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Learn more at vertexinck.com. Welcome to the Total Soccer Show and the first of our Major League Soccer Show and the first of our Major League Soccer 24 season previews.

On this episode, we're taking a look up and down the east from the current MLS Cup favorite into Miami

to very much the opposite of the current favorite Toronto FC and everything in between. My name's Ryan Bailey joining me today a preview panel that couldn't be any better suited to the task. Firstly, we have your friend of mine, Mr. Taylor Rockwell. Hello, Taylor. Hello, I know what you mean. I appreciate that billing. I think when we're talking about qualifications to talk MLS, I am the third of three on this panel,

but I'm happy to be here, happy to talk MLS. No, no, no, Taylor, Ryan's here. Ryan's here. You're not on the welcome. Don't worry. Thank you for that, Joe. Thank you. Four to four. Do you mean, Joe? Joe Larry joining us. That wasn't me. I definitely didn't take shots on our lovely host today.

Ryan, it is lovely to see you.

I'm excited, as always, when it comes time to do these shows.

There's some of my favorite shows every year. Covering 29 teams across two episodes is like a ridiculously monumental task, but we're here to do it anyway. We are indeed, strap-in listener. Joining us also, we have Mr. david goss joining us from the fine state of

indiana hello david taylor i wouldn't actually stress about this because i've chosen to send my

mLS next pro level version of myself to this recording instead of my a team so you'll potentially be

equal to me so you mean a usual recording session for you? Oh. Whoa. Took my ideas out from under me.

No, I just mean promising up-and-comers who have interesting takes. That's clearly what I meant, Gus.

Don't worry about it. It's fine. I'll take it. All right, guys. Let's do some season previewing,

shall we? The season kicks off on Wednesday with Inter Miami taking on Rail Salt Lake at 8 p.m. Eastern. I'm so excited. I never even noticed Apple charging me for the season pass because, on reflection, they haven't. They start charging several days after the season starts on February 25th. Huh, I guess if you don't already have a pass, you're not watching the opener?

I don't know how this is going to work, but here we are. Hey, MLS 2024. I don't know how this is going to work, but here we are. Are you trying to say you can't subscribe to Apple TV if you don't already have an MLS season pass subscription? I'm saying, if you go on the app, it says renews on February 25th. The season very much starts on February 21st.

So I don't know how, if you don't currently have one, how you're watching that game? If you go on the app, it says renews on February 25th. The season very much starts on February 21st.

So I don't know how, if you don't currently have one, how you're watching that game? I don't know. Maybe it's all three week one. In this scenario. It might all be free week one. It might all be free week one. You'll probably have the solution there, David. Joe, before we get into the previews, where are we at with MLS, sort of image-wise, at this point? We've got a situation where the league doesn't necessarily want to pay its referees what they feel they deserve. We've got the situation where the league doesn't necessarily want to play Open Cup to arguably help the US soccer pyramid. Image-wise, it seems to me like it's a bit of a challenging time for the league. Yeah, amongst the diehards, I think that's absolutely true, right? Like, people on social media are talking about saving the US Open Cup, which is something that I would very like to see saved. And we've got the referee situation that seems like we're getting replacement refs for the beginning of the season, which hasn't happened in quite some time, but it has happened and it's not a great look for the league. But amongst the casual fans, the ones that MLS is trying to convert, you know, they don't know this stuff is happening, right? They know about Leo Messi, they know about Inter-Miami, they know maybe a few other facts about the league. And MLS's hope is that you're able to get a few of those folks in the door via Miami or via whatever other means you can. And that eventually the sheer size of the diehard fan population starts to grow. So yeah, Ryan, amongst folks that we're in and around all the time, and I'm guessing a lot of listeners to this show, there is some concern about what MLS is doing right now, but I don't think MLS is particularly concerned about

those things. Why? Shouldn't they be? Well, it doesn't seem like MLS has a fast connection to

their own diehard fans, given that there also aren't very many of them. And so for them, I think

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