Just in time for the 2025 season and the countdown to the FIFA Club World Cup, Major League Soccer and Apple have gifted fans an exciting new docuseries to help prepare for the big weekend. Onside: Major League Soccer releases worldwide tomorrow, aligning with the opening weekend of the 2025 MLS season, kicking off Saturday, February 22.
In the opening episode, “Back to Glory”, we follow the Los Angeles Galaxy in the lead-up to their season opener against Inter Miami CF. The episode contrasts the two clubs and their direction. For Miami, David Beckham and the crew are upbeat about their chances for the upcoming season. After signing a swath of former FC Barcelona stars including Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Luis Suárez, and Jordi Alba, the organization is blazing through marketing goals and roster build-up. Then there’s the Galaxy, who are coming off one of the worst seasons in franchise history under coach Greg Vanney and are desperate to restore their club to glory. The last time LA Galaxy won a trophy was in 2014, quite the dry spell for a club that’s played home to MLS legends like Landon Donovan, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Roy Keane, and yes, David Beckham. A promising sign of a turnaround was acquiring Riqui Puig from, you guessed it, FC Barcelona. What makes this acquisition better is that he’s a young player the franchise can build around. Outside of unnecessary vulgarity, the episode features first-person interviews, behind-the-scenes access with players, and commentary from club personnel and MLS talking heads.
The opening episode gives you a taste of what to expect for the rest of the series. This documentary stands out for a few reasons. For one, it’s not just Messi-centric. Secondly, there’s parity in coverage of clubs—because there are more clubs than just Inter Miami. Lastly, they dive into some interesting narratives. Immediately after “Back to Glory” audiences are introduced to their first rivalry, “Hell Is Real”, the derby between FC Cincinnati and Columbus Crew. FC Cincinnati won the 2023 Supporters’ Shield after earning 69 points at the end of the season but lost their conference final match to their crosstown rivals, crushing any hope of winning the MLS Cup. After upsetting FC Cincinnati in their stadium, the Crew went on to lift the 2023 MLS Cup. We hear insight from both coaches, FCC’s Pat Noonan and Crew’s Wilfried Nancy and follow players like captain Luciano Acosta, nice guy Darlington Nagbe, and the wild card Matt Miazga. The latter spills the beans on the controversial incident that made headlines after Cincinnati’s loss to the Crew in that conference final.
From young franchises building club culture from the ground up to throwing insane money and mounds of hype on a 14-year-old, Onside runs the full gauntlet of topics for the country’s top division of soccer. The most interesting story of them all came in the seventh episode, “The Big Decision”.
Atlanta United look nothing like they did in 2018 when they hoisted the MLS Cup in their second season in the league. With odds and fans against them, the cameras continue to roll on the road and at home in the locker room. Things hit a low with Gonzalo Pineda at the helm as team performance and chemistry suffered. Seeing Rob Valentino take over as interim manager was a sore sight. Any ATLUTD fan would know that in between all the drama and dust-ups of the past, the one constant was Valentino. He had a reputation for being a player’s coach and was universally liked by the players and the fans. He should’ve had a chance to prove himself when the roster was loaded and full of stars who were in form. Instead, he was given the near-impossible task of making something positive happen with a losing record, a weakened roster, and a limited time to make an impression (the end of the regular season was a few months away). It felt like I was stuck in a time warp watching Thiago Almada, Giorgis Giakoumakis, and Caleb Wiley training together. Those three were sold as Valentino was promoted to interim head coach, making his push for the playoffs even more difficult. This was by far the most compelling episode as so many different wheels were turning in the background and fans will finally see what took place. Whether it was transfers, coaching changes, or the moment Rob’s viral quote was born, the cameras capture everything in this series (we even see a cameo from fan-favorite Atlanta United Fan TV).
It’s not Messi’s World Cup or Messi Meets America and that’s the best news. The production value of both series was average and it felt like they were made to meet a quota. With this, everybody wins because everybody’s represented, not just a single player. The series feels organic and speaks to a wider audience. Holding off on its release until the start of the 2025 season was a smart move by the league, as it’s the perfect docuseries to rile up excitement. Every episode is enticing and provides every opportunity to learn something new: rivalries, players, club history, and even exclusive looks in the locker room and away from the pitch.
Now is as good a time as ever to get into MLS as the league enters its 30th season. St. Louis City SC was the last club to enter the league in 2023. This year, fans get to see the newly minted San Diego FC take the pitch to see if Hirving “Chucky” Lozano and the gang can stand up to their competition out west.
Onside: Major League Soccer gets a 9 out of 10. Extremely exciting, there’s lots to learn, and fans get to take in so much from so many different players and staff. This is the perfect way to kick off the league’s 30th season and build momentum going into opening weekend. The only thing that could’ve been better was if this was truly made for all ages. The mountains of explicit language used in the series will surely filter out a crucial crop of youth. Aside from that, it’s an excellent series and a great introduction to the beautiful game in America.
Onside: Major League Soccer is available to stream now on Apple TV+.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Apple
Genre: Sports Documentary
Rating: Not Rated
Runtime: 8 episodes | 45 mins.
Trailer: Trailer
U.S. Release Date: February 21, 2025
[…] Each episode focuses on a distinct story: big‑name clubs, youth prospects, rivalries, the transfer window, and legacy‑building. For example, Episode 1, “Back to Glory,” follows the LA Galaxy and Inter Miami CF as they prepare for marquee matches. (THE PEACH REVIEW) […]