🌎 How well do you know your cities and stadiums?
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Quick—it's time for a 10-minute brain exercise.
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The host cities and stadiums for the 2025 Gold Cup and FIFA Club World Cup—both on North American soil—were recently announced.
How well do you know the stadiums and host cities for these competitions?
Sure, the New York Times has their Crossword, Wordle, and Connections (by the way, have you seen there's a new sports edition?)—but we've got the For Soccer Cross...bar! Test your aim below, with hints from soccer and sports both past and present.
Note: if you'd like to fill out the crossword on desktop, click below.
💡 On conference realignment and soccer fandom...
Last week we turned to the revolving doors of college conference realignment for some inspiration. What's the connection?
Well, what you knew about conferences five years ago is different today and will be different five years from now. In many ways, soccer in America is no different. As the industry continues to evolve, so too do fans. Interests change. Behaviors shift.
Using realignment as a mood board for the regional nature of fandom, we sought to answer how U.S. regions differ in soccer fandom.
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Our regional review breaks the country into nine distinct "soccer conferences" aiming to answer how fans in each differ. We looked into general demographic differences, as well as consumer behaviors like the two above.
📈 U.S. Soccer strengthens financial positioning
This week, Sportico discusses how U.S. Soccer has reshaped their financial approach to include an increased attention on outside fundraising and private donations. According to Sportico, the Federation has raised more in the past year—upwards of $60 million—than it has in its entire history. Those donations have a direct impact—the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino, making Emma Hayes the highest-paid women's coach in the world, a National Training Center under construction outside Atlanta.
🔎 Many Premier League clubs turn eyes toward crypto
With a ban on clubs donning front-of-jersey sponsorships by gambling companies coming in 2026, many in the Premier League are turning their sights toward crypto partnerships. This new source of income doesn't come without its challenges, however. Whereas more traditional sponsorships have payouts over several years, it's more common for crypto brands to pay out their sponsorship fees up front given the volatility of the sector. Read more from Sports Business Journal (via Bloomberg).
🤑 The Messi machine keeps rolling
Everyone knew the arrival of Lionel Messi would significantly increase the commercial stature of Inter Miami, but the impact the FIFA Men's World Cup winner has had is eye-opening. The club saw revenue more than double from 2022 to 2023 and will likely surpass the $200 million mark in 2024. Learn more about the ways the "Messi effect" is manifesting in Miami with this article from ESPN.
📈 MLS attendance surpasses 11 million in 2024
During the second-to-last weekend of the regular season, total attendance during the 2024 campaign surpassed 11 million for the first time. While Lionel Messi's second season in North America certainly plays a role (as noted in the story above), so too do a rising number of season-ticket holders across the league, as Front Office Sports points out.
🎥 U.S. Soccer debuts La Tiendita content series
As Hispanic Heritage Month winds down, we'd like to point readers to the Federation's new content series. La Tiendita pairs those who played a role in soccer's growth in America for a sit-down conversation about their experiences. The first video features Colombian legend Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama and former USMNTer and Colombian-American Alejandro Bedoya. The second video pairs former USMNTer and Argentine-American Marcelo Balboa with former Bolivian and D.C. United star Marco Etcheverry.
👖 Cavan Sullivan named ambassador for Aéropostale
Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan has been named the latest brand ambassador for Aéropostale. Check out this video announcing the partnership. The 15 year old is the first pro athlete endorser for the clothing brand under its current owner, SPARC Group. Sullivan signed the largest homegrown contract in MLS history and is committed to transfer to Manchester City when he turns 18 in 2027.