Not even because RBNY are bad, there’s just so much quality there.

Columbus are down in 6th. Charlotte are on a six-game winning streak and they’re 7th. So much quality.

It's a tough balance to strike.

But in a country with such an enormous appetite for sport, essentially opting out of the mainstream broadcasters is definitely a bold decision.

www.tiktok.com/@willgittins...

Of course, there are big benefits about the Apple TV deal, beyond the money.

There are no more blackouts, worldwide distribution and MLS clips on social media are free of any geoblocking restrictions.

That's allowed for the big viral moments, particularly including Messi, to travel the world.

The $2.5bn MLS gets from Apple is a good deal financially, and the coverage is pretty good. But there is now no real motivation for other, more established sports broadcasters to help push the game.

There is hardly any MLS coverage on ESPN's Get Up or First Take shows.

So, why? There are a lot of non-sporting factors involved in those figures. It's not simply: quality of product = size of audience.

Interest in MLS might be at an all-time high, but with games behind a paywall on Apple TV, casual sports fans won't stumble across games.

MLS figures are generally pretty tightly guarded but Garber has recently revealed the average audience for games in 2025.

MLS is currently drawing an average of 120k viewers per game on Apple TV. In 2022, when ESPN had MLS rights, the league was getting 347k on average.

Then I'd agree with you.

I think most MLS teams would make space for a 31-year-old Argentinian international, if I'm honest.