Scuffed | USMNT, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

By Adam Belz and Greg VelasquezSports Soccer

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Scuffed | USMNT, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America episodes

August 28, 2018Episode 27: Who should be called up for the Brazil and Mexico friendlies?
We’re back in our comfort zone and we’ve got a roster episode. The men’s national team faces Brazil on Sept. 7 and Mexico on Sept. 11. We break down the options and in the process conduct a routine checkup on the U.S. player pool. Then we review the first matchday of the Bundesliga season and Belz spotlights the recent USL appearances of Joshua Atencio for Sounders 2.
0:30 preamble
9:25 goalkeepers
12:08 right backs
15:35 centerbacks (EPB got the call-up, listen to the segment if you want to know what we think of that)
25:53 left backs
28:58 central midfield
41:45 wings
48:54 strikers
Short Corners:
56:38 Bundesliga Matchday 1 Recap
1:13:56 new USL kid to watch: Joshua Atencio
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com

And check out our MERCH, baby. We have better stuff than you might think: https://www.scuffedhq.com/store
1 hr 20 min
August 22, 2018Episode 26: Another look into the future with Joey Anthone — the upcoming Development Academy season
Games kick off Sept. 1 in the U19 regular season of the U.S. Development Academy. Joey Anthone joins to detail his preseason top 10 and the key up-and-comers across the nation. We cover some big themes at the top and then dive in. Bext XIs, preseason “awards” and answers to listener questions ensue.
0:30 Introduction and Big Themes
MLS academies losing players to Europe for free.
The emerging class of elite academies who gather talent from other
academies.
Changes to the DA schedule to make games more competitive.
Joey's Top Ten
32:20 FC Dallas
42:40 Columbus Crew
51:45 Seattle Sounders
1:06:05 LA Galaxy
1:14:30 New York Red Bulls
1:19:15 Sockers FC
1:31:05 Chicago Fire
1:36:30 Sporting KC
1:45:35 Atlanta United
1:48:56 Preseason Awards
2:00:20 Preseason Best XIs
2:05:00 Listener Questions
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com

And check out our MERCH, baby. We have better stuff than you might think: https://www.scuffedhq.com/store
2 hr 36 min
August 15, 2018Episode 25: The Cynic's Guide to the 2018-19 Season
Worst case scenarios this season for several Americans playing in Europe.
0:15 Worst Case Scenarios Part 1: Pulisic, McKennie, Weah, Adams, Acosta, Yedlin, Brooks, Amon, Saief, Wood and Sargent.
Bach
35:50 Worst Case Scenarios Part 2: Miazga, EPB, CCV, Richards, Moore, Robinson, Sabbi, Gall, Gooch and several others.
Billy Holiday
1:10:20 Short Corners: The U.S. women’s U-20s get bounced out of the World Cup in the group stage and why is that? ESPN+ will air some Eredivisie matches this year. George Bello returns from injury.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com

And check out our MERCH, baby. We have better stuff than you might think: https://www.scuffedhq.com/store
1 hr 27 min
August 07, 2018Episode 24: Chris Richards joins the pod, and a non-Bundesliga Yanks in Europe preview
Chris Richards joins for a conversation from Bavaria, where the 18-yr-old is on loan at Bayern Munich, getting ready for his first regular season U19 game this weekend. Then Greg and Belz run down the European-based player pool ahead of the regular season in the big leagues, and then we take a few Short Corners.
1:23 Richards interview starts. Since the audio is spotty during parts of the conversation, below are timestamps and transcriptions of key things he said that were difficult to hear in the recording.
1:50 Richards on how he found out he was headed to Bayern on loan: “Towards the end of our (U.S. Development Academy) playoffs in San Diego, I got a call from the technical director and he told me that Bayern wanted me to come on loan until December and initially I was like there’s no way this is real, but then I got all my final information and was told to take the next flight to Munich about a week after our last game in San Diego. As soon as I got here I was immediately thrown into first-team training, and one day one of the administrators came up to me and she told me I was going on the first-team preseason tour to the U.S.”
2:42 on whether he knew he was going to be training with the Bayern first team at all: “Oh no. They told me I was playing with the U19s so that’s all I thought I was going to do, just be with the U19s the whole semester...I was so surprised.”
7:12 on training with Alaba and Martinez: “They were so open to helping me with everything. That was really great for me the first few weeks I was here. They’re world class players of course, and it’s refreshing and it’s also amazing that they’re willing to help a young guy like me. It's been really good for me.”
7:38 difference between the Bayern academy and the academies he played for in the U.S.: “one of the big things that coaches here like is, when the centerback is on the ball to take space as fast as you can and then try to release the ball and keep going further down the field. In the academy back home it’s not really something that you’re taught, and when I got here...everyone’s doing it, youth all the way to the first team, and so that was one thing that they really pushed for me to get more comfortable doing.”
14:55 what Texans SC coach Eric Quill saw in Richards back in 2015 and 2016: “Of course he noticed my athleticism. I’ve always been one of the faster (players) and...I’d been able to get away with my athleticism for a while before learning the technical aspect as much...and he liked my vision on and off the ball...I knew where the ball was going, so I was anticipating really well, and when I was on the ball I was always one or two steps ahead of the defense.”
20:56 on whether Bayern will release him for U20 World Cup qualification in November: “I sure hope so. I’m not really sure what their plan is...but if I get the call-up for the qualifiers I’m going to push for that as hard as I can, because that’s a big box that I want to check off.”
24:55 Non-Bundesliga USMNT in Europe preview: Parks, Moore, Weah, Miazga, Yedlin, Robinson, Carter-Vickers, Saief, Palmer-Brown, Novakovich, Scott, Amon, Sabbi, Hamid, Gall, etc.
1:09:35 Short Corners: Busio's first MLS start, Reggie Cannon's
ascendance, loans to buy, the USYNT hiring freeze.
Brian Sciaretta's interview with Richards from July 17: http://americansoccernow.com/articles/fc-dallas-homegrown-chris-richards-aiming-high-on-loan-at-bayern-s-u-19s
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com
1 hr 25 min
July 31, 2018Episode 23: An extended USMNT-in-the-Bundesliga season preview
We take a closer look at the league that has become the destination of choice for young American players by interviewing people who regularly talk or write about Werder Bremen, Hannover 96, Schalke and Dortmund. Josh Sargent, Bobby Wood, Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic are the main events in this episode, but each guest gave a good sense of each club’s overall situation and addressed the rising population of Americans in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga academies. Greg and I had planned to talk about Frankfurt, Wolfsburg and Gladbach to talk about Timmy Chandler, John Brooks and Fabian Johnson, but we ran out of time, as you’ll see.
1:25 Patrick Davey from the podcast Radio Free Weser, on Josh Sargent, the cocoon of development that’s being built around him including Claudio Pizarro's mentorship, Sargent's prospects for first-team minutes, the bullish case for Werder Bremen this season and some quick thoughts on Aron Johannsson and Isaiah Young.
Podcast: https://rfwpod.podbean.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RFWPod
41:15 Ansgar Loecke from the HannoverliebtMSR (German-language) podcast, on the modest expectations for Bobby Wood at Hannover, a club that’s no stranger to Americans and one that should be a good place for Wood to get his groove back. We also briefly discuss Hannover’s efforts to revamp the academy, and Chris Gloster’s situation.
Podcast: https://meinsportradio.de/2018/05/09/hannoverliebt-klassenerhalt/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ansgar_L
1:15:00 Jack Mangan from the FC Schalke 04 Podcast, on a big year for Weston McKennie that’s full of opportunity, as well as Haji Wright, Nick Taitague, Zyen Jones and even Chris Richards at Bayern.
Podcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fc-scahlke-04-podcast/id1263701061
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JMMangan
2:02:10 Lars Pollman from the Yellow Wall Podcast, on an ultimately disappointing 2017/18 for Christian Pulisic and for Dortmund, the still open possibility of a transfer, and the high hopes for the young American winger in the season upcoming. Lars also discusses Lucien Favre as a manager, projects what would be a successful statistical season for Pulisic, and we venture into Lars’s NFL fandom.
Podcast: http://www.tyw.bundesligalounge.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LarsPollmann
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com
2 hr 34 min
July 27, 2018Episode 22: Seems like there are a lot of exciting young U.S. players. Is this time different?
European preseason is always a time of inflated hopes and dreams. Players getting chances, and fresh starts, and new contracts. We run down of a lot of the action, and then Greg breaks out some half-assed high school math as we try to sort out whether the player pool is taking a step forward. (It is.)
0:30 We summarize a lot of the preseason news for the under-23 player pool, including Pulisic, Hyndman, Richards, Carleton, Gall, Parks, etc.
35:30 Is this time different? Buckle in for a rambling discussion of old U-20 player pools, new U-20 player pools, 2012 changes in the development academy and a hypothetical USMNT 2018 World Cup roster.
1:09:45 Short Corners: Davies to Bayern and Acosta to Colorado
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com
1 hr 24 min
July 18, 2018Episode 21: U20-palooza! An encyclopedic look at the player pool as U20 World Cup qualifying looms
Joey Anthone (aka @USAProspects) joined the pod to comb through the U-20 player pool and we didn’t stop. Who will be available for November qualifying? We projected that. What are the biggest challenges for Tab Ramos? We explained them. What are the areas of strength in the pool? We pointed them out. Who will be the 6? Who will be the 9? Who will be the centerbacks? Check, check, check. And then we each gave a 20-man roster and answered several listener questions. Carve out time over multiple days because you won’t be able to handle this in one sitting.
0:30 Intro
8:25 Who will be available for U-20 World Cup qualifying? (Adams, Sargent, Weah. Amon — no; Taitague, Soto, McKenzie, Carleton, Durkin — it’s complicated; Ledezma, Mendez, Llanez, Booth — probably)
58:20 Who will be the No. 6 if DC United makes a run and gets into the playoffs with Durkin at the 6?
1:09:30 Who will be Mark McKenzie’s centerback partner?
1:21:40 Who will be the striker?
1:31:25 Areas of strength in the pool: fullbacks and wingers
1:52:30 How many guys will play up an age group?
1:59:25 Efra Alvarez discussion
2:13:10 Belz and Anthone give their ideal/realistic rosters for November qualifying
2:28:00 listener questions (lots of good ones and lots of good answers from Joey)
Get in touch with us. We'd love to hear from you and our email is [email protected]
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com
2 hr 55 min
July 11, 2018Episode 20: Chris Durkin joins the pod, Jesse Marsch to Leipzig, and Yanks on the move
18-year-old DC United holding midfielder talks through how he thinks about his job on the pitch, his development as a player, and his assessment of the USMNT's World Cup qualifying failure, among other things. Greg and I get into Jesse Marsh's move and the large number of American players on the move in Europe.
1:00 Chris Durkin interview
38:40 the World Cup
47:10 Marsch to RB Leipzig
52:05 rundown of Yanks on the move in Europe
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com
1 hr 14 min
July 05, 2018Episode 19: (Scuffed Lite) Concacaf's time in Russia comes to an end
A vacation-truncated mini-episode acknowledging the end of Concacaf's time in Russia
0:30 Mexico loses to Brazil, etc.
11:30 general Concacaf, World Cup thoughts
18:40 Short Corners: Trusty and McKenzie have a rough night, the Los Dos kids light it up again, Josh Sargent is the first to show up for Werder Bremen preseason and that seals it. He's the best striker in American history.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com
47 min
June 27, 2018Episode 18: Savior by committee for the USMNT (a shameless depth chart dweeb-out)
U.S. men’s soccer doesn’t need a savior. It needs savior by committee. We take the metaphor to within an inch of its life and run down the USMNT depth chart as we go. Later in the episode we talk briefly about Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama at the World Cup.
0:30 savior by committee for U.S. men’s soccer
4:10 the party elders — including two likely starters in 2022 and a bunch of question marks
18:30 the executive committee — the young core for the next cycle
25:00 voting members — the key supporting cast and candidates for the executive committee
35:45 non-voting members — they’re around, they have a shot to be promoted, but they’re fringe for now
41:00 leadership track interns — the most promising teenagers in the pool
55:15 Concacaf at the World Cup
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com
1 hr 18 min