When Major League Soccer inked its groundbreaking broadcast deal with Apple in 2023, it sent shockwaves through the sports world. While the partnership hasn't yet delivered the blockbuster returns either side hoped for, it's quietly revolutionizing how American soccer teams are built—from the front office all the way down to the pitch.

Commissioner Don Garber recently revealed that the Apple collaboration is doing more than just changing how fans watch games. It's reshaping roster construction itself. "The data from Apple is so specific that it's impacting the way we think," Garber told The Athletic. "We know what games are driving fan interest, through technology. It's affecting the players we're signing. It's affecting how we're structuring our rosters."

Think about that for a moment. In the old days, teams signed players based on scouting reports, stats, and gut feelings. Now, Apple's analytics are helping MLS clubs identify which players move the needle—not just in terms of goals and assists, but in terms of actual fan engagement. Who's getting fans to tune in? Who's generating buzz on social media? That data is becoming a blueprint for team-building.

Garber pointed to three teenage sensations on the New York Red Bulls—Matthew Dos Santos, Adri Mehmeti, and Julian Hall—as prime examples. These 17-year-olds have become some of the league's most popular stars, and the league is taking notice. "How do we take that player, turn them into their own media property?" Garber asked. "How do we have fan clubs around them in ways that are about what they're doing, as opposed to what someone is telling us we should be doing?"

This isn't just about chasing fame over talent. It's about recognizing that in today's sports landscape, a player's marketability is part of their value. The Apple-MLS deal has already undergone tweaks—including the recent shift away from the MLS Season Pass subscription model—and the league could distribute games elsewhere as soon as 2029. But for now, the data-driven approach is giving clubs a new lens for evaluating who deserves a spot on the roster.

For fans, this means the players you see on the pitch are increasingly the ones who know how to put on a show—both during the match and beyond it. And for the league, it's a sign that the Apple partnership, even if it hasn't been a financial home run yet, is delivering something just as valuable: a smarter way to build a team.