Explore every episode of the podcast For the Glory KC
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is it Time to Panic about the 2025 Sporting KC Roster Build? | 07 Jan 2025 | 01:27:23 | |
For the Glory KC is back with the 113th episode of the show and the first one of Season Four! Sporting Kansas City lead off the show, as is almost always the case. Just like the last episode two weeks ago, there are no signings but there is actually news. The biggest of the stories broke today with the rumor that Alan Pulido may be departing Sporting KC to head back to Chivas in Liga MX. There are now three separate sources saying Pulido is leaving for Mexico, with the latest pegging the transfer fee (yes, they are paying for him) at $1.5 million. It may seem like a fleecing of SKC, who paid a reported $6 million after the 2019 season, but considering I think most fans just want Pulido's salary off the books, making $1.5m in the process would be wild. Sheena and I get our hopes up about a potential move and discuss the ramification of him leaving (if it were to happen). What it means for the team's roster flexibility. Where we'd like a new Designated Player to be signed. If Agada can be the starting center forward if Alan isn't around. Plus, a slew of other topics with a random reading of a Remi Walter farewell post snuck into the middle as we scoured the web live during the podcast looking for more Pulido news. The Pulido conversation nicely transitioned into the title of this week's podcast. Counting Pulido, SKC have just 20 players signed for 2025 of a possible 30. They'll surely leave a few spots open, but they are missing about one-third of their roster. They are down Johnny Russell, Tim Melia, Walter and others and the question has to be asked, "is it time to panic?" For some context, here are the month and day of several of the higher priced signings over the last few seasons:
Contrast that with the season starting earlier than ever, not to mention the Inter Miami CCC game on February 18th, and there is some concern. Pushing back against the concern slightly is the transfer windows in many European and South American countries just opened which could make teams more willing to sell since they can go out and find replacement players. Beyond the roster discussion, we get into the leaked Sporting KC jersey (images here), SKC moving on from assistant coach Zoran Savic, Andreu Fontas possibly retiring and some choice Russell quotes from a recent podcast appearance. The KC Current were a bit quieter, which is weird to say, considering they actually made a signing. They brought in 27-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper, Lorena, as we said they would on the last pod. Plus, the NWSL outlined their schedule for 2025, including March 14th as the first league game. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few more topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
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. | |||
| The Best Sporting KC Road Trips in 2025 | 23 Dec 2024 | 01:30:59 | |
For the Glory KC is back with the 112th episode of the show. While there weren't any signings (don't worry, we address that too), Sporting Kansas City did have a fairly big week. The 2025 MLS schedule came out, Sporting KC had a rumored signing, they drafted three players and announced a section of preseason is open to the public with a couple games that you can actually go watch. On the schedule front, Sporting KC open their season on the road against Austin FC before returning home to face the San Jose Earthquakes on March 1st (good to catch them before Bruce Arena rights that ship). The Quakes game will actually be their fourth game in all competitions when they play four times in 12 days with two Inter Miami games sandwiched around the Austin game for CONCACAF Champions Cup competition. While that's a tough schedule, it's not nearly as bad as the month of May. Sporting KC play seven times in May, including two stretches of three games in eight days. It's by far their busiest month of the season, pending US Open Cup involvement. One of those stretches is three straight road games, a trip to Portland, a trip to St. Louis and then back to the west coast to face San Diego FC for the first time in Cali. The schedule makers clearly hate KC. Honestly, it's probably just incompetence. Sheena and I weigh in with our best road trips for our family and yours. Sheena had a top trip, but then a bunch of reasons to basically go see any other team in the league. I was a little narrower in my focus. What we could both agree on, was that going to the first game at an opponent's stadium is always exciting. There is one chance to do that this year, San Diego FC. They topped both lists, with a few other key games standing out for us too. The game we are likely making our annual road trip to a new stadium to is the Houston Dynamo (I guess). Then we get into the Geronimo Rivera rumor, those preseason details and the three SuperDraft picks. Finally, we turn our attention to a team making actual roster moves. The KC Current made two more signings with a third on the way. The team traded for midfielder Rocky Rodriguez and signed free agent Laurel Ivory. On top of that, our own Thad Bell confirmed Brazilian National Team goalkeeper Lorena will be announced soon. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few more topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
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. | |||
| Sporting KC's Season is Over, Now What? | 21 Oct 2024 | 01:28:26 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Sporting KC and KC Current Arrivals and Departures | 09 Feb 2023 | 00:59:37 | |
S2E6 - Chad and Sheena have a lot of Sporting Kansas City and KC Current news to get to, including SKC being worth $590 million according to Forbes, a few players making their "debuts" at preseason in Arizona and a few arrivals and departures for both clubs. Here is a rundown of the show's main topics:
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| Three Goals Isn't a Turkey | 02 Feb 2023 | 01:03:17 | |
S2E5 - On this week’s episode Sheena and I discuss Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current and Kortne Ford gets his own segment (for all the times that Sheena has forgotten he was on the team, she felt guilty). Additionally, the National Women’s Soccer League is adding three expansion teams, so we weight in on the cities and who else should get a team. And of course, the Digital Crawl y’all! Here is a quick rundown of topics (and approximate start times of each segment):
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| A Sporting KC Cut, Rumor, Trade and a Game | 26 Jan 2023 | 01:05:05 | |
Chad and Sheena are back discussing a busy week for Sporting Kansas City and a little KC Current news too. Sporting KC made a trade, cut a player, had another center back rumor bubble up and played their first preseason game against the Portland Timbers. Also, the early 2023 MLS Cup odds are trickling out and SKC are getting NO RESPECT! They are huge underdogs to win it all. | |||
| Fitting in the New Sporting KC Signings | 23 Jan 2023 | 00:49:16 | |
S2E3 - Sporting Kansas City and the KC Current had another busy week. SKC made two signings, Peter Vermes dropped a lot of knowledge that we'll catch you up on and the Current made a huge trade and added eight (!) draft picks in the 2023 NWSL Draft.
(Originally Published: January 19, 2023) With the potential collapse of TheBlueTestament.com and SB Nation dropping their support, For the Glory KC has moved off network to be independent coverage of all things Kansas City soccer. | |||
| Smorgasbord of Sporting KC Rumors | 23 Jan 2023 | 01:06:47 | |
S2E2 - Preseason started, and it's a busy week on the rumor mill. We catch up on all the quotes and news from preseason and try to make sense of all the guys that are rumored to be coming to the first team (and one to the second). We also talk through all the moves the KC Current made with the signing of Debinha, then the trade of Elyse Bennett, and other Current news. Plus, Cindy Lara from The Tea(l) joins the show to build out the roster with Chad for how the team should line up and how all this talent gets on the field together.
(Originally Published: January 12, 2023) | |||
| How to Fit a New Designated Player Onto Sporting KC | 23 Jan 2023 | 01:03:53 | |
S2E1 - New year, new season! This week we discuss how Sporting Kansas City can fit Cristiano Ronaldo into their budget (or any Designated Player for that matter). Even though he's not coming, another DP could be with a big European star having mutual interest from SKC. Plus, all this crazy controversy surrounding US Soccer and the USMNT with the whole Gregg Berhalter/Gio Reyna scandal. And we make our wishes for Sporting KC, SKC II, and the KC Current for 2023.
(Originally Published: January 5, 2023) | |||
| Ronaldo to Sporting KC was "Very Close" | 23 Jan 2023 | 00:30:31 | |
S1E7 - Emergency Podcast! Taylor Twellman, Tom Bogert and Daniel Sperry all had sources that Sporting Kansas City were "very close" to signing Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. It didn't happen, but let's discuss the madness and how Daniel Salloi, Johnny Russell, and even the KC Chiefs Patrick Mahomes fits into this story. (Originally Published: December 30, 2022) | |||
| How to Enjoy Sporting KC Preseason | 23 Jan 2023 | 01:02:42 | |
S1E6 - Sheena and Chad talk about how to plan the perfect trip to Arizona for preseason, the health of Sporting Kansas City striker Alan Pulido, KC Current roster moves, and MLS Expansion possibly coming to San Diego, California (or Las Vegas, Nevada or Phoenix, Arizona).
(Originally Published: December 29, 2022) | |||
| SKC Schedule Release & Kansas City Current Controversies | 23 Jan 2023 | 01:06:28 | |
S1E5 - The Sporting KC schedule is out, what road trips are we all taking? Plus, Chad and Sheena address the controversy surrounding the Kansas City Current and their recent firing of former coach Huw Williams. Then there is a ton of other things that have happened in the last week, from new signings for the KC Current and SKC II, a rumored signing for Sporting KC's first team, as well as a couple of draft picks joining the team, and a little thing called the World Cup came to an end.
(Originally Published: December 22, 2022) | |||
| Sporting KC Offseason Priorities | 23 Jan 2023 | 01:01:33 | |
S1E4 - For the Glory KC is back with the sad news of Grant Wahl's passing. Then we move to the big question of the week around SKC's offseason priorities (right center back and a third striker were mentioned by Vermes). Also up for discussion this week are some interesting quotes from Daniel Salloi (and his travel plans), an MLS schedule release rumor, SKC II’s new signing, the USMNT drama around Gio Reyna, and our new segment, the Digital Crawl, where we run through a ton of news quickly, including some KC Current and USWNT news. Approximate topic locations:
(Originally Published: December 14, 2022) | |||
| How Many Sporting KC Players Played their Final Home Game? | 08 Oct 2024 | 01:07:55 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Is the lack of Sporting KC Roster Change an Issue? | 23 Jan 2023 | 01:00:08 | |
S1E3 - We talk Sporting Kansas City roster moves (and lack of turnover) and roster comings and goings for the KC Current. Plus, the USMNT bowing out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the "other" football with rumors of the Kansas City Chiefs moving to Kansas and the Los Angeles Galaxy being dirty, dirty cheaters. And we have our first guest host! (Originially Published: December 8, 2022) | |||
| For The Glory KC - A Casual Fan's Perspective of Sporting KC | 23 Jan 2023 | 01:01:37 | |
Our second ever episode, but the first with our current hosts. For the Glory KC is back with a new co-host to give a more casual perspective on all things Kansas City soccer. Up for discussion this week of course if the United States Men's National Team advancing in the World Cup. Then we circle back to all the offseason roster moves from Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current and SKC II. Plus, we talk about the new Apple TV deal with MLS called MLS Season Pass. (Originally Published: November 30, 2022) | |||
| Road Tripping to St. Louis and Lost Trophies for Sporting KC | 01 Oct 2024 | 01:16:52 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| 100th Episode Extravaganza | 23 Sep 2024 | 01:38:53 | |
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:
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| A Loss, a Win, a Draw and an Exclusive Sporting KC Town Hall | 09 Sep 2024 | 01:17:14 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Sporting KC Advance and the KC Current Continue Their Restructure | 03 Sep 2024 | 01:10:56 | |
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:
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):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Is the Kayden Pierre Sale a Step in the Right Direction for Sporting KC? | 25 Aug 2024 | 01:24:44 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| If Roster Rules Didn't Exist, Who Would You Keep on Sporting KC? | 18 Aug 2024 | 01:33:24 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Who is Starter Quality of the Sporting KC CBs? | 11 Aug 2024 | 01:48:33 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Sporting KC and the Leagues Cup is Actually Fun | 30 Jul 2024 | 01:11:09 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| We've Got Multiple 2025 Sporting KC Dates | 16 Dec 2024 | 01:09:11 | |
For the Glory KC is back with the 111th episode of the show. The 2024 MLS season just came to an end eight days ago, but we've already got Sporting Kansas City dates for 2025. This past week the draw for Sporting KC's CONCACAF Champions Cup opponent happened and the team drew fellow MLS club Inter Miami. Shortly after, the Feb 18th and 25th dates were announced for the two-legged competition. As a part of that release, January 11th was listed as the date that SKC's 2025 preseason will begin with players reporting to Kansas City. That's just under a month from a soccer ball being kicked in preparation for CCC and the season. Sheena and I get into what we think about Sporting KC playing Messi and Miami again. We ponder if Messi will play (on a cold Tuesday night in KC) and if the game will be moved from the announced location of Children's Mercy Park to Arrowhead Stadium again. In addition, there were several quicker stories in the Sporting KC universe, including having no player selected in the expansion draft and the club not selecting anyone in the first round of the Re-Entry Process. Stage two comes next week, along with the 2025 MLS SuperDraft where SKC will pick fourth. The KC Current made news this week with their end of year roster announcements. Three more players are added to the list of women not returning to the club, and we got official word on Bia Zaneratto and Regan Steigleder coming back. We weight in on those moves and a few other stories, including a record five players in the top 19 of jersey sales for the NWSL this past season. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
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. | |||
| For the Glory KC Returns from Canada | 21 Jul 2024 | 01:34:30 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Is Ownership to Blame for some Sporting KC Struggles? | 07 Jul 2024 | 01:43:55 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| A Perfect KC Soccer Weekend and Front Office Movement | 30 Jun 2024 | 01:53:44 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| For the Glory KC Way After Dark | 23 Jun 2024 | 01:45:00 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Sporting KC lose again, Hernandez Suspended, Vermes Talks Transfers | 17 Jun 2024 | 01:26:50 | |
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:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Sporting KC Owners Say Peter Vermes' Job is Safe | 11 Jun 2024 | 01:19:31 | |
S3E23 - For the Glory KC is back with the 88th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City ended the streak! For the second straight season (let's not make it three, please) Sporting KC ended a 10-game winless run with a victory over the Seattle Sounders. This time, it was seven straight losses, so a win was a massive relief. The question is, can Sporting KC sustain this success? They got the game winning goal against a 10-man Seattle side and their expected goals (xG) was actually lower than Seattle's. Then again, confidence can do wonders. The release of emotions from the players both on and off the field showed how much it meant to all of them. The victory comes on the same day that Sam McDowell put out a fantastic story in the KC Star about a sit-down interview with managing owner Mike Illig. Mike, son of Cliff Illig, told Sam that he had no plans to fire Peter Vermes and wanted him to run a rebuild over the next three transfer windows (through the summer of 2025). Infamously, Peter Vermes signed a five-year contract extension after missing the playoffs in 2022 that just kicked in this year. He's signed through the 2028 season, and it always sort of felt like they wouldn't pay him for four-and-a-half years of nothing, plus pay another coach. Sheena and I weigh in on the story, Peter handling the rebuild, the targeted positions of center back and winger (no midfielders?) this summer. Fontas and Russell are probably approaching the end of their SKC careers, so replacing them makes sense. Ignoring the midfield is concerning though. Before listening, I encourage you to read the whole story over at the Star. We also address the rumor that Robert Castellanos has interest from Chivas (Liga MX). And the Kansas City Current just keep winning! This time 5-2 at home over the Seattle Reign to climb back to the top of the NWSL standings. There were new starters, new goal scorers, a testing of the team's depth and the return of orchestrated celebrations by captain Lo LaBonta. In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few other topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| Is it Time for Peter Vermes to Go? | 02 Jun 2024 | 01:41:51 | |
S3E22 - For the Glory KC is back with the 87th episode of the show! And it's a controversial one. Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
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. Upcoming Schedule:
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| Two Wins and a Loss but Things Still Feel Bad in KC Soccer | 27 May 2024 | 01:17:41 | |
S3E21 - For the Glory KC is back with the 86th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City have extended their losing streak to five games. But before we get to the bad results, they did have a good result this week. They did what a Major League Soccer team should have done and downed FC Tulsa, a second division foe, 4-0 in the US Open Cup. That sets Sporting KC up to play FC Dallas in the quarterfinal where they only need three more wins to lift a trophy in an otherwise abysmal year. While Sheena sneaks some negativity in that Open Cup conversation, we do eventually switch gears to talk about the 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers on the road. The "starters" were all back except Remi Walter, who was replaced by the goal scorer Memo Rodriguez. The game went poor from a chance creation perspective, results perspective, and an injury perspective. Erik Thommy appeared to pull his hamstring and had to sub out early and then Memo Rodriguez picked up a suspension for yellow card accumulation. That led to a conversation of what the midfield could possibly look like against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday. I think it's time for an SKC II loan over playing someone out of position. The Kansas City Current did what they often do and kept winning! This time in the first ever meeting against the Utah Royals. Despite the win, it wasn't all good news as Gabby Robinson went down with an injury and we fear the worst. And of course, we have to talk about the surprise resignation of General Manager Camille Ashton from the KC Current. In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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. | |||
| How Well are Sporting KC Spending Their Money | 20 May 2024 | 01:34:33 | |
S3E20 - For the Glory KC is back with the 85th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City keep disappointing us. This time, it was a 3-2 loss on the road against Austin FC. Peter Vermes made a big deal about "effort" and "mentality" after last week's loss against the Houston Dynamo, but the changes to the lineup were minimal. Sheena and I discuss what we thought was going to happen versus what happened and how things played out. Did the new starters play glorious or did the wrong people find their way to the bench? The only changes were Erik Thommy, Robert Castellanos and Zorhan Bassong staring while Willy Agada, Robert Volder and Tim Leibold found themselves benched. Peter thinks the effort is good though. Then we couldn't avoid our chance to play Fantasy Sporting Director as the salaries for Sporting KC were released and there are a lot of questionable contracts on the list. Sheena managed to limit the amount of blackmail accusations, but we both have strong opinions about who is being paid too much and just a little on who is underpaid. The Kansas City Current couldn't lift us out of the doldrums as they gave up a late lead in an extended amount of stoppage time against Racing Louisville. 112 minutes were played in a 90-minute game, so we look at if that time was justified and what could have been done differently to hold on to the lead. But hey, at least the KC Current are still unbeaten! Plus, a ball almost got into the Missouri River. In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| How Far Down Can Sporting KC Go? | 13 May 2024 | 01:10:40 | |
S3E19 - For the Glory KC is back with the 84th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City just keep tumbling. They are down to 12th place in the Western Conference, just a single point ahead of 13th and 14th placed San Jose Earthquakes and the Portland Timbers. They got there with a 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night. Sheena and I set out to try and figure out what is wrong. I have a theory that they actually need to go away from the 4-2-3-1 formation and back to the 4-3-3. Folks get tired of that formation, but the 4-2-3-1 is not working! They haven't won a single game in five tries rolling it out. Let's recap:
We talked about the outstanding performances of Memo Rodriguez and a lot of middling performances all around the roster. Peter Vermes agreed in his post-match press conference. There was a lot of discussion around a "change in mentality." Vermes said, "its' not all the guys, it's quite of few of the guys though." He also called the Houston goals "atrocious" and "amateur, at best." And above all else, he said a lot of players lacked effort. There was talk in benching players, suffering and so many other topics in a short seven-minute presser. Daniel Salloi gave some tough interviews in the locker room too. We try to figure out who lacked effort and who is going to get benched, and there are a lot of potential candidates. We also discuss briefly the 120-minute win over Union Omaha to advance in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup to face FC Tulsa in the Round of 16. Thankfully, we still have the Kansas City Current. While they only mustered out a draw Wednesday on incredibly short rest and travel nightmares against Vlatko's former team, the Seattle Reign, they won again on Sunday against the North Carolina Courage. In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| Two Sporting KC Signings and Expansion Draft Predictions | 10 Dec 2024 | 01:28:38 | |
For the Glory KC is back with the 110th episode of the show. Sporting Kansas City got their offseason started with not one, but two signings. The club added two 16-year-old Homegrown players in defender Ian James and goalkeeper Jack Kortkamp. We learn a little about the new signings and talk about where they fit into this ongoing roster build. Any conversation around these signings is colored slightly with the ridiculous compensation being paid to Minnesota United. MNUFC shut down their Academy, leaving their players nowhere to play. James and Kortkamp, among others, ended up in other MLS Academies. Sporting KC had to compensate Minnesota for their Homegrown rights at the time, then again when they signed them, and they had to give them a sell-on fee if they are sold to another club. It's an absurd amount of compensation for a team that literally shut down their academy. In other news, earlier today, Sporting KC CEO and President Jake Reid was named MLS Executive of the Year. The reactions online are what you would expect. We get into why he earned that award, including all of his accomplishments over the last few years. And this can't be said enough, he DOES NOT make soccer decisions. If you are unhappy with the product on the field or the roster, blame Peter Vermes (and now Mike Burns). If you are unhappy with the coaching staff, blame Mike Illig. However, if you are unhappy with the gameday experience, fan relations, etc., that rolls up to Reid. Don Garber also gave his annual State of the League address. We cover a few highlights:
The KC Current also got their offseason moving with the re-signing of Nichelle Prince. It will really kick into gear in the coming days with all NWSL roster decisions due by 5:00PM CST on Tuesday the 10th of December. Claire Hutton was also up for US Young Soccer Player of the Year and eight (!!) KC Current players were on the Guardian's list of the best players in the world. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
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. | |||
| A Tale of Lowered Expectations | 06 May 2024 | 01:32:50 | |
S3E18 - For the Glory KC is back with the 83rd episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City are now winless in five straight. Heading into the Real Salt Lake game, it never really felt like they were going to win, but they kept it close for a long time. There were six changes to the lineup, as well as four subs used. The offense wasn't clicking but John Pulskamp nearly came through with some hero ball. Sheena and I weigh in on that lineup choices, all the missing players for illness (Radoja) and injury (Rosero and Walter). Plus, is this the last we'll see of Marinos Tzionis? It felt like he was setup to fail playing out of position with zero minutes in MLS or MLS Next Pro this year. One of my favorites, Alenis Vargas, has some answering to do for that performance against RSL. I advocate for the 'kids' all the time, but this was a terrible shift from Vargas that might see him relegated back to SKC II or the proverbial Vermes 'doghouse.' And we absolutely can't avoid talking about this bizarre situation between Daniel Salloi and Brayan Vera. It wasn't all downer news around Sporting KC though. Jake Davis signed a long-term contract extension, which is a welcome addition. And it seems really likely that Alan Pulido took a pay cut, which is a big deal. The Kansas City Current nearly lifted our weekend up before a four-hour delay in the game and a fluky second half goal that allowed the Houston Dash to draw level. Despite the Current outshooting the Dash 29-8, including 14-3 with shots on goal, they couldn't pull off a win and find themselves at least temporarily out of first place looking up at the Orlando Pride. The way the rain delay was handled and the scheduling nightmare it has left the Current in was the ire of Vlatko Andonovski in the post-game press conference. We have thoughts! Included in the game discussion on the broadcast was the news that Gabby Robinson may be getting a look for the United States Women's National Team. Go Gabby! In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| Assessing Sporting KC's Season 10-Games In | 29 Apr 2024 | 01:29:19 | |
S3E17 - For the Glory KC is back with the 82nd episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City are officially 10 games into their 2024 season and it's a benchmark that Peter Vermes likes to focus on. The team is 2-3-5 (11 points) and sitting in 10th place. It's better than last season, but that's an incredibly low bar to clear. We asked Peter Vermes how he felt about where the team was, and his answers left something to be desired. My colleague Jimmy Mack Tweeted out the quotes. Sheena and I weigh in the quotes, the play against Minnesota United FC in the 2-1 loss and the rumor from Taylor Twellman that signings are coming in the summer and where we'd like to see those signings. Oh, and we have to talk about this meme-worthy image and subsequent work from Offside Modeling that confirmed it was onside. The Kansas City Current thankfully brought us happier things to talk about in their 3-1 come-from-behind win over Angel City FC in Los Angeles on Friday night. Plus, we went to Game One of the KC Comets attempt to win the Ron Newman Cup in the MASL Final on Sunday afternoon. Game two is Tuesday. In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| Don't Make This Your First For the Glory KC | 25 Apr 2024 | 01:21:31 | |
S3E16 - For the Glory KC is back with the 81st episode of the show! Sort of... [This is a weird request, but if this is the first time you've ever listened to the podcast, don't. There are some audio issues, and I wouldn't want to leave you with a bad impression. Sheena and I's audio tracks are out of sync and I'm responding to things she said, but she hasn't said them yet because of a delay. We recorded on Sunday night, and she hasn't had time to re-record. We polled Twitter and they said release it, so here you go!] Sporting Kansas City ended their homestand leaving us wanting more. We commiserated on what went wrong on the goals as well as what went right on the ones Sporting KC scored. But we simply can't avoid discussing Peter Vermes' somewhat stunning postgame comments after the draw against St. Louis City SC. He either thinks the media, or the fans, are too worried about not closing out games. But he isn't worried. Wild! We have thoughts! Then, much like PV snuck into his presser, Sporting KC were playing against more than just St. Louis City. He didn't say it, but he meant the referees. It was one of the worst officiated games in recent memory. Alan Chapman called ticky tack fouls early, nothing for a huge stretch, then back to the ticky tack at the end. Inconsistent. 21 fouls to St. Louis. No yellows during the run of play. No persistent infringement. Either let them be physical or don't. And Taylor Twellman, noted St. Louis native, and about everyone else who isn't a St. Louis mark thought this Klauss challenge on Willy Agada was a foul. But Chapman saw nothing in it, immediately calling it shoulder to shoulder, and a goal was scored right after. I will say, this gif some St. Louis fan made was pretty amazing. Thanks goodness there are other KC soccer teams though. The Kansas City Current continued their winning ways with a 5-2 thrashing of Bay FC. Sheena has found her favorite KC Current player and it's an embarrassment of riches on that talented team. In sad news from the game, Alex Loera announced she tore her ACL against her former club and will miss the rest of the season. In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| Was the Messi/Arrowhead Experiment a Success? | 15 Apr 2024 | 01:31:56 | |
S3E15 - For the Glory KC is back with the 80th episode of the show! I'm not sure if you heard, but Sporting Kansas City were out here setting records last night. 72,610 fans were in attendance inside Arrowhead stadium to witness Sporting KC take on Lionel Messi and friends on Inter Miami CF. The end result was a loss, but were there 'wins' to be had? On this week's episode, Sheena talks about her experience in the stands contrasting to my experience from behind the scenes and in the press box. From the atmosphere to the amount of pink/Messi jerseys, there were a lot of off the field items to discuss. But it wouldn't be a For the Glory KC if we don't actually talk about the soccer. We get into the 'only three mistakes,' according to Peter Vermes that Sporting KC made, to the things that went very right and all the in between stuff. There is talk about a goalkeeper change. A change at striker (Sheena wants to go pretty far here). Subpar refereeing from Victor Rivas. Remi Walter in a walking boot and an update on his status. Pitch invaders. And we can't avoid the problem with Sporting KC dropping points, particularly at home. After the game, there is a bit rumor that came out this week from The Athletic. Fairly substantial rule changes could be coming to Major League Soccer. Weirdly the rules look to be changing this summer, mid-season. I'll explain what they are and start to get into out Sporting KC can potentially benefit. Come back to the KC Soccer Journal later this week for a deeper look at that possibility and a robust explainer if you are into that sort of thing. Then we switch over to talk about the Kansas City Current's first non-win of the season as they held on for a draw against NJ/NY Gotham. In the Digital Crawl, we go longer on fewer topics:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| Why do Sporting KC Keep Blowing Leads? | 08 Apr 2024 | 01:11:28 | |
S3E14 - For the Glory KC is back with the 79th episode of the show! Sheena and her casual takes are back! Two weeks of no regular co-host was weird. So, let's get weird in a different way with a late-night podcast recording session. We start the show with Sporting Kansas City who have found a way to drop nine points in just seven games from a winning position. It's definitely better than how 2023 started, but it feels like a lot of miss opportunities. The game started so good with a 3-0 Sporting KC lead that evaporated into a 3-3 draw. It feels like there is plenty of praise for how it started, but also plenty of blame for what went down. The game devolved into the second straight collapse in the second half at home. At least they didn't lose to the Portland Timbers like they did to the LA Galaxy. Peter Vermes didn't pull punches after the game saying the team did the exact opposite of what they discussed at halftime. But, how much of that is on Peter? We have some thoughts. Some of that blame ends up on Willy Agada for missing the net by a good yard on what may have been the game winning penalty kick. That said, he still scored twice, making it three goals this season in just 283 minutes compared to just one goal in 425 minutes for Designated Player Alan Pulido. Is it time for a change at center forward, even if Pulido is healthy? And it's almost time to retire a segment that Sheena hates, the "Messi Update." Inter Miami are coming to Kansas City in less than a week and the question remains if Lionel Messi will be on the field. Sporting KC have bet the house on it. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on the following topics:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
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| Comfortable Wins and Offside Shenanigans | 01 Apr 2024 | 01:26:07 | |
S3E13 - For the Glory KC is back with the 78th episode of the show! This week, we have a very special episode with not one, not two, but three hosts! I'm joined by some familiar names to those of you that read the KC Soccer Journal. Juan Cisneros and Xander Kennedy make their For the Glory KC debuts! Don't worry, Sheena will be back, but we just closed out an eight-day road trip with a seven-and-a-half-hour drive and only one of us was a soccer sicko enough to immediately make a podcast. We start the show with some Sporting Kansas City love as they picked up a huge three points on the road against Toronto FC. Sporting KC managed to pull off the win without the injured Alan Pulido (not to mention Johnny Russell and Andreu Fontas). It begs the question, is that a good or bad thing? Xander, Juan and I break down the lack of production from the forward line, but the goals still coming in elsewhere. We also get into the bangers scored by Remi Walter and Jake Davis, as well as the highly repeatable Alenis Vargas goal if Peter Vermes sticks with trusting his young and pacey backups. Plus, we can't avoid the goal at the death from Toronto, which was apparently over a half of a foot offside. In addition to all the goals scored, we dash around to various other topics including Memo Rodriguez stepping up his game, Sporting KC's propensity to shoot from distance, the return of Felipe Hernandez, Robert Voloder continuing to start and the return of the refs as PRO and the PSRA reached a new CBA. Before we fully move off of Sporting KC, we have to talk about Roger Espinoza returning for at least one game and it won't be too far from Kansas City. He will be joining the Des Moines Menace this Wednesday in the US Open Cup as they take on Union Omaha (in Nebraska). Which begs the question, who else should join Des Moines (or any other team) to try to make a cup run? The KC Current continued their strong form as well as they climbed to the top of the table off their third straight win. There were goals scored by Vanessa DiBernardo, Alexa Spaanstra, Temwa Chawinga and Bia, but it feels like they could have scored so many more. We also get into the level of their competition through the first three weeks and of course, the set piece defending. Plus, does the NWSL have a VAR problem? We've got some thoughts! In the Digital Crawl, we touch on the following topics:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| Sporting KC Collapse - Eight Minutes of Terror | 24 Mar 2024 | 00:38:14 | |
S3E12 - For the Glory KC is back with the 77th episode of the show! We start this week with Sporting Kansas City and their utter collapse against the LA Galaxy. Sadly, it was a game they utterly dominated if not for the eight minutes of terror. You simply cannot give up three goals in eight minutes and expect to win. You also can't go up 2-0 and lose games. I do a deliriously short podcast in the middle of the night after the ups and downs of Saturday night. A little For the Glory KC after dark, if you will. The KC Current were around to lift our spirits right after Sporting KC crushed them. They found a way to win on the road against the defending Shield winners, the San Diego Wave. The Current feel like they are going to be really good this year. They did it without two more players, Hailie Mace and Debinha, who showed up on the injury report. Their replacements did quite well! In the Digital Crawl, we touch on the following topics:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| KC Baby! A Perfect Soccer Weekend in Kansas City | 18 Mar 2024 | 01:20:50 | |
S3E11 - For the Glory KC is back with the 76th episode of the show! This week, there is no place to start but with the KC Current and their historic opening of CPKC Stadium. 11,500 showed up for the sellout in an all too thrilling win over the Portland Thorns. The final score of 5-4 almost ruined an otherwise perfect opening day (well, that an Debinha getting injured). But they got the win! Sheena got the fan perspective and got tickets to opening day, and I brought the behind-the-scenes views from the media room, press box and elsewhere in the stadium. From fan experience, to atmosphere, to food and a well-run transportation system, opening day went off with minimal flaws. And of course we talk the thrilling soccer with five different goal scorers, including Vanessa DiBernardo who will forever be the first player to score in the stadium. She was joined by rookie Ellie Wheeler, new signing Bia, KC's returning champion Kristen Hamilton and another rookie, the youngest goal scorer in NWSL history, Alex Pfieffer! And while she didn't score, Temwa Chawinga had an immediate impact, Lo LaBonta was everywhere and 18-year-old rookie Claire Hutton really locked down the midfield. We can't avoid discussing the four goals that got in and look to see if it's a worrying trend or just world class play from a couple Portland superstars. Not to be left out of the amazing weekend are Sporting Kansas City who are undefeated. 'Winless' no longer applies as they got the monkey off their back against the San Jose Earthquakes. Robert Voloder got a surprise start for the injured Andreu Fontas. There were set piece goals in both directions, as well as the return of Remi Walter from injury and Alan Pulido from obscurity. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on the following topics:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| The Jekyll and Hyde Game | 11 Mar 2024 | 01:03:53 | |
S3E10 - For the Glory KC is back with the 75th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City are still undefeated, but three straight draws aren't exactly what most were hoping for to start the season. But hey, at least they didn't lose! Sheena and I break down the game and get into all sorts of details. We start on a new starting XI that was forced because Remi Walter was out dealing with his ankle injury he picked up against the Philadelphia Union. He was replaced by Memo Rodriguez who had an up and down game. In fact, the whole team had a bit of Jekyll and Hyde vibes. Pretty much every player on the team had at least a good moment or two mixed in with a potentially disastrous play or two. In some cases, it was a lot of good moments from one player (like Andreu Fontas or Tim Melia) but even they had really bad plays too. Of course, we have to address that weird indirect free kick. We talk about our best and worst players, but nearly everyone gets a comment or two in each direction. The conversation also turned to Dany Rosero, in Sheena's eyes, underperforming. It's fitting that she wants him to be more dangerous on set pieces because most of his teammates think he'll lead the team in defenders who score. After the LAFC versus Sporting KC discussion, we turn to news about now former SKC Academy player Ramiz Hamouda. The KC Star's Daniel Sperry put out a nice Twitter thread that broke down the whole situation. We weighed in on it and let the conversation take us back to the SKC/LAFC game a bit. And we can't ignore the KC Current and the start to their season this weekend! They added two more signings, locking down draft picks Ellie Wheeler and Hope Hisey, as well as recalling goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz from the Brisbane Roar. Plus, our expectations for the first home game both on and off the field. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on the following topics:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we 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. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| Remi Knows Who Sheena is and She's Mortified! | 04 Mar 2024 | 01:26:49 | |
S3E09 - For the Glory KC is back with the 74th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City played their home opener, and it went really well... for 94 minutes. We break down the end of the game, rate the replacement refs and make numerous other observations about the game. Peter Vermes was not very happy, but he didn't blame the replacement refs. Though he did get very fired up in the post-game press conference. Before we get to the soccer though, we have to take a detour to Sporting KC media day. I have a fantastic Remi Walter story to share (to Sheena's utter embarrassment), a few other things that stood out, including Sporting KC's use of analytics and more. We also learn how to pronounce Nemanja Radoja's name, talk about the new stadium upgrades and a lot of other things. Look at the run time! Plus, we have some league wide news around the US Open Cup (and Sporting KC's participation), the new rules that are coming in 2025 from the newly formed Sporting & Competition Committee, some silly Don Garber comments and finally we get to talk kits about both MLS and the NWSL. We also spend a little more time with the KC Current with updates on Nichelle Prince's health, a free shuttle to games and a tiny bit of preseason news. As for the Current's kits... why not just do teal? Olive and York did it for them if you are so inclined. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on the following topics:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| Sporting KC's Most Needed Moves & a Fan Q&A | 02 Dec 2024 | 01:34:46 | |
For the Glory KC is back with the 109th episode of the show. It's been quiet on the Sporting Kansas City news front, but that doesn't mean there aren't SKC related topics to discuss. We take a look at the biggest needs for Sporting KC in 2025. Obviously, the first topic of conversation was around the roster itself. There are just 19 players signed for 2025, with the Ian James announcement still pending.
Beyond the roster itself, there are issues around fan experience, front office building and more to be accomplished before boots hit the field for the season. Then, we switch gears and take listener questions. One big theme was "trust" in ownership and the coaching staff to lead Sporting KC forward. Are the owners truly investing? Is Mike Burns right for the job? How has Peter Vermes remained in charge when so many other teams have moved on from their coaches? (We came up with 10 coaching changes this offseason already off the top of our heads). Then we get a little broader and talk careers in journalism/broadcasting and the state of club soccer in Kansas City. There was no KC Current news this week but, in the Q&A we did get a Vlatko Andonovski question, so they still made an appearance. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few topics, including:
Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
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. | |||
| It's Just One Game for Sporting KC, the Sky Isn't Falling | 26 Feb 2024 | 01:17:56 | |
S3E08 - For the Glory KC is back with the 73rd episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City got the 2024 season underway on Saturday night and it was more of a whimper than a bang, but it's early. While play was sloppy and the passes were often off target, it is only one game into the year and the team managed a draw despite not playing particularly well. Sheena returns to the podcast, and we break down the goals by both teams and a tactical wrinkle with Erik Thommy and Remi Walter. We also look at Peter's subbing patterns, the crappy Houston Dynamo fans booing Memo Rodriguez, a few player debuts and how the replacement refs did. Beyond the game, there was other news around Sporting KC this week. Peter Vermes gave an interview to the KC Star with some juicy information about four Designated Player targets that didn't work out, including Kellyn Acosta and four players to watch as breakout candidates this season. And SKC announced their roster designations including two surprise DPs (Salloi and Radoja) as well as green cards and some clues about new signing salaries. We even get a little behind the scenes from my trip to Swope Soccer Village to watch Sporting KC II play UMKC (they won 5-2). We also spend a little time with the KC Current and MLS at large. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on the following topics:
Here is a quick rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Upcoming Schedule:
Spotify took away our ads, so we turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| Sporting Kansas City Season Preview | 19 Feb 2024 | 01:01:13 | |
S3E07 - For the Glory KC is back with the 72nd episode of the show! Before we get to the soccer, despite my efforts to mostly keep the podcast out of the political realm, we have to speak of the horrible tragedy at Union Station this week in Kansas City. It shouldn't be political, but it somehow is. I realize sports are an escape for many, myself included, but I can't sit idly by. There are time stamps below if you want to 'stick to the soccer.' Or if you don't want to listen, that's your right too. Speaking of the soccer, we get to that, but it's a little different this week. My co-host and wife, Sheena, is ill so I have a guest host! We talked about Sporting Kansas City playing their final preseason game and how they pulled off a 3-1 win over Atlanta United on Saturday. Plus, the resulting Peter Vermes quotes on Johnny Russell and Tim Leibold's injuries, how they approached preseason differently and of course all the goals. From there we preview the Sporting KC season, with a brief look back at the offseason. Then we move on to the opening day opponent, the Houston Dynamo. Not to be left out is the news that PRO referees are going on strike and replacement refs will be used to start the MLS season. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on the following topics:
Here is a quick rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Spotify took away our ads, so we turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||
| This is the Sporting KC Roster We're Getting | 13 Feb 2024 | 01:03:08 | |
S3E06 - For the Glory KC is back with the 71st episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City didn't have any huge news in the week, but there were a lot of little stories building towards the start of 2024. First, the roster seems set with the news that Kellyn Acosta would not be signing with Sporting KC and Peter Vermes confirming it's "highly unlikely" a Designated Player is signed before Week 1. Sheena and I share how we're feeling about the roster. Then we weigh in on Khiry Shelton's now serious injury and surgery, Daniel Salloi's injury situation and how preseason is going for Sporting KC and if it leaves us feeling optimistic or pessimistic. Plus, we have to talk about the possible advent of Blue Cards in soccer around the world. Blue cards -- they aren't just for indoor soccer anymore! IFAB is considering 10-minute "sin bin" penalties for dissent and cynical fouls that would leave a team down a man. Also, two blue cards equal a red, or a blue and a yellow equal a red (which is confusing because those are all primary colors). The KC Current don't get much love this week because I couldn't get to media day on super short notice. That said, Kristen Hamilton dropped some promising quotes in the KC Star, and we talk about the outlook for 2024. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on the following topics:
Here is a quick rundown of topics (and approximate start times):
Spotify took away our ads, so we turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation. Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron. | |||