First-Year Students Win US Soccer Case Competition

A group of first-year Georgia Tech students took first place in a U.S. Soccer Case Competition, in which teams from universities throughout Georgia developed plans to reimagine the NCAA Men's Division 1 Soccer Championship and increase revenue and fan engagement.

Computer science and mathematics student Sudarshan Prasanna, industrial engineering student Manu Sankaran, and industrial design student Aisha Abraham were one of the 100 participating teams in the competition. Fifteen finalists presented their plans to U.S. Soccer officials and marketing professionals during the final rounds, held at Clark Atlanta University.

From expanding the sport's postseason tournament from 48 to 64 to more closely follow what the team calls the "March Madness model" of college basketball, to regionalizing the early rounds to reduce travel costs, the winning team offered several recommendations to the panel. But it was their thorough use of data and analytical projections that set them apart from the field.

Using current television ratings, network and streaming revenue, and attendance figures, the team leveraged machine learning models to incorporate aspects of their plan and projected a $20 million net profit, with increases from media rights deals and additional partnerships over five- and 10-year periods.

"When the judges announced our win, they mentioned that it was a clear implementation, backed by data-driven, numerically oriented facts. I think that Georgia Tech-type mentality is why we won," said Prasanna. "It's not just about having cool ideas, but also about learning to support them with legitimate evidence and present them to an audience in ways that everyone can understand, whether it's software engineers or CEOs."

Like a soccer team, Prasanna said that each member of their team played a unique role in the victory. While Prasanna handled the data, Sankaran's previous case competition experience and consulting background suited him to lead in crafting the presentation, and Abraham served as the graphic designer.

"A major lesson learned from this competition is that there's something in sports for everyone. Aisha is a friend of ours and an incredible artist. Even as an international student who didn't know much about college sports beforehand, she was able to make her mark in her own way, and she is the perfect example of using your existing experiences to find what that connection is for you," Prasanna said.

U.S. Soccer CEO JT Batson said the competition is part of a larger effort to connect with local talent following the federation's move to Atlanta, and it coincides with the release of a white paper outlining additional suggestions to ensure the success of collegiate soccer. As winners, Prasanna, Abraham, and Sankaran will receive guaranteed internship interviews to continue developing ideas for the organization. Prasanna, a lifelong soccer fan, intends to pursue opportunities in sports analytics - a skill he used in a data-driven project that tracked Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King's optimal path to the endzone on each of his 11 touchdown runs in the 2024 season.