Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast

Episode 186 - The USMNT get in Flo state, more World Cup musings, and the Current say goodbye to Aly Sentnor

In this episode, Drew and Cody analyze the US Men's National Team's historic performance in the World Cup, focusing on tactical innovation, team cohesion, and the impact of coaching philosophy. They explore how this game could signal a new era for American soccer and discuss the broader implications for international play. In this episode, Drew and Cody discuss the latest World Cup matches, team performances, fan experiences in Kansas City, and the state of soccer analysis and broadcasting. They share insights on team strategies, fan culture, and the growth of soccer in the US. Music by The Spin Wires

Episode 185 - SKC Listener Mailbag, new player rumors(!), and the World Cup is here!

We are back!  Cody has returned from his sojourn to the North and just in time for us to prepare for some kind of tournament that is being played here this summer?  Cup of the Worlds or something?  Is this like the Intercontinental Challenge Cup or something different?  Jokes aside, we are hours away from the kickoff of the 2026 World Cup and 7 weeks of soccer overstimulation to our senses, so it is good that we are getting together beforehand to discuss this sport that we all love. That said, this is a Sporting KC podcast, and it has been a minute since Cody and I have discussed SKC, so we do have a few mailbag topics to dig into while that team is on hiatus during the World Cup break, including a player rumor! and hopefully as that break continues some news will start to trickle in regarding more potential transfer moves and how the team is preparing for the 2nd half of the season.   Obviously the USMNT is kicking off their home World Cup campaign on Friday, on the heels of a couple decent, let’s call them professional performances vs Senegal and Germany.  Certainly a vast improvement on the last window vs Portugal and Belgium, and there are some interesting tidbits I think that we can take away from how these games went and how personnel performed that could inform the way this team will try to play this summer. There were also a couple supposed soccer games in Brazil for the USWNT, and they served a useful lesson for that team, if not really how to play the beautiful game, but rather how to survive when the opponent will simply not allow it to be beautiful in the first place,

Episode 184 - Daniel Sperry joins the pod to discuss SKC's renaissance, the Current winning at home, and USMNT roster discourse

We are back after another 2 game hiatus(well one of us is) because school is out Cody decided he needed to have a vacation or whatever, so Drew is joined this week by good friend of the pod regular soccer contributor to the KC Star Daniel Sperry.  While SKC did miss out on an opportunity to head into the World Cup break on an actual winning streak, they have improved greatly over the past several games, with head coach Rapha Wicky finding a personnel grouping and formation that has seemed to finally steady the ship prior to the aforementioned break for World Cup games.  That said, this formation and personnel grouping has come at the expense of Manu Garcia’s inclusion in the starting lineup, which does belie some of the limitations of the roster as it is currently built, as well as how to fit these players together in a cohesive and positive manner. We’ll dig into the tactical nuances of this new setup as well as discuss what we saw in MLS that we liked this week, the KC Current getting back home and back to winning ways, and everyone’s favorite topic, USMNT roster selections.

Episode 183 - SKC love playing the Galaxy, the MLSPA salary dump, and can the vibes continue?

This episode analyzes Sporting Kansas City's recent performances, focusing on tactical adjustments, player impacts, and coaching decisions. The hosts discuss the significance of Zorhan Bassong's return, the team's defensive struggles, and potential future strategies to improve results. In this episode, Drew and Cody analyze recent MLS matches, team strategies, player performances, and the ongoing challenges faced by Sporting Kansas City. They delve into tactical decisions, roster issues, league comparisons, and the upcoming transfer window, providing insights for dedicated soccer fans. Music by The Spin Wires

Episode 182 - SKC show signs of life, the Current do as well, and why "Save the 'Caps" is so important.

We decided it was too depressing to discuss the 2nd half capitulation in Chicago a week and a half ago and took a week off hoping for something more positive to discuss regarding the on-field performance of this team and boy are we glad we did.  Sporting was a much more competitive side in a 1-1 draw at home vs. Seattle, even if a bit conservative with its defensive positioning.   There were some other changes from match to match(and more we’d probably like to see going forward) that we will discuss, as well as what we saw in MLS the past two weekends we liked before talking about the Current getting back to winning ways and previewing this weekend’s trip to Portland. Music by The Spin Wires