USA Soccercast

The United States Women’s National Team have an Olympic roster, and we break it all down on Episode 55 of the SSFC Podcast. The USWNT have 18 players and 4 alternates headed to Tokyo, and we go through the roster to discuss who made the team and who was on the outside looking in. We also get into a couple of questions surrounding this roster, most notably on a player that was left off the team as well as whether a couple of players who made the roster will be 100% by the time the tournament begins.

After the break, we get into the USMNT. The 23-man Gold Cup roster will be released tomorrow, and we go through the provisional roster to see which players would make interesting picks for head coach Gregg Berhalter.

As always, subscribe to the podcast and tell your friends about it as well! SSFC Podcast at Gmail dot com is the email address for any questions or topic suggestions!

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Today is Juneteenth, and with it being a day of celebration and commemoration, it’s also a day of education for those who don’t know the significance of the holiday to Black people and to American history. So, on Episode 54, we channel the education on Black American soccer history with a crosspost episode!

We’re honored to use our platform to re-air the first episode of the Can I Kick It FC Podcast, which debuted a year ago today. Co-hosts Elliot Barr (who appeared on Episode 42 during Black History Month) and Chenier Durand II take the floor and debut this podcast with a USMNT legend, DaMarcus Beasley.

Follow them on Twitter, and do subscribe to the podcast. It’s a favorite of ours and it’s one where you will learn something new every single episode. We also encourage you to take some time today to educate yourself on the history behind Juneteenth, what it means for Black Americans, and really how it fits in the American history books. We highly encourage you to support a black-owned business or charity. There are plenty out there, so find one in your community and show it some love. We hope you have a wonderful Juneteenth, and may we always commemorate through education, support, and the celebration of our nation’s Black people.

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It’s been a wild window, but we are back with Episode 53 of the SSFC Podcast! We recap the USMNT window that just finished, which was capped by a win over Mexico to win the Concacaf Nations League. The USMNT lost on the road to Switzerland 2-1, but they came back to win 1-0 against Honduras, 3-2 after extra time against Mexico, and 4-0 in a friendly against Costa Rica.

We focus mainly on the Nations League matches and just everything that we saw during those two matches. It was as Concacaf-y of a tournament as Concacaf has ever had. It had it all - time wasting, fights, VAR disallowing goals, VAR allowing 2 penalties, a penalty save, mistakes, and above all energy and passion. And, the USMNT displayed the fight and tenacity that many fans have been waiting for a long time to see.

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, rate, and review the podcast! We’re going to try and land a guest for next week to discuss the Octagon, as we’ll know then which final 3 teams will be in with the USMNT, Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Honduras this fall!

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The USMNT has a 27-player roster for their upcoming friendly against Switzerland on May 30th. Gregg Berhalter just released the roster this morning and we do a quick reaction to some of the names on this list.

Of course, some names are off this list, like Christian Pulisic and Zack Steffen (Champions League final), and Aaron Long and Jordan Morris (injury). Despite injuries, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie made the roster. We’ll see who else will form the final 23 when it is submitted on May 24th.

Justin Che and Matthew Hoppe get their first crack at the senior national team, while the team also welcomes back guys like Julian Green and DeAndre Yedlin. Who from this roster will make the plane to Denver? We’ll find out in just a few days.

Remember to subscribe, and rate and review 5 stars if you are so inclined. SSFC Podcast at Gmail dot com is where you should send questions or topic suggestions!

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The 2021 Gold Cup schedule has finally arrived...took Concacaf long enough! We go through it on Episode 51 of the SSFC Podcast.

First, we talk about how Concacaf completely bungled the announcement of this Gold Cup schedule, including releasing the list of venues without dates or who would be playing there. Less than 2 months before the start of the tournament, we finally learn where teams will be playing, which is making fans scramble to make summer plans.

The USMNT has a home base for the group stage this summer, and that base is Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, home of Sporting Kansas City. From there, they could go to the Dallas Cowboys’ home, AT&T Stadium, either of Q2 Stadium (Austin FC) or NRG Stadium (Houston Texans), with the final taking place on August 1st at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Subscribing helps, rating and reviewing helps, but your support is greatly appreciated! SSFC Podcast at Gmail dot com is the place to send all questions or topic suggestions.

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The UEFA Champions League Final is set, and Chelsea FC and Manchester City will take the field in Istanbul to see who will be crowned European champions. However, two Pennsylvanians from the USMNT, Christian Pulisic and Zack Steffen, will compete to see which of them will become only the 2nd USMNT player to win a Champions League.

On Episode 50, we discuss the matchup and also quickly look at some of the USMNT and USWNT players that have competed in the Champions League Final and took home winners’ medals. Christian Pulisic or Zack Steffen will be added to that list on May 29th, and it’s great for the American game to see those players on the verge of winning one of the most prestigious trophies in the world’s game.

Don’t forget, subscribe, tell your friends, and if you have topic suggestions or ideas for guests you wish to hear from, send an email to SSFC Podcast at Gmail dot com!

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Jesse Marsch is off to RB Leipzig, as he was announced yesterday as their next coach, replacing Julian Nagelsmann. On Episode 49, we do a quick reaction to Marsch’s move from Salzburg to Leipzig and how his path through the Red Bull system has put him in the position he seeked when he left the New York Red Bulls: a head coaching job with a big time club in Europe.

We also dip into the pathway for American coaches to run clubs in Europe. Currently, there are a few, but while the focus has been on getting players to Europe, pathways need to be discovered that give more American coaches the opportunity to do the same. Still, there will be 2 American coaches in the Bundesliga next season, and hopefully more opportunities will emerge at clubs in some of the major European leagues where Americans will get a chance to succeed.

Don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and review, and please email SSFC Podcast at Gmail dot com if you have topic suggestions or questions!

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The European Super League shook the pillars of the soccer world, so it's only right that we begin with that discussion on Episode 48! The Super League has come and gone, but it's still a good time to break down what it was really all about: money. On both sides. There were no good guys in this dispute, and it's only going to maintain until the adults enter the room and try to figure out what makes the most sense for everyone. We gotta keep the same energy on trying to link it to MLS or any other facet of American soccer that we don't like, because Europe is using those facets as inspiration for what they're trying to do: get as much money as possible and keep the majority of the pile.

After the break, the USWNT learn their Olympic draw, and of course Sweden is in the group. The best team in the world also draw the two 2023 World Cup co-hosts, Australia and New Zealand. It should be a difficult group, but if you're going to get a gold medal, it was never going to be easy.

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On Episode 47 of the SSFC Podcast, we’re discussing one thing: failure to qualify. The USMNT U-23s didn’t qualify for the Olympics for the 3rd consecutive time and 4th time in 5 opportunities, and it’s a setback and a failure for the MNT program. We’re quickly breaking down all of it, from the players on the field to the coaching decisions, to the fact that our best players weren’t available to play.

We had a team that was strong enough to qualify and we didn’t do it. Why does that keep happening, particularly this time around when it was made a priority of the whole federation? Is it the fault of Major League Soccer, is it because we couldn’t get better players released, was it because the coach made some bad selections, was it U.S. Soccer not learning from its mistakes and past setbacks, or is it all of the above? Take a listen and then hit the comments to continue the discussion.

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On Episode 46 of the SSFC Podcast, we recap the USMNT’s victory over Jamaica and preview the big doubleheader on Sunday with the USMNT’s match against Northern Ireland and the United States U-23s attempting to book their trip to Tokyo in Olympic qualifying against Honduras.

The USMNT had several standout performers yesterday from Sergiño Dest to Brenden Aaronson. We discuss some of those performances quickly and what it means for the team going forward. After the break, we move to the U-23s, who have the biggest match of the weekend for American fans. They seek to book their first trip to the Olympics against a team they’ve never defeated in the knockout stage of Olympic qualifying. It’s a tall task for the U-23s when they take on Honduras, as they will have to play their best match to achieve the goal.

Don’t forget to subscribe and tell your friends about the podcast! Email any questions or topic suggestions to SSFC Podcast at Gmail dot com.

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