Project 14 and 26 - Soccer - Developing Leagues Around the World

[PWC2017]

Chapter 49 — Pershing Square, Birmingham, and the Birth of a New Idea (2021–2022)​

By 2021, Manson’s relationship with Pershing Square had evolved from exploratory conversations into something far more deliberate. What had begun years earlier as informal dialogue about North American sports ownership had matured into a shared philosophy: long-term asset building, infrastructure first, culture second, and competition as the final layer.

Pershing Square saw in Manson what few others did — a strategist who thought in decades, not cycles.

The Birmingham City Opportunity​

The first major convergence of ideas came through English football.

Birmingham City FC represented everything Manson believed modern football ownership had neglected. A historic club. A massive catchment area. Loyal supporters. And yet, underutilised infrastructure, unstable leadership, and no coherent long-term sporting vision.

Throughout 2021, Manson worked closely with Pershing Square advisors to evaluate Birmingham as a case study in football reform:

• Stadium redevelopment potential
• Training ground modernisation
• Academy restructuring
• A data-driven sporting department aligned with European best practices

Unlike speculative ownership models, the Birmingham plan was rooted in stability and patience. The goal was not immediate promotion at all costs, but controlled growth — creating a club capable of sustaining success rather than chasing it.

By 2022, Pershing Square formally completed its involvement in the Birmingham City takeover, with Manson playing a key strategic role behind the scenes. The club became a living laboratory for ideas that would later influence Project 26: licensing discipline, infrastructure mandates, and a clear separation between governance and football operations.

Birmingham was proof that Manson’s thinking worked outside North America.

Conversations Beyond Football​

It was during this same period that discussions between Manson and Pershing Square began to drift beyond football altogether.

Late-night meetings in New York and Las Vegas increasingly touched on a different question:

What would a truly modern combat-sports organisation look like if it were built like football — structured, regulated, global, and sport-first?

Professional wrestling kept resurfacing.

To Manson, wrestling was one of the last major sports-entertainment properties still operating under a closed, territorial mindset. Despite its popularity, it lacked:

• Transparent rankings
• Weight divisions treated as legitimate competitive classes
• Win–loss records that truly mattered
• Independent governance

Pershing Square saw the commercial upside. Manson saw the structural flaw.

By late 2022, the idea had crystallised: a new professional wrestling promotion, built from the ground up with the same principles guiding Project 26 — legitimacy, global governance, weight classes, and sporting credibility.

It wouldn’t be rushed.
It wouldn’t be loud.
And it wouldn’t be announced.

Not yet.

Internally, the project began to take a name — New World Pro-Wrestling.

The thinking was familiar by now. Lay foundations quietly. Build the framework. Secure talent and governance. Let the market catch up later.

Football remained the priority, but something new had begun to form alongside it — another long-term play, driven by the same belief that sport could be better if it was built properly from the start.

By the end of 2022, Manson was no longer working on just one future.

He was shaping two.

 

[PWC2017]

Chapter 50 — 2023: The Apple Deal and the Future of MLS Broadcasting​

By 2023, years of quiet negotiation, strategic leaks, and parallel bidding processes reached a decisive moment. What began as exploratory dialogue under Don Garber had evolved into a full-scale rethink of how top-level football in the United States and Canada would be consumed.

That moment arrived with the formal confirmation of the Apple deal.

The Agreement​

In early 2023, MLS and Apple officially agreed to a five-year exclusive streaming partnership, set to run from:

August 2026 through the conclusion of the 2030–31 season

The deal was deliberately aligned with:

• The launch of the new MLS three-division pyramid
• The transition to the World Soccer Calendar (July–May)
• The first season of promotion and relegation in North American top-flight football

It was no coincidence. MLS wanted a clean break — structurally and commercially.

What the Deal Covered​

The Apple agreement applied only to MLS competitions, specifically:

• MLS Super League
• MLS Second League
• MLS Third League

Every MLS league match would be:

• Streamed live
• Available globally
• Housed on a single platform
• Free from regional blackouts

For the first time, MLS would operate like a modern global league — one subscription, one destination, every match.

This was a defining philosophical shift. Centralised access replaced fragmented regional deals. Fans no longer had to hunt for games. Clubs gained consistent global exposure regardless of market size.

The Linear TV Exception​

Notably, not every MLS match would be exclusive to Apple.

As part of Manson’s insistence on maintaining a traditional broadcast footprint, a secondary linear television package was carved out:

• A select number of high-profile weekly matches
• Rivalries, opening weekends, title races, and promotion/relegation deciders
• Matches deemed part of the main TV package

These fixtures would air on linear networks while remaining excluded from Apple’s exclusivity window, ensuring:

• Maximum reach for marquee games
• Continued relevance on traditional television
• Strong advertising value for sponsors

Apple accepted the structure, understanding that scarcity — not total exclusivity — would protect long-term value.

Why Apple Made Sense​

From MLS’ perspective, Apple offered what no traditional broadcaster could:

• Guaranteed global distribution
• Predictable long-term revenue
• No dependency on ratings-based renewals
• Full control over scheduling

For Manson, the appeal was even more strategic.

Apple’s platform ensured that promotion and relegation — a concept unfamiliar to many North American fans — would be:

• Explained
• Visualised
• Normalised through consistent storytelling

Every match mattered. Apple’s interface would reflect that.

A Line Drawn​

The announcement sent a clear message across the football landscape:

• MLS was no longer building around franchises
• It was building around competition
• And it was doing so with a global audience in mind

NASL, regional leagues, and national competitions would follow different broadcast paths, but the signal was unmistakable. The top of the pyramid had chosen its partner.

By the end of 2023, with Apple locked in and the league structure confirmed, there was no longer any doubt.

Project 26 was no longer theoretical.
It was scheduled, funded, and broadcast-ready.

 

[PWC2017]

Chapter 51 — 2023: CBS Enters the Pyramid​

If the Apple announcement defined the digital future of MLS, the confirmation of the CBS deal cemented its place on traditional television.

Later in 2023, MLS formally announced a landmark linear broadcast agreement with CBS, completing the broadcast framework that Manson, Garber, and McDonough had been quietly assembling since 2021.

The message was clear:
this new pyramid would live everywhere — streaming and linear, domestic and global.

The CBS Package​

CBS committed to a weekly slate of seven live matches, spread deliberately across all three professional tiers:

• 4 matches per week from the MLS Super League
• 2 matches per week from the MLS Second League
• 1 match per week from the MLS Third League

This structure was intentional.

Manson believed promotion and relegation could only succeed if fans were exposed to the entire ecosystem, not just the top division. By placing Second and Third League matches consistently on national television, CBS helped legitimise every level of the pyramid.

No league was hidden.
No division was treated as secondary.

Playoffs and Finals​

Beyond the regular season, CBS also secured rights to:

• All MLS promotion and relegation Playoff matches
• Playoff Finals in the Second and Third Leagues
• Key end-of-season Super League fixtures tied to:
  • Title races
  • Relegation battles
  • Continental qualification

These matches were viewed as made-for-television drama — high stakes, emotional, and easily understood by American audiences familiar with postseason tension.

For CBS, the playoffs were the crown jewel.
For MLS, they were the bridge between American sports culture and global football tradition.

Why CBS Was the Right Partner​

CBS offered what other networks could not:

• A proven football portfolio
• Experience with European competitions
• Flexibility across CBS, CBS Sports Network, and Paramount+
• Willingness to invest in storytelling across divisions

Crucially, CBS understood Manson’s core belief:

Relegation fights rate as well as title races — sometimes better.

Rather than fearing the concept, CBS leaned into it.

The Completed Broadcast Model​

By the end of 2023, the broadcast structure was fully defined:

• Apple TV
  • All MLS matches live
  • Global streaming
  • August 2026–2031
• CBS (Linear TV)
  • 7 matches per week
  • Coverage across all three divisions
  • Full playoff and playoff final rights

Together, they created a system where:

• Hardcore fans never missed a match
• Casual fans encountered the league weekly
• Every club had a national platform

Reaction Across the Game​

Owners who had once feared relegation began to see opportunity.
Lower-division clubs saw visibility.
Sponsors saw inventory.

Most importantly, players and supporters realised something fundamental had changed.

This was no longer a closed league experiment.
This was a living football pyramid, broadcast nationally, debated daily, and finally treated as sport rather than franchise entertainment.

By the close of 2023, MLS was no longer preparing for change.

It was broadcasting it.

 

[PWC2017]

Chapter 53 — Progress, Not Perfection​

By late 2023, as Project 26 moved from theory into implementation, Matthew Manson was increasingly asked the same question by media, owners, and critics alike:

“Will every club be ready?”

The honest answer was simple.

No.

And that, in Manson’s view, was not a failure — it was reality.

Accepting the Imperfect Starting Line​

From the outset, Project 26 was never built on the idea of instant uniformity.

North American football had grown inside a franchise ecosystem for decades. Stadiums were shared, leases were complex, and land acquisition in major cities often took years, not months.

Manson understood that expecting every club to:

• Own land
• Build a soccer-specific stadium
• Control all matchday revenue

by 2026 was unrealistic.

What mattered was direction, not completion.

Baseball Parks and College Stadiums​

By 2023, it was clear that:

• Several clubs would continue playing in baseball stadiums
• Others would remain in college football venues
• A handful would still share multi-purpose facilities

These situations were not ideal.
Sightlines were imperfect.
Scheduling conflicts existed.

But forcing clubs to move before they were financially or logistically ready would risk collapse — the very thing Project 26 was designed to avoid.

Manson was adamant:

Sustainability comes before aesthetics.

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The Licensing Philosophy​

Rather than hard capacity rules or arbitrary benchmarks, licensing under the new pyramid was built around ownership and control.

Clubs had to demonstrate:

• A clear stadium strategy
• Legal access to matchday revenue
• Training facilities under club control
• A realistic timeline for stadium development

The requirement was not size.

It was intent and ownership.

A 6,000-seat stadium owned by the club was valued more highly than a 40,000-seat venue rented year-to-year.

Momentum Across the Pyramid​

Despite the challenges, progress was undeniable.

By the end of 2023:

• A significant percentage of MLS and NASL clubs had:
  • Broken ground on new stadiums
  • Secured land
  • Announced relocation timelines
• USL and regional clubs were following similar paths, scaled to their markets
• Smaller clubs, once ignored, were now investing in infrastructure for the first time

For many communities, this was the first moment football felt permanent.

2026 as a Milestone, Not a Finish Line​

Manson consistently framed 2026 as a beginning.

Promotion and relegation would start then.
The pyramid would become operational then.
The calendar would align then.

But the true transformation — stadiums, academies, identities — would take another decade.

And that was acceptable.

You don’t build a football culture overnight, Manson often said.
You give it somewhere to live.

A Cultural Shift​

Perhaps the most important change wasn’t concrete or steel.

It was mindset.

Clubs that once chased short-term survival were now planning ten years ahead.
Owners were thinking in generations, not seasons.
Cities were beginning to see football clubs as civic institutions, not entertainment assets.

Perfection could wait.

Progress could not.

Looking Ahead​

As 2023 closed, Project 26 stood on imperfect ground — but solid foundations.

Some clubs would stumble.
Some timelines would slip.
Some stadiums would take longer than promised.

But the direction was set.

And for the first time in North American soccer history, everyone was walking the same way.

Forward.

 

[PWC2017]

Chapter 54 — Identity, Place, and the Power of a Name​

As the structure of the new pyramid solidified, Matthew Manson turned his attention to something less tangible than stadiums or broadcast contracts — but just as important.

Identity.

By 2023, Manson believed North American football had reached a point where clubs could no longer hide behind abstract branding, corporate naming, or vague regional identities. If promotion and relegation were going to mean something, clubs needed to belong unmistakably to a place.

That belief drove one of the most personal and, at times, contentious phases of Project 26.

A Relentless Schedule of Conversations​

Throughout 2023 and into early 2024, Manson’s calendar was dominated by meetings:

• On-site visits with ownership groups
• Late-night video calls across time zones
• Long conversations about history, community, and compromise

Some owners welcomed the discussion.
Others resisted it.

But Manson was consistent.

If your club doesn’t sound like it belongs somewhere, people won’t treat it like it does.

---

Undoing the Franchise Era​

Many club identities were products of a closed-league, franchise-first era — names designed for merchandising rather than belonging.

Manson’s objective wasn’t to erase history.
It was to reconnect it.

Several key changes emerged from those discussions.

Confirmed Identity Changes​

Ottawa

• Atlético Ottawa → Ottawa Fury
  A return to a name with existing emotional equity in the city, restoring continuity rather than importing identity.

New Mexico

• New Mexico United → Albuquerque United
  A move toward city-first identity, anchoring the club firmly in its metropolitan base.

North Carolina

• North Carolina FC → Raleigh RailHawks
  A revival of a name deeply associated with the region’s football history and supporter culture.

Rhode Island

• Rhode Island FC → Providence Islanders
  A name that reflected both geography and identity, tying the club unmistakably to its home city.

The Canadian Push: Cities First​

Nowhere was Manson more deliberate than in Canada.

Working closely with Canadian federation officials and club owners, he pushed for clear city identification across the former Canadian Premier League, ahead of its transition under the NASL umbrella.

The objective was consistency — and clarity.

By late 2023, the proposed identities were aligned as follows:

• Victoria Pacific FC
• East Vancouver FC
• Halifax Wanderers
• Ottawa Fury
• Winnipeg Valour
• Hamilton Forge
• Calgary Cavalry
• York United FC

Some names required minimal change.
Others were reshaped deliberately to emphasize city over region, community over concept.

Resistance and Reality​

Not every owner was enthusiastic.

Some worried about:

• Merchandise resets
• Brand recognition
• Short-term revenue disruption

Manson didn’t dismiss those concerns — but he challenged the premise.

Short-term comfort is not the same as long-term value.

He pointed repeatedly to Europe and South America, where clubs tied to cities survived relegation, ownership changes, and decades of upheaval — precisely because their identity was immovable.

Why Names Mattered in a Pyramid​

In an open system, names weren’t cosmetic.

They were functional.

Promotion and relegation required:

• Local pride
• Emotional attachment
• A sense of loss and achievement

A club named after a state, a sponsor, or a vague idea struggled to carry that weight.

A club named after a city did not.

Quiet Wins​

By early 2024, the results were visible:

• Supporter groups responded positively
• Local media narratives became clearer
• Municipal partnerships strengthened
• Clubs began to feel less like franchises and more like institutions

It wasn’t dramatic.
There were no press conferences.

But it mattered.

Manson’s Long View​

For Manson, this phase of Project 26 was deeply personal.

He had seen in Hong Kong what happened when clubs floated without roots.
He had watched North American teams disappear without trace.

This was his safeguard.

Stadiums can be rebuilt. Owners can change. Leagues can evolve.
But if a club belongs to a place, it survives.

As the pyramid edged closer to reality, the names on the shirts finally began to match the cities in the stands.

And that, Manson believed, was how football truly began.