Inside the New Wave of Soccer Team Ownership

Hey, wanna buy a soccer team? Because I got a guy. That guy, Sam Porter, is this week’s guest on How Success Happens.

Porter co-owns Club Necaxa in Mexico (which is the subject of a new docu-series on FX), Club Equidad (which will be renamed Internacional de Bogota in 2026) in Colombia, and he is the co-owner of the Brooklyn Pickleball Team in Major League Pickleball.

The investment groups he leads involve lots of recognizable names in the team ownership game — like Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac and Eva Longoria — so I spoke with Sam to discover why soccer is, ahem, scoring with so many investors these days and to get his game plan for success.

You can watch our conversation here or listen to it below. And read on for three success takeaways.

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He says building a great business team is like assembling The Avengers. Porter says that team ownership used to involve small groups of incredibly wealthy people, but now it could involve “a couple of dozen” people who all bring a certain expertise to the table. One could be a finance guy, another a real estate person, and another a celebrity who helps magnify the message. “We all come together and we all share the risk and the upside.”

Takeaway: Building a team with a diversity of skillsets is key to success.

He leaned into his talents. Porter says that as a kid, he loved playing sports but realized that his real skill was being a negotiator. He fine-tuned his talent in law school and worked his way into sports as a sports agent and team manager. Then, realizing that he’d “like to be a little higher on the food chain” of professional sports, Porter used his knowledge and connections to kick off his career as a team owner. He admits that it still surprises him to realize he’s sitting in the owner’s box, but has also come to the realization that, “Somebody’s gotta do it, why not me?”

Takeaway: Double down on what you’re great at — and don’t settle for “close enough” when you are chasing a goal.

He looks for people who are hungry for success. Being in team locker rooms and standing on sidelines for years, Porter has come to recognize what differentiates good teams from great ones. “You need to have a couple of guys who are just consumed by the need to win. You want those players who are hungry.”

Takeaway: Every team in business and in sports needs the gamechangers who bring next-level passion.

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