Major League Soccer’s 2023 decision to partner with Apple TV to carry its matches was groundbreaking, marking the first time a professional league moved most of its games to a streaming platform. This shift has since inspired other leagues, such the NBA, which will stream 66 games on Amazon Prime next season.
Andrew Wiebe, who has been with Apple TV's MLS Season Pass since its launch, serves as a studio analyst for MLS Wrap-Up, MLS Countdown and MLS 360. The long-time MLS ExtraTime podcast host has enjoyed seeing the programming evolve in just one year.
“We need people to walk away from any show... with excitement, with anticipation, and a tangible reason to care," Wiebe told GOAL. "I want people to be as juiced about the games, the players, the managers, stories, fan culture in the same way I am. I think we're finding ourselves with every step. And what encourages me is that this is just the beginning."
Wiebe credits the strong chemistry between himself and colleagues Kevin Egan, Sacha Kljestan, Kaylyn Kyle, and Bradley Wright-Phillips, as well as the producers, for the show's success. He pointed to their hard work behind the scenes as key to their standout Decision Day coverage.
“I was a little nervous about Decision Day... all these dominoes had to fall to give us an exciting day,” Wiebe said. “We were fortunate to hit fever pitch. Decision Day is about one thing: setting up the playoffs, and the bigger the bang the better.”
The First Round of the MLS Playoffs kicks off Friday with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami hosting Atlanta United. What is Messi's future in MLS? What's next for Columbus coach Wilfried Nancy? Who will win the MLS Cup? Wiebe discusses all of that and more in this edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
