Kaylyn Kyle on MLS growth, Whitecaps, Marsch's Canada

Kaylyn Kyle Mic'd Up (04.22.2026)

Mic'd up: Kaylyn Kyle breaks down Canadian teams in MLS, who Inter Miami could appoint to replace Javier Mascherano, and why Neymar would be an excellent fit in North America

Kaylyn Kyle is Canadian and proud. It's no secret that the former Canadian women's national team star, who was born not too far from Vancouver, has a soft spot for her countrymen in MLS. After all, there's a special bond there. Canadians stick together, and Canadian soccer is on the rise. Kyle put in the hard yards for the past generation. Now she gets to watch the successes unfold.

"I've gotten in trouble so many times, and I actually don't care. I'm unapologetically Canadian. I don't care. I love Vancouver. I grew up with the Vancouver Whitecaps," she tells GOAL.

And it's a good time to be a fan now. The Whitecaps played in the MLS Cup final last year and were a Lionel Messi masterclass away from lifting a well-deserved piece of silverware. That would have been a fine achievement for a franchise that could be about to move cities. The good news for Kyle and her fellow Canadians? Vancouver are here again, and they might just be a little bit better.

"They play, for me, one of the most beautiful brands of football in Major League Soccer, because they can go route one. But then they also have multiple different ways to build up with different players. You have Andres Cubas and Sebastian Berhalter, who are arguably two of the best double pivots in the league. You have Thomas Muller who hasn't hit yet, so that's going to be scary when he does hit. You have a Ryan Gauld who hasn't featured due to injury. You have Brian White, who's pushing his way into the US Men's National Team. So there are so many good question marks around Vancouver," she adds.

Good thing, too, because the Western Conference, which the Whitecaps currently top, is absolutely loaded. LAFC are good, but so too are the surging San Jose Earthquakes. The best teams are strong, and the middle class is better than it has been in a while. Kyle believes that is undoubtedly a good thing.

There's other business, too, in this chaotic league. There was chatter that Neymar could come to MLS and suit up for FC Cincinnati. That would be an interesting plot twist but also, Kyle thinks, a good fit. After all, Neymar still has plenty to give.

"Neymar anywhere makes sense. I think Neymar's off field antics have taken away from Neymar as a soccer player. But let's be completely honest, when Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were at their peak, Barcelona, Real Madrid days, Neymar was right there. He is arguably, and still arguably, a top three or four player to come out of Brazil, like he's that good," she adds.

It's a frantic setup, and Kyle analyzes it week in, week out for Apple TV. She sat down to talk MLS, the World Cup, Neymar and more in another edition of Mic'd Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL taps into the perspective of analysts, announcers 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.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC v Minnesota United FC

ON THE MLS SEASON SO FAR

GOAL: What are your overall thoughts on the MLS season so far?

KYLE: The overarching kind of storyline is for the last few seasons, we've been saying the East is more difficult than the West. It's got more competitive teams. And I think that narrative has changed this year. The West is a little bit more competitive, which we've never seen. And then also the narrative around like, eight or nine teams are starting to take away from the other teams and pull away. It's the teams that really went out and made the big splash for the big players. And I think that's something we've never seen in Major League Soccer.

GOAL: IS THAT A GOOD THING?

KYLE: You see it in the Premier League. You see it in La Liga, Ligue 1, you know where your teams are going to finish at the end of the season, whereas Major League Soccer, if you try to predict it, you make yourself go crazy. You don't know who's winning every other week. They make us do these crazy preseason predictions. And I always love doing them, but I always hate doing them as well.

I also think the narratives around the league change, like you look at how much money has been pumped into the infrastructure. I think it's like $10 billion into soccer-specific infrastructure here in North America. And that speaks volumes from what we were looking at when Don Garber, our commissioner, came in, when there were only 10 Major League Soccer teams. Now you have soccer-specific stadiums, soccer-specific training grounds. You have your World Cup around the corner, where the biggest nations in the world will be training at some MLS soccer specific training grounds, because they're world class and top of the range. And a lot of these players that do come in that we've seen already are, like, "Jesus, that's such a nice training facility." It's quite crazy to think how far Major League Soccer has come in just three decades.

Thomas Muller Vancouver Whitecaps 12062025

ON CANADIAN TEAMS IN MLS

GOAL: With Vancouver, how do you feel about their chances this year? What do they need to get over the line? They go to a cup final last year, but what's missing?

KYLE: I've gotten in trouble so many times, and I actually don't care. I'm like, unapologetically Canadian. I don't care. I love Vancouver. I grew up with the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Right now, I don't think there's much missing for Vancouver. I think if you look at the Vancouver Whitecaps the last two seasons under Jesper Sorensen, he's one of my favorite coaches in Major League Soccer. He's implemented a playing philosophy. I don't think we had that under Vanni Sartini. I think he kind of built the base and took it where he could. He added his character, his off field antics in the best possible way. He kind of gave players confidence.

And then you have Sorensen, who has come in, and they play, for me, one of the most beautiful brands of football in Major League Soccer, because they can go route one. But then they also have multiple different ways to build up with different players. You have Andres Cubas and Sebastian Berhalter, who are arguably two of the best double pivots in the league. You have Thomas Muller who hasn't hit yet, so that's going to be scary when he does hit. You have a Ryan Gauld who hasn't featured due to injury. You have Brian White, who's pushing his way into the US Men's National Team. So there are so many good question marks around Vancouver, and then the ability to sell players as well. But don't look at it like Philadelphia Union, for example, where you sell so many players, and you look like a completely different team, whereas Vancouver has just been able to remain balanced. Which is, which is remarkable.

GOAL: And as for Montreal. They've fired a coach, there isn't loads to get excited about. Is this just neglect?

KYLE: The thing is, whether they were Montreal Impact before, or FC Montreal, their fan base is second to none, then they go and build an amazing soccer specific Stadium, which is unreal. I feel for the fans, first and foremost, because they show up through the good, the bad, the ugly, like Vancouver did for so many years. And now, Vancouver's winning. They're investing. They're bringing big players in, like Thomas Muller. I had to re-read X when that happened!

And Montreal has just never been that team, other than Nacho Piazzi, who we had on MLS. He was one of their mainstays there. They've not really been exciting. And they sell a lot of, like, their youth that comes through, obviously. So it's sad to see what's happening in Montreal, because it could be so amazing.

And then Toronto, I think they just made a couple of bad DP signings, turned the corner, and spent a lot of money on Josh Sargent. So let's hope he comes through and he's scoring goals weekly. Because, if not, like, I still think Toronto is, quite honestly, two more transfer Windows away to being competitive in the east.

GOAL: On Toronto, that's interesting. It seems like it's just a rebuild at this point...

KYLE: How many times can you say it's a rebuild when you're Toronto? Because Toronto pump money in. And that's what I love about them. I love that Toronto are unapologetically, like, "we've screwed up. Let's go out and spend $22m on Josh Sargent with extra add-ons. Could potentially go to 27." Like, that's a crazy number. Do I think they overspent on him? Yes, I think you could have gotten three players to fill roles to do the building of your team.

Santos v Fluminense - Brasileirao 2026

ON NEYMAR TO MLS

GOAL: We've seen rumors about Neymar to FC Cincinnati. Would Neymar make sense in MLS?

KYLE: Yes.

GOAL: You think it does?

KYLE: Neymar anywhere makes sense. I think Neymar's off field antics have taken away from Neymar as a soccer player. But let's be completely honest, when Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo were at their peak, Barcelona, Real Madrid days, Neymar was right there. He is arguably, and still arguably, a top three or four player to come out of Brazil, like he's that good. Right now, with Santos, he's been fit and healthy. I wouldn't be shocked if we see Carlo Ancelotti bring him in for Brazil. I think they'd be silly not to.

GOAL: That kind of seems like it needs to happen...

KYLE: It has to happen. Because I look at the last international window with Brazil and like, there's no one like Neymar, when he's healthy and fit. I feel like this will be his last World Cup. This is the last little bit of Neymar where you're like, "Give us something positive to end your career on! Don't give us something where we're like, 'oh, he's going to carnival, like, for a sister's birthday'." Give us the Neymar that we always loved and adored, because he is such a fantastic player, and he's so good for the sport.

Inter Miami CF v Austin FC

ON JAVIER MASCHERANO AND INTER MIAMI

GOAL: If you're Jorge Mas and David Beckham, who are you appointing as Inter Miami's next head coach?

KYLE: Who are you giving me? Because give me three, and then I'll give you my two.

GOAL: Let's go Xavi...

KYLE: That was my first thought.

GOAL: Lionel Scaloni, after the World Cup

KYLE: That's a great, great shout. Yeah, I know people are saying Wilfried Nancy, and he needs to stay away from it. I think with the way that he coaches and the big personalities on that team, it would clash. That's nothing against Wilfred Nancy. I think he's a brilliant coach. I just do not think that's the job for him. I could definitely see Scaloni after Argentina, especially if they have a good World Cup.

Canada v Iceland - International Friendly

ON CANADA AND THE WORLD CUP

GOAL: Give me a prediction for the Canadian national team at the World Cup.

KYLE: I think we finish top of our group. Then we stay home, we play in Vancouver. And then I think I want to say we make it out of the round of 32.

GOAL: Is that a success?

KYLE: Yeah! Hell yeah. I look at the group stage now, there's 12 groups, and because it's a bigger World Cup, there's 48 teams. If we don't make it out of our group we don't deserve it. I honestly think we have the potential opportunity to finish top of our group and then let's just hope we get like a lesser opponent in the round of 32. But Alphonso Davies needs to be healthy, and we have to start goal scoring, goals in open play, because, I mean two goals in the last seven matches is not good enough.

GOAL: As a follow up, your thoughts on Jesse Marsch?

KYLE: Love him. He's honest, he's transparent. He has been a player at the highest level. He's coached at the highest level, so he gets it. It's very different to be a manager who hasn't played at the highest level, when you go into a team that's kind of like that underdog mentality, where he can kind of get the team up. They want to play a high pressing team, almost like the New York Red Bulls or the Red Bull organization as a whole. I think we have the players to do it. We have a very athletic team. We have youth mixed with experience. It's just now I'm interested to see if he plays with a back four or back five, and what he does with Davies? Does he play as a fullback? Does he play him as a winger? Does he play him as a forward? I just don't know what he does.