The 2026 World Cup is just a few months away, and everyone in the United States Men’s National Team player pool is trying to state their final cases to make the roster that will represent this summer. On Episode 174, we speak with defender Max Arfsten, whose arrival on the international scene a year ago has seen him vault into serious contention to be one of the 26 players picked by head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

We speak with Max about his rise to the national team and how he was able to play himself into the mix in such a short period of time. We get his thoughts on Major League Soccer’s schedule shift and what he wants to continue to do to show he has earned a spot on the World Cup time. We also get his Super Bowl picks as he discusses some activations he is doing for P&G.

We also discuss the selection of venues for the 2028 Olympic soccer tournaments. The tournament will be played across the country and we discuss why that traditionally happens at the Olympics and the format changes on both the men’s and women’s soccer sides. We end with an introduction to Black History Month and what you can do to make it a fruitful month of knowledge as we celebrate Black History both here and abroad.

Don’t forget to follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, and YouTube! Rates, reviews, and subscriptions really help our reach wherever you get your podcasts as well as on YouTube. Head to our Linktree, which will give you access to all our affiliate links and our new Stimulus store! And finally, tag us on Twitter or email USA Soccercast at Gmail dot com with any topic suggestions or questions for the show.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices