2026 MLS Sponcon Scouting Report

👋 Welcome back to Sponcon Sports, a weekly newsletter dedicated to sponsored content strategy in the sports industry! 

If you work in social media marketing, you’ve heard it before: Repost your top-performing content. Not a reshare. The exact same asset.

Because if it performed once, it can perform again.

Liverpool just showed that mindset applies to sponsored content too.

Ahead of last weekend’s match against Nottingham Forest, they reposted the now-infamous Google Pixel clip of Darwin Núñez’s 99th-minute winner.

You remember the moment.

Virgil van Dijk grabs the phone.
Starts recording the celebration.
Seconds later, the device is in the middle of the goal-scoring scrum.

An unscripted integration brands dream about. The original post delivered:

• 5.7M Instagram views

• 351.7K engagements

• 6.2% engagement rate

The repost generated:

• 2.2M views

• 50.8K engagements

• 2.3% engagement rate

Was it as explosive as the first time? Of course not.
That was a once-in-the-moment winner.

But it still crossed a million views. And that matters.

Here’s the part I find most interesting: This likely wasn’t a contractual obligation.

Plenty of teams would have reposted the goal and stripped the branding the second time around. Instead, Liverpool kept the Google Pixel integration intact, simply updating the “Shot on Google Pixel” lockup to reflect the 2025–26 season.

And the branding didn’t hurt performance the first time.
It didn’t hurt the second time either.

That’s a small but meaningful signal to a partner:

We see your brand as part of the moment.
We’re looking for opportunities to bring you into high-performing content.
We don’t view integrations as one-and-done obligations.

Those small decisions add up.

They reinforce value.
They build trust.
They make renewal conversations easier.

When you properly value a partnership upfront, choices like this aren’t complicated. You don’t debate whether to keep the logo in. You understand that the brand is woven into the story.

Sponsored content doesn’t need to vanish after it’s posted. If the moment is strong enough, it can come back, branding and all.

In Today’s Edition:

• MLS Scouting Report 📋️

• Mystery Kit Trip 📦

• IP Driven By Emotion 🏉

🏊️ DEEP DIVE
The Best Sponcon From MLS’ Opening Weekend

MLS is officially back, and opening week gave us an early look at how clubs are approaching sponsored content in 2026.

There’s a noticeable emphasis on tighter brand alignment, smarter naming conventions, and clearer ownership of premium social inventory. Some teams are refining existing platforms. Others are carving out new ones.

As always, I skipped the perennial standouts I covered in last year’s MLS Scouting Report, linked here, and focused strictly on what’s new, evolving, or worth stealing.

Here’s what stood out from Week One.

Perfect Pairs 🧩

These are the integrations where the connection between brand and content is obvious. That clarity makes the sponsorship easier to remember.

Before the season kicked off, MLS shared each club’s odds to win the league. The percentages were powered by Polymarket, the league’s new prediction market partner.

Staying at the league level, the Power Cam presented by Powerade was one of my favorite executions from opening week. The split-screen format pairs on-pitch highlights with reaction shots from the bench, naturally featuring Powerade bottles in frame.

St. Louis City SC dropped its official Apple Music playlist for the season, featuring Conrad Wallem in creative wearing Apple AirPods Max. The playlist is live on Apple Music, making the activation feel native to the platform and the partner.

Jani-King sponsors the Vancouver Whitecaps’ shutout posts. Given that shutouts are referred to as “clean sheets,” it’s a smart, literal tie-in for a commercial cleaning brand.

Staying in Vancouver, new 2026 partner Craftsman Collision has its branding on the trucks that repair the pitch at halftime (shown above). The visibility feels earned because the trucks help repair the playing surface after it’s beat up by game play.

We often talk about financial brands owning transactional content, but Toronto FC showed airlines can play there too. Their KLM Arrivals series brands the welcome graphics for new signings, a smart way to align an airline partner with year-round roster movement.

On the player arrival front, D.C. United and LAFC have two of the strongest branded tunnel executions in the league. Audi, D.C.’s stadium naming rights partner, is seamlessly integrated into the set design. In Los Angeles, Strauss appears in the tunnel, positioning the workwear brand closer to lifestyle and fashion culture.

Finally, New York City FC placed Sherwin-Williams on its jersey reveal series. The creative emphasizes the colors of the kit, even spelling them out in the background, a simple but effective way to spotlight the paint brand’s core equity.

Smart Naming Plays 🧠

A strong series name builds recall. When the brand is baked into the concept, the connection sticks.

D.C. United rebranded its clean sheet content as Defensive Spotlight, aligning the theme with Trollinger Law’s courtroom focus on defense. It’s a smart reframing of a standard stat.

Sporting KC highlights goalkeeper saves on Instagram Stories with Price Chopper (shown above), a simple but effective nod to “savings” and value at retail.

San Diego FC posts a Superior Match Photo Gallery after wins, tapping directly into Michelob ULTRA’s “Superior” positioning.

Seattle Sounders’ Play of the Match is partnered with Emerald Queen Casino, aligning a high-stakes highlight moment with a gaming brand.

NYCFC ran a season-opening series called Raining Goals presented by Xylem, spotlighting the best opening-match goals in club history. The water-themed language plays naturally into the brand’s category while celebrating attacking football.

Staying with NYCFC, the Etihad Check-In series spotlights the venue for each match, a clean tie-in to travel language and the club’s airline partner.

And the name doesn’t always have to live in the creative to make the connection clear.

FC Cincinnati features Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse on post-match celebration videos. The caption does the heavy lifting: “Serving Up Celebrations alongside @jeffrubyscincinnati.” The phrasing reinforces the restaurant tie-in without overcomplicating the creative.

The Portland Timbers call their question-of-the-day series From the Question Bank, aligning with new, jersey sponsor Bank of America.

FC Dallas uses a strong four-graphic layout for its UMB Bank Match Recap on X. A slight tweak, something like Match Stats Bank, would further embed the sponsor into the concept and make the integration more ownable.

Sometimes the branding shows up in place of a standard “presented by.” San Diego FC’s Injury Report is “proudly cared for” by Sharp HealthCare. LAFC Warmups (pictured above) are “hydrated by” Liquid I.V. Small language shifts, stronger brand association.

Final Score Real Estate 🏘️

St. Louis City SC and LAFC both use Instagram carousels to pair final score graphics with box score stats after wins.

The structure is similar. The sponsorship strategy is not.

In St. Louis, Post Holdings appears on both the final score graphic and the aptly named Post Match Stats slide. The brand owns the moment across the carousel.

LAFC takes a different approach. The final score graphic runs unsponsored, while Sherwin-Williams appears on the cleverly titled Paint the Picture stats slide.

I lean toward the St. Louis model.

Final score graphics are some of the most valuable inventory in sports social. Over the course of a season, those posts reach and engagement can drive seven figures in social value.

I’m open to multiple brands living within a carousel. But if a partner is specifically evaluating final score entitlement, does the presence of another sponsor on the same post, even on a separate slide, dilute the opportunity or make them stay away all together?

When you’re packaging premium inventory, clarity matters. If a brand is paying to own the result, I’d think carefully before splitting that attention.

Match Preview Packaging 📦️

Three clubs are leaning into short-form video for match previews, and each offers a different lesson in integration.

The Portland Timbers’ The Matchup is consistently filmed in areas of Providence Park where First Tech Federal Credit Union signage is visible. The branding feels natural because it’s part of the environment, not added in post.

In Atlanta, AT&T Countdown to Kickoff is baked directly into the creative. The monitor featured in the video carries the sponsor branding and includes a literal one-minute countdown.

The New York Red Bulls bring in club legend Bradley Wright-Phillips for 99’s Two Cents, presented by OANDA. The name works on multiple levels, nodding to his number while tying cleanly into the financial category of a forex trading platform.

Same format. Different execution styles. The common thread is intentionality: the sponsor isn’t tacked on, it’s embedded in the concept.

The Birthday Blueprint 🎂

Birthday posts are one of the most underrated assets in sports social.

They consistently perform well, fans love celebrating current and former players, and they’re always on. Unlike match-driven content, this platform runs 12 months a year.

Too often, though, birthday posts are reduced to a simple logo slap with no real connection to the brand.

Atlanta United FC and the Philadelphia Union take a smarter approach.

Atlanta includes a “Celebrate with Bruster’s Ice Cream” message directly in the graphic, reinforcing the product’s role in birthday moments. The Union leans into alliteration with “Bimbo Birthday”, creating a more ownable and memorable tie-in.

The difference is subtle but important. The brand isn’t just present, it’s contextually relevant to the occasion. That reinforcement builds stronger association over time.

Pro Tip: Connect birthday sponsorships to your CRM. Place a custom partner offer from the brand in automated birthday emails to fans. That turns a high-engagement awareness post into a measurable sales opportunity.

Community-Driven Concepts 🚘️

Opening week wasn’t just about match coverage. Several clubs rolled out creative ideas, both sponsored and unsponsored, designed to deepen fan connection.

To celebrate Black & Gold Week, the Columbus Crew invited fans to submit photos for a chance to appear on a billboard. It’s a smart blend of data capture and public recognition. The St. Louis Blues used a similar concept ahead of the 2025 NHL Playoffs. With the right creative guardrails, this type of activation could easily be aligned with a jersey sponsor or stadium naming rights partner.

Chicago Fire FC leaned into its Carvana partnership with the Kit Cab, a roaming activation that allowed fans to trade in any non-Fire jersey for a new Forever Red kit.

The club also offered to “fire up” supporters’ lawns with a professional refresh handled by the same MLS-caliber grounds crew that maintains its training surfaces. It’s a playful extension of on-field credibility into the community and perfect for the lawncare or home improvement category.

FC Cincinnati partnered with the University of Cincinnati on an FCCincyCreator program, where members of the football team vlogged their matchday experience. A smart way to tap into adjacent audiences and introduce the club to new fans.

While we’re talking about creators, DC United’s Creator Suite is worth monitoring.

Austin FC continues to invest in culture through its Artist Initiative presented by HEB. They’re collaborating with local creators on stadium murals and matchday posters featured across social media. It strengthens community ties while generating distinctive content.

The Colorado Rapids teamed up with Glory Magazine on a commemorative book celebrating 30 years of soccer in the Centennial State, a longer-form storytelling play that elevates club history beyond a single post.

🔍️ SPONCONSPIRATION
Steal These Ideas

Keep an eye on the Manors Golf YouTube channel. It consistently pulls more views than its subscriber count. Earlier this month, they teamed up with golf creator James Wilson to see how the golf creator would fare in the Japanese SpeedGolf Championship, without any training. The video was sponsored by GolfN, which smartly integrated into his practice moments leading up to the event.

I loved this concept from Ellis Platten’s AwayDays YouTube channel. In partnership with Classic Football Shirts, they used the brand’s Mystery Shirt box to decide which match they’d attend. Simple mechanic, and a great storytelling device.

Williams F1’s Team Torque Podcast returned for season three last week, presented by Atlassian. One segment, “Team Topic of the Day”, ties directly to how their product supports project management. It’s a natural alignment. If anything, I’d move that segment closer to the middle of the episode to capture a larger share of the audience.

I often talk about how content can amplify traditional sponsorship assets, especially when it comes to reach. Real Madrid provided a strong example with a Nivea Men–branded entryway for their match against Real Sociedad, complete with a “Care For Champions” game ball stand. A standard tunnel moment turned into premium sponsored content.

Arnold Clark also found a smart way to activate its front-of-shirt partnership and team IP with Scottish Rugby. They surprised a young fan with a behind-the-scenes experience, meeting the team and standing on the sidelines during their match against England. The content naturally showcased their vehicles and benefited from logo visibility across every jersey on the pitch, resulting in one of their top-performing posts thus far in 2026.

🚨 ICYMI
What To Watch For

Untapped Olympic Gold: Ricardo Fort spotlighted the most valuable partnership asset Olympic TOP sponsors consistently underuse during activation.

Multi-Platform Momentum: Nick Rend, NASCAR’s VP of Interactive and Emerging Platforms, unpacked how Speedweeks is evolving from a single tentpole broadcast into a multi-platform growth engine spanning gaming, creators, esports, and immersive fan experiences.

The Process Shift: Dan Gadd broke down why modern marketing requires an audience-first content operating system built on research, human insight, bold creative, and earned distribution designed to earn attention instead of interrupt it.

Experiments That Stick: Nirupam Singh pointed out that Formula E’s Evo Sessions and the quiet ownership shift at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park signal why motorsport’s future belongs to properties willing to experiment patiently, prioritize new audiences, and move beyond purist comfort zones.

F1 Fan Club Landscape: Dr Georgie Carroll shared a two-part deep dive on how F1 teams are building fan communities heading into 2026. Part One explores the fan club landscape and dedicated membership platforms. Part Two examines how teams are leaning into WhatsApp and Instagram broadcast channels to build more direct, in-the-DMs relationships.