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Gerrard, Lampard set to spearhead international MLS following

By on April 8, 2015

David Beckham put American Major League Soccer on the map. In 2007, when Beckham joined the LA Galaxy, not only did he herald a new era of popularity for the sport Stateside, but internationally as well. For the first time, MLS — albeit mostly the Galaxy — was in the British papers. Quickly, however, the attention petered away: Beckham was injured, then performed inconsistently for multiple seasons. Yet the move still served its main purpose in making MLS known internationally.

It has stayed that way ever since. Domestic television ratings have been flat, but coverage aboard has ranged from inconsistent to non-existent. MLS lacked the big names to draw international viewers. Thierry Henry joined the New York Red Bulls and made an impact, scoring 51 goals in 122 appearances, though his impact on the club’s playoff fortunes and on MLS was less impressive.

Seasons passed and the local popularity of teams continued to grow, but the league’s television ratings stalled, while in international markets, one still struggled to watch a game live. Finally, this season, MLS has taken another step forward internationally. On the eve of its twentieth season Sky Sports bought the coverage rights of the league in England, and will air at least two matches per week, including all of the playoff games. Beckham put MLS on the map, and this new deal will likely help put the “major” in Major League Soccer.

Domestic television ratings on the opening weekend this season were outstanding, almost doubling last season’s average. Orlando City and New York City FC’s inaugural match drew a MLS record 3.4 local rating in the Orlando-Daytona market. MLS has thrived in local markets and is the third highest attended league in the US sports market. Recently, the San Jose Earthquakes sold 12,000 season tickets at their new Avaya Stadium, whereas their old home at Buck Shaw Stadium only sat 10,000 fans at capacity.

Now, once again the league has turned to established stars as Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, who are set to join the league this summer (Kaka and David Villa having already arrived), with the English players’ starts very well timed with international coverage of MLS on Sky. For all the hullabaloo about Lampard’s late move, it’s a blessing in disguise for MLS’ television ratings: the stars will bring the attention, and England’s thirst for football over the dry summer will maintain the ratings, or so is the plan. MLS won’t simply be recognized around the world, but followed, to an extent, as well. After Sky’s four-year deal all signs hint that MLS can only grow.

Photo credit: Paul Bailey on Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.