Tim Bezbatchenko: What Does MLS Need to Grow? | Open Mic

Back in Columbus after two years with Bournemouth’s multi-club owners, Tim Bezbatchenko knows where MLS already holds its own against European clubs, and where it doesn’t. Gass, Tom and Doyle ask him how the league’s roster rules should change, and he takes them inside the room where the Crew set the budget for a star signing.

Now overseeing the Columbus Crew and the city’s new NWSL team, he weighs promotion and relegation and whether more spending leaves a pathway for homegrown and college prospects. He also covers their new NWSL training ground, how much the sport has changed since he watched the Crew as a teenager, and what would make MLS the first choice for players.

0:00 Tim Bezbatchenko’s Road Back to Columbus

3:09 MLS Measuring Up Against Europe?

6:06 Pro/Rel and the U.S. Soccer Pyramid

7:25 Simpler, Looser Roster Rules?

10:00 Homegrown Pathways Meet Bigger Payrolls

14:33 How Much is a Star Worth?

19:06 NWSL Facility Planned for Player Care

21:32 Soccer in America, Then and Now

23:46 Expansion Club, World-Class NWSL Goals

26:27 Making MLS a Destination

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