We're back! After a multiple-week holiday excursion to Puerto Rico[1], the Soccer Eagle is back (feeling slightly hungover and little chubbier) and very ready to fly high above the world of American soccer. The first newsletter of 2026 focuses on a unique soccer situation brewing in Dallas,
trinity rodman
Here are things we know. Trinity Rodman wants to continuing playing for the Washington Spirit. The Washington Spirit would happily pay Trinity Rodman an amount commensurate with her talent to continue to play for the Washington Spirit. The NWSL thinks this is a bad idea. The saga of Rodman'
morning kickaround
As of right now 21 different new clubs are slate to launch within the next two years. 21! It's worth asking if all of them will hit the field as currently planned, but they all exist in some form and are engaged in the process of building towards their first competitive matches.
usl
North Carolina FC is shutting down. Or going on hiatus. Or entering suspended animation ahead of the United Soccer League's planned launch of a first division soccer league in 2028. Whatever the words, the effect is the same: An established American soccer club will stop playing matches with
MLS
These things happened last week: MLS trumpeted a bunch of numbers with some transparently self-serving framing.[1] Michael Wilbon said he wouldn't put Lionel Messi and the MLS Cup playoffs on any of this three TVs.[2] John Muller dropped a piece at The Guardian about Messi'
la liga
The Eagle is back. I needed a week to do some pretty intense video editing (I mean intense for me, since I'm by no means an expert) on something we produced for Morning Kickaround. If you're interested, have watch of our item on the big questions
USMNT
This is one of those weird weeks when a bunch of stuff in the personal life and a bigger helping of work (that I myself created) conspired to make it nearly impossible to do a fully fleshed out newsletter. But f**k it, let's see if I can
USMNT
It's October, and you know what that means. Falling leaves. Pumpkin spiced everything. My birthday. And a FIFA date featuring US men's national team games against Ecuador and Australia. It's questionable what we'll learn from the 180 minutes of soccer the American
culture
We're back and this time, I've got a friend. As a man once dubbed the "Soccer Eagle" who then turned that nickname into a running bit that I've now revived for this extremely serious weekly newsletter/brain dump on the sport of
USMNT
Hi! So I'm back. Apologies for the interruption in regular service here at Soccer Eagle—my trip and broadcast schedule in Albuquerque for last week's big Meow Wolf Night show for New Mexico United's annual collision of art and soccer prevented me from squeezing
morning kickaround
The newsletter takes on a slightly different look this week, thanks to a bit of a time crunch at the Soccer Eagle home office. Why is there a time crunch, you are surely asking? Because Morning Kickaround, the thrice-weekly webshow I'm doing on YouTube with Rob Kerr is
USMNT
USMNT roster time is a truly special time in the world of American soccer. Nothing brings out the angst and self-loathing quite like the naming of fewer than two dozen players to represent our aspiring soccer nation, regardless of the stakes. It's probably more indicative of our psychosis