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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