Ep 329: Seeing the American Soccer Landscape Clearly, and the Most Recent MLS/USSF Conflict of Interest

Lifelong American soccer practitioner and entrepreneur, Kephern Fuller, joins me again from Holland.

On September 15, news came out that an MLS owner, Arthur Blank, who operates the Atlanta franchise, was going to fund US Soccer with $50 million in order for them to build a National Training Center in Atlanta.

Kephern then posted the following on X:

“So does no one see the conflict of interest that an MLS owner is funding this National Training Center”?

That post got a number of reactions.

On the one hand, there’s an increasing number of folks who have been around the block here in American Soccer who have come to realize that MLS and the Federation are riddled with “conflicts of interest”. And some have come to the astute conclusion that MLS has, in practical terms, come to capture and control the Federation.

And so this post by Kephern does not surprise a growing segment of the American soccer demographic.

But unfortunately, this post still triggered many folks, particularly those who:
1) Haven’t been deeply involved or worked in American soccer for long (at least 10+ years).
2) Have been consistently absorbing deliberately crafted and favorable MLS narratives by MLS media for years.
3) Need or want to be in the good graces of MLS (for example, “reporters/journalists”).

In any case the implications of an MLS owner funding this Federation project was to be our topic, and it starts in earnest a bit later into the episode. Until then, we were flowing on a wide range of topics.

Per usual, you will get a hefty dose of perspectives you won’t get from the mainstream or elsewhere.

I hope you enjoy and gain insight, but first here are a few words on the products that sponsor this episode and will absolutely help you as a coach or a parent of a player.

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