The Soccer Business Newsletter 07/31/2026

A selection of the news briefs from the latest edition of The Soccer Business. Sign up for the full newsletter with analysis, commentary and key data:

LARRY BERG FRONTRUNNER FOR MLS COMMISSIONER ROLE: All the indications are that the MLS Board of Governors will vote for a new commissioner early next week, possibly Monday, in New York City and from what I was hearing in Charlotte, LAFC co-owner Larry Berg is the frontrunner to replace the departing Don Garber.

The other candidate, former Fox executive David Nathanson, certainly has support however, particularly given his vast experience in negotiating broadcast and media rights deals -- which is a huge factor for MLS whose current deal with Apple is due to expire in 2029.

Berg's background is in Apollo Global Management but his involvement in LAFC (which he would presumably have to divest from should he get the top job) gives him the edge in terms of understanding of how MLS works from the inside.

There are some huge decisions facing MLS in the coming months, including around the roster rules and salary cap restrictions. There is growing pressure from some owners for more freedom to be given to clubs to invest in improving their squads.

Garber will stay on until the end of this season before the new man takes charge ahead of the 2027 'sprint season' in spring and then the full switch to the international calendar with the 27/28 season beginning in August.

The succession process began last fall under a committee chaired by LAFC's Bennett Rosenthal and the Crew's Jimmy Haslam, which retained The Miles Group to design the search before bringing in Korn Ferry to run it. A third candidate, 49ers Enterprises President Paraag Marathe, withdrew from consideration earlier in the process.

POCHETTINO REPORTEDLY CLOSE TO USMNT EXTENSION THROUGH 2030 Mauricio Pochettino is reportedly close to agreeing a new contract with U.S. Soccer that would keep him as men's national team head coach through the 2030 World Cup, according to The Athletic. The extension follows the USMNT's best World Cup finish since 2010, with the team winning Group D before losing in the Round of 16 to Belgium.

Financial terms have not been disclosed, but Pochettino's current deal is understood to be among the highest-paid national team contracts in the world, following his 2024 hiring on a package reportedly boosted by philanthropic contributions from donors including Citadel founder Ken Griffin. U.S. Soccer CEO J.T. Batson had described talks as “active” in mid-July, with Telemundo's Andrés Cantor and The Athletic's David Ornstein both reporting the deal's progress this week. A finalized extension would provide continuity for the federation heading into the next World Cup cycle, co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

NWSL TERMINATES VICTORY+ MEDIA RIGHTS DEAL OVER MISSED PAYMENTS The National Women's Soccer League has terminated its media rights agreement with streaming platform Victory+, effective immediately, after the service missed a scheduled rights payment to the league. Beginning August 2, all matches previously slated for Victory+ — including regional broadcasts for Bay FC, Orlando Pride, Gotham FC, Washington Spirit and Angel City FC — will shift to the league's free direct-to-consumer platform, NWSL+, ensuring no disruption to the broadcast calendar. National windows on CBS Sports, ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and ION are unaffected.

The NWSL is the third major sports property to sever ties with Victory+ in recent weeks, following the Texas Rangers and Anaheim Ducks. The Dallas-based streamer, owned by A Parent Media Co. and originally built around Dallas Stars broadcasts, has reportedly struggled to secure financing since February and missed rights payments across multiple leagues, according to Sports Business Journal reporting. Victory+ CEO Neil Gruninger has been removed from his position. Victory+ had been positioned as a rising player in regional sports rights following the collapse of the FanDuel Sports Network networks, making its unraveling notable for how quickly a would-be RSN alternative can lose league confidence.

BUNDESLIGA WEIGHS €1BN LOAN FROM APOLLO SPORTS CAPITAL Germany's Bundesliga has held early-stage talks with US investment firm Apollo Sports Capital over a proposed €1 billion loan secured against the league's future domestic broadcasting revenue, according to multiple reports. The structure would run 20 years and, unlike prior proposals, would not transfer any equity or revenue-share stake to Apollo — a distinction designed to sidestep the fan backlash that sank previous attempts to bring in outside capital.

The league has twice failed to push through private investment: a 2023 plan to sell 12.5% of future broadcast rights for €2bn was rejected outright, and a scaled-back €1bn-for-8% version, approved by clubs in late 2023, was abandoned in February 2024 after sustained supporter protests disrupted matches. Any new deal would still need sign-off from two-thirds of the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga's 36 clubs. The renewed push reflects continued pressure on German clubs — bound by the 50+1 ownership rule — to close the financial gap with the Premier League, with proceeds earmarked for overseas tours and international marketing.

CHICHARITO SIGNS AS FIRST PLAYER FOR USL'S ATLÉTICO DALLAS Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, Mexico's all-time leading scorer, is coming out of retirement to sign with Atlético Dallas, becoming the first player in the history of the USL Championship expansion franchise set to launch play in March 2027. The 38-year-old agreed to a two-year contract with a club option for a third season; terms were not disclosed.

Atlético Dallas will play home matches at the Cotton Bowl and recently acquired USL Super League side Dallas Trinity FC as part of an expanding North Texas soccer portfolio. Club officials framed the deal as a statement of ambition for a market they see as among the country's premier soccer cities.

NIKE AND RUSH SOCCER REUNITE IN GLOBAL YOUTH APPAREL DEAL Rush Soccer, which describes itself as the world's largest youth soccer organization, has announced a new global partnership with Nike, reuniting the brand that served as Rush's first major footwear and apparel partner in 1997. The deal covers Rush's network of more than 60,000 players across 40-plus countries, with Nike and Rush collaborating on player development, coaching education, club growth and youth participation initiatives beginning in 2027.

Financial terms and contract length were not disclosed The agreement adds Nike to a Rush sponsor roster that has more recently included Carvana as front-of-kit partner, reflecting the growing commercial interest brands are showing in reaching families through youth soccer at scale.

HYUNDAI BECOMES FOUNDING PARTNER OF MIAMI FREEDOM PARK Hyundai Motor America has signed a multi-year partnership with Inter Miami CF, naming the automaker the club's Official Mainstream Automotive Partner and a Founding Partner of Miami Freedom Park, the 131-acre mixed-use development anchored by the club's new Nu Stadium. As part of the deal, the stadium's East Club will be renamed the Hyundai Club, and Hyundai will hold naming rights to a parking structure at the development known for its heron-façade design.

The partnership ties commercial activation to on-field performance: Hyundai will donate to its pediatric cancer research nonprofit, Hope on Wheels, for every Inter Miami regular-season goal scored. The deal also includes fan-facing content, sweepstakes and matchday activations.

AS ROMA NAMES JOHN GALANTIC CEO, SIGNS DSQUARED2 AS FASHION PARTNER AS Roma has appointed American John Galantic, the former CEO of Tod's Group and past Chanel USA president and COO, as its new chief executive officer, while simultaneously announcing a multi-year partnership naming Italian fashion house Dsquared2 as the club's official fashion partner. Galantic, who also sits on Ferrari's board, takes over ahead of a milestone season as Roma returns to the Champions League and begins celebrations for its 2027 centenary.

Under the Dsquared2 deal, designers Dean and Dan Caten will exclusively create formal and casual off-pitch attire for Roma's men's and women's first teams, coaches and staff starting in the 2026/27 season, with pieces to be unveiled later this year. The double announcement — a fashion-industry veteran taking the top executive job alongside a luxury apparel tie-up — reflects the Friedkin family ownership's continued push to position Roma at the intersection of football and fashion commerce.

FC DALLAS, AXS EXTEND TICKETING PARTNERSHIP PAST A DECADE FC Dallas has renewed its ticketing partnership with AXS, extending a relationship that has run more than ten years. Under the new agreement, AXS will continue supplying the club with mobile ticket management, data and analytics tools, integrated marketing capabilities and access to its broader distribution network, with AXS Mobile ID remaining central to matchday access.

The renewal adds to AXS's expanding footprint in North American soccer, which recently included a separate deal to become official ticketing partner of the newly opened Texas Health Mansfield Stadium, home to FC Dallas's MLS Next Pro affiliate North Texas SC.

SEVILLA FC BRINGS ACADEMY TRAINING CAMPS TO US THROUGH AC BREA PARTNERSHIP Sevilla FC will host its first US-based Academy Training Camp August 3-5 in Brea, California, through a new partnership with AC Brea Soccer Club, extending the La Liga side's youth development footprint into Southern California. The camp will be run by coaches from Sevilla's academy system.

The tie-up builds on Sevilla's broader US Academy operation, which already runs regional programs in markets including Miami and other cities, and reflects the wider trend of European clubs using grassroots partnerships with local youth organizations to build brand presence and identify talent pipelines in the American market.

SPORTS AI FIRM MARQUEE RAISE $6.5 MILLION Marquee, an AI-native decision layer for professional sports organizations, today announced it has raised $6.5 million in total funding. Backed by Axel Springer SE, Welltech Ventures, Apex Capital, AnD Ventures, 97212 Ventures and JCP, the funding will support accelerated research and development while expanding strategic hiring across AI, engineering and data science. Marquee will also set up commercial offices in the US and the UK.

Marquee is live with more than 20 professional clubs and federations across multiple countries, including Tier 1 clubs in the Premier League and Serie A, as well as Major League Soccer organizations. While the company first launched in football (soccer), it is already developing its basketball platform in collaboration with teams from the National Basketball Association and EuroLeague as it prepares for broader multi-sport expansion.

SPURS OWNERS TO PAY SAN ANTONIO $2.5M OVER FAILED MLS BID Spurs Sports & Entertainment has agreed to pay the City of San Antonio more than $2.5 million to resolve a decade-old obligation tied to a failed effort to land an MLS expansion franchise. The San Antonio-Bexar County Soccer Public Facility Corporation, which owns Toyota Field, is set to vote on directing the funds toward stadium renovations, including scoreboards, LED boards and facility assessments.

The dispute traces to a 2015 deal in which the city, Bexar County and SS&E jointly paid $21 million for Toyota Field, with SS&E agreeing to a $5 million penalty — split evenly between city and county — if it failed to secure an MLS team by 2021. SS&E paid only $250,000 before Bexar County waived its share in 2022; Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones revived the city's claim this year amid a $158 million budget gap. SS&E continues to own USL Championship side San Antonio FC, which plays at Toyota Field.

USL TO TRIAL LOWER-COST VAR ALTERNATIVE IN PRINX TIRES CUP KNOCKOUTS The USL announced it will become one of the first professional competitions in the United States to implement Football Video Support (FVS), a video-review system currently being evaluated by FIFA as a cheaper alternative to VAR, during the final rounds of the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup. Unlike VAR, FVS operates without dedicated video match officials — reviews are limited to coach-initiated challenges and automatic checks on scored goals — making it designed for competitions with smaller camera setups and tighter budgets.

USL will use the system across the competition's final seven matches, starting with the Quarterfinals on August 12 and running through the Semifinals and Final. The trial places USL among a small but growing group of leagues testing FVS at FIFA's invitation following requests from member associations for a more affordable review system, and positions the league as an early adopter of technology that could shape officiating economics across lower-resourced competitions globally.

LIGA F CLUBS APPROVE €55M GASOL16/FORTIFIED PARTNERS INVESTMENT Spain's Liga F has finalized a €55 million ($62.7m) investment from Gasol16 Ventures — the fund of former NBA star Pau Gasol — in partnership with Fortified Partners, in what is being called the largest private capital investment ever made in a European women's football competition. The deal, ratified by clubs at an extraordinary assembly, sees the investors acquire between 35% and 49% of the league's future commercial revenue rights through the 2050-51 season.

Of the total, participating clubs will receive €40 million, with €12 million going to the league itself and €3 million reserved for acquiring image rights of select high-profile players. Real Madrid opted out, arguing the arrangement doesn't align with its preferred model of club autonomy and sustainability. Gasol16 Ventures' portfolio already includes stakes in the WNBA and NWSL's Bay FC, positioning the fund as an increasingly active cross-league investor in women's sport.