of a Liga MX club. In this episode, the Querétaro FC chairman explains why he sees Mexican soccer as the most exciting investment opportunity in world football right now, how a chance dinner conversation in Wyoming set the whole thing in motion, and what a tech entrepreneur can bring to the beautiful game t...

Lionel Messi buys a club in Spain. A plan for a new soccer stadium in Vegas? Netflix move into North American soccer, Chelsea's heavy losses and those transport prices for the World Cup in New York/New Jersey. Simon Evans and Andre Da Costa break down this week's headlines in soccer business.

EFL clubs are suffering record losses but there is no shortage of (American) investors willing to take on the challenge of trying to make it to the Premier League. Football finance expert Kieran Maguire joins Simon and Andre to dig deeper into the reasons behind the negative balance sheets.

Writer Andres Martinez is the author of a new book on American Soccer 'The Great Game - A Tale of Two Football's And America's Quesst to Conquer Global Sport' which is a deep dive into how American soccer has moved in from the fringes of society to the mainstream and how America's traditional sports are, in turn, seeking to spread their reach globally. In this conversation with Simon Evans, host o...

This episode of the Soccer Business Podcast kicks off with a review of the week’s top headlines, beginning with the "kit war" between Nike and Adidas during recent US national team matches, where retro designs and "guerrilla marketing" took center stage. Hosts Simon Evans and Andre Da Costa celebrate the record-breaking debut of the Denver Summit, who drew 63,000 fans to an NFL stadium for their N...

Simon and Andre report back from Atlanta on a busy week at the SBJ conference on the in North American soccer business. Arthur Blank, Mohammed Mansour and Don Garber made their marks with their contributions raising a number of big issues. Plus Will Mo Salah bring a 'Middle Eastern Messi' effect to MLS? And does women's soccer need to talk more like a business than a community venture?

Zlatan Ibrahimovic Joins Fox Sports: A Game Changer for World Cup Coverage? Is the Jordan Brand Ruining Brazil’s Iconic Kit? Why American Soccer Fans Are Talking About the '94 Denim Kit. Did Nike Miss a Trick? And Cracking the Code: How Brands Can Reach the 'New' American Soccer Fan Through Creators. Host Simon Evans is joined by regular guest Andre Da Costa and Darren Weber of Beautiful Game Cons...

This week Simon and Andre look at Lionel Messi's growing equity stake in Inter Miami, Carlos Velas's investment in LAFC, a new soccer lifestyle product and in our deep dive Pardeep Cattry of CSB Sports joins us to discuss the new NWSL season and the KPIs that Commissioner Jessica Berman will be looking out for.

In this week's interview Nicolas Garcia Hemme, Managing Director of LaLiga North America, provides details on how the Spanish league has been sweeping up lucrative partnership deals with the likes of McDonalds and Walmart while continuing to grow their fan-base across the region. Is LaLiga replacing LigaMX as the preferred partner for brands looking to reach the Hispanic soccer fan in the USA? Plu...

MLS Next Pro President Ali Curtis discusses the league's expansion plans, their new broadcast deal and role of the league in growing the game across the United States and much more in this week's Soccer Business interview. Plus Andre Da Costa joins Simon to go over the big stories in North American soccer business news.

In this week's Soccer Business Podcast - Simon Evans and Andre Da Costa quickly go over the main talking points from the week in North American soccer business before our feature interview - a deep dive into the revenue strategy at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur with Chief Revenue Officer Ryan Norys. Find out about how Spurs maximize their state-of-the-art stadium 7-days a week, how they en...

Simon Evans is joined by Erik Stover, CEO of the New York Cosmos, who are about to begin their new life in USL and soccer market analyst Andre Da Costa. As well as examining the return of the Cosmos brand and the work being undertaken in New Jersey, we look at the recently announced plans for USL Premier and the broader ambitions for the introduction of promotion and relegation for USL.

The Bundesliga signed a 17-year partnership with Relevent Sports to boost their performance in the U.S. market and the broader Americas market. What is the strategy for the German league as they seek to enhance their business performance and profile in the Americas? Robin Austermann, head of Europe and Latam for the Bundesliga joins Simon Evans on The Soccer Business Podcast to break down that dea...

Alan Rothenberg was the President of US Soccer and took charge of the hosting of the 1994 World Cup in the United States. He then helped set up Major League Soccer and has been an influential figure in taking the game from the backwaters of the 1980's to the modern era. Alan's new book, 'The Big Bounce - The Surge that Shaped the Future of U.S Soccer' is the inside story on the hosting of the 1994...

This episode reviews the key decisions from the MLS Board of Governors meeting: MLS content will move from Season Pass into the Apple TV subscription bundle, and the league will shift to a new summer-to-spring calendar starting in 2027 with a transitional mini "sprint" season. Host Simon Evans and guest Alex Silverman of the Sports Business Journal discuss the rationale behind the Apple deal chang...

Simon Evans interviews Court Jeske, a veteran soccer executive whose career spans MLS, USL and founding Nashville SC. They discuss his role leading the OKC Pro Soccer project, plans for a downtown, expandable 10,000–12,000-seat stadium, and the broader mixed-use development. The episode covers community engagement, private partners (including Russell Westbrook and tribal stakeholders), commercial...

Host Simon Evans is joined by Alex Silverman of the Sports Business Journal and Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer to go over this week's main news items impacting the North American soccer industry. LALIGA's Miami plans cancelled Apple TV and the MLS Playoffs - the F1 Factor? 2031 Women’s World Cup - the new Four Nations bid Brian McBride becomes GM of USL club Brooklyn FC   NBA sta...

Megan Oglesby of Carolina Core joins the podcast to discuss how she and her team created a new club from scratch in High Point, North Carolina. Megan goes through each stage of the journey from the initial idea, due diligence, early steps, stadium work, creating player pathways and delivering a state-of-the-art training facility that has been earmarked by FIFA as a potential World Cup base for a t...

In this episode we welcome a true architect of American soccer - Sunil Gulati. Sunil is widely regarded as one of the most influential figure in the sport’s growth in the United States, having been involved in the administration of the game since the 1980’s and serving as president of the U.S. Soccer Federation from 2006 to 2018. With over 30 years of experience at every level of the game, Sunil c...

Michael Yormark of Roc Nation Sports International, who heads up the companies agency work in the soccer industry, talks to Simon Evans of The Soccer Business about the history of Jay Z's company, their move into soccer and their new plans to enter the domestic American soccer business. Chapters 00:00 Michael Yormach's Journey in Sports Management 03:53 Transitioning from NHL to European Soccer 08...

Brett Johnson isn't just another American investor in English football - he is also building soccer in the USA with his USL club Rhode Island FC and their brand new stadium. Having cut his teeth in Phoenix, a friendship with former Ipswich player Frank Yallop led to his move into English football where he has tasted two promotions and a relegation. Find out Brett's views on Ipswich, the USL and th...

USL Deputy CEO and Chief Real Estate Officer Justin Papadakis reveals how the league is in talks with over 70 cities in the USA about building new soccer stadiums and bringing new clubs to communities across the country. Takeaways There's real momentum in the USL. The USL's approach to stadium development is unique. City partnerships are crucial for stadium financing. Stadiums are seen as communit...

La Liga's attempt top play the first ever European league regular season game in the USA was given a boost this week when the Spanish federation backed their plan. But many hurdles remain before this plan can become reality with Real Madrid and others opposed and UEFA, CONCACAF, US Soccer and FIFA having to approve.   We look in detail at Javier Tebas' plans and the motivation for it with ESPN's S...

Rio Ferdinand, the former Manchester United and England defender turned pundit and broadcaster recently left his role with TNT Sport in the UK to focus fully on his own content production and the rest of his business portfolio. Rio talks to Simon Evans about his new plans for his video content business, his role as an agent, the future for American soccer, the nature of the soccer business from a...