To celebrate the 30th year of MLS, the new show will feature Olivier Giroud, Cucho Hernández and 15-year-old star Cavan Sullivan.
MLS and Apple TV+ unveiled the latest product of their decade-long partnership on Thursday, airing the first trailer for the upcoming documentary series “Onside: Major League Soccer.”
The show will be an eight-part documentary series with “unprecedented access to players, coaches and clubs,” providing a behind-the-scenes look at America's top soccer league. The series was created by Box to Box Films, the production company behind the iconic sports documentaries 'Formula 1: Drive to Survive', 'Break Point', 'Senna' and 'Diego Maradona'.
The documentary series premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, February 21. Here's a first look at the trailer…
The series covers the 2024 MLS season, a seminal year for soccer in the United States. A Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami stormed through the regular season but suffered a shock in the play-offs. An underwhelming LA Galaxy team emerged from mediocrity to challenge for the championship for the first time in a decade.
Who's in the new MLS documentary?
The show's creators appeared at MLS Media Day on Thursday and revealed that the unpredictability of the season had forced them to reconsider some preconceptions.
Paul Martin, co-founder of Box to Box Films, explains: “I think the great thing about making these shows is that when we sat here 12 months ago we had an idea of what it would look like. “I'm happy to say that now that we're back and have completed the series, it's completely different.”
“Until you dive in and see the players up close, the club owners and the coaches, you're never quite sure what it's going to be,” Martin added.
FC Cincinnati defender Matt Miazga and Philadelphia Union star Cavan Sullivan were also in attendance on Thursday. Both play key roles in the series, albeit for very different reasons.
Miazga was the reigning MLS Defender of the Year heading into 2024, but suffered a serious knee injury in the summer and required major surgery. Things were very different for Sullivan, the Manchester City prodigy who became the league's youngest-ever player when he took the field at 14 years and 293 days.
The shows will also focus heavily on reigning MLS Cup MVP Cucho Hernández, French World Cup winner Olivier Giroud and Joseph Paintsil, who had a breakout season with the Galaxy. Lionel Messi doesn't appear to be specifically followed by the documentary, but his Inter Miami plays a prominent role in the trailer.
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