Scuffed | USMNT, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America

Matt Hartman and Marcus Chairez join Belz to talk through the U17s' chances at the upcoming U17 World Cup in Indonesia, what the relative weakness of the 2006 birth year means for the talent pool, and who did themselves favors with their play in the Czech Republic a few weeks ago. (Patron-only edition is 45 minutes longer and includes detailed discussion of 6 specific prospects, and some encouragi...

Joshua Gordon, an eminently qualified lawyer, mediator and arbitrator whose specialty is sports conflict, joins Belz to discuss what strategies someone like him would deploy if he were called in to help Gio Reyna and Gregg Berhalter have that difficult conversation that Berhalter said a couple weeks ago they still haven't had. Consider subscribing to Scuffed on Patreon. You get an exclusive episod...

Vince, Tara and Belz talk about maybe boycotting the USWNT if Shaw doesn't get minutes against South Africa, a full report on Cat Macario's inactivity, whether M.A. Vignola will challenge for a spot at left back, and much more. Not the pod for you if you wanna bask in the Rapinoe & Ertz testimonials. Scuffed is an ad-free podcast. Support that and get exclusive episodes once a week, plus access to...

A more pleasant viewing experience than the other friendly this window. Balo and Pepi score, Tillman and Lund start, Wes and Yunus dominate an overmatched Omani midfield. Lots to discuss in a full timeline. Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private feed for the Monday Review, which is, among other things, a run-down of club action for national team players every week with Watke and Vi...

Greg and Belz talk through the goals, the sloppiness, the attempts to break down a low block, the defensive mistakes, the pitch control shortcomings of some of the non-MMA midfielders, and much much more. Please consider subscribing on Patreon. Patrons get a private feed for the Monday Review, which is, among other things, a run-down of club action for national team players every week with Watke a...

Greg, Watke and Belz talk through some things we could learn, and would like to see in these friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman. Malik at the 10, the "Weah-ification" of the entire XI, and striker goal-scoring chances are on the list. Lots more. Watke's newsletter: https://watke.substack.com/p/berhalter-declares-soccer-capital?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=138476&post_id=136804066...

Greg and Belz interview the living legend about the ongoing and upcoming challenges for the El Salvador men's national team, his early days of playing semi-pro soccer as a teenager in southern California, that 1994 World Cup Round of 16 match against Brazil, playing for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s, and much more. Patrons (link in the shownotes) can hear him speak for nearly anoth...

Josh Sargent joins Sanjay Sujanthakumar at a cafe in Norwich, on crutches, to discuss his injury, his development as a striker, having a baby in the middle of a Premier League season, and much more. Please consider subscribing to Scuffed on Patreon. Patrons get a private feed for the Monday Review, which is, among other things, a run-down of club action for national team players every week with Wa...

Greg and Belz talk through the September roster and highlights from Gregg Berhalter's first press conference back in the USMNT saddle. Please consider subscribing on Patreon. Patrons get a private feed for the Monday Review, which is, among other things, a run-down of club action for national team players every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get our full interviews (recently Dave Sarachan...

Vince, Tara and Belz talk through the news, the Horan quotes about the Sweden match, Alyssa T getting apparently left out to sea by her older teammates, Jaedyn Shaw and Olivia Moultrie impressing in NWSL, Spain's big win amid significant turmoil, and much more. Scuffed is an ad-free podcast. Support that and get exclusive episodes once a week, plus access to the Discord and live call-in shows, by...

A goal (what a goal!) and an overall very strong performance in his introduction to Milan fans. Watke and Belz celebrate and break down the details. ---- Consider subscribing to Scuffed on Patreon. You get an exclusive episode once a week, plus access to the Discord and live call-in shows, by signing up here for as little as $2 a month: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed Skip the ads! Subscribe to Sc...

Rhys Montanarello and Mr Calcio join Belz and Joey for a live show (edited for brevity) on the Scuffed Discord. We talk through, in detail, the situations at AC Milan and Juventus for Pulisic, Musah, Weah and McKennie, and touch on some larger topics in Italian football. Great guests. An unabridged version of the episode (about twice as much discussion) is available on the Patreon. ---- Consider s...

Vince, Tara and Belz mull over Vlatko's deficiencies and the underperformance put on by most of our attackers, bemoan the way almost nobody acknowledges how equal pay was actually achieved, and call for the Fed to turn the page as fast as possible.  37:40 prize money discussion  ---- Scuffed is an ad-free podcast. Support that and get exclusive episodes once a week, plus access to the Discord and...

Sanjay Sujanthakumar interviews Mark McKenzie in person in Genk on the UCL exit, playing in Belgium vs MLS, New York vs Philly, Heath Pearce's foot speed, McKenzie's goal-scoring form at the end of last season, and many other things. ---- Scuffed is an ad-free podcast. Support that and get exclusive episodes once a week, plus access to the Discord and live call-in shows, by signing up for our Patr...

Full timeline of events from the game that knocked the USA out of the World Cup, our best performance of the tournament (low bar), Rodman iso'd on the right but not as many times as would have been optimal, a crazy round of penalties and plenty of discussion of what it means with Greg and Belz.  ---- Consider subscribing to Scuffed on Patreon. Patrons get a private feed for the Monday Review, whic...

Greg and Belz on the tire fire our talented team has found itself in, with a little bit of reminder that we've got good enough players (and defensive soundness) that we might still do well at this World Cup. ---- Consider subscribing on Patreon. Patrons get a private feed for the Monday Review, which is, among other things, a run-down of club action for U.S. men's national team players every week...

Greg and Belz talk through the interesting draw with the Dutch in Wellington, New Zealand. ---- Please consider subscribing on Patreon. Patrons get a private feed for the Monday Review, which is, among other things, a run-down of club action for national team players every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get our full interviews (recently Dave Sarachan), access to our private Discord server...

WoSo Wednesday World Cup edition. Belz, Tara and Vince look ahead to the game tonight against the Netherlands (who weren't all THAT convincing against Portugal), celebrate Lavelle's return and strong performances from Horan, Morgan and of course Smith. We talk anthem singing and Girma's poised response to a question about it. Also Ary Borges and Melchie Dumornay doing the western hemisphere proud,...

Greg and Belz get into the lineup surprises, the goals, several other decent attempts to play from the U.S., no shots allowed, and some guest expert pronunciation of the Vietnamese players' names. The big test comes Wednesday vs the Netherlands. ---- Consider subscribing on Patreon. You get an exclusive episode once a week, plus access to the Discord and live call-in shows, by signing up here for...

Who is in the lineup? Who is the most fun to watch? How does the team play? Is the coach any good? Greg, Tara and Belz work through the basics about the team as they get ready to kick off vs Vietnam on Friday night. ---- Consider subscribing to Scuffed on Patreon. You get an exclusive episode once a week, full versions of all our interviews with players and coaches, access to the Discord server an...

Greg, Watke and Belz talk through the loss in penalties, and draw some conclusions from a B roster Gold Cup. It's the end of the line for a certain portion of the player pool. Special thanks to the Sac City Public Library for giving me a temporary recording home: https://www.saccity.lib.ia.us/ ---- Please consider subscribing to Scuffed on Patreon. You get an exclusive episode once a week, plus ac...

Belz, Vince and Tara talk through six questions we're thinking about with the World Cup opener 9 days away, including health and wellness stuff, the front line, and who will step up in the midfield. ---- Consider subscribing on Patreon! You get an exclusive episode once a week, plus access to the Discord and live call-in shows, by signing up for as little as $2 a month here: https://www.patreon.co...

Greg and Belz talk through the front line controversy, Thompson's combining instincts, Rodman's very good goals, Williams' crucial and elegant contribution on the first, and the possibility of a Lavelle-less midfield, among other things. ---- Please consider subscribing on Patreon. You get an exclusive episode once a week, plus access to the Discord and live call-in shows, by signing up here for a...

Greg, Watke, Vince and Belz recap that awkward but increasingly entertaining victory in penalties over Canada, go into detail, try to ascertain penalty strategy, discuss once again Callaghan's uncanny resemblance to a college football coach, cover lots of average or below average performances on the field from players who likely remain on the fringes of the NT. The Gold Cup is, as. Greg says, the...

Dave Sarachan joins the pod to speak with Greg and Belz about the job of an interim manager, why he called up all those young players in 2017 and 2018, his first meeting with Weston McKennie, what went wrong in Couva, how national team camps work, the approach to dual nationals and younger players under Arena in the 2018 cycle, the indoor soccer league, how things went right at the 2002 World Cup,...