Podcast
Morning Kickaround
An interactive soccer show happening three times a week covering the world's favorite sport in everyone's favorite country. Working to become the home of the American Soccer conversation. Created and hosted by siriusxm veteran Jason Davis & grassroots journeyman Robert Kerr. Live shows every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 9:30am ET and on-demand segments on Morning Kickaround's Youtube channel. More ball @mkickaround on social media platforms. Subscribe and join the movement!
- Episodes
- 240
- Releases
- Twice a week
- Typical length
- 1 hr 12 min
- On air since
- 2025
- Latest episode
- 1 day ago
Episodes
240 episodes, newest first
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1 hr 2 min
USL Playoffs, MLS Decision Day Outlook, Midwest Moves For USL Expansion
Show notes
Jason is flying solo today with Robert out for the day and he’s got a lot to discuss from a busy weekend of playoff and regular season action.
The USL Playoffs are in full swing and the evidence is in the first round upsets. Detroit City, Tampa Bay Rowdies, and other favorites fell off a cliff in the first round of the postseason. How were the attendance numbers for these massive matches? How else were they emblematic of lower division soccer in the United States?
Major League Soccer is entering the final round of the regular season this weekend and there is still plenty to play for. All the playoff spots in the East are wrapped up, but three spots are still open in the Western Conference with six teams still alive for them. Also, Nashville SC already has the Supporters’ Shield wrapped up, but will they claim the record for most points in an MLS regular season? Also, how do we feel about the large size of the MLS Playoff field?
Finally, the USL expansion train is rolling again with Des Moines, Iowa and Green Bay, Wisconsin entering the chat for future professional teams in the USL pyramid.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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1 hr 11 min
MLS Season Record Chase, College Soccer Deadline, Dot The Map + More
Show notes
Happy Halloween from Morning Kickaround! Spooky season concludes this weekend with the USL Playoffs, an MLS record chase, and some college soccer shenanigans.
We open with the beginning of the USL playoffs and what is in store for both the Championship and League One. Looking to avoid holiday fesitivites, the USL has opted to skip out on hosting matches on Halloween itself and they are going with a Friday-Sunday slate of matches for this opening round. With that said, are American soccer clubs scared of Halloween? And we don't mean the ghosts and goblins.
Also in the USL, Corpus Christi denies the reports that this will be their only season in existence, claiming they will still be kicking it around in 2027 and beyond.
College soccer also has news to discuss. The widely circulated proposal for a longer season spanning two semesters of the school year is reportedly on its last legs. A behind the scenes effort to squash the proposal appears to be gaining steam and proponents of the calendar change are pessimistic about its chances to pass.
We then turn our sights on Major League Soccer and a potential record breaking season from Nashville SC. SixOneFive Soccer's Ben Wright joins the show to bring his Music City expertise to the show as his hometown club needs two wins in their final two matches to topple Inter Miami's two year old record.
Finally, we #DotTheMap with the latest MK Ultras.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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1 hr 14 min
New Stadium Approval, Seton O'Connor Joins, Badge Review + More
Show notes
Wednesday is here and we have a lot to sift through if we have any hope of making it through this Hump Day feeling fully up-to-date on American soccer.
We start with some soccer under construction with Union Omaha and the approval of their stadium plans from the city council. We take a look back at the renderings and examine the future of the already pretty successful Union Omaha outfit.
Also on the growth front, Orange County SC is seeking investment to help grow their club. They are already a community owned outfit and they are looking for $10-15 million in new investment. What do they plan to do with all that cash? They want to upgrade their stadium, grow their player development infrastructure, and even start a women’s team. All exciting stuff if they can find an interested party.
We also have a badger review for SC Soho, who do not, in fact, play in Soho. They are however, coming to the League for Clubs next season with their ownership that is barely legal to consume beer at their matches. Furthermore, they requested this badge review themselves. Very brave of them.
The bulk of the show will be spent with friend of the show Seton O’Connor, former producer of the Dan Patrick show and big proponent of promotion and relegation in America. His Hartford Athletic are also in the USL Playoffs so we make sure to get his take on the second tier postseason before their match at Keyworth Stadium.
Finally, we look at the USL League One rumors around clubs shutting down and what it means for the future of promotion and relegation in the United States. Is the soccer ecosystem ready for this big change if we still can’t keep clubs afloat at the lower levels?
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
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1 hr 25 min
MK LIVE! USL Final Weekend, Ultrafest Debrief, and more!
Show notes
Morning Kickaround is back and recovered from an UltraFest Weekend to remember! Thank you to all the MK Ultras and the soccer community in Fort Wayne for making it everything we hoped for and more. The only thing that was missing was the home team victory and happy fans after the match. We recap the weekend at the end of the show complete with photos, stories, and more.
Before that, however, we have to look at the end of the USL regular season and what it means going forward. Unfortunately, the rumors of folding clubs refuse to die out. There seems to be more smoke surrounding the word that Westchester SC and Corpus Christi FC are not long for the third tier. Are we still looking at adding to the American soccer club graveyard and what needs to be done at the ownership level to prevent more stories such as these?
Also, what lies ahead for the USL clubs that did qualify for the postseason? New Mexico and Tampa Bay took the top spots up in the Championship while the USL League One playoffs will run through Charlotte.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 17 min
USL Rebrand, Ultrafest Hype, Countdown to Kickoff, and more
Show notes
Wednesday is here and for the shortest of times, things are normal here at Morning Kickaround. Jason is back from Argentina, UltraFest is right around the corner, and we have a countdown to kickoff to get to. We say for the shortest of times because Friday will be a travel day for the MK contingent so there will be no live show before the big UltraFest over the weekend.
Before all that, however, the United Soccer League has big news! Is it the promotion/relegation format we’ve all been waiting for? No. The list of clubs to play in the first season of USL Premier? Also no. Is it the league unveiling a new look complete with new logos, new colors, and new slogans? Why, yes it is. Robert and Jason give it the badge breakdown treatment.
As we have mentioned more than a few times. UltraFest is coming up this weekend. MK has been working closely with Fort Wayne’s 3 River Regiment and we welcome their own Christina Copeland to the show to get the view from the supporters’ section about the event, Fort Wayne FC’s first professional season, their beautiful new stadium, and more.
Sticking with the USL, Countdown to Kickoff rolls along with Sporting Cascades head coach Darren Sawatzky. With just a few months remaining until they kick a ball, what’s left on a head coach’s to-do list and what has he already accomplished in his time growing a soccer team from scratch?
Finally, the U.S. Open Cup Final between Columbus Crew and St. Louis City is tonight.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 5 min
American Stadium Updates, College Calendar Mess + More
Show notes
Jason is still travelling home from Buenos Aires, which means we get another guest host in the form of Brooks Laimbeer from We Are Soccer!
Brooks is an expert in the pre-professional ranks of American soccer which means we get a steady diet of college soccer discussion, but before that we have to talk about stadiums. We had the final match in a couple of USL Championship stadiums over the weekend with Las Vegas Light shutting down Cashman Field with a 5-3 loss against Lexington SC. The Oakland Roots also shut down the Oakland Coliseum this weekend. What’s next for these clubs?
The San Diego Wave are thinking about what comes next. They have proposed a 12,000-16,000 seat venue purpose built for the NWSL outfit. Of course, this is part of a larger real estate development as all stadium projects are these days.
Brooks then gets to flex his muscles and talk about the two semester plan for college soccer and how realistic that plan seems to be for the collegiate game.
Also, Brooks takes a look at the young players coming through the U.S. Men’s National Team pipeline in this past window and what he feels the future holds for them as well as what he thinks of MLS Next Pro’s status as a farm league for the big clubs.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 18 min
Exapnsion Badge Review, Minor League Moves, Club Rebrand + More
Show notes
Friday is here and Chris Wilson from Talkin’ USL 2 Ya is our final guest host during Jason’s well earned South American vacation.
We open by taking a look at the stakes in this weekend’s professional matches with several playoff spots up for grabs.
However, Chris being here means this is a show heavy on amateur soccer. From the people who brought us Portland Hearts of Pine comes Maine Wildness? They are a new women’s club entering the USL-W League and they have a new badge for us to review. What do we think of their effort? We also can’t stop at one badge review. We also critique Fuego FC, Catena FC, Boston Harbor FC, Laredo Heat, and Waco SC.
Also, Kalamazoo FC is rebranding from scratch and what do we think of their potential names?
Finally, Daniel Sperry from the Kansas City Star is next up to talk about Sporting Kansas City relocating their MLS Next Pro affiliate. With the USL’s efforts to grow to Des Moines, Iowa on hold, SKC sees a vacancy to move their minor league team. Daniel also talks about Sporting Kansas City and how they are handling life after Peter Vermes, the relationship between MLS Next Pro and the USL, and more.
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1 hr 4 min
Ultrafest 10/24, USA VS Spain Part Dos, USL1 Playoffs + More
Show notes
Wednesday welcomes Fort Wayne Footy’s Brian Biedenbach onto the penultimate Jason-free show, which means we are continuing to hype UltraFest coming up in Fort Wayne, Indiana next week. With that in mind, we examine the stakes of the match we will be attending on October 24. What is Fort Wayne’s path to the playoffs and how will the UltraFest match against AC Boise mean in the grand scheme of the USL League One season?
We then examine whether the expected World Cup bump in soccer popularity actually occurred. Results have been mixed, to say the least. Viewership on linear television is up, but what about MLS on AppleTV or in-person attendance?
We then stick with the international game by welcoming in Lesley Ry
der from Gal Pal Sports to talk about the U.S. Women’s National Team’s pair of matches against Spain this weekend. What did we learn about Emma Hayes’s ladies after a 2-0 loss and a 2-2 come from behind draw against the reigning World Champions? We also get in on the late breaking news of a women’s knockout tournament featuring NWSL and USL Super League Teams.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 11 min
Playoff Clinchers, Domed Soccer Stadiums, Kit Talk + more
Show notes
A new week is upon us and the show is still Jason-free so Robert welcomes friend of the show and fellow local soccer guy Luke Zagorski to help host the show this morning.
It’s getting to the business end of the American league seasons with several teams clinching playoff births throughout MLS and the USL. The Vancouver Whitecaps and Nashville SC are promised to play in the MLS Cup Playoffs while Detroit City clinched a home playoff game in the first round in the USL. Pittsburgh Riverhounds, FC Tusla, El Paso Locomotive, and USL League One’s Spokane Velocity all sealed their places in the postseason.
Also, are domed stadiums the future of soccer under construction? D.C. United announced a plan to expand Audi Field’s seating capacity and also add a roof. There is also an interior stadium design in Indianapolis floating around. With the MSL calendar switch imminent, will more clubs opt for domed stadiums to better combat the harsh winter climate.
Mark Jenkinson from Bastion then comes on the show to break down the status of the Morning Kickaround kit design competition. Viewers can submit their designs to morningkickaround@gmail.com by November 2.
Finally, we look back at a tough U.S. Women’s National team loss to the defending World Cup Champions.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 17 min
MLS Next Pro Making Moves, Forest Park Rangers, College Soccer Reform + More
Show notes
Friday is here and, since its spooky season and Jason is in Argentina, Tom Franklin the Soccer Zombie joins Robert Kerr as a guest host to ring in the weekend.
MLS Next Pro is launching its next expansion salvo when it comes to the third tier soccer war. Several cities are in the mix to join the farm league, including a town with USL League One aspirations. Des Moines, Iowa has opened up as a front in the USL-MLS minor league conflict with competing groups trying to construct a stadium in the market. Columbia, South Carolina is also on the docket, plus a reminder that NYCFC’s farm team is moving to Middlesex, New Jersey.
College Soccer is stepping closer to reforming itself to align better with the rest of American soccer. The current one semester plan is looking to expand into a full season calendar. How will this change affect the game if it becomes fully implemented?
Next up, Tom the Soccer Zombie highlights the Midwest Premier League club he helped form. Forest Park Rangers are moving closer to reality. Tom breaks down what he’s worked on, what’s left to do, and more about growing an amateur club from the ground up.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 8 min
Club Closure Rumors, Fifa Fall Window Finally Over + more
Show notes
Rob has risen! After taking a Monday to get well, Robert Kerr returns with guest host Craig Hearn from We Are Soccer to get back into the swing of American soccer.
Things start a bit on the dark side with rumors floating around that three USL League One clubs are on the verge of folding after this 2026 season.Things aren’t looking rosy in Corpus Christi, Westchester, and even with the latest version of the New York Cosmos. It’s important to mention that these are only rumors and nothing is official, but the writing appears to be on the wall. Regardless, this is not great news for USL League One.
The longest international window in history has come to an end and there was a lot going on. The U.S. Men’s National Team won all four of its matches during the window, including victories against Concacaf rivals Mexico and Canada. The youth movement from Mauricio Pochettino was real with more than a dozen players making their first appearance at the international level and many of them were still teenagers. All of them looked like they belonged.
Outside of the USA, Lionel Messi played his last match for Argentina, Ronaldo is causing drama in Portugal, and more.
Also, the Manchester City punishment is still pending, but we can still speculate the potential impact it will have on New York City FC and the American soccer landscape. What can bleed over across the pond if City gets the hammer dropped on them soon?
Finally, we take a look at the USL Championship playoff race with only a few weeks left in the season.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 10 min
Portland Hearts of Pine Founder, USA Mexico Youth Battle, Dot The Map + More
Show notes
Friday is here and there’s some big U.S. Men’s National Team action to digest this weekend amidst Robert’s efforts to brand today as a “Chuck Yeah Friday” despite Jason’s disapproval.
The American men go up against Mexico in a friendly this weekend and the youth movement that Marucio Pochettino started this window continues with a major test against an arch rival. The Mexicans are fielding a pretty young lineup themselves. Jason throws some shade at the hype machine for this friendly featuring teenagers and potential future superstars.
We return to the domestic game with Fort Lauderdale United announcing the official launch of their men’s team into USL League One in 2027. They launched their professional women’s team with the USL Super League and now the men are joining them at Amerant Bank Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
In other stadium news, the Seattle Sounders are inching closer to a new stadium to move out of the NFL-sized home. The club is looking at a site in the suburb of Renton, Washington near their current training facility. What could the club gain from leaving the heart of their home city?
Portland Hearts Of Pine Founder and Chief Community Officer Gabe Hoffman-Johnson. He joins the show to discuss P-HOP’s stadium project and how the young USL League One club is growing soccer in the state of Maine.
Finally, in our usual Friday fashion, we #DotTheMap with the newest MK Ultras.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 13 min
Back-to-back USMNT wins, USL CBA and PNW Expansion, and more!
Show notes
It’s Wednesday, which is a great day to catch up on some American soccer, such as the U.S. Men’s National Team picking up a second straight win against South American competition with a 4-2 win over Chile. Mauricio Pochettino made a ton of changes from the Peru game over the weekend and they worked out, more or less. The lineup was still quite young and it included the youngest goal scorer in USMNT history. Also, on a scale of spat to fracas, where do we rate the postmatch kerfuffle.
We then travel to the USL where the USL Players’ Association released some visuals to detail their gains in the newly ratified collective bargaining agreement. They seem quite happy with a lot of the gains they made while also acknowledging that this is only the start of the league’s growth.
MLS Next Pro’s efforts to expand to Jacksonville, Florida hit a bit of a snag. The revamped Jacksonville Armada thought they had a sweet deal for some downtown land to build a soccer stadium, but the city is now charging them full price for the prime real estate. Is that enough to sink the project?
Also in the expansion realm, the USL is looking to grow in the Pacific Northwest with a potential expansion bid coming from Everett, Washington.
Finally, we shed some light on what impact the Manchester City guilty verdict could have on American soccer.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 12 min
Atlanta City in the NWSL, USMNT youth, USL expansion, and more
Show notes
We open with the brand reveal of Atlanta's NWSL expansion team that begins play in 2028. Atlanta City FC revealed their red and peach color scheme and a badge featuring a phoenix. Robert, Jason, and the MK Ultras give their thoughts and break down the artistic imagery in this effort and give it a rating on the official Morning Kickaround 1-5 peck scale.
Next up, the U.S. Men’s National Team is rising from the ashes of the World Cup as the new cycle opens with a 4-1 victory in a friendly over Peru. Youth was the order of the day as eleven players made their national team debut. How much should we really take from a friendly at home against a Peru side that is clearly in a transitional phase?
Speaking of transition, LAFC seems to have opened a revolving door of head coaches. Marc Dos Santos, who served as an assistant under former boss Steve Cherundolo, was relieved of his duties after LAFC fell to FC Dallas over the weekend. No news was shared about who the interim head coach would be. WHat do we make of this move and what’s next in the City of Angels?
Finally, the Port St. Lucie USL League One expansion project revealed new renderings for their stadium and announced a ground breaking on the project in November.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 6 min
New USMNT Era Begins, Whitecaps Update, Dot The Map + More
Show notes
Friday is here and we are all about new beginnings as we enter the weekend.
We open with the Vancouver Whitecaps’ search for a new beginning in terms of their ownership. Nothing has changed, in short, but they are still trying to build a new stadium and/or sell the team to a local buyer. The relocation rumors continue to fly around in British Columbia, but no potential buyer has stepped up in the two years the club has been for sale, despite news of potential interest from several parties.
This weekend also beckons the beginning of the next World Cup cycle for the U.S. Men’s National Team. Mauricio Pochettino has called up a very young squad with several teenagers and several products of MLS academies. Is this cycle going to be a make it or break it moment for Major League Soccer’s youth development system?
The United Football League is looking for a new beginning in American soccer stadiums. The increasingly successful spring handegg outfit announced four new expansion teams this week and all of them will play in smaller capacity soccer stadiums as opposed to giant football fields.
Finally, we had a new beginning last week with Kickathon 2 and we #DotTheMap with all the newest MK Ultras.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 28 min
Local Soccer Coverage, Countdown To Kickoff: Sporting Cascades
Show notes
Welcome to Wednesday on Morning Kickaround!
We open today’s show with a look at the state of local soccer media in the wake of the Seattle Times ending their Sounders beat coverage. The Miami Herald also recently cut their Inter Miami beat writer position. This is a disturbing trend that transcends soccer and even transcends sports. The soccer community as a whole loses out when these positions are lost, not just the local markets that lose the eyes and ears that keep track of their club. What can be done about this worrying development?
Countdown to Kickoff returns today as well with Sporting Cascades. Damian Foley, vice president of marketing and communications for the club joins the show from Oregon to discuss the early steps in forming a brand new USL League One club. How can a brand new club spark interest in a team that hasn’t played a game yet? Foley and his marketing team are thinking outside the box by hosting a select-a-seat event that includes a music festival this weekend, among other steps to get the club ready to take the field next spring.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 19 min
MLS Title Sponsor Search, The Soccer Don in Indy, and more
Show notes
We’re back for another week of kicking mornings around and we today’s show features capitalism and construction.
Capitalism takes the lead, though as Major League Soccer is beginning its Barclays era. Don Garber and company are looking to add a title sponsor for their first season on the fall to spring calendar in 2027. Of course a big paycheck is part of the motivation, but this is also another attempt for MLS to align itself with Europe and away from mainstream American sporting culture.
We stick with MLS and Don Garber as we mix in some construction with our capitalism. The boss found himself in The Hoosier State for a meeting with the mayor of Indianapolis. The MLS expansion push has quieted down in recent months, but it looks like the league is continuing its search for growth. That’s all well and good for MLS and their growth, but what happens to Indy Eleven here?
Over in the lower leagues, the Oakland Roots entered an exclusive negotiating window with the city over the club’s proposed stadium at Howard Terminal. This is big news for a club and a city that have felt a bit lost over the last few years. We share the renderings and take a look at how realistic this proposal is.
Finally, we have an update on the ongoing work to bring professional soccer to Des Moines, Iowa. They have a stadium site, although environmental contamination is going to make the project lengthy and expensive.
But wait! There’s more! Jason throws an impromptu discussion on club nicknames after AC Grand Rapids made a call to fans in their search for something else to call their MLS Next Pro expansion side. Naturally, it turns into a Jason tirade about flaws in American soccer fan culture.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
Tune in to Kick-a-Thon 2: The Search For More Kicks on September 16 at 9:30am for a super-sized show with surprise guests, games, general chicanery, and much more!
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 4 min
Cavan Sullivan: Teenage Superstar, USMNT Future, and more
Show notes
All hail Cavan Sullivan, America’s latest soccer savior. The 16-year-old had another stellar performance in MLS play over the weekend and it’s time to discuss what this teenager can accomplish. Of course Freddy Adu is going to come up in this discussion, so how can Sullivan avoid the same fate? Is he ready for a USMNT call up? When will he make the jump to Europe? What about his older brother Quinn?
With that in mind, we also take a look at what we want to see from the U.S. Men’s National Team over the next four years. Is Mauricio Pochettino going to stick around to guide them into the next World Cup? It seems likely he will be an in demand manager for major clubs in Europe so will he actually dedicate himself to the national team cause or will he screw them over at the worst possible time? The truth is probably somewhere in between.
Also, the Jacksonville Armada stadium plan deadline has come and gone. What’s next for the former NASL club’s revival project?
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
Tune in to Kick-a-Thon 2: The Search For More Kicks on September 16 at 9:30am for a super-sized show with surprise guests, games, general chicanery, and much more!
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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1 hr 44 min
USL Agrees to Share, AC Boise Promotion, New Team Brand Reveal + more
Show notes
Free-for-all Friday is here and there’s no time for silly puns with all we have to chat about.
The USL got some big news this week with the official ratification of their new collective bargaining agreement. The players made some big gains in annual salary, housing, and healthcare.The clubs also made a big move by developing a revenue sharing model between all three tiers of professional clubs. National television revenue, expansion fees, and more league revenue will not be distributed amongst the member clubs. Let’s hope that increases stability among the roster of teams in the competition.
The USL expansion group in Reno revealed their branding, which means Robert and Jason have a badge to analyze. Let’s just say they have thoughts about horses and the color orange. We also ask the MK Ultras for their opinions.
AC Boise announced they are making the jump to the USL Championship after only one week in USL League One. To go with that news, they also revealed an expanded stadium plan for next season that looks fantastic. We have the renderings. The club’s CEO and co-founder Brad Stith returns to the show to share the excitement and talk about what led up to these moves.
We close with our weekly #DotTheMap ritual with our newest MK Ultras and some viewer comments about the USL's new economic model.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
Tune in to Kick-a-Thon 2: The Kickening on September 16 at 9:30am for a super-sized show with surprise guests, games, general chicanery, and much more!
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
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1 hr 5 min
NC Courage, Space Coast Stadiums, Kai Velmer on Youth Soccer, and more
Show notes
The holiday weekend is over and Morning Kickaround is refreshed and ready for more American soccer.
Today we open with some stadium news coming out of the south, starting in North Carolina. The North Carolina Courage are trying to upgrade their stadium situation, claiming the WakeMed Soccer Park is not cutting it anymore. While owner Steve Malik says relocation isn’t on the table, yet, why should we here at Morning Kickaround believe him considering how he’s handled his men’s team?
Kei Velmer then joins the show to talk about access to youth soccer and how to make a system that works better for more people. Kai is the Executive Director of the United Soccer Association in Florida, where he has helped build a robust youth system with over 40 teams and promotion and relegation between divisions.
Finally, the stadium project in Melbourne, Florida took a nice step forward after securing a real estate deal for their stadium site.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
Tune in to Kick-a-Thon 2: The Kickening on September 16 at 9:30am for a super-sized show with surprise guests, games, general chicanery, and much more!
https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Get Your MK Ultra Merch!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://megaphone.fm/adchoices
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