Kay Murray has been in the United States long enough to get a read on American fans. The Middlesbrough, England native spent her early years working in British and European television, embedding herself in the supporter culture across the pond.
What never fails to surprise her, though, is just how much American fans have shown they love the game.
"I've been to a Clasico friendly here in the United States and it was fabulous," she tells GOAL. "It was absolutely packed. And I have found that whenever I've gone to preseason games that I think there's not going to be too many people, the fans come out in force all the time."
And she has a point. Preseason games in the States are always well attended - especially when big clubs are involved. It's something that FIFA will undoubtedly be counting on this summer, when the Club World Cup comes to the U.S.
The expanded, 32-team tournament - which includes MLS sides Inter Miami and Seattle Sounders, with LAFC also a potential participant - will bring a month of global soccer to America, with some of the best teams in the world vying for a trophy, as well as a generous pot of cash.
Murray is certain that when the games start, teams will want to win. She says the money - a total pot of $1B, with up to $125M for the winning team - will be a real motivator.
"I think we often ask these questions, and when it comes to it, we always find out that they do actually care," she said about whether clubs will be incentivized to win. "In this day and age, everybody wants whatever they can call silverware. What might be deemed less important silverware to the outsider is pretty much always important to those inside the club."
The ESPN analyst talked all things Club World Cup in 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