49ers Rolling plus World Cup and Jets Pain with Will & Grace Writer and Soccer Podcaster Kirk Rudell

In this episode, Matt and Paul open with the state of the Bay. The 49ers are suddenly surging heading into the bye week, Jauan Jennings is talking like a WWE wrestler, and Kyle Shanahan looks like a coach who finally grew up and learned how to adapt. The guys also dive into the Warriors, who are stuck with a stagnant offense, no self-creation and the growing sense that the locker room might be tuning out Steve Kerr. Then it is Giants talk, including the surprising news that the team is not pursuing major free agents, even Japanese pitcher Tatsuya Imai, who openly said he wants to come to MLB specifically to take down the Dodgers.(22:08) After that, Matt and Paul sit down with writer and producer Kirk Rudell, whose credits span Will & Grace, Spin City and American Dad. Kirk talks about growing up a long-suffering Jets fan in New York City, attending Princeton with Paul, and whether Paul has lied for years about being a campus legend. Then the guys dig into the sitcom years, the Michael J. Fox era of Spin City and what it was like writing on huge network shows when sitcoms ruled TV. Kirk breaks down how he fell in love with soccer, the true ceiling of the USMNT under coach Mauricio Pochettino, his predictions for the 2026 World Cup, the sleeper nation he believes could win it all and how far the United States can realistically go on home soil. They also get into Messi in Miami, LAFC culture, the Oakland Roots and Kirk’s new podcast An American Game with co-host Tom McCabe, which explores the wild, forgotten origin story of soccer in America.(1:13:17) Later in Pet Peeves, Matt rips Avatar, Trent Williams, Ja Morant and Kenyon Martin, while confessing his deep and shameless love for The Grove and Nordstrom. In Best Things We Saw, Paul reviews the Eddie Murphy documentary Being Eddie, and Matt recommends Family Rental and Train Dreams.Thanks for listening. Do not forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.Hosts: Matt Ferrucci & Paul RuehlFollow, Subscribe & Watch the Show on:Watch Episodes on YouTube!Instagram: @beatlapodcastTikTok: @beat.la.podcast Email the show at: [email protected] Matt Ferrucci on Instagram: @matt_ferrucciFollow Paul Ruehl on Instagram: @llruehljWebsite: https://www.beatlapodcast.com/