MLS and U.S. Soccer sign content deal

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The MLS and U.S. Soccer have signed a multi-year deal with sports media brand Bleacher Report, who will produce daily content across its platforms.

Since the return of the MLS, Bleacher Report has been providing content and highlights across its app and social media platforms. Content is due to increase as the MLS heads toward the end of its season.

Content from the U.S.’ Men’s and Women’s National Teams will also be distributed.

The deal runs until 2022, the financial terms of the deal were not released although reports from Front Office Sports and Forbes suggest that the agreement is worth a six figure or low seven figure sum.

“As we build on the momentum of the MLS is Back Tournament and continue our 25th season with matches in home markets, we are excited to provide our fans with more cutting-edge MLS content across B/R platforms,” MLS SVP of Media, Seth Bacon said about the partnership.

The agreement comes as a way for the MLS to engage with more young sports fans. The MLS said that that Bleacher Report is a leading destination for young sports fans while U.S. Soccer and the MLS have some of the youngest fan bases in North America.

“B/R Football is the No. 1 digital media destination for young soccer fans and this new partnership provides a deeper library of soccer content that our fans crave,” SVP of New Business Development at Bleacher Report, Raphael Poplock said.

“It will also offer an increased presence for top U.S. Soccer and MLS content with one of the most engaged audiences in the sport, while leveraging our innovative sales solutions to most effectively connect with them.”

Bleacher Report specialises in social media content – their main account on Instagram has 13.4 million followers.

Their brand reaches more than 200 million people a month.

“We are looking forward to working with B/R Football to help us share U.S. Soccer’s content and reach even more soccer fans across the world,” U.S. Soccer Chief Communications Officer Neil Buethe said in a statement.

“With our No. 1-ranked Women’s National Team preparing for the Olympics and our Men’s National Team gearing up for the start of the Final Round of 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, the coming year will be incredibly exciting and partnering with Bleacher Report will allow us to connect and engage with soccer fans in even more creative ways.”

The deal was made through Soccer United Marketing, the commercial arm of the MLS and U.S. Soccer.

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Victory unites with Roasting Warehouse in culture-led partnership

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Image credit: Melbourne Victory

The Melbourne-based anf family-owned business will join the Victory family, uniting two institutions which represent the city’s culture and identity.

A partnership with local roots

As the newest partner of Melbourne Victory, Roasting Warehouse joins forces with a vital part of the city’s sporting landscape.

The club’s Managing Director, Caroline Carnegie, outlined why the partnership bears so much value to both parties.

“We are excited to collaborate with Roasting Warehouse, a community-oriented destination for high-quality coffee, proud of its foundations in Melbourne,” said Carnegie via official media release.

“Football and coffee sit at the epicentre of Melbourne’s culture. The two go hand-in-hand, consistently at the centre of the conversation that stirs Melburnians, which is no different to the conversation sport and Melbourne Victory stir in the State.”

Indeed, this is a partnership which combines the identity, passions and culture of an entire city, therefore giving it the foundations required for long-term, mutual success.

Representing the best of Melbourne

Both Victory and Roasting Warehouse are hugely successful in their respective industries. They are institutions with community-oriented philosphies, who pride themselves on craft and quality.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with Melbourne Victory, a club that represents the heart, passion, and ambition of Melbourne,” revealed Roasting Warehouse Head of Brand, Alexander Paraskevopoulos.

“As a Melbourne-founded, family-run business, supporting a team that means so much to the local community feels very natural for us.”

Furthermore, through their high-quality blends, Roasting Warehouse will look to prepare Victory’s players and staff for high performances on the pitch as the seasons nears completion.

But this is about far more than just fueling athletes.

This is a partnership which embodies and unites two of Melbourne’s greatest strengths and cultural markers – a connection forged from the city’s very own DNA.

 

For more information about Roasting Warehouse, click here.

Marie-Louise Eta makes history as new Union Berlin head coach

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Image credit: FC Union Berlin

In an historic appointment, Eta will take over as head coach of Union Berlin until the end of the season.

History in the making

Previously the first female assistant coach in Bundesliga history with Union Berlin, Eta will now take the reigns of the men’s first team on an interim basis.

Currently, the club sit in 11th place in the Bundesliga table, but with only two wins so far in 2026, relegation appears an all-too-real prospect, and one which the club is desperate to avoid.

“Given the points gap in the lower half of the table, our place in the Bundesliga is not yet secure,” said Eta via official media release.

‘I am delighted that the club has entrusted me with this challenging task. One of Union’s strengths has always been, and remains, the ability to pull together in such situations.”

Eta will begin as Union’s new head coach with immediate effect, and will be in the dugout for the club’s matchup against Wolfsburg this weekend.

 

A step into an equal future

Eta’s appointment signals a major step towards a more level playing field in the football landscape.

Furthermore, Eta joins other coaches including Sabrinna Wittmann, Hannah Dingley and Corinne Diacre who, in recent years, have blazed a trail for female coaches to step into the men’s game.

Wittmann currently manages FC Ingolstadt in Germany’s third division, and was the first female head coach in Germany’s top three divisions.

In 2023, Dingley became caretaker manager of Forest Green Rovers, and thus the first woman to lead a men’s professional team in England.

Diacre, now head coach of France’s women’s national team, managed Ligue 2’s Clerment Foot between 2014 and 2017.

 

Final thoughts

The impact therefore, is that Eta’s appointment will show future generations of aspiring female coaches that men’s football is an equally viable and possible pathway as the women’s game.

The time is now to level the playing field.

And while it may be a short-term role, its effect on attitudes towards equality and fair opportunities in the game will hopefully resonate long after the season ends.

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