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Wednesday is here and for the shortest of times, things are normal here at Morning Kickaround. Jason is back from Argentina, UltraFest is right around the corner, and we have a countdown to kickoff to get to. We say for the shortest of times because Friday will be a travel day for the MK contingent so there will be no live show before the big UltraFest over the weekend.
Before all that, however, the United Soccer League has big news! Is it the promotion/relegation format we’ve all been waiting for? No. The list of clubs to play in the first season of USL Premier? Also no. Is it the league unveiling a new look complete with new logos, new colors, and new slogans? Why, yes it is. Robert and Jason give it the badge breakdown treatment.
As we have mentioned more than a few times. UltraFest is coming up this weekend. MK has been working closely with Fort Wayne’s 3 River Regiment and we welcome their own Christina Copeland to the show to get the view from the supporters’ section about the event, Fort Wayne FC’s first professional season, their beautiful new stadium, and more.
Sticking with the USL, Countdown to Kickoff rolls along with Sporting Cascades head coach Darren Sawatzky. With just a few months remaining until they kick a ball, what’s left on a head coach’s to-do list and what has he already accomplished in his time growing a soccer team from scratch?
Finally, the U.S. Open Cup Final between Columbus Crew and St. Louis City is tonight.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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Jason is still travelling home from Buenos Aires, which means we get another guest host in the form of Brooks Laimbeer from We Are Soccer!
Brooks is an expert in the pre-professional ranks of American soccer which means we get a steady diet of college soccer discussion, but before that we have to talk about stadiums. We had the final match in a couple of USL Championship stadiums over the weekend with Las Vegas Light shutting down Cashman Field with a 5-3 loss against Lexington SC. The Oakland Roots also shut down the Oakland Coliseum this weekend. What’s next for these clubs?
The San Diego Wave are thinking about what comes next. They have proposed a 12,000-16,000 seat venue purpose built for the NWSL outfit. Of course, this is part of a larger real estate development as all stadium projects are these days.
Brooks then gets to flex his muscles and talk about the two semester plan for college soccer and how realistic that plan seems to be for the collegiate game.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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Friday is here and Chris Wilson from Talkin’ USL 2 Ya is our final guest host during Jason’s well earned South American vacation.
We open by taking a look at the stakes in this weekend’s professional matches with several playoff spots up for grabs.
However, Chris being here means this is a show heavy on amateur soccer. From the people who brought us Portland Hearts of Pine comes Maine Wildness? They are a new women’s club entering the USL-W League and they have a new badge for us to review. What do we think of their effort? We also can’t stop at one badge review. We also critique Fuego FC, Catena FC, Boston Harbor FC, Laredo Heat, and Waco SC.
Also, Kalamazoo FC is rebranding from scratch and what do we think of their potential names?
Finally, Daniel Sperry from the Kansas City Star is next up to talk about Sporting Kansas City relocating their MLS Next Pro affiliate. With the USL’s efforts to grow to Des Moines, Iowa on hold, SKC sees a vacancy to move their minor league team. Daniel also talks about Sporting Kansas City and how they are handling life after Peter Vermes, the relationship between MLS Next Pro and the USL, and more.
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Wednesday welcomes Fort Wayne Footy’s Brian Biedenbach onto the penultimate Jason-free show, which means we are continuing to hype UltraFest coming up in Fort Wayne, Indiana next week. With that in mind, we examine the stakes of the match we will be attending on October 24. What is Fort Wayne’s path to the playoffs and how will the UltraFest match against AC Boise mean in the grand scheme of the USL League One season?
We then examine whether the expected World Cup bump in soccer popularity actually occurred. Results have been mixed, to say the least. Viewership on linear television is up, but what about MLS on AppleTV or in-person attendance?
We then stick with the international game by welcoming in Lesley Ry
der from Gal Pal Sports to talk about the U.S. Women’s National Team’s pair of matches against Spain this weekend. What did we learn about Emma Hayes’s ladies after a 2-0 loss and a 2-2 come from behind draw against the reigning World Champions? We also get in on the late breaking news of a women’s knockout tournament featuring NWSL and USL Super League Teams.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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A new week is upon us and the show is still Jason-free so Robert welcomes friend of the show and fellow local soccer guy Luke Zagorski to help host the show this morning.
It’s getting to the business end of the American league seasons with several teams clinching playoff births throughout MLS and the USL. The Vancouver Whitecaps and Nashville SC are promised to play in the MLS Cup Playoffs while Detroit City clinched a home playoff game in the first round in the USL. Pittsburgh Riverhounds, FC Tusla, El Paso Locomotive, and USL League One’s Spokane Velocity all sealed their places in the postseason.
Also, are domed stadiums the future of soccer under construction? D.C. United announced a plan to expand Audi Field’s seating capacity and also add a roof. There is also an interior stadium design in Indianapolis floating around. With the MSL calendar switch imminent, will more clubs opt for domed stadiums to better combat the harsh winter climate.
Mark Jenkinson from Bastion then comes on the show to break down the status of the Morning Kickaround kit design competition. Viewers can submit their designs to [email protected] by November 2.
Finally, we look back at a tough U.S. Women’s National team loss to the defending World Cup Champions.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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Friday is here and, since its spooky season and Jason is in Argentina, Tom Franklin the Soccer Zombie joins Robert Kerr as a guest host to ring in the weekend.
MLS Next Pro is launching its next expansion salvo when it comes to the third tier soccer war. Several cities are in the mix to join the farm league, including a town with USL League One aspirations. Des Moines, Iowa has opened up as a front in the USL-MLS minor league conflict with competing groups trying to construct a stadium in the market. Columbia, South Carolina is also on the docket, plus a reminder that NYCFC’s farm team is moving to Middlesex, New Jersey.
College Soccer is stepping closer to reforming itself to align better with the rest of American soccer. The current one semester plan is looking to expand into a full season calendar. How will this change affect the game if it becomes fully implemented?
Next up, Tom the Soccer Zombie highlights the Midwest Premier League club he helped form. Forest Park Rangers are moving closer to reality. Tom breaks down what he’s worked on, what’s left to do, and more about growing an amateur club from the ground up.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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Rob has risen! After taking a Monday to get well, Robert Kerr returns with guest host Craig Hearn from We Are Soccer to get back into the swing of American soccer.
Things start a bit on the dark side with rumors floating around that three USL League One clubs are on the verge of folding after this 2026 season.Things aren’t looking rosy in Corpus Christi, Westchester, and even with the latest version of the New York Cosmos. It’s important to mention that these are only rumors and nothing is official, but the writing appears to be on the wall. Regardless, this is not great news for USL League One.
The longest international window in history has come to an end and there was a lot going on. The U.S. Men’s National Team won all four of its matches during the window, including victories against Concacaf rivals Mexico and Canada. The youth movement from Mauricio Pochettino was real with more than a dozen players making their first appearance at the international level and many of them were still teenagers. All of them looked like they belonged.
Outside of the USA, Lionel Messi played his last match for Argentina, Ronaldo is causing drama in Portugal, and more.
Also, the Manchester City punishment is still pending, but we can still speculate the potential impact it will have on New York City FC and the American soccer landscape. What can bleed over across the pond if City gets the hammer dropped on them soon?
Finally, we take a look at the USL Championship playoff race with only a few weeks left in the season.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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Friday is here and there’s some big U.S. Men’s National Team action to digest this weekend amidst Robert’s efforts to brand today as a “Chuck Yeah Friday” despite Jason’s disapproval.
The American men go up against Mexico in a friendly this weekend and the youth movement that Marucio Pochettino started this window continues with a major test against an arch rival. The Mexicans are fielding a pretty young lineup themselves. Jason throws some shade at the hype machine for this friendly featuring teenagers and potential future superstars.
We return to the domestic game with Fort Lauderdale United announcing the official launch of their men’s team into USL League One in 2027. They launched their professional women’s team with the USL Super League and now the men are joining them at Amerant Bank Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.
In other stadium news, the Seattle Sounders are inching closer to a new stadium to move out of the NFL-sized home. The club is looking at a site in the suburb of Renton, Washington near their current training facility. What could the club gain from leaving the heart of their home city?
Portland Hearts Of Pine Founder and Chief Community Officer Gabe Hoffman-Johnson. He joins the show to discuss P-HOP’s stadium project and how the young USL League One club is growing soccer in the state of Maine.
Finally, in our usual Friday fashion, we #DotTheMap with the newest MK Ultras.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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It’s Wednesday, which is a great day to catch up on some American soccer, such as the U.S. Men’s National Team picking up a second straight win against South American competition with a 4-2 win over Chile. Mauricio Pochettino made a ton of changes from the Peru game over the weekend and they worked out, more or less. The lineup was still quite young and it included the youngest goal scorer in USMNT history. Also, on a scale of spat to fracas, where do we rate the postmatch kerfuffle.
We then travel to the USL where the USL Players’ Association released some visuals to detail their gains in the newly ratified collective bargaining agreement. They seem quite happy with a lot of the gains they made while also acknowledging that this is only the start of the league’s growth.
MLS Next Pro’s efforts to expand to Jacksonville, Florida hit a bit of a snag. The revamped Jacksonville Armada thought they had a sweet deal for some downtown land to build a soccer stadium, but the city is now charging them full price for the prime real estate.
Also in the expansion realm, the USL is looking to grow in the Pacific Northwest with a potential expansion bid coming from Everett, Washington.
Finally, we shed some light on what impact the Manchester City guilty verdict could have on American soccer.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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We open with the brand reveal of Atlanta's NWSL expansion team that begins play in 2028. Atlanta City FC revealed their red and peach color scheme and a badge featuring a phoenix. Robert, Jason, and the MK Ultras give their thoughts and break down the artistic imagery in this effort and give it a rating on the official Morning Kickaround 1-5 peck scale.
Next up, the U.S. Men’s National Team is rising from the ashes of the World Cup as the new cycle opens with a 4-1 victory in a friendly over Peru. Youth was the order of the day as eleven players made their national team debut. How much should we really take from a friendly at home against a Peru side that is clearly in a transitional phase?
Speaking of transition, LAFC seems to have opened a revolving door of head coaches. Marc Dos Santos, who served as an assistant under former boss Steve Cherundolo, was relieved of his duties after LAFC fell to FC Dallas over the weekend. No news was shared about who the interim head coach would be. WHat do we make of this move and what’s next in the City of Angels?
Finally, the Port St. Lucie USL League One expansion project revealed new renderings for their stadium and announced a ground breaking on the project in November.
Check out the show live Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 AM ET on YouTube where you can join the channel and become an MK Ultra. Perks include access to our community Discord, early access to bonus video, priority commenting on the live show and much more.
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