MLS has collaborated on its first docuseries, We Are LAFC. The 10-episode all-access recap of the club’s inaugural season launched Monday on ESPN+.
Among the key figures interviewed or mic’d up during practices and matches are head coach Bob Bradley, who formerly led the U.S. men’s national team, Los Angeles FC captain and Mexican national team star Carlos Vela, and members of ownership including actor Will Ferrell and Hollywood producer Peter Guber, who is also a co-owner of the NBA’s Warriors and MLB’s Dodgers. We Are LAFC will also be available in Spanish, titled Somos LAFC. Guber’s Mandalay Sports Media is a co-producer of the series.
“Original content on ESPN+ aims to bring fans distinctive insights and get them closer to teams and athletes, including through exclusive, behind-the-scenes access,” said ESPN+ EVP and GM Russell Wolff in a statement. “We Are LAFC is the latest example of the kind of all-access, authentic storytelling ESPN+ delivers, and LAFC and MLS have been great collaborators on the project.”
The ESPN+ digital subscription service now has with more than two million customers. It has aired a number of original productions, such as Detail (starring Kobe Bryant for NBA analysis and Peyton Manning for the NFL version), as well as programs featuring LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Duke basketball. ESPN+ is the carrier of MLS’ out-of-market broadcast package and is also the local rights holder for the Chicago Fire.
“We Are LAFC is a reflection of Major League Soccer’s multi-platform partnership with ESPN, as well as the league’s commitment to showcasing compelling stories and delivering great content to our fans wherever, whenever and however they want. ESPN+ is the perfect platform for achieving that goal,” said MLS SVP of media, Seth Bacon, in a statement. “This project was a true collaboration between ESPN, LAFC, Mandalay Sports Media and Major League Soccer. We are all proud of the series and we know it will resonate with a wide audience.”
SportTechie Takeaway
There is no shortage of purportedly all-access sports series—Amazon’s All or Nothing and HBO’s Hard Knocks, to name two—but ESPN’s track record and wide range of broadcast rights make it particularly well positioned in the crowded marketplace. And MLS is a particularly willing partner, given its younger-skewing, digital-minded fans and its willingness to experiment. As MLS SVP Chris Schlosser said in the context of the league’s new app, “We have an ability here to innovate. We have a desire to innovate. We have a requirement to innovate.” That mindset applies to all of the soccer league’s ambitions as it begins its 24th season this weekend.