Max Bretos, one of the most familiar voices in American soccer broadcasting, has entered his second year with Apple TV’s MLS Season Pass. He’s been a broadcaster for LAFC since its inaugural 2018 season and his variety of work at ESPN in 2010-2019, after 14 years with Fox Soccer/Fox Sports World, included hosting more than 1,000 episodes of SportsCenter. He also hosts the Soccer OG podcast.
Bretos, whose parents emigrated from Cuba, was born in Ohio and grew up in Australia and Miami. His parents had arrived in the USA via “Operation Peter Pan” (Operación Pedro Pan). The covert 1960-62 U.S. State Department-supported program flew unaccompanied children of parents fearing Fidel Castro‘s rule to U.S. orphanages or boarding schools.
“Where you would sit there and hope that you’d be reunited with your
families,” Bretos said. “Eventually, they all were. But it was a very
brave moment for these families, putting their kids out there, because
you just don’t know how it’s going to go. My mom was at an orphanage
in Miami and my dad at a boarding school in Alabama.”
They ended up in Nebraska, where his father studied at the University
of Nebraska.
SOCCER AMERICA: Your Cuban heritage, your Cuban history is really an important part of your life. How does it otherwise guide you, and how otherwise does it manifest itself in your life?
MAX BRETOS: It was a little tricky at first because my father — and
this is what I owe him so much — was a real adventurer. He became a
history professor, and then after Nebraska, he was at Vanderbilt. He
was at Oberlin College. That’s where my mom went to school in Ohio.
He was at the University of Bogota in Colombia, and eventually got a
job. Then, he got a job at the University of New South Wales in
Sydney, Australia. We traveled a lot, and we weren’t there in that
epicenter of Cubans, but there was this thread. And I saw it in my
parents because I know how they talked and sounded and what they
talked about.
Eventually we moved to Miami, which is a magnet for all Cubans, and I got to really see that. It was important to me because I was a bit of a nomad, especially in some of these countries. But the Cuban heritage was always there. We actually learned Spanish at an early age, and I forgot it, and then I relearned it.
SA: Your grandparents eventually made it to the United States, and all were reunited. Have you been to Cuba?
MAX BRETOS: I’ve been on two occasions and I’m not in a rush to go back. I mean, I want to go with my son. So, there will be a trip there. But it has gotten very difficult.
SA: Have your parents and grandparents been back to Cuba?
MAX BRETOS: No. My mom has kicked the tires on that, but it never happened. We all would like to go. And I think there’s always this belief that there would be a moment in time, but it just feels further and further away. At this point, it’s skipping generations.
SA: During your ESPN years, you were well known for SportsCenter, but also worked in soccer …
MAX BRETOS: Some MLS, some Euros and some World Cup shows.
With ESPNFC I did a lot. The producers there were fantastic with me, so I got to maintain that soccer base.
But there were a lot of times when you would just do shows. I would do the NFL show, which they tell you to do. You’re like, OK, this is going to be a big audience, so I definitely want to do it. Maybe coming off the games on the 6-7 p.m. SportsCenter. So it was good because I had to really learn. I kept saying, I want to do other sports, but once you’re in there, there’s a lot.
And then I ended up doing NASCAR, and I was with Ricky
Craven. I don’t know anything. He goes, “We’ll get there.” And
he created that. And I realized I just love sports. Whether or not you would normally watch a NASCAR race on your own free time — if you’re there working, you’re getting into it.
SA: Being the voice of 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 nice to kind of get out there to serve a bigger audience, and that’s obviously a big part of Apple.
They’re trying to build that audience and there are so many games. But being back on a national level is wonderful. But it’s an interesting conversation about the two. I think MLS has this great partner in Apple and it’s worthwhile to have this national feed in a one-of-a-kind broadcast set up with the streaming where the whole world can watch it.
But that’s going to take some time. You lose the local side of it. That is a sacrifice because you can reach out more to the fan [who’s] really locked in on the local sports level on terrestrial television, so that’s certainly missing.
I think in this situation, history will probably look pretty
fondly on [MLS] because they went out there and tried this. And I’m
sure a lot of other sports would like to do something similar. But I truly believe, in
many years [history will] look fondly as this was a move that put MLS in a good
light, in an avant-garde way.
SA: How many games did you and Brian Dunseth do last year?
MAX BRETOS: We must have done around 45. Generally one game a week, but there was a lot during the summer with Leagues Cup, so you would do maybe three games a week.
But even the back end, that was a big calendar. That’s why this is a great service, too. I mean, notwithstanding the work that’s put on the players. You get a lot of games: league games, playoffs, Leagues Cup.
The league still has to worry about making sure they’re getting that good product, [but] I think the product’s gotten better all the time.
It’s fun kind of pivoting from one to the next and being able to tell the stories of what’s going on. And it’s such a big league.
SA: The MLS people tell us, and I have every reason to believe it’s true, that their audience is younger, it’s more diverse, it’s better educated, this is my word now: It’s hipper. And how does television then reflect that and the way you do your broadcasts?
MAX BRETOS: It’s a good question, but it’s part of a reminder that the younger aspect of it all is going to take time. These are kids who are 10 or 12, I’ve had conversations with them on the road where they have a very sophisticated exchange about MLS. I’m like, wow!
When they’re adults, maybe their kids are growing up with an MLS team. Not only is the league about 30 years old, but we’re also talking about like LAFC is like 7 years old.
St. Louis City has been around only since 2023. It feels like it’s been longer, but it hasn’t. And for one year to have that kind of effect in your community and those kind of fans, it seems like they’ve been cheering for this forever. It feels impossible to achieve, but they’ve done it.
Then so many clubs in between. Like Inter Miami.
I’m from Miami. I never thought it would be successful. And to see not only with Lionel Messi but also this incredible facility that they’re going to be building, it’s unbelievable.
It’s a long-term play. It really is. Even when Messi stops playing, he’s probably going to remain as an ambassador. Who knows?
The Argentine national team is building a center there. So that means there’s a commitment for a long haul. There’s a lot of exciting parts.
I think the young part is a big aspect. The other one is the international, which I think Apple will help boost. The Mexican public is going to have to watch it because the Leagues Cup and there’s more of an exchange with players.
Also, there are so many good young South American and Central American players, that they’re going to be invested there. Thiago Almada is a perfect example. This could be the future No. 10 for the Argentine national team.
SA: The USA will host the Copa America this summer, the FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, and of course the 2026 World Cup. This is a golden era for soccer in this part of the world. …
MAX BRETOS: I think the Copa America is going to take people by surprise when it arrives and they go, “Wow, we’re seeing Brazil and Argentina and Mexico and Colombia playing in these stadiums here. We’re getting a glimpse at the World Cup. ”
Those stadiums are going to be full of people who are going to be introduced to events that they have never seen before.
I find it ironic that the city most associated with South America, Miami, has such a thin history of professional soccer.
Like we did with bringing over foreign stars to play, how ’bout’ bringing over foreign commentators who know and have played the game to give more meaningful and insightful commentary than the boring, drivel, and BS that has nothing to do with the game itself that you get here…Start to raise the quality of soccer broadcasting
Frank, you know that’s just not possible. US broadcasting has always been form over function ever since we lost war correspondents doing the nightly news. Since then it’s been familiar “brands” from the marketing yahoos spoon-feeding the public: Verne Lundquist, Stuart Scott, Jim Lampley, etc. We get Sportsnight, a show about the drama behind the screen because it’s more interesting than what is on it. same with Semi-Pro, Dodgeball, Ron Bugundy—we love idiots in front of the camera because they are entertaining, not educational.
R2 ,Can’t argue with that….We are a nation that doesn’t look at the ‘details’ or the fine print, so to speak and that is so glaringly obvious if you come from a country like Holland. A country where everything has to be fined-tuned, watched over, watch attentively for cause especially when most of the country is below sea-level…
In the US we have so much space as compared to Holland where density is an issue and use of space properly is nothing to sneeze at. Culturally , our wastefulness because we have so much bounty of everything here allows us to be lazy and overlook things so we look at the end result for success and overlook all the means that gave us the success. That has seeped into all sectors of society in the way look at things.
If you look at broadcasting or journalism of at any sport here things are simply glossed over….We need to understand that soccer is the only sport where the subject of Technique is discussed as a major topic, more so than any other sport. Technique is a MAJOR aspect of this game when disussing soccer… There is more to discuss than just describing, “he’s fast or he’s strong, or he’s big, or he’s quick, or he’s athletic”s, aspects that are not that important to soccer but BRAINS AND SKILL /TECHNIQUE aspects that level the playing field for ALL contestants. The only thing that all sports have in common is ROUTINE AND EXPERIENCE.
You’re so right ,it is all about Drama, nothing educational….Soccer journalist here, are great at discussing outside issues, drama, about the organization ,the politics, anything that deals outside of ‘real’ soccer aspects,blah , blah, blah . But they never delve or just have the brains or detailed insights to ask pertinent questions giving the fan more of an educational sense into the sport….No, Soccer Journalist, commentators are only here to please and keep the horns and tooter crowd, dumb due to their own lack of insight .
I have a lot of respect for Max. Not big fan of his soccer broadcasts in English or Spanish. There are actually decent broadcasters – play-by-play and color – on Apple – on Spanish side. Not a fan of any on the English side. If you think about this – highest rated American voices on TV Lalas and Twellman. I always turn those guys off – unless they are telling stories – as for game analysis – complete zeros – for me. YMMV. I grew up listening to Johnny Most – Celtics, Bob Uecker – Brewers, then Jack Buck – Cardinals – before I converted to soccer – then – I got my soccer broadcast taste listening to Radio 890 AM – ocho-noventa – from Uruguay – you can stream here – on 890 – you know where the ball is – at every moment – and they manage to squeeze in propagandas without disrupting their flow. Here – there are many good Spanish broadcasters – there are in English also – but they are kept down – as the producers – are clueless about what to look for – they prefer shouters and talk about anything but the game on air. Complete zeros.
In American sport – with time-outs and innings – you could tell stories – but in soccer – you cannot – cannot. Most would tell his stories – on on breaks from play – so basketball – was similar to soccer – when the ball was in play – all about where is the ball what’s happening. Here – and in England now – you have a game on – and they show a replay – or a coach pulling faces – and talk – about anything but the game – and analysts are either unable or not allowed to talk Xs and Os. They don’t even let them shout goooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal! Learn Spanish – then – you can take that branch. Even Ray Hudson – love the guy – but I do not need superlatives – I read poetry or listen to songs for that – tell me what happened in the game. Good day!
Have you played the Ray Hudson drinking game? Everyone takes a shot whenever Ray says “magisterial”!