Alex Morgan and San Diego are expecting a big sell-out crowd for their showdown against Angel City this weekend (Photo by Jenny Chuang/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
It’s another big soccer weekend ahead with Milan-Napoli, San Diego-Angel City, Atlético Madrid-Real Madrid, América-Chivas, Dortmund-Schalke, Flamengo-Fluminense, Lyon-PSG, the start of the WSL season and 14 MLS and five other 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, including my new story The Qatar Chronicles, and I’ll answer the best ones tomorrow. Thank you!
The first Qatar piece is great, looking forward to the second part. I am curious, are you concerned that you may not be allowed access back into the country for the World Cup after these articles?
You probably saw the viral Michael Sheen rousing "let's go Wales" speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fpV0OFC0vc . Who do you think could match it for the US? Tom Cruise? Barack Obama? I think Samuel L. Jackson could kill at one...
1. Do you have an opinion regarding whether the U.S. should adopt a singular uniform style? (a la Argentina, for example) 2. Which team do you believe will go further in this World Cup, the U.S. or Canada?
The Qatar article was great, thank you for researching and writing it.
The Premier League is generally considered the best and deepest men’s league top to bottom, with a tight race between several other countries for second place. Is the NWSL the best and deepest league for women, or is it the WSL, or another league?
Everyone’s having fun dunking on Todd Boehly’s suggestion of a Premier League All-Star game but tend to ignore the rationale for the game (to help fund the rest of the pyramid). Given that lower level teams could certainly use more funding and such a game could generate a lot of revenue is it really such a ridiculous idea?
First of all, THANK YOU for your Bill Walton story. I grew up a big UCLA fan and Big Bill has been a lifelong idol. Secondly, I later attended SDSU and am a season ticket holder in the new Snapdragon Stadium (despite living in NC). Anyway the stadium is great. If they make a run at getting one of the coveted last few spots in MLS, do you see Ron Burkle adding the men's team to his portfolio? He has the funds. If he does, he needs to bring $500-100M more for that canopy. Banc of California Stadium is awesome, BTW.
Apologies if it's been asked before, but with all the controversy/consternation surrounding the USMNT kits for WC22, I'm curious about your top 3 or 5 favorite US kits, or maybe national team kits in general?
Hi Grant! First time, long time. I attended the San Diego Wave FC game at Snapdragon stadium and it was amazing! I also listened to Alex Morgan on the MIB podcast a few weeks ago.
Alex Morgan has an awesome community outreach program in San Diego called "Homebreak" that I think you should look into and report on. I know you have a lot on your plate and may not have the bandwidth but it's such an impactful program that Alex Morgan does with youth girls soccer players in San Diego and it's a testament to her "community building" focus in San Diego.
Late on this question (May be better for next week) - but Is MLS really going to do almost all remote commentary on matches on Apple TV out of a site in Florida? When MLS teams call off monitors for road games it always sounds tentative at best because they can’t always see the offsides flags, off the ball movement, etc.
Secondarily, the annual $250 million fee seems nice but I really worry some teams will completely disappear in the local market with games only on streaming
My question for the week: Is it possible that we, as Americans, have been over-rating Christian Pulisic? I know it's early days for him under Potter at Chelsea, but he barely saw the field this week in Champions League. I'm not saying Pulisic isn't a terrific play, but is it possible that he's not as good as Americans want him to be? Or does he just need a change of scenery?
Why does US Soccer make it so difficult to get tickets for the upcoming USMNT games? I and several other Americans living in Germany wanted to attend but we couldn’t successfully plan a trip because tickets were unavailable. Only now can I buy them from the FC Düsseldorf or American Outlaws website but it is too late to coordinate to get off work or get the kids out of school. I just don’t get why they would make it difficult for fans to attend, especially when there is a huge American military population over here that likely would have attended in large numbers (especially if it was in a location closer to a military community like Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Munich, Kaiserslautern, etc.). It seems like a poor planning and a missed opportunity on lots of levels.
Hi Grant - here’s a heavy hitter for you. A large part of my soccer addiction simply involves… checking scores online. Where’s the best place to check them?? I prefer to see all the pro league scores on the same page. My go-to since college (2006ish) has been espn.com, but it can take time to load and the scores are not updated quickly. Sometimes I simply Google the individual match or league, which is fine, though not when I want to see the whole shebang at once. And if you’re reading, espn, which lists the leagues in order of perceived “importance,” recently bumped serie a and Ligue 1 below USL, MLS, and NWSL. Are there politics behind the order of scores? What’s going on there? I’m going to sleep.
Theoretically, there’s some number of goals that someone like Pefok or Haji could score in October to force their way on to the plane to Qatar, even if it’s a ludicrously high number, right? What do you think it would realistically take?
Not a question, but a request. Please spend the majority of the next pod dunking on these atrocious new kits. I guess I do have a question: Five worst US kits of all time?
Todd Boehly's idea of a North v South Premier League all-star game is ludicrous, and it will never happen. But what about an annual 4-league all-star tournament involving the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A, with perhaps home field in the Champions League final at stake? I would think fans could get very excited to see the best players in each league go head-to-head. - Robert Naeye, Hershey, PA
We all love Ray Hudson. And, listening to him on the 8 minute highlight reel from Bayern-Barca also sounds like a cat in a dryer. Are we okay with this?
What are some intriguing storylines that you think we should keep an eye out for regarding the World Cup? Also, thank you so much for all of the fantastic work that you do.
Since tomorrow's mailbag is the last one before the USMNT-Japan game, how do you see that one playing out? Will Berhalter play the "Best XI" (minus injured players) for more than a half? Or try to get as many players significant playing time as possible as he determines who makes the plane?
Let’s say there’s a sliding glass door scenario where you’re covering college basketball for a living. Do you watch the upcoming World Cup, given the scale of human suffering caused by Qatar during word cup preparations?
Hi Grant, thanks for your Qatar article. As we (rightly) continue to investigate the abuses committed against workers, how do you think this constant investigate focus on Qatar human rights going to reflect with the 2026 WC? Do you think the same level of scrutiny is going to be made on the 3 countries? What of Qatar’s ability to wield Al-Jazeera? Will “Western” journalists give the 3 host countries of 2026 a pass? Or focus more on Mexico and less on Canada and/or the USA?
Can France break the curse of defending champions crashing out in the group stage? I mean, it's France, and who does drama better than France? They didn't even win in 2006 and they still had an epic meltdown in 2010. On the other hand, Karim Benzema is an irresistible force and nobody on Australia, Denmark or Tunisia is an immovable object (no, not even Christian Eriksen). On the other other hand, Paul Pogba hired a witch doctor to hex Kylian Mbappe. On the other other other hand, Pogba is injured and might miss entirely, making the witch doctor issue moot.
Will you be in Europe for USWNT games against England and Spain? I thought Spain was the most impressive team at this past summer's Euros? Really excited to see how the US stacks up and if they play badly what that will mean heading into the World Cup.
Should Mexico make a push for Brandon Vazquez now that it looks like he is out of the USMNT picture for Qatar? As an FC Cincinnati fan, I'm kind of relieved that he will be fresh for the playoff push (and be able to play in the Seattle match on the day of USMNT-Saudi Arabia), but I really don't want to lose him to Mexico!
Hey, sorry about the original post sent out via email, which included some bad info on games this weekend. I've corrected it now.
The first Qatar piece is great, looking forward to the second part. I am curious, are you concerned that you may not be allowed access back into the country for the World Cup after these articles?
You probably saw the viral Michael Sheen rousing "let's go Wales" speech. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fpV0OFC0vc . Who do you think could match it for the US? Tom Cruise? Barack Obama? I think Samuel L. Jackson could kill at one...
1. Do you have an opinion regarding whether the U.S. should adopt a singular uniform style? (a la Argentina, for example) 2. Which team do you believe will go further in this World Cup, the U.S. or Canada?
The Qatar article was great, thank you for researching and writing it.
The Premier League is generally considered the best and deepest men’s league top to bottom, with a tight race between several other countries for second place. Is the NWSL the best and deepest league for women, or is it the WSL, or another league?
Everyone’s having fun dunking on Todd Boehly’s suggestion of a Premier League All-Star game but tend to ignore the rationale for the game (to help fund the rest of the pyramid). Given that lower level teams could certainly use more funding and such a game could generate a lot of revenue is it really such a ridiculous idea?
First of all, THANK YOU for your Bill Walton story. I grew up a big UCLA fan and Big Bill has been a lifelong idol. Secondly, I later attended SDSU and am a season ticket holder in the new Snapdragon Stadium (despite living in NC). Anyway the stadium is great. If they make a run at getting one of the coveted last few spots in MLS, do you see Ron Burkle adding the men's team to his portfolio? He has the funds. If he does, he needs to bring $500-100M more for that canopy. Banc of California Stadium is awesome, BTW.
Apologies if it's been asked before, but with all the controversy/consternation surrounding the USMNT kits for WC22, I'm curious about your top 3 or 5 favorite US kits, or maybe national team kits in general?
Hi Grant! First time, long time. I attended the San Diego Wave FC game at Snapdragon stadium and it was amazing! I also listened to Alex Morgan on the MIB podcast a few weeks ago.
Alex Morgan has an awesome community outreach program in San Diego called "Homebreak" that I think you should look into and report on. I know you have a lot on your plate and may not have the bandwidth but it's such an impactful program that Alex Morgan does with youth girls soccer players in San Diego and it's a testament to her "community building" focus in San Diego.
Thanks and keep up the great work!
Late on this question (May be better for next week) - but Is MLS really going to do almost all remote commentary on matches on Apple TV out of a site in Florida? When MLS teams call off monitors for road games it always sounds tentative at best because they can’t always see the offsides flags, off the ball movement, etc.
Secondarily, the annual $250 million fee seems nice but I really worry some teams will completely disappear in the local market with games only on streaming
My question for the week: Is it possible that we, as Americans, have been over-rating Christian Pulisic? I know it's early days for him under Potter at Chelsea, but he barely saw the field this week in Champions League. I'm not saying Pulisic isn't a terrific play, but is it possible that he's not as good as Americans want him to be? Or does he just need a change of scenery?
Friday question:
Why does US Soccer make it so difficult to get tickets for the upcoming USMNT games? I and several other Americans living in Germany wanted to attend but we couldn’t successfully plan a trip because tickets were unavailable. Only now can I buy them from the FC Düsseldorf or American Outlaws website but it is too late to coordinate to get off work or get the kids out of school. I just don’t get why they would make it difficult for fans to attend, especially when there is a huge American military population over here that likely would have attended in large numbers (especially if it was in a location closer to a military community like Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Munich, Kaiserslautern, etc.). It seems like a poor planning and a missed opportunity on lots of levels.
Robert in Germany
Hi Grant - here’s a heavy hitter for you. A large part of my soccer addiction simply involves… checking scores online. Where’s the best place to check them?? I prefer to see all the pro league scores on the same page. My go-to since college (2006ish) has been espn.com, but it can take time to load and the scores are not updated quickly. Sometimes I simply Google the individual match or league, which is fine, though not when I want to see the whole shebang at once. And if you’re reading, espn, which lists the leagues in order of perceived “importance,” recently bumped serie a and Ligue 1 below USL, MLS, and NWSL. Are there politics behind the order of scores? What’s going on there? I’m going to sleep.
Theoretically, there’s some number of goals that someone like Pefok or Haji could score in October to force their way on to the plane to Qatar, even if it’s a ludicrously high number, right? What do you think it would realistically take?
Why does Nike and USSoccer not care about the fans think of the kits? There was time to change.....
Not a question, but a request. Please spend the majority of the next pod dunking on these atrocious new kits. I guess I do have a question: Five worst US kits of all time?
Todd Boehly's idea of a North v South Premier League all-star game is ludicrous, and it will never happen. But what about an annual 4-league all-star tournament involving the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A, with perhaps home field in the Champions League final at stake? I would think fans could get very excited to see the best players in each league go head-to-head. - Robert Naeye, Hershey, PA
We all love Ray Hudson. And, listening to him on the 8 minute highlight reel from Bayern-Barca also sounds like a cat in a dryer. Are we okay with this?
Do you think, aside from injured players, anyone left off on the latest USMNT roster can still make the WC squad?
What are some intriguing storylines that you think we should keep an eye out for regarding the World Cup? Also, thank you so much for all of the fantastic work that you do.
Since tomorrow's mailbag is the last one before the USMNT-Japan game, how do you see that one playing out? Will Berhalter play the "Best XI" (minus injured players) for more than a half? Or try to get as many players significant playing time as possible as he determines who makes the plane?
Let’s say there’s a sliding glass door scenario where you’re covering college basketball for a living. Do you watch the upcoming World Cup, given the scale of human suffering caused by Qatar during word cup preparations?
Hi Grant, thanks for your Qatar article. As we (rightly) continue to investigate the abuses committed against workers, how do you think this constant investigate focus on Qatar human rights going to reflect with the 2026 WC? Do you think the same level of scrutiny is going to be made on the 3 countries? What of Qatar’s ability to wield Al-Jazeera? Will “Western” journalists give the 3 host countries of 2026 a pass? Or focus more on Mexico and less on Canada and/or the USA?
Can France break the curse of defending champions crashing out in the group stage? I mean, it's France, and who does drama better than France? They didn't even win in 2006 and they still had an epic meltdown in 2010. On the other hand, Karim Benzema is an irresistible force and nobody on Australia, Denmark or Tunisia is an immovable object (no, not even Christian Eriksen). On the other other hand, Paul Pogba hired a witch doctor to hex Kylian Mbappe. On the other other other hand, Pogba is injured and might miss entirely, making the witch doctor issue moot.
Will you be in Europe for USWNT games against England and Spain? I thought Spain was the most impressive team at this past summer's Euros? Really excited to see how the US stacks up and if they play badly what that will mean heading into the World Cup.
Hi Grant, what are your thoughts on Wins vs. Goal Differential as a Tie Breaker in MLS?
Should Mexico make a push for Brandon Vazquez now that it looks like he is out of the USMNT picture for Qatar? As an FC Cincinnati fan, I'm kind of relieved that he will be fresh for the playoff push (and be able to play in the Seattle match on the day of USMNT-Saudi Arabia), but I really don't want to lose him to Mexico!