Episode 10: Vamos Mexico (and Costa Rica)! Why we're rooting for Concacaf in the World Cup

Episode 2: Optimism vs Realism for Andrew Carleton, MLS is back, and the March USMNT friendly roster: We lay out the cases for optimism (Belz) and realism (Velasquez) on Andrew Carleton's future. We get into the MLS and CCL excitement a bit. Greg wants Gregg Berhalter called up to the USMNT. We talk at length about the March friendly roster. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

54 min listen

Episode 6: Draft 2022! Belz and Dillon Payne go to fantasyland, pick dueling USMNT XIs for Qatar: With Greg stepping aside on this one because he's too much of a realist, I got on the horn with Dillon Payne (aka @DontTreadSoccer) and we held a draft to each pick a starting XI for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Totally speculative, totally irresponsible. But fun. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

55 min listen

Episode 28: USA v Brazil preview: Dave Sarachan's roster, omissions, our starting XIs for Brazil, and a solid (IMO) discussion of Pulisic's absence. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

55 min listen

Episode 16: Herc Gomez joins to talk El Tri in Russia, then a general Concacaf preview: Former USMNT striker and ESPN analyst Herc Gomez gets on the phone to discuss El Tri ahead of Sunday's showdown with Germany, then Greg and I talk Mexico, make quick work of Costa Rica and Panama and take a few short corners. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

62 min listen

Episode 22: Seems like there are a lot of exciting young U.S. players. Is this time different?: European preseason is always a time of inflated hopes and dreams. Players getting chances, and fresh starts, and new contracts. We run down of a lot of the action, and then Greg breaks out some half-assed high school math as we try to sort out whether the player pool is taking a step forward. (It is.) by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

84 min listen

Episode 9: Should the USMNT go heavy metal Klopp-style? And USL vs the European academy for American teenagers: Klopp's gegenpressing Liverpool is a game away from the biggest crown in club soccer, so naturally we discuss whether the USMNT should adopt a full-throttle pressing style. Then we get into the virtues and drawbacks of USL versus going to Europe and joining an academy, and round up some of the past weekend action. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

58 min listen

Episode 1: Arena's 3 big mistakes, and is a "braver" style for the USMNT even possible?: We talk about Bruce Arena's three biggest mistakes in World Cup qualifying, and go on a walkabout on the hiring of a new USMNT general manager and what a "braver," as Hugo Perez put it, type of American soccer might look like. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

46 min listen

Episode 11: Who should be called up for the three upcoming USMNT friendlies?: We go down the list, and give our locks, our hopefuls, and the somewhat longer list of those we are ambivalent about getting called-up for the friendlies with Bolivia, Ireland and France. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

68 min listen

Episode 3: The roster for the Paraguay friendly, starting XI ideas, and more good news from teenagers in MLS: The matter at hand is the friendly against Paraguay on Tuesday. We break down the roster and each give our ideal starting XI. Then we jump into MLS, chat about the upcoming Concacaf Champions League semifinals, and spend a good deal of time on encouraging performances over the weekend from American teenagers in MLS. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

68 min listen

Episode 4: The U.S. beat Paraguay 1-0, and we darn well talked about it: Not much happened in the attacking third, but there was reason for encouragement. Good performances from Tyler Adams, Matt Miazga, Darlington Nagbe and Jorge Villafana, a solid showing by the midfield trio, a tight defensive effort and a lot of good energy, especially early. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

55 min listen

Episode 14: Ireland 2, USA 1, and a look ahead to France: Long episode alert: we talk about the 2-1 loss to Ireland. It was a real test for a young American side, and yet our veteran fullbacks were the biggest problem on the field. Hmmm. We try to break it down player by player, and then look ahead to France. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

85 min listen

Episode 20: Chris Durkin joins the pod, Jesse Marsch to Leipzig, and Yanks on the move: 18-year-old DC United holding midfielder talks through how he thinks about his job on the pitch, his development as a player, and his assessment of the USMNT's World Cup qualifying failure, among other things. Greg and I get into Jesse Marsh's move and the large number of American players on the move in Europe. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

73 min listen

Episode 12: How to get the most out of this Bolivia friendly: We try to rough out a lineup for the Memorial Day friendly in Pennsylvania, and then discuss Efrain Alvarez, Tyler Adams to RB Leipzig, Peter Vermes' contention that U.S. Soccer doesn't have a plan, and Chris Durkin's progress at holding midfielder. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

48 min listen

Episode 13: USA 3, Bolivia 0, our late night reactions: Pulisic didn't show up and neither did Bolivia, but everyone else did. Debut goal for Sargent. A goal for Weah in his first start. Strong stuff from Robinson at left back. McKennie was a man among boys. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

62 min listen

Episode 10: Vamos Mexico (and Costa Rica)! Why we're rooting for Concacaf in the World Cup: Buck up, America. It's time to root for Concacaf. With no USMNT to talk about in the World Cup, we're going to follow Mexico and Costa Rica, because a better Concacaf is better for us in the long term. We explain ourselves and talk about the Mexican player pool, their chances of getting to the quarterfinals, and Costa Rica's prospects. (We don't talk much about Panama.) Then we run down the latest on young Yanks at home and abroad. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

63 min listen

Episode 7: An interview with Justen Glad, and then we get to the Revierderby and a *lengthy* discussion of Pulisic: Justen Glad joins the show for an interview, we talk about the Revierderby and the two Americans involved, and we get to our Major League Update, with special mention of the Atlanta United-NYCFC match and our regular notes on young Americans in MLS. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

55 min listen

Episode 18: Savior by committee for the USMNT (a shameless depth chart dweeb-out): U.S. men’s soccer doesn’t need a savior. It needs savior by committee. We take the metaphor to within an inch of its life and run down the USMNT depth chart as we go. Later in the episode we talk briefly about Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama at the World Cup. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

77 min listen

Episode 19: (Scuffed Lite) Concacaf's time in Russia comes to an end: A vacation-truncated mini-episode acknowledging the end of Concacaf's time at the World Cup. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

46 min listen

Episode 21: U20-palooza! An encyclopedic look at the player pool as U20 World Cup qualifying looms: Joey Anthone (aka @USAProspects) joined the pod to comb through the U-20 player pool and we didn’t stop. Who will be available for November qualifying? We projected that. What are the biggest challenges for Tab Ramos? We explained them. What are the areas of strength in the pool? We pointed them out. Who will be the 6? Who will be the 9? Who will be the centerbacks? Check, check, check. And then we each gave a 20-man roster and answered several listener questions. Carve out time over multiple days because you won’t be able to handle this in one sitting. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

174 min listen

Episode 23: An extended USMNT-in-the-Bundesliga season preview: We take a closer look at the league that has become the destination of choice for young American players by interviewing people who regularly talk or write about Werder Bremen, Hannover 96, Schalke and Dortmund. Josh Sargent, Bobby Wood, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic are the main events in this episode, but each guest gave a good sense of each club’s overall situation and addressed the rising population of Americans in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga academies. Greg and I had planned to talk about Frankfurt, Wolfsburg and Gladbach but we ran out of time, as you’ll see. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

154 min listen

Episode 5: Is Dave Sarachan doing a good job? Plus Marky Delgado and George Bello: We talk about Sarachan's decisions against Paraguay, what the point of these friendlies is, try to dispense with the word "meaningless," talk a bit more about what we learned in the friendly, and discuss Marky Delgado and George Bello at some length. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

50 min listen

Episode 8: Jacori Hayes joins the pod, a Michael Bradley forgiveness segment, and the sad end of Toronto's CCL run: FC Dallas midfielder Jacori Hayes joins for a great conversation on his path to MLS, the value of his USL experience last year, why he always tucks his shirt in and what he needs to do to get better. Then Greg and Belz take on the burning topic of the day: Michael Bradley (and Jozy Altidore). by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

60 min listen

Episode 29: USA 0, Brazil 2, and a 4-1-4-1 that neither attacked nor counterattacked: Sarachan surprised us with a 2-centerback formation and some shuttling specialists on the wings, and the U.S. lost 2-0 to Brazil in a limpid but not disastrous friendly on Friday night. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

68 min listen

Episode 17: Mexico’s singular Concacaf triumph, and USYNT striker Sebastian Soto joins the pod: Mexico beat Germany 1-0 and we break it down from a U.S. perspective, and then talk about the game, which was really good. Later in the episode, USYNT striker Sebastian Soto joins for an interview. Don't miss that. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

56 min listen

Episode 27: Who should be called up for the Brazil and Mexico friendlies?: We’re back in our comfort zone and we’ve got a roster episode. The men’s national team faces Brazil on Sept. 7 and Mexico on Sept. 11. We break down the options and in the process conduct a routine checkup on the U.S. player pool. Then we review the first matchday of the Bundesliga season and Belz spotlights the recent USL appearances of Joshua Atencio for Sounders 2. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

79 min listen

Episode 24: Chris Richards joins the pod, and a non-Bundesliga Yanks in Europe preview: Chris Richards joins for a conversation from Bavaria, where the 18-yr-old is on loan at Bayern Munich, getting ready for his first regular season U19 game this weekend. Then Greg and Belz run down the European-based player pool ahead of the regular seasons in the big leagues, and then we take a few Short Corners. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

85 min listen

Episode 37: Who can be the 10 in this 4-2-3-1? And Atlanta United 2 Coach Scott Donnelly joins the pod: The 4-3-2-1 seems to work better than the 4-1-4-1, but nobody’s claimed the central advanced midfield role. We run through the candidates, and the future candidates, for the job. Then we discuss the U.S. U20 roster for the Concacaf Championship, and then, best of all, Atlanta United 2 Coach Scott Donnelly joins to talk about coaching in USL, George Bello, Andrew Carleton, and USL as a place for young players to develop. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

121 min listen

Episode 25: The Cynic's Guide to the 2018-19 Season: A cold dose of hype kryptonite: worst case scenarios this season for the key Americans playing in Europe. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

87 min listen

Episode 42: A U17 Player Pool Review ahead of the Nike Friendlies: Belz, Joey Anthone and Matt Hartman take a deep dive into the pool of players born in 2002 or later and therefore eligible for the U17 World Cup next year. We talk about how this age group stacks up against past cycles, discuss more than 50 individual players and try to answer a bunch of very good Twitter questions. This is a long one. Use the show notes. If you get bored with the discussion of one position, skip to the next. We start with the top prospects, generally, and move our way down at each spot on the field. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

161 min listen

Episode 32: The U20 provisional roster is due in a week. Who's going to be on it?: U20 World Cup qualifying is now just over a month away. Special guest Joey Anthone (@USAprospects) and I do a bare-bones run through the roster options for Tab Ramos. We also discuss the format of the U20 Men's Concacaf Championship, the roster rules and the changes that Ramos might make mid-tournament. by Scuffed | U.S. soccer, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

60 min listen

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Episode 10: Vamos Mexico (and Costa Rica)! Why we're rooting for Concacaf in the World Cup

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