IN THIS ISSUE

INTRODUCTION

Good morning, Pathwayers -

It’s one of my favorite times of the year (with apologies to the pro-rel crowd) - it’s time for playoff soccer!

The NWSL wrapped its regular season on Sunday and the 8-team playoff field is set, with games taking place Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Shield winners Gotham FC are the team to beat, but my money* is on the Washington Spirit to lift the trophy at home on Nov. 21.

MLS, meanwhile, will wrap its regular season this Sunday with Decision Day - all Eastern Conference teams play at 4pm ET and all Western Conference teams kickoff at 7pm ET.

While the Eastern Conference field is locked, the West is a totally different story. Six teams are battling on the last day for the last three spots. It’s going to be a fun one.

Playoffs are one of the things that makes our version of soccer unique from the rest of the world. I’m largely a football traditionalist at heart, but I have to admit - I kind of love playoffs for all of the chaos they create.

I, for one, will be tuning in to both NWSL and MLS regularly in the coming weeks.

-Kyle Sheldon, Co-Founder & CEO

*Not literally, folks

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10 or 15 years ago, a brand that wanted to connect with pro soccer fans in this country had one primary option: Partner with a club.

The club was the brand, the badge was the story, and most players, even very good ones, didn't have much pull beyond the stadium.

That's changed big time.

American soccer has real stars now.

In both the men’s and women’s game, there are legitimate superstars with real impact and real influence.

Players now resonate in their local markets in a way they didn't a decade ago, especially in MLS and the NWSL.

Fans follow them.

Kids wear their names on their backs.

Their posts, their goal celebrations, and their personalities travel well beyond match day.

There are players today who can genuinely move the needle for a brand.

That means pro soccer now has two solid ways in:

Both can work. The right choice depends on the brand, the audience, and the goals.

When the only way in was the club, most of the commercial work in soccer happened at the club level.

Now there's a second center of gravity.

As players become marketable in their own right, more work forms around them:

Clubs are changing, too. The smart ones see their players' profiles as part of their own story and treat them that way.

That opens up work that barely existed in American soccer 10 years ago.

Pay attention to which MLS and NWSL players are building real followings, and why.

Is it their on-field play? Their personality? Their connection to the city? Their cross-cultural appeal? Their fashion and style?

Knowing what makes a player resonate is fast becoming a skill of its own.

A club gives you an entire world: the fans, the stadium, the traditions.

A player gives you one voice that feels personal and direct.

The people who can explain when each one makes sense will be valuable to clubs, agencies, and brands alike.

Some partnerships feel natural. Others feel forced.

Fans can tell the difference right away.

Study the ones that land and ask what they got right.

American soccer partnerships used to run almost entirely through the club badge.

Now it also runs through the players wearing it.

👉 This week, pick one MLS or NWSL player who has built a real following in their market. Look at how they show up online and in their community, and at the brands they work with. Ask yourself what makes them connect.

The stars are here.

The industry is still working out how to build around them, and that's where the opportunity is.

-Kyle Sheldon, Co-Founder & CEO

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SEE YOU SOON, SOCCER FRIENDS