Max BretosOne of the most recognizable voices in American soccer broadcasting is in his second year with MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. He has been a broadcaster for LAFC since its inaugural season in 2018, and has spent 14 years at Fox Soccer/Fox Sports World, including hosting more than 1,000 episodes of SportsCenter from 2010 to 2019. I've done a lot of different jobs at ESPN. he also Soccer OG Podcast.
Bretos, whose parents immigrated from Cuba, was born in Ohio and raised in Australia and Miami. His parents arrived in America through “Operation Peter Pan” (Operation Pedro Pan). A top-secret program sponsored by the U.S. State Department from 1960 to 1962 brought unaccompanied children with frightened parents onto planes. Fidel CastroRegulations for orphanages and boarding schools in the United States.
“It's a place where you can sit and hope to be reunited with your family,” Bretos said. “Eventually they all did. But for this family, it was a very courageous moment to let the kids out because they didn't know what was going to happen. The mother was sent to an orphanage in Miami. My father attended boarding school in Alabama.
They ended up in Nebraska, where his father studied at the University of Nebraska.
Soccer America: Your Cuban heritage, Cuban history, is a really important part of your life. If not, how does it guide you and how else does it manifest in your life?
Max Bretos: It was a little difficult at first because my father, and this is what I owe so much to him, was a real adventurer. He became a history professor and moved to Vanderbilt University after graduating from Nebraska. He was at Oberlin College. That's where my mom went to school in Ohio.
He attended the University of Bogotá in Colombia and eventually got a job. He then took a job at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. We traveled a lot and weren't in the epicenter of the Cuban people, but this thread was. And I saw it in my parents because I knew how they spoke and sounded and what they said.
Eventually we moved to Miami, which attracts all the Cubans. And I could actually see it. That was important to me, especially since I was a bit of a nomad in some of these countries. But the Cuban tradition has always been there. Actually, we learned Spanish when we were young, but we forgot it and then we learned it again.
SA: Your grandparents eventually made it to the United States and they were all reunited. Have you ever been to Cuba?
Max Bretos:I've been there twice, but I'm not in a hurry to go again. I mean, I want to go with my son. So, that's where the trip happens. But it has become very difficult.
SA: Did your parents and grandparents ever return to Cuba?
Max Bretos: No, my mother researched the matter thoroughly and it never happened. She wants everyone to go too. And I think there's always that belief that that moment will come, but it feels like it's getting further and further away. We're skipping generations at this point.
SA: During your time at ESPN, you were famous for SportsCenter, but you also worked in soccer…
Max Bretos: There are also several MLS, Euro and World Cup shows.
We did a lot at ESPNFC. The producers there treated me great, so I was able to maintain that soccer base.
But there were also a lot of times when we just put on a show. I'm going to do an NFL show because they tell you to do it. It's like, “Okay, this is going to attract a lot of people, so I'd really like to do it.'' We'll probably finish the game at the sports center at 6 or 7 p.m. That was good because I really had to learn. I've always said I want to try other sports, but once you get into it, there are so many things you want to do.
And I ended up joining NASCAR. Ricky Craven. I don't know anything. He said, “I’ll get there.” And he made it. And I realized that I just love sports. In his free time, he usually watches NASCAR races or not, but if he's working, he's into it.
SA: Being a spokesperson for LAFC is a big platform, but Apple is even bigger.
What is the attraction for you?
Max Bretos: It's very fulfilling and it's great to get out there to serve a wider audience, and that's obviously a big part of Apple.
They're trying to get that audience and there are so many games. But it's great to be back at the national level. However, the conversation between the two is interesting. He has a great partner in MLS in Apple, and I think it's valuable to offer this national feed on its own broadcast with streaming for the whole world to see.
But it takes time. The local aspect is lost.It's a sacrifice because I can reach out to my fans more [who’s] That's certainly lacking on terrestrial TV, which is firmly anchored to the local sports level.
I think that in this situation perhaps history will look quite nostalgic [MLS] Because they went out there and tried this. And I think a lot of other sports want to do something similar.But I truly believe that after many years [history will] It was a move that put MLS in a good light in an avant-garde way, so I miss it.
SA: How many games did you and Brian Dunseth play last year?
Max Bretos: I think I played about 45 games. Normally we play one game a week, but over the summer we had a lot of games because we had the League Cup, so we probably play about three games a week.
But even on the back end, it was a big calendar. That's why this is such a great service. That is, despite the effort put on the players. You can enjoy many games such as league matches, playoffs, and league cups.
The league still has to worry about getting that good product. [but] I think the products are getting better and better.
It's fun to be able to pivot from one thing to the next and tell what's going on. And it's a very big league.
SA: MLS officials tell us, and I have good reason to believe that's true, their audiences are younger, more diverse, better educated, Here's my word for now: It's hip. And how does television reflect and broadcast that?
Max Bretos: It's a good question, but it's also a reminder that cultivating your younger side takes time. These are kids who are 10 or 12 years old, and I had a conversation with them on the street where they were having a very sophisticated conversation about MLS. I'm like, “Wow!”
When they grow up, their kids will probably be growing up with MLS teams. Not only is the league about 30 years old, but he's talking about it as if it's been seven years since LAFC was founded.
It wasn’t until 2023 that the city of St. Louis was created. It feels like it's longer, but it's actually not. And being able to have that kind of impact on the community and those fans for a year, it seems like they've been rooting for this forever. It seems impossible to achieve, but they did it.
And then there are a lot of clubs in between. Like Inter Miami.
I'm from Miami. I never thought it would be successful. And not only do you see it, lionel messi But this amazing facility that they're building is also incredible.
It's a long term play. That's really true. Even if Messi stops playing, he will probably remain as an ambassador. who knows?
The Argentina national team is building a center there. That means there is a long-term commitment. There are many exciting parts.
I think the younger part is also a big factor. The other one is international and I think Apple will be behind it. Mexicans will need to watch this game because there will be more interaction with the players during the League Cup.
Also, there are a lot of talented young players in South and Central America, so they will be invested there. Thiago Almadais a perfect example. This could be the number 10 of the Argentina national team in the future.
SA: The United States will host the Copa America this summer, the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, and of course the 2026 World Cup. This is the golden age of football in this part of the world. …
Max Bretos:When Copa America is held, I think people are surprised and think, “Wow, we can see Brazil and Argentina and Mexico and Colombia playing in this stadium.'' We've got a glimpse of what the World Cup will look like. ”
Those stadiums will be filled with people experiencing an event unlike anything they've seen before.