Scuffed | USMNT, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America
An in-depth show about the U.S. men's national soccer team, the players who could one day make it better, and American soccer in general.
#665: Wes scores another great goal, Poch says he wants a PL trophy
Vince and Belz do their best in the midst of some February doldrums. Wes gave us another good goal, Palace get a win for once, Super Bowl happened, World Cup tickets remain expensive.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've...
#664: Checking in on Paraguay with Roberto Rojas
Rojas, the host of Guarani Vision, THE English-language podcast about the Paraguay men's national team, joins us to talk about Paraguay's wildly successful qualifying campaign in Conmebol, a little about the Guarani, nights at the Defensores del Chaco, the intensity of that friendly in November, and much more.
Guarani Vision on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@guaranivision7095
And on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guarani-vision/id1531368204
And on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/61leHGoRBimyErZSx2eKyF
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free...
#663: Poch tells Weah to can it, Wes and Malik ball out
Sanjay Sujanthakumar joins Belz and Vince to talk through Poch on Weah on World Cup ticket prices, plus a big week to recap for Malik and Wes, and much more as the countdown continues.
Sanjay on Twitter: https://x.com/tha_Real_Kumar
Our trip to Germany and the Netherlands, spots running out: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0RzkbxQhw/viewform
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more...
#662: Henry Bushnell on WC tickets, the Cone era, roster battles for the USMNT
Bushnell, who writes for the Athletic, joined to talk about the high prices of World Cup tickets, Cindy Parlow Cone's expansive and thus far largely trouble-free tenure as USSF president, why Weston McKennie's spot on the field under Poch is such an important matter, Alex Freeman's move to Villareal, and lots more, even Richie Ledezma's switch to Mexico.
Join us on our Germany trip: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0RzkbxQhw/viewform
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus...
#661: Wes ascendant, Reyna hurt again, World Cup boycott floated
Wes's coach says he'd be a great central striker, Reyna out with a muscle strain, Tillman on the bench for a spell here, Weah assist, Big Pat scores but Vince is unpersuaded, Tanner and Johnny getting starts in the midfield, and the St. Pauli president floats boycotting the World Cup, which brings to mind Trump, which brings to mind the senseless bloodshed in Minneapolis.
Our Germany trip: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0RzkbxQhw/viewform
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all...
#660: Mike Woitalla on the coaches' convention
Woitalla, the executive editor of Soccer America, joined the pod after going to Philadelphia for the United Soccer Coaches Convention. At the event, Matt Crocker said there's still too much yelling in youth soccer, Roberto Martinez was gobsmacked by a Barry Pauwels presentation, Tony Lepore discussed plans to grow the ranks of talent scouts, and US Soccer, for the second straight convention, made a strong effort to be present and accounted for.
The Germany trip! Throw your name in the hat: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0RzkbxQhw/viewform<...
#659: A Tuesday Review, emphasis on World Cup bubble guys
Charlie Boehm joins Belz to talk about Richards and the mess at Palace, Brenden Aaronson up from the ashes, Big Pat's distinct skill-set, E.B. White on Gio Reyna, Paredes returns brightly, Cardoso unconvincing to Belz, Pellegrino Matarazzo beats Barca, and Charlie was moved by the African Cup of Nations final.
The trip to Germany and the Netherlands: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0RzkbxQhw/viewform
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a...
#658: Club vs high school soccer with Matt Sahag
Matt Sahag, who coaches high school girls soccer in Des Moines, joins the pod to discuss a recent pitch from a big ECNL club to players and their parents, discouraging them from playing high school soccer this spring so they can focus on league ECNL play and national showcases.
Sahag has responses to the claims made by the club. It's interesting. 13-yr-old's flying out for the weekend to play regular-season games, $2500 trips to Arizona for...what? And you don't get to play against that cross-town rival this season for your school, by the way. AND the pot...
#657: A superdraft of Pochettino's call-ups since he took over
Vince, Greg, Sanjay and Belz duke it out to see who can craft the best team in a draft of all the players Poch has called up. Let the games begin! I'll post the lineups and some polls shortly.
Germany trip: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0RzkbxQhw/viewform
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field...
#656: Sacramento Republic manager Neill Collins joins the pod
We talked about what the World Cup will mean for the sport in America, how kids are introduced to and grow up in the game in Scotland, the heartbreaking end of Sacramento's USL-C season, some coaching talk, some Kenny McLean talk, and lots more. Good chat.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0RzkbxQhw/viewform
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of...
#655: Brendo strikes! Jedi is fully back, Yunus getting minutes
Vince and Belz return to the Monday Review desk, with Brenden Aaronson getting a spot on A1, some Christmas reflection, a stout defense of Cole Campbell's luxury watch and handbag, and a rundown of all the key USMNT player pool developments since before the holiday.
Scuffed Germany trip: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0RzkbxQhw/viewform
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a...
#654: USMNT annual review, 2025
The JPEG That Changed Everything, the True Blue Tussle Award, Dad of the Year, and much more. If you want the full version, including NT Goal of the Year, Club Goal of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year, Player of the Year, to name a few, join the Patreon.
Also, the form to fill out if our Germany/Netherlands trip is somewhere in your realm of possibility: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0RzkbxQhw/viewform
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get...
#653: JJ Devaney joins, gives us his sense of Poch's tenure, the coming World Cup
The host of long-running former ESPN podcast Caught Offside joins Vince and Belz to discuss what Poch has been up to, whether it's working, Banner the mascot, and where several players probably stand in the depth chart.
Look for Caught Offside with Andrew Gundling and JJ Devaney on any podcast platform, and here's there subscription service (kind of like a Patreon, I gather): https://caughtoffside.supercast.com/
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to...
#652: Poch's media tour & what the World Cup will mean to America with Doug McIntyre
We talk through the quite encouraging events of the first half of the week -- Pulisic's big man on campus brace off the bench, Wes's lovely gamewinner in CL, Balo's gamewinner and Pepi's continued propensity to put the ball in the back of the net. Then we get into Poch's media tour after the World Cup draw a little bit, what will happen if we beat Paraguay in that first game, and the MLS championship game a bit too.
Germany/Netherlands trip form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI4Cp1VpS2eCphsNjf6QHdaRDq86Tf-FeUhJ2tQ0...
#651: What Poch and the players said about the draw
https://www.patreon.com/posts/world-cup-draw-145187648
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to 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 Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are...
#650: The situation is looking pretty good!
Vince brings back "El Loco" for Poch, but in a good way. Four players who weren't even involved in the last window had a great past week in Europe. Pepi's back in the XI for Eindhoven. The World Cup draw is coming up in four days and we talk through the options. Things are looking good, folks. Although there is some sad news from Thanksgiving dinner.
Clip Notes: https://www.patreon.com/posts/144856270
Malik v Man City comp: https://www.patreon.com/posts/tillman-v-man-144810442
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and...
#649: Leander Schaerlaeckens on the state of the USMNT, its chaotic history & miraculous growth since the 1980s
Vince is back. He and Belz welcome Leander to discuss the past window, where things stand with Poch’s project, and the chaotic history of the US Men’s National Team, which is the subject of his forthcoming book.We end up covering the major action from the weekend, including Pulisic’s gamewinner in the Derby della Madonnina, McKennie’s continued energetic & intelligent play for Juve, another shiny little cameo for Gio, Tillman’s goal and “assist” for Leverkusen, and another unconvincing performance (even in a 1-0 win!) for Noahkai Banks.
Pre-order Leander’s book here: https://www.penguinrando...
#648: USA v Uruguay recap
We wiped out a historically-good national team, coached by Marcelo Bielsa, in Tampa! Greg Velasquez and Belz talk it through. Gio's return, a caution against certainty, a tetchy performance from Poch in the post-game press conference, and, you guessed it, some classic Velasquez wet-blanketism.f
Clip Notes on Patreon, for $5 subscribers and up, coming soon.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss...
#647: Joe Scally joins the pod
Sanjay sits down with Joe at the team hotel in Tampa on Monday afternoon, to discuss his nearly 10,000 Bundesliga minutes of experience, how things have changed under Poch, who from the team he would trust the least to run the family business in Lake Grove, and much more. It's a fast but substantive interview.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show...
#646: USA v Paraguay recap
Charlie Boehm and Belz celebrate a credible victory in greater Philadelphia on Saturday night! Gio is back in the national team mix, emphatically. Arfsten keeps on performing. Our defense has to answer some questions about that equalizer. A fracas in stoppage time. What more could we want.
Clip Notes on the Patreon, for $5 subscribers, coming Monday morning.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field...
#645: The Albert & Sullivan Show at the U17 World Cup
Matt Hartman joins Belz to talk about our two blue chip 16-year-olds and their eye-catching performances at the U17 World Cup after the USA beat Czechia on Tuesday to round out a 9-point window. We do a timeline of the game and then look briefly ahead to Morocco on Friday, mostly talk about Cavan Sullivan and Mathis Albert.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we...
#644: The roster for PAR and URU, and a rough weekend in France
Charlie Boehm joins Belz to discuss Tyler's head injury, Tim Tillman's mysterious inclusion, a rough weekend in France for our guys, the MLS playoffs, Dest's return to camp, Big Pat's big goal, and much more.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic...
#643: Cavan strikes at the U17 World Cup, with Marcus Chairez
Marcus joins Belz to talk about the messy 1-0 win over Burkina Faso at the U17 World Cup, what's promising about the team (Albert, Sullivan) and where it will probably continue to struggle. We also briefly hit on the big Champions League goals from Balo and Pepi.
Check out Marcus's work, and follow the link to his website, here: https://x.com/USSoccerColl
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video...
#642: Roster talk, Gio contributes, Tyler balling out
Sanjay Sujanthakumar joins Vince and Belz for the Monday Review. Sanjay rushes to Gio's defense. And we discuss who's gonna get the magic phone call with all these injuries piled up.
Clip Notes for $5 patrons and up will be out soon.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live...
#641: Midweek recap, MLS playoffs check-in with Charlie Boehm
Full rundown of the action and inaction from the middle of the week, including Balo's goal and Wes's good performance against Udinese, Gio Reyna's quote to the AP, and Charlie gives us an update on where MLS playoffs stand right now.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows...
#640: U20 wrap, U17 look-ahead with Marcus Chairez, Noahkai struggles, Diego shows out at ComplexCon
Vince, Belz and Marcus on the mics. Also, is Diego Luna actually cool? Not just soccer cool but universally? An in-depth discussion of his photo with Lil Yachty, Quavo and Yeat, which MEANS SOMETHING to Vince. And then we talk about a small part of the weekend action.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to...
#639: World Cup roster predictions with Doug McIntyre
The Fox Sports reporter joins the pod, again, to talk through the past window, a little about Champions League, and mostly to discuss who he thinks will be on the World Cup roster. There's a big surprise in there! And lots of good discussion of the state of the pool.
Here's the Chris Richards interview: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/soccer/who-u-s-mens-national-team-defender-chris-richards
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of...
#638: Post-camp wrap-up, the centerback situation, Noahkai check-in
Belz and Vince talk through a few more things about the international window, including the Roldanaissance, Balo's supremacy at striker, Tessmann coming good and the problems at centerback, plus Banks's second start in a row for Augsburg, Gio gets minutes for a relegation-bound Gladbach, and Chris takes his struggles with him back to Palace.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show...
#637: USA v Australia recap
Greg and Vince wrap up a pretty good window for the boys. Full treatment of the 2-1 win over Australia in Commerce City.
Clip Notes for $5 subscribers and up: https://www.patreon.com/posts/clipnotes-usa-v-141371074
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog...
#636: Tanner Tessmann joins the pod!
Tanner Tessmann, the midfield anchor for Olympique Lyonnais who started for the USA against Ecuador on Friday, joined Sanjay Sujanthakumar for a half-hour long chat in Colorado on Monday. The Alabama native talked about, among other things, Nemanja Matic's impact on him, how long of a field goal he can kick with his left foot, his love for Venice and what he thinks he needs to do to start at the World Cup next summer.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month...
#635: USA v Ecuador recap
Vince and Charlie Boehm carry the flag and get into the 1-1 draw with Ecuador. Balo and Tillman have a great night in Austin, they zapruder the Ecuador goal, lots to discuss.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made...
#634: Camp's underway, weekend action and the meaning of Landon's hairpiece
Vince and Belz sit back and relax a bit -- youth sports, the meaning of Landon's hairpiece, and some other minor digressions. the weekend action starts at the 43:00 mark if you want to go straight to that.
Clip Notes coming soon on the Patreon.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private...
#633: Roster reaction with Doug McIntyre
Belz and McIntyre, the USMNT reporter for FOX Sports, talk through Pochettino's fascinating press conference yesterday, the fun little dust-up with Jeff Carlisle, Poch's quest to create competition and a more team-focused culture, where Musah likely stands, and a little bit of catch-up on the midweek Champions League action.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access...
#632: Roster preview with Greg, plus the Monday Review
Greg, Vince and Belz talk through the most interesting action from the past week, and then talk through who Poch called up in the last window, who he is likely to call up in the upcoming window, and who we'd like to see called up.
Clip Notes, a 10-minute video of the stuff we discuss on the show and much more, available to $5 patrons here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/140038159
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also...
#631: Monday Review — Focus on Tillman, Weah, Richards, Tessmann
Vince and Belz recap the weekend action. Tillman vs Scally & Gio. Tim scores a beauty at Real Madrid but is he thriving on the left wing for Marseille? Richards showing signs of turning into a big player. Tanner enjoying what amounts to a 12-month bar mitzvah at Lyon. And much more.
Clips of all of what we talk about available to $5 and higher patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/139501128?pr=true&cr=true
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month...
#630: The U20 World Cup roster with Marcus Chairez
Cole Campbell, Diego Kochen and Peyton Miller are present and accounted for. Marcus joins to discuss who's exciting, who could make up a good starting XI, what factors lead to translating U20 success to the senior team, and much more.
Marcus on Twitter: https://x.com/ussoccercoll His website where he writes a lot about USMNT prospects: https://www.ussoccercollective.com/
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key...
#629: Post-window wrap with Jason Davis, plus the weekend action
Vince and Belz go the distance with one of the deans of American soccer broadcasting, Jason Davis. Covered everything from the Byzantine World Cup ticket-purchasing process to the meaning of Balo's performance vs Japan, three at the back, whether Gio's jogging is a problem, and who gets called for Poch's first-choice midfield.
Patrons get a full extra hour: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138971878?pr=true&cr=true
Here are some links to Jason's stuff...
The Best Soccer Show: http://youtube.com/@TheBestSoccerShow
Morning Kickaround: https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround
Soccer Eagle...
#628: USA v Japan recap
Greg and Belz celebrate a solid victory, a sensible defensive shape that sparked the attack, and a bit of a coming out party for Folarin Balogun.
Clip Notes, a video of the events from the timeline, for $5 subscribers on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/138690417
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our...
#627: USA v S. Korea recap
Belz and Vince talk through the action, the contrast in minutes at striker, the problems we caused ourselves with our defensive shape, and our inability to adjust in-game, and whether a better list of call-ups solves anything (we think it does).
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows...
#626: Sebastian Berhalter joins the pod
Vince and Sanjay sat down with USMNT and Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter on Friday morning to talk about his rapid rise to the national team, growing up ias U.S. soccer royalty, whether his dad would have been able to give him the same opportunities he's gotten under Poch, whether he'll get to take set pieces in this window, and a lot more.
Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of...
