The Soccer Media Podcast with John Shrader

Episode 37: Glenn Crooks, Sirius XM FC, NYCFC announcer, and author of "Put it on Frame" and "Put is on Frame 2"

Glenn Crooks is a former college soccer coach (14 years as the head coach of the Rutgers’ women’s program) and broadcaster, and now an author. His second “Put it on Frame”book is now out. It’s the second in a series of three that, according to the book cover, “shares some of his most interesting and illuminating conversations with soccer’s most important voices.” Glenn is the voice of the NYC Football Club and hosts a weekly show on Sirius XM FC and will be covering the World Cup for Sirius.  In this conversation we talk about the World Cup, its pre-tournament and on-the-field storylines. He was college-educated at the University of Georgia in broadcasting and communications, worked in the business, then got into coaching and back into broadcasting, rather serendipitously as he explains. NOTE:This conversation was recorded May 22, before the U.S. roster was named.   THE SHOW: American soccer’s frontline storytellers interviewed by Emmy Award-winning John Shrader. It includes insight from the editors of Soccer America, the nation’s longest-runningsoccer publication, founded in 1971. New episodes released weekly. You can get more information on the program, produced by the John Shrader Media Group, at https://shradermedia.com/ John Shrader's 30 years of TV and radio sports broadcasting included MLS, NBA, NFL and NHL. He is professorof Broadcasting and Sports Media & Communication at the University of Nebraska.

Episode 36: Sammy Sadovnik, World Cup announcer for Fútbol de Primera

Sammy Sadovnik has been a talk show host and play-by-play announcer at Fútbol de Primera (FDP) for more than 25 years. During the 2026 FIFA World Cup he will be the lead announcer for FDP i its seventh consecutive tournament as the Spanish-language presenter in the United States. Sadovnik will be among a crew of more than 30 people, including play-by-play announcers, color commentators, studio analysts, sideline reporters and producers, presenting all of the 104 games. In this conversation we talk atlength about FDP’s coverage of the tournament, which they’ve been a part of since the Korea/Japan tournament in 2002. Sammy is also the lead Spanish-language announcer for Major League Soccer on Apple TV. MLS will take a break during the entire run of the World Cup. Note:This conversation was recorded May 21, before the naming of the US roster for the tournament.   THE SHOW: American soccer’s frontline storytellers interviewed by Emmy Award-winning John Shrader. It includes insight from the editors of Soccer America, the nation’s longest-running soccer publication, founded in 1971. New episodes released weekly. You can get more information on the program, produced by the John Shrader Media Group, at https://shradermedia.com/ John Shrader's 35 years of TV and radio sports broadcasting included MLS, NBA, NFL and NHL. He is professor of Broadcasting and Sports Media & Communication at the University of Nebraska.

Episode 35: Clyde Best, English and NASL footballer from Bermuda, subject of documentary film

CLYDE BEST left his home in Bermuda in 1968, at age 17, to pursue his dream of playing professional football in England. He joined the club West Ham in London where he played for seven plus seasons. Then, it was off to the US to play in theNorth American Soccer League, first with the Tampa Bay Rowdies and then the Portland Timbers. Along this journey he became very good friends with Clive Charles and Ade Coker, both of whom played and coached in the US. They all first started a game together in 1972, the first time three Black players did so in England. Best is the subject of a documentary film, “Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story,” which will be part of the Aladdin Theater Film Festival in Portland June 4 and 5. The film can also be seen in film festivals in Boston and New York City. Go to ClydeBest.com for more information. Recorded May 21, 2026   THE SHOW: American soccer’s frontline storytellers interviewed by Emmy Award-winning John Shrader. It includes insight from the editors of Soccer America, the nation’s longest-runningsoccer publication, founded in 1971. New episodes released weekly. You can get more information on the program, produced by the John Shrader Media Group, at https://shradermedia.com/ John Shrader's 30 years of TV and radio sports broadcasting included MLS, NBA, NFL and NHL. He is professor of Broadcasting and Sports Media & Communication at the University of Nebraska.

Episode 34: Josh Lill and Philip Galati Rising Soccer Announcers at VISTA Worldlink

JOSH LILL and PHILIP GALATI are young soccer announcers plying their trade at VISTA Worldlink in Florida, where they call scores of soccer matches, including USL, MLS Next and in other arenas.  Josh is a graduate of the University of Nebraska Sports Media and Broadcasting program and Philip is a graduate of the broadcasting program at Syracuse. They’ both in their third year of calling games, hoping to keep working their way up the line, maybe one day getting to call a World Cup game.   Recorded May 15, 2026   THE SHOW: American soccer’s frontline storytellers interviewed by Emmy Award-winning John Shrader. It includes insight from the editors of Soccer America, the nation’s longest-runningsoccer publication, founded in 1971. New episodes released weekly. You can get more information on the program, produced by the John Shrader Media Group, at https://shradermedia.com/ John Shrader's 30 years of TV and radio sports broadcasting included MLS, NBA, NFL and NHL. He is professor of Broadcasting and Sports Media & Communication at the University of Nebraska.

Episode 33: Clemente Lisi: Author of "The World Cup: A history of the planet’s biggest sporting event"

CLEMENTE LISI has updated his 2022 book The World Cup:A history of the planet’s biggest sporting event with a 2026 edition that includes a look at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.In this conversation we talk about the history of the event, including the 1994 tournament in the United States. Clemente has a comprehensive look at the World Cup, from its origins in Uruguay in 1930 to the present. Recorded April 20, 2026 THE SHOW: American soccer’s frontline storytellers interviewed by Emmy Award-winning John Shrader. It includes insight from the editors of Soccer America, the nation’s longest-running soccer publication, founded in 1971. New episodes released weekly. You can get more information onthe program, produced by the John Shrader Media Group, athttps://shradermedia.com/ John Shrader's 30 years of TV and radio sports broadcasting included MLS, NBA, NFL and NHL. He is professorof Broadcasting and Sports Media & Communication at the University of Nebraska.