Pablo Maurer
banner
mlsist.bsky.social
Pablo Maurer
@mlsist.bsky.social
Writer, photographer, washed-up mechanic, jerk. Writing about American soccer and all its weird, wild history. ⚽️

Tips, comments or complaints: [email protected] !
Pinned
*Some professional news*: After 7+ years, my time at The Athletic is coming to an end in June.

I have dozens of great feature ideas & am eager to keep doing great work ahead of the World Cup and beyond. Somebody hire me!

My DMs are open - please reach out, or find me at pablomaurer.com.
Pablo Iglesias Maurer
Pablo Iglesias Maurer is an award-winning sportswriter and photographer whose work focuses on the game of soccer in North America.
pablomaurer.com
Reposted by Pablo Maurer
Pretty impressive timing from MLS for both of these stories to drop in the same week
November 21, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Hi, Philly. 📍
November 20, 2025 at 11:47 PM
A friendly reminder that the easiest way to get me information generally is at [email protected] - always here for tips, story ideas, questions, concerns or compliments.
November 20, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Folks, it’s been a long week already.
November 20, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Pele x NY Cosmos x Antiques Roadshow? Yes, please.

Very cool piece of memorabilia from his last-ever game - I do think the appraisal is a touch high, though.

Still amazing.
November 19, 2025 at 11:33 PM
NEW: Following our @us.theguardian.com investigation, Major League Soccer is reopening its own investigation into Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner.

The club says Tanner has since been placed on leave.

Details here: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
MLS reopens investigation into Philadelphia Union executive as team places him on leave
Tanner denies the allegations contained in a Guardian investigation into his conduct as Union sporting director, including claims of racist, sexist and homophobic behavior
www.theguardian.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Pablo Maurer
NEW: Ernst Tanner has built a powerhouse at the Philadelphia Union.

But my @us.theguardian.com investigation has shown wide-ranging allegations of misbehavior throughout his 7-year tenure.

Tanner denies the allegations, and was investigated by MLS this year.

www.theguardian.com/football/202...
MLS executive who built a powerhouse faced allegations of sexist, racist and homophobic behavior
Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner denies the allegations, which prompted a recently-concluded MLS investigation that could not corroborate them
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:27 PM
NEW: Ernst Tanner has built a powerhouse at the Philadelphia Union.

But my @us.theguardian.com investigation has shown wide-ranging allegations of misbehavior throughout his 7-year tenure.

Tanner denies the allegations, and was investigated by MLS this year.

www.theguardian.com/football/202...
MLS executive who built a powerhouse faced allegations of sexist, racist and homophobic behavior
Philadelphia Union sporting director Ernst Tanner denies the allegations, which prompted a recently-concluded MLS investigation that could not corroborate them
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:27 PM
Reposted by Pablo Maurer
Zohran Mamdani—a real-deal soccer aficionado & magnetic political force—is the right guy to lead the charge against FIFA. For too long, FIFA has been “fully focused on monetizing the sport, no matter the collateral damage,” as @leanderalphabet.bsky.social put it www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Zohran Mamdani has upended US politics. Now he should take on Fifa | Jules Boykoff
New York’s mayor-elect has taken on powerful institutions. With the World Cup taking place in his city, he should challenge Fifa next
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Absolutely insane goal in insane conditions in the CPL final. Absurd.
November 9, 2025 at 11:09 PM
If you have enough match-worn vintage American soccer stuff you can pull together a last-minute costume like 1997 MLS REFEREE OF THE YEAR ESSE BAHARMAST (this is his kit from 1996.) Only downside is you die alone. Love Cindy the cat’s cameo here too.
October 31, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Remember, MLS fans, if you’re still looking for a Halloween costume, you can always go as a ghost.
October 31, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Diego Maradona would've turned 65 today.

A few years ago I wrote one of my all-time favorite stories: the improbable, insane tale of Maradona's one-game career with a Canadian minor league team, complete with long-lost footage, photos & interviews.

www.nytimes.com/athletic/206...
‘God was in town’: The night Diego Maradona played in Canada
Maradona still had the magic, even in a late-career match against Canadian semi-pro all-stars in 1996. "It was just beautiful."
www.nytimes.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:22 PM
@romanmars.bsky.social heard the teaser after the last endless thread episode and i PRAY TO GOD that the sega game is seaman. was obsessed with it 20 years ago.
October 22, 2025 at 1:44 PM
They say we have no “footballing culture” but right now in America, there’s a team named “Sharktopus FC” that just earned a replay of a loss because the ref for their last match turned out to have once been a player for their opponent’s second team. 🇺🇸
October 22, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Don’t get a tattoo of Striker, they said. Your body is a temple, they said.
October 19, 2025 at 4:49 PM
I’m so thrilled to see @tombogert.bsky.social back at The Athletic! I was there when he left the first time and none of us wanted him gone in the first place. 😊
October 15, 2025 at 12:50 AM
Guys, I think I need to talk to whoever makes DC Power’s score graphics
October 6, 2025 at 2:58 PM
We literally just played one in a country where the stadiums were built by slave labor and the president of FIFA seems to be besties with Trump so…. yeah I think it’ll
still happen, buddy.
Don't bet on the World Cup being played in Nazi America.
October 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM
Filmed for a documentary yesterday in NYC and I was chatting w/a PA who played for the Nashville Metros in 2008.

I told him I grew up going to games in Nashville in the 90s w/a handful of other soccer weirdos. The rise of @nashvillesc.bsky.social still feels like a fever dream. Congrats, guys.
October 2, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Sure do hope I end up covering the World Cup for an outlet becuase I feel absolutely certain that there's no way, shape or form I'll be able to afford even one game as a fan.
October 2, 2025 at 2:16 AM
Maybe the best thing about coaching high school soccer is you get to witness moments where the kids support and love each other & lift each other up through tough moments. There’s plenty of bitching too, but it is so, *so* wonderful to witness kids that age showing kindness to each other.
September 30, 2025 at 1:15 AM
A random person walked up to me in the airport in Raleigh-Durham a couple of weeks ago and told me they loved my writing. It happens occasionally, and it’s always the nicest thing. In that moment, it felt so important I could’ve cried. It’s just been a tough few months. So if that was you, thanks.
September 24, 2025 at 1:26 AM
Sources telling me that DC United has cut the entirety of its scouting department as the club continues its overhaul under new sporting director Erkut Sogut & head coach Rene Weiler. Assitant GM Caleb Shreve among those let go (that bit first reported by my guy @tombogert.bsky.social the other day.)
September 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
tfw i come on here to tell everyone i have a new, obscure soccer history deep dive coming soon
September 22, 2025 at 7:04 PM