Sons of a Pitch: An American Soccer Podcast

Welcome back, soccer fans! We here at the Sons of a Pitch: An American Soccer Podcast truly appreciate your listening and your engagement with the show. In this episode we address listener questions and comments regarding the future of youth development in the United States. We also take a look at the use of metrics in soccer and whether they can replace the "eye test" of player evaluation.

Next, our hosts look at all the transfer news around the league - especially for DC United. Rooney has announced his departure, DC signed Felipe from Vancouver, and has gotten a lot a cash. Look for a big signing in the off-season. Also, Chicago Fire sign veteran and formear USMNT defender Jonathan Bornstein to help their defensive woes, Columbus Crew deal GK Joel Bendik to the Philadelphia Union, and several teams swap TAM for GAM as they look to the future.

Finally, our hosts recap all the action around Major League Soccer. The All-Star Game was a laugh, Atlanta United knock out Orlando City SC from the US Open Cup, and the league has a number of surprise results. Tune in for all the details!

Teams on the Rise

* Philadelphia Union: With a 5-1 victory over DC United, the Union re-assert themselves on top the Eastern Conference.'

* Atlanta United: They follow up a dominating game against the LA Galaxy by advancing to the US Open Cup Final

Teams on the Fall

* Houston Dynamo: A tough loss to a struggling Chicago Fire team sees them fall outside the playoff picture.

* Montreal Impact: Currently in one of their down swings after losing to Colorado and barely beating York 9.

Hello again boys and girls, soccer fans of all ages! Welcome back to the Sons of a Pitch: An American Soccer Podcast. In this episode, our hosts give their candid opinions on the utility of the MLS All Star Game. Tune in to hear their thoughts on whether or not the league should do away with the All Star game or just re-format the event. Mike thinks the novelty of playing foreign clubs has worn off, where Nick proposes an all-MLS, 4 team, 7x7 round-robin tournament.

What are your thoughts on the current All Star Game format? Will you be watching?

Next, the hosts recap some movement around the league: Terrance Boyd departs TFC, Inter Miami ink their first two players, and surging San Jose signs Argentine striker. Also, RSL coach Mike Petke gets suspended by MLS for actions against officials in Leagues Cup, and Wilmer Cabrera sounds off against referees and the league not giving Houston enough respect.

What do you think about your team's signings? Does Cabrera have a point about Houston?

Teams on the Rise

* New England Revolution: New signings and a lengthy point streak have the Revs in 7th place in the Eastern Conference.

* Portland Timbers: A resounding 4-0 victory has them above the playoff line and still a threat to take down any team ahead of them.

Teams on the Fall

* Vancouver Whitecaps: You lost to Cavalry.

* Orlando City: After getting thumped by New England 4-1, OCSC sit 7pts below the playoff line.

Hello once again, loyal listeners of the Sons of a Pitch! Tonight's episode is pure ear candy as our hosts revisit their pre-season playoffs predictions. As you can see, Nick and Mike weren't too far off on their teams, picking 9 of 14 current playoff teams, but they chose poorly - terribly even - in their pick of Sporting KC to win the MLS Cup. See below for a breakdown.

In other MLS news, the expansion teams have been stealing the headlines. Josh Wolff was named head coach of Austin FC and Nick thinks the organization needs to break free from their prior spend-thrift ways and make a big splash. Wolff knows the league, but can someone who has been in Berhalter's system for the last several years coach a winning team? Also, Mike dispels rumors of big names like Messi or Ronaldo signing with Inter Miami, but thinks that their anticipated signings of two young, Argentine wingers is a great start for the club.

Finally, the hosts round up the league and highlight Toronto FC's ups-and-downs, LA Galaxy's victory in El Trafico, and other league news. They even get in their weekly shots against the Chicago Fire.

Hope you enjoy the show, and please join the conversation @SOPSoccer on twitter, @sonsofapitchsoccer on facebook, or in the comments below!

Eastern Conference - Pre-Season Predictions

Mike

Nick

Current (7/24/19)

1

Atlanta United

Red Bulls

Philly

2

Red Bulls

Atlanta United

Atlanta

3

DC United

DC United

DC

4

Toronto FC

NYCFC

RBNY

5

NYCFC

Columbus Crew

NYCFC

6

Chicago

Philadelphia

Montreal

7

Columbus

Chicago

New England

Western Conference - Pre-Season Predictions

Mike

Nick

Current (7/24/19)

1

LAFC

Sporting KC

LAFC

2

Sporting KC

LAFC

LA Galaxy

3

Portland

LA Galaxy

Seattle

4

LA Galaxy

Portland

Minnesota

5

Seattle

Seattle

San Jose

6

FC Dallas

Houston

Dallas

7

Minnesota United

Minnesota United

RSL

 

Hi soccer fans! We didn't forget you, we're just coming at you a day later than usual. Mike was too busy celebrating his birthday with his family. Where are his priorities!?

Now that we're back, we turn our attention to the latest MLS headlines, with lots of news coming from Chicago ... er ... I mean, Bridgeview. The Fire have a memo of understanding with the village to terminate their lease. They also traded Mo Adams to Atlanta for $100k in GAM. They pay to move and dump a fan favorite, typical Fire. Elsewhere , New England Revolution's new DP signing Gustavo Bou has a goal in his debut game. Will this put the Revs into the playoff picture? They still have a long way to go, but this offensive injection certainly helps.

Meanwhile, around the league:

Teams on the Rise

* Minnesota United FC - 2 wins away from a trophy. What will they do with all this momentum!?

* San Jose Quakes - They just keep taking points, and a Cali Clasico victory over LA Galaxy is the cherry on top of their recent form

Teams on the Fall

* Chicago Fire - Last three results: losses to SKC, FCC, and a draw to the Crew. Yet Paunovic and Rodriguez still have jobs.

* DC United - If they're not careful. they could be in the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoffs in a hurry.

US Open Cup Predictions

Nick: Portland over Atlanta - These are the two best teams left in the tournament. Atlanta is playing the best, and Portland has all the goal-scoring power needed to keep pace with the Five Stripes.

Mike: Minnesota over Atlanta - The Loons continue their fine form, keep up momentum, and on the backs of some stellar individual performances, bring home their first trophy.

The United States is World Cup Champions!

How nice that sounds!

One day we'll say it about the men, but for now, enjoy the USWNT once again asserting their dominance over the rest of the world of women's soccer. After taking a comfortable 2-0 lead, the US Women were content to play more defensively and see the game out. Congrats to Jill Ellis on her game plan, the players for their performances, and to the fans who traveled to France.

Meanwhile on home soil, the USMNT advanced to the Gold Cup Final after defeating Jamaica in a solid performance. Sadly, they were plagued by an inability to score and atrocious 2nd half coaching, which included three terrible substitutions. The US is improving, but is nowhere near Mexico or the rest of the top soccer nations around the world.

Major League Soccer also had a slate of games between the international competitions, which featured a number of Western Conference vs. Eastern Conference match-ups. The West dominated in those games, and is dominating the East in most statistical categories.

Thanks for listening and be sure to follow along on twitter @SOPSoccer or in the comments below!

Greetings, soccer fans! And welcome to The Sons of a Pitch: An American Soccer Podcast. Thanks for joining us as we get back to Major League Soccer coverage, review the Gold Cup knockout rounds, and recap the Women's World Cup semi-finals. We also thank you for helping us in our mission of growing the sport, and thanks to Luke Murray for sending us these links on how to start up soccer in your neighborhood:

DIY Backyard Soccer And a Field: A Guide to Cost, Materials, and Legalities

Soccer Warm-Up Guide: Drills & Exercises for Great Warm-Ups

Five Mistakes Soccer Parents Make with Their Players

How I Got My Child with ADHD Involved in Sports

Ten Real-Life Lessons from Soccer

Please share your tips and advice for Luke and all those getting their kids involved in the world's game!

Turning to soccer talk, Nick and Mike highlight a few MLS games, now that the league is back from international break. Tune in for analysis of

* Red Bulls New York vs. Chicago Fire

* Toronto FC's games vs. DC United and Atlanta United

* New York City FC vs. Philadelphia Union

* And a shout out to the Colorado Rapids for their upset over league leader LAFC!

Next, our hosts turn to the Gold Cup. While the USMNT has survived and advanced against Panama and Curacao, they need to find their game - especially their offense - for their semi-final match-up against Jamaica. The hosts predict Mexico to defeat the US in the final, but the games leading up to that will definitely be exciting.

Finally, Nick and Mike take a quick look back at the USWNT's run to the Women's World Cup Final, where they will most likely meet the Netherlands (though don't count Sweden out for an upset). The US Women have defeated Thailand, Chile, and Sweden in the group stages, then advanced through the knockout rounds past Spain, France, and England. They've got a target on their back, have taken the best shot of every team they've faced, and have risen to the challenge. USA! USA! USA!

Welcome back, soccer fans, to your source for all things American soccer. In this episode our hosts break down the Gold Cup group stages and what to expect from the knockout rounds. Mike is still confident in his pick of Mexico over the United States in the final, while Nick believes this is Costa Rica's year. With Haiti upsetting Costa Rica, Canada could be the dark horse team to make the finals. The USMNT will still need to get past Canada and Jamaica, but their path looks promising after convincing wins over Guyana and Trinidad & tobago.

Meanwhile, the USWNT defeated Spain in less than convincing fashion. But for two Megan Rapinoe penalty kicks, the #1 ranked team and tournament favorites nearly missed their worst ever finish in the Women's World Cup. Mike believes this will act as motivation for the team to roll to victories in their upcoming matches. Still the favorite, the US will face tough tests in France, Norway, Germany, or whichever team they may meet in the final.

Back on US soil, the US Open Cup delivered additional Cupsets! with New Mexico defeating Colorado and Saint Louis defeating FC Cincinnati. LAFC, Portland, and Atlanta are still the favorites, but Mike believes NYCFC will surprise everyone and take the trophy. Meanwhile in MLS action, the Chicago Fire once again underwhelm in a 1-1 draw to Real Salt Lake, the Galaxy beat up on a floundering FCC, and Sporting KC somehow come out on top in the Battle of the Bad against Columbus. Someone has to win, right?

Enjoy all the soccer action, and be sure to follow us on twitter @SOPSoccer and leave your thoughts in the comments below.

There's soccer around the world, and we've got your American perspective.

The Women's World Cup is taking place in France, and favorite United States continues to dominate. After a convincing 3-0 victory over Chile, the USWNT have locked up a spot in the knock-out round. They'll have their work cut out for them with possible opponents of Spain, France, Norway, and Australia ... and that's even before the finals! Still the favorite, this is the US Women's tournament to lose. Also, Marta (Brazil) sets the all-time World Cup goal-scoring record, with her 17th career WC goal.

Meanwhile in the US Open Cup ... CUPSETS! Mike's new favorite word (though annoying when overused, and the MLS is sure trying to overuse it) is appropriate to describe the victories of New Mexico United over Colorado Rapids and Saint Louis FC over Chicago Fire. And the Cupsets could continue with Saint Louis facing FC Cincinnati. Nick and Mike still think this is LAFC's tournament to lose, but they'll have to get through Portland and the Galaxy to do it. Meanwhile, Atlanta has found their rhythm, despite going down early to Chattanooga, and the Five Stripes are the favorite on the other side of the bracket.

Finally, Gold Cup 2019 is underway. Favorites Mexico and Costa Rica started with convincing wins vs. Cuba and Nicaragua, and Canada impressed vs. Martinique. Panama topped Trinidad and Tobago, and the USMNT defeated debutante Guyana. Mike is picking Mexico over the USA in the final, while Nick thinks that Costa Rica is destined to win.

Stay tuned every week to the Sons of a Pitch: An American Soccer Podcast for all your tournament recaps. Join the conversation on twitter @SOPSoccer or in the comments below, subscribe to the podcast in the links in the banner, and please share the word of our show!

Hello soccer fans! Welcome back to The Sons of a Pitch: An American Soccer Podcast. And our show starts with American soccer at it's highest levels. The USYNT was knocked out of the U-20 World Cup in Poland after a tough game vs. South American champion Ecuador. While they didn't advance further, Tab Ramos' team once again proved the United States is developing talent on an international level. The USMNT also had a disappointing week, with losses to Jamaica and Venezuela in international friendlies. These Gold Cup tune-up games are certainly disappointments, but Berhalter wasn't playing his "A" team, and his tactics needs time to implement. That being said, Nick and Mike have picked against the US in the tournament, choosing Costa Rica and Mexico, respectively.

The bright spot for US Soccer has always been the USWNT, and they did not disappoint in their Women's World Cup opener vs. Thailand. A thorough 13-0 drubbing of the Asian squad set a record for largest margin of victory and most goals in a WWC game. Alex Morgan also tied the WWC single game scoring record by netting 5 goals in a superb performance. This team has reminded the world that they are the favorites.

Meanwhile at home, the US Open Cup saw Major League Soccer teams enter the tournament. The Chicago Fire embarrassed themselves against St. Louis FC, losing the game 2-1 and losing their cool. Other MLS sides fared much better with Columbus, New England, LAFC, and Houston advancing. Chattanooga and Atlanta were postponed due to bad field conditions, and San Jose vs. Sacramento is ongoing as of time of posting.

Finally in MLS action, we saw the Union assert their dominance over the Eastern Conference with a thrilling come-back win over RBNY. The other games went as expected and all the results are up at www.mlssoccer.com. Thanks for listening, and be sure to comment below and follow us @SOPSoccer.

 

USA! USA! USA!

Hello soccer fans! The USYNT/U-20 team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup in Poland. This is a record-tying, third straight trip to the round of eight for the U-20s. After finishing 2nd in their group (Loss to Ukraine, Wins over Qatar, Nigeria), the US stunned France 3-2. Their next opponent is South American champion Ecuador. Despite the great run, the favorites in the tournament still are on the opposite side of the bracket, with Italy and Colombia. We'll see how far the US can go. Their next match is June 8.

As we move to the senior team, it's been announced that GK Zack Steffen will be loaned to Bundesliga team Fortuna Dusseldorf. A loan was expected, and Steffen is sure to get minutes with a Dusseldorf side that finished 10th in the league. This is a great loan for Steffen who will be exposed to a new and faster style of play.

Finally, Nick and Mike round up all the games from around Major League Soccer. Notably, Atlanta United continues their ascent in the Eastern Conference while LAFC maintain dominance out West. Here are our trending teams:

Teams on the Rise

* Atlanta United: They figured out how to play deBoer's style and are thriving. The Five Stripes are now sitting 3rd in the East with games in hand.

* San Jose Earthquakes: Almeyda keeps riding the hot hand ...er, foot ... and Chris Wondolowski has 7 goals in 3 games. The Quakes are 1 point below the playoff line, but have a game in hand.

* Colorado Rapids: Despite the 2nd worst record in the league, worst in the West, the Rapids have 3 wins, 1 draw in their last four.

Teams on the Fall

* Columbus Crew: 1-3-1 in their last 5, Higuain tears and ACL, Steffen played his last game - management is blowing this up with loans and trades. Time for manager Caleb Porter to institute his culture and style.

* Minnesota United: Giving up 6 goals in their last 2 games, the Loons need to shore up the defense quickly as games vs. hot Colorado and desperate SKC are looming.

Teams who can't get up

* Sporting Kansas City and FC Cincinnati: Let's be honest. Watching these two teams has been rough.

Thanks for listening, and be sure to join the conversation on twitter @SOPSoccer, on facebook, or in the comments below. See you next week!