World Cup Series: Episode 1

Jim has been in the game of soccer since he was a kid growing up in Long Island and playing for Massapequa Soccer Club. From there, his career kept bringing him back into the game. A fascinating career that goes from playing Professional in the indoor leagues of the 80s, to operating multiple soccer clubs, to running the United Soccer League in its early days (which is the pre-cursor to USL) when he was an executive at Umbro. Jim tells us about his soccer journey and we spent some time talking about what the USL space was like back in the late 90s. 

Eric Jennings is a soccer player, podcaster, and longtime advocate for the game at the grassroots and lower-league levels. Eric currently plays for Arlington SA, while also hosting the World XP Podcast, where he explores the people, stories, and experiences that make soccer such a unique part of communities around the world. His perspective is particularly interesting because he isn’t looking at the game solely from the outside—he’s still actively involved on the field while spending his time behind the microphone talking to the people who help make the soccer world tick. In this episode, we talk about Eric’s journey through the game, his experiences playing at the lower levels, the importance of community soccer, and what he’s learned through the World XP Podcast about the people and stories that often get overlooked by the mainstream soccer world.

Bo Eskay has been around The Beautiful Game in Maryland for a long time. His career has spanned multiple eras of the sport in the Frederick area. He was a decorated player that played in professional soccer in late 80s and then helped to build FC Frederick into one the best development academies in state.  I met up with Bo at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philly last year after the futsal talk from Keith Tozer. We reconnected here to dig into Bo’s experiences in the American soccer world, the changes he’s witnessed along the way, and his perspective on the growth of the lower leagues and the business of professional soccer in the United States.

The boys jump deep into the USMNT's chances heading into the tournament.

Jimmy and Mike get together to talk about the upcoming tournament. Come hang with us!

STRDA Worldwide (or STRDA) is a Philadelphia based brand dedicate to soccer, creating community, player development, hosting soccer-related events, and selling soccer apparel.    I met Jeff Degnan at the United States Soccer Coaching Convention in Philadelphia and was excited to get him and his business partner, Mark Casasanto on the podcast to talk about their soccer venture (and all things soccer).   Go give them a follow at https://www.instagram.com/stradafootball/

Fox Sports hosted one of the most popular sessions at the United States Soccer Coaching Convention in 2026 when they discussed the plans for the coverage of the 2026 World Cup. Great session with Carli Lloyd, Alexi Llalas, and JP Delacamera. 

Jozy's session at the US Soccer Coaching Convention was a can't miss for me. I enjoyed hearing about his journey as the child of Haitian immigrants trying to make a name for themselves in our country. I had the chance to briefly chat with Jozy about the session the next day and am impressed of how genuine he is. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Hello Good Internet Soccer People, I had the pleasure of attending the US Soccer Coaching Convention in Philly last week and I was completely blown away. Over 12,000 American Soccer people came into town to talk all aspects of the game and it was like I died and went to the big field in the sky. I will be bringing you new podcast content for 10 straight weeks and am starting with Keith Tozer's presentation on the growth of futsal in the United States. A fantastic look into this little microcosm of football that I have grown to love. I am a massive believer in the growth of futsal and its affect on technical ability in the country. Hope you enjoy the session. Thanks, Rooster and the Villain

Jake is building an indoor soccer company in St. Cloud, Minnesota. We talk with Jake about the inspiration beyond the brand, how he's building it up, and what the next steps are.