After a longer than usual break, we’re back! On this episode, we discuss two things: the pros & cons of continued MLS expansion and how scheduling & conferences may change as the league inevitably grows.

We kick off with the expansion discussion before moving on over to our conference realignment proposal (MLS league office, take notes). Whether you agree or disagree with our proposal, we would love to hear your thoughts on Twitter @WhatTheFCPod where the visual spreadsheet will be posted.

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We’re back with another money episode! This time, we sort every MLS club into tiers based on spending power.

With Charlotte FC’s transfer business gaining steam, we wanted to figure out where the club will land in the hierarchy of MLS spending. Everyone seems to think that owner David Tepper is going to be throwing huge money around… but is that really the case?

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Hey everyone, we just wanted to give you a quick update on some minor changes to the podcast. Through the end of February, we will be shifting over to a bi-weekly publishing schedule. Listen to this episode to hear the reasoning behind the temporary change.

As always, thank you for listening. You can follow us and interact with us at our social media channels:

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Ever since the USMNT failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, the conversation around one thing has intensified: pay-to-play. Many believe (and we do too) that the pay-to-play structure of youth soccer in the USA locks out countless talented players and, ultimately, holds back our national team and Major League Soccer.

However, everyone knows what the problem is. No one seems to know how to actually fix it. So, Matt and Will set out to research how countries around the world reduce costs for players at all levels of the youth soccer world (spoiler alert: training compensation and solidarity payments are not the answer).

Stick around to hear what Matt and Will think that our soccer governing bodies can and should do to eliminate pay-to-play in the US. More importantly, what can we as individual fans of the game do to make the game we love more accessible?

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This summer, Charlotte FC announced their branding - the name, the colors, the crest (and that awesome secondary logo). Then, most recently, the Houston Dynamo rebranded to Houston Dynamo FC, radically changing their crest. All of this got us thinking: what is the story behind a club’s brand?

In this episode, Will and Matt first dive into what a club front office’s process is for creating a brand. Matt takes us through a Marketing 101 session so that we can better understand what these clubs are doing behind the scenes.

Then, Will and Matt discuss why we are seeing the downfall of the “American” brand and the rise of the “worldwide” brand. Are names like the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers doomed??

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Welcome to the Inaugural What The FC Expansion Draft! After seeing U.S. Women’s National Team players Tobin Heath and Christen Press get picked up in the recent NWSL Expansion Draft, the guys felt inspired to do their own. So, cue the spreadsheet building and strategy planning!

Will and Matt acted as separate MLS expansion teams, each drafting a starting XI from the players on the existing franchises. The only rule: once a player was picked, no more players from that franchise could be drafted.

If you’re interested in learning more about the biggest names in the league at each position (and in hearing Will and Matt argue over who drafted the better team), this is the episode for you!

Think you could have done better? Drop a mention to us at our social media channels below, and please subscribe, share with your friends, and follow us.

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In this episode, we celebrate 10 published episodes (even though it’s numbered as the 9th.... take that issue up with Will) by discussing the future of the podcast. We wanted to learn more about the Charlotte sports storytelling community and, in the process, figure out where our stories fit into it!

Interview guests Ashley Mahoney (Charlotte Post and QCFC) and Bret McCormick (Sports Business Journal) provide valuable expert perspective throughout.

You can follow Ashley’s soccer journalism at @QCFC on Twitter and Instagram. You can follow Bret’s work (along with some great Newcastle FC tweets) on Twitter @Bretjust1T.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, share with your friends, and follow us on social media.

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In this episode, we bring on interview guests for the first time! Clay Dimick (professional player for Charlotte Independence), DJ Short (former assistant coach at Queens University of Charlotte), and Keegan Burton (current Queens player & former Sheffield United academy player) all join us to talk about one thing: college soccer.

What should the role of college soccer in American player development be? We do a deep dive into this question, as well as touch on other topics such as college soccer reform, MLS Superdraft reform, player development in England, and more. Stick around until the end to hear Matt and Will’s nuanced takeaway from the discussion.

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With MLS Playoffs starting November 20th, we wanted to take a shot at picking our brackets. In this episode, we explain and debate over our picks for “MLS Madness” (some more controversial than others!). We try to guess who will make that awesome Cinderella run and who will end up as MLS Cup champions. 

Most likely, we are going to be way off... but who cares? MLS is weird, wild, and unpredictable, especially in knockout games! Who do you think is going to win?

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In this episode, we celebrate the life of an American soccer legend, Daryl Grove, who passed away October 22nd after a 2-year battle with cancer. Daryl was the co-host of the podcast Total Soccer Show alongside Taylor Rockwell. As the soccer community around the world mourns the loss of Daryl Grove, we wanted to share our favorite aspects of him and how he inspires us as podcasters and soccer fans. To pay tribute, we are sharing our Fantasy XIs, one of Daryl’s favorite series to record, using the characters from the medieval fantasy epic Game of Thrones. 

We hope you enjoy this episode but more importantly remember the words of Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, “[football is] the most important of the least important things”. Although Daryl was a great soccer podcast host, he was more importantly a great human who, Taylor Rockwell said, “always said hello and made you truly feel welcome”. 

Rest in peace Daryl, we will miss you!

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To kick off What The FC, join us for Episode Five of our five-episode MLS 101 Miniseries! Over the course of five episodes, we’ll give you the lowdown on everything MLS, including the crazy beginnings of the league, the weird roster rules, and the best stories from every team.

In this episode, we tell you all about the special competitions surrounding MLS, including CONCACAF Champions League, the U.S. Open Cup, and the MLS All-Star Weekend. We talk about everything from #CCLFever to underdog Open Cup runs to the future of the MLS All-Star Game.

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, share with your friends, and follow us on social media.

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CONCACAF Champions League - (1:30)

U.S. Open Cup - (30:48)

MLS All-Star Weekend - (49:19)

https://thecup.us/2019/05/09/2019-us-open-cup-round-1-florida-soccer-soldiers-upset-npsl-champion-miami-fc-in-tournament-debut/

https://thecup.us/2019/05/15/2019-us-open-cup-round-2-shorthanded-florida-soccer-soldiers-find-a-way-to-upset-charlotte-independence/

To kick off What The FC, join us for Episode Four of our five-episode MLS 101 Miniseries! Over the course of five episodes, we’ll give you the lowdown on everything MLS, including the crazy beginnings of the league, the weird roster rules, and the best stories from every team.

In this episode, we do a deep dive into all those crazy MLS roster rules. From GAM to TAM to DPs, we’ve got you covered so that you’ll have all the knowledge to keep up with your team’s transfer dealings!

In addition, MLS’s single entity structure is pivotal in the “why” behind these rules, so we will help you understand what a single entity structure is (and the history behind it). To finish off the episode, Matt and Will go into a wide-ranging discussion about the merits of this structure and the future of the league. Stick around for it, because it is our favorite discussion we have had so far!

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, share with your friends, and follow us on social media.

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Quick Single Entity Explainer - (2:38)

General Roster Rules - (8:47)

Designated Players - (11:23)

Young Designated Players - (14:13)

Allocation Money (GAM & TAM) - (19:34)

Transfer Windows - (29:08)

Allocation Ranking List - (37:30)

Discovery Rights Process - (41:17)

Transfer Fees - (46:04)

Matt & Will’s big discussion on single entity and the future of the league - (49:15)

To kick off What The FC, join us for Episode Three of our five-episode MLS 101 Miniseries! Over the course of five episodes, we’ll give you the lowdown on everything MLS, including the crazy beginnings of the league, the weird roster rules, and the best stories from every team.

In this episode, we give a brief overview of every team within the Western Conference of MLS! This includes information like their location, their stadium situation, and how successful they have (or haven’t) been. 

Then, we share our favorite story associated with each team because MLS is full of parody and inspiration! Whether it’s a team’s location, current/historical success, or amazing fan culture, we hope that you can begin or continue writing your own story of becoming a soccer fanatic!

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, share with your friends, and follow us on social media. 

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Seattle Sounders - (1:22)

Portland Timbers - (5:23)

Vancouver Whitecaps - (11:30)

San Jose Earthquakes - (18:00)

Los Angeles Galaxy - (21:54)

LAFC - (26:40)

Real Salt Lake - (31:26) 

Colorado Rapids- (37:34)

Houston Dynamo - (42:41)

FC Dallas - (46:30)

Sporting Kansas City - (52:38)

Minnesota United - (55:08)

To kick off What The FC, join us for Episode Two of our five-episode MLS 101 Miniseries! Over the course of five episodes, we’ll give you the lowdown on everything MLS, including the crazy beginnings of the league, the weird roster rules, and the best stories from every team.

In this episode, we give a brief overview of every team within the Eastern Conference of MLS! This includes information like their location, their stadium situation, and how successful they have (or haven’t) been.

Then, we share our favorite story associated with each team because MLS is full of parody and inspiration! Whether it’s a team’s location, current/historical success, or amazing fan culture, we hope that you can begin or continue writing your own story of becoming a soccer fanatic! 

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, share with your friends, and follow us on social media. 

Twitter - @WhatTheFCpod

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Email - whatthefcpodcast@gmail.com

Time Stamps:

New England Revolution - (1:31)

New York Red Bulls/New York City FC - (5:19)

DC United - (10:33)

Philadelphia Union - (18:33)

Toronto FC - (20:48)

Montreal Impact - (23:44)

Atlanta United - (26:45)

Nashville SC - (31:44)

Orlando City SC - (33:26)

Inter Miami - (36:29)

Chicago Fire - (39:56)

Columbus Crew - (45:02)

FC Cincinnati - (50:17)

Links:

The Rumble at RFK

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/05/28/rumble-rfk-d-c-united-vs-new-england-revolution-playoff-moments

Sons of Ben

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B01ISD8CC8/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

FC Cincinnati

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZF0A0HUitk

To kick off What The FC, join us for Episode One of our five-episode MLS 101 Miniseries! Over the course of five episodes, we'll give you the lowdown on everything MLS, including the the crazy beginnings of the league, the weird roster rules, and the best stories from every team.

In this episode, we start off by diving into a quick history and overview of the league, before discussing the value (and feasibility) of promotion-relegation in the United States.

Then, we talk about the way you win a championship in MLS (no one actually cares about Supporters' Shield) and whether anyone actually cares about MLS by getting into attendance, revenue, and TV statistics (spoiler alert: people do care about this crazy league).

If you enjoy the podcast, please subscribe, share with your friends, and follow us on social media!

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What The FC is officially here! Already, there are so many questions to answer (Who are Will and Matt? What will this podcast look like?) and stories to tell (What are our "origin stories" as fans of the game?).

In this episode, we hit on all these points and more! Join us every weekend for a new episode as we continue the journey.

MLS is weird. Inspiring stories are everywhere. Join Will and Matt every weekend, starting Saturday, Sep. 26th, as they ask: What The FC?!