Welcome to the boardroom of North American soccer. The Soccer Business (https://thesoccerbusiness.com) podcast offers unparalleled access to the industry's most influential figures. Host Simon Evans connects you with the key players - from MLS Commissioner Don Garber to legendary figures like Rio Ferdinand - to uncover the real stories behind the business of soccer. Each episode is packed with expert analysis and actionable insights for club owners, investors, and executives dedicated to driving the growth of the game.
There's nowhere else in world soccer where clubs are built from a blank sheet of paper, and Bay FC is doing exactly that. Lisa Goodwin Scharff, the club's Chief External Affairs Officer, joins Simon Evans and Karisa Maxwell McKee to explain what it takes to run an NWSL franchise that is only three years old and still shifting out of start-up mode. Lisa came to Bay FC from the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers, where the infrastructure was already in place. Here, there was no email system, no existing playbook, and five months between her first day and the first kickoff. She explains why the established-team blueprint doesn't transfer, and how the club is listening to fans and partners rather than copying what worked elsewhere.
9 Oct 2026
What did MLS really gain from the World Cup?
Was there a World Cup bounce for MLS? Andrew Hosmar, who has worked in data and strategy for the Houston Dynamo, San Diego FC and New England Revolution, joins Simon Evans to assess what MLS really gained from the World Cup.
They cover how host-city clubs turned Fan Fest crowds into potential fans, why the attendance bump may be a slow-burn story rather than an overnight one, and how a new commissioner, the sprint season and the 2027-28 calendar change could compound the effect. They also debate whether on-field quality or matchday atmosphere matters more, whether MLS's parity model holds back national relevance, what the ideal media deal looks like after Apple, and why the USMNT's young core and the Olympics may matter more than the World Cup itself.
00:00 Was there a World Cup bounce for MLS?
00:28 Houston as a host city: Fan Fest, Hector Herrera and activating casual fans
06:19 The attendance bump and the long-term play
09:26 Does on-field quality matter? Fan segments and club culture
13:29 Parity vs mega clubs: does MLS need a villain?
18:35 Owner appetite for change, and the Messi effect fading
21:53 Media: Apple, linear TV and reaching casual fans
30:41 Storytelling, coach reactions and the case for personalities
35:05 The USMNT, the Olympics and the next generation
40:46 Wrap-up
2 Oct 2026
Juan Mata: "Players and fans have never been heard"
Former Manchester United, Chelsea and Spain midfielder Juan Mata and his business partner Jürgen Griesbeck join Simon Evans to launch Unleash Football, a new project that aims to give players, fans and the wider football community a bigger say in how the game is run.
Unleash Football is part of the C Lab framework. It lets anyone take part by answering questions on an anonymous survey platform. Mata and Griesbeck say the results will be a "mandate" from the game: a first wave of data that can be built on in later waves and shared with governing bodies, candidates in the FIFA presidential election, and the media. The project was unveiled at the World Football Summit.
In this conversation, Mata and Griesbeck discuss:
What C Lab is and why collaboration is at its core
Why players and fans are football's most important stakeholders, and why they've been overlooked
Including volunteers, parents and grassroots communities, not just the professional game
How the data will be gathered, analysed and put in front of decision-makers
Mata's own experience as a player in the Premier League and beyond
How this fits with his work at Common Goal and Right to Dream
Whether he'll play again after his time in Australia with Melbourne Victory
Who has been a guest on The Soccer Business
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dave Wright
Ricardo Fort
Manuel Veth
Seth Bacon
Tom Glick
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
28,946
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.9 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
10 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 68 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
84
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
51
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