We
breathe
soccer
breathe
soccer
Long before ISL formed into a global marketing and management firm, co-founders Alex Isern and Marc Segarra grew up in the futbol rich city of Barcelona. They were both gifted in being selfless in looking out for others and helping each person they came into contact with reach their fullest potential. This passion transferred into their vision and goals for providing opportunities to players through ISL.
After successfully completing a senior year on the field playing for the Winthrop University in South Carolina by winning the Big South Conference Championship (2012) and graduating with honors, the two childhood friends decided to take their passion for the game and (ultimately) for people and put it to work by staying in the United States and forming ISL. Initially the focus was being a soccer company, but ISL has since matured and grown over the course of 7 years into a battle tested and seasoned company with an array of offerings outside of the beautiful game, but still with a people first emphasis and ideology.
The U.S. has become one of the most competitive markets in the world for youth soccer, so it only made sense for the co-founders to bring the same values and methodologies that they both grew up playing under in Spain and infuse them into a budding system. Through summer camps, and eventually starting their first academy in Charlotte, NC their new dream of helping players achieve their goals started taking shape and began to thrive.
After inking a deal to represent FC Barcelona throughout the United States with their academies and nationwide camps ISL were now able to identify kids from around the country who were believed to be next level talent by trained FCB coaches and staff, and get them over to Europe to play against top academies and club teams in Spain.
Talented players have continually emerged from ISL events. Many players have impressed with their field IQ, skill and level of play over the years, but some more so than others have stood out head and shoulders above the rest. We have been fortunate to be able to work with them and to help mold their style and technique, but more importantly their attitude and philosophy toward the game.
The list of players continues to grow as each year passes, but some have made that jump from the academy system and international tournaments to signing contracts with MLS and USL teams, notably Tucker Lepley (USMNT (U17)/Sporting KC); Brennan Conger (DC United) and Chris Thaggard (Charlotte FC). Other up and coming names to keep an eye on that have come through ISL include, William Cardona (New York Red Bulls), Ryan Fessler (Sporting KC), Donovan Roux (Rapids), Edric Zhang (Charlotte FC) and Julian Ramirez (Charlotte FC). For each the future is bright.
ISL stays committed to these players in order to keep helping them achieve their goals, as well as future players seeking to achieve the same thing. Alex Isern and Marc Segarra promise to keep providing these opportunities to players, and
“Each trip is a different and unique experience, in the sense that each player is handed an opportunity to prove his or herself and their abilities on an international stage of top level competition, all the while refining their skills and getting better each day.” – Alex Isern (CEO and Co-Founder)
The chance of building a company that has helped future stars reach their potential in taking the next step and to chase down their dreams is the greatest reward and ultimately life changing. We look forward to seeing each of these stars rise, as we continue in our commitment to helping others achieve their goals and life pursuits too.
“We love people and we love the game of futbol. So, for us we get to marry those two passions and see dreams become a living and breathing reality. It’s exciting and humbling to be able to do what we do.” – Marc Segarra (Managing Partner and Co-Founder)
During our 6 year history as a company, we’ve continually built strong relationships throughout the soccer community, including with professional players.
Tandhem is the culmination of years of hard work navigating the sports business landscape, and valuing the relationships we’ve built. Tandhem is a global player management agency which offers a 360 degree management service to help athletes reach the levels in their career they deserve. Tandhem is built on 4 primary services; representation, intermediation, marketing, and legal/financial support.
We have been working with professional players for years in developing bespoke events relevant to player brands and aided in driving their marketability. But now we are lucky enough to take it to the next level with a full offering of professional services for players.
Tandhem’s roster of players will feature a mix of current professional players and young talented players with a big future in the game. The professional roster includes players plying their trade in the MLS, Serie A, Liga MX and several other top leagues which features Mexican International and LA Galaxy star, Jonathan Dos Santos. The young talented players are currently learning their craft at top Academies like FC Barcelona, RCD Espanyol, UE Cornella and Girona FC.
Key to building a player management agency is providing the transparency to our clients and partners which can often be neglected in the industry. This is of vital importance, and in order to do this we will be applying the same values which ISL pride itself upon to the management of Tandhem. We want our clients and their families to feel they can approach us with anything and know our team will take on every day with the intention of providing a complete, professional and transparent service which gives the priority of our interests to the athlete.
Perhaps the most interesting attribute to Tandhem is its link between European soccer and the the Americas. Over the years ISL have built a proven track record of linking European soccer cultures, most notably Spanish, to the American market. That union of cultures is a positioning that sets Tandhem apart from others in the market, and will be a unique selling proposition through the years.
Alex Isern, ISL CEO, said of Tandhem, “With Tandhem we make a big step as a global sports management company. After launching a few months ago with our new tours & Friendlies division, we now get into the representation industry. We understand the challenge and that’s why we put a team of experts, from inside and outside the company, leading this project. Or goal is to leverage our positioning in the United States and bring great players to a market that is continuously growing, especially with the new MLS franchises and the 2026 World Cup.”
Tandhem’s home base will be stationed in Barcelona, Spain, but will have representation in 3 other strategic cities. Los Angeles, Miami, and Madrid will be the key placeholders for Tandhems global business.
We are extremely excited to the opportunities Tandhem have already and will continue to create. Tandhem will only be as successful as its team and partners, like Borja Garcia, who is an expert in the space and has partnered with Tandhem. With 7 years experience in the global player management business, he has been managing the career of top players like Enzo Perez, Gustavo Cabral, Elieas Pereira as well as recently sealing the deal of Christian Espinoza for San Jose Earthquakes.
