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This week's episode has a little bit of everything. Jason starts the show with some catch-up on recent events in American soccer, including a review of the wild Wednesday night MLS action. Young players are making waves and Bruce Arena is doing his magic in San Jose. Jason also checks in on some of the American abroad news, including Ricardo Pepi's Wednesday brace and word out of Germany that Malik Tillman might want out of Bayer Leverkusen after just one year. Then the Rodius posts to do a very TBSS thing: A draft of players from past USMNT World Cup rosters. Here are the rules, which made it a challenge: First, Jason and Jared drafted which rosters they could pick from. Each selected 3 modern rosters, leaving out the 2022 USMNT. Each round was for one position. First round for GK, second round for LB, etc. A max of 4 players could be selected from each roster. A player could be selected more than once, provided he played different position and in multiple World Cup. We'll be posting the final teams on socials and in the Besties Slack, so be sure to join the TBSS Patreon to join in the debate. patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode hits on all the big stories in American soccer. Thomas Pinzone from The Blazing Musket podcast sits in as co-host to help Jason cover the game from post to post. We start with Matt Crocker's sudden departure as sporting director from US Soccer. Did Crocker make any headway on the big problems facing the game in the US? How will we judge his tenure? Then Jason and Thomas discuss Javier Mascherano quitting on Inter Miami seven games into a title defense season. Was there drama behind the scences? MLS went two-and-two in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup against Mexican opposition. The guys get into the problems MLS faces in the CCC and the wide issues with a tournament that only two leagues can win. There's round-up of the US Open Cup action from this week with a special note for the cupsets sprung by lower division teams and some love for the SOCCER HERITAGE moments like the plethora of lines on the surface in Mount Vernon, NY for Westchester SC's match against NYCFC. Finally, Jason springs on Thomas the story of the Fernando Mendoza photo shoot that has an eerie similarity to a photo shoot featuring the 2002 USMNT. Photogs apparently can't say not to an athlete sipping from a water fountain. Get access to Jason's weekly Office Hours, other bonus content, the Besties Slack community by signing up for our Patreon page at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow. You can by a redesigned TBSS t-shit at our Fourthwall page. Subscribe to Jason's newsletter, Jason Davis Soccer Eagle. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're dropping a special interview ep of TBSS on you today as Jason sits down with Carlos Mojica to talk about Carlos's new book "Goa! Awesome Soccer Stories and Fun Facts For Kids". Carlos is an American soccer veteran who turned his lover for the game into a very fun, readable book for kids who want to learn more about the sport. The book is a steal for $19.99 so go buy one wherever you get books. You can order from Barnes & Noble here: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/goal-carlos-mojica/1147519102 Thanks to Carlos for coming on the show. Remember that you can join the Besties Patreon for extra content and access to the Besties Slack. Check it out at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've got a special super sized episode of TBSS this week. Jason starts the show checking in with the Besties about their feelings around the USMNT two months out from the World Cup. What's your DEFCON after the March window? Then Jared shows up to engage Jason in a blind ranking of 8 MLS Cup champions from years past. If you want bonus content and an invite to join the Besties Slack community, jump into our Patreon at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow See you next week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the USMNT's double loss window with just months to go before the World Cup, Jason is joined by Fox Sports' Doug McIntyre to break down the state of Mauricio Pochettino's team. Big Questions: 1. Do the results matter? 2. Should we worry about Christian Pulisic? 3. Which players hurt or helped their chances of making the World Cup squad? 4. Is Weston locked in as a key figure under Pochettino? 5. What's Gio Reyna's role going forward? Did he help himself? For more fun and informative soccer things, join the Besties on The Best Soccer Show Patreon page. You get access to bonus content, appearances from Jared DuBois, a pass to Jason's weekly Office Hours hangout, and more. https://www.patreon.com/c/thebestsoccershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we dive into the biggest lineup questions surrounding the USMNT ahead of its matchup with Belgium. Jason is joined by Jonathan Tannenwald to break down the key decisions facing the coaching staff—from tactical shape to personnel choices—and what it all means for the team’s chances. We get into the ongoing debates: Who should anchor the midfield? Which attacking options actually complement each other? And how much should recent form versus long-term trust factor into the starting XI? Jonathan brings his usual insight and reporting to help separate the noise from the reality. If you’ve been second-guessing lineup projections or wondering what the smartest approach is against a top-tier opponent like Belgium, this episode is for you. Join the Besties Patreon and get bonus content. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason went live to react to the new USMNT roster for the March friendlies and was joined by JTT Jonathan Tannenwald. We covered points of intrigue in the group before diving into the roster to discuss who's in, who's out, and who has something to prove ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Become a Bestie and join our community and get extras: patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oscar Pareja is out in Orlando — and we're breaking down one of the more surprising coaching exits in recent MLS memory. Seven seasons, six straight playoff appearances, a contract extension less than a year ago... and then three games and 11 goals against to start 2026. Was it the right call? What's next for Orlando, and where does Pareja land? We get into all of it. Then, the Noahkai Banks situation is getting complicated. The 19-year-old center back is one of the most exciting American-eligible prospects in Europe — but Germany wants him too, and he's not ready to close that door. With the World Cup three months away, the clock is ticking on one of the most fascinating dual-national decisions in recent USMNT history. Speaking of three months out — we take the temperature on the World Cup. The tournament is coming home, and the vibes are building. Where does the USMNT stand heading into their final March friendlies, and what does a successful tournament actually look like for Pochettino's side? And in this week's MLS Lore Corner, we tell the full story of Mike Petke's legendary 2017 press conference — the one where he walked in with printed photos to prove his point about referee inconsistency. The printer broke before he could make more. He was fined $3,000. He tweeted the amount himself. Absolute scenes. Want bonus content and extended episodes? Join us on Patreon at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow — your support keeps the show going and gets you access to extra episodes, bonus breakdowns, and more. You can get Jason's twice-weekly newsletter here: https://jason-davis-soccer-eagle.ghost.io/ And you can find Morning Kickaround on YouTube or anywhere you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A three-panel panel of Jason Davis, Thomas Pinzone, and Jonathan Tannenwald hits The Best Soccer Show this week. The trio talk about MLS Week 2, with special focus on a few teams. Inter Miami's big win over Orlando leads to some talk about Messi and Miami as the bad guys, and the discussion also hits on the Galaxy, Red Bulls, and more. Plus, a look at Josh Sargent's arrival in Toronto and whether he can help life the Reds back into MLS elite. Thomas gives us local view on the World Cup funding issue in Foxboro and we dive into the funding issues that threaten World Cup games in Massachusetts. From there the boys launch into USMNT talk. Goalkeepers and midfielders are the the focus with Mauricio Pochettino set to call up a squad for March friendlies. If you miss Jared, he's on this week's Besties Bonus. Join the Patreon to get access. https://www.patreon.com/c/thebestsoccershow. Make sure you subscribe to get the video version of the show and to get notified when the live episodes are going down. The show is always better when you can see our beautiful faces. Thanks for your support! Please spread the word any way you can. https://www.youtube.com/thebestsoccershow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Go to Apple Podcasts  and give us a review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. We're *this close* to 300. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new era of The Best Soccer Show begins. This week Jason is joined by Mitch Clark of the Enemies of the Fire podcast for the first half of the show, then by Thomas Pinzone of The Blazing Musket podcast for the second half. There's a lot in this show, from talk about Weston McKennie's role at Juventus and with the USMNT, to MLS Week 1 (with focused taked from Mitch and Thomas on the Fire and Revs), to the impending end of Don Garber's time as MLS commissioner, to the failures of Wilfried Nancy and Eric Ramsay in British football. If you miss the Rodius, join the Patreon. He'll probably show up there. patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Find Morning Kickaround on YouTube to support Jason's other projects. youtube.com/@morningkickaround Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week's episode of The Best Soccer Show features a massive show announcement at the top of the show. Things are changing a bit. If you've digested that news and want to have a say about the future of TBSS, find Jason on Bluesky or drop a comment wherever you get the show. Then there's a lot of talk about the USMNT striker pool, with a bunch of guys scoring and Ricardo Pepi on the shelf. Is Pepi a World Cup lock? Jason gets into the Weston McKennie situation at Juve as well. How about some thoughts on the state of MLS? Are we entering an inflection point for the league? Jason then gives his top 5 storylines as the league gets set to launch this weekend. Join the Patreon to become a Bestie and get some bonus content. patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The biggest news in American soccer on Wednesday wasn't Lionel Messi's hamstring injury, or Tottenham Hotspur eyeing up Mauricio Pochettino after firing Thomas Frank. Nope, it was Matthew Doyle announcing that he is no longer with MLSSoccer.com and is off to be an independent soccer writer and part of the Kickback Media crew. Naturally this meant Jason got into the weeds about American soccer media...and then was joined by Jonathan Tannenwald to go even deeper. This is a show for longtime American soccer fans and anyone interested in the view of two vets on where soccer media used to be, where it is now, and where it might be headed. Some navel gazing occurred. Many soccer media names were mentioned. Support the show on the Patreon at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Find Morning Kickaround (Jason's other thing) on YouTube at youtube.com/@morningkickaround Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason goes solo to cover the American and USMNT news. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jason and Jared back together to talk about the big news in American soccer. Support the show by joining the Patreon. patreon.come/thebestsoccershow Topics: Malik Tillman balls out in the Champions League! What's Weston's situation at Juventus? Is Ricardo Pepi to Fulham a good move (and USMNT striker pool talk)? Alex Freeman's big jump to La Liga We have t-shirts somewhere on the internet if you want to buy one and if you want to give us a rating and a review, that would be cool. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jared got pulled away so just jumped on the show solo...only to be joined by Jonathan Taylor Tannenwald for a full and very special episode of The Best Soccer Show. We got into Weston's future at Juve, Sargent's future at Norwich (or not), Inter Miami's reported bid for Bouanga, Adrian Heath's harrowing tail of being conned and kidnapped, and the appearance of MLS on Jeopardy! Support the show by becoming a patron. patreon.com/thebestsoccershow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices