The Swan Dive with Meg Swanick

The New York Post’s New York Islanders beat writer Ethan Sears joins me— fresh from the Olympics, and back on the road covering the Islanders—- to discuss the gold-medal-winning US Men’s Hockey Team, and the odds for the USMNT this summer.

Follow Ethan’s coverage for the Post here, and on X here.

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* The big picture: was Copa America a success?

* Quick recap of the US performance— Bolivia, Panama, Uruguay, out

* Gregg Berhalter

* How the players performed. Weighing in on: ‘are these guys as good as we thought they were?’ discourse

* The wisdom of Tim Ream. Issues of depth & comfort

* The next coach: who should it be?

* Copa America chaos. Kyle talks about being at the Uruguay vs Colombia semifinal in Charlotte, and the Argentina vs Colombia final in Miami

* Some relevant reading…

* Colombia Football Federation President arrested at Copa America final

* Fans file lawsuits over Copa America final

* Why Copa America doesn’t spell doom for 2026

* Darwin Nunez breaks silence after Copa America brawl

* Lessons for ‘26

* Kyle’s predictions for the Olympics

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Jon is writing daily about Copa América over on Getting CONCACAFed. We recorded this Wednesday morning, before Mexico lost 1-0 to Venezuela and Jamaica lost 3-1 to Ecuador.

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* The public (and players) vs journalist rankings ✍️

* Jesse Marsch’s trial by fire 🇨🇦

* “… If we need to use our fists, we will use our fists…” 🇵🇪

* Is Argentina really the favorite to win? 🇦🇷

* El Tri in a difficult spot 🇲🇽

* Jamaica’s talent vs Jamaica’s results 🇯🇲

* USMNT: they did what they needed to do 🇺🇲

* Panama’s opening performance, matchup with the US 🇵🇦

* Uruguay the real contender to win? 🇺🇾

* Costa Rica’s massive result against Brazil, could they get out of Group D? 🇨🇷

* Diagnosing Brazil 🇧🇷

* Grading Concacaf’s performance vs Conmebol in the early games 🌎

Keep up with all things Concacaf at Jon’s newsletter here.

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Henry Bushnell is a soccer and feature writer for Yahoo Sports, doing amazing work covering soccer in the US at all levels. Henry was exceptionally generous with his time as we discussed MLS, Messi, the US Open Cup, USMNT and USWNT for over an hour.

This was recorded on Friday the 19th so some of the references may be slightly dated. I was on the road in the rust belt last week for some non-soccer related things, so do forgive me the slight delay in posting this.

Intro

* Getting into soccer, getting into sports writing

* The fandom path

MLS, Messi 6:15 - 21:03

* The Messi effect

* Apple TV+

* Miami leads the Supporters Shield race. Mentioned in the pod they’d just played Kansas City, they’ve since also beaten Nashville and New England

* Is Miami bossing the league? (Related article)

* Assessing the Miami Champions Cup loss to Monterrey (2-5 on aggregate) and talking MLS roster rules

* MLS becoming a top global league vs a glacial pace of change

US Open Cup, USSF, Major League Soccer 21:03 - 32:00

* Why did MLS try to ditch US Open Cup?

* Who was calling the shots at US Soccer?

* How USSF and MLS work together

* Henry’s article, ‘Who controls American soccer?’

USMNT 32:00 - 50:00

* Big picture assessment of where the USMNT is post-Nations League trophy

* Are we locked in with Gregg through 2026, no matter what happens this summer?

* Expectations for the group: US, Uruguay, Panama, Bolivia

* If they get out of the group, can they get something from Brazil or Colombia (should these be the two)

* Starting XI

* Gio Reyna (this was recorded the week following Reyna’s first start for Forest, which took place against Wolves on April 13. Reyna has since started a second game but played just 53 minutes and come off the bench against Man City last weekend for 16)

USWNT 50ish min - FIN

* Evolutions since Vlatko departed

* What went wrong in ‘23

* The 18 player roster

* The Olympic opponents and USWNT expectations

* Pressure

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Philly Union, through the years

* Covering Philly Union from the ground floor in 2010

* Proselytizing the sport

* When people started paying attention

* Jim Curtin’s impact (with the team since 2013, first as an assistant, Curtin’s now the second-longest tenured manager in Major League Soccer)

* Assessing the Union’s early 2024 season

* When the Union hit their ceiling

* Can this team win a trophy?

* Bringing Bedoya and Wagner back

(18:00 ish) Cavan Sullivan’s Man City deal

* Cavan Sullivan agrees to terms with Manchester City, but will stay in Philly for now. Initial reactions

* Hype & pressure, at home or abroad

* Is American soccer desperate for a star?

* The sometimes tension between USMNT & MLS fanbases

* The Philly Union elevator pitch

Follow Kevin in X here and at Crossing Broad here.

The Swan Dive with Meg Swanick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit swandive.substack.com

Thank you for reading The Swan Dive with Meg Swanick. This post is public so feel free to share it.

This week started with a third consecutive Nations League trophy for the USMNT on Sunday night.

A few days later, the US Women dropped their 23-player SheBelieves Cup roster—their last roster preceding the final set of games before Emma Hayes is officially in charge of this team.

To talk about both teams and their big summers ahead, I’ve got Laken Litman from Fox Sports with me.

Laken reports on college football and soccer for Fox Sports, and is frequently on the ground with both US National Teams, including, most recently, the USA’s Nations League exploits in Dallas. Laken will also be with the US Women for SheBelieves in Atlanta next week.

* How players and Berhalter reacted to their semifinal performance

* Would Berhalter’s job have been in danger if the US lost that match?

* Copa America expectations

* Did the lack of crowd in the US vs Jamaica match affect their flat-footed start? (quote from Yunus)

* The team’s response against Mexico in the final

* Tyler Adams’ goal. Nobody knew he had it in ‘em

* ‘Gio Reyna has been killing it for USMNT. Can he now do it at club level?’

* USWNT evolutions from World Cup to W Gold Cup to SheBelieves Cup next week

* Hopes for Hayes

* What went wrong in ‘23?

* The Sophia Smith we were promised

* (Soph on The Women’s Game with Sam Mewis)

* The USWNT’s Olympic group: Germany, Australia, Zambia/Morocco

* They’re all groups of death, aren’t they?

* What Laken is looking out for in this SheBelieves Cup

* The incredible, remarkable competitiveness of Team USA’s forward line

* Mallory Swanson and Cat Macario are back, at long last!

Follow Laken on X here, and read her work at Fox Sports here.

The Swan Dive with Meg Swanick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit swandive.substack.com

The US Olympic squad beat Guinea 3-0 in Girona, Spain last week (goals from Harriel, Busio and Gomez), then drew Olympic hosts France 2-2 in Montbéliard on Monday (goals from Yow and Cowell).

With just four months to go before the summer games, Brain Sciaretta re-joins the pod for a chat about the results, the evolving roster, and expectations in France:

* the emergence of Griffin Yow (his goal against France)

* striker options, overage striker options

* thoughts on roster construction, importance of versatility in an 18 player roster

* Some Olympic roster specifics

* The Venezia boys

* Hanging with the hosts, the team has fight

* The team’s identity: ‘raw but tenacious’

* Get out of the group? Challenge for a medal? … “this team should win games”

* Questions from twitter

Follow Brian on twitter here. And for a sample of his work, here’s a profile he did of Griffin Yow this past January.

The Swan Dive with Meg Swanick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit swandive.substack.com

The gang is heading to Nashville for USMNT camp, with a trip to play Germany in Connecticut in between.

We begin by picking Kyle’s brain on some big-picture USMNT topics. Then we delve into the 23 guys called in for this October roster.

Intro…

* Hartford, Connecticut foliage report

* North Carolina foliage report

* Naked lady climbing electrical wires in Winston-Salem

* How Kyle got into soccer journalism

The big picture (5:35)

* Is this the most talented USMNT roster of all time?

* Only 2 MLS players in camp (Miles Robinson/Atlanta United and DeJuan Jones/New England Revolution). What’s the right balance between players based domestically and players plying their trade abroad?

* Players moving abroad too soon/players not finding the right club

* Should Brenden Aaronson have stayed at Leeds this season?

* Post-Leeds USA drama…. do we still want multiple guys at one club?

* The buddy system

Going through the October roster (19:45 until the end)

* Matt Turner’s move to Nottingham Forest

* Ethan Horvath’s bummer of a situation

* Gregg’s goalkeeper message

* Are we appreciating Jedi enough?

* The center back pool, are we happy with who is in camp?

* Are we worried about Chris Richards?

* Gregg Berhalter and Gio Reyna convene over Zoom

* Where Gregg sees Gio playing positionally

* Tyler Adams re-injures hamstring, may need surgery

* What Kyle hopes to see in the midfield this window

* More Balo!

* Expectations

Follow Kyle on Twitter here and Instagram here.

The Swan Dive with Meg Swanick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

** Somewhere in this chat I referenced that this roster is playing in “seven or more” leagues. They are in fact spread across nine countries, playing in multiple divisions therein. From US Soccer: “The 23 players ply their trade in nine different countries: Germany (5), Italy (5), England (4), Netherlands (3), USA (2), Brazil (1), France (1), Scotland (1), Spain (1)”

Photo by Drew Hays on Unsplash

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Alex Windley joins the pod to discuss the biggest news this week…. or ever…. in Major League soccer. Lionel Messi is moving to Inter Miami! Friends, we are in for an interesting year.

Alex is Miami born and raised, and covers Inter Miami for 90 min football, Bleacher Report and The Heron Outlet.

You can follow Alex on twitter here to stay connected as she tracks Miami’s momentous changes, and Messi’s imminent arrival.

The Swan Dive with Meg Swanick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

* Digesting the news. Miami is having a moment!

* South Florida barber shop talk

* Immediate changes for Miami’s PR team

* Preparing the club (and league) infrastructure for Messi’s landing

* Security at DRV PNK Stadium, will Messi be too accessible?

* Messi is durable… but will he play on turf?

* When will we see Messi debut?

* Major League retirement?

* MLS 4.0: can Messi accelerate change?

* The deal that brought Messi to MLS

* The surrounding cast of characters that Messi needs in Miami

* Alex hints at big moves on the horizon…

* Busquets, Suarez, Di Maria?

* Tata Martino

* Phil Neville

* Why is Inter Miami in last place right now?

* David Beckham’s influence

* Flying into practice on a private jet

* Can Miami turnaround their season with Messi?

* Trophies possible this year…

* A giant soccer fiesta!

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit swandive.substack.com

Ryan Tolmich, American soccer correspondent for GOAL, is back on the pod!

Ryan’s last visit featured a long, cathartic debrief attempting to make sense of the US performance at the World Cup in Qatar. 5 months later…. we reflect on everything that’s happened since.

The Swan Dive with Meg Swanick is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

0:00 - 6:32 The Soccer Tournament

* The first ever TST event in Cary, North Carolina!

* Expectation, preparation, reality

* Why did the “legends” teams fail?

* Wrexham’s huge fan section, a sign of the times

* “A wild collection of people”

6:33-19:46 the US fall to Uruguay in the U20 world cup

* Another US loss in the quarterfinal

* Two catastrophic mistakes

* Can the US scrap like Uruguay can? (Did they have to?)

* What do we learn about US soccer from the U20 World Cup?

* The legacy of this team

* Checking in on the 2019 U20 World Cup team

* What’s next for the talent in this pool? (Cowell, Luna, Craig, McGlynn)

19:46 - USMNT Abroad, USMNT in Las Vegas

* “A pretty crappy year” of Americans abroad

* Nations League, amid uncertain times

* Too many wagons hitched to Leeds

* The **worst** intersection of American and English soccer culture?

* My future graduate degree thesis

* Do Americans overprotect players, is it the same with other national teams?

* Weston’s options

* The price of keeping Tyler Adams at the top

* The curious case of Sergino Dest’s constant disappearance

* Dortmund is still the place

* Christian Pulisic, new lease on life

* Is Pulisic really endorsing Gregg Berhalter’s return?

* The most important thing to watch in Nations League

* Trophy confidence in this dual trophy summer

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