APRIL 24, 2025

ASLI PELIT

Asli Pelit came to the US to study journalism, but quickly realized she missed the soccer culture she gew up with in Turkey. In search of a way to combine her passion for the beautiful game and her desire to tell stories, Asli traveled to South America to learn more about the obsession with great “number 10s.” That was among her first exposure to the cult of Lionel Messi. 

That work launched her career as a soccer writer. She subsequently went on to write about soccer for various outlets, including Sportico. As the sports deals reporter she dedicated numerous articles to the impact of Messi’s arrival at Inter Miami to play in Major League Soccer. Pelit explored how he changed the business dynamics of the league and brought fans to stadiums like never before.

Pelit joined Founding Futbol to tell her story and reflect on Messi’s career, as well as his importance in America. She then discusses her transition to cover the women’s game for The Athletic and why fostering fandom is critical to the growth of soccer in the United States.

APRIL 17, 2025

MICHELLE KAUFMAN

Lionel Messi’s decision to join Inter Miami of Major League Soccer had historical precedent on many levels. Despite it’s failure, the first MLS team in Miami — the Fusion — attempted to harness the unique location and demographic makeup of the south Florida to the benefit of soccer in America. With a strong connection to Latin America, stars like Carlos Valderrama wore Fusion colors in an attempt to create fan interest and help grow the game in the United States. 

While those elements felt familiar, luring the best players in the world and greatest player of all time to Miami to play for the second iteration of an MLS team in the city seemed unlikely. And, yet, Messi arrived in 2023 and changed the landscape of sports in the city and soccer in America. 

Michelle Kaufman is a long-tenured sports writer for the Miami Herald, with a deep focus on international sports. She was working for the paper when the Fusion played and then saw the establishment of Inter Miami. Kaufman covered Beckham putting roots in the city, working with the Mas brothers to buy the club and ultimately bringing Messi to the team. 

She joined Founding Futbol to share her recollections and insights about the evolution of soccer in Miami and America. She also talks about the significance of Messi’s decision and shares how she’s seen it impact the city. 

APRIL 10, 2025

KELLYN ACOSTA

Kellyn Acosta was a key member of the US Men’s National Team that qualified for and then played in the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar. His journey to that tournament, and significance of his participation, is unique to the story of soccer in America. 

Acosta was born in Dallas, Texas and joined he FC Dallas youth system in 2009. He worked his way through the Development Academy, then onto the senior team in 2013. He emerged as a regular on the FC Dallas team and became recognized as a rising star in the US Soccer ecosystem. He finally broke through  with the US Men’s National Team in 2016, at a time of transition. The team was unsuccessful in its efforts to qualify for the World Cup; then a legendary group of veterans was transitioning out of the program and a young group introduced rapidly into the first team. Kellyn was part of that group and experienced the ebbs and flows of the transition before ultimately being a key contributor in the Qualifying cycle.  

He is the son of a Japanese father and an African American Mother. When he earned a roster spot for the 2022 World Cup, Kellyn became the first Asian American man to appear for the United States in a World Cup. 

He has played 11 seasons in the MLS and is an MLS Cup winner with LAFC. Kellyn currently is a member of Chicago Fire FC. He talks about his story on the show .

March 27, 2025

DAVID COPELAND-SMITH

David Copeland-Smith founded Beast Mode Soccer in in 2010 as a training system to help guide soccer players’ technical development. His methodologies quickly caught on among college, international and pro players, leading him to work with the likes of Alex Morgan, Rachel Daly, Landon Donovan, Allie Long and Kristie Mewis. In fact, 13 of the 24 members of the 2019 World Cup winning World Cup squad have trained with Copeland-Smith. 

While his ability as a trainer earned him the attention of those players, working with those players and then using platforms like Instagram to document those session to the broader soccer public, earned him national recognition as an elite level trainer. Beast Mode has become synonymous with the soccer trainer culture on Instagram, something that has connected the fans with a different side of the soccer world. 

Copeland-Smith joined Founding Futbol to share the story of how he landed in LA, began his journey along the path of personal training and the importance of Instagram in his journey. He shares stories of staying with pop star Robbie Williams, having Kelley O’Hara bring “friends” to pickup games (that turned out to be global soccer icons) and so much more.  

March 20, 2025

JULIE UHRMAN 

Angel City FC brought top flight professional women’s soccer back to Los Angeles. Announced in 2020, the team began playing in 2022. But the process of making that initiative a reality started in 2019 during a conversation between the club’s co-founder and CEO, Julie Uhrman, and others. An idea quickly turned into action and within months, Uhrman and team of co-founders were putting together a unique syndicate of owners that represented Hollywood, soccer history and the business world.  

Uhrman joined Founding Futbol to share her journey with Angel City FC. During the conversation, Uhrman talks about how and when the idea to bring an NWSL club to LA was born. She delves into the steps required to make it a reality — from raising money and putting and ownership group together, to building.a staff, to assembling a team. Uhrman shares how she translated her business experience to the soccer world, how she learned about running a club and what makes the Angel City formula unique.  

March 6, 2025

RAVI RAMINENI

The rapid evolution of soccer analytics was both influenced and driven by a group of Americans. From the emergence of sabermetrics in baseball, and it’s popularization in the book “Moneyball,” to the growth of the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, the application of mathematical models to various sports has been a passion of many in the United States. Soccer falls into that category as well. While the discipline started in England, many of the most influential minds in the space have been based in the US. Ravi Ramineni is one such individual. The one-time Microsoft employee was both a computer engineer and soccer fan, who hoped to turn his passion into a profession.

He started by created a fan blog. But, a series of events directed him to soccer analytics and helped him turn it into a career. Ramineni spent nine years with the Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer building best practices for the team and league’s approach to harvesting data and using it for player analysis — first focusing on development and then later recruiting.

Ramineni joined Founding Futbol to share his path to working in soccer. From meeting his wide, fellow soccer analytics pioneer Sarah Rudd, to attending Sloan, to connecting with the Sounder, he walks through key moments in his career.

February 20, 2025

JONATHAN TANNENWALD

The emergence of Julie Johnston, now Julie Ertz, during the 2015 World Cup brought attention to her relationship with Zach Ertz. Their journey together from college athletes to professional athletes and, in the case of Julie, international star, made headlines. As their careers progressed, their place in the sports power couple continuum evolved. And fans of each cheered on the other.

Jonathan Tannenwald is one of the leading soccer writers in the country and a previous guest of the show. As a college student, he was in Philadelphia to see AJ Feeley and Heather Mitts create the football/soccer couple archetype. Then, as he began working for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Tannenwald witnessed Julie’s impact on soccer in the city where Zach was becoming an NFL star.

He joined Founding Futbol to share his memories of covering Julie Ertz during her emergence, and discuss the merits of how sports couples should (and shouldn’t be) covered, as well as the impact of cross-pollinating fans.

february 13, 2025

Heather o’Reilly

There were many storylines associated with the US Women’s National Team heading into the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Jill Ellis was early in her tenure as head coach. Emerging young talents were on the ascension. Alex Morgan was a certified star. But above all, the team was looking for its first World Cup win since 1999. A key group of veterans made the trip to Canada with multiple Olympic gold medals on their resume, but yearning to add the World Cup win to their personal list of accomplishments as well.

Heather O’Reilly was one of those players. Along with Abby Wambach, Shannon Boxx and others. For O’Reilly, better known as HAO, 2015 presented an opportunity to help the team achieve new heights. She joined Founding Futbol to talk about her career. HAO discusses how the team’s performance may have been under appreciated during those Olympic runs, without the World Cup title. She shares the challenges of taking on different roles as the USWNT evolved and so much more.

January 30, 2025

NOAH DAVIS

When Jordan Morris broke through with the US Men’s National team, still an emerging college star at Stanford, soccer fans wanted to know more about the kid from the Seattle area. They wanted to know, specifically, how he beat the odds to break through on the senior national team as a college player, which hadn’t happened in decades. Reporters sought out his story and began hearing about the near-mythical goal he scored when the Cardinal scrimmaged the national team in a pre-World Cup training camp.

Noah Davis was one of those reporters. In April of 2015, after Morris became a fan favorite scoring his first international goal against rival Mexico, Davis delivered a profile on the player for ESPN’s Grantland. It shared the story of his conversations with USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann leading to the call-up. Stories like that one, revealing the player’s humility and work ethic, further stoked the Morris-mania that would come when he led Stanford to an NCAA title.

January 23, 2025

ROBBIE MUSTOE

After a long and successful professional career in England, Robbie Mustoe came to the United States to coach college soccer. He found his way to Bentley University and then Boston College, on a trajectory to becoming a college head coach. Along the way, however, he decided to try his hand at television and landed a gig at ESPN covering the sport he played for so long in England.

When NBC won the rights to the Premier League, the expressed an interest in adding Mustoe to the studio team being assembled to support the partnership. Mustoe was chosen, along with Robbie Earle and Rebecca Lowe. He and Earle have become known as “The Two Robbies” and, along with Lowe, continue to anchor the league’s coverage over a decade later.

January 16, 2025

YAEL AVERBUCH WEST

Yael Averbuch West has an unmatched impact on women’s soccer in America. She had a outstanding career at North Carolina, winning national championships with Anson Dorrance and the Tar Heels. She then emerged on the professional women’s soccer scene and earned time as part of the US Women’s National Team.

And while her playing career was outstanding, West’s most notable contributions may have come off the field. She was a driving force behind the National Women’s Soccer League Player’s Association (NWSLPA) and has become the general manager of Gotham FC.

December 26, 2024

JONATHAN WILSON

Jonathan Wilson and his book, Inverting the Pyramid, became popular in America due to the television show Ted Lasso. Despite never having seen the show, Wilson has noticed an increased appetite for his work in the United States, which is reflective of both the show and a growing soccer culture. He joined Founding Futbol to talk about how he got into covering soccer, his books and how they are similar (and different).

Founding Futbol is a year-long exploration of the critical moments that have led to soccer’s emerging popularity in America. Extra Time is an additional weekly episode that shares reactions and reflections from the chapters, and brings additional guests into the fold. 

DECEMBER 12, 2024

LORI LINDSEY

Lori Lindsey was a mainstay of both the US Women’s National Team and the three women’s professional soccer leagues founded in the United States during the early and mid-2000s. She has also built a successful broadcast career in her post playing days working for ESPN, SiriusXM FC, Apple TV and other networks covering a variety of soccer events.

She was an important part of the 2011 World Cup squad, having made her USWNT debut in 2005 and solidifying her place on the squad leading up to that pivotal tournament. Lindsey joined Founding Futbol to talk about her memories of the World Cup Qualifying process, the miracle header by Abby Wambach, how quickly fans latched onto the game thereafter and so much more.

Founding Futbol is a year-long exploration of the critical moments that have led to soccer’s emerging popularity in America. Extra Time is an additional weekly episode that shares reactions and reflections from the chapters, and brings additional guests into the fold. 

NOVEMBER 28, 2024

EDDIE ROBINSON

Eddie Robinson was a Major League Soccer “one club loyalist” having spent his entire career with the same team, in two locations. He began play with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001 and only changed locations and team names, when the Quakes relocated to Houston and became the Dynamo. Robinson remained with the team through 2011. Along the way, he won four MLS Cups and established himself as one of the league’s top defenders.

He had the unique situation of playing with Landon Donovan in San Jose, then against him in Houston, when Donovan moved on to the LA Galaxy. Robinson joined Founding Futbol to share his memories of playing with Donovan, then what it was like to face off against him. He shared memories of Donovan’s maturity, reflects on how Donovan “saved” MLS before David Beckham did and so much more.

Founding Futbol is a year-long exploration of the critical moments that have led to soccer’s emerging popularity in America. Extra Time is an additional weekly episode that shares reactions and reflections from the chapters, and brings additional guests into the fold. 

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

TOM SERMANNI

Tom Sermanni is one of the most accomplished coaches in the history of world women’s soccer. Currently in his third (though, interim) stint as the head coach of the Australian Women’s National Team, Sermanni also coached the US Women’s National Team from 2013-2014 and then the Orlando Pride in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). In both settings, Alex Morgan was the team’s star. When Sermanni entered the USWNT picture in 2013, Morgan was at the top of her game having starred at the 2012 Olympics the Americans won, and receiving numerous awards and accolades. In Orlando, Morgan was one of the faces of the NWSL and the star used to market the expansion Pride. It’s fair to say, Sermanni had a chance to know Morgan at two unique points in her career.

He joined Founding Futbol to share his memories of coaching Morgan both on the USWNT and when she was the face of the NWSL during her time on the Pride. Sermanni also shares his journey to Australia to build the women’s national team, how he connected with American coaches during that tenure and how it ultimately landed him coaching jobs in the US.

Founding Futbol is a year-long exploration of the critical moments that have led to soccer’s emerging popularity in America. Extra Time is an additional weekly episode that shares reactions and reflections from the chapters, and brings additional guests into the fold. 

November 7, 2024

JAY DEMERIT

One of the unique attributes of the 2009 US Men’s National Team that beat Spain in the Confederations Cup was the dynamic makeup of the roster. From established stars like Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, to young emerging talent like Jozy Altidore, as well as young talents like Jonathan Bornstein. But once player’s story became well known because of its unlikelihood. Jay DeMerit was a starting center back for that team after working his way into England’s top flight as part of Watford. However, he only played for Watford because Major League Soccer passed on him, he took a chance on himself and moved to England with few resources and a big dream.

DeMerit joined Founding Futbol to talk about the 2009 Confederations Cup win over Spain, his path to the Premier League with Watford and how that helped him land a spot on the USMNT. DeMerit also shares his current endeavor — RISExSHINE — and why he is passionate about helping harness the reality of a device-driven world to help our youth become well rounded individuals through development multiple forms of intelligence.

Founding Futbol is a year-long exploration of the critical moments that have led to soccer’s emerging popularity in America. Extra Time is an additional weekly episode that shares reactions and reflections from the chapters, and brings additional guests into the fold. 

October 24, 2024

JOE CANNON

Joe Cannon was one of the best goalkeepers in MLS history. He was a key factor in San Jose Earthquakes 2001 MLS Cup win. And he was 2002 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Cannon later won the same award for the Colorado Rapids in 2004, and over the next two seasons helped his team to the Western Conference final.

For 2007 he was surprisingly traded to the LA Galaxy, and would soon play with David Beckham. Cannon joined the show to talk about his one season with the Galaxy — Beckham’s first. He shared stories about how the team handled the arrival of a global superstar, how the roster shifting created challenges and more.

October 12, 2024

ANDREW PETCASH

Andrew Petcash is the founder of Profluence Sports, a venture fund specializing in sports assets that has evolved from a incredibly prolific brand and community company. Andrew has become known for his research and synthesis of the business of sports, frequently posting extensive breakdowns on social media.

Petcash, who played Division I basketball at Boston University, and Profluence recently invested in Westchester SC of the USL. The club is slated to begin play in 2025. He joined the show to talk about soccer clubs as an asset class and what makes them different from other sports investments.

OCTOBER 3, 2024

BRIAN CHING

Brian Ching was first Hawaiian to ever play for the USMNT, after rising in the Major League Soccer ranks. Ching started his career with the LA Galaxy, then made his way to the San Jose Earthquakes and moved with the franchise to Houston when it became the Dynamo. He was crucial to the Houston Dynamo the MLS Cup title in 2006 over the New England Revolution. 

Ching initially earned his first USMNT caps from coach Bruce Arena by rising from relative anonymity to a spot in the San Jose Earthquakes’ starting lineup in only two years. In 2006 his strong start to the MLS season was rewarded with a sport on Arena’s 23-man roster for the 2006 World Cup.

Ching retired as a member of the Dynamo following the 2013 season, spending the season as a player/assistant coach. He was also the managing director of the Houston Dash, leaving that role in 2019.

September 26, 2024

Brian Maisonneuve

Brian Maisonneuve grew up in Michigan before making his way to play soccer at Indiana University. There he won the Hermann Trophy his senior year, and left the Hoosier as the Big Ten’s all-time top goalscorer with 44. Maisonneuve then spent a year training with the US Men’s National Team in preparation for the 1996 Olympics, before establishing himself as a fixture of the Columbus Crew midfield, where he’d spend the duration of his playing career.

A member of the 1998 World Cup team, Maisonneuve also spent time with the USMNT between 1997-2002. After his playing career was over, he began a coaching journey that has led him to the head coaching job of the men’s team at Ohio State.

Maisonneuve joined Founding Futbol to discuss his journey, the importance of the midwest soccer culture and how Crew Stadium — the first soccer specific stadium in America — helped the game grow.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2024

MARCELO BALBOA

Marcelo Balboa was a fixture on US Men’s National Team during its ascension in the early 1990s. He played a key role on the 1990 World Cup team and is among the most memorable figures on the 1994 World Cup roster. In fact, Balboa is so inextricably intertwined with the evolution of American soccer at that time, that he is maybe best remembered for a near-miss bicycle kick in the team’s win over Colombia in 94.

Balboa also represents so many other key themes around soccer’s growth in America — he is of Argentinian descent and has been a key symbol of hispanic and latino populations in the US driving the game forward. The defender was a stalwart of the early years of MLS and so much more. He continues to work around the game as broadcaster to this day.

He joined Founding Futbol to talk about how the game has changed over the last few decades and touches on where it may be headed.

September 12, 2024

SASKIA WEBBER

The 1999 US Women’s National Team made history with its second World Cup win. While names like Mia Hamm, Michelle Akers, Julie Foudy and Brandu Chastain typically stole the headlines, the hallmark of that squad was its team dynamic. The leadership of Foudy and Carla Overbeck ensured that every member of the squad felt valued and had a role to play. Saskia Webber embodied that concept.

Despite being the backup goalkeeper, to Brianna Scurry, Webber became a fan favorite with her exuberant personality and red, white and blue colored hair. The Rutgers Hall of Famer later played in the WUSA, coached at the college level and has gone on to become part of the Angel City FC ownership group. Webber, who is also now in broadcasting, joine Founding Futbol to talk about her recent 99ers reunion, how connecting to the current team has benefits, and much more.

September 5, 2024 

JONATHAN TANNENWALD

Jonathan Tannenwald is one of the leading soccer writers in the country. Before he was covering the game for The Philadelphia Inquirer, Tannenwald was a native of the Washington DC area, who watched the Freddy Adu story through the eyes of a fan. He later covered Adu’s time with the Philadelphia Union. And he has subsequently written about the most recent surge of teenage talent in the soccer world — from Cavan Sullivan to the NWSL.

Tannenwald joined Founding Futbol to share him memories of how Adu impacted the growth of MLS. He discussed how the league infrastructure has evolved to support players like Sullivan and how the NWSL situation differs in key ways.

August 22, 2024

GABRIELE MARCOTTI

Few people truly understand the life that Grant Wahl lived as a soccer writer in America. Gabriele Marcotti not only followed a similar trajectory, but also became close friends with Wahl as he pursued a similar career path. Marcotti, now a senior writer for ESPN and regular contributor on ESPN FC, regularly sat in the same press boxes as Wahl covering World Cups and more.

He joined Founding Futbol to talk about what made Wahl such a great journalist. Marcotti gives his perspective on how Wahl contributed to soccer’s growth in America and also talks about their friendship. He even recounts why his family considered Wahl the ideal house guest.

AUGUST 8, 2024

CARLA OVERBECK

The 1999 Women’s World Cup was special for so many reasons. The event itself, hosted in the United States, was an ambitious undertaking. The US Women’s National Team won in improbable and memorable fashion, with Brandi Chastain’s celebration creating one of the most memorable sports photos of all time. But the bond of that team was critical and the leadership of players like Carla Overbeck has become legendary in its importance to the group.

Overbeck joined Founding Futbol to share what leadership looked like as part of those historic teams. She shared hows he thought about leadership at the time, how it’s evolved in her second act as a college coach and much more.

Overbeck was captain of the USWNT team at the 1999 Women’s World Cup — which the team won to earn its second World Cup title. During her 13 years in the national team, she earned 168 caps for the United States. Overbeck also won an Olympic gold medal in the 1996 games, a Women’s United Soccer Association (WUSA) title, and four NCAA titles during her career. She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2006.

July 25, 2024

JOHN O’SULLIVAN

The evolution of youth soccer into the club model, and the founding of clubs such as Players Development Academy (PDA) had a positive impact on the continued growth of the sport in America. But it also accelerated the concept of “pay to play” which has made the game inaccessible to many communities, while simultaneously giving more opportunity to those that can afford participation. However, with increased cost and increased competition, burnout is occurring in volume with kids dropping out of the sports in huge numbers throughout their teenage years.

John O’Sullivan wrote Changing the Game after seeing the challenges youth sports faced in this country. The book highlights the ways youth sports, soccer included, has gotten away from us in America. It also provides strategies to help us recapture its essence, giving the sport back to our children in the process. He founded the Changing the Game Project to facilitate speaking engagements and other events to spread the ideas associated with his book.

O’Sullivan joined Founding Futbol to talk about ideas in the book, how they combat the problems associated with a “pay-to-play” mindset. He talked about his journey trying to, literally, change the game and much more.

July 11, 2024

STEVE RALSTON

In a world of early player identification in the US Youth Soccer system, Steve Ralston’s journey to Major League Soccer’s first ever Rookie of the Year award was an unlikely one. As he shares with Founding Futbol, he didn’t even start on his high school team. A few years later, he was drafted 18th overall in the 1996 MLS College Draft by the Tampa Bay Mutiny; Ralston played in 31 games as a rookie and launched what would become a special professional career. By his second season, the midfielder earned All-Star honors.

By 1999, Ralston was named Team MVP, MLS Best Eleven, and MLS Fair Play Award winner after leading the league with 18 assists. He also became Tampa Bay’s all-time leading scorer as well as the first MLS player to play 10,000 minutes. He ended his career with 135 assists, the most in league history at the time, and now second behind Landon Donovan on the MLS all-time record list.

He joined Founding Futbol to discuss the early days of MLS, his outstanding career and more.

June 27, 2024

BOB REASSO

Bob Reasso spent nearly three decades as the head coach of the Rutgers Men’s Soccer team. During that time he lead the Scarlet Knights to 13 NCAA appearances, including the 1990 national championship game, three Final fours, six league titles and coached 19 All-Americans. During his 29 seasons at Rutgers, Reasso compiled an overall record of 351-183-71, winning 10 or more matches in 21 seasons and reaching the 15-win mark seven times.

He also recruited and coached Alexi Lalas at Rutgers. Bob joined Founding Futbol to talk about what it was like to coach the legendary figure. He shares his experience managing the big personality and much more.

June 20, 2024

GARY HOPKINS

Gary Hopkins is the founder and CEO of HSE Sports and Entertainment, and the author of Star Spangled Soccer. He is an experienced soccer marketing executive who was intimately involved in the efforts to promote the 1994 World Cup. His book outlines the critical role that marketing played in the growth of soccer in America, overall, specifically drawing on the need to package and sell the game in a way that was appropriate to American industry.

He joined Founding Futbol to talk about the critical role of leadership as soccer evolved in America. Hopkins also talked about how his colleagues “packaged” the game to make it familiar to American fans, and much more.

JUNE 6, 2024

RANDY WALDRUM

Randy Waldrum has a storied career in the coaching ranks. He was the head coach of the women’s soccer team at Notre Dame for 14 seasons years, where he led the program to incredible heights. Under his leadership, Notre Dame became a perennial power. In his time there, Waldrum led the Fighting Irish to two national championships, capturing the College Cup title in 2004 and ’10. His teams won eight Big East Tournament titles and appeared in eight NCAA Final Four games in that span. Waldrum was the first coach in NCAA history to lead a team to a national title in his/her first season with a program. He wrapped up his tenure at Notre Dame with a mark of 292-58-17 (.819). He also has coached in the NWSL and two women’s national teams (currently Nigeria and previously Trinidad and Tobago).

Though less known publicly for his work in soccer coaching education, his contributions in that area are equally impressive and appreciated by the soccer community. Waldrum is a former president of United Soccer Coaches and continues to advance coaching education in a variety of ways.

MAY 23. 2024

LUIS OMAR TAPIA

As the latino community grew in America during the 80s and 90s, Spanish-language television stations such as Univisión played a critical role in expanding the coverage of soccer. Broadcasting the World Cup, UEFA Champions League and top-flight European professional leagues such as La Liga and Serie A, Univisión, Telemundo, ESPN, TV Azteca and others built a culture of soccer fandom among not only latinos but also among the broader American soccer-playing public who turned to those networks to find the broadcasts of the game they loved.

That put Spanish-language broadcasters such as Luis Omar Tapia into the spotlight and has, over the last three decades, made him the voice of soccer to so many in America. Tapia is best known as the voice of the UEFA Champions League across the U.S. and Latin America having called the competition for 27 consecutive years. Now with Fox Sports, he spent a decade with Univisión Deportes calling some of the biggest matches and tournaments in soccer for the Spanish-language network, including Major League Soccer, German Bundesliga, U.S. Men’s National Team and Mexico National Team friendlies and more. He has also worked for GolTV, ESPN, TV Azteca and beIN Sports.

MAY 12, 2024

LINDA GANCITANO

Linda Gancitano had just two caps for the US Women’s National Team, but they were as part of the first 1985 squad that traveled to Italy to play in the Mundialito. In other words, she was an OG. One of the women that helped open the door to the rise of the USWNT over the subsequent decades

Linda joined Founding Futbol to talk about her journey through the soccer world, including a decorated career at the University of Central Florida, where she played with both Kim Wyant and Michelle Akers. Linda was the defensive MVP of the 1982 NCAA Women’s Soccer Championship (the first played) and earned All-American honors in 1981. She joined the show to talk about her short-lived but important career, how she’s reconnected with the 85ers over the last few years, and more.

MAY 2, 2024

PERRY VAN
DER BECK

Perry Van der Beck was one of the first rising young stars in American soccer. Drafted out of high school by the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in 1978, Perry joined a team that would go on to play in the Soccer Bowl — the NASL’s championship game — his first two years.

Perry quickly emerged as a key talent for US Soccer, specifically approaching the 1980 Olympic Games. As a key part of the US Men’s Olympic team, he experienced the frustration of missing out on an opportunity to play for his country when the US boycotted the games. He joined Founding Futbol to talk about his journey to the NASL from high school, as well as his time as part of the National Team and Team America. Perry also provided insight on the challenging times that American soccer faced in the 1980s.

April 18, 2024

KEVIN CROW

After the North American Soccer League folded in 1984, many of the league’s top American players moved to the Major Indoor Soccer League. Some, in fact, moved with their franchises, who also found a new home as part of the indoor game. One such club was the San Diego Sockers. Their star defender, Kevin Crow, had achieved All-Star status in the NASL and then became five-time Defender of the Year in the MISL.

Crow joined Founding Futbol to talk about his journey through four leagues with one franchise. He sheds light on how he managed the challenges of a down era in US Soccer, talks about the differences between the indoor and outdoor game, and recounts how focused on his transition away from the game, while he was still playing. 

April 4, 2024

Stefan Szymanski & Silke-Maria Weineck

Founding Futbol is a year-long exploration of the critical moments that have led to soccer’s emerging popularity in America. Extra Time is an additional weekly episode that brings additional guests into the fold.

After releasing the Prologue and the first four Chapters of Founding Futbol, we share a few reflections on the initial topics and interviews. Then, we are joined by Stefan Szymanski and Silke-Maria Weineck to discuss their book, “It’s Football, Not Soccer (And Vice Versa).” The Michigan professors share what motivated them to write the book and the methodology behind their academic approach to researching it. They explain why this is such an unusual linguistic scenario and share some of their favorite personal anecdotes that came out of their interviews and outreach. It’s a fun listen and enlightening for anyone that doesn’t know the history of the word “soccer” and has ever wondered why Americans (still) use the word when other countries have shunned it.