Beyond the 90 Podcast

The changes to the PLS were made specific purposes it appears. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Breaking down the investment of KKR/Hometown Soccer Holdings. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

The solidarity of the USL championship players during the recently resolved labor dispute with remarkable. We give some thoughts. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

The finer points of the newsUSL CBA will be revealed soon but here are some quick thoughts. I also neglected to mention that the unity of the players helped create the elements for the deal - that’s a point we will elaborate on more real soon. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Some initial reaction to MLS Next Pro’s announcement. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Recently, I jumped back on Twitter and have said my share of stupid hotheaded things since going back on that platform. I own this and it’s my fault. I’m considering jumping back off Twitter. More importantly something I said last night caused a fire storm. I talked about my long-held view that Canadian teams should be tossed out of MLS. That is actually a deeply-held belief I have had for many years. It’s nothing against Canada, a nation I truly love. And I truly believe it would be best for their football development. Concacaf l forced USL out of Canada yet. MLS is allowed to stay up there? I discuss my own experiences in NASL as we managed a cross-border league. Let me explain in this video my view on this and how it’s important for Canada to make sure the Canadian Premier League is successful and it’s important for us in the United States that we shift our calendar and maximise the potential of the players were developing which I believe cannot be done on the current calendar. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

We talk 2002! Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

World Cup 2026 was supposed to be a hinge moment for investment in the sport in the USA. Well we’re at that hinge and clubs are still bleeding cash while players have real grievances in terms of compensation and licensing. The parties in the current USL Championship labor dispute are close to an agreement but not close enough. We do some reporting here and discuss why both sides have valid points and maybe increasingly justifiably dug in. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

We start a new weekly series at BT90 today with weekly Wednesday video podcasts. Some of my best memories of the USMNT are from 1999… but let’s also talk Copa America 1995 and the World Cup qualifying for the 1998 World Cup as well as the 1999 Confederations Cup and some great friendlies. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

In case you missed it and judging by much of the US SOCCER media you may have, Real Sociedad won Copa Del Ray with a manager many of us have followed his whole career- because he’s AMERICAN! Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

The third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was an amazing two-matchday week as we saw two USL Championship clubs and one USL League One club knock out MLS opponents, and we also saw the dismissal of the defending League winners, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, get knocked out. We also have some tasty Fourth Round matches for you on the final week of April. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

There has been lots of commentary about how the player protests in USL Championship haven’t worked - but that’s not the case from where I sit.We give an update on negotiations where sticking points remain and management while fairly united might have some loose ends. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

A full update on where we stand in negotiations as of April 13. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Fifteen years ago NASL 2.0 kicked off with four matches. As the league’s first employee I have some quick thoughts and observations about that night and what followed. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Apologies for not having separate matchday videos, as U.S. Soccer scheduled these games on a Tuesday & Wednesday, when they should’ve been played on a Wednesday & Thursday due to the International Break. But all the action will be discussed in this video. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Rise of the Villans: Inside Unai Emery’s Aston Villa Revolution(2025) is an acclaimed book by one of the world’s best football journalists, Guillem Balagué. We’re privileged to have Balagué to join us on the podcast to discuss his new book and Unai Emery’s career. We go through his tactics, methodology, man management skills, philosophies and also discuss the partnership with Monchi and why Spanish managers have been so successful in England through the years. This work is particularly interesting because instead of chronicling a superstar like Maradona or Ronaldo, in this book Balagué examines Emery whose qualities are perennially underrated and often misunderstood by football critics. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

I don’t like a 48 team World Cup- heck I never really liked the 32 team World Cup either.But it is what it is, and 47 of the 48 countries played well enough in World Cup qualifying however it was constituted to merit an opportunity at USA 2026. But one side didn’t…That’s Sweden who, despite their extensive international pedigree, have no business being in this tournament. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

This is a big week for Lexington. If they continue to misfire it will be time to start asking questions. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

I am not sure if this has been reported yet, but according to many sources, there have been some significant changes made within the USLHQ in recent days and we will discuss those changes and analyze the reasons for the changes in this video podcast. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

This one really makes me scratch my head. Seems RIFC & Breeze Airways are now making the unions case. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Jamaica is two wins away from qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. If they qualify it will represent a public boost to USL. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Licensing and what that entails remains the largest gap in current labor negotiations, and the situation is worse than I had originally thought after talking people on both sides of the dispute. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

The final day of Round One Proper of the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, we had three matches that ended in cupsets, a destruction, and a few games that were tight till the end. But overall, it was a lovely first week of matches for the clubs in USL Championship, USL League One, USL League 2, NPSL, and amateur-qualified clubs. Just a reminder, Steel City C Vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds will be played on Wednesday, March 25th. But for now, it was a lot of fun. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

What an amazing second day of US Open Cup Matches in the First Round Proper, as we had 15 games with tons of action, tons of goals and some history being made in a game where a 14-year-old scored in the US Open Cup, two blowouts, and huge Cupsets in North Carolina and California. But we had fireworks on the last match of the night as we might have just seen a new Open Cup Derby. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

It was a fantastic first day of Open Cup action in the First Round Proper as the clubs in the lower levels started with a bang, including a cupset as Vermont Green eliminated Portland Hearts of Pine from Maine, while the rest of the clubs from USL Championship advanced to the second round on this day.NOTE: Steel City Vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds was postponed due to very inclement weather and will be made up on Wednesday, March 25th. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Photo credit Simeon Pol Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

St. Patrick’s Day Week starts the journey for those sides entering the 20926 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round 1 Proper. All the clubs from USL Championship, USL League One, MLS Next Pro, USL League 2, NPSL, and amateur qualifiers will get together in this first round, and the winners will face each other in the second round.While this edition won’t have the new expansion sides entering the cup, and some sides not making it due to the intervention of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the hope is that this will still be a fabulous knockout tournament for this season. Once again, welcome back to another Open Cup Night Across America. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Licensing money is the big issue separating the players from management in the USL labor dispute. We dive deeper into this today. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Developments have not been positive this week so far. Federal mediators have been sent away and both sides are increasingly dug in. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Events are fluid- it appears we will play this weekend, but with some major caveats. And playing this weekend does not mean a strike is less likely. In fact, I think the likelihood of a work stoppage at some point is increasing because real progress has not been made even with the presence of federal mediators. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

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USL HQ released a statement Friday which led to a multitude of conversations over the weekend that I had with parties within the USL family. We also discuss the larger environment in the country around society, business politics, and labor, analyzing how that impacts this dispute. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

As has been the case during this part of labor dispute, BT 90 remains your best source for news and information going forward.I want to quickly note before you watch the video that to authorize a strike is different than actually striking. There remains time for negotiations, but the players have indicated if there is no further progress, which was quite clearly there has not been in the last month, then they are ready to strike. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

A lot to unpack in this video. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Explaining why there is a conflict between owners and USL HQ I’m terms of selling expansion franchises. And how PRO/REL could solve this. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

USL has been on the front foot the last few years but now it feels MLS NP is back in the game. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

As reported by our Alex Ashton, Tormenta FC which has been one of the strongest USL clubs at developing players and selling them upwards over the course of the last decade will not field a professional men’s team in 2026. Yet again, when a crisis hits the American lower divisions, the governing body for the sport in this country is nowhere to be found. There is plenty of culpability in all of this with USL as we have talked about the last few days in some of the articles I’ve written, and we will return to that as a theme in the near future. But today I want to focus on US Soccer and their lack of involvement/interest in the lower divisions. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

I keep hearing from folks “my club isn’t one of the bad ones.” Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

I wanted to give you a brief update on what’s happened this week. In short, there has been limited to no progress. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

A great tournament in Venezuela. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

After weeks of bad news we have some potential positive news in this short update. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

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We update what happened this week with labor negotiations, discuss the club side of things, but start off with a message for FIFA and Gianni Infantino. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

It’s imperative those who want to see Indy Eieven survive monitor this closely. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

As a follow up to the piece published earlier today on Jesse Marsch and his efforts as Canada men’s national team manager we talk about why the USSF is so different. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

We discuss why USL needs revenue sharing. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Promotion and Relegation is badly needed in US Soccer for a multitude of reasons but simply implementing it will not eliminate the problems in the USL structure - contrary to what many we interact with think. It is not a panacea or a magic bullet. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

We explain why the USL Premier announcement positively impacts ongoing USL Championship CBA negotiations. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

Bangladesh has been booted out of the ICC T20 World Cup in cricket while conversations about the “safety“ of the 2026 FIFA. World Cup in the United States are reaching a high level in western Europe. Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe

We discus why we have added so much new content coverage areas to the site recently and how you can opt out of certain emails Get full access to Beyond The 90' at beyondthe90.substack.com/subscribe