Paxten Aaronson scored twice against Costa Rica and on Friday hopes to lead the U.S. men to their first Olympics berth since 2008 (Photo by ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images)
On Friday the U.S. men will try to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 2008 with a winner-take-all decider vs Honduras in the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship. In other games over the long holiday weekend, the USWNT meets Haiti in the opener of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying tournament, the new Liga MX season kicks off and we’ve got 16 MLS and six NWSL games. But first we’ll have our Friday Newsletter. Feel free below to ask your probing, thoughtful and/or amusing questions about any soccer topic, and I’ll answer the best ones tomorrow. Thank you!
Grant - you have frequently interviewed those who have made substantial contributions to soccer in the US, including in the media space. I would really be interested in hearing an interview from any of the former hosts of world soccer daily. I know you were a frequent guest, and in many ways the show contributed to the early popularity of european leagues in the US. I think you would be surprised by how many people were exposed to your writing at SI via WSD and might appreciate coverage of how it ended or what the early business model of podcasting was - since it was clearly ahead of its time in the soccer space.
Has there been any official accounting for the fatalities at that Liga MX match a few months ago? Seemed like there was conflicting reports and it faded from the soccer news cycle pretty quickly considering how horrific it was.
You indicated some MLS owners have cheered the SCOTUS decision on Roe. Can you name names or teams? I imagine many of us on this side of the aisle may be reluctant to plug money into clubs where owners are working against women's reproductive rights.
We all loved and looked forward to your annual MLS Ambition Rankings - but I don’t believe you published one this year. Would you consider doing one after the summer transfer window?
Short term, how does the acquisition of Sydney Leroux impact Angel City FC? What will the likely lineup be up front. Medium/Long Term, what does this mean for Angel City if and when they get back Press and potentially the 2023 draft?
Soccer America reported last week that the men’s World Cup this year will have 3 million tickets, of which 1 million (!) will go to FIFA and sponsors. We’re going to be stuck with the same proportion in 2026, aren’t we?
The closest American sport in terms of fandom and how its run to European Soccer is actually College Football. With the latest rumors of USC and UCLA going to the Big 10, what would be the most Entertaining League expansion in UEFA? Porto, Sporting and Benfica all joining La Liga? PSG deciding to go to the EPL? The Bundesliga cherry picking top teams from The Netherlands, and Austria? Something else?
I want to say this is crazy, but it’s not. Between the Welsh teams playing in England and Monaco in France and of course the Canadian MLS clubs, there’s plenty of precedent. And there’s money in it, and where there’s money, there’s a way.
Now, if the guy buying Raja Casablanca in Ted Lasso could have engineered a move into La Liga…
For all the questions about the #9, CB, backup LB, etc., it's seemed like we haven't talked much about the MNT's problems scoring off set pieces. Our only non-PK set piece goals in WCQ came from Acosta, who'll probably start one match at most in the World Cup group stage. What do you think the answer is there, and could you share any insight you have on Lars Knudsen, who was hired as "Set Piece Coach" earlier this week?
Grant: is the anything MLS can do get better crowds for these US Open Cup matches. SKC had a great crowd but the Galaxy and Orlando were dreadful. It’s a bad look.
What are the reasons why the confederations don't cooperate to stagger the timing of their summer tournaments? Instead of utilizing the past 3 weeks of dead time on the soccer calendar, the Women's UEFA, CONMEBOL, AFCON and CONCACAF tournaments are all starting over the next week. It's a repeat of 2019, when the Women's World Cup, Copa America and Gold Cup all had their finals on the same day. Instead of overlapping with one another, why not stagger timing in order to maximize attention, viewership and revenue?
Grant - you have frequently interviewed those who have made substantial contributions to soccer in the US, including in the media space. I would really be interested in hearing an interview from any of the former hosts of world soccer daily. I know you were a frequent guest, and in many ways the show contributed to the early popularity of european leagues in the US. I think you would be surprised by how many people were exposed to your writing at SI via WSD and might appreciate coverage of how it ended or what the early business model of podcasting was - since it was clearly ahead of its time in the soccer space.
Has there been any official accounting for the fatalities at that Liga MX match a few months ago? Seemed like there was conflicting reports and it faded from the soccer news cycle pretty quickly considering how horrific it was.
Do you ever do podcast reviews of the woman’s (USWNT) matches, as you do the mens?
You indicated some MLS owners have cheered the SCOTUS decision on Roe. Can you name names or teams? I imagine many of us on this side of the aisle may be reluctant to plug money into clubs where owners are working against women's reproductive rights.
Would Christian Pulisic be a good fit at Juventus? And if he ends up there, is McKennie still on the squad with Pogba returning?
We all loved and looked forward to your annual MLS Ambition Rankings - but I don’t believe you published one this year. Would you consider doing one after the summer transfer window?
Short term, how does the acquisition of Sydney Leroux impact Angel City FC? What will the likely lineup be up front. Medium/Long Term, what does this mean for Angel City if and when they get back Press and potentially the 2023 draft?
Do you have any idea what is going on in Orlando? The entire Pride seem to have all left. Any chance for an ambition rankings for NWSL?
What was the reason they decided against having separate qualifying tournaments for the u20 World Cup and 2024 Olympics for Concacaf ?
Who are some of the names on the US under 20’s that we should be looking to see on the National Team in the future?
What’s your opinion on Zach Steffen possibly going out on loan to Championship side Middlesbrough?
Soccer America reported last week that the men’s World Cup this year will have 3 million tickets, of which 1 million (!) will go to FIFA and sponsors. We’re going to be stuck with the same proportion in 2026, aren’t we?
Are MLS clubs still allowing their teams to fly Charter, or have they returned to Commercial?
The closest American sport in terms of fandom and how its run to European Soccer is actually College Football. With the latest rumors of USC and UCLA going to the Big 10, what would be the most Entertaining League expansion in UEFA? Porto, Sporting and Benfica all joining La Liga? PSG deciding to go to the EPL? The Bundesliga cherry picking top teams from The Netherlands, and Austria? Something else?
I want to say this is crazy, but it’s not. Between the Welsh teams playing in England and Monaco in France and of course the Canadian MLS clubs, there’s plenty of precedent. And there’s money in it, and where there’s money, there’s a way.
Now, if the guy buying Raja Casablanca in Ted Lasso could have engineered a move into La Liga…
Where did you hear that USC and UCLA were considering a move to the Big 10? That seems crazy. I have heard nothing of that and live in LA.
It’s all over twitter today
Will FIFA require Jerry's World to play games with the retractable roof open?
When do you anticipate we will be able to buy tickets to the games?
For all the questions about the #9, CB, backup LB, etc., it's seemed like we haven't talked much about the MNT's problems scoring off set pieces. Our only non-PK set piece goals in WCQ came from Acosta, who'll probably start one match at most in the World Cup group stage. What do you think the answer is there, and could you share any insight you have on Lars Knudsen, who was hired as "Set Piece Coach" earlier this week?
Grant: is the anything MLS can do get better crowds for these US Open Cup matches. SKC had a great crowd but the Galaxy and Orlando were dreadful. It’s a bad look.
*there. Where’s edit button?! Lol
What are the reasons why the confederations don't cooperate to stagger the timing of their summer tournaments? Instead of utilizing the past 3 weeks of dead time on the soccer calendar, the Women's UEFA, CONMEBOL, AFCON and CONCACAF tournaments are all starting over the next week. It's a repeat of 2019, when the Women's World Cup, Copa America and Gold Cup all had their finals on the same day. Instead of overlapping with one another, why not stagger timing in order to maximize attention, viewership and revenue?