New Apple TV+ Major League Soccer docuseries could further boost MLS’ popularity

“‘Onside: Major League Soccer,” a fresh Apple TV+ docuseries crafted by the creators of “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” offers an inside look at Major League Soccer (MLS) and has the potential to significantly influence soccer in the U.S., much like its predecessor did for F1 racing.

Kevin Baxter for The Los Angeles Times:
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As a British expat living in Los Angeles, Paul Martin found the thing he missed most about home was soccer… So the idea of making a documentary about a soccer league wasn’t a hard sell. The challenge was finding the right league. The English Premier League, which Martin grew up with, was far too buttoned-up to allow his cameras the access they needed. And he’d been led to believe Major League Soccer, the first-division league that played in his adopted homeland, wasn’t much of a step up from those two guys playing in the park.
Not only was the reality far different, Martin found, but MLS was eager to have that story told. The result was the eight-part docuseries “Onside: Major League Soccer,” premiering Friday on Apple TV+.
“We’re always trying to figure out new ways to connect both our existing fans to the sport and to the league, but also ways to attract new fans,” said Sola Winley, the MLS executive vice president overseeing the project. “This opportunity is perfect. Access that fans generally wouldn’t see about Major League Soccer is the way for fans to get closer to our game.”
Martin and Box to Box Films, which he co-founded with Oscar-winning producer James Gay-Rees, have done that before. The Emmy-winning series “Formula 1: Drive to Survive,” beginning its seventh season next month on Netflix, has been widely credited with re-popularizing open-wheel auto racing in the U.S.

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MacDailyNews Take: MLS, now entering it’s 30th season, continues to noticeably improve in quality (Messi doesn’t hurt). We’re looking forward to Onside: Major League Soccer, in which Apple promises viewers can “go beyond the pitch with the personalities that power MLS.” Onside premiers today, February 21st only on Apple TV+! Watch it here.

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