BONUSODE! - The State of the USA 2020

01/27/20 • 56 min

An early BONUSODE at the pods halfway point. The brothers discuss the state of the pod and give shoutouts (04:10), talk about Gressel and Chicharito (13:55), and close with comparing the players in this January camp vs the team that lost in Trinidad in 2017 (29:15).

Previous Episode

13. Northward Bound to Toronto

How MLS expanded into Canada for the first time, stepping into MLS 2.0 for the first time. The brothers also talk about the long windy road that made the circumstances right for Toronto FC to join the league.
Sources:

“A nice little job to learn stuff by” By Duncan Fletcher for SB Nation: https://www.wakingthered.com/2013/9/9/4705472/tfc-a-nice-little-job-for-anselmi-to-learn-stuff-by-richard-peddie-tom-anselmi-mlse

Maple Leaf Owners Through The Ages by Jeremy Sandler for the National Post: https://archive.ph/20140320041448/http://sports.nationalpost.com/2010/12/01/maple-leafs-owners-through-the-ages/

Ali Passed Big Test In First Visit by Stephen Brunt for The Globe And Mail: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/ali-passed-big-test-on-first-visit/article757264/

Toronto Soccer Stadium Approves Soccer Stadium Deal for CBC Sports:

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/toronto-city-council-approves-soccer-stadium-deal-1.536727

Next Episode

14. Beckham & Blanco - Enter the Designated Player Era

How the largest signing in league history, David Beckham, happened in the first place and how it changed the direction of MLS forever.
The brothers talk about how and why the Designated Player happened, how Blanco was the better player in the early years and why it took a few years before everyone started to spend money on Designated Players.
Sources:
Looking back at fires last big signing by Guillermo Rivera for Chicago Now

http://www.chicagonow.com/fire-confidential/2017/05/looking-back-at-the-fires-last-big-signing-in-2007-cuauhtemoc-blanco/

Soccer Player Beckham Sparks $13m in Sales by Curtis Eichelberger for NY Sun

https://www.nysun.com/national/soccer-player-beckham-sparks-13m-in-sales/52872/

15 Years of the Don by Grant Wahl for SI

https://www.si.com/soccer/planet-futbol/2014/12/03/don-garber-mls-commissioner-major-league-soccer

Q&A with Grant Wahl by Jack Bell for NY Times

https://goal.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/10/qa-with-grant-wahl-author-of-the-beckham-experiment/

Galaxy has Becks Appeal by Graham Jones for LA Times

www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-12-sp-beckham12-story.html

Beckham is MLS Expansion Story Du Jour by Paul Kennedy for Soccer America

https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/51723/beckham-is-mls-expansion-story-du-jour.html

http://www.dignityhealthsportspark.com/news/detail/david-beckham-launches-soccer-academy-at-the-home-depot-center-in-california