The Best Soccer Show

It's a threesome this week as Jason is joined by old friend of the show Jonathan Tannenwald (The Philadelphia Inquirer) and new friend of the show Alex Shephard (The New Republic, Golden Goal) to talk about the upcoming USMNT camp. As always, there's plenty of discussion about how Pochettino goes about his job and what that means for the future of the USMNT. If you like the show, give TBSS a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts. It helps the show grow. You can get bonus content, like Jason's playthrough of FIFA 18: The Journey by signing up for The Best Soccer Show on Patreon. For much more on the USL news that we opened the show with, be sure to check out Jason's other project, Morning Kickaround on YouTube or podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason is joined by old friend of the show Jonathan Tannenwald to talk about the big news in American soccer. J&J and talk through the failed transfer of Folarin Balogun to Everton. Why did Balogun walk away from a deal at the last minute? What does it mean for his USMNT future? Then Jason and Jon hit on the story that MLS is putting all 27 of its American teams back in the US Open Cup. The guys talk through what this means for the Open Cup and how its tied to the Leagues Cup and other MLS interests. Then the subject is the MLS transfer window and what teams did what things to make themselves down the stretch of the season. Support the show! patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Get yourself a Folarin Balogun shirt or something with the show's logo on it. https://thebestsoccershow.creator-spring.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Jeremiah Oshan joins Jason to talk: * The Sounders' big move for Dejan Jovelic * The state of the club in the ever-changing MLS landscape * League Cup, the MLS failures in it, and the future of the competition * How MLS is addicted to change * What MLS success looks like If you like the show and want to help keep it going, join the TBSS Patreon and get access to the Besties Slack community and bonus content. patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the news from Pablo Maurer that Major League Soccer is once again planning to change its playoff format, Jason is joined by Arman Kafai of Footy Analytics Musings to break down the weird, complicated format under consideration. Near the end of the show, Jason and Arman talk about the outlook for a handful of the most exciting/interesting names in the USMNT player pool with the European seasons kicking off. Join the Patreon and get extra content like Jason playing FIFA18 or other more soccer news-focused fare. Give the show a rating a review wherever you get it or tell a friend about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason is back with a new episode of The Best Soccer Show featuring two very different, but equally important, topics in American soccer. First, Jason hits on the news that a deal to bring back Mauricio Pochettino as head coach of the USMNT is almost across the line. Is bringing back Poch a good idea? Can he turn the switch and win the trophies that American soccer fans expect the USMNT to win? CAN HE RECRUIT DUAL NATIONALS??? Then, Arman Kafai of Footy Analytic Musings joins the show to dive into the possible changes coming to the MLS salary budget rules. We get really detailed here, including talking about how the salary budget changes might impact American players and the homegrown talent coming through MLS academies. And what about parity? Support the show by joining The Best Soccer Show Patreon and get access to the Besties Slack community and bonus content, like Jason playing through "The Journey" on FIFA 18. You can also support the show by buying a "Sun's Out, Balogun's Out" t-shirt or other TBSS merch. Leave the show a rating and a review wherever you get it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason is joined by Jonathan Tannenwald to talk about Major League Soccer's attempts to capture new soccer fans after the explosion of soccer interest around the World Cup, Sebastian Berhalter's move to the Middlesbrough of the English Championship, and the USMNT head coaching job—as in whether Pochettino coming back is a good idea, how the people who paid Poch's salary are impacted the decisions at US Soccer, and who might be a decent replacement for the Argentine if he doesn't come back. Support the show on Patreon and get access to the Besties Slack and bonus content: patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Buy a "Sun's Out, Baloguns Out" shirt or other TBSS gear: https://thebestsoccershow.creator-spring.com/ Check out Jason's YouTube show Morning Kickaround: youtube.com/@morningkickaround Read Jason's newsletter: https://jason-davis-soccer-eagle.ghost.io/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason went live. Support the show on Patreon: patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Buy a t-shirt and be an American soccer OG: https://the-best-soccer-show-shop.fourthwall.com/products/the-best-soccer-show-t-shirt See you next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The end came and it hurt. The USMNT failed to show up for one of the biggest games in US men's soccer history and fell 4-1 to Belgium in the Round of 16 on Monday night. Jason grabbed Alex Shephard from the Golden Goal World Cup magazine (among other things) to try to figure out how to feel. Join the Patreon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The USMNT is on to the Round of 16 after beating Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday night in Santa Clara. After a week off jammed packed with World Cup, Jason is back to dive into the US win and what's next for the Americans. Ryan Rosenblatt returns. Ryan and Jason talk: The USMNT win over Bosnia Folarin Balogun's red card and VAR's impact on the game Looking ahead to the Belgium game and a massive moment for American soccer The issue of supporting the USMNT during a dark time in America Mexico and England at the Azteca Check out Ryan's newsletter: https://thinkoutsidetheball.substack.com/ Join the Besties on the Patreon and get access to the Besties Slack: https://www.patreon.com/c/thebestsoccershow Buy the Sun's Out Baloguns Out shirt: https://thebestsoccershow.creator-spring.com/listing/suns-out-baloguns-out?product=14&variation=2537 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason grabbed Ryan Rosenblatt of many soccer media endeavors past and present to talk about the USMNT, the World Cup narrative, and much, much more. Read Ryan's daily World Cup dispatches at thinkoutsidetheball.substack.com. Becoming a Besties and join the amazing BSS American soccer community at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Buy a "Sun's Out, Balogun's Out" tank top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With just days left until the USMNT kicks off its World Cup campaign in Los Angeles against Paraguay, Jason went live to take stock of the team. TBSS Chief Correspondent Jonathan Taylor Tannenwald (support Jon's work by subscribing to the Philadelphia Inquirer) joins the show from Irvine, where he's covering the USMNT camp ahead of World Cup kickoff. Jonathan gives some insight into key US defender Chris Richards' status for the World Cup opener before he and Jason open a discussion about a few of Mauricio Pochettino's pending choices for his World Cup lineup. Then the Rodius arrives to give some national team thoughts and his DEFCON for the tournament outlook. Jared didn't just come for USMNT analysis, though: he brought a game. The Gamemaster puts Jason and Jonathan through two rounds of a "closest total" game you'll have to hear to understand. Support the show by joining The Best Soccer Show Patreon. You get access to an incredible Slack community and bonus content from Jason (and occasionally Jared). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason was back in the usual timeslot to talk about the building hype around the USMNT (thanks to the win over Senegal) and the vibes for soccer fans a week and change out from the start of the biggest tournament in history. Jonathan Tannenwald then joins from Chicago where he's covering the USMNT v. Germany game on Saturday. Jason and Jonathan breakdown what we might know about Pochettino's plan for Germany and beyond. There's stuff on soccer books, AI scouting, the USMNT/Nike/Off-White gear fashion line and the weird new pre-game ceremony FIFA is planning for the World Cup. Jason said it a bunch on the show, but here he is saying it again: PLEASE GIVE THE SHOW A RATING AND REVIEW WHEREVER YOU LISTEN. Apple is best, Spotify is fine, but just do it somewhere. Sign up for Jason's newsletter on soccer things, Soccer Eagle. Watch Morning Kickaround on YouTube, or find it wherever podcasts live. LET'S GO WORLD CUP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's The Best Soccer Show's USMNT World Cup Roster Reveal Reaction Special featuring Jason Davis and Special Guest Alex Shephard. Alex is a senior editor at The New Republic, a massive soccer fan, and one of the editors of a new World Cup magazine set to drop very soon called Golden Goal. Jason and Alex dive into the USMNT roster as revealed (sort of) by Fox on Tuesday afternoon, examine the cultural disconnects that colored the roster naming process, and debate what is success for the USMNT in this home World Cup. Support the show on Patreon at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow There are perks and a Slack full of Besties. See you soon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the countdown to the biggest World Cup on American soil since 1994 officially underway, we are looking back at where the American soccer media landscape started, where it is now, and where it’s going next. This week, Jason sits down for a special interview with long-time friend and foundational voice in American soccer media, Shawn Francis. Known to many generations of fans as the creator behind The Offside Rules and the original MLS Insider, Shawn has tracked the growth of the game from its early blogging days to the modern landscape. Today, Shawn is working with Copa90 as they make a massive push back into the American market. Jason and Shawn dive deep into the "soccer wars," how the internet and social media fractured modern sports media, and why the upcoming North American World Cup will force fan experiences to become beautifully local. Plus, Shawn shares some incredible, vintage World Cup viewing memories from the streets of New York. Whether you're an old-school fan from the pre-Twitter blog days or new to the American soccer pyramid, you won't want to miss this insidery conversation. 00:00 - Welcome to a special episode of The Best Soccer Show 01:10 - Introducing Shawn Francis: From The Offside Rules to Copa90 02:12 - Support the show on Patreon & getting access to the Bestie Slack 03:24 - Welcoming Shawn: Remembering the American soccer world before Twitter 04:35 - Have we "won"? Looking at the commercial boom of the game today 05:45 - The fracturing of modern sports media and how social media changed MLS 07:35 - Rocket fuel or watershed moment? Expectations for the upcoming World Cup 09:34 - Personal nostalgia: What the 1994 World Cup meant to a generation of fans 10:10 - The local knock-on effect of ticket pricing and massive tournament travel 10:43 - From French restaurants to Harlem auto garages: Unforgettable World Cup watch stories Watch Copa90: Check out their incredible football culture content on the Copa90 YouTube Channel. Join the Community: Support the podcast, unlock exclusive bonus content, and get immediate access to our private Slack channel by becoming a Bestie at The Best Soccer Show Patreon. Read the Newsletter: Subscribe to Jason’s deep dives and tactical analysis over at the Jason Davis Soccer Eagle on Ghost. Bluesky: @davisjason.bsky.social Instagram: @soccer.eagle.jd If you enjoyed this trip down memory lane and our look toward the future of the game, please take a moment to subscribe, rate, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your reviews directly help us grow the community, reach new listeners, and keep bringing you these exclusive conversations! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The USMNT fanbase freaked out on Thursday over the news that Chris Richards has "torn ligaments". But will he miss the World Cup? Jason runs down the saga and checks the DEFCON of the fan base to start the show. Jonathan Tannenwald (OMGFGPG13 IT'S JTT) joins to unpack the Richards news and dive into the World Cup roster ahead of Tuesday's big release. We get a look at JTT's USMNT roster spreadsheet. Love the show? Want more Jason Davis in your life? Join the Best Soccer Show Patreon at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow and become a Bestie. Perks include: 🎧 Wednesday Office Hours with Jason — live, interactive, drop in and pick his brain 🎤 Studio link access — Patreon subscribers can jump into the office hours stream directly 🗣️ The Bestie Slack/Discord — the community for American soccer obsessives 🎁 Bonus content drops — including random appearances from Jay Rodius and more It doesn't cost much. It means a lot. See you in there. Subscribe to the podcast, leave a rating and review, and we'll see you next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special Edition: The Long Game with Leander Schaerlaeckens Jason is taking some time off, so this week he's sharing his full conversation with Leander Schaerlaeckens — journalist, USMNT beat reporter, and author of the new book The Long Game: US Men's Soccer and Its Savage Four-Decade Journey to the Top (or Thereabouts). It's the definitive history of the program, written just in time for the World Cup. Jason calls it a must-read, and this conversation shows why. [0:00:28] — Jason introduces the episode and Leander's new book, The Long Game. He'll be back live soon — catch him at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow for Wednesday office hours, the Bestie Slack, and bonus content. [0:02:50] — Interview begins. Leander on the writing process: three-plus years, 150+ interviews, every US World Cup game since 1990 rewatched — and then US Soccer fired Berhalter and he had to rewrite the whole thing. [0:07:50] — The book's structure: a chronological USMNT history woven with profiles of six current players — Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Matt Turner, and Antonee Robinson — each chosen because their story says something bigger about American soccer. [0:20:00] — The Dark Ages (1950–1990): the USMNT once went 11 years without winning a game and nobody noticed. A 1974 qualifier where they didn't have enough players and pulled one from the stands. A $5 per diem that players were sometimes asked to forego. It was a circus — and Leander went deep on why. [0:31:00] — The big structural question: is a US World Cup win inevitable, or does it require investment that doesn't make financial sense? Leander's take — it's not just a matter of time. The FC Dallas academy director's point lands hard: a kid in Dallas is still 12 times less likely to end up in a professional academy than a kid in Madrid, which has the same population but a dozen pro clubs. [0:43:00] — Closing thoughts: buy the book at your local bookstore or bookshop.org. Jason wraps with a thank-you and outro. Join the Bestie community at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow — Wednesday office hours with Jason, a bonus podcast feed, the Bestie Slack, and World Cup content on the way. Your support keeps the show going. Timestamps🎙️ Support the Show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Special Edition: The Future of MLS Next Pro Jason is on the road to Pawtucket, Rhode Island for a live Morning Kick Around at Centreville Bank Stadium — so rather than leave you hanging, he's crossing the streams. This episode features the full Morning Kick Around interview with Eben Novy-Williams, deputy editor at Sportico, on KKR's blockbuster investment in MLS Next Pro through the newly formed Hometown Soccer Holdings. Jason and co-host Rob Kerr dig into what it all means for the soccer wars, lower-division soccer in America, MLS valuations, the Vancouver Whitecaps crisis, and what the World Cup might — or might not — do for the game's long-term trajectory. TIMESTAMPS: [0:00:28] — Welcome & road trip intro: Jason heads to Pawtucket for Morning Kick Around live at Centreville Bank Stadium, Rhode Island FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies, May 9th [0:01:02] — Check out Morning Kick Around on YouTube: youtube.com/@MorningKickAround [0:03:35] — Support the show at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow — World Cup content incoming for Besties, plus Wednesday office hours and the Bestie Slack [0:05:00] — Interview begins: Eben Novy-Williams, deputy editor at Sportico, joins Jason and Rob Kerr [0:05:46] — Why KKR? MLS launched Next Pro in 2022 with a minor league baseball vision — teams in non-MLS cities building a full pyramid. Four years in, most clubs treated it as a sunk cost, not a business. KKR changes that calculus. [0:07:12] — The moat strategy: MLS wants to control the entire pro soccer pyramid in the U.S. — and this deal widens the moat against USL considerably. [0:09:03] — KKR's timeline is likely five years. They want to build the commercial structure, prove the concept, grow the league, then find a successor. From MLS's side, this is Next Pro 2.0. [0:11:25] — The real estate angle: soccer stadium investment in mid-sized cities is as much about surrounding land development as the sport itself — just like minor league baseball. [0:19:33] — A quiet rule change: US Soccer dropped the required controlling ownership stake from 35% to 15%, opening the door to bigger consortiums and more institutional investment across all pro divisions. [0:22:18] — World Cup reality check: hotel bookings are flat, the ticketing process has been a mess, and once the tournament ends, MLS loses its biggest sales pitch. What does the league look like in the rearview mirror? [0:25:44] — Valuation tension: every MLS team is roughly in the top 50 most valuable soccer clubs globally. No pro/rel and a salary cap create cost certainty investors love — but fans see a ceiling on quality. [0:27:00] — The two-tier ownership problem: some owners paid under a million dollars for their clubs. New owners paid $500M. Those groups see the league's future very differently. [0:28:00] — Grant Gustafson and the Vancouver situation: Eben confirms the Gustafson family (Public Storage heirs, Kentucky thoroughbred farm) are the main Vegas-connected group in talks. Phoenix and Indianapolis also mentioned as relocation candidates. [0:34:45] — Find Eben's work at sportico.com and on X at @Novi_Williams Support the Show Join the Bestie community at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow for Wednesday office hours with Jason, bonus podcast feeds, World Cup content, and the Bestie Slack. Or just share the show with a friend — it all helps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason goes live on a Thursday night to cover two of the biggest stories in American soccer right now: the ongoing saga around the future of the Vancouver Whitecaps — including a wild "liar liar pants on fire" tweet from someone on Don Garber's account — and the breaking news that private equity giant KKR is investing in MLS Next Pro through a new entity called Hometown Soccer Holdings. He also reacts to comments from USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino about American soccer culture that are, let's just say, bothering him a little. Save the Caps: savethecaps.com Jason's Newsletter: Jason Davis Soccer Eagle (search it, sign up) Morning Kickaround "Stick to Football" podcast: The Overlap with Gary Neville — Pochettino interview Jeff Rueter's writeup of Pochettino's comments: The Guardian The Athletic reporting on the Whitecaps: Tom Bogert, Paul Tenorio, Jeff Carlisle Hometown Soccer Holdings / KKR x MLS Next Pro: mlssoccer.com / Business Wire Simon Evans' Soccer Business Newsletter — recommended by Jason for MLS Next Pro coverage Love the show? Want more Jason Davis in your life? Join the Best Soccer Show Patreon at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow and become a Bestie. Perks include: 🎧 Wednesday Office Hours with Jason — live, interactive, drop in and pick his brain 🎤 Studio link access — Patreon subscribers can jump into the office hours stream directly 🗣️ The Bestie Slack/Discord — the community for American soccer obsessives 🎁 Bonus content drops — including random appearances from Jay Rodius and more It doesn't cost much. It means a lot. See you in there. Subscribe to the podcast, leave a rating and review, and we'll see you next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode has a little bit of everything. Jason starts the show with some catch-up on recent events in American soccer, including a review of the wild Wednesday night MLS action. Young players are making waves and Bruce Arena is doing his magic in San Jose. Jason also checks in on some of the American abroad news, including Ricardo Pepi's Wednesday brace and word out of Germany that Malik Tillman might want out of Bayer Leverkusen after just one year. Then the Rodius posts to do a very TBSS thing: A draft of players from past USMNT World Cup rosters. Here are the rules, which made it a challenge: First, Jason and Jared drafted which rosters they could pick from. Each selected 3 modern rosters, leaving out the 2022 USMNT. Each round was for one position. First round for GK, second round for LB, etc. A max of 4 players could be selected from each roster. A player could be selected more than once, provided he played different position and in multiple World Cup. We'll be posting the final teams on socials and in the Besties Slack, so be sure to join the TBSS Patreon to join in the debate. patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode hits on all the big stories in American soccer. Thomas Pinzone from The Blazing Musket podcast sits in as co-host to help Jason cover the game from post to post. We start with Matt Crocker's sudden departure as sporting director from US Soccer. Did Crocker make any headway on the big problems facing the game in the US? How will we judge his tenure? Then Jason and Thomas discuss Javier Mascherano quitting on Inter Miami seven games into a title defense season. Was there drama behind the scences? MLS went two-and-two in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Mexican opposition. The guys get into the problems MLS faces in the CCC and the wide issues with a tournament that only two leagues can win. There's round-up of the US Open Cup action from this week with a special note for the cupsets sprung by lower division teams and some love for the SOCCER HERITAGE moments like the plethora of lines on the surface in Mount Vernon, NY for Westchester SC's match against NYCFC. Finally, Jason springs on Thomas the story of the Fernando Mendoza photo shoot that has an eerie similarity to a photo shoot featuring the 2002 USMNT. Photogs apparently can't say not to an athlete sipping from a water fountain. Get access to Jason's weekly Office Hours, other bonus content, the Besties Slack community by signing up for our Patreon page at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow. You can by a redesigned TBSS t-shit at our Fourthwall page. Subscribe to Jason's newsletter, Jason Davis Soccer Eagle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices