Can MLS grow its fanbase by ‘doing a Wrexham’?

T he US is a popular destination for touring European soccer teams, but the country has never welcomed a team like Wrexham before. The Welsh club will travel across the Atlantic this summer to take part in a series of events that could reportedly include friendly matches against Chelsea and Manchester United. There may be as many Paul Mullin shirts as Marcus Rashford ones.

Mullin and his teammates are well known to anyone who has watched FX’s Welcome to Wrexham TV docuseries. The show, which details Ryan Reynolds and Robert McElhenney’s escapades as owners of the team, has thrust the European lower leagues into the American mainstream. Wrexham’s matches are now a regular draw on US TV – their first match on ESPN2 earlier this season easily outperformed MLS coverage on Fox Sports on the same day.

Wrexham’s success in the US goes against conventional wisdom. For decades, many claimed American fans were only interested in elite-level soccer. That’s why, it was argued, MLS viewing figures remained low as competitors like the Champions League and Premier League grew in popularity. Wrexham, however, have relied on storytelling to attract new fans.

So too has F1 through Netflix’s Drive to Survive, which is credited with boosting the growth of the sport, particularly in the US. Full Swing, which focuses on golf and the PGA Tour, launched last month. Break Point – a tennis equivalent – was also produced along the same lines. Factor in Sunderland ’Til I Die and Amazon’s All or Nothing series and a trend is clear.

MLS has partnered with Drive to Survive makers Box to Box Productions to produce a docuseries now that the league has entered a $2.5bn, 10-year agreement with Apple TV. MLS has the platform, now it must produce the