As I stepped into the premiere for the new Apple TV+ Docuseries “Onside: Major League Soccer” at Silverspot Cinema in Downtown Miami, I knew something was different. The lobby was adorned with Apple TV+ posters and fake grass terrain where a red carpet should be. It was unlike any premiere I’ve ever attended.
Clusters of older men in tailored suits huddled together, murmuring in low tones — the kind of conversations that feel like a handshake away from a sealed deal. This was no Hollywood crowd. It was a gathering of the soccer elite. Businessmen, media, and MLS insiders had descended on the 305 like stars flocking to an awards show. Miami, the global soccer hub of the moment, was playing host to the sport’s American coming-out party.
I was there to catch an invite-only screening of “Onside: Major League Soccer,” an eight-part panoramic docuseries that drops just in time to celebrate the league’s 30th season. According to the organizers, the Apple TV+ series promises to peel back the layers of the rapidly growing league. But tonight’s event made one thing clear before the opening credits even rolled: American soccer is no longer playing small.
Apple TV+ Docuseries, Messi, and American Soccer
Living in Miami, it’s impossible not to get swept up in the Messi mania. His face is splashed across murals in Wynwood, and bootleg pink-and-black merch flood the streets like counterfeit currency. Even if you’ve never given the MLS a second thought, rooting for a living legend feels like the easiest bandwagon to jump on.
But scratch beneath the surface, and the glossy fairytale starts to fray. The first episode of the Apple TV+ series hints that American soccer isn’t just a playground for European stars. There’s politics, pressure, and a whole lot of drama simmering underneath. The reign of Messi, and by extension Inter Miami, might not be built to last. For now, though, Miami’s riding the wave.
A Team of Apple TV+ Docuseries Superheroes
The new docuseries covers the rising popularity of Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States , a country that never truly gave its own league the same high-brow importance as other countries like Brazil, Argentina, or Spain. However, with the arrival of the G.O.A.T. (Lionel Messi, of course) to the recently developed Inter Miami soccer club, the theater for Onside’s premiere was buzzing with athletic executives and long-time sports reporters that have descended upon the center of the action.
As portrayed by the first episode of the MLS series, it isn’t only Messi’s arrival to Miami that has changed the name of the league for good. The combined superstardom behind Inter Miami – which includes British soccer legend David Beckham and Cuban-American businessman Jorge Mas – has wielded a new sort of focus that the rest of the league is now rushing to catch up with, a focus on continuous superstardom on a team that creates envy even on the global scale.
Aside from Messi’s own perceived superpowers, the team wields a lethal trifecta of Jordi Alba, Luis Suarez, and Sergio Busquets, all of whom bring their own stardom having previously played alongside Messi on the FC Barcelona team.
The Underdogs Versus The Big Leagues
But aside from this newfound celebrity that Miami has brought to the MLS (and we do mean REAL celebrity, with stars like Kim Kardashian, Serena Williams, Rauw Alejandro, and more all sharing post-game Instagram pics with a pink Messi jersey), Onside aims to look into the underdogs developing throughout the league, starting with the Los Angeles Galaxy.
In somewhat of a Shakespearean twist, at least for those who aren’t as familiar with MLS history, a statue in the image of none other than David Beckham himself sits in front of the Dignity Health Sports Park where the Galaxy calls home. Why is that you may ask? Oh yeah, because Beckham was once a part of the MLS economy himself, winning two MLS Cup titles with the L.A. club.
That’s where our story begins, with a look at where the once dominating team has now backslid into a team of underdogs, all working to chase the meteoric rise to prominence Inter Miami has had as the newly-appointed epicenter of the MLS. And if the plot wasn’t juicy enough, the L.A. Galaxy’s biggest ace card is that of Riqui Puig – a 25-year-old footballer who once was also Messi’s teammate on FC Barcelona. Puig has held significant prominence ever since he started as a fresh-faced 18-year-old alongside the soccer legend, but when former Spanish footballer Xavi became the new head coach of FC Barcelona, he told Puig that he didn’t have him in the plans for the new season, and no longer needed to return to trainings. The move eventually led Puig to sign with L.A. Galaxy, which made headlines as it’s historically been unprecedented for a rising soccer star to sign with an MLS team so early in their career.
RELATED POST: Brazil Hosting the FIFA Women’s World Cup Is a Big Deal. Here’s Why.
Puig, however, has certainly become an asset to the Galaxy – who haven’t won a title since 2014. The first episode of the docuseries examines his dynamic on the team, along with other young Hispanic and Latino players just making the move to Los Angeles, and how they hope to trump a monster mogul like Inter Miami. It’s even quite interesting to see how throughout training and planning, grown men – including the L.A. Galaxy’s coaches – actually seem to be quaking at the thought of Messi playing against them and pushing them further into obscurity. But when you’re playing against one of the best players, and arguably one of the best teams, in the world, it’s sure to cause anxiety when you have a team of general newbies who you’re betting everything on.
Soccer Shakeup: The Uncertain Future of MLS
At the end of the first episode, the L.A. Galaxy eventually match up against Inter Miami (a recap of the game on Feb. 25, 2024 – exactly a year ago today). In that match, the Galaxy and Puig incredibly held their own against the Miami army, ending in a tight 1-1 draw, and the match becomes a riveting precursor to show that this team of dynamic youngsters might stand a chance against the older legends hailing from the 305.
Fast forwarding to today, the L.A. Galaxy is in fact changing the game within the MLS for good, because (spoiler alert) they did win the 2024 MLS Cup title this past year. With that said, it’s shaping up to be another interesting season in MLS, but Onside does its own job in catching the public up with the nuances of the league and the extent of the drama happening within it.
As I left the premiere and sat to eat some delicious (and free) bites, courtesy of Apple TV+, a quick glance at the bar showed a live match with Inter Miami versus Sporting Kansas City. The group of men, who are used to playing in the Sunshine State, were heavily bundled up in Missouri’s freezing temperatures, and yet, Messi still made a winning goal against Kansas City, ending the match with a score of 1-0.
But it’s hard not to wonder: will Inter Miami’s global reign last forever? Or do they have a real shakeup with players like Puig and teams like the Galaxy?
The answer may not be cut and dry right now, but it’s certainly an interesting game to watch.
