About this episode

Former USA managers discuss their experiences and insights on American soccer as the country prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

As the United States prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, former USA managers Jürgen Klinsmann, Bob Bradley and Steve Sampson, join host Stu Holden for an unprecedented look behind the curtain of the American soccer machine. The crew dives into the all-time U.S. moments at the World Cup, the high-stakes recruitment of dual nationals, and the heavy burden of making roster cuts that define a nation’s legacy. 0:00 Intro2:42 Getting the call to manage the U.S. Men's National Team7:12 How did Steve Sampson scout players for the national team leading up to the 1994 World Cup?10:19 How important is MLS to developing American players for Bob Bradley?12:38 How did Jürgen Klinsmann juggle being USA manager, technical director and trying to improve MLS?15:26 How did Jürgen Klinsmann manage the USA players leaving Europe for more money in the MLS?17:50 Steve Sampson explains how MLS impacted his player selection for the 1998 World Cup19:10 Bob Bradley sets the record straight on whether a number MLS players are mandated by the federation to be on the roster20:49 How did Jürgen Klinsmann evaluate the talent of the USA player pool?24:14 Bob Bradley describes how the USA can start…

People in this episode

Host: Stu Holden

Guests: Jürgen Klinsmann, Bob Bradley, Steve Sampson

Topics covered

• FIFA World Cup
• American soccer
• coaching
• player development
• roster selection
• dual nationals

Keywords

• USA soccer
• World Cup history
• coaching strategies
• MLS impact
• player selection
• soccer culture

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: USA Men's National Team, MLS

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