Jamie Carragher’s lack of knowledge about Major League Soccer had Thierry Henry and Micah Richards in stitches.
Former Liverpool defender Carragher works for American broadcaster CBS Sports on their Champions League coverage. His focus is on covering the best teams in Europe – and it is clear he pays little attention to the game over the Atlantic.
While in the studio with his fellow pundits, Carragher and Richards were asked if he could name three MLS teams. Richards rattled off three pretty easily, going for New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy and LAFC, but Carragher found the simple task much harder.
He started with Real Salt Lake City, but mispronounced the first word of their name, prompting a trademark cackle from Richards, who said: “Who? Who are they?!” Looking completely baffled, Henry added to host Kate Abdo: “Please, why are you like that?”
Carragher named Inter Miami – who are part-owned by David Beckham and are managed by Phil Neville – before stumbling once more. He claimed New York Red Bulls before Henry, who managed Montreal Impact so knows the division well, pulled up his colleagues on the name of the Toronto franchise. Neither could clarify.
The three pundits are very used to having a laugh at each other’s expense, with CBS Sports often giving them a platform to enjoy themselves. Recently Richards was given the task of translating a Romelu Lukaku interview from Italian to English.
His one-season stint at Fiorentina may have helped, but the script he had in front of him may have helped a bit more. Meanwhile, Carragher clearly enjoys the more relaxed atmosphere, which is a far cry from his usual work on Sky Sports. Last month he had his colleagues bursting out with laughter with a crude joke about Chelsea owner Todd Boehly.
MLS may not be on the radar of Richards or Carragher, but it is undoubtedly growing in stature, with more and more players tempted to move to America. LAFC made headlines last season by signing Gareth Bale following his release from Real Madrid and Inter Miami are hoping to lure Lionel Messi to Florida in the summer.
MLS commissioner Don Garber is hoping the deal happens. He told The Athletic : “You’re dealing with perhaps the most special player in the history of the game.
“So when there are rumours of him connected to Miami, that’s great. And if it could happen, it would be terrific for MLS, it would be terrific for Messi and his family, and like everything with us, we try to run every opportunity down.”
