Orange County SC Owner James Keston on Pro/Rel, Creating a Talent Pipeline, and Connecting With the Community | OneFootball

We sit down with Orange County SC owner and CEO James Keston to discuss the future of the USL, comparisons to MLS, and how he’s built a thriving team both on the field and in the community.

When James Keston purchased Orange County Blues FC in 2016, he knew it would be a step-by-step process. A rebrand to Orange County Soccer Club began the slow, uphill climb to become embedded within the local community, while also mapping out a sustainable plan for long-term financial success.

Since then, Orange County SC has had to navigate the evolving landscape of the United Soccer League. Once clearly positioned as the second division of professional soccer in the United States, the USL now has more ambitious aims. With plans to introduce promotion and relegation — a long-debated “holy grail” for many American soccer purists — the league is looking to establish itself as a true competitor in the American soccer ecosystem alongside Major League Soccer.

Keston is under no illusion: soccer’s growth in the U.S. will not happen overnight. Still, he sees signs of progress. With both MLS and USL gaining traction, he believes American soccer is approaching a pivotal moment — a potential turning point where the sport may finally break through the national sports conversation, not just as a niche event or recreational pastime, but as a core part of the country’s professional sports landscape.

Urban Pitch sat down with Keston to discuss how OCSC is staying true to its identity as a player development pathway club, even as it adapts to the USL’s shifting priorities.

Interview edited for clarity and brevity.

Urban Pitch: The 2025 Orange County SC season has been a seesaw so far, what do you make of the club’s start? Especially considering the major announcement made by the league in regards to promotion and relegation.

James Keston: After a decade in this league, I’ve learned not to read too much into the first few games. They rarely indicate how the rest of the season will unfold. This period is more about getting started than drawing conclusions.

We don’t get long, fully developed preseason camps — especially with players arriving from overseas. So at the start of the season, we’re often still far from a finished product. As expected, our performance has been up and down.

We’ve had some particularly disappointing results, with the Open Cup loss standing out. That’s a competition we take seriously, and it was a tough blow for a veteran team like ours.

That said, this is just the beginning. Once we hit the 15 to 20 game mark, we’ll have a much clearer picture of where we stand. That’s when we really start shaping a playoff-ready team — a process we’ve managed successfully in the past, especially during our championship run in 2021, and again in 2023 and 2024 when we lost to the eventual USL champions. Building continuity takes time, and it rarely comes together in the first eight to 10 games.

From a league-wide perspective, it’s an exciting time for USL. The quality of ownership and leadership has improved dramatically over the past decade. We’re now seeing more people who understand how to grow and fund a business and who are genuinely passionate about the game.

There are ongoing conversations about promotion and relegation and the future direction of the league over the next three to five years. Throughout it all, we’ve stayed committed to a clear vision: grow our stadium, expand our fanbase, and create a real pathway for young players to develop and get meaningful playing time.

That includes building strong international partnerships, something we’ve done well, and continuing to develop a pipeline of talented youth. Whether we’re in the USL Championship or USL League One, our focus remains the same. It’s an exciting time for the league, and there’s a lot of growth ahead for soccer in this country.

As USL continues to grow and potentially implement big changes — whether it’s pro/rel, TV deals, or broader league expansion — how do you juggle those rising expectations with the realities of your current business model, budget, and long-term sustainability?

From a broad perspective, nothing we’ve done at Orange County SC is unusual when you look at soccer globally. Our model — developing players and transferring them to top European clubs — is standard practice around the world. When we started down this path eight years ago, a lot of people dismissed it. Some even said we had a better chance of flying to the moon. But that perception has changed dramatically, not just in the USL, but internationally.

In fact, we’re often better known among clubs abroad than we are here in the U.S. We’ve had articles likening us to Ajax or Benfica, and that’s flattering because those are the types of clubs we aim to model ourselves after.

There’s this false idea that you have to choose between developing talent and being competitive. That’s just not true, certainly not in the USL or even in MLS. You can build young talent while maintaining a solid veteran core and competing every year.

Given the USL’s playoff format, the real focus is on peaking at the right time. Our goal is always to finish in the top four, but once you’re in the playoffs, anything can happen, as we’ve seen in recent seasons. So it’s less about dominating from day one and more about being ready when it counts.

Our longtime fans understand what we’re building. They take pride in the player development pathway we’ve established. We’re also in a great market — Orange County has 3.5 million people, strong demographics, a wealthy population, and a passionate soccer base. It gives us a lot of room to grow.

From a business standpoint, we’ve done well. We’re expanding our stadium, adding more seating and VIP sections. The interest is there, and we’re tapping into it. Personally, I see soccer a bit differently than others might. I was involved in MLS expansion back in 2006 when it was a very different league. At the time, there were only 12 teams — half of them owned by Phil Anschutz. It’s come a long way.

Through partnerships with clubs like Feyenoord and Rangers, and through engagement with international club owners and fans, it’s clear we’re still in the early stages of soccer’s growth in the U.S. There’s a long way to go before we settle into a permanent structure.

The landscape is still evolving. What happens with USL rules, what MLS becomes, whether we end up following something like the NFL-AFL or NBA-ABA model, it’s all still to be determined. I’m focused on making sure we’re in the right place, with the right strategy, at the right time.

As for discussions like promotion and relegation, those are important but also largely out of our hands. We’re sticking to a clear business plan and building something sustainable —regardless of how those broader league conversations play out.

The Pro/Rel Debate

Do you see promotion and relegation as a legitimate growth mechanism for the league, or more as a last-resort marketing tool? Could it truly energize fan interest in the U.S. and even elevate your own club’s profile — or is there still a legitimate fear that it could backfire if not handled carefully?

From both a sporting and fan perspective, promotion and relegation is incredibly exciting. Like many USL owners, I’m a lifelong U.S. Soccer fan — passionate about our players and the growth of the sport here. While we’ve seen some progress, we’re still far from where we need to be.

If we want to compete consistently on the global stage and develop not just one or two stars like Christian Pulisic or Weston McKennie, but 10 to 15 of them, it has to start with our domestic leagues doing a better job developing and attracting talent.

There’s no question that promotion and relegation adds intensity and drama that hardcore fans will love. But let’s be honest — it’s not a magic solution. In most countries, the same teams stay up year after year, a few go down and come back up, and the rest hover in the middle. So the idea that soccer in the U.S. can’t survive without pro/rel is overstated. None of us believe that.

That said, USL owners have been discussing promotion and relegation for years. It’s been proposed before and rejected — this time, it passed. That shift is really about league structure and financial readiness. For any big initiative, pro/rel included, commercial viability has to follow. Sponsorships, ticket sales, media rights, all of that needs to grow to support the system.

I think we’re in a strong position at Orange County SC. We have the ability to expand our stadium, we’re in a solid market with a strong demographic, and we have a great foundation for player development. New clubs entering USL like Rhode Island or Jacksonville are making big investments, building 15,000-seat stadiums, and thinking long term. They may face more pressure if relegation hits early, but that’s part of the game if we want to be a next-level league.

No one wants to be relegated. But if we’re serious about building a sustainable, competitive league, we have to accept that risk. Promotion and relegation, done right, can elevate everything from fan engagement to revenue. And for all the people who’ve said for years that the only thing holding U.S. Soccer back is the lack of pro/rel, well, now’s the time. It’s happening. So if you’ve been asking for this, it’s time to show up, watch, invest, and support what we’re building.

MLS vs. USL

Given your background, including your involvement in MLS expansion efforts with clubs like Portland and Seattle, I have a two-part question: What did you find in USL through owning a team that felt different from what your experience might have been in MLS? And then do you see the USL and MLS as direct competitors in a “soccer war”?

From both an American fan’s perspective and as an owner, I think competition is a good thing — as long as it contributes to the growth of the sport. And right now, soccer is growing. If you look at the demographics, especially among 13- to 25-year-olds, the sport is as well-positioned as any in the U.S. So healthy competition is positive, up to a point — but we’re nowhere near reaching a point where that becomes a problem.

At the same time, as a USL owner, the bigger picture, how everything fits together between MLS, USL, and U.S. Soccer, is really above my pay grade. That’s for the league leadership to figure out. What matters is that we continue putting ourselves on a long-term path to becoming a top-tier soccer nation. And that’s going to take time.

To your other question about what I found in USL compared to what I might have experienced in MLS, the biggest difference comes down to autonomy. Having a solid understanding of how MLS operates on the corporate and ownership side, it was clear to me that we simply wouldn’t have been able to pursue the kind of player development strategy we’ve implemented at Orange County SC within that system.

When we joined USL, we came in thinking differently than many traditional USL clubs, especially in terms of tapping into the global player transfer market, which is a $7.2 billion industry. That kind of approach wouldn’t have been feasible in MLS, where you deal with revenue sharing, strict roster rules, and the need for approval at nearly every step. We would never have been able to move at the pace we’ve achieved in USL under that kind of structure.

That’s one of the great advantages of USL. You have the freedom to operate your club largely according to your own vision, within a broad set of league principles. That flexibility has been incredibly important for us, and I’m grateful for it.

Outside of that, there are, of course, countless variables that differentiate MLS, USL, and U.S. Soccer. But I do think some of those dynamics are improving, particularly at the U.S. Soccer level. As fans, we want to see real change. We want professionalism in every aspect of the game. We need to be able to effectively scout 340 million people, identify the best talent, and promote them in a system that works.

That’s not rocket science. Countries like France, Germany, and Spain have figured this out. The U.S. just needs the will and structure to do it. Until that happens, we’re focused on building our own fully professional mini-ecosystem at the club level.

At Orange County SC, we’ve built a scouting network, a player pipeline, and a club culture that emphasizes development. But we’ve also embraced the entertainment side of the business. We’re known for our beerfests, our family events, and fan engagement. Because let’s face it: in the U.S., you can’t just sell 35 straight games of soccer. You have to be both an entertainment brand and a sports team.

That’s what USL allows you to do. It gives you the tools and freedom to build a club in your own vision. And that, to me, has made all the difference.

You touched on something really important — player development. There’s been a lot of discussion about how to improve it, and your club has clearly made efforts, building out scouting networks both internationally and domestically, and developing a pipeline for young talent.

Given how big and diverse the U.S. is, we still seem to miss a lot of players who fall through the cracks of the current system. In your view, what are two or three key changes U.S. Soccer should make to improve player development nationwide? How do we better identify and integrate those overlooked players into the system?

I often look at how other countries approach player development, especially since the U.S. has not historically followed the same model. Take England, for example: players can start in the seventh division or non-league football, and as they progress, the club that developed them gets financial rewards. This system naturally pushes the best players up the ranks, and because of the financial incentives, such as player compensation, training compensation, and solidarity payments. The scouting process at the base level doesn’t cost much. The best talent rises, and the soccer federation can then focus its resources on ensuring those players reach their potential.

In the U.S., however, the pay-to-play model has created a significant barrier to finding and developing all the potential talent out there. We’re a long way from having a system that automatically promotes the best players, especially when so many are overlooked or fall through the cracks.

International involvement is also growing, with scouts from countries like Mexico and Germany more frequently attending U.S. youth tournaments than our own domestic scouts. This reflects the fact that we’re still building a coherent, long-term system. What we need is a collective effort, something akin to the German model, where at some point, the entire country came together with the goal of developing and promoting the best players.

We’re far behind when you compare the infrastructure in a country like England, where with just 60 million people, they have a much more extensive network of clubs at every level. In the U.S., we could continue to build clubs for the next 30 years and still not catch up to where they are. But ultimately, as the game grows here, we’ll continue to see more players discovered and more resources put into scouting. The key for U.S. Soccer will be to define what they’re looking for, organize the process effectively, and ensure the best players make it to the top.

Soccer and the Holy Grail: Television

Many consider the “holy grail” for soccer in the U.S. to be television and media rights. Soccer here is still incredibly fragmented. On one hand, you see impressive ratings for things like the Champions League, even when those games air mid-afternoon on weekdays. But when it comes to domestic leagues like MLS and USL, breaking through to mainstream network TV or drawing consistent audiences on streaming remains a major challenge.

How does U.S. Soccer, particularly leagues like USL, start to solve that? What needs to happen for the sport to break out of its niche and become a regular, viable product for national broadcasters and advertisers?

Yeah, I mean, when I first became a USL owner, the conversations were focused on securing major network TV deals. But looking ahead 10 to 15 years, with the rise of AI and increasingly personalized viewing options, the entire landscape of sports broadcasting is going through a massive transformation, and it’s happening fast.

If you step back and look at it historically, sports media in the U.S. has always followed demographics. As those demographics shift, so do the opportunities. Baseball, for example, still brings in an enormous amount of TV revenue, even though its live attendance often doesn’t match the interest soccer is starting to generate. MLS is already one of the top-attended leagues in the country. If you had said that 20 years ago, people would’ve thought you were crazy.

So, the demand is clearly there. The challenge now is getting the networks to recognize and adapt to it — and that’s not something that happens quickly. U.S. broadcasters tend to move slowly, and it will likely take years for them to fully embrace soccer the way they have other sports.

But the key advantage soccer has is its growing appeal among younger generations. If we can get them to watch something for longer than a few minutes — which is a challenge in itself — soccer has a real chance. The real question becomes: how do we create a viewing experience that captures the same energy and passion people feel in a live stadium?

Another piece of the puzzle is star power. Every major American sport has taken off when a few transcendent, marketable stars came along. U.S. Soccer needs that too, but those stars need to be homegrown. It can’t just be Messi or Beckham coming here late in their careers. It needs to be an American kid, someone who can connect across racial and cultural lines and be a face of the game here.

We’re getting closer. A decade ago, maybe one out of the top 20 athletes in Orange County played soccer. Today, that number’s closer to three to five. That’s a big shift. You look at other countries and soccer is the default sport for kids. That’s the long-term change we need, and it’s slowly happening with generational and demographic shifts.

Among younger kids now, like my own, there’s a real balance between soccer, football, and basketball. Baseball is barely on their radar, and hockey remains a niche sport with a dedicated but limited audience. So U.S. soccer really has two paths: it can become the next basketball in terms of cultural relevance and market share, or it can stay where hockey is — passionate, but limited.

If we can develop the players, build exciting teams, and create stars that media personalities want to talk about — if Stephen A. Smith is yelling about soccer, that’s when we’ll know we’ve made it.