Soccerwise | U.S. Soccer, MLS, NWSL

Could the U.S. game get bigger without giving up its local, tribal fan culture? Rodger Sherman, the ex-Ringer writer who now runs his own sports newsletter, tells his old SB Nation colleague Susannah Fuller where he stands.
Along the way, he talks about tracking down the slowest athletes from small countries at the Rio Olympics. He calls the 48-team World Cup a money grab, even though it brought in his favorite story of the summer, Cape Verde. And he weighs the USMNT’s missed chance against Belgium, covering a USWNT expected to win and Nashville SC’s rise.
Subscribe to his newsletter, Sports! with Rodger Sherman: https://www.sports.cool 

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0:00 Welcome Rodger Sherman
1:57 SB Nation Memories, Too Many Matches
5:01 Going Solo to Cover Every Sport
11:16 Rio’s Slowest Racers, 48-Team World Cup
15:32 Fandom Origins: FIFA 94, Korea-Japan 2002

19:21 Keeping a College Football Feel in MLS
24:30 Hull City, Thanks to Fetty Wap

26:19 World Cup Success and USMNT Letdown
32:55 Cape Verde: His Favorite Story

37:19 Premium Seats, Priced-Out Fans

39:55 USWNT: Expected to Win, Big Characters

43:54 Nashville SC’s Rise, His MLS Cup Pick



Soccerwise is your home for the sharpest coverage of American soccer, covering MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.
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Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT squad for the quarterfinal against Haiti comes early in a new cycle, with real competition for places. David Gass, Matt Doyle and Brian Dunseth go through the group position by position: the thinking behind the key call-ups, how the pieces fit, and what the absences say about where the team is headed.

The attack discussion centers on Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, Cavan Sullivan and Gio Reyna. Reed Baker-Whiting’s selection from Nashville shows Pochettino’s watching MLS and puts him in the left-back picture. The right back, midfield and goalkeeper pecking order follows, plus Malik Tillman’s best role. Then a Subs Bench on the snubs, USWNT prospects, the U.S.-Mexico fight for dual-eligible teams and the mailbag.
0:00 USMNT Call-Ups for Haiti
2:57 U-23 Link: Every Camp Matters
6:50 Balogun and Pulisic Back
9:25 Hall, Ellis, Sullivan Compete Up Front
13:02 Reyna: Playmaker and Resurgence

15:21 Cavan Sullivan to Start?
19:15 Reed Baker-Whiting’s Fit and MLS Respect

27:14 Right Back Depth Chart: Reynolds, Dest
30:11 Castañeda and Mehmeti in a Deep Midfield

36:42 Freese vs. Kochen vs. Schwake

40:41 Tillman’s Leverkusen Future, Best Role

46:36 Subs Bench: Miller and Turner Omitted

49:52 Bethune, San Diego Teens for USWNT

53:15 U.S. vs. Mexico Recruiting
58:19 Mailbag: Could Chara Have Saved 2018?
1:00:50 Top U.S. Crowds, Atlanta Home?

Soccerwise is your home for the sharpest coverage of American soccer, covering MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.
Watch, listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/soccerwisehq
Subscribe on YouTube and comment, or follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

Half of the MLS Western Conference playoff bubble is about to see their postseason dreams burst, and those already out have plenty to answer for. David Gass, Matt Doyle and Tom Bogert size up who’s best set for the final weekend. Then they dig into what sank each eliminated side and what has to change this offseason.
Six clubs fight for three berths: the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake face off, while the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Colorado Rapids and Minnesota United scoreboard watch. Obituaries follow for the clubs whose seasons are done, from a record-setting Sporting Kansas City to New York City FC and Red Bull New York’s rosters that promised more.

0:00 MLS Finale Show, Watch Party and Banter
7:06 Western Bubble, Most Crowded Since 2021
11:37 Galaxy at a Crossroads?
16:43 LA vs. RSL, Where It’s Won and Lost
22:00 Real Salt Lake: A Season Worth Saving?
27:41 Blame for Seattle’s Slide
34:29 Rapids, Timbers, Minnesota: Trust Them?
41:14 Nashville’s Record Chase, Seeding Races
47:30 Sporting KC’s Tank Job Debate
53:37 CF Montreal’s Ownership Question
57:54 D.C. United: A Roster Missing Pieces?
1:01:20 Atlanta’s Rebuild Cycle
1:05:53 Jim Curtin Starts Over in Austin
1:12:04 San Diego’s Next Move
1:18:31 Toronto FC: Big Spending, Same Attack?
1:24:19 NYCFC Fades, Jansen’s Job in Question
1:28:47 Red Bulls, Bradley and the Veteran Gap

Soccerwise is your home for the sharpest coverage of American soccer, covering MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.
Watch, listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/soccerwisehq
Subscribe on YouTube and comment, or follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

Eight NWSL teams, four games and no second chances. David Gass and Jordan Angeli break down every quarterfinal matchup, what could tip each one and which teams they think can survive, before they take on the NWSL awards races, starting with a wide-open MVP vote.
They look back at Decision Day, where Gotham FC won their first NWSL Shield and Seattle Reign snagged the last spot, and work through their full awards ballot with their front-runners in every category.
0:00 NWSL Final Eight and Awards Ahead
4:13 Decision Day: Parity on Display
8:44 Gotham’s Shield Despite Roster Churn
16:50 Seattle’s Last-Day Push for Fishlock
20:05 KC vs. Angel City: Transition Showdown
32:58 Wilson’s Portland Tests Washington
41:22 Midfield Battle: Seattle vs. Gotham
49:45 Utah’s Press, San Diego’s Answer
56:38 Bracket Picks and Upsets
58:35 MVP Debate: Sanchez, Dali or Rodman?
1:04:27 Ann-Katrin Berger’s Keeper Case
1:06:22 Van Zanten for Rookie and Defender?
1:09:28 Coach Race: Coenraets Against Amoros
1:11:03 Dali or Howell, Midfielder of the Year?

Soccerwise is your home for the sharpest coverage of American soccer, covering MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.

Watch, listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/soccerwisehq

Subscribe on YouTube and comment, or follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

The Timbers jumped from 11th to eighth in a single weekend. Are they getting hot at the right time, or is it proof that nobody else in this scramble is any good? With Decision Day next, Gass, Tom and Doyle hash I all out across both conferences, from the bubble to the clubs already planning for next year.
Out East, Nashville SC rallied from two down against Red Bull New York and look like the favorites even with Inter Miami lurking. Charlotte FC’s ceiling may hinge on whether Allan Saint-Maximin’s red card will cost him more games. The Columbus Crew are surging, while NYCFC, Toronto FC and the Red Bulls are done. Plus, a farewell to Alejandro Bedoya.
0:00 Mad Hatter, Sully and a West Logjam
9:17 Nashville SC Closing in on the Record
17:28 Diego Chara and a Portland Revival
26:34 Saint-Maximin’s Taunt Worth a Red Card?
32:41 Charlotte FC Feast, but Real Tests Ahead
39:04 Revs and Miami Fight for Second
46:58 Alejandro Bedoya’s Union Legacy
52:30 Galaxy in Control of a Shaky Bubble
1:00:18 Wide Open From Vancouver on Down
1:04:54 Columbus Crew Surge as Cincinnati Steady
1:12:06 Worst Exit: NYCFC, Toronto or Red Bulls?

Soccerwise is your home for the sharpest coverage of American soccer, covering MLS, NWSL and U.S. Soccer.
Watch, listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/soccerwisehq.
Subscribe on YouTube and comment, or follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.