Dynamic pricing, empty seats, and the trust clubs can't afford to burn. Ticketing and growth expert Jim McCarthy (Impresario) joins Simon Evans to unpack ticketing, and what MLS, USL and other clubs should do differently. Jim founded Gold Star, one of the first live event marketplaces (12 million buyers, tickets for around two million events), and now helps clubs grow their audiences. In this conversation: • Why FIFA treated the World Cup as a revenue-maximizing event, and the cost to fan trust • The season ticket no-show problem: why 20%+ no-show rates are common, and why carrots work better than sticks • What clubs should do with the data when Messi comes to town • Why revenue per seat matters more than average ticket price • Whether cheaper tickets mean more spend inside the stadium • How a USL club should go about filling its stadium • How fan expectations of matchday have changed, from the Rose Bowl to the Buffalo Bills' new stadium • Why Gen Z's appetite for real-world events is a big opportunity for soccer

There's nowhere else in world soccer where clubs are built from a blank sheet of paper, and Bay FC is doing exactly that. Lisa Goodwin Scharff, the club's Chief External Affairs Officer, joins Simon Evans and Karisa Maxwell McKee to explain what it takes to run an NWSL franchise that is only three years old and still shifting out of start-up mode. Lisa came to Bay FC from the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers, where the infrastructure was already in place. Here, there was no email system, no existing playbook, and five months between her first day and the first kickoff. She explains why the established-team blueprint doesn't transfer, and how the club is listening to fans and partners rather than copying what worked elsewhere.

Was there a World Cup bounce for MLS? Andrew Hosmar, who has worked in data and strategy for the Houston Dynamo, San Diego FC and New England Revolution, joins Simon Evans to assess what MLS really gained from the World Cup.

They cover how host-city clubs turned Fan Fest crowds into potential fans, why the attendance bump may be a slow-burn story rather than an overnight one, and how a new commissioner, the sprint season and the 2027-28 calendar change could compound the effect. They also debate whether on-field quality or matchday atmosphere matters more, whether MLS's parity model holds back national relevance, what the ideal media deal looks like after Apple, and why the USMNT's young core and the Olympics may matter more than the World Cup itself.

• 00:00 Was there a World Cup bounce for MLS?
• 00:28 Houston as a host city: Fan Fest, Hector Herrera and activating casual fans
• 06:19 The attendance bump and the long-term play
• 09:26 Does on-field quality matter? Fan segments and club culture
• 13:29 Parity vs mega clubs: does MLS need a villain?
• 18:35 Owner appetite for change, and the Messi effect fading
• 21:53 Media: Apple, linear TV and reaching casual fans
• 30:41 Storytelling, coach reactions and the case for personalities
• 35:05 The USMNT, the Olympics and the next generation
• 40:46 Wrap-up