Podcast
AN AMERICAN GAME
Hosted by SOCCERTOWN MEDIA · EN
Some say that soccer is an American game. Okay, Tom McCabe and Kirk Rudell say that, and it might sound weird if you’re an American soccer fan, and you’ve spent your whole life defending your love for the game to people who say the US has no soccer history.
But: soccer was in New Jersey before it was in Brazil. The US had a pro league before Italy or Spain. We were the first country to register for the first World Cup. In this series, the former teammates tell stories from the 150 years of American soccer history that even die-hard fans may not know. Tom is one of the pre-eminent historians of American soccer, and Kirk is a veteran Hollywood screenwriter, so it’s real history that’s fun to listen to.
With a World Cup coming this year, we want to give American fans a reason to stand a little prouder, cheer a little louder, and celebrate the generations of immigrants who brought their dreams, and the game, with them. Because it’s our game, too.
WEB: https://www.soccertownmedia.com/
IG: @soccertown_media
BLUESKY: @soccertownmedia@bksy.social
21episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Added Time: World Cup Week 2
4d ago00:18:54Tap to summarizeIt's only the second week of the World Cup, but we already have plenty of narrative. Kirk and Tom chop up the power of soft power, sweet vindication for US fans, and why the Pochettino "I brought futbol to the American barbarians" mythology is already way out of hand. Go, USA! Beat Türkiye!
Transcribe →Added Time: World Cup Week 1
2w ago00:15:09Tap to summarizeWe warned you we'd be keeping it loose this month. Every week of the World Cup we’ll drop a short reaction episode; though, like added time, we’ll never be quite sure how long we’ll go.The Knicks triumph in the NBA Finals just a day after the US victory over Paraguay got Tom and Kirk thinking Big Thoughts about what it means to be a fan in a time when sports are more entwined with money and politics than ever.Our answer? It's pretty essential, actually.
Transcribe →American Ultras: A History of US National Team Fans
3w ago00:43:50Tap to summarizeIf the history of US soccer is longer than most people realize, so is the history of US soccer fandom. From factory workers cheering from the freezing sidelines on industrial lots in the late 1800s to families in air-conditioned domed stadiums today, wherever the game has been played, fans have watched.And for over a century, US fans have watched their national teams. National team fan support is a window into any country’s soccer culture, so as the US prepares to co-host the World Cup, AN AMERICAN GAME takes a look at the history of US “ultras” through iconic songs and chants. The sounds of--believe it or not--a soccer nation.
Transcribe →Seattle 2.0: We've Heard Great Things
May 2700:17:45Tap to summarizeIn Season One, Seattle made our Starting XI of US Soccertowns (Portland, we've read your comments, and we are very sorry.)As the Emerald City prepares to host the 2026 World Cup, we're re-airing last fall’s segment on Seattle soccer history—but first we have the latest on how the city feels about FIFA, ferries...and that scheduled Iran game.Washington State Legends of Soccer: https://wasoccerlegends.org/
Transcribe →Jersey Odyssey: Our Visit to Soccertown, USA
May 1300:24:49Tap to summarizeFrom: Bank of AmericaTo: Tom and KirkSubject: Pre-World Cup screening of SOCCERTOWN, USAAnd so an adventure began: an invitation to meet up in New Jersey for a screening of our award-winning 2019 documentary, followed by a panel with Tab Ramos, John Harkes, and Tony Meola, whose story we told.Which led to this adventure: our first unscripted episode, where we talk about an incredible night with legends of US soccer, as well as some other highlights from our trip--like catching up with another legend of US soccer, Bob Bradley, right before we got a little buzzed on a new beer with our name on it. Oh, we also tell you what's wrong with the current US Men's National Team.And all in less than 25 minutes! Strap in, because we're going off-road. EPISODE LINKS:"SOCCERTOWN, USA" MOVIE: https://www.soccertownmedia.com/videoVARITAGE BREW WORKS: https://www.varitagebeer.com/SIHANA CAFE: https://sihanacafe.com/KEEPERS BAR & RESTAURANT: https://www.keepers-nj.com/SOCCER POST-KEARNY: https://soccerpostkearny.com/
Transcribe →
Archie Stark and the Scotch Professors
Apr 2900:50:38Tap to summarizeTartan Army, assemble!Grab your Walker's shortbread and Laphroaig and listen to a tale of your ancestors, who traveled over the ocean to the United States and Canada... as many of you will this summer for the World Cup (if world events and FIFA prices allow.)This is a story of the Scotch Professors, who brought the pass-and-move version of football around the world and helped make it the Global Game. And it's a tribute to the United States' greatest Scotch Professor: Archie Stark, who was once called the Babe Ruth of American soccer. Ye cannae wait, can ye?MUSIC CREDIT (38:10): Song: Nomadic SunsetComposer: Alexander NakaradaWebsite: https://creatorchords.com/License: Creative Commons (BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com
Transcribe →Atlanta 2.0 -- Back to the Benz
Apr 1500:25:08Tap to summarizeLast fall, Atlanta was one of our Starting XI of US Soccertowns. As it prepares to host games in the World Cup, Tom and Kirk take a look at how preparations are going in the literal home of US Soccer.Then we re-broadcast the Atlanta section from that Starting XI episode, so tourists (and natives) can get a quick hit of the long history of soccer in the Dirty South. It's only ten minutes, so maybe Mauricio Pochettino can find time to learn about the country he has the privilege of representing this summer. Just a friendly suggestion!Special thanks to Atlanta historian and preservationist, Patrick Sullivan.And shout out to Atlanta soccer writer Doug Roberson: https://soccerwithdoug.substack.com/
Transcribe →
Our Family Versus Your Team: Inside the St. Benedict's Soccer Dynasty
Apr 100:38:53Tap to summarizeTucked in the middle of Newark, New Jersey is a small school called St. Benedict's Prep that has had a huge impact on high school soccer. For 40 years the Gray Bees have been the most dominant soccer program in the country...and one of the most dominant high school programs, in any sport, ever.How have they done it? Players like Tab Ramos, Claudio Reyna, and Gregg Berhalter helped. So have gifted international student-athletes. But maintaining excellence year after year, with the country's biggest target on their backs? That takes tennis balls.This week, we dive inside the Gray Bees' hive.
Transcribe →A Boycott Is a Flat Circle: the 1980 US Olympic Soccer Team
Mar 1800:39:00Tap to summarize"History rhymes" is a thing we say a lot, paraphrasing Mark Twain who was also probably thinking about soccer. With the threat of a boycott hanging over this summer's World Cup, we go back 47 years to when the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team qualified for the Moscow Olympics... and then had to stay home. It's another ugly collision of sports and politics, with Iran again playing a major role. Rhymes! It's also an excuse for Tom and Kirk to break out their Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan impressions. To paraphrase the Olympic Creed: "The most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to nail the impression but to make your dad stop the car and tell you to cut it out."
Transcribe →It's a Duck, It's a League, It's...USL
Mar 400:45:26Tap to summarizeIn 2028, when USL Premier launches, the United States will have a Division One pro soccer league at the top of a promotion-relegation pyramid. Sexy!But we're in 2026, when a potential players' strike threatens the entire USL season. Not sexy!Tom and Kirk look at USL's place in the US soccer landscape--at the intersection of small town dreams and big business--and, with the help of a wooden duck, explore how that tension makes it the most "American" pro soccer league. For better and, possibly, for worse.
Transcribe →