AN AMERICAN GAME

If the history of US soccer is longer than most people realize, so is the history of US soccer fandom. From factory workers cheering from the freezing sidelines on industrial lots in the late 1800s to families in air-conditioned domed stadiums today, wherever the game has been played, fans have watched. And for over a century, US fans have watched their national teams. National team fan support is a window into any country’s soccer culture, so as the US prepares to co-host the World Cup, AN A...

From: Bank of America To: Tom and Kirk Subject: Pre-World Cup screening of SOCCERTOWN, USA And so an adventure began: an invitation to meet up in New Jersey for a screening of our award-winning 2019 documentary, followed by a panel with Tab Ramos, John Harkes, and Tony Meola, whose story we told. Which led to this adventure: our first unscripted episode, where we talk about an incredible night with legends of US soccer, as well as some other highlights from our trip--like catching up with ano...

Last fall, Atlanta was one of our Starting XI of US Soccertowns. As it prepares to host games in the World Cup, Tom and Kirk take a look at how preparations are going in the literal home of US Soccer. Then we re-broadcast the Atlanta section from that Starting XI episode, so tourists (and natives) can get a quick hit of the long history of soccer in the Dirty South. It's only ten minutes, so maybe Mauricio Pochettino can find time to learn about the country he has the privilege of representin...

"History rhymes" is a thing we say a lot, paraphrasing Mark Twain who was also probably thinking about soccer. With the threat of a boycott hanging over this summer's World Cup, we go back 47 years to when the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team qualified for the Moscow Olympics... and then had to stay home. It's another ugly collision of sports and politics, with Iran again playing a major role. Rhymes! It's also an excuse for Tom and Kirk to break out their Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan impressio...

In 2018, when the United States, Mexico, and Canada were selected to co-host this year’s World Cup, it sounded like fun: three friendly democracies throwing the world's biggest soccer party. LOL. LMAO, even. To kick off Season 2 of AAG, Tom and Kirk take a look at our (longer than you think) soccer history with our northern and southern neighbors and put some color back on what’s become a pretty crude, black-and-white picture. Because despite all the recent division, we’re actually more...

If towns make a nation, we think our soccertowns make us a soccer nation. That’s kind of, like, our whole thing–it’s literally the name of the show. In our final episode of Season 1, we play a full 90 minutes (plus added time!) and dig into the deep roots of the game across the United States, from sea to shining sea. If you think we got our lineup wrong, let us know at: soccertownmedia@gmail.com Or hit us up on Instagram @SoccertownMedia Or on Bluesky @soccertownmedia.bsky.social Or wri...

The US victory in the 1999 Women’s World Cup has been called “a tsunami hitting the shore” for women’s soccer in the United States. But the seismic activity that started that wave goes way back to the 19th century. (Surprised? You must be new here.) Tom and Kirk track the long line of women’s soccer that led to an under-appreciated quake: the formation of the very first US Women’s National Team, the 85ers, whose wild week at a tournament in Italy 40 years ago laid the foundation for one of th...

Peep! It's halftime at AN AMERICAN GAME, and we’re in the locker room making "tactical adjustments" (getting ice packs strapped to our bodies while guzzling ibuprofen and Gatorade.) So let's go over to the studio where Alexi- haha, no, where Tom and Kirk give a quick preview of next week's episode, a fun fact about themselves, and a very dignified request to like and/or subscribe to the show if you like and/or don't want to miss it. It's one click. You can do it. See you next week!

Quick: what's the oldest trophy in American sports? Wrong. In Episode 2 of An American Game, Tom and Kirk tell the story of the AFA Cup, first given out 140 years ago (before the Stanley Cup) and, for decades, the top prize in American soccer. But then the Tiffany-designed trophy disappeared -- dropped out of the historical record, along with so much of US soccer. Fortunately, like Indiana Jones in an SUV, Tom tracked it down. If you want to see some of what we’re talking about (and what acto...

A new series from the makers of the documentary SOCCERTOWN, USA about the long and colorful history of American soccer. Tom and Kirk are old friends and former teammates who share a belief that the United States is a soccer nation, and they're going to prove it, one story at a time. Fortunately, Tom is a leading scholar of American soccer and Kirk is a veteran Hollywood screenwriter, so it’s real history that’s fun to listen to.