Starting 2026 with a reminder of the power of collaboration
Early in 2024, my colleague Rachel Hoagland, our Head of Consumer Products, asked for my perspective on what would become our 2026 Official Match Ballâdid it feel right, and was it aligned with where our brand was headed?
At the time, I was only a few months into my role as Chief Marketing Officer at Major League Soccer. We were still defining our long-term brand direction, and I had never launched a match ball beforeâso the honest answer was that I didnât know yet.
Rachel met that moment with patience and zero ego, walking me through her thinking and partnering through the uncertainty. That early collaboration helped shape feedback that ultimately informed a product built for the future of our brand.
Two lessons from that conversation stuck with me:
â˝ Humility means being confident enough to admit when you donât have the answerâyet.
â˝ The best teammates lead with kindness and collaboration, not condescension.
Which is why itâs especially meaningful to see that work officially launch this past weekâwhat started for me as a humbling conversation years ago is now something players and fans are experiencing on the field. Grateful to Rachel for her leadership and for modeling the kind of teammate we all aspire to be.
Early in 2024, my colleague Rachel Hoagland, our Head of Consumer Products, asked for my perspective on what would become our 2026 Official Match Ballâdid it feel right, and was it aligned with where our brand was headed?
At the time, I was only a few months into my role as Chief Marketing Officer at Major League Soccer. We were still defining our long-term brand direction, and I had never launched a match ball beforeâso the honest answer was that I didnât know yet.
Rachel met that moment with patience and zero ego, walking me through her thinking and partnering through the uncertainty. That early collaboration helped shape feedback that ultimately informed a product built for the future of our brand.
Two lessons from that conversation stuck with me:
â˝ Humility means being confident enough to admit when you donât have the answerâyet.
â˝ The best teammates lead with kindness and collaboration, not condescension.
Which is why itâs especially meaningful to see that work officially launch this past weekâwhat started for me as a humbling conversation years ago is now something players and fans are experiencing on the field. Grateful to Rachel for her leadership and for modeling the kind of teammate we all aspire to be.