meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Forbes Daily Briefing

MLS Is Banking On A World Cup Boost. Investors Aren’t So Sure.

Forbes Daily Briefing

Forbes

Business, Tech News, News

4.418 Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2026

⏱️ 6 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

As the final minutes ticked away in a disappointing 4-1 loss to Belgium on July 6 that knocked the U.S. men’s national team out of the World Cup, Fox play-by-play announcer John Strong made a direct plea to his television audience of 30 million Americans. “If you’ve enjoyed what you’re seeing, well, support your local team,” Strong said from Seattle’s Lumen Field, packed with a sellout crowd of 66,925—more than double the average attendance of 31,000 across the Seattle Sounders’ first six Major League Soccer games this season at the same stadium. “This doesn’t have to be the last soccer you watch for the last four years. It’s a beautiful sport.” Often an afterthought both among top-tier global soccer leagues and in the U.S. professional sports scene, MLS has long viewed this summer’s World Cup on U.S. soil as an inflection point for a new phase of growth, with help from Lionel Messi, the biggest star in the league’s history. On Sunday, the 39-year-old superstar will lead Argentina into the World Cup final against Spain while seeking to lock up the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer. On Wednesday, Messi’s Inter Miami will restart its season after MLS’s seven-week World Cup break. By Hank Tucker, Forbes Staff Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This episode is brought to you by Accenture. When your advertising operations fall out of sync,

0:05.8

everything else follows. Spotify and Accenture are working together to reinvent the rhythm of ad sales,

0:11.4

using automation, analytics and smarter workflows to simplify campaign delivery and access better data across the business.

0:18.7

The result? Less time spent on operations, more time connecting

0:22.1

brands with the moments and fandoms that matter most. Learn more at Accenture.com slash Spotify

0:28.2

dash UK. So what if the drink's pink and the cream's pink? Chill. It's no big deal. Just get the new

0:37.1

strawberry candy floss frappe from our new strawberry candy plus frappay.

0:38.9

From our new McCaffee summer drinks range.

0:41.5

Now at McDonald's.

0:44.3

Available until the 7th of September.

0:46.3

Price and participation may vary.

0:47.7

Frappe is not available on delivery.

0:49.2

Subject to availability.

0:51.2

Today on Forbes, MLS is banking on a World Cup boost. Investors aren't so sure.

0:59.1

As the final minutes ticked away in a disappointing 4-1 loss to Belgium on July 6th that knocked the U.S.

1:05.7

men's national team out of the World Cup, Fox play-by-play announcer John Strong made a direct plea to his television audience

1:12.7

of 30 million Americans. He said, quote, if you've enjoyed what you're seeing, well, support your

1:18.9

local team. From Seattle's Lumen Field, packed with a sellout crowd of 66,925, more than double the

1:27.3

average attendance of 31,000 across Seattle Sounders'

1:30.7

first six major league soccer games this season at the same stadium. Strong continued, quote,

1:36.5

this doesn't have to be the last soccer you watch for the last four years. It's a beautiful

1:41.0

sport. Often an afterthought, both among top-tier global soccer leagues and in the U.S. professional

...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 25 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Forbes, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Forbes and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.