The Blazing Musket Podcast

Wes Burdine is a co-founder of the community owned, Minnesota Aurora FC, a women's team competing in the USL W League in 2026. Wes joins us to talk about MLS Next Pro taking a big investment from private equity, namely KKR. We talked about what is MLS' overarching goal with this new partnership and is this really the direction we want to see soccer leagues going?We also talked about US Soccer changing a key standard of now only requiring a principal investor in a Club to own 15% of the team, instead of the previous 35%. What does this newer, lower threshold mean for future investment in US Soccer? Does this have any potential positives like unlocking more chances for fan owned teams?You can follow Wes on BlueSky right here and check out Minnesota Aurora FC in more detail here.You can follow Thomas on BlueSky.Let us know what you think about the show, send us your suggestions and anything else at [email protected] you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jules Boykoff is the author of Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed Machine and Kicking, a memoir about his former life as a professional footballer and his current life as a critical academic of sport. He has also written six books on the politics of the Olympics, most recently, What Are the Olympics For?. He teaches political science at Pacific University.Joining all the way from Helsinki, Finland, Jules talked all about how the World Cup is and has been used by authoritarian leaders for sportwashing and by FIFA, a supposed non-profit, for greed. We take a close look at everything going on around the 2026 World Cup and its parallels to previous editions as well as the Olympic Games.Jules also spoke about his career as a professional soccer player in the US and how he transitioned to becoming a professor of political science.If you're interested in Jules' work please consider picking up a copy of one of his upcoming books at the links below:Red Card: The 2026 World Cup, Sportswashing, and the FIFA Greed MachineKickingYou find all of Jules' work here and follow him on BlueSky.You can follow Thomas on BlueSky.Let us know what you think about the show, send us your suggestions and anything else at [email protected] you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We touched on the situation with the Vancouver Whitecaps possible relocation and what that might mean for the Las Vegas Lights of the USL.Given the amount of attention given to Landon Donovan pointing out the blatantly obvious that there are issues with youth soccer in America, we thought we'd talk about what New England's leading teams are or aren't doing in the youth soccer space.We also talked about some of our own personal experiences with youth soccer and offered a few ideas as well.Our guests join from:United in Green podcast covering the Vermont GreenThe Friggin Soccer Show podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineRaising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCThe Average Fan Podcast that covers Hartford AthleticYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution Recap and The Swan Dive.We hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Valair Shabilla of 615 Soccer is back with us to tell a story that's forty years in the making, Iraq is headed to the World Cup for the first time since Mexico 1986. The moment qualification was secured was witnessed by Valair down in Monterey, Mexico a few weeks back. He's here to tell us how it happened, why they were away for so long, what to expect from Iraq this summer and who the heroes of the campaign were.You can follow all of Valair's work by following him on BlueSky and at 615 Soccer.You can follow Thomas on BlueSky.Let us know what you think about the show, send us your suggestions and anything else at [email protected] you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Thomas is joined by Sam Lattof to talk about FIFA's latest new way to drive US consumer credit use levels to ever newer highs, the MBTA joining in on the fun, the Revs playing RIFC and the bright light of hope emanating from Burlington, Vermont.You can keep up with Sam here on BlueSky and all our coverage of New England soccer at The Blazing Musket.You can follow Thomas on BlueSky.Let us know what you think about the show, send us your suggestions and anything else at [email protected] you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our podcast network covers all of New England's most popular soccer teams, you've heard a lot of their hosts right here on The Blazing Musket Podcast. This week we're giving you highlight segments from these great podcasts, have a listen and be sure to check a few of them out after if you haven't already!Heard a great segment from one of our shows? Download some full episodes below:United in Green podcast covering the Vermont GreenThe Friggin Soccer Show podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineRaising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCThe Average Fan Podcast that covers Hartford AthleticThe Swan Dive covering the Boston LegacyYou can follow Thomas on BlueSky.Let us know what you think about the show, send us your suggestions and anything else at [email protected] you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hayden Bird is back just as qualification for the World Cup wraps up and the Revolution and Legacy's seasons are in full swing. We got Hayden's thoughts on how the Revs are doing early days with their new coach, the Legacy's slow start and how the final rounds of World Cup qualification shaped up. We also had a little more fun at Josh Kraft's expense.You can follow Hayden on BlueSky and check out his Revs and Legacy coverage on Boston.com.You can follow Thomas on BlueSky.Let us know what you think about the show, send us your suggestions and anything else at [email protected] you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The US Open Cup is delivering early season ups, downs and rivalries for the New England teams taking part. We discuss the first round and what to expect from the second. There's also Drumgate up in Portland and the upcoming last chance saloon to get to the World Cup later on this week.Our guests join from:United in Green podcast covering the Vermont GreenThe Friggin Soccer Show podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineRaising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCThe Average Fan Podcast that covers Hartford AthleticYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution Recap and The Swan Dive.We hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Boston Legacy kicked off their Inaugural season this past weekend at Gillette Stadium with 30,000 fans in attendance. Two of those fans, Andy and Courtney, have a podcast called The Swan Dive dedicated to covering the Legacy. We've signed them up to The Blazing Musket podcast network to complete our set of podcasts covering every independent pro soccer team in New England!Andy and Courtney talked about starting the podcast, what you can expect from them and their impressions of the Legacy's preparation for 2026 and their first home game as well.Find out more about The Swan Dive Podcast here and you can find the show wherever you get your podcasts from, thanks to Acast.You can follow Thomas on BlueSky.Let us know what you think about the show, send us your suggestions and anything else at [email protected] you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The USL Championship and League One seasons have just begun, which means it time to get John back on the show and get us ready. He's with us this week to get us caught up on what to expect across both leagues, contenders, upstarts, expansion sides, all of it. John also touched on the ongoing labor situation and give his outside perspective on how New England's pro USL stable of teams will do in 2026.John brings the knowledge like few others, be sure to check this one out!You can follow the USL along with John at USL Tactics, Backheeled and BlueSky.You can follow Thomas on BlueSky.Let us know what you think about the show, send us your suggestions and anything else at [email protected] you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Soccer and sports are supposed to allow us time to not focus on all the rest, the things we have to think about and deal with that we'd rather not. In the last week, however, we've seen the USLPA vote to authorize a strike, a World Cup host country attack one of the teams that qualified for its tournament, an MLS partner enabling people to profit from war and death and the brave Town of Foxboro has stood up to FIFA.Heady stuff, for sure, but it must be tackled and Oliver Scholes and Thomas are ready to go in studs up!The best way to keep up with Oliver is at The Blazing Musket.You can follow Thomas on BlueSky.Let us know what you think about the show, send us your suggestions and anything else at [email protected] you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MLS Next Pro season kicks off this weekend and a revamped Revs II is back in action for 2026. They had a lot of turnover this past off-season and with a youth minded coach with the first team, Revs II are worth keeping an eye on this season. Literally no one follows this team like Josh Nye does for The Blazing Musket, he's here to get us all caught up and ready for the new season!Thomas opened the show with some words on Merrimack New Hampshire, South Georgia Tormenta, the blizzard of 2026 and the USLPA before Josh joined as well.The best way to follow Revs II is with Josh's coverage at The Blazing Musket and on BlueSky.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the time of year where everyone makes their predictions for the season ahead, everyone offered up their best thought out predictions that will mostly turn out to be wildly inaccurate in a few months time.We also discussed the 1st round of the US Open Cup in New England and we tested the limits of how far off topic we can get and still get back on track.Our guests join from:United in Green podcast covering the Vermont GreenFrom the Forest to the Tide podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineRaising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCAnd contributing writers for The Blazing MusketYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution Recap.We hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's almost time! The NWSL's return to New England with the Boston Legacy is drawing ever closer. Jackie is back to get you caught up on who the Legacy have got, where they're playing, when they're playing and everything to expect this season.The best way to follow the Legacy is with Jackie's coverage at The Blazing Musket and on BlueSky.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The leader of The Blazing Musket, Sam Lattof, checks in to catch up on all the latest developments with soccer in New England. We've got preseason behind closed doors for the Revs, new players for RIFC and Hartford, the US Open Cup brings New England vs New England match-ups and Mauricio Pochettino puts his foot in his mouth. Sam's here to discuss it all!If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With all the excitement around New England's growing USL presence in recent years, the strong presence of the UPSL may have been overlooked. The founders of one of the UPSL's newest teams, Boston Emeralds, are in this week to tell you all about their Club and why we should check them out in 2026.What goes into founding a Club, deciding on a league, name, badge and building a following, Kevin and Keegan let us know all about it!You can follow the Boston Emeralds on Instagram and checkout the UPSL at their site.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The biggest obstacle to the biggest year of soccer in the US that isn't the Federal government is the USL Championship labor dispute. The USL and USLPA are three weeks past the expiration of the previous deal and it's an open question as to when a new one will be reached. Connor Tobin is fully involved in the negotiation process and joins us to tell the tale of how we reached this point, what an ongoing dispute could mean and what are the key points holding up the deal.It's a critical and important situation for the future of US soccer and one to keep full up to date on!If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for the January 2026 Roundtable! The USL has an ongoing labor dispute, women's soccer is back in New England, new teams are joining the party in Maine, Vermont and Connecticut and the USL is going to play right through the World Cup.It's a lot discuss and we tackled all of it!Our guests join from:United in Green podcast covering the Vermont GreenFrom the Forest to the Tide podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineRaising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCAnd contributing writers for The Blazing MusketYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution RecapWe hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back up and running for 2026! The much anticipated biggest year of soccer in the US is finally here. It will be a year of soccer the likes of which has never been seen in New England as well. Sam Latoff joins Thomas to preview all there is to look forward to, we've got new teams in New England, the return of women's soccer, a new coach in Foxboro and the World Cup drama looms in the distance.It's going to be a year to remember in 2026, let's kick it off together!If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a prolonged procession and giving out of totally made up prizes to suck up to the President, FIFA managed to place all 42 qualified teams into their groups for next year's World Cup. They also determined where the remaining countries still trying to qualify will end up should they get in. The schedule came out shortly thereafter, finally letting people know who they can see next summer if they're prepared to sell vital organs to buy tickets.We're joined by Valair Shabilla from SixOneFive Soccer to talk about the draw itself, how the groups are looking and discussed if the group of death is dead, how happy should the US be with their group, does 48 teams take away from the group stage drama and more.You can checkout Valair's work at SixOneFive Soccer for their continuing coverage of the World Cup and on BlueSky.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with MLS, as well as all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MLS will be shifting to a fall-spring calendar in line with most of the world's soccer seasons starting in 2027. To make this happen, they will play a mini season in the spring of 2027, implement a winter break and stop playing regular season games in May and June. What's more, they're also bringing in a new league format, a single table of sorts with five divisions of six teams. There's also a change in access to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV to discuss.It's a massive series of changes to soccer in North America, will it work? Why is it being done? Who wins and who loses? All that and more is discussed in this week's show.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with MLS, as well as all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join host Sam Lattof from the Blazing Musket as he dives into the intricate world of USL and USLPA negotiations with special guests Matt Entriken from Raising Anchor and Oliver Scholes beat writer for Hartford Athletic. In this episode, they explore the history and future of the CBA and the challenges players face.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!Our guests join from:Raising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCAnd contributing writers for The Blazing Musket Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The World Cup draw is on the horizon next month and this just completed round of qualifiers has the field nearly entirely settled. Who's joining the US, Canada and Mexico? Our in-house international competition reporter, Jake Catanese, is in this week to get us caught up with the entire field. Who's on their way, who's slipped up, who are the shock entrants, will Italy ever qualify again? Jake's here to cover it all.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with the US prep for 2026 and Jakes's coverage, as well as all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for the November Roundtable! The USL playoffs for both the Championship and League One are rolling on with heavy involvement from New England's USL contingent.There's all that and then off the field, North Carolina FC has stopped operating as a USL Championship team for now, with a plan to come back. Texoma FC has self regulated to USL League 2 and Tony Scholes is coming to help the USL get ready for Pro/Rel from the English Premier League.It's a lot discuss and we tackled all of it!Our guests join from:United in Green podcast covering the Vermont GreenFrom the Forest to the Tide podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineRaising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCAnd contributing writers for The Blazing MusketYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution RecapWe hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The MLS playoffs are in full swing and providing some great games and drama, while those eliminated going into the dark winter of the off season. It's an interesting time for MLS, as it almost always seems like it is. The playoff format is loved by some, hated by other, the Apple TV deal continues to divide opinion, teams are spending more than ever before but is it enough?There's always so many talking points around MLS and we have Ben Wright with us this week from SixOneFive Soccer and Backheeled.com to share his thoughts and find out how you can share yours!You can find Ben's on SixOneFiveSoccer.com, Backheeled.com and on BlueSky.And don't forget to take the MLS End of Season Fan Survey!!If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The New England Revolution's second team just completed a successful 2025 season, rebounding from a disappointing 2024 season. That was the ultimately failed goal of the first team in 2025, what led Revs II to a playoff appearance? Josh covers Revs II in more depth than anyone else on earth and he's here to give us the lowdown on the team's success, key players, who could help the first team in 2026 and beyond and how they might position themselves for future success.If you're a Revs fan, checking in on the second team as the long off season begins is a great way to tide you over until the first team gets its new coach.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with Revs II and Josh's coverage as well as all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After just one phase of four rounds of ticket sales for the World Cup has been completed, affordability has gone out the window for most soccer fans. Getting tickets is just the start, securing travel, hotels and parking present tall hurdles all on their own. And there's many questions over just how welcoming the US will be to the rest of the world, will US fans themselves even be willing and able to travel to games?It's a wild experiment in late stage capitalism's propensity to suck the money and fun out of everything.Luckily, Danny Navarro, better known as TravelFutbolFan, is here with his experience, insight, humor and wise words on how to enjoy soccer in North America next summer.You can follow Danny on BlueSky or check out the website here.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's hard to believe how far Hartford Athletic have come since July, when we last devoted an entire episode to the club. Since then they've invested in their squad, got healthy and got on with winning a Cup, locking in a playoff spot and going 13 straight unbeaten on the road. It's an incredible turnaround for a Club normally associated with being USL bottom dwellers.Chris Behlke, President of The Bonanza, a Hartford supporters group, and Oliver Scholes, who covers Hartford for The Blazing Musket, joined this week to revel in all the good fortune of the last three months. Get caught up on everything Hartford Athletic, just in time for their upcoming playoff appearance.Check out The Bonanza at their tailgate at any Hartford Athletic home game or their website, right here.And be sure to keep with Hartford thanks to Oliver's coverage on The Blazing Musket.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are millions of youth soccer families across the US but only a handful have had the experience of not one but two members of the family becoming professional players. The Buck family is one of those families, with Noel Buck out in San Jose after breaking through with the Revolution, while his brother, Joe, is gearing up for the playoffs with Revs II.What was this journey like, when did Stephen begin to think his boys could make it and how did a family tragedy bring the whole Buck family closer to together? Stephen joined us to talk about it all.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Each month or so, several members of The Blazing Musket and our podcast network get together to talk all the biggest topics affecting soccer in New England. This month we talk about the racism row in Hartford, a big private equity investment in the USL and a general discussion on the fate of coaches.Our guests join from:United in Green podcast covering the Vermont GreenFrom the Forest to the Tide podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineRaising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCAnd contributing writers for The Blazing MusketYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution RecapWe hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sam Lattof pops into the show this week as the playoffs are on the horizon for three of New England's five pro teams. What's in store for RIFC, Portland and Hartford as they wrap up their regular seasons with playoffs expected to follow. And what of the New England Revs, who are officially out of the playoffs for the third year in the last four, what's left for them in 2025? And finally, the Boston Legacy continue to step closer to taking the field in 2026, apparently on grass at Gillette!We'll go through it and get Sam's thoughts on everything to get you ready for the year's most consequential season.You can follow Sam on BlueSky here.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The New England Revolution finally parted ways with head coach, Caleb Porter, after nearly two full seasons of little to no success. It's a momentous occasion that has us breaking new ground once again! Listen in to a special Revolution Recap/Blazing Musket Podcast crossover episode as we discuss Porter's tenure, the fallout and the future of the New England Revolution.You can keep up with Revolution Recap wherever you get your podcasts from!If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The USL Championship and League 1 are headed towards the playoffs, Hartford Athletic are in a Cup final, RIFC and Portland Hearts of Pine are chasing the playoffs and USL expansion is set to continue in 2026. It's all happening and John Morissey of The USL Show and Backheeled.com is here to give us the lowdown on all of it.You can follow John on BlueSky, checkout Backheeled.com and get The USL Show on YouTube.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With John Morissey, co-host of The USL Show and writer for Backheeled.com, having one of the busiest schedules of anyone covering the USL, we're putting the main show out on Friday morning this week. And recording it live on YouTube on Thursday night!Today's show is a quick one from Thomas, taking some time to share appreciation to all of you loyal listeners and our great guests, highlight some shows you may have missed this summer, a super quick preview of the USL Cup semi-finals tonight and some other general rumblings.Enjoy Thomas' one and only monologue since the show started (thank goodness for that!) and make sure to catch us live on The Blazing Musket YouTube channel Thursday night at 6:30.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Summer of 2025 may just be ending but the USMNT only has a handful of games remaining between now and next summer's World Cup. Only friendlies await the team between now and then and everyone following the team seems to have a different opinion on how everything should be going. Donald stops by to give us his takes on the importance of the fall friendlies, a review of 2025's results so far and all the narratives surrounding the team being fueled by past and present players.You can keep up with Donald as the World Cup approaches on BlueSky and be sure to checkout Stars and Stripes FC's site for more on the USMNT as well.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the August roundtable and there's a lot to talk about! Vermont Green are USL League 2 National champions, Hartford are in a playoff position, RIFC and Hartford are in Cup semi-finals and the Portland Hearts of Pine are in search of a playoff berth. How is it all going to shake out for these teams a summer turns to fall?We also talked about how teams must deal with the reality of being a selling team, just a cog in the global soccer market and how teams should approach building their rosters each year.Our guests join from:United in Green podcast covering the Vermont GreenFrom the Forest to the Tide podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineRaising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCAnd contributing writers for The Blazing MusketYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution RecapWe hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Both the Boston Legacy and New England Revolution's stadium plans are impacting the Boston Mayor's race between Mayor Wu and challenger, Josh Kraft. It's made for an interesting summer in Boston as the 2026 World Cup is on the City's horizon. Hayden Bird is working and living in the center of it all and he stopped by to share his thoughts on how both stadiums are developing, the political theater around it all, how Boston is getting ready for next summer, and a bit about his work and love of soccer.You can find Hayden's Rev coverage on Boston.com and follow him on BlueSky. If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ben Clements has spent his summer covering USL League 2 for us here at The Blazing Musket while also doing play by play in the same league for the Boston Bolts. Before he heads off to Syracuse this fall, he joined the show to talk all about his experience, how he started down this path and why he's so excited about soccer in New England (Revs aside).You can keep up with Ben's work on his Instagram page!If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jackie covers the Boston Legacy for us here at The Blazing Musket and has had an incredible busy summer keeping up with all their moves for 2026. The Legacy has put a GM, coach and players in place, added an owner, changed playing venues for 2026 and more in recent months.If you haven't been keeping up with all, we've got you covered!You can follow Jackie on BlueSky and check out her coverage of Boston Legacy on The Blazing Musket.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back for July's roundtable to catch up on how RIFC, Vermont Green, Hartford Athletic and Portland Hearts of Pine's seasons are going so far. We also talked about El Clamico heating up, supporters groups role in bringing the atmosphere to games but also keeping the peace, welcoming our Canadian brethren to the US for soccer tournaments and how the USL could show MLS how an All Star Game should be done!Our guests this month:Mike from United in Green a podcast covering the Vermont GreenShawn from The Blazing Musket and From the Forest to the Tide podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineMatt from Raising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCNathan from The Blazing MusketYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution RecapWe hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason Davis is back! He checked in to talk about what he's been covering on his US soccer focused show, Morning Kickaround. We talked about overwhelming amount of soccer to watch this summer, continued expansion in the USL, the return of the New York Cosmos, NISA's revival and much more. Jason brought his unique perspective and insight from decades following soccer in this country and what's it like to live soccer 24/7.You can follow Jason on BlueSky and checkout Morning Kickaround on YouTube if you haven't already.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been an often challenging experience to support Hartford Athletic, a team that has rarely found success on the field in its history. Chris Behlke is the President of The Bonanza, one of Hartford's supporters groups. It's a group that's been through a lot, has voiced and protested their displeasure in recent weeks but through it all has found ways to enjoy soccer together.We talked about the groups formation and growth over the years, what they'd like to see from Hartford, their relationship with the team and the experience on game day.You can checkout The Bonanza's website and find them over on BlueSky.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Victor Matheson is the sports and gambling economics professor at The College of the Holy Cross and an avid soccer fan. He's also a soccer referee who's called games at the pro and international level. He brought his wealth of knowledge and passion on the shifting landscape of college sports, the effect of gambling in sports, what's it like reffing the beautiful game and more!It was an engaging conversation and the perfect guest to kick the show back into gear after our summer break!You can follow Victor on BlueSky and read more about him in this feature story from Holy Cross Magazine.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our crew of writers and podcasters got together to talk about how New England soccer is doing as summer arrives.We focused this month on discussing the role of the teams, leagues, their sponsors and supporters groups in the current challenging situation in our country. Should teams and leagues do more to speak out against the actions of ICE? What enables the Vermont Green to openly support climate, social and immigrant justice while the New England Revolution do nothing more than tokenism?It was an engaging and important discussion about how what's happening outside the stadium sometimes comes inside the stadium.Our guests this month:Mike from United in Green a podcast covering the Vermont GreenShawn from The Blazing Musket and From the Forest to the Tide podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineMatt from Raising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution RecapWe hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's hard to keep track of all the soccer tournaments, leagues and qualifiers going on this summer. In the midst of it all is CONCACAF's Gold Cup tournament featuring the top teams from North and Central America, the Caribbean and even a sportswashing entry from Asia!Jake Catanese is more prepared than anyone we know for this tournament and he's here to walk us through the groups, the key talking points and how he thinks it'll shake down over the next month as part of his excellent work for The Blazing Musket.You can follow Jake on X.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with the Gold Cup and all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever since fascism first took power in Italy in the 1920s, soccer clubs, players and their supporters have found ways to resist against it. Chris Lee covers the whole history of that struggle in his book, The Defiant, and joined us to talk all about it.Chris has written two other books and maintains a site called Outside Write that as self-described, "avoids talking on-field matters, we’re about travelling the world, and learning new things from clubs and the people we meet on the way. We get under the skin of football culture and history.”.You can follow Chris and Outside Write on BlueSky or their site.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a disappointing Nations League setback, that the saw the US men lose both the semi-final and third place game, the Gold Cup awaits. It's a last opportunity for competitive games for the US before the 2026 World Cup, which the US is already qualified for as hosts.There's plenty to talk about, be it team selection, who needs to perform this summer, is head coach, Mauricio Pochettino, fully committed, is he the right person to lead this team?Jonathan's got thoughts, opinions and insight on it all!You can follow Jonathan through the Gold Cup and World Cup on BlueSky.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Valair Shabilla, from SixOneFive Soccer, joins us to talk about La Brigada De Oro's recent decision to stop attending Nashville SC home games. They have done so not as a protest but out of fear of being targeted by heavy handed ICE activity that has been prevalent in the Nashville area. Immigrants or people who simply look like immigrants have had places of gathering targeted by ICE operations wherein due process and decency towards fellow humans has been put to the side.Valair tells us all about the current situation and also the history and significant role La Bragada plays at Nashville's home games. We both talk about how this situation and many others like it around the country have effected us and how almost all of us here in the US were immigrants at some point.As much as we might like to stick to soccer, this is a situation that can't be ignored.You can keep up with La Brigada and Nashville SC on SixOneFive Soccer and you can follow Valair on BlueSky as well.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Blazing Musket Podcast's roundtable show is back for the month of May!Our crew of writers and podcasters got together to talk about how each of New England's pro teams and it's most beloved amateur teamWe discussed:How all the teams are doing so far this yearWhat to look forward to from each team in the next monthPromotion and relegation debateThe stadiums for each team are all up and running, who's delivers the best experience on game day?It was a great, humorous, wide ranging discussion of all that's going on with the Vermont Green, Portland Hearts of Pine, Rhode Island FC and Hartford AthleticOur guests this month:Mike from United in Green a podcast covering the Vermont GreenShawn from The Blazing Musket and From the Forest to the Tide podcast covering Portland Hearts of PineJason from Raising Anchor a podcast covering Rhode Island FCNathan from The Blazing Musket covering Hartford AthleticYou can find all these podcasts on The Blazing Musket as part of our podcast network along with Revolution RecapWe hope you like this episode and be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review if you do wherever you get your podcasts from! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This past Sunday saw the Portland Hearts of Pine play their first game in their home stadium in Portland after three memorable nights up in Lewiston, Maine. Thomas is joined by Sam Minton to talk about the first night and Thomas had some insight of his own with his trip up to Fitzpatrick Stadium a few days before the opener. We also have an interview Portland's head coach, Bobby Murphy, who shared some insight into how he prepares for each game.If you're enjoying the show be sure to like, subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts from!To keep up with all the soccer in New England, head over to The Blazing Musket! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.