New England Soccer Journal’s The Goal

In this episode, Sam Robb O'Hagan and Matt Doherty analyze the halfway point of the NEPSAC boys soccer season. They discuss team performances, key players and tournament predictions. They explore the lack of a dominant team, the competitive landscape and what to watch for in the second half.

In this episode, Sam Robb O'Hagan and Matt Doherty analyze the halfway point of the NEPSAC girls soccer season. They discuss team performances, key players and tournament predictions. They explore the lack of a dominant team, the competitive landscape and what to watch for in the second half.

In this episode, Matt Doherty and Sam Robb O'Hagan analyze the mid-season landscape of the Massachusetts high school boys soccer season, discussing surprises, top contenders, and predictions for the upcoming state tournament.

In this episode, we explore the midseason landscape of Massachusetts girls high school soccer, focusing on top teams, surprises, and key players across divisions. Patrick Donnelly shares insights on team performances, rankings, and what to expect in the upcoming state tournaments.

In this episode, Sam Robb O'Hagan and Matt Doherty analyze the Connecticut boys high school soccer at midseason. They focus on the top teams, key players and upcoming matchups in the CIAC and Class LL tournaments.

In this episode, Matt Doherty analyzes the first week of the NEPSAC girls' soccer season, highlighting key results, standout teams, and individual performances. We also preview upcoming matchups and discuss the evolving landscape of high school soccer.

In this episode, Sam Robb O'Hagan shares insights from the first week of the NEPSAC boys soccer season, including his time at the MAP boys prep school jamboree in Suffield, Conn. He reflects on standout teams, key games, and early trends in defense and scoring. Tune in to learn how teams are adjusting, which players are making an impact, and what to watch for in the coming weeks.

In this episode, Sam Robb O'Hagan and Matt Doherty analyze the upcoming boys NEPSAC soccer season, focusing on predictions for the open tournament, team rankings, and key matchups. They focus on the classification system, team predictions, and player of the year contenders. They explore how the new tournament format impacts team strategies and the excitement of unpredictable outcomes.

In this episode, we explore the upcoming NEPSAC girls soccer season, discussing top teams, predictions, and key players. Perfect for fans, coaches, and players eager to understand the landscape of prep school soccer in New England.

In this episode, Matt Doherty and Sam Robb O'Hagan discuss the upcoming boys MIAA high school soccer season, focusing on team predictions, division comparisons, and key players to watch. They analyze recent trends, coaching strategies, and the importance of adaptability in high school soccer.

In this episode, we explore the upcoming girls high school soccer season in Massachusetts, focusing on key teams, players to watch, and predictions for the state championships. Patrick Donnelly shares insights on team dynamics, standout athletes, and the importance of versatility and depth in high school soccer.

In this episode, we explore the upcoming boys high school soccer season in Connecticut, focusing on team prospects and key players. Host Matt Doherty is joined by Sam Robb O'Hagan to provide insights into the competitive landscape and what to expect. They focus on league strength and the impact of MLS Next on local talent. They analyze team prospects, key players, and the evolving landscape of high school and club soccer.

In this episode, we explore the upcoming girls high school soccer season in Connecticut, focusing on team prospects, key players, and the new tournament seeding system. Host Matt Doherty is joined by Sam Robb O'Hagan to provide insights into the competitive landscape and what to expect. They focus on tournament seeding, league strength, and the impact of MLS Next and ECNL on local talent. They analyze team prospects, key players, and the evolving landscape of high school and club soccer.

In this episode, Sam Rob O'Hagan and Matt Doherty discuss the upcoming NEPSAC boys soccer season, focusing on team strengths, key players, and the new open tournament structure. They analyze team strategies, player prospects, and predictions for the season's outcomes.

In this episode, Sam Robb O'Hagan and Matt Doherty discuss the upcoming 2026 fall girls soccer season, focusing on team rankings, league comparisons, key players, and the dynamics of talent depth versus star power in NEPSAC and other leagues.

In this episode, we delve into our newest Best of New England player rankings, exploring the criteria, standout players, and the evolving landscape of youth development. We ranked 150 players on the boys and girls sides, plus we created "watch list" players from the class of 2029.

Matt Doherty and Sam Robb O'Hagan explain how they arrived at these lists.

In this episode, Matt Doherty welcomes his new co-host, New England Soccer Journal writer Sam Robb O'Hagan. The duo sits down for an early summer check-in to unpack the opening of the college recruiting window and break the news on a massive structural shift coming to the NEPSAC boys' soccer postseason.

Key Discussion Topics 1. The June 15th Recruiting Window Opens

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Boys' Class of 2028 Insights: Sam shares his early takeaways from researching the local boys' talent pool.

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The High-Ed Trend (D1 vs. D3/NESCAC): The hosts debate why local boys' players are increasingly choosing high-academic Division 3 programs (like Tufts or Amherst) over mid-tier Division 1 schools due to the transfer portal and international roster squeeze.

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The Girls' Talent Hotbed: Unlike the boys' side, where development timelines are more complex, local girls' commits are flying off the board to Power Four schools within the first 24 hours (including commits to Boston College and Utah). The hosts credit a highly consolidated ECNL/Girls Academy structure for better player continuity and visibility in New England.

2. Exclusive: The New NEPSAC "Open Tournament"

Sam shares a major scoop regarding a postseason overhaul for NEPSAC boys' soccer starting this fall.

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Why the Change? The NEPSAC aims for a 35% tournament representation threshold across sports. With only 32 teams making the postseason across four classes, soccer fell short, prompting a vote to add 8 more postseason spots.

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The Tournament Format: Instead of introducing a fifth class, the NEPSAC is introducing an elite 8-team Open Tournament (similar to an "Elite Eight"). It will run as a single-elimination bracket alongside the existing class tournaments.

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Selection Process: The field will be selected by a committee of coaches, aided by an RPI-style formula looking at strength of schedule. It is expected to heavily feature top Class A and a few Class B programs.

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The Discourse: Matt and Sam debate the pros and cons—while it creates massive regular-season drama and an exciting playoff field, it could inadvertently dilute the prestige of the traditional Class A title.

Notable Quotes

"The soccer landscape in New England and just in general in the US at amateur levels is pretty freaking wild, as I've come to learn." – Sam Robb O'Hagan

"The quality of play of the NESCAC is at an all-time high... the biggest winners of what's going on at the D1 level are the D3s." – Matt Doherty

Host Matt Doherty welcomes Frank Dell’Apa (New England Soccer Journal/Boston Globe) to discuss the World Cup one month out, focusing on US expectations, injuries, and local ties. They say the US is highly talented but inconsistent under new coach Mauricio Pochettino, should advance from a group with Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey. Frank shifts his title favorites from Spain to France (seen up close in Foxborough) and Germany, flags Portugal and Norway as threats, and highlights Morocco’s depth; they discuss Italy missing another World Cup and compare Boston’s muted buzz to Philadelphia’s planning, preview Gillette games (Scotland-Haiti, France-Norway, England-Ghana), and in “Extra Time” cover Gillette’s pros/cons, vuvuzelas, and novelty merch.

Topics

01:18 USMNT Expectations and Group Outlook

03:11 Breakout Players and Goalkeeper Battle

06:01 Local Ties and Injury Concerns

07:38 Tournament Favorites France and Germany

10:13 Dark Horses Norway England Morocco

15:05 Boston Buzz and Foxborough Logistics

18:42 Must See Gillette Matches and Fanbases

22:11 Picking Extra Teams and Group of Death

23:45 Group of Death Breakdown

25:13 US Group Outlook

25:54 Bosnia Dark Horse Story

28:05 Italy Misses Again

30:17 Extra Time Kickoff

31:21 Gillette Matchday Pros Cons

35:49 Vuvuzelas and Crowd Noise

37:41 World Cup Merch Draft

40:54 Final Thanks and Wrap

Matt Doherty and Matt Langone discuss their “Best in New England” rankings for boys and girls in the classes of 2026 and 2027, explaining their evaluation process using in-person scouting, input from coaches, league honors, team success, and college commitments while acknowledging the difficulty of positional comparisons and “splitting hairs” within tiers. The hosts describe the 2026 boys list as MLS Next-heavy near the top and discuss balancing MLS Next, prep, and commitment context and explain why only 25 2027 boys were ranked due to slower recruiting. They call the 2027 girls class exceptionally deep, with many FC Stars commits, and discuss club and school representation across New England. In Extra Time, they answer questions about favorite New England soccer venues, unusual moments seen in games, and differences between men’s and women’s soccer and coaching approaches.

Topics

01:00 Podcast Intro and Rankings Recap

01:59 How the Rankings Were Built

03:56 2026 Boys Top Tier Breakdown

04:58 MLS Next vs Prep Weighting

08:29 Splitting Hairs and Tier Gaps

10:21 Positions and Goalkeeper Value

11:33 Owning Mistakes and Updates

17:10 2027 Boys List and Recruiting Trends

22:10 2027 Girls Loaded Class

25:51 New England Club Powerhouses

27:53 Girls Clubs and Commit Numbers

28:36 High Schools Producing Talent

30:49 Rankings Updates and Next Steps

31:32 Regional Gaps Beyond Mass and Conn

32:52 Extra Time Segment Begins

33:21 Best Soccer Venues in New England

36:42 Craziest Never Seen That Moment

40:01 Men vs Women Soccer Differences

43:32 Coaching Women vs Men

48:14 Wrap Up and July Tease

Matt Langone and Matt Doherty preview the boys club soccer spring season amid winter weather delays, focusing on MLS Next and ECNL boys postseason qualification for MLS Next Flex and the playoffs in a shortened calendar year. They discuss New England clubs in strong positions (IFA, Bolts, NEFC, Beachside) and highlight key players. The hosts note a surge in 2026 college commitments, a slow pace for 2027 commits, and how the transfer portal and potential Division 2 roster reductions impact recruiting, citing a UMass Boston coach prioritizing transfers. They mention upcoming events like Generation adidas Cup, Jefferson Cup and Florida showcases, including strong ECNL showings by FC Stars U-16 and AC Connecticut U-18/19. "Extra Time" debates player allegiance after transfers, memorable “loud silence” moments, and choosing Bruce Arena as a World Cup final coach.
https://youtu.be/XTx4n1PHuTw

Topics

01:50 Flex and Playoff Race

03:31 Top Prospects and IFA Rise

05:26 Commitments and Recruiting Trends

07:56 Transfer Portal Ripple Effect

10:53 Showcases and Key Events

12:48 ECNL Boys Florida Standouts

18:37 Next Wave of Talent

21:32 "Extra Time" Segment

23:42 Modern Fandom Debate

25:33 Fans Athletes Owe

27:10 Loudest Silence Moments

29:24 Tuck Rule Storytime

31:02 Pick World Cup Coach

33:53 Ted Lasso Wrap Up