The Best Soccer Show

Jason Davis & Jared DuBois

Hosted by the voice of the American fan, Jason Davis (SiriusXM), and the clown prince of soccer, Jared Dubois (JD & The Rod), The Best Soccer Show is dedicated to all things American Soccer, covering Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League, the US national teams, Americans around the globe, and more. The show features a who's who of American soccer in an energetic, call-in format that gives fans a voice while never taking itself or the game too seriously.

  1. 3D AGO

    MLS Next Pro Investment With Eben Novy-Williams

    Special Edition: The Future of MLS Next Pro Jason is on the road to Pawtucket, Rhode Island for a live Morning Kick Around at Centreville Bank Stadium — so rather than leave you hanging, he's crossing the streams. This episode features the full Morning Kick Around interview with Eben Novy-Williams, deputy editor at Sportico, on KKR's blockbuster investment in MLS Next Pro through the newly formed Hometown Soccer Holdings. Jason and co-host Rob Kerr dig into what it all means for the soccer wars, lower-division soccer in America, MLS valuations, the Vancouver Whitecaps crisis, and what the World Cup might — or might not — do for the game's long-term trajectory. TIMESTAMPS: [0:00:28] — Welcome & road trip intro: Jason heads to Pawtucket for Morning Kick Around live at Centreville Bank Stadium, Rhode Island FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, May 9th [0:01:02] — Check out Morning Kick Around on YouTube: youtube.com/@MorningKickAround [0:03:35] — Support the show at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow — World Cup content incoming for Besties, plus Wednesday office hours and the Bestie Slack [0:05:00] — Interview begins: Eben Novy-Williams, deputy editor at Sportico, joins Jason and Rob Kerr [0:05:46] — Why KKR? MLS launched Next Pro in 2022 with a minor league baseball vision — teams in non-MLS cities building a full pyramid. Four years in, most clubs treated it as a sunk cost, not a business. KKR changes that calculus. [0:07:12] — The moat strategy: MLS wants to control the entire pro soccer pyramid in the U.S. — and this deal widens the moat against USL considerably. [0:09:03] — KKR's timeline is likely five years. They want to build the commercial structure, prove the concept, grow the league, then find a successor. From MLS's side, this is Next Pro 2.0. [0:11:25] — The real estate angle: soccer stadium investment in mid-sized cities is as much about surrounding land development as the sport itself — just like minor league baseball. [0:19:33] — A quiet rule change: US Soccer dropped the required controlling ownership stake from 35% to 15%, opening the door to bigger consortiums and more institutional investment across all pro divisions. [0:22:18] — World Cup reality check: hotel bookings are flat, the ticketing process has been a mess, and once the tournament ends, MLS loses its biggest sales pitch. What does the league look like in the rearview mirror? [0:25:44] — Valuation tension: every MLS team is roughly in the top 50 most valuable soccer clubs globally. No pro/rel and a salary cap create cost certainty investors love — but fans see a ceiling on quality. [0:27:00] — The two-tier ownership problem: some owners paid under a million dollars for their clubs. New owners paid $500M. Those groups see the league's future very differently. [0:28:00] — Grant Gustafson and the Vancouver situation: Eben confirms the Gustafson family (Public Storage heirs, Kentucky thoroughbred farm) are the main Vegas-connected group in talks. Phoenix and Indianapolis also mentioned as relocation candidates. [0:34:45] — Find Eben's work at sportico.com and on X at @Novi_Williams Support the Show Join the Bestie community at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow for Wednesday office hours with Jason, bonus podcast feeds, World Cup content, and the Bestie Slack. Or just share the show with a friend — it all helps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    36 min
  2. MAY 1

    Save The Caps, SAVE THE CAPS, Private Equity Joins MLS Next Pro, Poch On American Soccer Culture

    Jason goes live on a Thursday night to cover two of the biggest stories in American soccer right now: the ongoing saga around the future of the Vancouver Whitecaps — including a wild "liar liar pants on fire" tweet from someone on Don Garber's account — and the breaking news that private equity giant KKR is investing in MLS Next Pro through a new entity called Hometown Soccer Holdings. He also reacts to comments from USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino about American soccer culture that are, let's just say, bothering him a little. Save the Caps: savethecaps.com Jason's Newsletter: Jason Davis Soccer Eagle (search it, sign up) Morning Kickaround "Stick to Football" podcast: The Overlap with Gary Neville — Pochettino interview Jeff Rueter's writeup of Pochettino's comments: The Guardian The Athletic reporting on the Whitecaps: Tom Bogert, Paul Tenorio, Jeff Carlisle Hometown Soccer Holdings / KKR x MLS Next Pro: mlssoccer.com / Business Wire Simon Evans' Soccer Business Newsletter — recommended by Jason for MLS Next Pro coverage Love the show? Want more Jason Davis in your life? Join the Best Soccer Show Patreon at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow and become a Bestie. Perks include: 🎧 Wednesday Office Hours with Jason — live, interactive, drop in and pick his brain 🎤 Studio link access — Patreon subscribers can jump into the office hours stream directly 🗣️ The Bestie Slack/Discord — the community for American soccer obsessives 🎁 Bonus content drops — including random appearances from Jay Rodius and more It doesn't cost much. It means a lot. See you in there. Subscribe to the podcast, leave a rating and review, and we'll see you next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 8m
  3. APR 17

    Crocker Out, Mascherano Exits, MLS In CCC, Open Cup, and Fountain Photos!

    This week's episode hits on all the big stories in American soccer. Thomas Pinzone from The Blazing Musket podcast sits in as co-host to help Jason cover the game from post to post. We start with Matt Crocker's sudden departure as sporting director from US Soccer. Did Crocker make any headway on the big problems facing the game in the US? How will we judge his tenure? Then Jason and Thomas discuss Javier Mascherano quitting on Inter Miami seven games into a title defense season. Was there drama behind the scences? MLS went two-and-two in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Mexican opposition. The guys get into the problems MLS faces in the CCC and the wide issues with a tournament that only two leagues can win. There's round-up of the US Open Cup action from this week with a special note for the cupsets sprung by lower division teams and some love for the SOCCER HERITAGE moments like the plethora of lines on the surface in Mount Vernon, NY for Westchester SC's match against NYCFC. Finally, Jason springs on Thomas the story of the Fernando Mendoza photo shoot that has an eerie similarity to a photo shoot featuring the 2002 USMNT. Photogs apparently can't say not to an athlete sipping from a water fountain. Get access to Jason's weekly Office Hours, other bonus content, the Besties Slack community by signing up for our Patreon page at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow. You can by a redesigned TBSS t-shit at our Fourthwall page. Subscribe to Jason's newsletter, Jason Davis Soccer Eagle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    1h 8m
4.8
out of 5
299 Ratings

About

Hosted by the voice of the American fan, Jason Davis (SiriusXM), and the clown prince of soccer, Jared Dubois (JD & The Rod), The Best Soccer Show is dedicated to all things American Soccer, covering Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League, the US national teams, Americans around the globe, and more. The show features a who's who of American soccer in an energetic, call-in format that gives fans a voice while never taking itself or the game too seriously.

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