Soccer in the United States was virtually nonexistent in 1995, with no professional league and a handful of games on TV, this scenario didn’t give the sport the exposure needed to captivate the audience built on after the 1994 World Cup. When Major League Soccer began play in 1996 the original owners were virtually NFL owners and there were only 10 teams.
Fast-forward to 2020 and the sport is virtually everywhere! Major League Soccer has 26 teams and will be 30 by 2022. The new Woman’s League, NWSL, has 10 teams and is slowly building its audience. You can watch virtually any major important league or tournament on cable, including leagues with exclusive American TV packages.
As soccer continues to grow so does interest from celebrities and other sporting figures to get in on the action of a sport and team from the ground up. Here is a list of some A-listers who have invested in soccer in the United States.
Drew Carey and Ken Griffey Jr - Seattle Sounders
The Seattle Sounders were pioneers in attracting A-listers as owners. When the team began play in 2007 the club was an instant success story. The Sounders came out of the gate flying, getting into the playoffs and winning championships. The team was also the highest attended team in the league until Atlanta United came around. Carey was an original investor but shortly after other big names like Ken Griffey Jr, Russell Wilson, Ciara, and Macklemore have all jumped on board. The Sounders can arguably be called one of the best sports business success stories of the last 20 years.
David Beckham - Inter Miami
When David Beckham signed with the L.A. Galaxy in 2007, he ushered in a new era for MLS and the beginning of the league truly taking off. Beckham had it written in his contract that he could become a team owner when he retired. Miami became an obsession for Beckham, and after many failed attempts finally got the team off the ground in 2018. Today, Inter Miami has played their first full season and will soon open their own Soccer Specific Stadium.
Kevin Durant - Philadelphia Union
From the court to the boardroom, Kevin Durant became an investor of the Philadelphia Union in June of 2020. Durant has a 5% stake in the club with an option to purchase an additional 5% at a later date. Durant tried to buy into D.C. United twice but in the end, said deal did not go through. Durant is a big soccer fan and stated that observing how these teams impacted their city’s businesses and communities appealed to him.
James Harden and Oscar de la Hoya - Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo have two big names in their ownership group, boxing legend and promoter Oscar de la Hoya and NBA superstar James Harden. “The Beard” owns an estimated 5% while the “Golden Boy” is said to have up to 50% stake in the club. The Dynamo have seen better days and have recently rebranded, hopefully, some of that championship class their owners have will rub off on them.
Will Ferrell, Nomar Garciaparra, Mia Hamm, Chad Hurley, and Magic Johnson - LAFC
LAFC certainly came on to the scene with a bang, with an ownership group of who’s who the team needed to live up to that a-list standard. They did, LAFC has been to the MLS Playoffs in each of their first three seasons and until the pandemic hit, LAFC sold out every home game. They have two of the best players in MLS, Diego Rossi and Carlos Vela. Things look bright for this team full of stars.
Natalie Portman - Angel City FC
One of the greatest modern-day actresses, Natalie Portman, became a lead investor of the NWSL’s Angel City FC team in June 2020. The team will play its first game in 2022, becoming the first professional Women's Soccer team in Los Angeles since the Los Angeles Sol which folded in 2010. While Portman may be the most famous lead investor the rest of the investor group is full of some big-time A-listers: Becky G, Shannon Boxx, Sophia Bush, Jessica Chastain, James Corden, Amanda Cromwell, Deirdre DeLany, Lorrie Fair, Ronnie Fair, Joy Fawcett, America Ferrera, Julie Foudy, Jennifer Garner, Lauren Holiday, Mia Hamm, Angela Hucles, Cobi Jones, Ryan Kalil, Billie Jean King, Ilana Kloss, Eva Longoria, Shannon MacMillan, Casey Neistat, Alexis Olympia Ohanian, Candace Parker, Lilly Singh, P. K. Subban, Rachel Van Hollebeke, Tisha Venturini, Lindsey Vonn, Abby Wambach, Saskia Webber, Lailaa Williams, and Serena Williams all have invested in the team.
Matthew McConaughey - Austin FC
The Wolf of Wall Street actor, Matthew McConaughey, brought some much needed positive energy to Austin FC when it was announced he would be part-owner of the team in 2019. It is important to remember Austin FC was heavily criticized because then Columbus Crew Owner, Anthony Precourt wanted to move the Crew to Austin. This caused a huge backlash on social media, enter Matthew McConaughey, and that incident is hardly a memory now.
Steve Nash - Vancouver Whitecaps
NBA legend Steve Nash is a soccer fanatic! He is a Tottenham Hotspur supporter and purchased a stake in the Whitecaps back in 2008. Since then, Nash got involved in Mallorca in 2016 and hopes that the Whitecaps can find their way to success in MLS.
Bonus Track: LeBron James - Liverpool
LeBron is LeBron. He’s always gonna do something a bit different than the rest, and he did just that when he purchased a 2% stake in English Football giants, Liverpool. Since LeBron James was listed as an official owner of the team, the Reds have snapped a 30 year EPL title drought and won a Champions League. Born winner.
