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

We get a satisfying brace from Diego Luna, and then we turtle up. Greg and Belz talk it through. Greg mostly blames the midfield for not getting control of the game after the opening 15 minutes. Full timeline. On to Mexico in Houston on Sunday.

Clip notes for patrons coming later tonight.

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Greg and Belz talk through the win in penalties last night in Minneapolis. Lots on the new look with both fullbacks high, Tillman, Arfsten, how Richards' protagonism helped create chances, a little cackling about Jesse Marsch's fate at the GC, and much more.

Clip notes coming soon for patrons at $5 and higher level: patreon.com/scuffed

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Greg and Belz talk through ALL the details on the 2-1 win over Haiti. Malik and Chris continue to be a cut above. Big Pat is a phenomenon, in both negative and positive ways. Everybody else is pretty much failing to distinguish himself.

Clip Notes for $5 patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/132197415?pr=true

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Vince and Belz react to and recap the 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia basically immediately after the final whistle. Richards comes up big. Tillman keeps building his NT chops. Most everybody else had a forgettable night and the Saudi opponents treated Arfsten like Shaq at the top of the key.

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Charles Boehm helps us once again, joining Belz and Vince to recap the 5-0 win over the Soca Warriors. We do a full timeline and several takeaways, bearing in mind the opponent "wasn't at the races," as Dwight Yorke put it post-match. Malik getting blooded as a goal-scorer and foul-sufferer in Concacaf was big. Poch still has a lot to prove. Freese does himself favors. Etc. etc.

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Not great! But Greg is typically even-keeled and there's plenty to talk through.

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Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the Monday Review every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get access to some video of clips we discuss on the show, our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Also, check out Boots on...

The USMNT and Nashville SC centerback joins Belz and Sanjay Sujanthakumar to discuss how he practices attacking set pieces, aerial prowess in general, the differences in how centerbacks are instructed to operate under Poch compared to Berhalter, his mindset coming off the bench against Iran in 2022, that goal-line clearance, that penalty against Wales, his Christian faith, and much more.

Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the Monday Review every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get access to some...

Belz and Vince walk through the timeline and some takeaways from a loss in Hartford, but easily the best loss of the past three, and there are some positive things to take away from it.

Sanjay and I are going to interview Walker Zimmerman tomorrow. I will put a form in the shownotes, at which you can submit a question if you like. We will try to ask as many as we can: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfq64C36Wv0zAUTBSPV_zgjB2BPG-p5i810Cq2EVC0fm06Exw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=114093336505775313418

<...

Greg joins Belz to talk about who they're excited to see play over the next month, why Josh Sargent was left off, and respond to several listener questions as the USMNT embarks on the Gold Cup and the final 12 months before World Cup 2026. As usual, Greg zigs while most everyone else zags. He's not panicking.

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Schaerlaeckens, who writes for the Guardian and will soon publish a book titled "The Long Game" on the modern USMNT, joins Watke and Belz. We talk about what's happening with the USMNT these days, his access to Berhalter while he was working on his book, the ways the current generation is different from previous national team generations, and much, much more. Really good, lively conversation.

There will be no official Monday Review this week, and for several of the weeks ahead, since there will be so little club soccer and so much international soccer to cover directly.<...

Jack, one of the hosts of the Five Year Plan, a Crystal Palace podcast, joins Belz and Vince for to talk about Crystal Palace winning its first-ever major trophy, with Chris Richards as one of its best players on the day. It's a celebration pod!

FYP podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fyp-podcast/id373306875
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5QGuFDpOw2fUBrnAhcTZKt

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A bunch of our best players will be missing, and Sean Zawadzki will be there. We talk through the call-ups, the omissions, and what the hell is going on. Watke has some positive interpretations. See you in Nashville!

Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the Monday Review every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get access to some video of clips we discuss on the show, our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic...

Vince, Watke and Belz reconvene after the trip to Rome. Lots of celebrations from the weekend to recap, plus we talk about Rome and the football we saw there a bit, Milan's struggles, and the USMNT roster coming out tomorrow.

Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the Monday Review every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get access to some video of clips we discuss on the show, our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog...

Belz and Vince (and Goerge Quraishi) record their second episode from Rome, the morning after Bologna's 1-0 win over Milan in the Coppa Italia final, which we miraculously were able to attend. Quraishi, the founder of Howler magazine and the guy helping us navigate Rome, joins in. Pulisic had a night to forget, but we did not.

Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the Monday Review every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get access to some video of...

Coming to you from a 4th-floor apartment next to the Tiber River, Belz and Vince talk through their takeaways from the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday -- the intensity of the match, the scene outside, Wes's assist, a theory of what supporters groups are doing when they chant, what it's like in Rome right now, and much more. We take a handful of questions from some of the fine people traveling with us, and also run quickly through some news from the past week.

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Polis was at the scene for Paul Caligiuri's shot heard round the world, he was also (for Umbro) the English language press liaison for the Brazilian national team (Romario, Bebeto, Dunga) in 1994. Polis joined Belz for a 75 minute conversation. He was prepared and he has a good memory and he brings a lot to the table, including a more relaxed perspective about the USMNT heading toward next summer than Belz has. Good medicine.

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Charlie Boehm joins Vince and Belz to talk through the weekend action, he lends his MLS expertise to the discussion. Balogun starts and scores for the first time since October. Good game from him. Dike's back on the scoresheet too. Wrexham is headed to the Champo, Leeds is headed out of the Champo and Brendo is looking for a home. Vince and Belz are headed to Rome on Friday.

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The guy behind Sounder at Heart and SB Nation's soccer coverage is running an independent shop in Seattle now. He joins to talk about that, about the real Brian Schmetzer, how pro/rel might play out in the Pacific Northwest, his grandmother's high school career in South Dakota, and much more.

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We start off with MLS because it feels more interesting right now. But also Pulisic makes scoring look easy vs Venezia, Malik’s teammate says “one man’s death is another man’s bread” after he’s late to something and has to sit, Tyler gets away with an orange-ish challenge, and much more.

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Wiebe's a feature and sideline reporter for Major League Soccer, talks about learning the art of sideline reporting which is fascinating. Also discusses Extra Time Radio, the show that got inexplicably binned by the league earlier this year. Good young MLS players, the Sullivan bros, meeting Luca de la Torre's parents, buying boots with Brandon Vazquez and going to a rodeo with Jack McGlynn. Plus lots more.

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Vince, Watke and Belz work their way through the news of the weekend. Red cards for Chris, Mark and Diego. Big win for Utrecht and a goal for Paxten. Leeds wins promotion. Lots more.

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Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the Monday Review every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get access to some video of clips we discuss on the show, our private Discord server, live call-in shows...

El Paso-based Dan Vaughn, the founder of Protagonist Soccer and one of the most knowledgeable people in the country when it comes to lower-league American soccer, joins Watke and Belz for a wide-ranging conversation that often circles back to the CFC-Red Wolves rivalry, geography, and Ricardo Pepi.

Relevant links...

Protagonist Soccer: https://www.patreon.com/protagonistsoccer
Protagonist podcasts on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2VCcvJK493KwhKwDPNt8Cl

Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the...

Larsen, a former NASL Sounders ballboy and co-chair of the Congressional Soccer Caucus, sat down to talk about border challenges, drone defenses, getting visas and some of the other work that's ongoing in preparation for World Cup 2026.

Vince and Belz and George Quraishi are definitely taking a group to Rome from May 10-18, here's some detail, including a rough itinerary: https://earthlydelights.notion.site/Italia-25-with-Scuffed-1a3f3f1e0145804793e8e83e982168fd

And here's where you can still sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfp2O1bIr5KNSymt3ayP3ctERCooDo3...

Ley ran the PA system for the Cosmos in the late 1970s, was one of the earliest anchors for Sportscenter, hosted several World Cups on television and has been one of American soccer's great advocates. He sat down with Belz and talked about what he tells college kids about the future of sports journalism, the state of the USMNT, the potential impact of the 2026 World Cup, what pro/rel might mean for USL, and much more.

Here's where you can send us a voice message for future episodes: https://www.speakpipe.com/ScuffedPodcast

Subscribe...

Vince and Belz wrestle with the implications of that last window, weigh whether USL's pro/rel gambit will move the needle, recap the weekend action and answer voicemails from listeners in Forth Worth and Chicago.

Here's where you can send us a voice message for future episodes: https://www.speakpipe.com/ScuffedPodcast

Vince and Belz and George Quraishi are definitely taking a group to Rome from May 10-18, here's some detail, including a rough itinerary: https://earthlydelights.notion.site/Italia-25-with-Scuffed-1a3f3f1e0145804793e8e83e982168fd

And here's where you...

CCV sits down with Sanjay in SoCal to talk about the respite of national team camps, building racecars with Legos, jumping on the field at the 2022 World Cup, and much more. As usual, good rapport in the conversation.

Here's where you can send us a voice message for future episodes: https://www.speakpipe.com/ScuffedPodcast

Vince and Belz and George Quraishi are definitely taking a group to Rome from May 10-18, here's some detail, including a rough itinerary: https://earthlydelights.notion.site/Italia-25-with-Scuffed-1a3f3f1e0145804793e8e83e982168fd

You...

Belz and Vince with a lengthy "what's up with Poch" opening segment, Johnny shines for Betis, Malik back and fresh in Eindhoven, West starts under new coach, Josh scores, we're definitely going to Rome. A great question from Mike in the Buffalo area.

Here's where you can send us a voice message for future episodes: https://www.speakpipe.com/ScuffedPodcast

Vince and Belz and George Quraishi are definitely taking a group to Rome from May 10-18, here's some detail, including a rough itinerary: https://earthlydelights.notion.site/Italia-25-with-Scuffed-1a3f3f1e0145804793e8e83...

Those and lots of other questions came through in voicemail (thank you very much to everyone who sent one!), and Charlie Boehm joins Watke and Belz to respond to them. Others include which two players from the XI vs Panama that we’d cut from this roster, and which two we’d bench, what percentage of blame to assign Poch and the players and Panama, and much more.

Here's where you can send us a voice message for future episodes: https://www.speakpipe.com/ScuffedPodcast

And here's where you can sign up for the Rome trip...

The Poch-led USMNT fails magnificently in its first real test, fails to meet the standard set under Berhalter, which is all pretty ironic. Greg and Belz break it down, try to identify 2-3 intriguing plot-lines as we limp toward 2026. We need those fullbacks back. The World Cup won't be like this tournament was. No way.

Clip Notes from Vince, which is video of every action we discuss in the timeline of this recap, is available on the Patreon for $5 patrons. Link below.

Here's where you send a voice message for the Thursday show: https://www...

Brutal. Vince and Belz talk through what we got wrong, what else might be wrong, and the cruelty of a sport that doesn't let you take 5 seconds off. Vince IDs some problems with the scheme. Everybody IDs problems with the selection. Maybe this lights a fire under Poch.

Clip Notes for $5 patrons and up, coming soon.

Send us a voicemail for us to use in a mailbag show on Thursday (say your name and approximate location!): https://www.speakpipe.com/ScuffedPodcast

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Two and a half hours of Vince holding court and agendas flying like a swarm of mosquitoes. Totally unabridged, might be a little language here and there. The first real test of the Poch era. Failure. Justified frustration after another bad loss.

Detailed, more responsible game recap coming later today.

Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the Monday Review every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get access to some video of clips we discuss on the...

Watke and Belz check in with Sanjay Sujanthakumar less than 24 hours before USA-Panama in Los Angeles as he hustles around SoCal covering the team. We touch on the back-and-forth with Tim Ream on who tonight's left back will be, what the midfield might look like, what we've learned from lots of press conferences and the mixed zone in the last few days, the various responses from players and coaches to the politics questions, and more.

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Sebastian Salazar built Futbol Americas from scratch with Herc Gomez and now he hosts ION's NWSL studio show. He's veteran of covering soccer in America, a native of D.C., a lifelong El Tri fan. He plays the game, he's coached the game. We spoke on Thursday and he was very generous with his time. Great conversation.

Still a couple slots open for our trip to Rome in May. Here are some details: https://earthlydelights.notion.site/Italia-25-with-Scuffed-1a3f3f1e0145804793e8e83e982168fd

And here is how to get in touch...

Who's in, who's out, whether Poch sees Yunus as a midfielder, why Brendo is missing, what the coach expects from Gio, and Greg and Belz give preferred lineups versus Panama and the second opponent. First match kicks off in a week.

MORE DETAIL ON THE ROME TRIP IN MAY: https://earthlydelights.notion.site/Italia-25-with-Scuffed-1a3f3f1e0145804793e8e83e982168fd

There are still a few slots available: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfp2O1bIr5KNSymt3ayP3ctERCooDo3ADM5Kf_kSHpmr6ITMg/viewform

Subscribe to Scuffed on...

Paul McGlynn, the father of Jack McGlynn, has been developing soccer talent in New York City (and now western Connecticut) since the beginning of the century. Not only does he have the perspective of a parent of a pro player, he coached Tim Weah from ages 9 to 12, he's in the trenches of the ongoing chaos between MLS academies and youth clubs, and he watches soccer all the time. Great conversation. Highly recommend.

MORE DETAIL ON THE ROME TRIP: https://earthlydelights.notion.site/Italia-25-with-Scuffed-1a3f3f1e0145804793e8e83e982168fd

There are still...

Bob Morocco, the longtime friend of the pod and multi-decade battle-hardened BigSoccer poster, joins Belz and Watke to discuss the key takeaways from the first two months-and-change of 2025 Anno Domani. Pulisic's level, Johnny's status, Poch's (dis)regard for Atlanta and Richy Ledezma, and much more to discuss.

Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the Monday Review every week with Watke and Vince. Patrons also get access to some video of clips we discuss on the show, our private Discord server...

We round up some of the MLS action from opening weekend, try to figure out why first division sanctioning matters, big segment on John Textor, Tanner Tessmann and the big match in Lyon vs PSG, Pulisic misses a penalty, Gio starts but doesn't really impress anybody, Sargent gets a brace and an ambivalent OptaJack tweet, plus much more.

NO EPISODE THIS COMING THURSDAY.

Clip Notes for this episode, via Vince: https://www.patreon.com/posts/clip-notes-feb-123039762?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Come with...

Also Celtic is out, but makes a good show. Sanjay Sujanthakumar joins the Monday Review crew for a fun, rambling episode. The Weah banger, Vince thinks most of Juve is a bunch of frauds, Theo's madness interrupts a Yunus masterclass, does Joao disrespect Pulisic?

The trip to Rome: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfp2O1bIr5KNSymt3ayP3ctERCooDo3ADM5Kf_kSHpmr6ITMg/viewform

Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon! Patrons get a private ad-free feed for all episodes that go out on the public feed, plus the Monday Review every week with...

Rik Elfrink, the world's preeminent source on PSV Eindhoven -- the club, its players, academy and front office -- joins to talk about the American contingent in Eindhoven, Earnie Stewart's performance as technical director, the best away grounds in Holland, how he got into sports journalism, and a lot more.

Like I said, he's a must-follow on Twitter if you know how to use the translate function: https://x.com/RikElfrink

Here's where you sign up to receive updates about the Rome trip and try to hammer out the details with George Quraishi: https://docs...

Rik Elfrink, THE source on PSV Eindhoven -- the club, its players, academy and front office -- joins to talk about the American contingent in Eindhoven, Earnie Stewart's performance as technical director, the best away grounds in Holland, how he got into sports journalism, and a lot more.

Like I said, he's a must-follow on Twitter if you know how to use the translate function: https://x.com/RikElfrink

Here's where you sign up to receive updates about the Rome trip and try to hammer out the details with George Quraishi: https://docs.google.com...