The Assist USL Championship

On this week's episode of The Assist, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC forward Russell Cicerone joins the program to discuss the club's remarkable form and ambitions for the season. Cicerone touches on his time with Michigan Bucks, his entry into the professional ranks and development in Portland, plus his move to the midwest for stints with Cincinnati and Saint Louis. The Michigan native then expounds upon what brought him to the Steel City, how the well-oiled engine that is Riverhounds SC keeps running, and what his focus is from the dog days of August to the Playoffs in November.

In this episode of The Assist, El Paso Locomotive FC standout Dylan Mares joins the program and discusses everything from USL Academy to playing opportunities for youth, his journey to professional soccer, what brought him to El Paso and why the Locomotive Train is running as well as it is near the halfway mark of the 2021 Championship season. Mares explains in detail his thoughts on player participation, why more clubs need to model what El Paso's structure looks like, and why soccer's collective growth even in a short period of time is only a good sign of more things to come in the near future.

After one of the hottest starts to a season in Championship history, Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC forward Hadji Barry joins the show! Named June's Player of the Month and having tallied 13 goals and 3 assists in 13 appearances so far, Barry jumps on to discuss his decision to join Switchbacks FC in the offseason, playing at new downtown stadium Weidner Field and life under new Head Coach Brendan Burke.

Barry also reveals a heartwarming gameday ritual involving his mom, shines the spotlight on some of his teammates in a quick fire Q&A, and looks down the road to what's ahead for Switchbacks FC to close the show.

In the first edition of the new The Assist, Orange County SC's Brent Richards joins the show to talk growing up in Washington State, his move to Reno and year to date with OCSC, who are off to a flying start so far in the 2021 season. The defender expands on the change to Southern California and previews what's ahead as he briefly touches on what could be possible after hanging up the boots.

With Kelsi Steele's departure from the USL, the hosts sign off one last time on the final episode of Steele Some Time LIVE from the USL offices in Tampa. While Steele Some Time has come to close, Scott teases what's ahead for the future of the USL podcast as the two recap the show's three seasons.

The pair also discuss Week 9 action across the Championship and look ahead to Week 10, before sharing their favorite show memories ahead of Kelsi's goodbye. Stay tuned to USL channels as a revamped version of the podcast makes its debut in the next few weeks!

In this week's episode of Steele Some Time, hosts Kelsi Steele and Scott Stewart discuss a dominating win for Phoenix and an impressive comeback in Tampa Bay, while not ignoring the Charlotte Independence's major turnaround to beat Hartford Athletic in the final ten minutes of Sunday's contest. The pair also talk through the potential of New Mexico United's attack, but with one goal in its last three matches, question when the fruits of that firepower will be seen.

Looking ahead to Week 9, Kelsi and Scott touch on Indy Eleven's game against Pittsburgh on Tuesday to open up USL on ESPN, before a Wednesday (that looks like Saturday) and a massive weekend which carries with it major divisional impact. A six-point week for Louisville could see it restore its lead at the top of the Central Division (pending results elsewhere), while a major opportunity is presented to both New Mexico and San Antonio in the Mountain Division… but who will take it?

All this and more in Season 3, Episode 8 of Steele Some Time.