Adam Belz

Matt Hartman and Marcus Chairez join Belz to talk through the U17s' chances at the upcoming U17 World Cup in Indonesia, what the relative weakness of the 2006 birth year means for the talent pool, and who did themselves favors with their play in the Czech Republic a few weeks ago. (Patron-only edition is 45 minutes longer and includes detailed discussion of 6 specific prospects, and some encouraging news about the 2007 through 2009 birth years.)

Joshua Gordon, an eminently qualified lawyer, mediator and arbitrator whose specialty is sports conflict, joins Belz to discuss what strategies someone like him would deploy if he were called in to help Gio Reyna and Gregg Berhalter have that difficult conversation that Berhalter said a couple weeks ago they still haven't had.

Vince, Tara and Belz talk about maybe boycotting the USWNT if Shaw doesn't get minutes against South Africa, a full report on Cat Macario's inactivity, whether M.A. Vignola will challenge for a spot at left back, and much more. Not the pod for you if you wanna bask in the Rapinoe & Ertz testimonials.

A more pleasant viewing experience than the other friendly this window. Balo and Pepi score, Tillman and Lund start, Wes and Yunus dominate an overmatched Omani midfield. Lots to discuss in a full timeline.

Greg and Belz talk through the goals, the sloppiness, the attempts to break down a low block, the defensive mistakes, the pitch control shortcomings of some of the non-MMA midfielders, and much much more.

Greg, Watke and Belz talk through some things we could learn, and would like to see in these friendlies against Uzbekistan and Oman. Malik at the 10, the "Weah-ification" of the entire XI, and striker goal-scoring chances are on the list. Lots more.

Greg and Belz interview the living legend about the ongoing and upcoming challenges for the El Salvador men's national team, his early days of playing semi-pro soccer as a teenager in southern California, that 1994 World Cup Round of 16 match against Brazil, playing for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s, and much more. Patrons (link in the shownotes) can hear him speak for nearly another hour about this current crop of USMNT players, how to get more out of them than we've gotten, why he left USSF, sneaking into the Cuscatlan as a kid and whether he'd take a job with US Soccer in the future. It's a lengthy, fascinating, generous discussion.

Josh Sargent joins Sanjay Sujanthakumar at a cafe in Norwich, on crutches, to discuss his injury, his development as a striker, having a baby in the middle of a Premier League season, and much more.

Greg and Belz talk through the September roster and highlights from Gregg Berhalter's first press conference back in the USMNT saddle.

Vince, Tara and Belz talk through the news, the Horan quotes about the Sweden match, Alyssa T getting apparently left out to sea by her older teammates, Jaedyn Shaw and Olivia Moultrie impressing in NWSL, Spain's big win amid significant turmoil, and much more.

A goal (what a goal!) and an overall very strong performance in his introduction to Milan fans. Watke and Belz celebrate and break down the details.

Rhys Montanarello and Mr Calcio join Belz and Joey for a live show (edited for brevity) on the Scuffed Discord. We talk through, in detail, the situations at AC Milan and Juventus for Pulisic, Musah, Weah and McKennie, and touch on some larger topics in Italian football. Great guests. An unabridged version of the episode (about twice as much discussion) is available on the Patreon.

Vince, Tara and Belz mull over Vlatko's deficiencies and the underperformance put on by most of our attackers, bemoan the way almost nobody acknowledges how equal pay was actually achieved, and call for the Fed to turn the page as fast as possible.

Sanjay Sujanthakumar interviews Mark McKenzie in person in Genk on the UCL exit, playing in Belgium vs MLS, New York vs Philly, Heath Pearce's foot speed, McKenzie's goal-scoring form at the end of last season, and many other things.

Full timeline of events from the game that knocked the USA out of the World Cup, our best performance of the tournament (low bar), Rodman iso'd on the right but not as many times as would have been optimal, a crazy round of penalties and plenty of discussion of what it means with Greg and Belz.

Greg and Belz on the tire fire our talented team has found itself in, with a little bit of reminder that we've got good enough players (and defensive soundness) that we might still do well at this World Cup.

An in-depth show about the U.S. men's national soccer team, the players who could one day make it better, and American soccer in general.

WoSo Wednesday World Cup edition. Belz, Tara and Vince look ahead to the game tonight against the Netherlands (who weren't all THAT convincing against Portugal), celebrate Lavelle's return and strong performances from Horan, Morgan and of course Smith. We talk anthem singing and Girma's poised response to a question about it. Also Ary Borges and Melchie Dumornay doing the western hemisphere proud, and a full Racing Louisville victory lap as you might expect.

Greg and Belz get into the lineup surprises, the goals, several other decent attempts to play from the U.S., no shots allowed, and some guest expert pronunciation of the Vietnamese players' names. The big test comes Wednesday vs the Netherlands.

Who is in the lineup? Who is the most fun to watch? How does the team play? Is the coach any good? Greg, Tara and Belz work through the basics about the team as they get ready to kick off vs Vietnam on Friday night.

Greg, Watke and Belz talk through the loss in penalties, and draw some conclusions from a B roster Gold Cup. It's the end of the line for a certain portion of the player pool.

Belz, Vince and Tara talk through six questions we're thinking about with the World Cup opener 9 days away, including health and wellness stuff, the front line, and who will step up in the midfield.

Greg and Belz talk through the front line controversy, Thompson's combining instincts, Rodman's very good goals, Williams' crucial and elegant contribution on the first, and the possibility of a Lavelle-less midfield, among other things. Please consider subscribing on Patreon to get an exclusive episode once a week, plus access to the Discord and live call-in shows. Sign up here for as little as $2 a month: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed

Greg, Watke, Vince and Belz recap that awkward but increasingly entertaining victory in penalties over Canada, go into detail, try to ascertain penalty strategy, discuss once again Callaghan's uncanny resemblance to a college football coach, cover lots of average or below average performances on the field from players who likely remain on the fringes of the NT. The Gold Cup is, as. Greg says, the "Matt Turner Cup."

Dave Sarachan joins the pod to speak with Greg and Belz about the job of an interim manager, why he called up all those young players in 2017 and 2018, his first meeting with Weston McKennie, what went wrong in Couva, how national team camps work, the approach to dual nationals and younger players under Arena in the 2018 cycle, the indoor soccer league, how things went right at the 2002 World Cup, and lots of other stuff. Half the interview is available here in the public feed, the second half is already in the patron feed. Please join the Patreon. Link down below.

Greg, Watke, Vince and Belz recap the group-winning victory over Trinidad from last night, and then hit a few Monday Review topics, including transfers, transfer rumors, and Pulisic out on the golf course.

The editor of Soccer America first interacted with the U.S. Soccer Federation when it was run out of a leased office at the Empire State Building, and he remains one of the organization's closest observers 50 years later. He joined Watke and Belz to discuss Berhalter's re-hiring, the search, federation finances, equal pay, NWSL finances, and much more. Second half of the interview is available only to patrons. Link below.

Belz and Scuffed debutante Tim Sullivan of the Club and Country podcast discuss the goals, and mostly only the goals, in our 6-0 win over Gold Cup newcomer St. Kitts and Nevis.

More World Cup roster discussion, camp arrivals, Sophia hat trick, CD players, Ertz in form, HotShot. Let's go. Tara, Vince and Belz on the mics.

Greg, Vince, Watke and Belz talk through the positives from Chicago, the latest transfer rumors, Berhalter's quotes on rebuilding the relationship with Gio. Patrons get the full recap of the game against Jamaica, which is the second half of the episode. Patreon link below.

Greg and Belz talk through the women's roster for the World Cup -- omissions, transmutations and injuries. Then we briefly discuss the Gold Cup roster for the USMNT ahead of Jamaica on Saturday night.

Sanjay Sujanthakumar sat down with John Tolkin to talk about the upcoming Gold Cup, the MLS season so far, his hair, the difference between the national team and Red Bull New York, playing against Gio and Scally as a youth player, and several other things.

Vince, Watke and Belz talk through the various celebrations late Sunday in Las Vegas, Balogun's impact, Gio's impact, the midfield setup going forward, and BJ Callaghan getting gently corrected by Pulisic in the locker room after Mexico. The full episode, nearly another hour including discussion of Mexico's woes, Chris Richards' ascendance and a serious conversation about Berhalter's return, is available to patrons. Link in the shownotes.

Greg and Belz talk through the USA's big win over Canada, sans Dest and McKennie and Adams. Still pretty dominant. Chris Richards party, Balo party, Gio party. Let's go.

Joe Scally, Borussia Monchengladbach and USMNT defender, sits down with Sanjay Sujanthakumar in Las Vegas for a quick chat. Ahead of Scally's likely start versus Canada tonight, they covered Berhalter's return, the locker room dynamics of taking over a starting job from a seasoned vet at Gladbach, going blonde with Gio, the "complicated tactics" quotes, the road forward for the NT now, and much more.

Greg and Belz recap the beautiful action from Las Vegas, and also react to the bombshell report from Paul Tenorio that Berhalter will be reinstated as USMNT coach.

Luca de la Torre, Celta Vigo and USMNT midfielder, sits down with Sanjay Sujanthakumar at the team hotel in Vegas. They cover his comfort in a double pivot, what he's learned as an inside winger in La Liga, how he really feels about pro/rel, his dad finally trying to teach him how to speak Spanish as an adult, and much more.

Tara, Vince and Belz talk at some length about Julie Ertz's tepid recent performances, the numbers, and some of the other options. It's all academic of course bc Ertz is a lock for New Zealand, but still worth discussing. Then a full rundown of the performers in the Washington-LA game, Morgan goes to a Taylor Swift concert, Jaedyn Shaw balling out in San Diego.

Greg is back in the booth after a little hiatus and we talk Nations League, Flo Balogun, Messi to Miami, potential starting XIs vs Mexico, and a bit of a changing of the guard for them ahead of what will likely be a high-intensity showdown in Las Vegas.

A South American opponent in the quarterfinals does us in again. Mikey Varas's team played good soccer down in Argentina, but defensive lapses cost us on Sunday, and we lacked the cutting edge to overcome those. Matt Hartman joins to recap the game.

Belz, Vince and Tara talk through the implications of Cat's absence a bit, shouts for Savannah Demelo and Carson Pickett, U20 Concacaf Championship check-in, a couple necessary corrections to the last episode, and much more.

Another victory in Argentina. Marcus Chairez joins Belz to talk through it. Next up is the quarterfinals.

Another group stage match at the U20 World Cup, another win for the U.S. and another impressive performance. Special guest Paul Douglas, a podcaster himself and a Scuffed patron and Discord server member, joins to recap the action from Argentina.

Wanted to get somebody from St. Louis to join to talk about the new MLS team, the response from the city, and the history of soccer there. Got Ty Keough, a former national team player, coach and broadcaster whose dad was one of the five St. Louis natives on the U.S. team that beat England at the 1950 World Cup. Covered a lot of ground, including Ty's family's trip to Guadalajara to see the 1970 World Cup.

Two wins in two tries. A weak opponent, but a bit of a challenge to get that first goal. Marcus Chairez, the man behind the US Soccer Collective, joins Belz to recap the action from a 3-0 victory in Argentina.

A satisfying afternoon of soccer in Argentina! We're in a good spot for the rest of the group stage. Matt Hartman joins to recap the action from the 1-0 win over Ecuador.

Vince, Tara and Belz talk about the viability of the USL's Super League proposal, catch up on all the American action in the Coupe de France final (on and off the field), and work through a lot of the USWNT player pool's activities in NWSL over the past two weeks.

The U20 World Cup, Nations League Finals and the Gold Cup are all coming up fast, so Greg and Belz sat down to try to fit all the jigsaw pieces together and decide who plays in which tournament.

Tara, Vince and Belz catch up on NWSL action, go deep on Thorns v Angel City, discuss the ACL epidemic, and offer reports from the homes of the Chicago Red Stars and Racing Louisville. Catwatch resumes this weekend.

Tommy Scoops joins Belz and Watke to talk about his methods, his origin story, getting yelled at by Tab Ramos when he was 15, whether he ever plans to test himself in Europe, and much more. Great guest, good interview. Full episode already released for patrons. This is the first half of the discussion.