The Best Soccer Show

JASON IS BACK WITH THE BEST SOCCER SHOW. After a few weeks off for travel to Argentina and Fort Wayne, Jason is joined by Jonathan Tannenwald to talk about:

1. American soccer culture and fan support and our quixotic quest to live up to the standards of some other soccer culture.

2. The MLS Cup playoff picture, including a discussion of which teams are legit and which are counterfeit.

3. The USMNT roster for the Nations League quarterfinals, with some MLS scheduling issues that could impact the striker group.

4. NWSL playoff scheduling problems that echo what's happening in the WNBA finals.

5. MLS Sprint Season schedule first impressions.

6. Eddie Johnson v. Landon Donovan. What?

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With two games down and two to go for the USMNT in this extended international window, Jason grabbed veteran soccer writer Doug McIntyre of Fox Sports to break down the wins over Peru and Chile and talk about what it all means (with Mexico looming on Saturday).

* What do we make of the young talent so far?

* Are there senior level players in that group right now?

* How the Olympics in 2028 are impacting this window

* How Poch has changed the vibes for this new cycle

* Cavan Sullivan's potential and future at Man City

* Positional depth questions

* Dual national panic and whether there's any fix

Support The Best Soccer Show on Patreon and join the best American soccer community on our Slack. You'll also get access to bonus content, like Jason playing FIFA 18 with his 5-year-old son Thiago.

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Jason rides solo this week to discuss the influx of new faces with the USMNT and decide which ones we can be truly excited about. What are the goals for this game and for this camp?

With some help from the live viewers, Jason gets in the weeds on whether there needs to be some winning for the Americans as the new World Cup cycle gets underway.

Jason plays a few clips from Pochettino on his thoughts about this moment, the young players entering the pool, and what the dream for the USMNT is for 2030 (if he sticks around that long).

Then we mark the end of the career of Gyasi Zardes before diving into some existential stuff coming out of Mexico.

Support the show on the Patreon at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow. Recent bonus content includes Jason and his 5-year-old Thiago firing up FIFA 18.

Check out Morning Kickaround on YouTube and wherever you get your podcasts. MK just made a big announcement about our next live event in Fort Wayne, Indiana on October 24th.

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SUPER SPECIAL SHOW. To celebrate the drop of the new USMNT roster, Jason is joined by Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer and JRODIOS JARED DUBOIS to talk about the new faces in the national team setup.

Included in this episode:

* Thoughts on the World Cup boom (and whether MLS did anything to capitalize on it

* Cavan Sullivan's promise and just how good he is

* Other names in the roster to get excited about

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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Jason went live.

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See you next week.

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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.

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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/

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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!

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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.

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00:00 - Welcome to a special episode of The Best Soccer Show

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01:10 - Introducing Shawn Francis: From The Offside Rules to Copa90

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02:12 - Support the show on Patreon & getting access to the Bestie Slack

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03:24 - Welcoming Shawn: Remembering the American soccer world before Twitter

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04:35 - Have we "won"? Looking at the commercial boom of the game today

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05:45 - The fracturing of modern sports media and how social media changed MLS

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07:35 - Rocket fuel or watershed moment? Expectations for the upcoming World Cup

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09:34 - Personal nostalgia: What the 1994 World Cup meant to a generation of fans

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10:10 - The local knock-on effect of ticket pricing and massive tournament travel

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10:43 - From French restaurants to Harlem auto garages: Unforgettable World Cup watch stories

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Watch Copa90: Check out their incredible football culture content on the Copa90 YouTube Channel.

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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.

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Read the Newsletter: Subscribe to Jason’s deep dives and tactical analysis over at the Jason Davis Soccer Eagle on Ghost.

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Bluesky: @davisjason.bsky.social

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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!

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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 https://patreon.com/thebestsoccershow and become a Bestie. Perks include:

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🎧 Wednesday Office Hours with Jason — live, interactive, drop in and pick his brain

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🎤 Studio link access — Patreon subscribers can jump into the office hours stream directly

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🗣️ The Bestie Slack/Discord — the community for American soccer obsessives

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🎁 Bonus content drops — including random appearances from Jay Rodius and more

It doesn't cost much. It means a lot. See you in there.

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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 https://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 https://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.

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