For the Glory KC

S3E38 - For the Glory KC is back with the 103rd episode of the show.  After a week off, the podcast returns. Sporting Kansas City also had a week off, and now we know the offseason schedule, so the urgency to do our fantasy Sporting Director episode has waned for a week. It'll make a great topic for next week. This week though, we briefly talk about the action on the field in the season finale. Sporting KC lost 2-1 to FC Dallas, but technically outscored them if you count that Joaquin Fernandez own goal. The more interesting topic of conversation was the lineup, but more so, who wasn't available and why. Suddenly added to the injury report were Jake Davis, Johnny Russell and Remi Walter. Also out were Andreu Fontas, Khiry Shelton and the known surgery to Dany Rosero. It could have been the absolute last chance to see a handful of those guys. Oh, and Tim Leibold played right back. That was something. After the game, Sheena and I reflect on the season. Technically it's the second worst record ever, but there are more games now, so the points may be inflated. Was it actually the worst season ever? We also gave our takes on the Sporting KC Pitch Black award winners, and we only took umbrage with one category: Newcomer of the Year. Memo Rodriguez was snubbed, and we have the stats to back it up. Things were happier on the Missouri side of soccer as the KC Current just keep winning. Two more wins for the ladies, but they still linger in fourth place as the Washington Spirit and Gotham refuse to drop a single point. In the last nine days, the Current have defeated expansion Bay FC and the San Diego Wave and Temwa Chawinga has just kept shattering records. We have some funny press conference stories, and of course, cover the retirement of Desiree Scott. Since Sporting KC are done, we also circled back to the MLS Cup Playoffs and our retired segment, the Messi Update. Inter Miami set the single season points record, and Messi led the league in goal contributions, despite missing significant time. Atlanta United snuck into the playoffs (shades of SKC in 2023) and Sheena will not be watching the 18-team playoff. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: KC Current's international call-ups for Mace, Ballisager, Prince and Magaia A Bia Zaneratto injury update SKC U-15 call-ups and a Benny Feilhaber stat The KC Comets schedule is out! A couple USMNT games U-17 Women's World Cup Chicago Fire's stadium plans What the heck is a BOS Nation? Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC lose again - 5:56 What do the next few months look like for SKC? - 23:15 KC Current win two more - 51:17 Catching up on MLS - 1:01:40 Digital Crawl - 1:06:48 Upcoming Schedule: USWNT vs. Iceland - Thursday, Oct. 24th at 6:30PM CDT KC Current vs. Gotham - Friday, Oct 25th at 7:00PM (Summer Cup Final) USWNT vs. Iceland - Sunday, Oct. 27th at 4:30PM Sporting KC and SKC II seasons are over... We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E37 - For the Glory KC is back with the 102nd episode of the show. Sporting Kansas City are one game away from the end of their 2024 season, but it's effectively over. This past Saturday served as the final home game of the season. According to my colleague, Mike Kuhn, a statistically terrible one. We keep our conversation about the 3-0 loss to LAFC to a minimum, though Tim Melia and the debut of Joaquin Fernandez got some time. Mostly, we focused on a few of the players who are out of contract after the 2024 season. First, Sheena's favorite, Remi Walter. He was a surprise addition to the starting lineup after Khiry Shelton was a late scratch with a calf injury. He pushed Jake Davis to right back and took his spot in the midfield before coming off in the 60th minute. Was it his final appearance? Then the attention turned to Johnny Russell. He wanted to score so bad, but it just wasn't coming off for him. He ended the night with just 0.1 xG (per FBref) of the teams meager 0.7 xG. In 31 minutes, Erik Thommy accounted for 0.4 of that total. But we're not talking about Thommy (this week). Russell stared off into the distance, taking it all in for a while, after the final whistle blew. It was the look of a man who knew it may be his final time in a Sporting KC uniform. For his part, he wants to come back, though apparently, it's not been discussed yet. Next week on the podcast, we'll look closer at the whole roster, and all 16 guys that could potentially be gone, and make our roster decisions. After the Sporting KC talk ended, things livened up with wins from the KC Current and SKC II. The Current pulled just one point out of second place in the NWSL standings with three games to go. Sporting KC II on the other hand were bounced from the playoffs despite their victorious efforts. Benny Feilhaber also confirmed he's out of contract after the season and he's "uncertain of his future." In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: Women's College championship coming to CPKC Stadium Mary Long called up for US U-17 Women's World Cup Josh Wolff fired from Austin FC Gianluca Busio gets the call-up Inter Miami to the 2025 Club World Cup Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC lose their final home game - 1:27 The Future of Remi and Johnny (and Fontas a little) - 11:06 Dany Rosero has surgery - 37:05 KC Current keep winning! - 48:26 SKC II and Benny Feilhaber Talk - 53:09 Digital Crawl - 1:00:10 Upcoming Schedule: USMNT vs. Panama - Saturday, October 12th @ 8:00PM CDT KC Current at Bay FC - Saturday, October 12th @ 9:00PM Sporting KC on the international break SKC II's season is over We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E36 - For the Glory KC is back with the 101st episode of the show. Sporting Kansas City had a busy, but ultimately disappointing, week. To take things in reverse order we start the discussion with For the Glory KC heading into enemy territory to experience CITYPARK as SKC took on St. Louis City SC. We give our thoughts on the stadium, the atmosphere, the food and everything else that happened in the soccer portion of the trip. And we're happy to report the in-person fans were much better than the online ones. And it came up in the conversation, so here is the story I promised about the state of Sporting KC's offseason rebuild and why it may be slower than fans would like. Complete with math (everyone's favorite)! The week started off with the promise of a chance to win a trophy, but that came up short too. Sporting KC headed to Los Angeles to take on LAFC but came up short against the better side. The game was not without controversy as an unconscionably bad call may have tilted things. We talk about that, plus other happenings from the game. Jake Davis and Tim Melia played out of their minds. And Khiry Shelton got some undeserved hate when he shut down Denis Bouanga, one of the best players in the league, all night. The KC Current played to a controversial result of their own. Michelle Cooper was impeded by a referee, who definitely changed directions into her path to gift Gotham their only goal of the game (though KC shouldn't have shut off in the moments after that). Kansas City were the better team, and probably deserved all three points. Missed chances and final passes plagued the team, despite Temwa Chawinga adding to her Golden Boot leading pace. The Current remain in fourth place with four league games to go. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: An important transfer fee nugget on Robi Voloder and Logan Ndenbe A quick rundown and breakdown of recent SKC II results The KC Current's team valuation FIFA Club World Cup hosts and ambition from the San Jose Earthquakes? Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Our trip to St. Louis - 1:31 Sporting KC lose a Final - 46:28 The KC Current earn a controversial draw - 1:02:44 Digital Crawl - 1:09:06 Upcoming Schedule: KC Current @ Racing Louisville - Sat. Oct 5th @ 6:30PM CDT Sporting KC vs. LAFC - Sat. Oct. 5th @ 7:30PM SKC II vs. LAFC2 - Sun. Oct. 6th @ 3:00PM We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E25 (100 overall!) - For the Glory KC is back with the 100th episode of the show! Wow... 100! Since it's the 100th episode, we did things a little different this week. The first segment takes a more historical look Sporting Kansas City and our relationship to the team. We tell stories about how we got into Sporting KC and our journey to this point. Then we do our all-time Sporting KC starting XI, except we really just did a team from the last decade (as is explained in the pod). I finally got a chance to ask Remi Walter about his contract and sprung that news on his biggest fan, my co-host Sheena, during the episode to get her live reaction. We briefly went into the last three Sporting KC games, but instead of breaking down each one, since it's been over a week since that Seattle Sounders game, we took themes from each game and worked them into the episode. The three big topics were: Who is playing in the double pivot and how it impacted the team The whole penalty kick debacle against Minnesota United that ultimately eliminated SKC from the playoffs this year And the news that Pulido has been hurt for much of 2024, like we speculated We also had to discuss the sad news of Felipe Hernandez being released. The KC Current played exclusively on Amazon Prime since we last did an episode so that limited the audience and their time on the episode, though they did clinch the playoffs! In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: US U-20 Youth National Team winning Bronze in the World Cup Three SKC players are free agents per the MLSPA (and why Remi isn't) Sporting KC U Pass Season Ticket deal Gianluca Busio's contract extension USMNT hire Mauricio Pochetino  And the Chicago Fire may be hiring Gregg Berhalter in the "Vermes role" Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): 100th Episode - 3:14 Podcast Origin Story - 6:47 How we Became SKC fans - 11:51 Sporting KC Team of the Decade - 20:50 Remi Walter's Contract - 46:27 Three SKC Game Speed Round - 54:45 SKC Penalty Kick Debacle - 1:00:38 Pulido has been hurt? - 1:15:53 Felipe Hernandez's Contract is Terminated - 1:19:47 KC Current - 1:23:27 Digital Crawl - 1:29:39 Upcoming Schedule: Sporting KC @ LAFC (US Open Cup) - Wed. Sept 25th @ 9:30PM CDT KC Current vs. Gotham FC - Sat. Sept 28th @ 12:00PM Sporting KC @ St. Louis City - Sat. Sept. 28th @ 7:30PM SKC II vs. North Texas - Sun. Sept. 29th @ 3:00PM We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E34 - For the Glory KC is back with the 99th episode of the show! (Our 100th episode is next week, should we do something special?)  Sporting Kansas City and the KC Cauldron put on a cool event this past week. Manager Peter Vermes (he joked several times, he's not the Sporting Director anymore) and CEO and President Jake Reid did a town hall with KC Cauldron members. I share just a couple of the many, many stories that he shared and questions that he answered. I would call it a 'must attend' event and if you are a member of the Cauldron, you should definitely go next year. And if you aren't a member, you should probably consider joining. I really enjoyed meeting people and all the information we got from the event was great and you aren't going to hear most of it elsewhere. We also got into a conversation about how Major League Soccer may change their transfer window dates. It seems like a real thing that may happen by 2025. Check out the reporting on it by Tom Bogert.  Sheena and I also had to discuss the 1-1 draw between Sporting KC and the New York Red Bulls. It really felt like SKC were going to steal all three points after a very up and down first half. We get into the goals (including this fantastic Davis to Pulido number), the thin lineup and the bad refereeing. Speaking of bad officiating, we have to discuss that ridiculous second yellow/red card to Jake Davis. We also had to talk about the blown PK call where Shelton was cleaned out in the box, but the ref swallowed his whistle. It feels like the game could have been very different if not for some very inconsistent officiating. The KC Current played at the same time as Sporting KC and got back to their winning ways. They won a tight 1-0 game where the Utah Royals had a handful of really good chances, though the Current were clearly the better side. The game marked the return of Bia, another start for Almuth Schult and a different tactical look from Vlatko and company. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: Kayden Pierre is officially sold to Genk Stephen Afrifa gets a cap for Canada Debinha re-signs with the Current through 2026 with a 2027 option And the legend Alex Morgan retires Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Our USMNT experience in Kansas City - 2:15 Vermes/Jake Reid Town Hall - 11:24 Sporting KC tie the Red Bulls - 28:49 KC Current break their losing streak! - 51:41 Digital Crawl - 1:00:00 Upcoming Schedule: USWNT U-20s vs. Mexico (U-20 World Cup) - Wed. Sept 11th @ 8:00PM KC Current @ Orlando Pride - Friday, Sept. 13th @ 7:00PM Sporting KC @ Seattle Sounders - Sunday, Sept. 15th @ 6:15PM SKC II @ Rapids 2 - Sunday, Sept. 15th @ 7:00PM We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E33 - For the Glory KC is back with the 98th episode of the show! (Our 100th episode is coming up, should we do something special?)  Sporting Kansas City keep the momentum going with a huge semifinal win over Indy Eleven to book a place in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup finals against LAFC. They got there on goals by Johnny Russell and Dany Rosero. It wasn't always smooth sailing for Sporting KC though, as Indy Eleven gave them all they could handle in the second half, but Tim Melia repeatedly came up big to keep a clean sheet. The game also marked the return of Logan Ndenbe to the starting lineup and overall had a unique lineup that looked a lot more like 2023 than 2024 (with the exceptions of right back Khiry Shelton and midfielder Jake Davis). The game came to an end with an ultimately meaningless penalty kick that was missed by Alan Pulido. It made us wonder who should have taken the PK instead of Pulido based on who was on the field, as well as who would have gone if a game came to penalties. The KC Current continued to faulter as they lost their third straight NWSL game. This time it was the North Carolina Courage who got the better of them. It made us wonder if it's simply a slump, them running into tougher teams, or if they aren't as good as we thought they were. The team also made a series of transactions this week trading away Hanna Glas and Jordan Silkowitz while bringing in Kayla Sharples (formerly of Bay FC) and signing a few extensions. The NWSLPA also announced their list of free agents, which were loaded with KC players, including: Elizabeth Ball, Kristen Hamilton, Vanessa DiBernardo, AD Franch, Nichelle Prince, Almuth Schult, Desiree Scott and Mallory Weber. Who should Vlatko prioritize to keep?  In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: An update on Kayden Pierre's transfer Vermes hitting a milestone Stephen Afrifa getting a call-up from Canada SKC II finally winning and the USWNT U-20s start to the World Cup And there is no good way to talk about this, but a Sporting KC fan tragically lost her life as a result of injuries suffered in an auto accident outside the US Open Cup game on Tuesday night. If you'd like to donate to the family of Summer Lynn, they have a Go Fund Me setup. Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC advance to the US Open Cup finals - 4:54 Who Should have Taken the PK that Pulido Missed? - 11:36 SKC qualified for CCC? - 18:10 KC Current lose a 3rd straight - 27:41 A bunch of KC Current transactions - 38:03 Errors and Corrections - 52:41 Digital Crawl - 54:02 Upcoming Schedule: USWNT U-20s vs. Morocco, Wednesday, Sept. 4th @ 8:00PM CDT USMNT vs. Canada, Saturday, Sept 7th @ 3:00PM (at Children’s Mercy Park) USWNT U-20s vs. Paraguay, Saturday, Sept. 7th @ 6:00PM  Sporting KC at New York Red Bulls, Saturday, Sept 7th @ 6:30PM KC Current vs. Utah Royals, Saturday, Sept 7th @ 6:30PM SKC II at LAFC2, Sunday, Sept. 8th @ 3:00PM We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E32 - For the Glory KC is back with the 97th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City pulled off a great win when they returned to MLS play on Saturday. They won 3-0 over Orlando City which will serve as a nice tune-up for the do-or-die game against Indy Eleven on Tuesday in the US Open Cup semifinals. We break down the unique lineup, that included Zoran Bassong in the midfield. Also, the top moments from the game including the goals and the other performances that stood out to us. Then we get to the rumor of the week that Kayden Pierre was being sold to Belgian club, Genk. A rumor, later confirmed by Peter Vermes. Is Mike Burns responsible for the first sale since Gianluca Busio? We talk through what this means for youth development, how the transfer fees come back into the system to help Sporting KC and more. Unfortunately, when one KC teams wins, apparently the other one isn't allowed to. The KC Current fell to the Washington Spirit earlier today in a crushing 4-1 result on the road. Kansas City remain on the road to face the North Carolina Courage next weekend, who are suddenly nipping on their heels as KC slipped from 1st to 3rd in the standings in back-to-back NWSL games. What went wrong? We give our theories. In more mixed Current news, the teams moved on from Alexa Spaanstra and Lauren this week but signed Hildah Magaia to offset some of that movement. Jereko also made her debut against Washington, but it wasn't with enough time left to change the game. And in possibly the biggest soccer news of the week, the NWSL and NWSLPA reached a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) through 2030 that includes elimination of all drafts (college and expansion), free agency for all, players ability to veto trades and a whole lot more. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: SKC II results The Women's Cup teams Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): A Fun Benny Feilhaber Story (and some nonsense) - 1:52 Sporting KC Win! - 11:15 Kayden Pierre Sold - 38:55 KC Current lose - 51:14 Three more KC Current moves - 59:44 Historic NWSL CBA - 1:08:09 Digital Crawl - 1:21:10 Upcoming Schedule: Sporting KC vs. Indy Eleven (US Open Cup), Tuesday, August 27th @ 7:00PM SKC II at Vancouver Whitecaps 2, Saturday, August 31st @ 6:00PM KC Current at North Carolina Courage, Sunday, September 1st @ 1:00PM We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E31 - For the Glory KC is back with the 96th episode of the show!  Sporting Kansas City didn't lose this week. Of course, they didn't play either. However, they did make some news. They finally made a signing, basically their first "big" signing of the year. We technically don't know how much new center back Joaquin Fernandez is making, but I'd guess he's on a Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) deal which is more than the four minimum contract guys that were signed in the offseason. It may be less, but it won't be the minimum. After making guesses how Joaquin will fit in, Sheena and I took a listener question and basically did an entire podcast about it. If we didn't have to follow any roster rules and could ignore contract lengths, who would we actually keep on this team? We didn't go through every single player on the roster, but we hit the vast majority of it. There were definitely a few surprised decisions and a few super on brand for us. It's an interesting exercise because it reminds you it's hard to let go. There are only four players fully out of contract after the season and there was an argument to keep all but one of them in some capacity (though I personally took a harder stance). Then most of the players that Sheena and I agreed we should move on from if the roster rules and contracts didn't apply, aren't out of contract and can't really be moved on from at all without a trade, transfer or the use of the single buyout. In other words, the 2025 edition of Sporting KC will probably look a lot like the 2024 version. It's important the changes that are made, are done to perfection. The rebuild for Sporting KC may be long and hard. Thankfully, we have the KC Current to lift us up in these dire times. They played in The Women's Cup this week and won the whole dang thing, lifting the first trophy in club history. Shame so little of you saw it, unless you happened to own a Vizio TV. Seriously, the channel was only available on a specific brand of TV in the United States. Wild choice by the organizers of this competition. In addition to the two wins, we give the tiniest insights on new KC Current signing Jereko and where she may fit in. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: FIFA Fan Fest coming to KC in 2026 Sporting KC's Academy rankings (eek!) A few KC Current transactions And potential new USMNT coach, Mauricio Pochettino Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC finally make a signing - 5:29 No rules Sporting KC fantasy GM - 20:59 KC Current win two more! - 1:11:29 KC Current make another signing - 1:24:46 Digital Crawl - 1:27:21 Upcoming Schedule: SKC II vs. Austin FC II, Sunday, August 18th @ 6:00PM  Sporting KC vs. Orlando City, Saturday, August 24th @ 7:30PM KC Current AT Washington Spirit, Sunday, August 25th @ 11:00AM SKC II have next weekend off We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E30 - For the Glory KC is back with the 95th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City came back down to earth this week with two losses just days apart to get bounced from the Leagues Cup. First, there was a competitive game against Toluca FC that featured a beautiful Stephen Afrifa goal, only to come up short. But SKC won the expected goals (xG) battle and showed some promise. Then Vermes benched Willy Agada and went back to Alan Pulido and the team had an abysmal 4-0 loss against the Columbus Crew that only had an xG of 0.1 over the 90 minutes. The Crew are really good, but they made Sporting KC look even worse. And perhaps, SKC aided them in that. They kept it close for 44 minutes and then it went completely off the rails. Over the course of these two games, Sheena and I discuss some good news (returning injured players like Logan Ndenbe, Jake Davis and Dany Rosero) and a lot of bad news (Pulido playing the 10, Agada missing so many shots PV thought Pulido was the solution, etc.). In particular, we got to wondering if there is a starting center back among the five on the roster currently. Right now, the team has Andre Fontas, Robi Voloder, Robert Castellanos, Chris Rindov and Rosero. Of those, the team can literally move on from anyone but Rosero by simply letting their contract expire (Fontas) or not picking up their options (all the rest of them). So, what should they do? That part of the conversation picks up at 39:34 in the podcast. [Teaser for next week's pod: With no Sporting KC game, we're going to look at the whole roster and finally answer a prompt a fan asked us weeks ago about who we'd keep in a world without roster rules.] The KC Current did what they do and won both of their games this past week. They won their group in the Summer Cup and then won their semifinal matchup against the North Carolina Courage to make it to the finals (which are in October for some reason). Then we got into the roster movement the Current went through in the last week. Claire Lavogez is gone (though nothing has been officially announced), as is backup goalkeeper Hope Hisey. Then the team brought in a 33-year-old GK in Almuth Schult. What does it mean for AD Franch and Jordan Silkowitz? We give our thoughts. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: SKC II keep losing USMNT eliminated at Olympics My interview with Jake Reid A Sporting KC signing is coming Castellanos pronunciation Antoinne Griezmann isn't coming to KC Lots of KC Current stories Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC lose twice - 7:51 Who is Starter Quality of the SKC Center Backs? - 39:34 KC Current win two more times - 50:30 Three KC Current moves - 1:01:32 USWNT win the Olympics Gold - 1:13:00 Digital Crawl - 1:30:04 Upcoming Schedule: No Sporting KC games until August 24th (Orlando City) KC Current vs. Mamelodi Sundowns (Women’s Cup) - Wednesday, August 14th @ 8:00PM CDT KC Current vs. either Atletico Madrid or Kobe (depending who wins/loses the first games) SKC II vs. Austin FC II, Sunday, August 18th @ 6:00PM (Rock Chalk Park) We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E29 - For the Glory KC is back with the 94th episode of the show!   Sporting Kansas City are back to their winning ways, even if it is against the lowly Chicago Fire. They thoroughly controlled the game, and despite going down 1-0 early, fought back for a 2-1 victory. Superman made its way into the show twice this week, including Willy's form on the diving header and a weird discussion about what Peter Vermes has tattooed under his shirt. It was a little For the Glory KC #AfterDark, but the lite version. The Chicago/Sporting KC game led to discussions about Stephen Afrifa starting to break out, how to pronounce Robert Castellanos (among other things about his goal), Remi Walter (and an over/under on how much he's discussed), and the four Sporting KC II loanees who are rostered for Leagues Cup. Sheena and I also had a debate about left back with Logan Ndenbe's return to the bench and who should still be around between him, Tim Leibold and Zorhan Bassong. Rubiel Vazquez from PRO made back-to-back appearances as the center ref and made a few, slightly less impactful, bad calls this week. The Alenis Vargas no-call felt the most shocking due to the sound it made when he hit the end boards. Marinos Tzionis was also sold this past week and we give our thoughts on his relatively brief stint at Sporting KC. The KC Current finally return to the podcast with their games and our recording schedule lining up. Breaking news: They are still really good at soccer, even shorthanded. They dominated Pachuca 3-0 and frankly could have scored more if they put their foot on the gas. That's despite missing Temwa Chawinga and nearly a dozen players total. And the KC Current surprised us again with another blockbuster trade, this time coming into KC, with Alana Cook coming to town from Seattle. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: SKC II keep struggling The USMNT and USWNT's Olympic performances And Canada cheating in a huge drone scandal Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC extinguish the Fire - 5:01 Marinos Tzionis is gone - 38:09 KC Current win again - 43:00 Current trade for Alana Cook - 48:43 Digital Crawl - 52:13 Upcoming Schedule: USMNT U-23s vs. Guinea - Tuesday, July 30th @ 12:00pm CDT USMNT U-20s vs. Guatemala - Tuesday, July 30th @ 4:06pm (CONCACAF Championship) USWNT vs. Australia - Wednesday, July 31st @ 12:00pm KC Current vs. Tigres - Thursday, August 1st @ 7:00pm SKC II vs. VWFC 2 - Friday, August 2nd @ 7:00pm  Sporting KC vs. Toluca - Monday, August 5th @ 8:00pm We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E28 - For the Glory KC is back with the 93rd episode of the show!  Sporting Kansas City played a lot of games since we last recorded a podcast. Five to be exact. And we just took off one week for our Canadian vacation! Sheena and I discuss our trip to the great white north, Banff, Vancouver, Albert, British Columbia and more. Then we get down to the soccer, starting with that 1-1 draw against rivals St. Louis City SC. To lead off the game, we had to discuss Thor getting away with a challenge that should have seen him sent off for a second yellow at the very least. Beyond the STL/SKC game, Sheena and I debated the future of Remi Walter with Sporting KC. His contract is up after the season, and he'll turn 30 early next year. With the emergence of Jake Davis in his natural midfield role, Memo Rodriguez being a stable backup, the impending signing of a TAM level midfielder and his $900,000 salary, does Remi still have a place on Sporting KC? In addition to the St. Louis game, we talk about our experience seeing the Vancouver Whitecaps game in person. Plus, we breeze through the two FC Dallas games and the San Jose Earthquakes game, which were all victories, from while the podcast was on its break. Are we the reason for the losing? Then we had to talk about those sweet, sweet retro kits and accessories! In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including: USMNT fire Gregg Berhalter KC Current sign and loan out a player SKC II results A new youngest player in MLS history debuts Lots of United States youth National Team competition updates Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): We went to Canada - 2:16 SKC draw St. Louis - 10:45 Remi's KC future - 22:54 SKC lose to Vancouver in front of us - 46:11 A bunch of other SKC games - 54:41 Injury depletion and random midfield thoughts - 1:03:06 Retro Kits - 1:13:17 Digital Crawl - 1:22:55 Upcoming Schedule: SKC II vs. St. Louis City II - Sunday, July 21st at 6:00 PM CDT USMNT U-20s vs. Cuba - Monday, July 22nd at 9:00 PM USMNT U-23s vs. France - Wednesday, July 24th at 2:00 PM USWNT vs. Zambia - Thursday, July 25th at 2:00 PM USMNT U-20s vs. Costa Rica, Thursday, July 25th at 9:00 PM USMNT U-23s vs. New Zealand - Saturday, July 27th at 12:00 PM KC Current vs. Tigres - Saturday, July 27th at 7:00 PM (Summer Cup) Sporting KC vs. Chicago Fire - Sunday, July 28th at 8:00 PM (Leagues Cup) We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E27 - For the Glory KC is back with the 92nd episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City had a busy week both on and off the field. Primarily, this week's episode is focused on the off the field matters due to recording schedules. We're heading out of the country early in the week and may be taking a brief hiatus from podcasting, so be sure to subscribe to the podcast to catch when the next episode comes out. This week, Sporting KC introduced Mike Burns as their new Sporting Director and he and Peter Vermes covered a lot of interesting topics at the introductory press conference. There were budgets (the largest ever), staffing updates, player signing plans and more. Then things got really interesting when Sam McDowell of the KC Star sat down with managing owner Mike Illig and Peter Vermes to get deeper into the weeds. He has a must-read article outlining the utter lack of a budget since 2020. It sheds a new light into who is to blame for how things have worked around Sporting KC the last couple years. Vermes isn't guilt free, but Sheena and I go over the ways things have been handled that were beyond Peter's control. I'm personally thankful for this ownership group rescuing the Kansas City Wizards and doing an amazing rebrand, building a soccer specific stadium and all the success they've brought over the years. But that story Vermes told about ownership passing on a DP striker in 2018 because they were already in first place, makes me think there would be a third star about the crest if things were handled differently. The hope is, going forward, ownership gives the budget and gets out of the way and lets the soccer minds handle things. And if they are given a fair shot to fix some things they weren't given a fair shot at before, and they don't fix it, then ownership can step in and make a change. Listen in for all the details and quotes. We also briefly discuss Sporting KC's loss to the Colorado Rapids but move quickly to the Missouri side of the border to talk the Kansas City Current. Unfortunately, the losing on the Kansas side trickled over and the KC Current's unbeaten run came to a rather uninspiring end against the Orlando Pride. The fans in the stadium were lighting up the ref, but was it really the refs fault? Plus, a fun little Temwa Chawinga/Vlatko Andonovski story that is inspiring for KC's future. In the Digital Crawl, go quite a bit deeper than usual on a few topics, including: USMNT bombing out of Copa America Logan Ndenbe injury update! SKC II results and an all-star call-up CPKC stadium hosting the NWSL Championship Lots of little KC Current stories And Bradley Carnell is fired in St. Louis Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): KC Current Media Game - 2:18 Does Sporting KC have an ownership problem? - 8:29 SKC lose to the Rapids in Colorado - 46:33 KC Current’s streak is over vs Orlando - 55:58 Digital Crawl - 1:17:48 Upcoming Schedule: Sporting KC vs. FC Dallas - Sunday, July 7th @ 7:30 PM SKC II at Tacoma Defiance - Sunday, July 7th @ 9:00 PM Sporting KC vs. FC Dallas (US Open Cup) - Wednesday, July 10th @ 8:00 PM Sporting KC at San Jose Earthquakes - Saturday, July 13th @ 9:30 PM SKC II at The Town - Sunday, July 14th @ 7:00 PM We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E26 - For the Glory KC is back with the 91st episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City got themselves back in the win column this week for just the fourth time this season. On Saturday night, they shut out Austin FC 2-0, just their second shutout in 21 tries this season. The victory was picked up by quality finishing and even better defense. It also feels like someone over at Sporting KC in the technical staff may be listening to the podcast. Last week, we put out a loose plan for going forward in 2024. Stop playing guys that'll be gone after the year, unless you are trying to see if you need to bring them back. It wasn't perfect, as Andreu Fontas found the bench, but Johnny Russell and Tim Melia still started. Russell played lights out and Melia had very little to do since Austin only mustered two shots. SKC also played the midfield trio of Nemanja Radoja, Erik Thommy and Jake Davis, a group I've personally been clamoring to see together more. Davis did well to make up that ground coverage that Remi Walter supplies and a touch of physicality in the midfield this team doesn't have outside of Memo Rodriguez. The game also saw the return of Alan Pulido and Tim Leibold from injury, with Leibold scoring the game winner. Walter, Daniel Salloi and Robert Castellanos were all listed as questionable, but they all sat out the game. Speaking of physicality, it reminds us immediately of the retirement of Roger Espinoza. He was honored before the game and spoke to the media at halftime and a little in the locker room. The conversation wouldn't be complete without all the front office movement from the week. Brian Bliss is out, and Mike Burns is in, though not in exactly the same job. We'll have a better understanding of Burns' role after the Tuesday press conference as Peter Vermes asked we avoid asking about Burns in the post-game presser. Sheena and I give our initial impressions on the hiring and firing, knowing more information is coming down the line. The Kansas City Current continue to set records and hold back the opposition. In the past week they went to the Portland Thorns and won 4-1 and then returned home for a 2-0 win over the Houston Dash. We share our thoughts on those games, Temwa Chawinga, the river 'goal' and so much more. In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few other topics, including: Two NWSL coaching firings, both with KC ties A Memo Rodriguez transfer rumor The USMNT's up and down week at Copa America USWNT Olympic Roster is out and Kamron Habibullah is midseason MLS Next Pro MVP Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC win! - 6:44 SKC do some hiring and firing in the front office - 45:58 KC Current win twice! - 1:14:15 Digital Crawl - 1:31:18 Upcoming Schedule: SKC II vs. Austin FC II - Sunday, June 30th @ 6:00 PM CDT USMNT vs. Uruguay - Monday, July 1st @ 8:00 PM Sporting KC at Colorado Rapids - Thursday, July 4th @ 8:30 PM KC Current vs. Orlando Pride - Saturday, July 6th @ 6:30 PM Sporting KC vs. FC Dallas - Sunday, July 7th @ 7:30 PM SKC II at Tacoma Defiance - Sunday, July 7th @ 9:00 PM We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E25 - For the Glory KC is back with the 90th episode of the show! Things get weird as we recorded waaay after dark. Sporting Kansas City had another rough week. So much, that my co-host preferred we "just get it over with" on Saturday night versus waiting to do a podcast on Sunday. Despite that, we have a lot of thoughts about the losses to Real Salt Lake and the Columbus Crew. I'd like to think it was more about the catharsis of getting some of these thoughts out, while they are fresh in our minds. For a deeper tactical breakdown, check out the Home and Away podcast. Amazingly, it's not all bad. For years we've criticized when SKC just did the same thing over and over and expected different results. At least they tried some things. There were massive lineup changes in both games including rolling out a 3-4-3/5-4-1 against the Crew. Andreu Fontas seemingly got benched (until an injury). Kayden Pierre made consecutive starts at right back (and may have broken a bone). Both goalkeepers got starts, allowed four goals, and stunningly were some of the better players in those games. Young players got extensive minutes at forward too. This episode has some venting. It has some rants. It even has a bit of a plan for what we'd like to see from Sporting KC for the rest of 2024, since ownership made it clear Peter Vermes is safe. We also had to learn a little bit about the Keepers of the Spoon. Sporting KC are dangerously close to the bottom of the table and fans will probably need to read up on how that Wooden Spoon 'trophy' works. Is it a trophy? Is there more than one of them? We have the answers, but until then, thankfully, the San Jose Earthquakes still exist. The Kansas City Current have some nuggets, but we recorded before their game. Double coverage next week! In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few other topics, including: Failed Sporting KC transfer rumor SKC Injury Update KC Current Injury Update Failed KC Current transfer rumor SKC U-17s and MLS Next Cup Kei Kamara breaking records And we snuck in this story Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC lose to RSL - 7:06 What is the Wooden Spoon? - 28:42 Then SKC lose to Columbus - 32:09 My first rant of the podcast - 41:36 Second rant of the podcast - 55:05 A bit of a plan for the rest of 2024 - 1:08:27 Sheena wants you to boycott - 1:14:14 Digital Crawl - 1:27:08 Upcoming Schedule: KC Current at Portland Thorns - Sunday, June 23rd @ 3:00 PM CDT USMNT vs. Bolivia - Sunday, June 23rd @ 5:00 PM Sporting KC II at St. Louis City II - Sunday, June 23rd @ 6:00 PM USMNT vs. Panama - Thursday, June 27th @ 5:00 PM  KC Current vs. Houston Dash - Friday, June 28th @ 7:00 PM Sporting KC vs. Austin FC - Saturday, June 29th @ 7:30 PM SKC II vs. Austin FC II - Sunday, June 30th @ 6:00 PM We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E24 - For the Glory KC is back with the 89th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City have returned to their losing ways, unfortunately. After a hopeful win at home against the Seattle Sounders, they dropped a result to the LA Galaxy 4-2 in California. There were some interesting lineup choices, lots of standing around on the first goal and lots of things to talk about that are pretty negative from the game. However, was there something to build on? The underlying numbers are actually not that bad. Sporting KC were creating chances, they just didn't finish them. That, sadly, feels like progress from all these games where it felt like they can't even get a decent shot off. The issue is, it's all too late as the season is in the back half and they just lost again. Unfortunately, we have to talk about the elephant in the room that is Felipe Hernandez. He was suspended for the second time for gambling related violations. It really feels like we'll never see Felipe in a Sporting KC uniform again. The question is, what sort of punishment is he in for? I'd assume he'll not be allowed to play in Major League Soccer, but how far or wide could a ban/suspension go? Then we talk about the Peter Vermes interview in the KC Star with Daniel Sperry about the upcoming transfer window. On the pod we try to look long-term since any move will come too late in the season if the team hasn't already gone on a great winning streak. Vermes mentions the need for an attacking midfielder, in somewhat of a contrast to what Mike Illig said last week about needing a winger and a central defender. The Kansas City Current unfortunately couldn't carry Kansas City soccer this weekend settling for a 2-2 draw to the Chicago Red Stars. It led to a discussion about rivalries in the NWSL. It sort of feels like the only rival the Current have right now, is the referees. In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few other topics, including: SKC II lose Camille Ashton found a new, very similar, NWSL job SKC injury updates for Salloi, Remi and Rosero A KC Current injury update for Vanessa DiBernardo Lots of US Soccer news and Pitchside Coffee by several KC Current players Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC lose again - 4:41 Felipe Hernandez suspended - 27:41 Vermes gives a transfer update - 44:01 KC Current draw at home - 58:05 Digital Crawl - 1:07:22 Upcoming Schedule: Sporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake - Wednesday, June 19th @ 7:30 PM CT Sporting KC at Columbus Crew - Saturday, June 22nd @ 6:30 PM KC Current at Portland Thorns - Sunday, June 23rd @ 3:00 PM Sporting KC II at St. Louis City II - Sunday, June 23rd @ 6:00 PM We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support