00:04I'm Randall Williams, a sports business reporter at Bloomberg News, and I'm taking you inside the world's biggest sporting events.
00:11Today, we are headed to the most watched showdown on earth, the FIFA World Cup.
00:22This year, the World Cup is here in North America and has the potential to impact the sport and business
00:28of soccer forever.
00:30But the key word there is potential. Globally, soccer is unmatched.
00:35Yet here in the U.S., it trails behind football, basketball and baseball and on the business side, even hockey.
00:41Look at the average franchise valuation in each league and look at where the MLS is.
00:46Now, let's compare that to some international soccer leagues. Part of that is history.
00:51The MLS was founded in 1996 in the aftermath of the last World Cup on U.S. soil.
00:56The NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL have been around for over 75 years.
01:01So the question is simple. What can the World Cup actually change?
01:05You're going to see a lot of sponsors and a lot of people that want to be involved in this
01:08sport going forward, seeing what it means to people.
01:12And that opens up opportunities. Access to the game is the most important thing.
01:16And that's where it starts. The grassroots level.
01:18Soccer is the most played youth sport.
01:21But over time, kids drift away and by high school, it falls out of the top tier.
01:26Now, let's go beyond school.
01:27In Europe, top players turn pro as teenagers, skipping college and entering elite systems early.
01:33In the U.S., development is slower.
01:35And sometimes the best talent leaves for overseas.
01:38Christian Pulisic plays for AC Milan.
01:40Weston McKinney, Juventus.
01:42Tyler Adams, Bournemouth.
01:44Why?
01:44The highest level of competition and the biggest paychecks are overseas.
01:50The Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga and more all tout not the best players in America, the best
01:57players on Earth.
01:58It's going to take a little bit more time because there's still great opportunities for American players abroad.
02:02But we're starting to see a trend of players staying longer, coming back sooner.
02:06And we believe that will continue.
02:07But as legends age, they've turned to the MLS.
02:10Think Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Luis Suarez and, of course, Messi.
02:17A strong run from Team USA could change everything.
02:21Success would mean more interest.
02:23Interest means more viewership.
02:24Viewership means larger media rights.
02:26And larger media rights means more money for players and owners.
02:30Still, some say this could also be soccer's last chance to boom in the U.S.
02:35Being able to inspire multiple generations of people is something that we're really trying to do.
02:43And we really want to hopefully continue to do that long after the tournament is finished.
02:48It's all on the line for soccer in the U.S.
02:50And we'll find out if this is the downturn or the takeover.
02:54This is Sports City.
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