Here and Abroad

On today’s show, we are going to discuss the two friendlies that the USMNT just completed. They beat Uzbekistan 3-0 on Saturday and Oman 4-0 on Tuesday.

To help me break down their performance, I’ve invited Kevin Baxter to join the show.

Kevin writes about soccer and other things for the Los Angeles Times, where he has worked for 27 years. He has covered seven World Cups, four Olympic Games, six World Series and a Super Bowl and has contributed to three Pulitzer Prize-winning series at The Times and Miami Herald. You can follow Kevin on Twitter at: @kbaxter11

Here And Abroad is produced by me, Frank Garza. You can follow me on Twitter at: @FrankGarza007

The USMNT plays Uzbekistan this Saturday, September 9 and Oman the following Tuesday, September 12. This marks the official beginning of Gregg Berhalter 2.0 as the head coach returns to the sidelines for the first time since losing to the Netherlands at the World Cup. On today's show, we'll preview the two friendlies and what to expect from Berhalter 2.0.

My guest today is Mike Woitalla. Mike is the Executive Editor of Soccer America. You can follow him on Twitter at: @MikeWoitalla

Here And Abroad is produced by me, Frank Garza. You can follow me on Twitter at: @FrankGarza007

The 24-player roster has been announced for the USMNT’s upcoming friendlies against Uzbekistan on September 9 and Oman on September 12. These will be Gregg Berhalter's first matches back on the sideline since the U.S. lost to the Netherlands at the World Cup.

To help me breakdown the roster, I've invited Larry Henry Jr to join the show. Larry is the Managing Editor and USMNT Insider at SBI Soccer. He’s also a writer for MLS NEXT Pro. You can follow Larry on Twitter at: @lhenry019

Christian Pulisic made his debut for AC Milan in a 2-0 win over Bologna on Monday. He started the match and scored Milan’s second goal, with a tremendous strike from just outside the box. He also played a key part in the buildup to their first goal.

On today’s show we’ll dig deeper into Pulisic’s performance, discuss how the team played overall, and we’ll also look ahead to Yunus Musah’s expected debut next weekend.

Alessandro Bai is my guest today. Alessandro is an Italian-Brazilian freelance journalist. He’s the Milan correspondent for Total Italian Football and he previously wrote for La Gazzetta dello Sport and MondoFutbol. You can follow him on Twitter at: @journale_bai

The Bundesliga kicks off this weekend! Union Berlin plays their season opener against Mainz on Sunday. On today's show, we talk about Union Berlin's two American players, Brenden Aaronson and Jordan Pefok, and what to expect from them this season. We’ll also do a more general overview of the club for those that haven’t watched a lot of them in the past.

To help me with this topic, I’ve invited Kit Holden to join the show. Kit is a British-German author and journalist who lives and works in Berlin. He writes regularly on Union Berlin for Der Tagesspiegel, a German daily newspaper. He’s also the author of a recent book on Union Berlin, Scheisse! We're Going Up!: The Unexpected Rise of Berlin's Rebel Football Club. You can follow Kit on Twitter at: @KitHolden

On today’s show, we are talking about PSV Eindhoven and what to expect from their American players this season. Ricardo Pepi joined the team on a transfer deal from Augsburg back in early July. Malik Tillman will be joining him on a loan deal from Bayern Munich that was officially announced today.

To help me break down this topic, I’ve invited Marco Timmer to join the show. Marco is a journalist who covers PSV. He writes for Voetbal International, a Dutch football magazine and he’s a host on the Skiete Willy Podcast along with former PSV midfielder Bjorn van der Doelen. You can follow Marco on Twitter at: @marcotimmer

Fabiana Della Valle is joining me today. Fabiana is a Juventus insider and journalist who writes for La Gazzetta dello Sport, a daily newspaper in Italy.

We talk about the two Americans who are currently playing for Juventus. Tim Weah joined the club about a month ago on a $13 million transfer deal from Lille. Weston McKennie has been with the club since 2020.

We talk about how each of them are expected to fit into the team this season. We’ll also take a broader look at the Juventus squad and the club’s expectations for the upcoming year.

You can follow Fabiana on Twitter at: @FabDellaValle

Charles Boehm is joining me today to talk about MLS-based USMNT players. Charles and I did a MLS season preview together back in February. Now that we’re well past the mid-point of the season, it seemed like a good time to check back in on this part of the USMNT player pool.

Charles is a Washington, DC-based writer and editor who has covered all levels of the American soccer scene since 2004. A native of Dallas, Texas, Charles played at the NCAA Division III level and in the Grenadian Premier League during a Peace Corps stint in the small, soccer-crazed Caribbean island nation. His work has appeared in a range of outlets including ESPN.com, MLSsoccer.com, Overlap digital magazine, Soccerwire.com, and Gothamist.com. You can follow Charles on Twitter at: @cboehm

Christian Pulisic appears to be heading to AC Milan! At the time of this recording, we were still waiting on an official announcement from the club. But multiple sources have reported that a deal has been agreed upon, that Pulisic is in Italy this week to complete a medical, and that the move will become official soon.

With Pulisic set to join AC Milan, I am planning to watch them closely this season. I’m sure many Americans will be doing the same. So I wanted to learn more about the club and how Pulisic will likely fit in. I thought that information would come best from a local journalist who covers Milan on a day to day basis. 

On that note, I’ve invited Enrico Boiani to join the show today. Enrico lives in Milan where he’s a journalist and broadcaster for Radio Rossonera, a media platform solely dedicated to covering AC Milan. You can follow Enrico on Twitter at: @EnriBoiani

On today’s show, we are going to preview the knockout round of the Gold Cup. The U.S. plays their quarterfinal match against Canada on Sunday. We’ll take a close look at that matchup and then go through the rest of the bracket.

To help me today, I’ve invited Kyle Bonn to join the show. Kyle is a writer for The Sporting News and has over a decade of experience covering the sport of soccer globally. He also does TV broadcasts for Wake Forest soccer. You can follow Kyle on Twitter at: @the_bonnfire