Jalil Anibaba is a rising media personality, and with good reason: He knows MLS in and out from a tactical perspective. A former MLS defender, who spent more than 11 years in the league, he can often see things develop before they manifest on the pitch. Now with Apple TV as a match analyst and the co-host of New Ground, the 36-year-old acknowledges moving into broadcasting has opened his mind on the business aspect of the game.
"Understanding the overall business of football from a different perspective [from when I played] is interesting to me," Anibaba says, noting about his new podcast, "Every single show, we're going to be talking to players, talking to coaches, other media members, just to really have the world understand how dope footy is. And, we're looking at it from the black experience as well, not only [that], but it allows us to really dive into what it means to be black in football as well."
In addition to his work in media, Anibaba is also the co-founder of Black Players for Change - a nonprofit with a stated mission "to bridge the racial equality gap that exists in society."
"It's very rewarding to be able to do the work that pushes the league forward in the category of empathy," Anibaba said.
With the MLS Cup pitting the New York Red Bulls against the LA Galaxy on Saturday, Anibaba joined GOAL US to talk about the finalists, Inter Miami's decision to hire Javier Mascherano and the struggles for minority coaches to land manager roles in MLS. He discussed all that and more in the latest edition of Mic’d Up, a recurring feature in which GOAL US taps into the perspectives of broadcasters, analysts, and pundits on the state of soccer in the U.S. and beyond.
NOTE: This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity
