Major League Soccer banking on new Apple deal to boost popularity

Major League Soccer banking on new Apple deal to boost popularity
Carolyn Kindle, the owner of newest MLS team in St. Louis, speaks during an interview in New York City on Wedesday. (Reuters)
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Updated 23 February 2023
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Major League Soccer banking on new Apple deal to boost popularity

Major League Soccer banking on new Apple deal to boost popularity
  • MLS games were shown outside of North America on a variety of channels but now all will be available on Apple TV, phones, tablets and browsers

NEW YORK: Major League Soccer is hoping its ground-breaking new global streaming deal with Apple TV will launch a new era of growth when their season gets under way on Saturday.

Under a new 10-year deal, worth a reported $2.5 billion, MLS becomes the first league to offer all their games available to stream, via Apple TV, domestically and internationally.

Previously MLS clubs broadcast their games via regional and local television networks with select games shown nationally on various cable sports channels.

The league often seemed low on the list of priorities of those channels, well below NFL, NBA and college football, but is hoping that by becoming a major investment for Apple, their profile will be transformed.

“We’re going to be putting (games) on a device for any fan anywhere in the world, anytime, anywhere without any blackouts. It’s unprecedented,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber told reporters on Wednesday at the league’s new purpose built studios in Harlem.

“No other league really can offer that type of opportunity for consumer and fan engagement. So I couldn’t be more excited,” he said.

MLS games were shown outside of North America on a variety of channels but now all will be available on Apple TV, phones, tablets and browsers with no geographic restrictions on the content.

The league which began in 1996 with 10 teams and mostly American players, now has 29 clubs in the US and Canada with players drawn from over 80 nations and Garber hopes the Apple deal will also draw in fans from some of those markets.

“I can’t tell you what it’s like to have our clubs talk to a player from Argentina or from Brazil or from, you know, Croatia or from England and know that you’ll be able to deliver a game directly to one of their fans with the click of a button.” he said.

“That is perhaps the most exciting part of this new partnership. We are playing in the global game and we’re not the global league that we want to be. And what better way to do that with a global digital partner that is ubiquitous around the world?“

For local fans of MLS, who are given free passes to the streams as part of their season tickets, the new deal brings a simplified schedule with the vast majority of games being held on a Saturday — rather than spread out over various days.

The Premier League has built a following in the United States with it’s regular Saturday morning slot on television and Garber wants MLS also to become “destination viewing.”

“I think for us, having a consistent schedule is going to help our teams be able to create habits with their with their fans and allow us to produce games in ways that are gonna be higher quality and frankly, more efficient,” he said.

While other competitions around the world will be closely watching how succesful MLS is with their new deal, the league hasn’t completely abandoned traditional television, with 34 games to be shown in the US on Fox.

Garber said the league has no goal for subscriptions in the first season but MLS is also targeting the significant Mexican-American audience by linking up with Mexico’s Liga MX for a new month-long, World Cup style tournament every August featuring the top flight teams from both countries.

Domestic league action will stop play for the entirety of the Leagues Cup, which will also be streamed on Apple TV.

“We’ve got one of the most popular professional soccer leagues in the world right across our border. So why not sit down and create a competition that will matter? It’s going to be pretty cool,” said Garber.

There is plenty more change this season with the newly formed St. Louis City joining as the 29th club and the playoff system tweaked to have “best of three” first round series.

The opening weekend features a local derby in California where Los Angeles Galaxy will face defending champions Los Angeles FC in a game which has been moved to the 89,000 capacity Rose Bowl in a bid to break the league-wide attendance record of 73,019 set by Charlotte last season.

Surprisingly there have been no big-name arrivals in the league this off-season but it is clear that Apple is banking on a higher profile for the sport in the coming years.

The US and Canada will host the 2026 World Cup along with Mexico and Garber believes that will be a game-changer.

“The pathway to 2026 is something that’s going to be the rocket fuel for the entire soccer ecosystem in the US,” he said.


Pakistan’s World Cup worries continue with warm-up loss to New Zealand

Pakistan’s World Cup worries continue with warm-up loss to New Zealand
Updated 30 September 2023
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Pakistan’s World Cup worries continue with warm-up loss to New Zealand

Pakistan’s World Cup worries continue with warm-up loss to New Zealand
  • Mohammed Rizwan scores 103, Babar Azam makes 80 as Pakistan scored 345-5
  • Half-centuries by Ravindra, Williamson and Chapman power Kiwis’ successful chase

HYDERABAD: Pakistan’s Mohammed Rizwan hit an impressive century inside an eerily empty stadium on Friday but his team suffered a heavy defeat to New Zealand in their World Cup warm-up fixture.
Pakistan went down to a five-wicket loss to the Black Caps at the 55,000-capacity Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
The game, however, was played behind closed doors due to a Hindu festival and security issues in the southern Indian city.
Rizwan hit 103 with nine fours and two sixes in his 94-ball innings while skipper Babar Azam made 80 in Pakistan’s 345-5 after electing to bat first.
“A hundred is hundred in any conditions. I feel proud and satisfied,” said Rizwan.
Rachin Ravindra and the returning Kane Williamson then played key knocks as New Zealand chased down the target with 6.2 overs to spare.
Ravindra (97) and Williamson (54) put on 137 to put their team on course against a Pakistan attack missing pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Williamson, who returned from a six-month lay-off due to a knee injury and played the match only as a batsman, looked impressive in his 50-ball stay before he retired out.
“It held up pretty good,” Williamson, who will miss the tournament opener against England on October 5, said about his knee after the win.
“Little bit of icing after that (knock). But that’s part of the process. Fortunate with that recovery and being named in the squad was exciting to me.”
Left-hand batsman Mark Chapman made an unbeaten 65 while Mitchell Santner contributed 59 before he retired out.
At Guwahati, Liton Das, Tanzid Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz struck half-centuries to guide Bangladesh to a seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in their opening warmup match.
Chasing Sri Lanka’s 263, Bangladesh knocked off the runs with eight overs to spare
Liton and Tanzid got Bangladesh motoring from the off as they put on 131 for the first wicket in 20 overs.
Liton cracked 10 boundaries in his 56-ball 61 before being caught by Matheesha Pathirana off Dushan Hemantha.
Tanzid, 22, has only played five ODIs but looked at home as he stroked two sixes and 10 fours on his way to 84 from 88 balls.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz, skipper for the day, led Bangladesh home with an undefeated 67 off 64 balls with five boundaries and two sixes.
He and Mushfiqur Rahim (35) put on an undefeated 76 for the fourth wicket.
Sri Lanka had won the toss and chose to bat.
Opener Pathum Nissanka top scored with 68 while Dhananjaya de Silva hit 55.
The day’s other scheduled warm-up between Afghanistan and South Africa in Thiruvananthapuram was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
On Saturday, five-time winners Australia face the Netherlands at Thiruvananthapuram while hosts India tackle defending champions England at Guwahati.
 


Asian Games: Pakistan take on arch-rivals India for squash gold today

Asian Games: Pakistan take on arch-rivals India for squash gold today
Updated 56 min 16 sec ago
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Asian Games: Pakistan take on arch-rivals India for squash gold today

Asian Games: Pakistan take on arch-rivals India for squash gold today
  • Pakistan have qualified for an Asian Games squash final after 13 years
  • India beat defending champions Malaysia on Friday to qualify for the final

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will lock horns with arch-rivals India to compete for the squash gold medal in the 19th Asian Games today, Saturday, making it the first time in 13 years that the South Asian country has qualified for the final of the tournament.
Pakistan qualified for the final of the tournament on Friday after beating No.3 seeds Hong Kong, China to reach the men’s team squash final. India, meanwhile, qualified after beating defending champions Malaysia on Friday.

During Pakistan’s first match on Friday, Noor Zaman, 19, gave his side the lead with a 12-10, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8 win over World No.51 Henry Leung.
Pakistan looked on their way to winning it with a match to spare when Muhammad Asim Khan dominated early on against Tsz Kwan Lau. However, the Chinese squash player came back to force the tie into a third match with a 60-minute 3-2 win.
For the third match, Nasir Iqbal, 29, who was also part of the Pakistan team that crashed out in the pools stage in 2014, controlled proceedings against Ming Hong Tang throughout, wrapping up the win in straight games.
Khan uploaded a video clip of the moment when Pakistan beat Hong Kong on social media platform X, terming the victory a “great upset.”
“We’re in finals of Asian games,” he wrote.


Indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal gave credit to Pakistan for playing impressively throughout the tournament, mentioning the defeat India tasted at Pakistan’s hands in the pool stage of the tournament.
“You have to give Pakistan credit for the way they have played this entire week,” Ghosal said. “They’ve been very good and won all their matches. They are flying high and playing really well.”
 

 


Kingdom’s Youssef Masrahi qualifies for 400-meter final at Asian Games

Kingdom’s Youssef Masrahi qualifies for 400-meter final at Asian Games
Updated 29 September 2023
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Kingdom’s Youssef Masrahi qualifies for 400-meter final at Asian Games

Kingdom’s Youssef Masrahi qualifies for 400-meter final at Asian Games
  • Asian record holder finishes second in semifinal in 45.64 seconds
  • Abdullah Abkar, Nasser Mahmoud through to semifinals of 100-meters

HANGZHOU, China: Saudi athlete Youssef Masrahi has qualified for the final of the men’s 400-meters at the 19th Asian Games.
The Asian record holder secured his place in the medal race after finishing second in his semifinal at the Olympic Stadium on Friday in a time of 45.64 seconds. Japan’s Sato Fuga won the race in 45.56.
Masrahi took the gold medal in the 400 at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, where he also broke the Asian record with a time of 44.46.
His teammate, Mazen Alyassin, failed to qualify for the 400 final after coming home fourth in his semifinal in a time of 46.13.
Meanwhile, Saudi sprinter Abdullah Abkar made it through to the semifinals of the 100-meters after finishing fourth in his heat in a time of 10.30. He will be joined by teammate Nasser Mahmoud, who qualified in 10.50.
Esports
The Kingdom’s esports team of Abdulrahman Al-Fahad, Abdulrahman Al-Aroui, Khaled Al-Abdulaziz and Ahmed Al-Qahtani have been eliminated from the Games after losing in the last 16 of the Peace Elite contest.
Boxing
Boxer Mohamed Al-Sabhi was also eliminated from the Games after losing to his Uzbek rival on a judges’ decision in the last 16 of the 80 kg category.
Table Tennis
The Kingdom’s Azam Alaam and Khalid Al-Shareef were knocked out of the table tennis doubles competition after losing 3-0 to their opponents from Chinese Taipei in the last 16.
Fencing
The Saudi fencing team of Ahmed Al-Hussein, Khalifa Al-Umairi, Jawad Al-Daoud and Faisal Aabid were also eliminated on Friday, after going down by 45-43 to Japan in the quarterfinals of the epee category.
Golf
The Kingdom’s golfers ended their second round on Friday, with Othman Al-Mulla shooting 70, Ali Al-Sekhi 71, Faisal Al-Salhab 72 and Saud Al-Sharif 73.


Ronaldo and Talisca take Al-Nassr to 3rd in Saudi Pro League

Ronaldo and Talisca take Al-Nassr to 3rd in Saudi Pro League
Updated 29 September 2023
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Ronaldo and Talisca take Al-Nassr to 3rd in Saudi Pro League

Ronaldo and Talisca take Al-Nassr to 3rd in Saudi Pro League
  • Portuguese star linked up well with Anderson Talisca and the pair look to be enjoying themselves
  • Yellows fans now see their side just a point behind leaders Al-Ittihad who were held to a 0-0 draw at Al-Fayha

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 10th of the season as Al-Nassr made it six from six in the league on Friday with a 2-1 win at Al-Tai.

The Portuguese star linked up well with Anderson Talisca and the pair look to be enjoying themselves.

The same can be said for fans of the Yellows who now see their side just a point behind leaders Al-Ittihad who were held to a 0-0 draw at Al-Fayha.

After starting the campaign with two defeats in the first two games, Al-Nassr are showing themselves to be capable of putting teams to the sword and grinding out victories when they need to.

This was more the latter, and it was a close-run thing. The visitors moved ahead just after the half hour to quieten the vociferous home fans, and it was a beauty. Ronaldo, on the edge of the area, flicked the ball up for the advancing Talisca to fire home from the right side of the box for his third in two games. It was a fifth assist of the season so far for the five-time Ballon d’Or winner.

The goal had been coming as Al-Nassr had been pushing forward, with Ronaldo missing good chances earlier in the game.

From one opportunity Talisca had set up his captain, running into the area and supplying the unmarked Portuguese international who, to the surprise of everyone, unleashed a shot that lacked power and enabled Victor Braga to save.

Ronaldo had a slightly tougher chance six minutes before the break. Marcelo Brozovic made use of plenty of space in the middle of the Al-Tai half to chip a perfect pass into the area. On the right corner of the six-yard box, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United star fired a half-volley just wide of the post.

The half ended with a spectacular overhead kick by Ronaldo finding Talisca at the far post but, while the Brazilian rounded the goalkeeper to roll the ball home, he was just offside.

It was not all one-way traffic, though. Al-Tai wanted a penalty early in the second half and came close to an equalizer on the hour, but Nawaf Al-Aqidi got down quickly at his near post to push a smart free-kick from Anselmo around the post.

Ronaldo looked to have provided his side’s second on 63 minutes but his header was palmed away acrobatically by the busy Braga.

And then, with 11 minutes remaining, Al-Tai did score. Abdulrahman Al-Harthi produced a beautiful pass that sent Virgil Misidjan sprinting free of three Al-Nassr defenders and the Dutch forward rolled the ball home.

A draw looked likely, but Al-Nassr grabbed the winner with three minutes left as Anselmo handled a Talisca header and Ronaldo fired home from the spot.

Al-Nassr now have 18 points from eight games and are breathing down the neck of champions and leaders Al-Ittihad, who were held to a goalless draw at Al-Fahya.

Al-Ittihad, again without the injured striker Karim Benzema, had the better chances in the first half.

Abderrazak Hamdallah was denied at close range by Vladimir Stojkovic. The Serbian stopper could then only watch as a thunderbolt from Ahmed Bamsaud rocketed back off the crossbar.

Al-Fayha had their chances but the game remained goalless.

Al-Ittihad stay top but are now level on points with Al-Taawoun who won 3-1 at Al-Hazm.


Leipzig part ways with a key executive linked with Bayern Munich a day before playing Bayern

Leipzig part ways with a key executive linked with Bayern Munich a day before playing Bayern
Updated 29 September 2023
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Leipzig part ways with a key executive linked with Bayern Munich a day before playing Bayern

Leipzig part ways with a key executive linked with Bayern Munich a day before playing Bayern
  • The decision came a day before Leipzig play Bayern in the Bundesliga
  • Leipzig said Eberl had been “relieved ... of his duties with immediate effect”

LEIPZIG, Germany: Leipzig parted ways with their top sports executive Max Eberl on Friday citing a “failure to commit to the club” amid speculation linking him with Bayern Munich. The decision came a day before Leipzig plays Bayern in the Bundesliga.
Leipzig said Eberl had been “relieved ... of his duties with immediate effect.” The club denied the decision was linked to the team’s performance or signings.
“His failure to commit to the club has led to us making this decision. It has nothing to do with the squad’s rebuild or results on the pitch,” the club said.
Reports in Germany in recent days have indicated that Eberl could be of interest to Bayern, which have shaken up their own management structure after difficulties on the field last season and off-field issues including the firing of coach Julian Nagelsmann in March and replacing him with Thomas Tuchel.
Eberl, who was a Bayern player in the early 1990s, had pointed to his Leipzig contract when asked about the speculation and said he wanted to focus on the upcoming game against Bayern, in comments published by the Sport Bild newspaper on Wednesday.
Leipzig are a point behind league leader Bayern before the two teams meet Saturday.
As managing director for sport, Eberl joined Leipzig last year and was credited with overseeing a rebuild which has seen established players like Joško Gvardiol and Dominik Szoboszlai depart for large price tags and the arrival of young talents like Loïs Openda and Paris Saint-Germain loanee Xavi Simons.
Leipzig said sporting director Rouven Schröder would move into Eberl’s role.