In the wake of Bayern Munich’s recent US tour, the reigning Bundesliga champions are indeed considering a partnership with an MLS team in the future.
One of Bayern Munich’s most important goals as a club and franchise is to expand their brand internationally. Just over two years ago, Bayern Munich opened their first international office in the United States. This New York City based office has helped them extend their brand and recognition within the US, especially with their appearances in the 2014 MLS All Star Game and recent US tour for the International Champions Cup. Considering these, one of the next logical steps for expanding and building the Bayern Munich brand is by partnering with an MLS club.
Foreign clubs in the MLS has not been particularly successful historically. Chivas USA is a widely known failure where Mexican powerhouse C.D. Guadalajara tried to establish a presence in the MLS. Chivas USA spent 11 years in the MLS before being disbanded.
There is also NYCFC, which is Manchester City’s pet. Man City solely owns NYCFC and is singularly in charge of coaching, players, transfers and club business. While the club had a disastrous first year of play, it has had a much more successful second season and many think it will endure longer and with far more success than Chivas USA.
However, Bayern Munich’s desire to partner with an MLS club looks very different from these previous attempts. Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge spoke candidly about his desire to partner with an MLS team and what the situation would look like.
“Maybe we have to think about how we can partner with U.S. teams from the MLS, to support them and show them how business is run in Germany and at Bayern,” he said during his team’s visit to Charlotte, North Carolina. In the same article, he went on to say that European football has “an obligation to help” garner support for and build soccer in the US. This means that he does not want a club they partner with to be a satellite club, like NYCFC, but a club that provides a mutually beneficial relationship for both parties.
Rummenigge believes that what some clubs in the US lack is the ability to run a strong and successful club, something that FC Bayern Munich knows how to do very well. An MLS club could be a brilliant new revenue stream for Bayern especially considering they want to foster the growth of soccer and not just their own agenda.
As time progresses and the Bayern brand grows, it will be very interesting to watch Bayern Munich’s international growth and how they implement the expansion of their brand. I personally think Bayern Munich’s presence in the MLS could bring tremendous growth for both parties and that it would be beneficial for all parties involved, but we will have to see how the details play out before more educated speculation can occur.