Rise and Blaze Soccer Show: MLS, USMNT, and USWNT

"Thanks for joining our deep see diving crew. Remember to keep your hands in the vehicle at all times and please keep your Frank De Boor out tweets to a minimum. Thank you for joining us on our sunken tour of the long forgotten franchise Atlantis United. It is said they were a powerful footballing team within the Greater Americas region, but overnight they vanished to the bottom of the East." 

MLS is heating up with rumors and big international announcements for upcoming games. The King of Chip has graced us with his presence in Toronto. Chicago and the Fire write Tim Parker a personal thank you note after his own goal against the Red Bulls. Brad Friedel is spitting some hot fire in New England. SKC are a breath away from achieving perfection within the league. LAFC murder a team in San Jose. Phili deny Spencer Ritchy his car wash. The Crew sink Atlanta to the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Re-brand coming? Atlantis United shirts hit your local retailers in Q4. RSL continue to be the King of Cards. Owen goal becomes MOTM for a Rapids side in desperate need of a pick me up. A Korean Klash hits BC place as VAR steals the show. Orlando City are the first team to score on DC this year. The god of football graces LA with his presence and blessing.

On this Rise and Blaze pod special, the boys break down the happenings of March camp for the US Men's National Team. We learned a lot from our friendlies with Ecuador and Chile, and I'm sure the lads wearing the stars and stripes have a bunch of tape to go over. The sun, the moon, and the stars align over Gyasi Zardes, as he was gifted a goal by the footballing gods against Ecuador. Arturo Vidal dukes it out with our 'General' on the pitch. European stars Pulisic and Mckennie are forced off due to injury in clench your beer moments for USA fans. We break down some tactics, discuss player performances, and grade ol' Gregmeister himself on this pod special.

International break is in the swing of things around the world, but here in MLS, the party doesn't stop. Is Julian Gressel headed to Germany? Is Bobby Wood the most american sounding name of all time? Will Waka ever find his ATL ring? So real talk, I am worried about Mark. He is not taking the start of the Rapids season well, I'll just say that. Sacha shows Red Bull arena he's still got the goods in his former home stadium. David Accam on the eve of his father's passing, played one of his best MLS games to date. RSL continue to be the "King of the Red Card's" as Zim Zam Bam Walker Zimmerman of LAFC burries a late dagger against their Organic MLS rivals. FCC rise to second in the east as Revs coach, Brad Friedel, hosts a behind close doors scolding of his team for getting thrashed by the MLS newcomers.

I had the Pleasure of sitting down with Nick. He is a lover of all things football and brews. He took a chance and purchased tickets for FC Cincinnati's inaugural game against the Portland Timbers. He was not disappointed or let down in any way by the atmosphere the stadium provided, or by the FCC players performance on the pitch. Join me, as I pick his brain for some juicy details about this historic MLS fixture.

David Beckham's stadium plan for Miami has hit rock bottom. It's time for plan F as Inter Miami might call Fort Lauderdale home in their inaugural MLS season. MLS is in full stride as Week three delights us with some commanding performances. Seattle look to be on a hot streak as they lead the Supporter's shield race. Steffen steps down from our Ecuador and Chile friendlies, and Jesse Gonzalez takes his place. Rooney bags his first MLS hat-trick as RSL crumble around the pitch conceding two red cards. Mr. "Fine me I don't Care" Mike Petke surely had a knot in his stomach as DC's Lucas Rodriquez serves us a dish of GOLAZO of the year. FCC put up a "Bengal's on Steroids" atmosphere and performance as FCC put Timber Joey and Portland Timbers to the sword. Miles Robinson saves Atlanta from dropping points at home to a Fabian less Phili side. Colorado Rapids make the mistake of giving Johnny Russel a chance to impact the game as the 90th minute approached. USMNT take on Ecuador and Chile, let us see if GB has some tricks up his sleeve to deal with much some much stronger opponents.

USMNT Coach Gregg Berhalter calls in his chosen 24 players to lead the charge to March Camp. How do newcomers to GB's system (Pulisic, Mckennie, and Adams) fit in with current MLS stars? The boys give their best shot at a predicted starting 11 for this USMNT side. CONCACAF Champions league has been a black eye to many MLS sides. Sporting Kansas City is the ONLY MLS side still in the tournament. Why do MLS sides fail in CCL? How do we improve in this international tournament? The boys discuss all this, and more, on the Rise and Blaze Soccer Show.

Week two of MLS left us with a sour taste in our mouths as VAR rears its ugly head once again. Basti and the Boys manage to scrape back a point from Lion Tamer Nani and Co. Steffen comes up big for Columbus as the Crew and Zardes rout the Revs. Zlatan watches from afar as his team look to be in trouble without their star captain and God. Minnesota truly look to be a new side this year, as they bag their 2nd away win of the season. A handful of Colorado fans watch on in horror as their side was quickly put to the sword by the Sounders. Johnson and Hamid put on a goal keeping clinic in one of the worst pitches in the USA. Johnny Russel, our dreamiest Scotsman, gets crunched by Marco Fabian. A swarm of boo birds roost in the Benz as FC Cincinnati snatch their first mls points in club history. Carlos Vela and LAFC look to be the team to beat heading into Week 3 of MLS.

"The Seventh Seal will be broken, the bald one will be our instrument of doom" - Gigax Baldenium chapter 3 verse 69. MLS 3.0 is back with a bang. Mark goes MIA in the Colorado Tundra. Top notch matches slated for post season accidentally received clearance by the MLS script writers. Cmon' get it together Donny boy. A TFC performance against the Union is being watched in several doomsday homes. Orlando and NYCFC kicks things off with a controversial draw. The Redbull's forget to bring their squad to face off against the Crew. Snowball 2019 kicks with a red card, as is tradition for Colorado, and Timmy gets his big save as the Rapids pencil in their candidate for "best comeback of the the year". DQ flashes moments of brilliance against Vancouver earning an away goal (DO MNUFC fans even know what that is?). Basti and the boys take on God in La, but a 16 year old chosen by Him to become something special tilted the scales in the Galaxies favor. FCC head back home after receiving a black eye from a stronger Seattle side. Wondo watch remains as Piatti silences the sirens. MLS's most dynamic duo ROOCOSTA, pick apart a spineless ATL side. LAFC and SKC forget it's their first game of the season and throw out all the Uno +4 cards on the table. Dark whispers from Bob Bradley's Dungeon tell us prophetic results for next week's MLS matches.

A short Rise and blaze mini pod featuring our world champions of football. As the USWNT prep for the upcoming World Cup in France, the boys at Rise and Blaze dive into supporting our 3x world champs in style. To learn about some of the players behind the badge, the boys do a mock draft for our players. Tobin Heath and Megan Rapinoe led the USA's charge against our Japanese arch rivals. She believes cup features some of the best in the women's game right now with the likes of USA, England, Brazil, and Japan. And Mark gets engaged.

The R&B Boys serve up a special dish of LAGAM. Ola Kamara heads to China. Crew owners pledge to spreading the game throughout Columbus. Seattle hits the carbon neutral mark. Minnesota United FC finish their stadium ON TIME (WOW, is this real life?). FCC already boast 20k season ticket holders. Portuguese legend, NANI, will soon call Orlando city home. Toronto blaze out of the Champions League on a frigid night at BMO Field. Houston unleash their power subs, Elis and Manotas, to secure a birth into the next round of CCL. New York Red Bulls stampede past Pantoja as Davies and Royer lead the charge. ATL prove they are MLS champs in a comeback statement win against Herediano. Pity has yet to produce a goal, but soccer magic flows through his veins. SKC coach Peter Vermes initiates plan “Altitude Omega” as his players hit peak levels of MLS perfection on the field, whipping the floor with Toluca of Liga MX. Could an MLS side make a deep run in Champions league? MLS IS COMING BACK This Saturday and Sunday! The boys preview the games and the Dark whispers tell all the secrets of MLS opening weekend.