July 5, 2025 • 40 mins
Join host Vanessa Perdomo as she speaks to some of the key players, leaders and newsmakers in the world of soccer ahead of the FIFA World Cup coming to the US in 2026.
On this edition, Vanessa speaks with:
- Legendary broadcaster Andres Cantor
- Dan Corso, President of the Atlanta Sports Council and head of the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee and Tim Zulawski, President of AMB Sports and Entertainment
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome. This is a special edition of the Bloomberg Business
of Sports podcast The Business of Soccer. I'm Vanessa Prodomo.
The summer of international soccer is getting down to the wire.
The FIFA Club World Cup is in its knockout stages,
and the CONCACAF Gold Cup has its final set between
US and Mexico, a good old neighborhood rivalry game that
will crown this year's champions of the region. Last week
(00:23):
I spoke with legendary broadcaster Andres Contor about what a
US win for the Gold Cup would mean as a
precursor to the World Cup next year. The previously taped
conversation was before the latest round of games played for
the Club World Cup, but he gave us perspective on
how the tournament has gone and the biggest takeaways when
it comes to South American versus European soccer. Here's my
conversation with broadcaster Andres Contor. Okay, So, Andrea's first thing
(00:48):
is we're in the thick of the international tournaments right now.
You're pulling double duty Club World Cup, Gold Cup. First
thing is I need to say, how are you doing?
Are you doing okay? Are you tied? Are you okay?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I am. I am doing awesome.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I really enjoy doing what you obviously, And actually it's
triple duty because I've called the FIFA Club Worl Cup
in English for TNT and it's sister networks. I am
calling the US women's national team matches for Telemundo in
the same week, and then on the weekend I have
(01:26):
the US men's national team and the Mexican national team
on radio in Spanish for my radio World Football de Brimda.
So it's going to be a very interesting last seven
days for me.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, How do you keep it all straight? I mean,
does it just get does it get jumbled in your
head at all? I mean switching Spanish English, Clever Cup,
World Cup, I mean US Men's national team, Women's national team.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
And I will add another component, which is the speed
I need to go in radio, because you know, when
I do play by player in radio, it's it's a
much higher speed than I have to use proady, you know,
double the words I use on television to describe the actions.
It's fun, it's it's challenging sometimes because you have to,
(02:16):
you know, prepare like two games at the same time.
That's the reality like I'm preparing the weekend's game for
the Gold Cup. Well, I'm preparing the women's national team games.
So it's a little bit challenging to keep it all
focused and make sure that you know, when I put
my notes out notes down, that I don't put some
stats of the women's team in my Mexican national team
(02:38):
notes or the US men's national team in my women's
But it's.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Fun, Yes's lots of fun.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Do you have a favorite component to it, a favorite
medium TV or radio or team that you like to cover?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
No, not really, I mean I enjoy both.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
I've been doing television for forty years and and radio
proadly as so both of them are are very different
in essence because, like I said, radio takes a physical
a greater physical toll on me because you have to,
you know, go a little bit full speed harder than television,
(03:18):
which doesn't mean that you know, I don't give it
one hundred percent. I give it one hundred and ten
percent in each television broadcast.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
So I enjoy both calling games in both mediums.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
You're doing your own sport up there for sure. So
I want to get into the Gold Cup first, and
what have we learned so far and have the US
been playing in the tournament so far.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
In the US cruise, but I don't know whether this
team is good or not because the opposition was not
the best. So obviously people need to understand that this
is not near what Malissa Pochettino will put on the
(04:05):
World Cup debut, because you know, there are so many
players missing key positions. So definitely this is kind of
the A minus B plus thing, not to call it
a RB, but like you know, somewhere in between, because
out of this group, probably I don't know, some will
(04:27):
make it into the final roster of the Viva World
Cup next year and some will not. So so far,
the US has shown some promise because they have been
able to resolve the matches that perhaps before they didn't
even though the opposition always was much tougher. But actually
they need a goalkeeper. I know that you were a
(04:49):
former goalkeeper yourself, so.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yes, maybe why not?
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, I mean, you know, bring bring the women's out there,
because we're always good at that, that's f Yeah, So
you know what you're saying there, you know, as we
as we see what's going on next year, and then obviously,
like you mentioned, it's going to be a different team
in the World Cup next year. So does winning the
Gold Cup even really tell us anything about what the
(05:16):
men will be able to do in the World Cup
next year or what does it do for them?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It's a great question, and it will build confidence in,
you know, the team, the team as a whole, obviously
will build confidence in some of the players that will
have shown the coach that they belong for next year,
that's for sure. What will it do beyond that, I'm
(05:46):
not quite sure. It's always always good winning. Obviously, it
will send us drug message that, you know, even without
their star players, the US men's national team can compete
at this level, which will be obviously very welcomed and
very good heading into next year. You know, they will
(06:09):
have for the honor of being CONCAK AFT champions, but
not much else because the World Cup is a total
different animal.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Absolutely, And you know US Soccer Federation and billionaire Ken
Griffin got together. They invested a lot of money and
Richio Pachettino has been a good investment so far.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Do you think I believe so? Yes, I think he's
a very good coach.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
You know, the US men's national team needed a good coach,
a coach that has proven himself, a coach that handled
the biggest stars that the game has, like I and
bape Messi obviously all the big Tottenham and Chelsea stars.
(06:58):
So he's a very very good coach. He is very
flexible in adapting. I think he has been adapting quickly
to the way we do things here, and he's trying
to instill in the mindset of the American players that
they can be at their best if they want to.
(07:21):
And I think he brought that South American Argentina mentality
into the team and hopefully that will reflect on the
pitch come next year in the World Cup.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, well we hope so for sure. All right, So
shifting gears then a little bit to the Club World Cup.
In your opinion, with this expanded format for the tournament,
how have you seen it play out? You know, obviously
we've had some really unchallenging group matches and you know,
Scarce Gemes there. But then obviously there has been some
really good competition. How do you see it from that perspective?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Well, I see it.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
At first, I had my doubts about you know, the tournament.
It's so new that it was kind of you know, unpredictable,
and I'm liking it so far. Like you say, in
every major competition with so many teams, and this will
probably happen in the FIFA Club Wor Cup next year
with forty eight teams, you know, there will be matchups
that will be you know, one side. Obviously the Bayern
(08:21):
Munich ten Oagland City zero is a testament to that.
Then Benfica scored six. But other than that, they weren't that.
I mean, most of the matches were kind of competitive.
So you will have obviously an emerging nation I'm not
saying that Beggistan or Jordan and maybe it to the
next World Cup for the first time.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
You know, we'll lose that badly.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
But obviously you will have matches next year as we
live seeing the first round of this Club worl Cup
that we're one sided. So other than that, I agree
with your assessment. The you know, the competition has been
very fair and even though the two Argentinian teams then
go through. For example, they competed against Bayern Munich, I
(09:06):
mean Boca was one one until the seventy five minute,
but we were lost against Inter you know, in the
last seventy minutes, I would say, or the match, so
you know, they show that they could compete, and the
competition has been fairly good and kind of even throughout.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
I think that was for me the thing that I
was looking at the most was South American teams versus
European teams, how they were going to stack up, because,
especially here in the US market, maybe the South American
teams aren't known as well as you you think, maybe
some of the European teams. So right now it's pretty
much Brazil versus Europe And obviously we have some others
(09:48):
and a messy made it through and inner Miami have
the one MLS team. But do you think that that
a Brazil versus Premier League team, like a Serie A
team versus Premier League team is what would be best
for the tournament in the final from an audience perspective,
from a competition perspective, does it prove does something like that?
(10:10):
Then prove yes, this is what the whole tournament was about.
Competing across regions or is Premier League Premier League or
PSG versus you know, Chelsea or something the best that
FIFA can expect.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
We shall see obviously, first and foremost, let me parify something.
Brazilian teams are not known to the Eurocentric fans because
they never pay attention to the side of the world.
This is one of my biggest fights, and I'm on
the record for saying that company Dalla, this is as
good as the Champions League.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
People laugh at me because people don't.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Turn over and don't see the value that our South
American football has, and I.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Believe it's as good.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Obviously, we don't have the resources, and obviously the South
American teams lose their biggest stars every year and they
go to Europe. You named uh three four European teams.
Most of them have South American players that make them,
you know, win in the Premier league in you know,
(11:15):
in in Spain wherever. So that aside, what will be
good for the competition obviously, now it's Brazil against the world. Basically,
you know, Brazil has very the all four teams are
are very good.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
The Europeans are at the end of their season.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
And are complaining a lot how tired they are and
and this and that. But yet you know they showed
interest and are competing well enough, so that will not
be an excuse if they happen to lose to a
Brazilian team somewhere along the way. So for a Lobal audience, obviously,
the the ideal final will be to have the Champions
(12:02):
League winner at PSD in the final, you know, with
all uh you know, with with all that happened with
them in Champions League, or Madrid for that matter, obviously,
because that's a global brand, I know, it would be
great to show it like a balance of power. If
(12:24):
we can have South America, South American against Europe final,
that would be awesome.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And when you're seeing out in the stadiums and things
like that, Obviously, Real Madrid and Boca Juniors were the
two highest selling teams in the group stage for for tickets.
What else are you seeing like as people are bringing
in fans. Is it a lot of South American teams
as South American fans coming in? Is it a lot
(12:52):
of European fans? Is it just US fans just rooting
for whoever they know already?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
It's a mix of both.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
The South American teams, including the Brazilians, brought a lot
of people. I was really surprised at the amount of
people that they brought from their countries. Obviously in South
Boria that were Boga played two matches and Palmaidas played one.
There are plenty of Argentinians and Brazilians and I'm pretty
(13:23):
sure when to root for them as well.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
But I would say.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Seventy percent of the fans that showed up came from
either Argentine hour or Brazil. Then you have the you
know American fan that went out to see the big
teams Inter Milan, PSD, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid. I mean
you could tell by you know, by by the support
(13:48):
they had that it looked like they were just casual
US based fans of those teams. And I also said,
is that goes in favor of the Viva Glob wal
Cup that if you taking this Fiva glob walk up
(14:09):
to Germany and play in Germany, how many fans will
River played against our Reds in Hamburg, Germany draw? Probably
not even five thousand. So I think attendance has been good,
good enough. The big teams sold out, the South American
(14:31):
teams sold out. And when you have, you know, a
game on a Tuesday at twelve noon to adjust to
the European prime time television audience at the Rose Bowl,
I'm not even sure Beyonce again, you know, sell out
of the road twelve noon our World Day, right.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Yeah, exactly. It is one of the things I wanted
to ask you about. It's the scarcity that we saw
at a lot of the stadiums, and I mean it's
a really good point though. I mean they're mid day,
you know, during the work week. But we obviously will
see that next year for the World Cup. But it's
a completely different beast. Right for the World Cup, people
are going to be willing to take off. So do
you think that the scarcity that we saw doesn't say
(15:14):
much about the US as a soccer market? Do you
think that we're still emerging or is there some work
to be done?
Speaker 3 (15:24):
No, it doesn't say anything. It says obviously a lot
about the US soccer market. There have been a one
and a half million tickets sold or over one and
a half million tickets sold in the group face Again,
if you take that Rosewell game and move it to
the LAFC Stadium or Dignity Health the Galaxy Stadium that
(15:46):
has a capacity of twenty five people, you would have
had packed and sold out game between Monterrey and Ritz.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Or River Plate And with our Reds that didn't throw
that much.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
I think, obviously, like you say, the World Cup will
be totally different. I know people that are already asking
for time off a year in advance. There will be
a lot more tourists hopefully coming to the US to
watch their nations. And I think soccer has shown throughout
(16:27):
the summers. And I refer to the summers because we
always have these big, big pre tournament, pre season tournaments
that are friendly in nature with the big European teams
that play one eleven team. I mean they put eleven
(16:50):
players on the first half, and then the coach because
it's pre season, makes eleven changes in the second half.
And yet you know, you will have seventy five one
thousand people or one hundred thousand people in an Urburn,
Michigan watching Real Mad against Manchester United. So the appetite
for saugur in this country is here to stay, is
(17:13):
very solid, and I don't think we have to all
on the negative of the you know, eighteen thousand fans
that the Mammy Lodi Sandown's gained druel, because again, take
that to any other city in the world outside of
South Africa. That's where this team is from and that
(17:36):
you know, it will not draw three hundred people, And
here they put, you know, fifteen thousand, and everyone is saying, oh,
they only grew fifteen thousand people and two o'clock in
the afternoon, three o'clock in the afternoon, saltering heat.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
So I mean, I think all in all it is
very good.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
It's a good point for sure. So we got to
talk about the MLS really quick before before we wrap
up inner. Miami made it to the next ROUNDUND with
one win, two draws. The other teams didn't fare as well.
What do you think that says that, you know, LAC
Seattle didn't even get Seattle didn't even get a win
or a draw any points, right, So what does that
(18:15):
say about how the MLS is stacking up against other
leagues and how far they really need to go.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Well, we didn't need to have this tournament to nowhere.
NLS stands in the world scheme of football, in the
world ranking of football. Obviously the MLS is doing great.
It's a very good league, but it's not competitive enough.
(18:42):
And in tannic And proved me wrong. But obviously you know,
they got messy, which is the difference maker. But I
think it's unfair because even though Seattle they win, the
two Argentine teams played six matches in between them, and
(19:04):
one only one of them, which was pre beating with
our reds. So if I make the argument that l
A s C And Seattle didn't win too many games
or Seattle didn't win any I would have to make
the same argument for Argentinian football. And Argentina is a
world champion. So it's again, you know, MLS has I
(19:32):
don't know if it has a long way to go,
but obviously the competition is Europe.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
In Europe is much tougher, it's it's better, and you
know it's MLS. It's a couple of texdowns from there.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
All right. Well, before I let you go, I have
to get some predictions. Predictions for Club World Cup final
and winner.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
I think PSG will win this tournament and they might
play I wish I had the brackets.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
I like Bayern Munich the way they played the winner
of that quarter.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Finally, if it's PSG, Buyern will make it all the
way to the final and winning.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Yeah. Absolutely. Prediction for the Gold Cup.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
I'm going to bet on the US, all right.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
I think there's three wins in the group face even
though like I already explained, doesn't mean way too much,
I think will give them confidence to go all the
way to.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
The final and winning.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
That was my conversation with legendary broadcaster Andre's Contour. We'll
be checking back in on his predictions to see if
PSG or Buyern Munich take home the Club World Cup title.
This is a special edition of the Bloomberg Business of
Sports podcast The Business of Soccer. Up next, we'll hear
from leaders the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee on how
they're prepping for the big games. I'm Vanessa Prodemo. This
(21:05):
is Bloomber. You're listening to a special edition of the
Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast, The Business of Soccer. I'm
Vanessa Prodemo. My next guests are Dan Corso, president of
the Atlanta Sports Council and head of the Atlanta World
Cup Host Committee, and Tim Zeloski, President of amb Sports
(21:27):
and Entertainment, more so known for owning the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta is one of only a few cities that are
hosting the Club World Cup this year, as well as
the twenty twenty six World Cup next year, so they're
in a unique position to solidify themselves as a soccer
hub in the US. Not to mention owner of the
Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Blank, is a big donor for US soccer.
Let's listen to my conversation with Tim and Dan Club
(21:51):
World Cup, World Cup. Everything's coming in at once. Tim,
I'd love to get your perspective on a stadium that's
hosting both of these tournaments. What's this next year like
for you and what are the preparations like for to
host these back to back tournaments.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
Ultimately, it's the vision we had for Mercedesmen Stadium, which
is to bring the best events from around the world
to Georgia and to Atlanta for the people of the
United States and or state and local residents to enjoy.
So it feels great to be, you know, bringing that
to life. The actual matches themselves. You know, we're the
busiest seventy thousand seat stadium in the world, so the
(22:29):
idea of bringing people in is obviously not foreign to us.
The working with a new federation in this case FIFA,
who've not worked with previously, that has been a little different,
you know, just because of our first time and new
the Club World Cup. Obviously the best clubs in the
world and then you get the chance for country in
(22:50):
twenty six. So the unique thing actually has been creating
that distinction between people or for people so they understand,
you know, what is coming. Because also the twenty five
Club World Cup, you know, came well, the twenty sixth
World Cup was already well under its planning way, and
so there's I would say some market confusion in general,
but ultimately you're going to have the best representing club
(23:13):
band country coming through Mercedes Benz Stadium for America to enjoy.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
It's interesting that the world do enjoy. Actually, yeah, absolutely,
but it's interesting that market confusion almost right, because you
have them right on top of each other. Dan, tell
me about how that works, how you distinct that, you know,
for the community of Atlanta and have these different tournaments,
but make sure people are aside for both.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
Yes, we've made it very clear that the twenty six
World Cup and our host Committee of the Atlanta World
Cup Host Committee, which is responsible for getting the community
ready to host the twenty six World Cup, we're not.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
Directly involved in the club.
Speaker 6 (23:48):
So we're supportive because it's the game of soccer and
it's a big event happening in our city and happening
at Mercedes Benz Stadium. So we'll work where we can.
But we're not responsible obviously for putting on the logistics
or the opps or the marketing thereof.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
For the for the Club World Cup.
Speaker 6 (24:03):
But we do see it as a potential opportunity to
kind of kick the tires a little bit on twenty
six and you know, whether it's traffic flow, traffic management,
ingress into the various hotels that surround Mercedes Benz Stadium,
some of the activation areas that we'll be used for Club,
how do those respond.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
In prep for twenty twenty six?
Speaker 6 (24:21):
So while they're completely different events, you know, the fact
is we have fourteen international matches between six with Club
and eight with the FIFA World Cup. You know, that's
the fourteen matches that we could really learn from, you know,
and take the lessons from one and apply to the next.
Speaker 5 (24:36):
If I could put you back on DAN, where you
do have in common allies FIFA, what is not common
as the consumer audience. So for the Club World Cup,
with the beauty of digital tickets, we can see where
people are coming from and Club World Cups disproportionately domestic,
where there's a full expectation that the Global World Cup
(24:58):
of twenty six will bring. You know, just that the
globe to the United States, and so who's coming in
your doors is probably going to be disproportionately international then
it would be domestic. So two different audiences enjoying the
beautiful game, if you will.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
And how do you think that that plays into the
attendance that you're going to see at the stadium and
things like that. I mean, you guys are pretty lucky
in the early stages of the Club World Cup, you
got some really really great matches and the MLS teams
as well. How does that play in for you?
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Well, in the case of club, you're now going to
have fandom people follow and have a passion for that institution,
you know where that is. Let's say you're a Chelsea
fan and whatever their audience is that supports Chelsea, which
we will be hosting here in early June. Whereas if
you're from the country, you know, it's a completely different
(25:50):
emotion and feeling. Are you representing the United States or
are you representing Atlanta, United And so you're going to
be a much wider fan base in the case of
of World Cup, whereas you'll be you know what, I'll
call it wide mile deep in club fandom. And so
when Inner Miami plays, it'll be whether it's although MESSI
(26:12):
may gap broaden that gap a little bit, it'll be
folks who are hyper focused on Inner Miami as an example,
or hyper focused on Chelsea. Much different when it's an
entire country that they're coming in support of.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Absolutely, And when you see the pattern that you're seeing
for ticket sales already, say for the Club World Cup,
what are those looking like? You know obviously that some
people are saying the tickets are a little bit, you know,
they're not anticipated as much as they anticipated the mass.
How are you guys seeing that in Mercedes Benz right now?
I mean, like you said, you have Messi and all
(26:46):
these people people are really excited for.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
Look, there's gonna be thousands of people really excited to
see the athletes that they watch every day, whether it
be on TV or maybe even in their home country
and in their home stadium. So a great show will
be put on. FIFA's handling all the marketing administration relative
to these matches, so I'm sure they're going to do
everything in their power to represent the club World Cup,
you know, for the esteem tournament it is, and.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Dan, you talked a little bit earlier about just the
overall the Atlanta of it all, right, and it's such
a big sports sound and noted already that it's not
new to host these big tournaments. But I want to
get back a little early on in the early stages
of how you go about becoming a host city and
why Atlanta was chosen.
Speaker 6 (27:29):
Do you think yeah, I think you could, depends on
how far back you want to go, right, So if
you go all back to nineteen ninety six, we hosted
the Summer Olympic Games, and now thirty years later, we're
going to host the World Cup, becoming one of only
two US cities to host both Atlanta and la I
think the history going back to ninety six and how
we hosted the Summer Olympics to you know, moving ahead
(27:52):
hosting multiple Super Bowls, multiple college football playoff championship games,
multiple Final fours, all Star games. We have approved track
record and what's while that, you know, we continue to
add new events. What's not changed is the footprint. And
you know, you've got an incredible stadium next to an
incredible arena next to the fourth largest conventions that are
(28:14):
in the country surrounded by fourteen thousand hotel rooms that
are all walkable. Right, So your experience coming in as
a media rep to cover off one of those events
is pretty friendly.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Right.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
Your work that you're going to do is in a
friendly environment, and you can get around pretty easily and
never really get in a form of transportation until you
head back to the airport and fly home. So same
applies to sponsors, same applies to the visiting fans. So
it's a very usable, friendly, walkable footprint, and it's something
that we promote quite a bit. If you look at
some of the other cities that host not just World
(28:47):
couple of other large scale events, they've got great stadiums,
but they're also spread out all over their region. They're
not compact like Atlanta. So you combine that compact proximity,
it becomes very user friendly, but also helps in the
plan so that when you're working on a security or
safety plan or a transportation plan, you know it's pretty
much contained into one defined area in downtown Atlanta versus
(29:09):
spread out all over you know, the region.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
So that helps us quite a bit.
Speaker 6 (29:12):
But reputational value of being able to deliver to these
event owners a unified, a collaborative experience and you know,
planning phase with them, I think is something that travels.
They do talk, these big event owners talk and they
share information about cities, and I think Atlanta's just got
an incredible reputation of just people who work well together,
(29:35):
have so for a long time, and have got a
great footprint to do it in.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Absolutely, And what do you think it is about, you know,
hosting big events that is really impactful to the economy
and all of those things. Because in recent years, in
the last decade or so, some cities say they don't
want the Olympics, they don't want these big events. So
why do you think it's important for Atlanta and impactful
for Atlanta to continuously host.
Speaker 6 (29:56):
Yeah, I think it's kind of hard to put the
genie back on the bottle. If that's once you've getten
into the big business, a big event business, it's hard
to get out of it because, again back to reputational value,
these events can only go to a handful of markets
and they need to rotate, you know, from location and location.
So we're on that five to six maybe seven year
rotation for these major events. There's nothing we can't host.
(30:18):
Just this year alone, we started off the year with
the College Football Playoff National Championship. We've got MLB All
Star Game right on top of Club World Cup, so
you know, within the first seven months of the year,
we've got three incredible events. So there's nothing we can't do.
And it's a great economic boon to you know, not
just Metro Atlanta, but the state of Georgia. You can
(30:39):
argue economic impact numbers and some cities go really high.
We tend to be a little bit more conservative on that,
but what we do know is it's not zero. You
have to have some type of impact. When you've got
visitors coming in who might not come to your city
but for that event, and they're spending the money in
hotels and the restaurants and transportation and retail.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
It's good for our economy.
Speaker 6 (31:00):
It's also good for our small businesses in the area
that reaped the benefit of the visitors coming in and
spending their money.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
And one of the big things, obviously is we look
over the next year. In the soccer of it all
and the US aspect of it all, is mister Arthur Blank, right,
who is big on the dedication of growing the sport
of soccer. Can you talk a little bit about that
and how that impacts what the business of soccer will
be over the next year in Atlanta and his role
(31:28):
in growing the game.
Speaker 5 (31:30):
Well, Atlanta's had professional teams. Then came Atlanta United, which
we signed on for in twenty fourteen, eventually rolling the
ball on the pitch in twenty seventeen, setting global records
for attendance top ten average attendance consistently. Right then you
look and say what is missing? And we got a
(31:51):
phone call from the folks representing US soccer and they
never had a national training center. So you played soccer,
you know what it's like to have your own home gym.
If you will home facilities and the right facilities to
attract people along to play with you in order to
put an elite team on the pitch. Well, this case here,
now twenty seven teams will have a world class facility
(32:14):
to represent our country regardless of age, because you're gonna
have academy gender male female. You also have the United Teams,
unified teams, excuse me, all having an opportunity to be
trained in the and now a world class facility will
be ready in the spring of twenty six. So you're
helping on the national level to showcase soccer in the
(32:36):
United States. You're helping on the professional level, and then
leaning into youth soccer, whether it be through recreation programs
of soccer in the streets but creating free pitches and
varied communities, or in the academy structure. So what we
really ultimately want to do is create a platform where
the young girl, young boy look and see their idols
(32:58):
playing soccer, because if they do, then it'll increase the
chance that they want to play soccer competitively all the
way through. So one of the also things that we
don't often talk about is we have one hundred percent
acceptance rate from our academy players playing Division I soccer
on scholarship. So if they're not making the pros, they're
getting a free ride into our full scholarship. I'll package
(33:20):
it differently because they put a lot of sweat equity
literally into that in order to further their own education
and become contributing society members of society. So each aspect
is being addressed, ultimately elevating and showcasing the game of
soccer out of Atlanta and through our means, Arthur's means
through its foundation, you know, ultimately to make Atlanta and
(33:43):
Georgia the soccer hub of the United States.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
And that's interesting how they all work together in that
way that you're saying, how do you think that the
academies and the professional and the national side all work
together to grow the business aspect of the game of
soccer and ultimately help that and further value Atlanta United.
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Okay, so I'm going to turn it back to you
a little bit on that question. You're a young lady,
you decide to play soccer. Who did you look.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Up to Brann Scary?
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Okay?
Speaker 5 (34:13):
And who did she play for.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
The US women's national team?
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Correct?
Speaker 5 (34:17):
Right, So you had an idol and that was someone
that you then admired and you wanted to see what
they did in their lives and you saw them highlighted
and celebrated on a global level. Correct.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Well.
Speaker 5 (34:27):
Again, that's where it comes back to. When you can
create a foundation to which then people enjoy. Once people enjoy,
more investment comes. When more investment comes, then all sorts
of business opportunities come along. So you see it going
on today in the NWSL as the women's Professional league
as being spotlighted, more sponsorships coming in, higher attendances are
coming in, new media rights are coming in. You see
(34:48):
it in Major League Soccer preceding the World Cup. Previously
in the United States, men's professional soccer didn't exist as
a league. Today you have multiple franchises, including Atlanta United
valued it over a billion dollars, right, And so when
people when you start and create a great foundation and
you show that success can be achieved because someone that
(35:09):
they can relate to, they came from my city, they
came from my community, they came from my country. I
can do that too, And then you get investment in it.
Investment begets investment. It's like any other development you see,
whether it be in a city or in sport.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Absolutely, And Dan, I'd love to know how you think
that plays into the whole idea of Atlanta being a
great host city for these tournaments with you, mister Blank's
investment into the sport and already having that national having
that national training center, what it's going to do for overall?
And do you think that it makes Atlanta gives Atlanta
a unique perspective as a host city more than any other.
Speaker 6 (35:46):
Yeah, it does, particularly for twenty six, right with the
US being an automatic qualifier and they'll travel out.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
West for the group stage. We hope to see them.
Speaker 6 (35:55):
Back play their way back to Atlanta as we get
into our knockout rounds. We have a rout of thirty
to a round of sixteen in a semi final. So
hopefully the US men's team willet, but their training facility
will open in April of next year, so preceding the
World Cup. So you've got you've got the men's national
team embedded within our community. You know, Tim's covered off
(36:15):
with what Arthur Blank has done for the sport in
our state, and quite frankly, we look to parlay that
into a potential Women's World Cup bid in twenty thirty one, which,
as you well know, the US is putting their hat
and the ring for that, so you know it's not
going to stop in twenty six. We think the legacy
of twenty six could carry over into thirty one as
a potential host city for the Women's World Cup.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Yeah, I mean, I can't wait. Ye. My community definitely
hope that that gets, you know, solidified, because the last
time I was here, I was so I was so little,
but I remember it. I remember it so well, the
ninety hours there are icons forever, Dan, I want to
know what your schedule looks like over the next year,
like what are your biggest initiatives as twenty six rolls around.
Speaker 6 (36:57):
So we're in a really good spot. You know, we've
never hosted World Cup before, but were a big event
city and as I said before, we've got continuity in
the planning with the same organizations, working with the same
venues that host our big sporting events. So you know,
as a host committee, we're responsible for preparing the region
to host the event. It's FIFA's event, but we're there
(37:18):
directly aaison to make sure that we're ready to go,
whether that's stadium or venues, volunteer programs, signage into core, lodging,
training sites, you know, public safety, security, transportation, traffic management,
you name it. There's a lot of operational things that
were responsible to help prepare with FIFA. That being said,
(37:38):
you know, being a year out, we're at a really
great spot and now we're looking at, okay, how do
we really promote our city and our state to the
visitors that are coming in that draws this December, as
you know, So that is what all cities will know
what nations and which countries will be.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
Coming into their respective cities.
Speaker 6 (37:57):
You know, we've got five group matches, so we expect,
depending on the way the schedule shakes out, we could
get anywhere from nine to ten countries coming in for
part of our group stage. So that's really when you
can start tailoring your messaging when we know what countries
are coming in. You know, Atlanta as part of the
Olympic legacy that we have, we have Centennial Olympic Park,
which was used obviously in ninety six, and we're going
(38:18):
to use that as our fan fest for the twenty
six World Cup. But we also are home now to
seventy six consulate and trade offices in Atlanta. That's also
a byproduct of hosting the Olympic Games. So we're engaging
those consulate and trade offices in our planning so that
when countries come in, we can match them up to
those trade offices and have kind of a home away
from home feeling once they come through. So you know,
(38:40):
it's you know, there's eleven US cities hosting it. We
all have kind of our different nuances and unique aspects
of how we plan and organize big events. A lot
of is similar, correct because it is FIFA's event. But
we're looking forward to really kind of put the Atlanta
feel on it like we're known to do.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
Yeah, I hope it goes amazing for you guys, Tim
As we wrap up here, I just want to know,
obviously you mentioned that Atlanta United is valued at over
a billion dollars. As we look over the next year,
I think that a lot of the excitement of soccer
here is going to impact directly the MLS and the
growth of soccer in the business. There is there a
(39:18):
number as a barometer that you guys are looking to
hit as at the end of this excitement maybe in
terms of growth for evaluation.
Speaker 5 (39:27):
No, it's not held out as a number. I would
say it's more a process. How do we leverage what
is going to happen with the World Cup and expose
the game of soccer to maybe today folks that are
not paying that close attention to it, and invite them
in to attend United matches in the future and then
have the fan experience in a world class manner that
we know we can put out at Mercedesmen Stadium so
that potentially more United matches season tickets on the line.
(39:50):
General fandom can be part of their every day So
we're really looking at the World Cup as a I'll
say an invitation to all those who want to enjoy
the game of soccer to enjoy it globally in twenty five.
They can enjoy it with Club twenty six with Country,
(40:10):
and then stick on and enjoy it with Atlanta United locally.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
That was my conversation with Tim Zeloski and Dan Corso,
two guys helping to run the show for Atlanta Sports.
And that does it for this edition of the Business
of Soccer. It's part of a new series we're starting
for the Bloomberg Business of Sports as we get ready
for the FIFA World Cup in twenty twenty six. I'm
Vanessa Prudemo. Subscribe now so you never miss a new episode.
You're listening to The Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg
(40:38):
Radio around the world.
Welcome. This is a special edition of the Bloomberg Business
of Sports podcast The Business of Soccer. I'm Vanessa Prodomo.
The summer of international soccer is getting down to the wire.
The FIFA Club World Cup is in its knockout stages,
and the CONCACAF Gold Cup has its final set between
US and Mexico, a good old neighborhood rivalry game that
will crown this year's champions of the region. Last week
(00:23):
I spoke with legendary broadcaster Andres Contor about what a
US win for the Gold Cup would mean as a
precursor to the World Cup next year. The previously taped
conversation was before the latest round of games played for
the Club World Cup, but he gave us perspective on
how the tournament has gone and the biggest takeaways when
it comes to South American versus European soccer. Here's my
conversation with broadcaster Andres Contor. Okay, So, Andrea's first thing
(00:48):
is we're in the thick of the international tournaments right now.
You're pulling double duty Club World Cup, Gold Cup. First
thing is I need to say, how are you doing?
Are you doing okay? Are you tied? Are you okay?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I am. I am doing awesome.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
I really enjoy doing what you obviously, And actually it's
triple duty because I've called the FIFA Club Worl Cup
in English for TNT and it's sister networks. I am
calling the US women's national team matches for Telemundo in
the same week, and then on the weekend I have
(01:26):
the US men's national team and the Mexican national team
on radio in Spanish for my radio World Football de Brimda.
So it's going to be a very interesting last seven
days for me.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:41):
Yeah, How do you keep it all straight? I mean,
does it just get does it get jumbled in your
head at all? I mean switching Spanish English, Clever Cup,
World Cup, I mean US Men's national team, Women's national team.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
And I will add another component, which is the speed
I need to go in radio, because you know, when
I do play by player in radio, it's it's a
much higher speed than I have to use proady, you know,
double the words I use on television to describe the actions.
It's fun, it's it's challenging sometimes because you have to,
(02:16):
you know, prepare like two games at the same time.
That's the reality like I'm preparing the weekend's game for
the Gold Cup. Well, I'm preparing the women's national team games.
So it's a little bit challenging to keep it all
focused and make sure that you know, when I put
my notes out notes down, that I don't put some
stats of the women's team in my Mexican national team
(02:38):
notes or the US men's national team in my women's
But it's.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
Fun, Yes's lots of fun.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Do you have a favorite component to it, a favorite
medium TV or radio or team that you like to cover?
Speaker 2 (02:52):
No, not really, I mean I enjoy both.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
I've been doing television for forty years and and radio
proadly as so both of them are are very different
in essence because, like I said, radio takes a physical
a greater physical toll on me because you have to,
you know, go a little bit full speed harder than television,
(03:18):
which doesn't mean that you know, I don't give it
one hundred percent. I give it one hundred and ten
percent in each television broadcast.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
So I enjoy both calling games in both mediums.
Speaker 1 (03:33):
You're doing your own sport up there for sure. So
I want to get into the Gold Cup first, and
what have we learned so far and have the US
been playing in the tournament so far.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
In the US cruise, but I don't know whether this
team is good or not because the opposition was not
the best. So obviously people need to understand that this
is not near what Malissa Pochettino will put on the
(04:05):
World Cup debut, because you know, there are so many
players missing key positions. So definitely this is kind of
the A minus B plus thing, not to call it
a RB, but like you know, somewhere in between, because
out of this group, probably I don't know, some will
(04:27):
make it into the final roster of the Viva World
Cup next year and some will not. So so far,
the US has shown some promise because they have been
able to resolve the matches that perhaps before they didn't
even though the opposition always was much tougher. But actually
they need a goalkeeper. I know that you were a
(04:49):
former goalkeeper yourself, so.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yes, maybe why not?
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Yeah, I mean, you know, bring bring the women's out there,
because we're always good at that, that's f Yeah, So
you know what you're saying there, you know, as we
as we see what's going on next year, and then obviously,
like you mentioned, it's going to be a different team
in the World Cup next year. So does winning the
Gold Cup even really tell us anything about what the
(05:16):
men will be able to do in the World Cup
next year or what does it do for them?
Speaker 3 (05:21):
It's a great question, and it will build confidence in,
you know, the team, the team as a whole, obviously
will build confidence in some of the players that will
have shown the coach that they belong for next year,
that's for sure. What will it do beyond that, I'm
(05:46):
not quite sure. It's always always good winning. Obviously, it
will send us drug message that, you know, even without
their star players, the US men's national team can compete
at this level, which will be obviously very welcomed and
very good heading into next year. You know, they will
(06:09):
have for the honor of being CONCAK AFT champions, but
not much else because the World Cup is a total
different animal.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Absolutely, And you know US Soccer Federation and billionaire Ken
Griffin got together. They invested a lot of money and
Richio Pachettino has been a good investment so far.
Speaker 2 (06:28):
Do you think I believe so? Yes, I think he's
a very good coach.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
You know, the US men's national team needed a good coach,
a coach that has proven himself, a coach that handled
the biggest stars that the game has, like I and
bape Messi obviously all the big Tottenham and Chelsea stars.
(06:58):
So he's a very very good coach. He is very
flexible in adapting. I think he has been adapting quickly
to the way we do things here, and he's trying
to instill in the mindset of the American players that
they can be at their best if they want to.
(07:21):
And I think he brought that South American Argentina mentality
into the team and hopefully that will reflect on the
pitch come next year in the World Cup.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
Yeah, well we hope so for sure. All right, So
shifting gears then a little bit to the Club World Cup.
In your opinion, with this expanded format for the tournament,
how have you seen it play out? You know, obviously
we've had some really unchallenging group matches and you know,
Scarce Gemes there. But then obviously there has been some
really good competition. How do you see it from that perspective?
Speaker 2 (07:54):
Well, I see it.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
At first, I had my doubts about you know, the tournament.
It's so new that it was kind of you know, unpredictable,
and I'm liking it so far. Like you say, in
every major competition with so many teams, and this will
probably happen in the FIFA Club Wor Cup next year
with forty eight teams, you know, there will be matchups
that will be you know, one side. Obviously the Bayern
(08:21):
Munich ten Oagland City zero is a testament to that.
Then Benfica scored six. But other than that, they weren't that.
I mean, most of the matches were kind of competitive.
So you will have obviously an emerging nation I'm not
saying that Beggistan or Jordan and maybe it to the
next World Cup for the first time.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
You know, we'll lose that badly.
Speaker 3 (08:45):
But obviously you will have matches next year as we
live seeing the first round of this Club worl Cup
that we're one sided. So other than that, I agree
with your assessment. The you know, the competition has been
very fair and even though the two Argentinian teams then
go through. For example, they competed against Bayern Munich, I
(09:06):
mean Boca was one one until the seventy five minute,
but we were lost against Inter you know, in the
last seventy minutes, I would say, or the match, so
you know, they show that they could compete, and the
competition has been fairly good and kind of even throughout.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
I think that was for me the thing that I
was looking at the most was South American teams versus
European teams, how they were going to stack up, because,
especially here in the US market, maybe the South American
teams aren't known as well as you you think, maybe
some of the European teams. So right now it's pretty
much Brazil versus Europe And obviously we have some others
(09:48):
and a messy made it through and inner Miami have
the one MLS team. But do you think that that
a Brazil versus Premier League team, like a Serie A
team versus Premier League team is what would be best
for the tournament in the final from an audience perspective,
from a competition perspective, does it prove does something like that?
(10:10):
Then prove yes, this is what the whole tournament was about.
Competing across regions or is Premier League Premier League or
PSG versus you know, Chelsea or something the best that
FIFA can expect.
Speaker 3 (10:26):
We shall see obviously, first and foremost, let me parify something.
Brazilian teams are not known to the Eurocentric fans because
they never pay attention to the side of the world.
This is one of my biggest fights, and I'm on
the record for saying that company Dalla, this is as
good as the Champions League.
Speaker 2 (10:45):
People laugh at me because people don't.
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Turn over and don't see the value that our South
American football has, and I.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Believe it's as good.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
Obviously, we don't have the resources, and obviously the South
American teams lose their biggest stars every year and they
go to Europe. You named uh three four European teams.
Most of them have South American players that make them,
you know, win in the Premier league in you know,
(11:15):
in in Spain wherever. So that aside, what will be
good for the competition obviously, now it's Brazil against the world. Basically,
you know, Brazil has very the all four teams are
are very good.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
The Europeans are at the end of their season.
Speaker 3 (11:39):
And are complaining a lot how tired they are and
and this and that. But yet you know they showed
interest and are competing well enough, so that will not
be an excuse if they happen to lose to a
Brazilian team somewhere along the way. So for a Lobal audience, obviously,
the the ideal final will be to have the Champions
(12:02):
League winner at PSD in the final, you know, with
all uh you know, with with all that happened with
them in Champions League, or Madrid for that matter, obviously,
because that's a global brand, I know, it would be
great to show it like a balance of power. If
(12:24):
we can have South America, South American against Europe final,
that would be awesome.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
And when you're seeing out in the stadiums and things
like that, Obviously, Real Madrid and Boca Juniors were the
two highest selling teams in the group stage for for tickets.
What else are you seeing like as people are bringing
in fans. Is it a lot of South American teams
as South American fans coming in? Is it a lot
(12:52):
of European fans? Is it just US fans just rooting
for whoever they know already?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
It's a mix of both.
Speaker 3 (13:01):
The South American teams, including the Brazilians, brought a lot
of people. I was really surprised at the amount of
people that they brought from their countries. Obviously in South
Boria that were Boga played two matches and Palmaidas played one.
There are plenty of Argentinians and Brazilians and I'm pretty
(13:23):
sure when to root for them as well.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
But I would say.
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Seventy percent of the fans that showed up came from
either Argentine hour or Brazil. Then you have the you
know American fan that went out to see the big
teams Inter Milan, PSD, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid. I mean
you could tell by you know, by by the support
(13:48):
they had that it looked like they were just casual
US based fans of those teams. And I also said,
is that goes in favor of the Viva Glob wal
Cup that if you taking this Fiva glob walk up
(14:09):
to Germany and play in Germany, how many fans will
River played against our Reds in Hamburg, Germany draw? Probably
not even five thousand. So I think attendance has been good,
good enough. The big teams sold out, the South American
(14:31):
teams sold out. And when you have, you know, a
game on a Tuesday at twelve noon to adjust to
the European prime time television audience at the Rose Bowl,
I'm not even sure Beyonce again, you know, sell out
of the road twelve noon our World Day, right.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Yeah, exactly. It is one of the things I wanted
to ask you about. It's the scarcity that we saw
at a lot of the stadiums, and I mean it's
a really good point though. I mean they're mid day,
you know, during the work week. But we obviously will
see that next year for the World Cup. But it's
a completely different beast. Right for the World Cup, people
are going to be willing to take off. So do
you think that the scarcity that we saw doesn't say
(15:14):
much about the US as a soccer market? Do you
think that we're still emerging or is there some work
to be done?
Speaker 3 (15:24):
No, it doesn't say anything. It says obviously a lot
about the US soccer market. There have been a one
and a half million tickets sold or over one and
a half million tickets sold in the group face Again,
if you take that Rosewell game and move it to
the LAFC Stadium or Dignity Health the Galaxy Stadium that
(15:46):
has a capacity of twenty five people, you would have
had packed and sold out game between Monterrey and Ritz.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Or River Plate And with our Reds that didn't throw
that much.
Speaker 3 (16:04):
I think, obviously, like you say, the World Cup will
be totally different. I know people that are already asking
for time off a year in advance. There will be
a lot more tourists hopefully coming to the US to
watch their nations. And I think soccer has shown throughout
(16:27):
the summers. And I refer to the summers because we
always have these big, big pre tournament, pre season tournaments
that are friendly in nature with the big European teams
that play one eleven team. I mean they put eleven
(16:50):
players on the first half, and then the coach because
it's pre season, makes eleven changes in the second half.
And yet you know, you will have seventy five one
thousand people or one hundred thousand people in an Urburn,
Michigan watching Real Mad against Manchester United. So the appetite
for saugur in this country is here to stay, is
(17:13):
very solid, and I don't think we have to all
on the negative of the you know, eighteen thousand fans
that the Mammy Lodi Sandown's gained druel, because again, take
that to any other city in the world outside of
South Africa. That's where this team is from and that
(17:36):
you know, it will not draw three hundred people, And
here they put, you know, fifteen thousand, and everyone is saying, oh,
they only grew fifteen thousand people and two o'clock in
the afternoon, three o'clock in the afternoon, saltering heat.
Speaker 2 (17:48):
So I mean, I think all in all it is
very good.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
It's a good point for sure. So we got to
talk about the MLS really quick before before we wrap
up inner. Miami made it to the next ROUNDUND with
one win, two draws. The other teams didn't fare as well.
What do you think that says that, you know, LAC
Seattle didn't even get Seattle didn't even get a win
or a draw any points, right, So what does that
(18:15):
say about how the MLS is stacking up against other
leagues and how far they really need to go.
Speaker 3 (18:22):
Well, we didn't need to have this tournament to nowhere.
NLS stands in the world scheme of football, in the
world ranking of football. Obviously the MLS is doing great.
It's a very good league, but it's not competitive enough.
(18:42):
And in tannic And proved me wrong. But obviously you know,
they got messy, which is the difference maker. But I
think it's unfair because even though Seattle they win, the
two Argentine teams played six matches in between them, and
(19:04):
one only one of them, which was pre beating with
our reds. So if I make the argument that l
A s C And Seattle didn't win too many games
or Seattle didn't win any I would have to make
the same argument for Argentinian football. And Argentina is a
world champion. So it's again, you know, MLS has I
(19:32):
don't know if it has a long way to go,
but obviously the competition is Europe.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
In Europe is much tougher, it's it's better, and you
know it's MLS. It's a couple of texdowns from there.
Speaker 1 (19:49):
All right. Well, before I let you go, I have
to get some predictions. Predictions for Club World Cup final
and winner.
Speaker 3 (20:01):
I think PSG will win this tournament and they might
play I wish I had the brackets.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
I like Bayern Munich the way they played the winner
of that quarter.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
Finally, if it's PSG, Buyern will make it all the
way to the final and winning.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
Yeah. Absolutely. Prediction for the Gold Cup.
Speaker 2 (20:24):
I'm going to bet on the US, all right.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
I think there's three wins in the group face even
though like I already explained, doesn't mean way too much,
I think will give them confidence to go all the
way to.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
The final and winning.
Speaker 1 (20:45):
That was my conversation with legendary broadcaster Andre's Contour. We'll
be checking back in on his predictions to see if
PSG or Buyern Munich take home the Club World Cup title.
This is a special edition of the Bloomberg Business of
Sports podcast The Business of Soccer. Up next, we'll hear
from leaders the Atlanta World Cup Host Committee on how
they're prepping for the big games. I'm Vanessa Prodemo. This
(21:05):
is Bloomber. You're listening to a special edition of the
Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast, The Business of Soccer. I'm
Vanessa Prodemo. My next guests are Dan Corso, president of
the Atlanta Sports Council and head of the Atlanta World
Cup Host Committee, and Tim Zeloski, President of amb Sports
(21:27):
and Entertainment, more so known for owning the Atlanta Falcons.
Atlanta is one of only a few cities that are
hosting the Club World Cup this year, as well as
the twenty twenty six World Cup next year, so they're
in a unique position to solidify themselves as a soccer
hub in the US. Not to mention owner of the
Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Blank, is a big donor for US soccer.
Let's listen to my conversation with Tim and Dan Club
(21:51):
World Cup, World Cup. Everything's coming in at once. Tim,
I'd love to get your perspective on a stadium that's
hosting both of these tournaments. What's this next year like
for you and what are the preparations like for to
host these back to back tournaments.
Speaker 5 (22:06):
Ultimately, it's the vision we had for Mercedesmen Stadium, which
is to bring the best events from around the world
to Georgia and to Atlanta for the people of the
United States and or state and local residents to enjoy.
So it feels great to be, you know, bringing that
to life. The actual matches themselves. You know, we're the
busiest seventy thousand seat stadium in the world, so the
(22:29):
idea of bringing people in is obviously not foreign to us.
The working with a new federation in this case FIFA,
who've not worked with previously, that has been a little different,
you know, just because of our first time and new
the Club World Cup. Obviously the best clubs in the
world and then you get the chance for country in
(22:50):
twenty six. So the unique thing actually has been creating
that distinction between people or for people so they understand,
you know, what is coming. Because also the twenty five
Club World Cup, you know, came well, the twenty sixth
World Cup was already well under its planning way, and
so there's I would say some market confusion in general,
but ultimately you're going to have the best representing club
(23:13):
band country coming through Mercedes Benz Stadium for America to enjoy.
Speaker 1 (23:17):
It's interesting that the world do enjoy. Actually, yeah, absolutely,
but it's interesting that market confusion almost right, because you
have them right on top of each other. Dan, tell
me about how that works, how you distinct that, you know,
for the community of Atlanta and have these different tournaments,
but make sure people are aside for both.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
Yes, we've made it very clear that the twenty six
World Cup and our host Committee of the Atlanta World
Cup Host Committee, which is responsible for getting the community
ready to host the twenty six World Cup, we're not.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
Directly involved in the club.
Speaker 6 (23:48):
So we're supportive because it's the game of soccer and
it's a big event happening in our city and happening
at Mercedes Benz Stadium. So we'll work where we can.
But we're not responsible obviously for putting on the logistics
or the opps or the marketing thereof.
Speaker 4 (24:01):
For the for the Club World Cup.
Speaker 6 (24:03):
But we do see it as a potential opportunity to
kind of kick the tires a little bit on twenty
six and you know, whether it's traffic flow, traffic management,
ingress into the various hotels that surround Mercedes Benz Stadium,
some of the activation areas that we'll be used for Club,
how do those respond.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
In prep for twenty twenty six?
Speaker 6 (24:21):
So while they're completely different events, you know, the fact
is we have fourteen international matches between six with Club
and eight with the FIFA World Cup. You know, that's
the fourteen matches that we could really learn from, you know,
and take the lessons from one and apply to the next.
Speaker 5 (24:36):
If I could put you back on DAN, where you
do have in common allies FIFA, what is not common
as the consumer audience. So for the Club World Cup,
with the beauty of digital tickets, we can see where
people are coming from and Club World Cups disproportionately domestic,
where there's a full expectation that the Global World Cup
(24:58):
of twenty six will bring. You know, just that the
globe to the United States, and so who's coming in
your doors is probably going to be disproportionately international then
it would be domestic. So two different audiences enjoying the
beautiful game, if you will.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
And how do you think that that plays into the
attendance that you're going to see at the stadium and
things like that. I mean, you guys are pretty lucky
in the early stages of the Club World Cup, you
got some really really great matches and the MLS teams
as well. How does that play in for you?
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Well, in the case of club, you're now going to
have fandom people follow and have a passion for that institution,
you know where that is. Let's say you're a Chelsea
fan and whatever their audience is that supports Chelsea, which
we will be hosting here in early June. Whereas if
you're from the country, you know, it's a completely different
(25:50):
emotion and feeling. Are you representing the United States or
are you representing Atlanta, United And so you're going to
be a much wider fan base in the case of
of World Cup, whereas you'll be you know what, I'll
call it wide mile deep in club fandom. And so
when Inner Miami plays, it'll be whether it's although MESSI
(26:12):
may gap broaden that gap a little bit, it'll be
folks who are hyper focused on Inner Miami as an example,
or hyper focused on Chelsea. Much different when it's an
entire country that they're coming in support of.
Speaker 2 (26:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Absolutely, And when you see the pattern that you're seeing
for ticket sales already, say for the Club World Cup,
what are those looking like? You know obviously that some
people are saying the tickets are a little bit, you know,
they're not anticipated as much as they anticipated the mass.
How are you guys seeing that in Mercedes Benz right now?
I mean, like you said, you have Messi and all
(26:46):
these people people are really excited for.
Speaker 5 (26:48):
Look, there's gonna be thousands of people really excited to
see the athletes that they watch every day, whether it
be on TV or maybe even in their home country
and in their home stadium. So a great show will
be put on. FIFA's handling all the marketing administration relative
to these matches, so I'm sure they're going to do
everything in their power to represent the club World Cup,
you know, for the esteem tournament it is, and.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Dan, you talked a little bit earlier about just the
overall the Atlanta of it all, right, and it's such
a big sports sound and noted already that it's not
new to host these big tournaments. But I want to
get back a little early on in the early stages
of how you go about becoming a host city and
why Atlanta was chosen.
Speaker 6 (27:29):
Do you think yeah, I think you could, depends on
how far back you want to go, right, So if
you go all back to nineteen ninety six, we hosted
the Summer Olympic Games, and now thirty years later, we're
going to host the World Cup, becoming one of only
two US cities to host both Atlanta and la I
think the history going back to ninety six and how
we hosted the Summer Olympics to you know, moving ahead
(27:52):
hosting multiple Super Bowls, multiple college football playoff championship games,
multiple Final fours, all Star games. We have approved track
record and what's while that, you know, we continue to
add new events. What's not changed is the footprint. And
you know, you've got an incredible stadium next to an
incredible arena next to the fourth largest conventions that are
(28:14):
in the country surrounded by fourteen thousand hotel rooms that
are all walkable. Right, So your experience coming in as
a media rep to cover off one of those events
is pretty friendly.
Speaker 2 (28:25):
Right.
Speaker 6 (28:25):
Your work that you're going to do is in a
friendly environment, and you can get around pretty easily and
never really get in a form of transportation until you
head back to the airport and fly home. So same
applies to sponsors, same applies to the visiting fans. So
it's a very usable, friendly, walkable footprint, and it's something
that we promote quite a bit. If you look at
some of the other cities that host not just World
(28:47):
couple of other large scale events, they've got great stadiums,
but they're also spread out all over their region. They're
not compact like Atlanta. So you combine that compact proximity,
it becomes very user friendly, but also helps in the
plan so that when you're working on a security or
safety plan or a transportation plan, you know it's pretty
much contained into one defined area in downtown Atlanta versus
(29:09):
spread out all over you know, the region.
Speaker 4 (29:11):
So that helps us quite a bit.
Speaker 6 (29:12):
But reputational value of being able to deliver to these
event owners a unified, a collaborative experience and you know,
planning phase with them, I think is something that travels.
They do talk, these big event owners talk and they
share information about cities, and I think Atlanta's just got
an incredible reputation of just people who work well together,
(29:35):
have so for a long time, and have got a
great footprint to do it in.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Absolutely, And what do you think it is about, you know,
hosting big events that is really impactful to the economy
and all of those things. Because in recent years, in
the last decade or so, some cities say they don't
want the Olympics, they don't want these big events. So
why do you think it's important for Atlanta and impactful
for Atlanta to continuously host.
Speaker 6 (29:56):
Yeah, I think it's kind of hard to put the
genie back on the bottle. If that's once you've getten
into the big business, a big event business, it's hard
to get out of it because, again back to reputational value,
these events can only go to a handful of markets
and they need to rotate, you know, from location and location.
So we're on that five to six maybe seven year
rotation for these major events. There's nothing we can't host.
(30:18):
Just this year alone, we started off the year with
the College Football Playoff National Championship. We've got MLB All
Star Game right on top of Club World Cup, so
you know, within the first seven months of the year,
we've got three incredible events. So there's nothing we can't do.
And it's a great economic boon to you know, not
just Metro Atlanta, but the state of Georgia. You can
(30:39):
argue economic impact numbers and some cities go really high.
We tend to be a little bit more conservative on that,
but what we do know is it's not zero. You
have to have some type of impact. When you've got
visitors coming in who might not come to your city
but for that event, and they're spending the money in
hotels and the restaurants and transportation and retail.
Speaker 4 (30:58):
It's good for our economy.
Speaker 6 (31:00):
It's also good for our small businesses in the area
that reaped the benefit of the visitors coming in and
spending their money.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
And one of the big things, obviously is we look
over the next year. In the soccer of it all
and the US aspect of it all, is mister Arthur Blank, right,
who is big on the dedication of growing the sport
of soccer. Can you talk a little bit about that
and how that impacts what the business of soccer will
be over the next year in Atlanta and his role
(31:28):
in growing the game.
Speaker 5 (31:30):
Well, Atlanta's had professional teams. Then came Atlanta United, which
we signed on for in twenty fourteen, eventually rolling the
ball on the pitch in twenty seventeen, setting global records
for attendance top ten average attendance consistently. Right then you
look and say what is missing? And we got a
(31:51):
phone call from the folks representing US soccer and they
never had a national training center. So you played soccer,
you know what it's like to have your own home gym.
If you will home facilities and the right facilities to
attract people along to play with you in order to
put an elite team on the pitch. Well, this case here,
now twenty seven teams will have a world class facility
(32:14):
to represent our country regardless of age, because you're gonna
have academy gender male female. You also have the United Teams,
unified teams, excuse me, all having an opportunity to be
trained in the and now a world class facility will
be ready in the spring of twenty six. So you're
helping on the national level to showcase soccer in the
(32:36):
United States. You're helping on the professional level, and then
leaning into youth soccer, whether it be through recreation programs
of soccer in the streets but creating free pitches and
varied communities, or in the academy structure. So what we
really ultimately want to do is create a platform where
the young girl, young boy look and see their idols
(32:58):
playing soccer, because if they do, then it'll increase the
chance that they want to play soccer competitively all the
way through. So one of the also things that we
don't often talk about is we have one hundred percent
acceptance rate from our academy players playing Division I soccer
on scholarship. So if they're not making the pros, they're
getting a free ride into our full scholarship. I'll package
(33:20):
it differently because they put a lot of sweat equity
literally into that in order to further their own education
and become contributing society members of society. So each aspect
is being addressed, ultimately elevating and showcasing the game of
soccer out of Atlanta and through our means, Arthur's means
through its foundation, you know, ultimately to make Atlanta and
(33:43):
Georgia the soccer hub of the United States.
Speaker 1 (33:45):
And that's interesting how they all work together in that
way that you're saying, how do you think that the
academies and the professional and the national side all work
together to grow the business aspect of the game of
soccer and ultimately help that and further value Atlanta United.
Speaker 5 (34:03):
Okay, so I'm going to turn it back to you
a little bit on that question. You're a young lady,
you decide to play soccer. Who did you look.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Up to Brann Scary?
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Okay?
Speaker 5 (34:13):
And who did she play for.
Speaker 1 (34:15):
The US women's national team?
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Correct?
Speaker 5 (34:17):
Right, So you had an idol and that was someone
that you then admired and you wanted to see what
they did in their lives and you saw them highlighted
and celebrated on a global level. Correct.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Well.
Speaker 5 (34:27):
Again, that's where it comes back to. When you can
create a foundation to which then people enjoy. Once people enjoy,
more investment comes. When more investment comes, then all sorts
of business opportunities come along. So you see it going
on today in the NWSL as the women's Professional league
as being spotlighted, more sponsorships coming in, higher attendances are
coming in, new media rights are coming in. You see
(34:48):
it in Major League Soccer preceding the World Cup. Previously
in the United States, men's professional soccer didn't exist as
a league. Today you have multiple franchises, including Atlanta United
valued it over a billion dollars, right, And so when
people when you start and create a great foundation and
you show that success can be achieved because someone that
(35:09):
they can relate to, they came from my city, they
came from my community, they came from my country. I
can do that too, And then you get investment in it.
Investment begets investment. It's like any other development you see,
whether it be in a city or in sport.
Speaker 1 (35:23):
Absolutely, And Dan, I'd love to know how you think
that plays into the whole idea of Atlanta being a
great host city for these tournaments with you, mister Blank's
investment into the sport and already having that national having
that national training center, what it's going to do for overall?
And do you think that it makes Atlanta gives Atlanta
a unique perspective as a host city more than any other.
Speaker 6 (35:46):
Yeah, it does, particularly for twenty six, right with the
US being an automatic qualifier and they'll travel out.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
West for the group stage. We hope to see them.
Speaker 6 (35:55):
Back play their way back to Atlanta as we get
into our knockout rounds. We have a rout of thirty
to a round of sixteen in a semi final. So
hopefully the US men's team willet, but their training facility
will open in April of next year, so preceding the
World Cup. So you've got you've got the men's national
team embedded within our community. You know, Tim's covered off
(36:15):
with what Arthur Blank has done for the sport in
our state, and quite frankly, we look to parlay that
into a potential Women's World Cup bid in twenty thirty one, which,
as you well know, the US is putting their hat
and the ring for that, so you know it's not
going to stop in twenty six. We think the legacy
of twenty six could carry over into thirty one as
a potential host city for the Women's World Cup.
Speaker 1 (36:37):
Yeah, I mean, I can't wait. Ye. My community definitely
hope that that gets, you know, solidified, because the last
time I was here, I was so I was so little,
but I remember it. I remember it so well, the
ninety hours there are icons forever, Dan, I want to
know what your schedule looks like over the next year,
like what are your biggest initiatives as twenty six rolls around.
Speaker 6 (36:57):
So we're in a really good spot. You know, we've
never hosted World Cup before, but were a big event
city and as I said before, we've got continuity in
the planning with the same organizations, working with the same
venues that host our big sporting events. So you know,
as a host committee, we're responsible for preparing the region
to host the event. It's FIFA's event, but we're there
(37:18):
directly aaison to make sure that we're ready to go,
whether that's stadium or venues, volunteer programs, signage into core, lodging,
training sites, you know, public safety, security, transportation, traffic management,
you name it. There's a lot of operational things that
were responsible to help prepare with FIFA. That being said,
(37:38):
you know, being a year out, we're at a really
great spot and now we're looking at, okay, how do
we really promote our city and our state to the
visitors that are coming in that draws this December, as
you know, So that is what all cities will know
what nations and which countries will be.
Speaker 4 (37:55):
Coming into their respective cities.
Speaker 6 (37:57):
You know, we've got five group matches, so we expect,
depending on the way the schedule shakes out, we could
get anywhere from nine to ten countries coming in for
part of our group stage. So that's really when you
can start tailoring your messaging when we know what countries
are coming in. You know, Atlanta as part of the
Olympic legacy that we have, we have Centennial Olympic Park,
which was used obviously in ninety six, and we're going
(38:18):
to use that as our fan fest for the twenty
six World Cup. But we also are home now to
seventy six consulate and trade offices in Atlanta. That's also
a byproduct of hosting the Olympic Games. So we're engaging
those consulate and trade offices in our planning so that
when countries come in, we can match them up to
those trade offices and have kind of a home away
from home feeling once they come through. So you know,
(38:40):
it's you know, there's eleven US cities hosting it. We
all have kind of our different nuances and unique aspects
of how we plan and organize big events. A lot
of is similar, correct because it is FIFA's event. But
we're looking forward to really kind of put the Atlanta
feel on it like we're known to do.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
Yeah, I hope it goes amazing for you guys, Tim
As we wrap up here, I just want to know,
obviously you mentioned that Atlanta United is valued at over
a billion dollars. As we look over the next year,
I think that a lot of the excitement of soccer
here is going to impact directly the MLS and the
growth of soccer in the business. There is there a
(39:18):
number as a barometer that you guys are looking to
hit as at the end of this excitement maybe in
terms of growth for evaluation.
Speaker 5 (39:27):
No, it's not held out as a number. I would
say it's more a process. How do we leverage what
is going to happen with the World Cup and expose
the game of soccer to maybe today folks that are
not paying that close attention to it, and invite them
in to attend United matches in the future and then
have the fan experience in a world class manner that
we know we can put out at Mercedesmen Stadium so
that potentially more United matches season tickets on the line.
(39:50):
General fandom can be part of their every day So
we're really looking at the World Cup as a I'll
say an invitation to all those who want to enjoy
the game of soccer to enjoy it globally in twenty five.
They can enjoy it with Club twenty six with Country,
(40:10):
and then stick on and enjoy it with Atlanta United locally.
Speaker 1 (40:16):
That was my conversation with Tim Zeloski and Dan Corso,
two guys helping to run the show for Atlanta Sports.
And that does it for this edition of the Business
of Soccer. It's part of a new series we're starting
for the Bloomberg Business of Sports as we get ready
for the FIFA World Cup in twenty twenty six. I'm
Vanessa Prudemo. Subscribe now so you never miss a new episode.
You're listening to The Bloomberg Business of Sports from Bloomberg
(40:38):
Radio around the world.
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