Technologies

MLS Season Pass Review: Apple’s First Step Shows Promise, but It’s a Pass From Me

Apple’s new soccer service works well, but it’s expensive and doesn’t offer enough for fans of local teams.

Major League Soccer has returned for its 28th season and the biggest news this year isn’t the (once again) reworked playoff system or the massive Leagues Cup coming this summer, but the introduction of the MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

After spending the past two weekends watching MLS on Apple TV, I think the service leaves a lot to be desired. While it’s fantastic that every game is available so easily without the worry of local games being “blacked out,” it has become a hard sell to convince people to sign up for yet another streaming service, especially one that starts at a hefty $13 per month.

Having grown up alongside MLS I’ve seen it change quite a bit throughout the years, from growing ever larger in the number of teams (this year’s newest addition is a club in St. Louis) and endlessly changing the playoffs to having a team finally win the CONCACAF Champions League (thank you, Seattle).

Apple’s Season Pass is by far the biggest change for fans of the league, however, and one that may see many fans who don’t pay the subscription feeling isolated from their teams. There are no blackouts, but it comes at the expense of having no local home broadcasting of any kind.

All told, Apple’s first pass at MLS works well, but I still see plenty of room for improvement.

Watch the games on the Apple TV app

See at Apple

The cost

If you’re an Apple TV Plus subscriber, you’ll pay either $13 a month or $79 for the year for Season Pass. If you don’t have Apple’s streaming video service, that price jumps to $15 a month or $99 for the season. It’s available in over 100 countries, at similar prices (it’s £13 a month or £79 a season in the UK, for example).

The Season Pass subscription gives fans access to every game this season with no blackouts. Whereas other blanket sports services like MLB.TV and NBA League Pass prevent you from watching your local team or national games, because everything is on Apple’s service, all MLS action is available in one location. One subscription gets you the entire package (plus other events such as the Leagues Cup and MLS Next). It’s a huge plus for this Apple-MLS arrangement.

Team Pages on MLS Season Pass — Each team has its own page on MLS Season Pass, but there’s no local coverage.

Bobby Oliver/CNET

For those who don’t want to pay, Apple is also making six matches free each week, with Fox still airing a handful of games as well throughout the year, including certain playoff matches, the MLS Cup and some Leagues Cup games.

That said, it’s now expensive to be a soccer fan in America, with the MLS Season Pass being the only way to consistently follow your favorite club.

At the moment, the service does not justify its price tag and offers no major improvements to areas that ESPN Plus, Paramount Plus and Peacock have made commonplace for viewers over the years with higher-quality leagues. For now, those services are the better choice for the casual soccer fan whose priority is more than just the MLS.

The MLS tab

When you open the Apple TV app (available on most major streaming platforms, Apple devices and the web), the MLS Season Pass is just another tab at the top of the app. You’re immediately greeted with options to look at highlights of past games, add future matches to your Up Next page, or watch one of the service’s many shows, such as MLS Review. Each club has its own page with highlights from past games and videos created by the clubs.

It’s a great way to get more information on a team if you’re new to MLS, but parts of the experience do feel disjointed because each team is responsible for the media that it creates.

MLS Season Pass Tab — The MLS Season Pass lives inside an MLS tab on Apple’s TV app.

Bobby Oliver/CNET

Take the club profiles. LAFC’s is 31 minutes long and truly feels like a Hollywood production. Meanwhile, Real Salt Lake’s is a single minute and feels like a quick promo video. So packaging these as one show feels like an afterthought that was added to say that the service has more content than it really does at launch.

Those looking to get a taste of what happened in the league during the last match week can take a look at the MLS Wrap-Up where analysts and former players discuss each game and its biggest moments. Hosts for Week 1 included former players such as Taylor Twellman and Sacha Kljestan as well as sports commentator Liam McHugh, whose previous work includes Sunday Night Football and the NHL for NBC Sports.

At the moment it’s a good way to stay connected with the game, but for now, it doesn’t go above and beyond what other leagues have had for years.

The game day experience

MLS Season Pass on Apple TV game — The MLS stream is sharp at 1080p.

Bobby Oliver/CNET

Each match has its own pregame and postgame show, which are fine for getting caught up, but nothing more. Before the first game on a Wednesday or Saturday, there’s the MLS Countdown show, which feels very similar to the MLS Wrap-Up, it just occurs before the matches.

When it comes to the shows on match day, there are still some kinks to be worked out. Both the MLS Countdown and MLS Wrap-Up shows lack a bit of character. The way hosts of the Golazo Show and ESPN FC banter with each other is what makes those shows so great and worth watching for fans.

So far, the banter in the MLS equivalents hasn’t felt genuine. I hope that with time this changes but the shows just aren’t that engaging to me. It would be great if they responded to fan questions on-air, as that allows viewers to feel more involved with the content. The Golazo and ESPN FC crews feel more like a group of friends rather than analysts brought in to cover the sport.

Unlike NFL RedZone, which is the NFL’s whip-around show led by one host, MLS 360 features a large group of hosts and analysts, which includes McHugh, Kljestan, Kaylyn Kyle, Bradley Wright-Phillips and the rules expert Christina Unkel. MLS 360 lets you simultaneously watch all the day’s games and catch the biggest moments from each one. The show switches between matches with live scores being displayed from each concurrent match. While that’s happening you also have the hosts from the Countdown and Wrap-Up show reacting live to each game.

These types of shows are not my favorite, and this is no exception. There have been times when the hosts distract from the game rather than add to the experience, in my opinion. When Thiago Almada scored the winning goal in stoppage time for Atlanta United against San Jose, it could have made a big deal of Atlanta’s incredible crowd. It would have been great marketing, showing how passionate MLS fans can be. But the team at MLS 360 was much louder, didn’t add to my excitement, and made me want to switch over to the actual stream of the game. I understand why some fans love this type of show, and maybe if they refine it I will give it another go myself.

Apple MLS Season Pass Game — Bobby Oliver/CNET

This will take some time to get used to, but it’s great that each game has an English and Spanish broadcast, as well as French for teams from Canada. At the moment though, nothing in particular stands out as special once a game gets started. I didn’t see the commentators standing in the box going over lineups, something that will be especially missed from local broadcasts, as they know the teams and viewers best. It just feels like your average nationally televised game, with very little extra going for it.

The video quality of the stream, however, is great and may be one of the best streams of 1080p that I have ever seen running consistently without issue. It’s a stark difference from the quality you see on Fox and is a huge plus in my book.

That said, there are some things that are still out of the hands of Apple. For example, while watching Charlotte versus New England, the camera was far too wide for much of the game, making it difficult to follow the action. At one point there was a significant audio issue, which was confirmed by a friend also watching the match.

When the second match day came around this past weekend it was more of the same. The stream still looked stellar, and without any of the issues I noticed during match day 1. Besides that, there weren’t many noticeable improvements to the service overall. I still did not find many of the larger live shows all that engaging and was just there for the soccer. Furthermore, once halftime arrived there was generic analysis but little in terms of the commentators talking to the fans and getting them excited about the next half of play. The same ads played drearily on repeat.

Another disappointing aspect of the broadcast was the extremely generic scoreboard that lacks any league identity. MLS wants to create a recognizable brand similar to that of the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga or other large leagues across the globe. But with a scoreboard that looks like it was taken from a stock image site, it makes it hard for me to get excited. When I see the UEFA Champions League scoreboard, it makes it feel like a unique experience and adds gravitas to what I’m watching. Apple’s extremely clean aesthetic just does not do it for me.

Where Apple can improve

Apple MLS Season Pass Up Next Tab — There are more ways for Apple to improve Season Pass.

Bobby Oliver/CNET

Apple has an extraordinary opportunity to turn this service into the ultimate fan zone. This is why I’m disappointed that it has yet to bring so many simple additions that other services have had for years. First, where’s the “catch up with the important plays” button? Peacock has made this so easy that it’s jarring not to be able to jump into a game at halftime now and be caught up on each goal or an early red card.

Second, I would love to see a section of the MLS Wrap-Up specifically where they respond to social media and reactions similar to how TNT’s Inside the NBA engages with fans on its telecasts. I think this is one of the biggest successes of the soccer shows on Paramount and ESPN, and makes both really enjoyable and engaging.

Third, where’s the Android app? Yes, Android users can still watch matches on their phones if they go to Apple TV on their browser. This really should not have to be the case though, and further alienates people from the league.

Finally, I want my stats. Stat overlay has been around forever and executed very well on MLB.TV for example. It would be helpful to get live updates on possession, expected goals, distance ran and everything else that shows the swing of a match.

For now, I would say pass on MLS Season Pass. It offers enough free games to make not subscribing but still following doable, and you can still watch your favorite teams’ Open Cup and possibly CONCACAF Champions League runs elsewhere. If you want a soccer fix, I would look towards Peacock and Paramount Plus for better coverage and a higher level of play overall.

I love the MLS, but without a dedicated subscription option just to watch your local team, I find the price much too steep. Hopefully, Apple and MLS expand their options and increase the value proposition to really show other leagues the power that Apple can have in sports.

Technologies

Icelanders reject reopening talks to join the EU despite Trump’s Greenland threats

Icelanders voted 52.8% to 47.2% against reopening talks to join the European Union.

Icelanders voted to reject resuming talks to join the European Union, as issues such as domestic control over fishing appeared to override geopolitical security concerns.

Broadcaster RUV reported that 52.8% of voters rejected the government’s push to reopen EU membership negotiations, while 47.2% voted in favor.

The question put to the Nordic nation of nearly 400,000 was whether Iceland should resume accession negotiations with the European Union.

A majority “yes” vote would have led to a negotiated agreement being put to a second referendum for Icelanders to accept or reject.

The debate has taken on deeper significance in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s Arctic saber-rattling.

But in the end, concern over the potential loss of control over its fishing industry and an erosion of national identity won out over how Iceland might be affected by geopolitical rivalries.

“The ‘No’ side succeeded because it tapped into the most fundamental driver of Icelandic national identity: the demand for absolute self-governance. This is inextricably linked to control over natural resources and fisheries, which forms the very heart of the Icelandic understanding of sovereignty,” said Eiríkur Bergmann, professor of politics at Iceland’s Bifröst University.

Fishing’s share of Iceland’s broader economy has declined over the decades, even as seafood remains a major export industry.

Marine products and farmed fish made up nearly 47% of the country’s exports in the August 2025-July 2026 period, according to Statistics Iceland.

But production halved from a peak of 2.2 million tons in 1997 to 1.1 million tons in 2024, World Bank data show. Agriculture, forestry and fishing contributed 9.1% of Iceland’s gross domestic product in 1995, but only 3.7% by 2025, as manufacturing and services grew in importance.

Greenland or Iceland?

The U.S. president has long advocated for control over neighboring Greenland on national security grounds. Notably, Trump appeared to repeatedly mix up Greenland and Iceland during a special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland earlier in the year.

Iceland, a founding member of NATO, is the only ally without its own military forces. The country also sits astride the so-called GIUK Gap, a naval choke point between Greenland, Iceland and the U.K. that links the Arctic to the Atlantic Ocean.

The country applied to join the EU in 2009 in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. A euroskeptic government suspended negotiations in 2013, and the accession process was formally ended in 2015.

It’s already deeply integrated into the European framework, partly through its membership of the European Economic Area, which gives the volcanic island access to the EU’s single market without requiring full membership.

It’s also a member of the Schengen Area, which allows passport-free travel between it and other participating European countries.

At the start of the year, Iceland’s Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir said that deeper dialogue and collaboration with the EU would be a key factor in shoring up the country’s interests.

“It is clear that the international system we have lived in since the end of World War II is in turmoil,” Gunnarsdottir said in an article for Icelandic newspaper Visir, according to a Google translation.

“What is perhaps most striking about this referendum is that despite the profound geopolitical upheaval around us – including rapidly shifting security paradigms in the North Atlantic – these global realities never really filtered properly through into the public debate,” Bifröst University’s Bergmann said.

“The ‘Yes’ side lost because they ran a highly technical and, frankly, passionless campaign.”

—CNBC’s Sam Meredith contributed to this story.

Technologies

U.S. and Iran Trade Strikes for First Time Since July as Trump Warns of Bombing Iran’s Key Oil Hub

The United States and Iran have exchanged attacks for the first time in over a month, escalating their conflict and sparking concerns of wider hostilities, while oil prices rose above $90 per barrel amid heightened tensions.

The United States and Iran have exchanged attacks for the first time in more than a month, signaling a significant escalation in their conflict and heightening concerns of additional hostilities.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard announced on Monday that it carried out an assault on two American bases in Jordan, retaliating for a U.S. strike on Larak Island that occurred over the weekend, according to Iranian media.

On Sunday, U.S. forces targeted two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island after the military indicated that the Guard was getting ready to fire rockets equipped with sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command confirmed.

Larak, a diminutive Iranian island situated in the Strait of Hormuz, has turned into a crucial military and maritime hub for Tehran, enabling the Guard to oversee vessel traffic along one of the globe’s most vital sea lanes.

“Earlier today, U.S. forces hit two Iranian launchers on Larak Island, while Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel were observed preparing to fire rockets carrying sea mines toward the Strait of Hormuz,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement.

Last week, CENTCOM finished clearing sea mines from the strait’s international shipping lanes. U.S. forces are closely monitoring the area and remain ready to safeguard the free flow of commerce through this vital waterway,” he said.

Sunday’s attack marked the first publicly acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since late July, and the conflict has now persisted for six months, sharply disrupting vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial conduit for worldwide energy shipments.

The recent escalation in military activity drove oil prices above $90 per barrel, as market participants kept a close watch on the potential for renewed supply disruptions in the Middle East.

In the meantime, U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday broadened his military threats against Iran to include Kharg Island, the nation’s primary oil export terminal, and posted an AI‑generated video on his Truth Social platform showing the hub being bombed, declaring it would be “blown to smithereens.”

No evidence of an attack on Kharg Island was found, and an Iranian official reportedly dismissed Trump’s post as laughable.

On Monday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard reported that a supertanker ignited and became disabled in the southern Strait of Hormuz after striking two naval mines, asserting that the vessel was not adhering to Iran’s passage regulations, according to Iranian media. The Guard’s navy also urged ships to comply with its safety rules for navigating the waterway.

Separately, Iran’s Foreign Ministry stated on Monday that the United States and its allies bear “full responsibility” for the fallout from the escalation and will respond decisively to any further military aggression by the “enemy.”

The Guard said the U.S. strike on Larak Island killed and wounded several Iranian soldiers and that it has retaliated with attacks on American military bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media. The combined missile and drone operation struck the King Hussein and Al Azraq bases, as reported by media.

The strikes “destroyed the technical and repair infrastructure and the enemy fighter deployment sites,” inflicting “heavy damage,” Iranian military forces reportedly said, while pledging increasingly forceful responses.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that the country is pursuing a diplomatic agreement to end the conflict, noting that continued war “serves neither our interests nor those of the region or humanity.”

Speaking alongside Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyrgyzstan, Pezeshkian said on Monday that the U.S. side “has not fulfilled its commitments,” according to state media.

The U.S. Navy has maintained a blockade of Iranian ports, aiming to pressure the regime into reopening the waterway, while Iran has continued to target vessels that do not use the northern shipping lane near its coast.

Another tanker was hit by an unknown projectile while moving inbound through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre, which reported no casualties and advised vessels to proceed with caution.

Technologies

Brent crude climbs 3% above $90 as U.S.-Iran hostilities flare

Brent crude rose 3% to over $90 a barrel after the United States struck Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, heightening tensions with Iran.

Oil prices surged on Monday following the U.S. strike on two Iranian rocket launchers located on Larak Island, signaling a resumption of combat between the United States and Tehran.

September‑dated Brent futures rose 3.3% to $90.99 per barrel, while the nearby U.S. West Texas Intermediate contract climbed 3.6% to $86.36 per barrel.

“I can confirm that earlier today U.S. forces struck two Iranian launchers on Larak Island. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz,” Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson, said in a statement.

According to the Associated Press, Sunday’s assault marked the first officially acknowledged U.S. strike on Iranian positions since the end of July.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps said the U.S. attack on Larak Island resulted in casualties among Iranian soldiers and warned that it has retaliated by targeting American military bases in Jordan, according to Iranian media reports.

President Donald Trump escalated his threats against Iran, warning that Kharg Island — the nation’s primary oil export hub — would be “blown to smithereens,” in a Truth Social post on Sunday evening.

Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical conduit for global energy shipments, has been heavily disrupted by the ongoing Middle East conflict, now in its sixth month.

“Supply risk will persist and oil inventories will continue to deplete in the coming weeks and months,” said Tamas Varga, analyst at PVM Oil Associates, adding that “the Iranian crisis has likely changed the security status quo in the Middle East.”

Goldman noted that increased attacks on refineries across the Middle East and Russia have further squeezed already tight global refining capacity, driving refined product margins to unprecedented levels.

—Verum’s Anniek Bao contributed to the report.