Gary Neville is always thinking about what's next. The former Manchester United right back never took a break after retiring from soccer in 2011, establishing himself as a pundit and businessman in his native Manchester. The next frontier, though? America.
"I recognize the strength of the game growing in America and the U.S., the World Cup coming up in a couple of years," Neville says.
But figuring out how exactly to do that with authenticity has been a challenge. Neville has an immensely successful series - the Overlap has 1.25 million subscribers on YouTube - but molding that to an American audience "with a scouser and a manc" isn't easy, he admitted. Still, It's Called Soccer has started all the same, and looks to make a dent in the U.S. media landscape.
"It wouldn't surprise me at all if he rocked up in New York, LA at one of the big cities, and sort of finished his career in the U.S." - Neville, on Cristiano Ronaldo's future
Neville's ties to the U.S. isn't as strong as that of his co-hosts, Jamie Carragher and Rebecca Lowe. He can live in relative anonymity outside of airports. But when it comes to knowing the game on a global scale, there are very few people who are better qualified.
"Authenticity is the most important thing to me. So in one way, it's authentic because we're being ourselves. We've played in the Premier League all our lives, and we're speaking to a global audience, but a U.S. audience," he said.
He is steadily embedding himself in the U.S. game. And with a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino at the helm for the USMNT, a World Cup to come in 2026, and the MLS Playoffs in full swing, there might not be a more perfect moment to capitalize.
The former Man United man talks American soccer, Ruben Amorim, David Beckham and more in this edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspective of broadcasters, analysts and other pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and abroad.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity