Erik Bergrud from the Kansas City Comets broadcast team and Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal recorded the third episode of The Blue Turf for the 2023-24 season. The Comets have a win over the rival Milwaukee Wave and looked good doing it. We discuss the game, who stood out, where the team still needed to improve, and what we can look f…

It was an ugly end to a beautiful story this season for Sporting KC. We're back at it again with a quick reactions pod immediately following the 1-0 loss in Houston. But we wanted to create a safe space to vent and work through this. So Thad tries to walk us through the five stages of grief... although it might be too early for stage five. The hand…

Erik Bergrud from the Kansas City Comets broadcast team and Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal recorded the second episode of The Blue Turf for the 2023-24 season. We talk about who is in camp, the new faces, and the returning players. Also a look at the difference in styles between last year and this. Which positions are set and which n…

Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal is joined by Daniel Sperry from the KC Star for a new episode of Keeping Current with Kansas City. With the expansion draft coming up in the middle of December, the expansion teams (Utah Royals and Bay FC) are making trades to start their rosters. The biggest carrot the expansion sides have to entice te…

We start off with the US Men's National Team and their embarrassing loss at Trinidad & Tobago. Sergino Dest picked up an all-timer red card and Gregg Berhalter came to his defense after the game. Plus we talk about an exciting few years to come for soccer in America. Sporting KC are facing off with a Houston Dynamo team they beat two months ago. We…

Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes joins Thad Bell from the KC Soccer Journal in this episode of One Shots. Vermes talks about the 2023 season. It was a rough start, a very rough start. Vermes reveals his thoughts on fans wanting him out, his confidence in the team and if he ever doubted himself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/a…

Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal is joined by Daniel Sperry from the KC Star for a new episode of Keeping Current with Kansas City. The big news was a trade between the Current and Bay FC sending Alex Loera from KC to Bay FC. Kansas City received $175,000 and protection from Bay selecting a player in the expansion draft. This would hav…

Round 1 of the MLS Cup Playoffs is (finally) complete. What do you think of the format so far? We'll wait for your answer... because the next round is still almost two weeks away. Vermes puts an end to any Antoine Griezmann "rumors". Did the "Vermes Out" pressure on the club force the changes that turned the season around? We don't talk about the c…

Erik Bergrud from the Kansas City Comets broadcast team and Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal recorded the first episode of The Blue Turf for the upcoming season. We talk about who is in camp, the new faces, and the returning players. Also a look at the difference in styles between last year and this. Which positions are set and which n…

We brought in a HOARD of KC Soccer Journal voices to help celebrate Sporting KC's 2-1 win over sT. lOuIs CiTy Sc! We re-live the atmosphere inside CMP for the fire capacity crowd, talk about tactics from Peter Vermes, and debate whether or not a three-week is a good thing for this team. S6:E54 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad…

Broadcaster Anna Witte joins Thad Bell from the KC Soccer Journal in this episode of One Shot. Anna calls games for NWSL matches and other leagues around the US. Anna talks about her move to a new area and the opportunities that brings for her before we dive into more specific NWSL topics. With Anna's view from around the league calling games inclu…

STL played their best postseason match in club history, and they were still beaten down 4-1. Sporting KC give Cody the most satisfying sports event he's ever witnessed with a Game 1 win on rival turf. Ndenbe's form on his banger should be the new MLS logo. We relive all the best moments and talk about the tactics from Darth Vermes to allow STL more…

Short staffed on the pod tonight! No Cody, no Robert, no David! Thad is joined by Mike Kuhn to review the win over San Jose in the Wild Card match and take a look at Sporting KC's chances against the cross-state rivals in the next round. What does SKC need to do against St. Louis to win the three-game series? Oh, and Mike rants about the playoff fo…

It is decided! Sporting KC snuck into the 8th seed of the MLS Cup Playoffs following a 3-1 Decision Day win over Minnesota United. Johnny Russell picked up a brace after not practicing all week, George Brett took his shirt off, and Vermes had words for the doubters this season. SKC will face San Jose on Wednesday night at 8:30pm for the chance to p…

Sporting KC can leapfrog into 7th place on the final day of the season with a win at home against Minnesota United... and some help from our Western Conference brethren. Dallas, Portland, and San Jose would all have to win in order to end the season for SKC. We had our correspondent at the Pitch Black event where the 2023 Club Awards were announced…

Thad Bell from the KC Soccer Journal sat down with Stefan Stokic, the new head coach of the Kansas City Comets. Stokic and the Comets held an open tryout, have signed and re-signed players and are busy planning for the new season. Stokic talks about what it means to be the head coach of Kansas City, the mentality he expects from the Comets, and som…

Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal is joined by Daniel Sperry from the KC Star for a new episode of Keeping Current with Kansas City. They break down the recent win by the Current over the Chicago Red Stars. It was an explosion of offense on fan appreciation night and the last game at Children's Mercy Park. It was a disappointing season …

Sporting KC got a big win at Real Salt Lake to keep their postseason hopes alive. They can still possibly jump ahead of three teams and into 7th place. But do they deserve it? It seems there are some fans who would like to see SKC miss the playoffs again with the idea this would put pressure on ownership to force changes. But how much truth is ther…

We take a deep dive into the MLS Western Conference standings and preview the RSL game this weekend. It's BIG night in Major League Soccer. SKC have the night off on Wednesday but it won't come without stress. We'll tell you which games to watch and what we want to happen as the season closes out. S6:E48 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit mega…

Literally everybody lost. Sporting KC embarrassed again in STL. The KC Current inch closer to elimination. And Benny Feilhaber's SKCII lost to Austin in the first round of the playoffs after choosing their own opponent. Cody was too scared to even watch the SKC game. S6:E47 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

Sporting KC kept themselves in the MLS playoff race with a hard fought 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo. Nobody was perfect, but everyone played a part in securing all three points while down a man. Jake Davis, Logan Ndenbe, & Tim Melia all came up big. Surprisingly, Khiry Shelton also put in a good shift in place of Daniel Salloi. Did Johnny Russel…

It was a wild game as Sporting KC pulled off a 1-0 win in Minnesota to keep their playoff hopes alive. Now sitting just below the playoff line. We cover what it means in the standings and the playoff outlook for the final five games of the season. Cody finally rants about Andreu Fontas. S6:E45 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad…

It's a Puli-pod! Sporting KC & Alan Pulido have signed what has to be the largest contract in club history... but we don't hear anything about that. Is three years too long? We dive into the possible ways to structure this deal, and the potential of a 35-year-old taking up an important DP slot in 2026. Pulido has appeared in less than half of all S…

Sporting KC has a big chance to secure three points and put themselves above the playoff line with a 3-2 loss to Inter Miami. Lionel Messi was absent and it was there for the taking. But two moments of lapses in judgement doomed SKC. Mistakes from last week needed correcting which lead to the Top 5 MLS Teams You Forget About. We look at the tactics…

As part of a series getting to know coaches better. Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal sits down with Kansas City Current interim head coach Caroline Sjöblom. This interview took place in late August. Coach Sjöblom talks about how she went from playing to coaching, some of her coaching influences, a fun quick description of her assistant…

As part of a series getting to know coaches better. Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal sits down with Kansas City Current assistant coach Lucas Rodriguez. This interview took place in late August. Coach Rodriguez talks about his favorite player now that Messi is in the United States, spicy food, and more. In this series, we talk with KC …

As part of a series getting to know coaches better. Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal sits down with Kansas City Current assistant coach Lee Nguyen. This interview took place in late August. Coach Nguyen talks about how he went from playing to coaching, some of his coaching influences, coaching women, his perceptions of Kansas City now …

As part of a series getting to know coaches better. Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal sits down with Kansas City Current goalkeeping coach Lloyd Yaxley. This interview took place in late August. Coach Yaxley talks about how he went from playing to coaching, some of his coaching influences, coaching a group of talented keepers, and more.…

A big win over STL makes for an extra long episode. So many moments to relive, so many tears to drink. The Top 5 Reasons St. Louis Sucks and David goes all Jewish lawyer on us. The locker room was a party and Jake Davis was getting razzed by his teammates. Alan Pulido is up to 12 goals, two shy of the Golden Boot lead. sT. LOuiS CitY sC looks likes…

Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal is joined by Daniel Sperry from the KC Star for a new episode of keeping Current with Kansas City. The Current played well in the Challenge Cup, finishing first in the Central Division, and earning the second seed in the Challenge Cup knockout round. The hope was that the Current would come out strong i…

Sporting KC smashed San Jose with a three-goal shutout and get a massive confidence boost. Which they need badly with St. Louis City coming to town this weekend. Plus we talk KC Current and the increasingly gross situation with the Royal Spanish Football Federation. When Johnny Russell officially becomes a Sporting KC Legend, that spot of the wall …

Back at it again with another Shades of Blue! This time, Thad, Robert, and David are joined by special guest (and hometown hero), Seth Sinovic. Seth, along with a number of former teammates, are back in town to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the 2013 MLS Cup trophy. The guys ask Seth all the crucial questions from that 2013 run: did the MLS C…

Lionel Messi has already won a trophy with Inter Miami after a 10-round, penalty kick thriller over Nashville SC in the Leagues Cup Final. This show had a lot of animosity towards this tournament, but it officially won us over. There are ways to improve this going forward, but with the help of the best player of all time, the Leagues Cup was a mass…

Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal is joined by Daniel Sperry from the KC Star to talk about the Kansas City Current. The Current finished first in the Central Division and they are the second seed in the Challenge Cup knockout round. While the Current have performed well in the Challenge Cup, they have a tough road to make the playoffs.…

If the reporting is to be trusted, Alan Pulido is set to sign a new deal to return with Sporting KC. The deal would double his current salary $4.4 million. A hefty price to pay for an aging, injury prone player. On this episode of Shades of Blue, we look at the logic of bringing back the Mexican striker. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush…

After the US Women's National Team crashed out of the World Cup by way of penalty kicks, it's become clear PK's are stupid. How do we fix it? Old school MLS style shootouts? Set pieces? The Americans dominated Sweden in regulation. The first shot on goal from the Swedish side was in the 85th minute. But they let us down with some ugly kicks from th…

Whoever doubted the Leagues Cup!? Sporting KC advanced out of a very difficult group featuring the two current best teams in MLS and Liga MX. And they did it with a very impressive 1-0 win over Chivas, while missing their start striker. We hear all the accents with postgame audio from Johnny Russell, Remi Walter, Peter Vermes, and our favorite soun…

Huw Williams joins Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal to review the US Women's National team's draw with the Netherlands at the 2023 World Cup. After a 3-0 win versus Vietnam in the first match of the group stage, Vlatko Andonovski's team played to a 1-1 draw. It was a rematch of the 2019 final against a very good team. The US did not ha…

The loss that was a draw against FC Cincinnati on Sunday was yet another painful result after being in a winning position. It's a trend for Sporting KC for years now, but it's hitting harder this season. SKC has dropped more points from winning positions than anyone in Major League Soccer. Where are you pointing the finger after the latest disappoi…

Huw Williams joins Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal to review the US Women's National team's win over Vietnam at the 2023 World Cup. The first match of the group stage was a 3-0 win for Vlatko Andonovski's team. Sophia Smith led the US Women's National Team with two goals and an assist but was she the best player in the game? Was it a …

Huw Williams joins Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal to preview the US Women's National team at the 2023 World Cup. The first segment is focused on the group stage games and some of the other teams in the World Cup. The second segment was recorded shortly after the World Cup roster was announced. The US is coached by Kansas City residen…

Everyone survived the media game last week without too many bruised egos. David breaks it all down and gives us in-depth analysis for each of us. Sporting KC dropped points that night against RSL. That was before losing 2-1 in Austin on Saturday. Peter Vermes was pretty open with his post-game comments, openly calling out the shot stopping and defe…

Grab a coffee and get your quick Wednesday morning update from Thad and Cody with the first ever 3 Midweek Points! Each week we're dropping a bite-sized update for you to quickly get all your soccer news in one spot. Justice is served - Ferreira gets fined & suspended The Yanks are coming - Women's World Cup kicks of for USWNT on Friday vs Vietnam.…

Sporting Kansas City twice had the lead and twice gave up the equalizer late in each half. David Greenwald, Robert Rusert and Thad Bell talk about the draw with the Houston Dynamo. The lack of offense from anyone not named Gadi or Alan is a topic and the defensive lapses in stoppage time that robbed KC of 3 points. While not affecting the score, th…

With the usual Shades of Blue team scattered with vacations and family obligations, Thad Bell hosted fellow KC Soccer Journal member (and KC soccer historian) Mike Kuhn as well as Daniel Sperry from the Kansas City Star. With Sporting Kansas City bringing Felipe Gutierrez back and the Kansas City Current signing Stine Ballisager Pedersen, we chat a…

We figure out what went wrong in Sporting KC's 1-0 loss to the Chicago Fire. KC has come back down to earth with a 1-2-2 record in the June. Dany Rosero's absence made a big impact in the physical battle on set pieces, as well as with our old friend Kei Kamara. Daniel Salloi has gone quiet the past couple games, and we need more from our star playe…

Thad Bell from the Kansas City Soccer Journal is back with three guests in three segments. Jillian Carroll Letrinko from the KC Current broadcast team is up first with her observations. New contributor Keaton Coad brings her thoughts in the second segment and Daniel Sperry from the KC Star in the third segment. Learn more about your ad choices. Vis…

Sporting KC fell 2-1 at the hands of the defending champs, LAFC, on Saturday night to end a four-game unbeaten run. We start off our conversation on the topic of diving and referees. Daniel Salloi was denied a penalty for staying on his feet. Are referees incentivizing players to dive? We look at the tactics, what went wrong, and Khiry Shelton at r…

We're reflecting on a big week in the world of soccer after the Champions League Final, the Messi news, and a statement performance from Sporting KC to climb back above the MLS playoff line. Robert Castellanos turned in his best ever performance after Cody said he was terrible. Also Tim Leibold: hot or not? Alan Pulido has clicked into gear just at…

The long transfer saga of Lionel Messi, el mejor del mundo, has come to an end. Messi made the announcement himself on Mundo Deportivo, he is coming to Inter Miami and Major League Soccer! A historic day for the beautiful game in our country. Messi turned down a reported $1.6 billion, with a 'b', from Saudi Arabia. MLS had to get "creative" with th…