Soccer Talk presented by Kick It Forward

As Blake will say, we "sort of kill a few birds with one stone" on our trip down down Highway 69 in the KIF bus to Indianola. Not only were we able to take in two great games of college soccer, but we were also able to enjoy a nice event that really highlighted the soccer community. We have the Titan Tactician in the studio as well, and he took great notes. Our listenership can be sure the analysis of both games will be thorough.

Despite being down a man, we hopped in the Kick It Forward van and took a drive down Highway 163 to see the Central Dutch host the Loras Duhawks. It was an instant classic - muddy pitch, two top teams with contrasting styles and lots of goals - plus we had the Titan Tactician taking notes.

Regular guest and MLS stalwart, Jeff Larentowicz joins us to discuss the MLS playoffs, his favorite places to play and his experiences with "the pink jersey."

The Titan Tactician rejoins us in the studio after his summer hiatus to breakdown the big Wartburg-Simpson game over this past weekend. We discuss lots of standout players, the mentality of teams at this point in the season and of course, we dig deep on the tactics employed by both squads.

We extend our Local College Soccer segment to bring closeted Iowa Soccer Legend, Rick Isaacson, to the studio. We discuss his playing background, the Simpson Storm and their local flavor, plus we touch on the basic Iowa youth player and the difference between development and playing to win.

Evergreen Jeff Larentowicz joins us for his second time ever on a podcast. We discuss Des Moines' new USL Championship announcement, but also travel in Major League Soccer and of course, a great travel-related story from Jeff.

What a big time episode! Not only do we have a (potential) future Iowa Soccer Legend in the studio, but Charlie Bales joins us to discuss the ins and outs of the big USL Pro announcement made by Kyle Krause. Our exclusive coverage will provide a little more insight than you've been able to read in other publications, plus you'll get to hear genuine excitement from three guys who have grown up in the Iowa soccer community.

The legendary Ventsi Stoimirov joins us in the studio to not only discuss the Grand View University women's program, but we also learn about his super interesting origin story and his perspective of the history of Des Moines Soccer.

We welcome Drake coach, Gareth Smith, to the studio to review the first quarter of their season and of course, preview the remaining games as they strive to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. We also have a chance to tap into Smith's unique perspective as Director of Coaching for the state association and speak about development of the Iowa player and some of the challenges they face as the national landscape continues to grow.

Returning to the studio, Blair Reid chats with us about the upcoming season for his Vikings as they look to get back to the national tournament for the first time since 2016. We cover preseason, settling into school and their early run in against several nationally ranked opponents.