For the Glory KC is back with the 153rd episode of the show!

Before you do anything else, can you take our Sporting KC and MLS fan survey? Thanks!

The main event, for the second straight week, are the KC Current who shook up the soccer world. First, Vlatko Andonovski is out as the coach but is promoted? It felt weird to us as well. Sheena and I talk through the sudden change and shed some light on the move and all the other front office changes around the Kansas City Current.

Then we can't avoid the pain of discussing the premature end to the season for KC, as NJ/NY Gotham bounced them from the playoffs unexpectedly late in extra time. We break down the injuries, the decisions that led to those, the games highs and lows and everything in between.

And before the sadness ends, we have to discuss the departure of Hailie Mace from the Current. And another KC Current player is on the move too. Plus, the KC Current are up for nearly all the awards.

Sporting Kansas City were less in the news, but Major League Soccer on the whole made massive waves this week. First, they announced a schedule change to a "winter" schedule in 2027. In between there will be one more "regular" season, then a mini season they are calling a "sprint" to start 2027 before the full switch to the summer to spring move in July of 2027. We break down our feelings on the moves and try to capture each side of the equation (for more depth, check out my Op-Ed on the subject).

The league also confirmed big changes with the Apple TV deal, including the end of MLS Season Pass.

Beyond that, there are rumors of more changes, including the elimination of conferences and a new five division MLS setup. Sheena was very upset at my proposed divisions from nearly a year ago! And of course, MLS may change their playoffs again too.

Before we depart, Ike Opara and Sporting KC II made news too, and SKC even signed a player, Cielo Tschantret. If only every week of the offseason was as busy as this one! It's a long episode, but maybe there won't be anything that happens this week?

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• NWSL expanding to Atlanta and another city in 2028
• USMNT and US U-17 updates
• FIFA is raising ticket prices again for the World Cup
• Missouri State comes up short in the CUSA final

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• Vlatko is out as the KC Current coach - 9:37
• KC Current vs. Gotham playoff stunner - 34:30
• Hailie Mace departs KC - 1:09:27
• MLS “Winter” Schedule & other big changes - 1:23:20
• SKC Round-up - 2:01:48
• Digital Crawl - 2:07:12

Upcoming Games

• USMNT vs. Uruguay, Tues, Nov 18th at 6:00PM CST
• MLS playoffs resume Saturday 

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

For the Glory KC is back with the 152nd episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City's 2025 MLS season is over and we're in that news lull where it's unclear if anything major is going to happen anytime soon. That said, we have a ton of tiny Sporting KC stories that could easily fall through the cracks if you aren't on social media.

Before we get to that, if you haven't yet, please take our survey on the Sporting KC 2025 MLS season! Thanks!

On today's episode, Sheena and I discuss the rumored opening day of the 2026 MLS season, rumors around Santiago Munoz staying in Kansas City, new salary information, Ryan Schewe re-signing, an analysis of SKC, Benny Feilhaber news, another coach moving on and Zorhan Bassong getting another call-up.

The real main even though is the KC Current who bounced back from their first loss in 17 games to earn a come from behind victory, without Temwa Chawinga, over the San Diego Wave. They also basically did it without Bia, who went down injured as well. We have updates on both of those injuries and a preview of the opening playoff series with Gotham FC.

Beyond that, we look back at the Kansas City Current's remarkable season, talk about Temwa lifting another Golden Boot trophy, share out thoughts on Lo LaBonta re-signing with the team and her time with the USWNT and much more.

It's an episode of many, many tiny stories about SKC and the Current. We also briefly talk about a lovely bio of KC Current owners Chris and Angie Long that you should go read in the Kansas City Star.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• Kansas City hosting a free fan fest for the World Cup
• USMNT, US U-17s (men and women) results
• SKC's rival, St. Louis City, hires a Sporting Director KC passed over

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• Sporting KC news and tidbits - 10:33
• KC Current Get Right! - 34:43
• KC Current Playoff Preview - 50:15
• Digital Crawl - 1:15:16

Upcoming Games

• MO State Women's Bears vs. Liberty (CUSA Championship), Fri. Nov 7th at 11:00AM CST
• USMNT U17s vs. Tajikistan (World Cup), Sat, Nov 8th at 8:45AM
• KC Current vs. Gotham FC (NWSL Playoffs), Sun, Nov 9th at 11:30AM
• USMNT U17s vs. Czech Republic (World Cup), Wed, Nov 11th at 8:45AM

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

For the Glory KC is back with the 151st episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City's 2025 MLS season has mercifully come to an end. On a points per game basis, it was the worst season in team history. This past week brought about the biggest series of offseason changes in recent memory. Of the 17 players David Lee and his staff had to decide on, only four are guaranteed to be back in 2026 (with ongoing negotiations with two more). As things stand today, there are just 12 players on the roster.

Sheena and I work our way through all of the Sporting KC players whose options were declined, whose loans were not picked up and who are simply out of contract and not in negotiations to return. There were some names, like Erik Thommy and Logan Ndenbe, that fans took harder than others. All of this should lead to a busy offseason since Lee has room to add up to 18 players to the roster.

Beyond the roster moves and subsequent press conference, Sporting KC made other news around the US Open Cup, the MLS SuperDraft, coaching moves and an international call-up. We even spend a few minutes on the Decision Day snoozer between SKC and the Houston Dynamo and the upcoming MLS offseason schedule.

The KC Current had a pretty terrible week too, primarily because of the injury to Temwa Chawinga. They also happened to lose a meaningless game to the Houston Dash, but that paled in comparison to the injury news. There was some positive news around the Current with numerous international call-ups and the expansion of their Academy setup.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• KC Comets news
• The United States are bidding to co-host the 2031 Women's World Cup
• Lots of USMNT/USWNT results and news
• and a big overall of Men's College soccer

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• Sporting KC are down to just 12 players after cuts - 7:31
• David Lee gives insight into the next couple months - 56:23
• SKC Round-up (including US Open Cup & finale results) - 1:14:15
• MLS and SKC Offseason Schedule - 1:32:55
• Bad news for the KC Current - 1:37:33
• Digital Crawl - 1:50:49

Upcoming Games

• USWNT vs. Portugal, Sun. Oct 26th at 3:00PM CT
• USWNT U17s vs. Netherlands, Mon. Oct 27th 
• USWNT vs. New Zealand, Wed. Oct 29th at 7:00PM (CPKC Stadium)
• KC Current vs. San Diego Wave, Sun. Nov 2nd at 2:00PM
• USMNT U17s vs. Burkina Faso (Western Africa), Tues. Nov 4th at 11:00PM
• USMNT U17s vs. Tajikistan, Fri, Nov 7th at 11:00PM
• USMNT U17s vs. Czech Republic, Mon, Nov 10th at 11:00PM

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

For the Glory KC is back with the 150th episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City didn't play, so they can't break our hearts this week. In fact, it's pretty optimistic with Wednesday's press conference with new President of Soccer Operations, David Lee. He introduced himself to the fanbase and media and made a strong first impression. For a deeper dive on that press conference, we've got that in article form, but we'll take you through the big notes.

Even though Sporting KC have a CSO hired, it won't stop Sheena and I from thinking we know best and deciding the fate of the 17 players who are out of contract, on options years or have loans that include a purchase option. If you prefer nearly 6,000 written words instead of listening to us talk, I joined six other KCSJ colleagues in the written word earlier this week. Sheena did call this "some of her best work," so you should probably listen. It was fun!

As a bonus, even though there are only eight guys on guaranteed contracts, Sheena and I discuss who of those we'd actually like to keep too, with Daniel Salloi and Shapi Suleymanov getting the most attention.

In the Sporting KC round-up we spread that good word that SKC cannot win the Wooden Spoon, Mike Burns is sticking around and vent a little about that silly SKC/Minnesota United game we never talked about.

The KC Current just keep winning. A record-breaking number of wins in fact! And points. And shutouts. They've vanquished a quality Gotham FC squad and Angel City FC since we last spoke, so we catch up on all things Kansas City Current.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• AI writing on MLSsoccer.com
• Philadelphia Union win the Shield
• USMNT U-20 World Cup update
• Full USMNT squad looking better
• Kei Kamara retires from international soccer

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• Insights on SKC CSO David Lee - 6:45
• We Pretend we’re CSO for a Day - 32:08
• Would you cut any of the eight guaranteed players - 1:38:34
• MLS Wooden Spoon Update - 1:44:32
• KC Current win two more times - 1:49:15
• Digital Crawl - 

Upcoming Games

• USMNT vs. Australia, Tues. Oct 14th at 8:00PM CDT
• KC Current @ Houston Dash, Sat. Oct 18th at 6:30PM
• Sporting KC vs. Houston Dynamo, Sat. Oct 18th at 8:00PM (Decision Day)

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

For the Glory KC is back with the 149th episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City did what we've been asking for and hired a new President of Soccer Operations. David Lee is in charge of all things soccer over at Sporting KC, and he'll report directly to ownership. That's actually the first (serious) subject on the pod. CSO? PoSO? General Manager? Sporting Director? Technical Director? To quote the former King of the Seven Kingdoms, Robert Baratheon, "titles, titles, titles."

On today's, not quite an emergency podcast, we learn about David Lee's professional past, his time with NYCFC and his track record of success.

He also comes out of the City Football Group (CFG) empire, so we tell you what the heck that means and what impact that likely had on the resources he had at his disposal and how it could both be benefiting him and limiting him at other times.

Sheena and I also weigh in on Lee's history of youth development and a knack for signing young talent. A lot of that is CFG related, but it also could be the direction he decides to take with Sporting KC. There is so much to talk about with Lee, you should probably just download the episode already!

As a tease, here are some of the quotes from the media we'll cite around the excitement of the David Lee hire:

• David Gass: "This is probably better than what I would have guessed is a best-case scenario for SKC.”
• Tom Bogert: "David Lee joining Sporting KC from NYCFC as CSO is a big move. Impressive by SKC to court and land Lee, as it's rare for a CSO to leave for another CSO role. Lee one of league’s respected sporting executives. Gets to rebuild SKC around Dejan Joveljic, Manu Garcia and more."
• Joe Lowery: "SKC fans should be pleased with the David Lee hire. While it's hard to know how much of NYCFC's success during Lee's time there stemmed from his roster-building vs. CFG's resources, he's got real experience in a recruiting machine."
• Taylor Twellman: "Smart. Clever. Great Hire from Sporting KC. David Lee is someone who can really get SKC over the hump and his experience with NYCFC in MLS will be invaluable in turning around the franchise in Kansas."
• Andrew Weibe: "This is truly a great get for Kansas City. Lee has repeatedly hit at every roster designation with his signings (not all HRs, of course, before you get in the mentions). Pascal Jansen has been an A+ managerial hire. NYCFC has been consistently good to excellent under his watch."

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• MLS Offseason schedule
• SKC International call-ups
• A new job for Peter Vermes?
• World Cup Ticket Prices
• and more!

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• Sporting KC hire a CSO - 2:50
• Digital Crawl - 59:59

Upcoming Games

• Sporting KC @ Minnesota United, Sat. Oct 4th at 7:30PM CDT
• SKC II @ MNUFC2, Sun. Oct 5th at 3:00PM
• USMNT U-20s vs. South Africa, Sun. Oct 5th at 3:00PM
• KC Current @ Angel City FC, Mon. Oct 6th at 9:30PM
• KC Current vs. Gotham FC, Sat. Oct 11th at 4:00PM

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

For the Glory KC is back with the 148th episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City put up one of the worst performances in recent memory when they went on the road and lost 4-1 to the LA Galaxy. The dead-last-in-all-of-MLS Galaxy. They gave up a hattrick in the first half to Designated Player, Joseph Paintsil, and he frankly could have scored four or five goals on the night. It's a worrying trend with how they start games and how they end the first half of games.

Despite it being bad, and it was very bad, it wasn't all bad. Dejan Joveljic scored again, this time against his former team leaving him 4th in the Golden Boot standings. There were positive moments for new starters Memo Rodriguez and Stephen Afrifa (and bad ones but let us have this). Robert Voloder came off the bench and made his case to still be on this roster.

Sheena and I also discuss all the follies and how much of the blame should be heaped onto John Pulskamp (spoiler: not much in my eyes). And we have to discuss that Shapi Suleymanov red card.

Unfortunately, we also have to update the "race to the bottom" by Sporting KC. They are dangerously closer to 'winning' the Wooden Spoon for the first time in club history. The only hope may be that other teams also play bad, which D.C. United and St. Louis City did their part this weekend.

In the SKC Round-up we also cover how much General Allocation Money the new Chief Soccer Officer (CSO) is going to have to work with and some good and bad moments from the final SKC II home game.

The KC Current lifted us up a bit on Friday though, with their dominant 4-1 win with a heavily rotated lineup. There were brilliant moments, debuts, firsts and more. And we have to talk about how Temwa Chawinga was placed ridiculously low on the Ballon d'Or voting.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• Chicago Fire's new Stadium being approved
• A further expanded World Cup in 2030
• Desi Scott set to retire (again)

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• Sporting KC get embarrassed against the Galaxy - 9:39
• SKC Wooden Spoon Update - 40:23
• KC Current reverses the SKC score for another win - 50:46
• Digital Crawl - 1:09:59

Upcoming Games

• USMNT U-20s vs. New Caledonia, Mon. Sept. 29th at 6:00PM CDT
• USMNT U-20s vs. France, Thur., Oct 2nd at 3:00PM
• Sporting KC @ Minnesota United, Sat. Oct 4th at 7:30PM 
• SKC II @ MNUFC2, Sun. Oct 5th at 3:00PM
• USMNT U-20s vs. South Africa, Sun. Oct 5th at 3:00PM
• KC Current @ Angel City FC, Mon. Oct 6th at 9:30PM

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

For the Glory KC is back with the 147th episode of the show!

The KC Current are the headliners this week, and probably should be each week, because they had themselves a marvelous weekend! After the Washington Spirit dropped points to Angel City FC on Thursday night, that opened the door for the Kansas City Current to lift the shield on Saturday night. All they had to do was win.

And of course they did! They defeated the Seattle Reign 2-0, lifted the NWSL Shield as the best record in the league, with five games remaining. It's the fastest ever shield win in league history, breaking the previous record set by the 2014 Seattle Reign.

But that Reign team ultimately didn't win the NWSL Championship. They lost the final to FC Kansas City, coached by Vlatko Andonovski. Sheena and I work through all the emotions and moments from the night and how the KC Current can't let that happen to them. 

Across town, things were much worse for Sporting Kansas City. They lost, yet again, this time to the Vancouver Whitecaps. And it was a depleted Whitecaps side who were missing most of their stars. It didn't matter as SKC fell behind just over a minute into the game and never recovered.

Then again, they did play some kids and try some different things for next year. So, I supposed we sort of got what we were asking for last week. But losing sucks. And St. Louis City won, so Sporting KC are closer to the Wooden Spoon (for the worst record in MLS) than anything else and now behind their cross-state rivals.

On one night, the KC Current proclaim themselves one of the best teams in the world and Sporting KC get eliminated from playoff contention. What a weird night for Kansas City soccer.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• Messi extends contract with Inter Miami and will retire in MLS
• US Open Cup and Canadian Championship finals set

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• Premier League Morning Live! - 1:11
• KC Current win the Shield! - 11:35
• Sporting KC may have quit - 45:10
• Digital Crawl - 1:11:45

Upcoming Games

• KC Current vs. Chicago Stars - Fri. Sept 26th at 7:00PM CDT
• Sporting KC @ LA Galaxy - Sat. Sept. 27th at 9:30PM
• SKC II vs. Ventura County - Sun. Sept 28th at 12:00PM

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

For the Glory KC is back with the 146th episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City really wasted our time this weekend. Sure, the game was close, only losing 2-1 to Real Salt Lake. But any idiot could see this lineup wasn't going to work. A midfield three of Nemanja Radoja, Jacob Bartlett and Jake Davis. Where is the offense coming from? Why is Radoja playing the 8? He has a single position, being a defensive midfielder in a single pivot. A role he's spent almost no time playing in 2025. Which is fine, let Barlett get those minutes. Or even better, let Davis and Zorhan Bassong play in a double pivot (Bassong was suspended for this game).

And why is Joaquin Fernandez playing any minutes for this team? He has shown he hasn't done enough to earn a new contract. His deal runs out at the end of 2025 and his exorbitant salary has not been earned. Ian James picked up a concussion, so he wasn't available. But new loanee Alan Montes is. See if he has enough talent to keep around beyond the expiration of his loan this season. They have a purchase option. I have a dream formation he'd fit right into.

Worst of all, the game was so conservative, and Kerry Zavagnin didn't go offensive until the team was down 2-0. It felt like a wasted game. We'll get into that, and other thoughts from the RSL game before moving on to other topics like the KC Cauldron "Hot Seat," an injury update for SKC and England possibly coming to KC for the World Cup.

Finally, the KC Current couldn't pull off yet another win. They played to a 0-0 draw with the Washington Spirit without the injured Temwa Chawinga. Temwa should be fine according to Vlatko Andonovski.

The game was another hot one, featured a red card and the Spirit showed why they are the 2nd place team in the NWSL.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• USMNT bounce back versus Japan
• St. Louis City owners battle with their supporters
• Wooden Spoon race update

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• Sporting KC waste a week of our lives against RSL - 10:04
• SKC injury news and Cauldron Hot Seat - 34:08
• No Temwa, no winning for the Current - 43:06
• Digital Crawl - 57:23

Upcoming Games

• SKC II @ North Texas SC, Sun. Sept 14th at 7:30PM
• SKC II vs. Whitecaps 2, Fri, Sept 19th at 6:00PM CDT
• KC Current vs. Seattle Reign, Sat. Sept 20th at 6:30PM 
• Sporting KC vs. Vancouver, Sat. Sept 20th at 7:30PM

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

For the Glory KC is back with the 145th episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City failed once again to do what they haven't been able to do all season. String together back-to-back wins. That leaves them all but eliminated from the 2025 playoffs, simply seeking to avoid a slide that puts them at the bottom of the table. We spend just a little time on the Austin FC game (but we still had a few thoughts) and move to more pressing matters.

Both of our next conversations were triggered by a simple tweet from Andrew Weibe.

First, we talk through that Chief Soccer Officer (CSO) search update, including that it'll happen before the season is over, they are in final interviews, and the move will come from outside the organization (so no Mike Burns as CSO).

Then the last paragraph sparked a bit of a discussion online.

"CSO could make wholesale changes. Seventeen players out of contract. Two of three DP spots could be opened, all three U22."

First, the two DPs Sporting KC have, cannot be bought down. So, the implication is that Dejan Joveljic or Manu Garcia could be sold, and Weibe went on to confirm that's what he meant. So, should Joveljic be sold? If so, how much will that cost a team to pry him away? He's just 26-years-old. He's at 17 goals and counting this year. Sheena and I get into the discussion and the fan reaction around that idea. I try to break down why it might financially make some sense, but also assess the risk involved in such a move.

Finally, the KC Current continued their winning ways with their 12th straight game without a loss, including only a single draw. The game was their 9th road win of the season, an NWSL record. With the Washington Spirit also winning, they remain only 14 points clear of second place. That won't allow next weekend to end in them winning the shield, but if they beat the Spirit, it'll all but lock up the trophy.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• Sounders and Miami's wild Leagues Cup final
• MLS launching 'ref cam'
• Alyssa Thompson leaves NWSL for Chelsea
• Jaedyn Shaw getting traded during the podcast
• USMNT losing to South Korea

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• KC Cauldron Town Hall this Thursday!! - 4:00
• Sporting KC blow a lead Against Austin FC - 4:41
• A big update on the CSO hiring process - 29:26
• Should Sporting KC Sell Dejan for the Right Price? - 33:00
• Former SKC Player Movement - 44:35
• KC Current inch closer to the Shield - 46:16
• Digital Crawl - 59:05

Upcoming Games

• USMNT vs. Japan, Tues. Sept 9th at 6:30PM CDT
• KC Current vs. Washington Spirit, Sat. Sept 13th at 6:30PM
• Sporting KC @ Real Salt Lake, Sat. Sept 13th at 8:30PM
• SKC II @ North Texas SC, Sun. Sept 14th at 7:30PM

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

For the Glory KC is back with the 144th episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City broke a nearly two-month winless streak on Saturday night against the Colorado Rapids. The streak went back to their last win, also against the Rapids, on July 4th in Commerce City. And while "winless" is technically right, it was worse than that. Between victories over Colorado, Sporting KC were 0-5-1, with just a single draw against NYCFC.

The defense was still flawed, and defense often starts further up the field, so there is blame to go around. Colorado should have scored far more than the two goals they put in, if not for outstanding individual efforts from John Pulskamp, Robert Voloder and Ian James. But it was something else that stood out on Saturday.

With Manu Garcia still unavailable due to injury, Kerry Zavagnin finally used Santiago Munoz as a straight up #10. You could call it a second striker, but he was floating all over creating opportunities. He was involved in so many attacking sequences and seemed to unlock Sporting KC's creativity. Not every sequence ended with a shot, but there was so much promise.

Another move I've been asking for is not starting all three strikers together. It leaves no impact subs on the bench to play forward. With Mason Toye starting on the bench, it was a combination of him subbing on and Santi unlocking the midfield that led to the game winning goal. Munoz played a perfect ball to Toye to finished with precision to push SKC over the line for their seventh win of the season.

Of course, Sheena and I talked about a lot more Sporting KC happenings in this episode, including:

• Our favorite goal of the night (there were so many good candidates)
• Pulskamp heroics
• That James save off the line!
• Daniel Salloi showing man strength
• International callups and so much more

The KC Current did what we basically expect them to do at this point. Just keep winning. They've won twice since our last podcast and clinched a playoff spot. They aren't that far away from locking up the NWSL Shield. But ultimately, the season will be defined by what they do in the playoffs. Before we get there though, we talk through the victories over the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit on a few more topics, including:

• St. Louis fire their Sporting Director
• Barbra Banda done for the year
• The USWNT game at CPKC Stadium

Here is a rundown of topics and start times:

• Sporting KC’s big comeback victory - 8:22
• SKC make moves and Intl. Call-ups in the SKC roundup - 54:24
• KC Current keep winning - 1:01:03
• Strife between ownership & the NWSL in the Current roundup - 1:18:32
• Digital Crawl - 1:26:47

Upcoming Games

• SKC II vs. Real Monarchs, Sat. Sept 6th at 12:00PM CDT
• USMNT vs. South Korea, Sat. Sept 6th at 4:00 PM
• KC Current @ Bay FC, Sat. Sept 6th at 9:00PM
• Sporting KC vs. Austin FC, Sun. Sept. 7th at 6:00PM

As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link!

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.