What you think about MLS: Fan survey involving nearly 3,500 fans unveiled
Major League Soccer fans are largely satisfied with the soccer they're getting. But they've also got a lot of opinions about it.
A few weeks back, about 200 of you participated in a survey that revealed telling insights and even more telling insights about how you feel about Austin FC. That wasn't just something we did on our own at Verde All Day; it was part of a broader league-wide effort spearheaded by the excellent Ben Wright of SixOneFive Soccer, who was most recently in Austin for the U.S. Open Cup final (getting to write the stories that I was hoping to write about the team I cover lifting a trophy).
He's unveiled the whole leaguewide survey, and it includes some fascinating insights about where nearly 3,500 fans see Major League Soccer in 2025.
Fans are generally happy with the league (but not Leagues Cup)
The majority of fans were positive when asked how they perceive MLS’s on-field quality. When asked to rate their satisfaction with the product on the pitch on a 1-5 scale (with one being the least positive and five being the most), 59.3% rated their satisfaction at a four or higher, with just 9.14% at a two or less.
When ranking the importance and satisfaction of various competitions, Concacaf Champions Cup was viewed as the most important non-MLS tournament, with fans giving it an average weighting of 3.35 on a 1-5 scale. Leagues Cup was rated at a 2.38, down slightly from last season’s 2.42.
Fans like Apple TV's MLS coverage (with caveats)
On a scale of 1-5, fans rated their satisfaction with the product at a 3.42, with 53.5% rating it at a four or five. But while fans appreciated the quality of the product and the convenience of having all the matches on a single platform, many were frustrated by the lack of local broadcast options and having fewer commentators who are deeply informed about their specific clubs, as well as frustrations with some of the production choices, particularly with shoulder programming.
Fans described non-game offerings as “extremely lacking” and lamented that the league has “hollowed out the coverage”. There is a clear desire for content that parallels coverage in other major sports, like highlight reels, team updates, and detailed analysis, and fans feel that is currently nonexistent in the TV subscription.
While fans like the ability to watch MLS 360, the league’s whiparound show, there are frustrations that the content is “generic and boring”, “sterile”, and “a movie approximation of sports television”. While the programming is viewed positively as a way to stay tuned to multiple games at once, several of the analysts and hosts were criticized for their perceived “safe” takes, and the hyper-focus on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami was heavily criticized.
To paraphrase The Birthday Party, "Release the caps!"
When asked how to improve the on-field quality, fans honed in on roster rules as the primary area of change. Fans overwhelmingly call for liberalized roster rules — including higher salary caps and the simplification or elimination of complex mechanisms like Allocation Money — to improve on-field quality and depth. Fan sentiment was dominated by a desire for increased financial flexibility and simplification of regulations, coupled with frustration over perceived competitive imbalance and even league favoritism, particularly towards a select few high-profile clubs.
The overwhelming majority of fans advocated for increasing the total amount teams are allowed to spend on players. These ideas ranged from a simple increase of the salary cap to more Designated Player spots, with several calling for the league to eliminate many or all of the roster rules that fans deem to be too complex.
The most common proposed solution is simply replacing the entire current structure with a higher salary cap and a guaranteed salary floor, forcing more non-ambitious owners to spend at a certain level while simultaneously allowing teams who wish to spend more to distribute their spending across the entire team, with less restrictions on where that money can go. Additionally, several fans called for transfer fees to be removed from a player’s cap hit, leaving salary as the only factor.
Overall, fans seem to have the consensus view that the league has outgrown its highly restricted financial structure, and needs to modernize rules to allow for higher spending, particularly on the middle of the roster. Fans also think enforcing transparency with transfer fees will go a long way towards eliminating any favoritism, as well as creating less “top-heavy” rosters.
Lovin' that local coverage
Fan sentiment regarding Major League Soccer's (MLS) national, traditional media coverage is overwhelmingly critical, characterized by the belief that the league is largely ignored by mainstream outlets and, when it is covered, that coverage is severely limited in scope, often centering solely on high-profile stars.
The core complaints center on three key areas: non-existence, an obsessive focus on a few select players, and a perceived decline in quality and depth. Fans rated their overall satisfaction with national media coverage at a 2.34 out of five.
Fans were much more positive when it came to independent media coverage of MLS, with an average satisfaction rating of 3.80 out of five. The overall sentiment towards independent media was overwhelmingly positive, often described with terms like "amazing," "fantastic," and "great." Fans view these sources as the lifeblood of their fandom and the primary providers of deep, insightful, and authentic journalism, especially when compared to traditional national media or the league's own corporate content.
Fans highly value independent and local outlets—such as podcasts, blogs, newsletters, and dedicated local beat reporters—as the most essential sources for information about their team and the league as a whole. Despite the high praise, fans recognize that independent media operates under significant constraints imposed by the league and clubs. There is a strong belief that independent journalists are deliberately constrained by the league, which limits access to players and coaches to control the narrative. As one fan states, "Independent media is the only place to get any coverage and unfortunately they are not provided with access."
As a final observation, I feel like this view is colored in part by 5.4% of respondents being Austin FC backers — fifth-highest among the respondents, only behind fans of teams that also have outstanding local independent media outlets doing great work. Austin FC fans have a wealth of the types of outlets described in the article, and though I haven't done a full chronicle of outlets — that's an offseason project — my early working theory is that Verde has the most independent media coverage of any team in MLS, allowing Verde fans to be among the most informed fans in the league.
Check out the whole article at SixOneFive Soccer, and become even more informed than you already are. (And thanks for your continued support of this particular outlet.)
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Based on the 16 MLS teams in the field, Austin FC is an early favorite to win the trophy. Verde will enter the tournament as millions of Americans rush to file their taxes.
Maybe it's not ideal to sign a 41-year-old forward who didn't score for one of MLS' best teams last season. But he could play a helpful role for Austin FC in 2026 if dropped into a supplemental roster slot.
Looking at what Miami's done in the playoffs, you might expect them to rack up another big scoreline in Saturday's MLS Cup final. But there's a throughline in their losses that Vancouver will want to note.
A few weeks back, about 200 of you participated in a survey that revealed telling insights and even more telling insights about how you feel about Austin FC. That wasn't just something we did on our own at Verde All Day; it was part of a broader league-wide effort spearheaded by the excellent Ben Wright of SixOneFive Soccer, who was most recently in Austin for the U.S. Open Cup final (getting to write the stories that I was hoping to write about the team I cover lifting a trophy).
He's unveiled the whole leaguewide survey, and it includes some fascinating insights about where nearly 3,500 fans see Major League Soccer in 2025.
Among the big revelations:
Fans are generally happy with the league (but not Leagues Cup)
The majority of fans were positive when asked how they perceive MLS’s on-field quality. When asked to rate their satisfaction with the product on the pitch on a 1-5 scale (with one being the least positive and five being the most), 59.3% rated their satisfaction at a four or higher, with just 9.14% at a two or less.
When ranking the importance and satisfaction of various competitions, Concacaf Champions Cup was viewed as the most important non-MLS tournament, with fans giving it an average weighting of 3.35 on a 1-5 scale. Leagues Cup was rated at a 2.38, down slightly from last season’s 2.42.
Fans like Apple TV's MLS coverage (with caveats)
On a scale of 1-5, fans rated their satisfaction with the product at a 3.42, with 53.5% rating it at a four or five. But while fans appreciated the quality of the product and the convenience of having all the matches on a single platform, many were frustrated by the lack of local broadcast options and having fewer commentators who are deeply informed about their specific clubs, as well as frustrations with some of the production choices, particularly with shoulder programming.
Fans described non-game offerings as “extremely lacking” and lamented that the league has “hollowed out the coverage”. There is a clear desire for content that parallels coverage in other major sports, like highlight reels, team updates, and detailed analysis, and fans feel that is currently nonexistent in the TV subscription.
While fans like the ability to watch MLS 360, the league’s whiparound show, there are frustrations that the content is “generic and boring”, “sterile”, and “a movie approximation of sports television”. While the programming is viewed positively as a way to stay tuned to multiple games at once, several of the analysts and hosts were criticized for their perceived “safe” takes, and the hyper-focus on Lionel Messi and Inter Miami was heavily criticized.
To paraphrase The Birthday Party, "Release the caps!"
(Here's today's obscure indie rock reference that some of you get)
When asked how to improve the on-field quality, fans honed in on roster rules as the primary area of change. Fans overwhelmingly call for liberalized roster rules — including higher salary caps and the simplification or elimination of complex mechanisms like Allocation Money — to improve on-field quality and depth. Fan sentiment was dominated by a desire for increased financial flexibility and simplification of regulations, coupled with frustration over perceived competitive imbalance and even league favoritism, particularly towards a select few high-profile clubs.
The overwhelming majority of fans advocated for increasing the total amount teams are allowed to spend on players. These ideas ranged from a simple increase of the salary cap to more Designated Player spots, with several calling for the league to eliminate many or all of the roster rules that fans deem to be too complex.
The most common proposed solution is simply replacing the entire current structure with a higher salary cap and a guaranteed salary floor, forcing more non-ambitious owners to spend at a certain level while simultaneously allowing teams who wish to spend more to distribute their spending across the entire team, with less restrictions on where that money can go. Additionally, several fans called for transfer fees to be removed from a player’s cap hit, leaving salary as the only factor.
Overall, fans seem to have the consensus view that the league has outgrown its highly restricted financial structure, and needs to modernize rules to allow for higher spending, particularly on the middle of the roster. Fans also think enforcing transparency with transfer fees will go a long way towards eliminating any favoritism, as well as creating less “top-heavy” rosters.
Lovin' that local coverage
Fan sentiment regarding Major League Soccer's (MLS) national, traditional media coverage is overwhelmingly critical, characterized by the belief that the league is largely ignored by mainstream outlets and, when it is covered, that coverage is severely limited in scope, often centering solely on high-profile stars.
The core complaints center on three key areas: non-existence, an obsessive focus on a few select players, and a perceived decline in quality and depth. Fans rated their overall satisfaction with national media coverage at a 2.34 out of five.
Fans were much more positive when it came to independent media coverage of MLS, with an average satisfaction rating of 3.80 out of five. The overall sentiment towards independent media was overwhelmingly positive, often described with terms like "amazing," "fantastic," and "great." Fans view these sources as the lifeblood of their fandom and the primary providers of deep, insightful, and authentic journalism, especially when compared to traditional national media or the league's own corporate content.
Fans highly value independent and local outlets—such as podcasts, blogs, newsletters, and dedicated local beat reporters—as the most essential sources for information about their team and the league as a whole. Despite the high praise, fans recognize that independent media operates under significant constraints imposed by the league and clubs. There is a strong belief that independent journalists are deliberately constrained by the league, which limits access to players and coaches to control the narrative. As one fan states, "Independent media is the only place to get any coverage and unfortunately they are not provided with access."
As a final observation, I feel like this view is colored in part by 5.4% of respondents being Austin FC backers — fifth-highest among the respondents, only behind fans of teams that also have outstanding local independent media outlets doing great work. Austin FC fans have a wealth of the types of outlets described in the article, and though I haven't done a full chronicle of outlets — that's an offseason project — my early working theory is that Verde has the most independent media coverage of any team in MLS, allowing Verde fans to be among the most informed fans in the league.
Check out the whole article at SixOneFive Soccer, and become even more informed than you already are. (And thanks for your continued support of this particular outlet.)
Verde All Day is a reader-supported online publication covering Austin FC. Additional support is provided by Austin Telco Federal Credit Union. For more coverage, check out Emergency Podcast! (an Austin FC Podcast) wherever you get your podcasts.
Read Next
Austin FC will return to U.S. Open Cup in 2026
Based on the 16 MLS teams in the field, Austin FC is an early favorite to win the trophy. Verde will enter the tournament as millions of Americans rush to file their taxes.
Hear me out: The case for Austin FC signing Kei Kamara
Maybe it's not ideal to sign a 41-year-old forward who didn't score for one of MLS' best teams last season. But he could play a helpful role for Austin FC in 2026 if dropped into a supplemental roster slot.
MLS Cup 2025: How Vancouver Whitecaps FC can beat Inter Miami CF
Looking at what Miami's done in the playoffs, you might expect them to rack up another big scoreline in Saturday's MLS Cup final. But there's a throughline in their losses that Vancouver will want to note.
He's a keeper: Stefan Cleveland stays at Austin FC, and other less surprising roster decisions
One of Austin FC's original 2021 players is no longer with the club, while its first-ever SuperDraft pick will be Verde for at least one more season.