As the regular season kicked off this month, I took a look at the recently updated version of MLS Matchday, an ad-supported, free download. The app now features filterable content and a revamped news consumption experience, along with live data and news coverage of the U.S. and Canada men's national teams. The app also will offer real time coverage of the '14 FIFA World Cup. With all these new features, I found the experience to be good in some areas, but lacking in others. The MLS Matchday home screen is focused on news and video. An icon in the upper right corner controls a custom team news filter where fans can select teams to include in the home screen feed. Matches are displayed by week in a Scores & Schedules section. Past and future game information can be viewed by swiping to the left or right. Each listing includes broadcast information. Tapping a match opens MatchCenter, a preview and recap section that offers highlights, box scores, play-by-play and lineup information. In-app broadcasts and condensed game recaps can be accessed from this section. News is broken into several content areas including Opinion & Analysis, Fun Stuff, Long Form, Fantasy, Transfers and Rumors. Videos are similarly laid out with goals, highlights and other categories separated for convenience. AT&T sponsors a Goal of the Week section where users are encouraged to submit a vote. Fans can access team information via the Clubs section where schedules, rosters, news, video and tweets are available. MLS Live, a paid in-app broadcast subscription product, sits at the bottom of the navigation menu. For $64.99, users can access hundreds of live, out of market matches, full and condensed recaps. MLS Matchday was developed in-house by MLS, in conjunction with Denver-based agency Double Encore. I conducted the review on an iPhone 5 version 7.0.6, with AT&T service.
GOLDEN GOALS: MLS Matchday’s video offering is stellar, with loads of clips conveniently categorized by play type: saves, goals and highlights, for example. The type of clip appears in the title of the video making it easy to scroll through and select what to watch. Condensed game recaps are posted soon after matches, and average around 20 minutes in length. Full match replays also are available. A Fun Stuff section offers very shareable video clips like Sounders D DeAndre Yedlin getting a new hairdo. Elsewhere, there is a standalone section for video in Spanish. The app's filter function brings nice customization to the product by allowing fans to view only the content they would like to see, and MLS Live runs smoothly.
YELLOW CARDS: With all of the quality footage in the app, there are surprisingly no video sharing features. Goal of the Week is a great way to promote interactivity, but the voting mechanism does not exist within the app. Presently, fans must either send a text (this is prepopulated as a convenience) or go to MLSSoccer.com. I sent a text message with my vote and never received a response. The alerts menu is fully stocked with options but leaves out the ability to opt-in for new videos. A ridiculous goals or saves video feed with alerts would be something I would look for in this app. Social media touch points are missing, and there is no ticketing engine or merchandise integration.
BOTTOM LINE: MLS Matchday has all of the tools to be a winner, but slacks in a few key areas like content distribution, interactivity and social. If there is a prompt to vote, users should be able to vote within the app environment. Video should be shareable, and there should be some way to engage with the app using social tools. The customizable news layout is well done, and there is no shortage of live and archived video, but MLS needs to do a better job of using these assets to engage fans.
Amie Sheridan (amie.sheridan31@gmail.com) is a freelance writer in Philadelphia.
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