Nobody else in American soccer media has Jeff’s range: writing and podcasting, local beat and national punditry, clubs and USMNT, reporting and analysis, data and takes, box throw propaganda and a mean Blue Monday karaoke at Ego’s. We’re lucky to have him around the game

For long years has mankind longed to create the Torment Nexus.

Cannot forget @susannahfuller.bsky.social as mixology Chair!

it's the No. 1 reason why I kind of doubt we'll win the men's World Cup in my lifetime.

neither would I. His tools & his improvement curve are both super encouraging.

Fact that MLS didn't exist 35 years ago and is now a top 10 league – which includes things like local player development – is huge.

And it wasn't guaranteed. Look at how much money China spent on soccer. What did it get them?

Not every problem can be solved by just throwing money at it. You need culture and infrastructure and that doesn't just happen overnight. It takes generations.

Fact that we've gone from outside the top 50 to inside the top 20 national teams in the past 35 years is huge.
bsky.app/profile/matt...

Free Newsletter: Ok yeah I had to write a few words on the US U20s making the World Cup quarterfinals again, and on my thoughts about the potential of the guys on this roster.

tl;dr: No huge stars (yet), lots of good pros.
open.substack.com/pub/tacticsf...

Fort Lauderdale Strikers legend Marlon Freitas is the starting d-mid for reigning Copa Libertadores champions Botafogo.

Also on that team: Inter Miami’s Fafa Picault.

Two participants in the Club World Cup!

1000%. That was a game changer.

Even now for a ton of these guys the best path is academy -> next pro -> USL Champo -> MLS. The whole pathway matters.
bsky.app/profile/njem...

yeah

Once a structure like that is in place, the floor gets higher and once the floor is higher, it becomes a virtuous cycle for one group after another.

And hopefully somewhere in there you get a global superstar or three who can lead you to a full World Cup title.

Does making the U-20 QFs once matter? Not really! And even our excellent run from 2003-2007 wasn't as good as it looked b/c so much of it revolved around one exceptionally dominant youth level talent (Adu).

This is legit 5 separate cohorts who've gotten there. It's structural now.

Se reeked from 2009-2013 before these rosters started getting filled with MLS talent, which really began with the 2015 group.

Now we're the most consistent team in the world at this level & first to do 5 straight QF appearances since Brazil did 13 straight (lmao), which was ended (by us!) in 2007.

The US are into the U-20 World Cup quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive tournament.

**insert 2000 words on the MLS academy initiative kicking off in 2007, and this being immediately downstream of that**

Also it's just so freaking dope that we're producing 10s now:

Luna
Paxten
Guti
McGlynn
Taha
Niko
Wolff (kinda)
Leyva

Gonna rage if Tsakiris doesn't get 2000+ MLS minutes next year. Be it in San Jose or elsewhere.

Wondo goal from Cremaschi here. Love to see it.

he's done great work

Those our our guys!

Congrats to @benwright.bsky.social for being voted Nashville's Best Sports Writer by the @nashvillescene.com readers, and to @valair.bsky.social for finishing in the Top 3!

yeah there's been a big shift back to it post-Covid.

Did a midweek mailbag and got the room to stretch my wings a bit and think philosophically about where all the No. 10s have gone.
www.mlssoccer.com/news/midweek...

the cameras cutting to A-Rod and Jeter as they do this is cinema