Sports Illustrated Ranking the Best MLS Players at the 2026 FIFA World Cup The New York Times MLS says it’ll ‘take it from here’ after the World Cup. So where is the league going? MLSsoccer.com Behind America's historic summer of soccer | Field Notes pres. by Coca-Cola Cincinnati Enquirer What to look for when FC Cincinnati resumes its 2026 season WLWT FC Cincinnati returns to MLS play with 2 games this week. Where things stand as play resumes FOX 13 News Utah Real Salt Lake returns to MLS play after 60-day World Cup break Goal.com Lionel Messi to miss MLS All-Star Game as Inter Miami superstar enters rest period after World Cup exploits with Argentina ESPN Sources: Messi, De Paul on hiatus for next 2 Miami games MLS Multiplex Hugo Cuypers' exit opens the door for Lionel Messi in MLS Golden Boot race Nashville SC Nashville Soccer Club Acquires Forward Zidane Yañez from New York City FC MLSsoccer.com St. Louis CITY sign Jaziel Orozco to contract extension Real Salt Lake Real Salt Lake Sends FW Jesus Barea Out on Loan MLSsoccer.com Houston Dynamo's Alberth Elis funds computer lab in Honduras hometown Boston.com New England soccer’s thriving ecosystem views USL’s promotion-relegation plan with excitement and uncertainty The New York Times After record-setting World Cup, Telemundo acquires U.S. TV rights to Champions League
The New York Times article about the ad campaign "We'll take it from here" is a basic recap of The Messi Effect in real time. The struggle of MLS is parity works in a domestic market and is what is leftover from the early years with predominantly NFL owners. Now that the league has built the infrastructure to survive, can they now compete in the global market and for the majority of new owners the answer is no. . This is the problem they believe has MLS hitting the ceiling for media rights. The product on the field isn't as good as other leagues they compete against and is available to US soccer fans. Sadly it sounds like they still haven't figured out what direction they are going to go. . I myself believe that the easiest solution is a floor/ceiling cap and three DP players that are exempt from the cap. Get rid of homegrown territories and set the first budget at what most teams are already close to spending at 15/25 million. Reading the article it seems this is already what the sporting directors want. . Sporting directors in the league almost unanimously agree that a salary cap ceiling and floor, with no restrictions and bolstered by designated player spots carved out for Messi-type players that change marketing and commercial equations, would improve MLS without even adding any expenditure. Right now, the vast majority of money is focused on a handful of players. . Needless to say with the season ready to restart after the World Cup.... They missed a big opportunity for riding this World Cup bump.
Why is MLS having an All Star Game again? Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul are expected to miss the MLS All-Star Game (July 29, Charlotte) as they take post-World Cup rest time, per ESPN. Both are confirmed out for Inter Miami's next two matches, with Miami telling MLS they're unavailable for All-Star weekend too.… pic.twitter.com/RT0MR8wJna— Sports Business Journal (@SBJ) July 21, 2026
JUST IN: Trump reportedly wants to nominate FIFA President Gianni Infantino for UN secretary-general following the World Cup. — NYP— Polymarket (@Polymarket) July 21, 2026 Trump paying back that favor he asked of the big man.
We have Don Garber once again say that MLS will be a top league. How can it be a top league when owners 30 years in are still arguing on how to move the league forward? If the owners who want to keep MLS the same win the majority of votes then forget about media deals. Those deals are based on interest/viewership. Other leagues aren't standing still, as Tenorio pointed out, and they want to get into the US market. MLS has no problem with attendance. It's a top 10 league when it comes to average attendance. Attendance isn't their problem. Their problem is the viewership. Always has been. Which is what gets them either a great TV deal or a bad TV deal.
If you look at the two candidates for the next commissioner, one guy is all about soccer media and the other guy is a billionaire owner of LAFC who want to push the spending. Obviously, something is coming up but what and why didn't they push it after the World Cup to ride the wave?
MLS' problem is one of perception. MLS has had this problem since it was announced. When you call yourself MAJOR league soccer, people are going to expect a MAJOR league experience. That wasn't the case from 1996-2013 ish. Has the league improved exponentially since 2013? Absolutely. Add to that the USMNT's lost generation and the failure to qualify to World Cup 2018, and that just adds to the perception problem. There's a period there when MLS didn't develop any new players for the National Team program that were better than (or on par with) the aging previous generation. Then one adds in the 30 years of paltry viewership numbers, and one can see why broadcasters are not really jumping at the chance to pay MLS a boatload of money (or really any real money) for their TV rights. Particularly when those networks are still by and large run by the soccer dismissing and/or indifferent execs that MLS let down before.
I realize we're talking marketing here, but by any actual measure MLS is already a top league. There are 211 FIFA members, all with their own leagues, most of them with multiple leagues. MLS is at least a top 20 league, which puts them in the top 10% of top division leagues without even taking into account the number of lower leagues.
But as I just said in another thread, MLS is maximizing entertainment value per dollar spent. This obviously feeds that strategy.