Sam's Army

HEADLINES: Messi exceeding lofty expectations so far; PSG may be crumbling at the seems; USL's pro/rel dreams may be dying on the vine and weird Bruce Arena situation

WOMEN'S WORLD CUP: lack of goals end of USWNT's quest to be b2b2bwcw so we play the blame game and discuss if this flame out is a harbinger of future disappointments

WHAT IF: Jill Ellis had been the coach of USWNT, would things have turned out any differently?

PREMIER LEAGUE: way way way too premature season preview f/t best and worst summer transfer windows plus predictions for champs, top 4, bottom 3, who is poised to over/underperform and first manager sacked

STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

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INTERVIEW [1:21:15]: Phillip Goodrum discusses one of the strangest draft stories in history, his breakout season with Memphis 901 last year, falling out with the FO after they rejected offers from MLS and Europe in the offseason, getting traded to FC Tulsa (and teaming up with Tommy McGunner), what he would be doing if not getting paid to kick a ball and his respect for Memphis fans for booing him mercilessly on his first game back as an opponent

HEADLINES: Tottenham owner Joe Lewis is charged with insider trading and the Saudi league has gone too far (for someone) by buying Lucas Zelarayan from Columbus

WHAT IF: MBS announces the Saudi league will host an all-star game in your hometown -- you buying a ticket?

WORLD CUP: USWNT eeks out a 1-1 draw vs Netherlands without getting out of second gear setting up a lot of permutations depending on what happens against Portugal (very) early on Tuesday morning; plus which others teams have impressed thus far

ROUND THE WORLD: plenty of praise and one notable criticism about Leagues Cup

STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

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INTERVIEW [52:00]: Drake Callender discusses focusing on establishing himself as Inter Miami's GK1 (and hoping for additional USMNT call-ups) while simultaneously dealing with Messi Mania... plus what life has been like the last few weeks, connecting with Sergio Busquets over basketball and what the team's ambitions are this season under Tata Martino

WOMEN'S WORLD CUP: what USWNT got right/wrong vs Vietnam, is Alex Morgan in the team's best XI and predictions for the Netherlands game; plus what other countries have and have not impressed thus far

WEEKLY WHAT IF: you had the power to change/pick the format of the MLS All-Star Game, what would you choose?

HEADLINES: Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal makes a $1-billion offer so outlandish that PSG and Kylian Mbappe may not be able to refuse

ROUND THE WORLD: Leagues Cup observations, Messi or Zlatan better debut goal and the DC United/Taxi Fountas situation

STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

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INTERVIEW [1:22:00]: St Louis City's Tim Parker discusses what went on behind the scenes of MLS All-Star Game week, including how he learned he made the team, what Wayne Rooney's practices were like, whether Joe Biden sniffed his hair during his White House visit, which Arsenal players impressed him the most, and what the chatter in the locker room was like after Kai Havertz's truly remarkable skills challenge performance.

USMNT: we say goodbye and good riddance to the Gold Cup, give flowers to several players who boosted their stock in the tournament (and note several who did not) and assign BJ Callaghan a letter grade for his HC tenure

WWI: what if, hypothetically, the USL voted to implement a three-tier system of promotion and relegation... what impact would that have on USL, MLS and soccer in the US?

HEADLINES: Conmebol inviting Concacaf clubs into Copa Libertadores, Messi's messy unveiling and the lose-lose situation involving Benjamin Mendy

ROUND THE WORLD: Women's World Cup preview + preliminary predictions

STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

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INTERVIEW [1:00:20]: Julian discusses the rollercoaster of being there for the birth of his second daughter then immediately leaving to join up with USMNT; his sense of Berhalter's "involvement" in the Gold Cup camp; who among the players emerged as the leaders of the group; chatter inside camp about the extreme toxicity that is pervasive throughout US soccer twitter and what Alex Zendejas was like behind the scenes; BJ Callaghan's farewell remarks to the team and whether Harry Kane is going to Bayern Munich

USMNT: reaction to eeking out shootout win over Canada, featuring whose stock is up and down plus a controversial letter grade for BJ Callaghan's performance; best XI for Panama on Wednesday and whether we would rather (potentially) face Mexico or Jamaica in the final

WHAT IF: you could snap your fingers and relegate any club in the world right now... who's going down?

HEADLINES: breakdown of big moves for lotta big American names, including Pulisic to Milan (how will he fit in a team led by Rafeal Leao?), Weah to Juve, Pepi to PSV and Aaronson to Union Berlin; Juventus reportedly settles FFP case with UEFA and the NBA yoinks soccer's template for an "in-season" tournament

ROUND THE WORLD: MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute; USWNT's uninspiring sendoff vs Wales; FPL update and of course the latest news from Keeping Up With The Icardashians

STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

USMNT: Gold Cup group stage round-up including who did and did not impress, thuoghts on Jesus Ferreira contrived "controversy" and a slightly bonkers (but very rational) suggestion for starting XI in quarterfinal

WHAT IF: possible plan to add some much-needed spice to World Cup 3rd place games

HEADLINES: FIFA plans to trial a totally new approach to offside championed by Arsene Wenger (whole body of attacking player must be ahead of defender) in several lower tier leagues around Europe; would Lyon or AC Milan be a better landing spot for Christian Pulisic; and LLL Triste fan violence hits a new low this week

ROUND THE WORLD: Hit-It-N-Quit-It MLS Minute

STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

USMNT: Gold Cup context; BJ Callaghan's XI vs Jamaica and whose stock rose/fell in 1-1 draw; expectations for St Kitts/Nevis and T&T games; someone (not naming names) gets remarkably butthurt about the state of US soccer "fan culture" plus if the haters have some legitimate gripes about newly scheduled friendlies vs Uzbekistan and Oman

WHAT IF: How much money would it take to sign a contract to do what you do now in Saudi Arabia?

HEADLINES: big news about 2025 FIFA Club World Cup; quiet importance of June 28 meeting of UEFA's ExCo and Peter Drury replaces Martin Tyler

ROUND THE WORLD: USWNT roster drops for WC23 and whether Sergi Busquets will be a bust at Miami

STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

HEADLINES: we dive right into the only news that *really* matters this week as we discuss the fully digested news that Gregg Berhalter is officially back in charge (or will be eventually!?), including our biggest questions/concerns and what is means for Gio Reyna; along with the USMNT's dismantling of LLL Triste and dispatching of Canada

WHAT IF: would you prefer to win TST7v7 or a Supporter's Shield?

ROUND THE WORLD: Nicaragua goes full Concacaf and gets DQed from Gold Cup; Spain is back but Croatia (and Modric) deserve flowers; Chelsea and Saudi Arabia conspiracy theory and Bournemouth ruthlessness

STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Sam and Tyler sit down at halftime of USA spanking the bejesus out of Mexico to discuss strong reports that Gregg Berhalter is about to be (re)named head coach of USMNT. We are trying to process it in real-time so bear with us. (Bonus: instant reaction to Pulisic's second GOOOOOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.)

HEADLINES: what Messi's move means for Inter Miami, MLS and soccer in the US; the importance of Lou City selling Josh Wynder to Benfica; 49ers (+ #samfam!!!) buying Leeds; Premier League saying "no thanks" on automated offside and Mbappe's decision to opt out on last year of PSG contract

WHAT IF: soccer stock market is back... buying or short selling shares in one club based on where they finished this season versus where we see them finishing next season

PREMIER LEAGUE: we hand out silverware to player, GK, coach and team of the season

REST OF WORLD: Champions League wrap-up, good/bad/ugly from US Open Cup quarterfinals and preview of Thursday's USMNT vs Mexico game (featuring preferred starting XI)

STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

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INTERVIEW [1:13:45]: Nick Perera -- a key to Sneaky Fox FC's recent success at TST 7v7 -- on his unorthodox path from Europe to an NCAA championship; why it took so long to embrace his destiny as an arena and beach soccer star; what life is really like in the MASL; his experiences as both a player-manager for Tacoma Stars and GM of NWSL's OL Reign; his brief flirtation with being Captain Morgan (true story); thoughts on "Big Kick Nick" nickname and whether arena leaguers will continue to dominate the TST $1 million tourney for years to come...