For the Glory KC

Chad and Sheena Smith
For the Glory KC

A Kansas City Soccer podcast covering Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current, SKC II and more! Hosted by Chad and Sheena and co-published on KCSoccerJournal.com.

  1. 5D AGO

    Sporting KC Come Back Down to Earth

    For the Glory KC is back with the 140th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City returned home to a not very warm welcome from the Seattle Sounders. After getting out to a 3-0 lead in the first half, Sporting KC managed to claw their way back and nearly earn a point but ultimately fell 3-2. Kerry Zavagnin made some halftime adjustments, and his strikers went out and earned penalty kicks and drained their chances in the second half. It just wasn't enough to overcome the large deficit. However, during the second VAR review for a PK, Seattle's Nouhou seemingly lost his mind throwing a ball at a fan. That led to an exchange with the referee that will surely land him in further hot water. Outside of that, we break down many of the game's biggest moments, give our thoughts on the lineup and tactics and gush some more over Jansen Miller. Go watch his Behind the Shield. While the SKC game was going on, the KC Current were handling business in the first ever Teal Rising Cup. Despite rolling out a lineup of almost entirely backup players, KC handed Palmeiras a 3-0 loss to advance to the finals of the tournament. They will play Corinthians, who needed extra time to pull off a 1-0 win over the Chicago Stars. The Current game saw the returns of Lo LaBonta and Alex Pfeiffer from injury, and also, I stumbled around on the field at halftime "leading" Team Storm to a 2-0 victory in the media game over Team Heartland. In the Digital Crawl, we also touch on a few more topics, including: A new women's team in KC - KC AstrasUSMNT Gold Cup lossBenny Feilhaber updateHere is a rundown of topics and start times: Chad’s Media Game Glory - 1:16Sporting KC come back down to Earth - 9:57SKC Round-up - 40:25KC Current dominate Palmeiras - 43:34Digital Crawl - 54:43Upcoming Games KC Current vs. Corinthians - Tuesday, July 15th at 8:00PM CDT (ESPN+)SKC II vs. North Texas - Friday, July 18th at 7:30PMSporting KC vs. NYCFC - Saturday, July 19th at 7:30PMAs a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

    1h 2m
  2. JUL 6

    Sporting KC Break a Mile High Streak

    For the Glory KC is back with the 139th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City went on the road and picked up their first win in the Rocky Mountain State since March of 2014. The Colorado Rapids were caught napping early and despite obscenely high expected goals (xG), couldn't find a way back into the match, losing 2-1. The game had its ups and downs, but even with a few down moments, John Pulskamp shined on the night with numerous saves and the game winning assist. Just one more assist this season will tie the single season record for a goalkeeper in MLS. Outside of that, Sheena and I take a closer look at the Kerry Zavagnin era. Counting points only since he took over, the team would be fifth in the Western Conference and even counting the prior Peter Vermes games the team was in 10th at the time of recording. Is it time to lock KZ up as the permanent coach? We also broke down the standout moments of the game, talked about the new Logan Ndenbe injury, Jacob Bartlett's pending suspension and a whole lot more. In the Sporting KC round-up, we catch up on stories for Jack Kortkamp, Daniel Salloi, SKC II and the immense amount of salary budget that's about to open up at the end of the season. Not to be left out, the KC Current had quite a few things going on this week, including a large list of free agents they need to make decisions on. We also discussed Kansas City vying for a WNBA team, the USWNT's victory over Canada, the Claire Hutton goal and the upcoming media game this weekend. Also, if you want discounted tickets to the Teal Rising Cup games and to support #TeamStorm, click here. In the Digital Crawl, we also touch on a few more topics, including: USMNT Gold Cup successThe passing of Diogo JotaHere is a rundown of topics and start times: Sporting KC Break Their Losing Streak in Colorado - 6:30SKC Round-up - 46:59KC Current Free Agent Decisions - 56:36Digital Crawl - 1:09:34Upcoming Games USMNT vs. Mexico (Gold Cup Final) Sunday, July 6th at 6:00PM CDTSporting KC vs. Seattle Sounders - Saturday, July 12th at 7:30PMKC Current vs. Palmeiras - Saturday, July 12th at 8:00PMSKC II at The Town - Sunday, July 13th at 7:00PMAs a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

    1h 17m
  3. JUN 30

    Sporting KC's Salaries and Two Massive Comebacks

    For the Glory KC is back with the 138th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City returned to action for a double game week, but before we get to the games, we have to talk about the MLSPA salary release that included a lot of new numbers for Sporting KC players and a lot of updates to existing players. Needless to say, there are some shocking numbers that are both too high and frankly, too low. After that, we moved to the two games from the week, first tackling the 2-1 come from behind victory over Charlotte FC. The game featured two stoppage time goals, including Mason Toye's first ever for SKC and Dejan Joveljic's hamstring injury/cramp inducing 11th! At the beginning of both sequences, you'll find Manu Garcia pulling the strings. That's despite a nasty head injury he picked up. We also sufficiently got off top with an update to why Khiry Shelton's hair was pink, Wilfried Zaha somehow avoiding a dissent yellow and John Pulskamp heroics. For Real Salt Lake's 1-1 draw against Kansas City, we had to discuss the return of Johnny Russell and William Agada. Including Russell's beautiful (if painful to watch) header and his new haircut. Sheena's favorite topics often have nothing to do with soccer, so Erik Thommy's goal celebration seemed to evolve into the "bowling arrow." Matt Besler also went on the wall and shared some parallels with both Jansen Miller and Jacob Bartlett. The lineup found SKC short-handed and led to the first ever MLS start for 17-year-old Ian James at center back. But no Sporting KC game would be complete without refereeing controversy. While Jake Davis being sent off got a lot of the attention, that actually appeared to be the right call. It was what happened to Davis just before his sending off that left us baffled. How Gozo remained in the game is unbelievable. The KC Current are in their summer break, but they make an appearance in the Digital Crawl with the key re-signing of Michelle Cooper to a long-term deal through 2028. In the Digital Crawl, we also touch on a few more topics, including: USMNT drama against Costa RicaRonaldo's new contractOur Benny Feilhaber updateAnd Kansas City World Cup base camp news, including a story tying England to KCHere is a rundown of topics and start times: New Sporting KC Salaries are out! - 5:26SKC have an epic comeback against Charlotte - 34:13A not quite as complete SKC comeback against RSL - 55:04Digital Crawl - 1:25:22Upcoming Games USMNT vs. Guatemala, Wednesday, July 2nd at 6:00PM CDT (in St. Louis)Sporting KC @ Colorado Rapids, Friday, July 4th at 8:30PM SKC II vs. Portland Timbers 2, Saturday, July 5th at 12:00PMGold Cup Final is Sunday at 6:00PMAs a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

    1h 37m
  4. JUN 23

    In Depth on the KC Current and One Existential SKC Question

    For the Glory KC is back with the 137th episode of the show! The KC Current lead off the show today with Sporting KC taking the weekend off. They played their last NWSL game until August 1st when they welcomed Angel City FC to town this past Friday night. While it was a closely contested match-up, the depleted Kansas City squad was able to put together their sixth consecutive win and stretch their lead in the standings to eight points as of this writing. Angel City, despite being far down the table, were competitive and kept the match close. If not for penalty kick saving heroics by Lorena and possibly a Sarah Gordon cramp, the game may have had a different outcome. We got into all kinds of topics from the game. In addition to game action, we got an update on what the Current will be doing on their upcoming break (outside of the Teal Rising Cup) and covered all their international call-ups for the upcoming international break, including Izzy Rodriguez's first call by the full USWNT. Sporting Kansas City didn't play this weekend, so we just ask one question about them. What is your hope for the rest of their season? Sheena and I gave somewhat different answers and got into a debate about the quality of the roster. In particular around Daniel Salloi and Shapi Suleymanov. We both agreed they need to make moves and the secondary transfer window opens July 24th. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few more topics, including: Benny Feilhaber wins!USMNT advance in the Gold CupWorld Cup QualifyingHere is a rundown of topics and start times: KC Current keep winning - 9:40One existential Sporting KC question - 51:17Digital Crawl - 1:04:33Upcoming Games Sporting KC vs. Charlotte FC, Wednesday, June 25th at 7:30PM CDTUSWNT vs. Ireland, Thursday, June 26th at 8:00PMSKC II at Austin FC II, Friday, June 27th at 7:30PMSporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake, Saturday, June 28th at 7:30PMUSWNT vs. Ireland, Sunday, June 29th at 2:00PMUSMNT Gold Cup Quarterfinals next Saturday or SundayAs a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

    1h 9m
  5. JUN 16

    A Game of Misfortunes

    For the Glory KC is back with the 136th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City have lost back-to-back games for the first time in the Kerry Zavagnin era. While results haven't been perfect, it's a testament to how much better this team is. Against FC Dallas, it felt like an opportunity to avoid this very result as Dallas entered the game on a six-game winless streak. And it really felt like Sporting KC were the better side on the night. At least until things went off the rails. Referee Sergii Demianchuk had an outsized impact on the game. Sheena and I get into the dicey officiating on the night and if we thought the right calls were made. A lot was made of the Khiry Shelton red card, but that may have actually been one of the more accurate calls.  The first yellow, who knows based on the broadcast. But the second, Khiry cannot make that challenge. There was a lot of poor calls though, and a lot of bad replay work. Sheena also made it out to Children's Mercy Park for the first time in 2025 and she brought some newbies. Sheena gives her breakdown on the atmosphere and the view from the South Stand. We also round-up a bunch of SKC stories, including Zorhan Bassong going back on national team duty, updates on Gianluca Busio, Benny Feilhaber, Johnny Russell and more. The KC Current won their fifth straight and their 10th of the season on the back of three goals in the first 19 minutes that would prove too much for Racing Louisville to overcome. We also update what we know on Lo LaBonta's injury and the final results of HB Koge's season in the Danish league. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few more topics, including: A new soccer facility in KCThe NWSL Final gets a locationUSMNT resultsHere is a rundown of topics and start times: Sporting KC lose a controversial game against FC Dallas - 4:51SKC Round-up - 42:00KC Current win and a Lo update - 53:13Digital Crawl - 1:04:44Upcoming Games USMNT vs. Saudi Arabia, Thursday, June 19th at 8:15PM CDTKC Current vs. Angel City FC, Friday, June 20th at 7:00PMUSMNT vs. Haiti, Sunday, June 22nd at 6:00PMSKC have the weekend off but play twice the next weekAs a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

    1h 12m
  6. JUN 10

    Jansen Miller Leans Further into his Villain Era

    For the Glory KC is back with the 135th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City came back down to earth this week with a tough loss against Los Angeles Football Club on the road. Things looked bright early when Dejan Joveljic scored his 10th goal of the season off a Manu Garcia assist. But the lead didn't even last until halftime. Calamitous set piece defending led to a 1-1 halftime score and the capper on a bad game for Memo Rodriguez led to the game winning penalty kick for Denis Bouanga. Speaking of Bouanga, despite him having a goal and an assist, Jansen Miller seemed to be in his head. Maybe Bouanga gets the last laugh, but all the victimizing Denis did came at the expense of others, not Miller. Jansen more than held his own against one of the elite players in Major League Soccer. It's wild to say Miller (and frankly Pulskamp again) had good games when three goals went in. But they really did. And the joy Miller clearly gets from hounding attackers was all over his face. Sheena and I also discussed lots of other topics including: the return of Jake Davis from injury, the return of Stephen Afrifa from the bench, Khiry Shelton's ever-changing hair color, a bloody Shapi Suleymanov, who the heck was the captain after Daniel Salloi subbed off and many other topics from the SKC/LAFC game. Before we got to the winning KC team, we also had to talk about the big news that Benny Feilhaber has landed a job with the Oakland Roots of the USL Championship. It's a short-term deal. Is it so he can make sure he's available for the Sporting KC job? The KC Current went out and crushed it again, this time winning on the road against the newly crowned CONCACAF W Champions, NJ/NY Gotham. Michelle Cooper and Temwa Chawinga scored early, but it was the VAR that may have come to their rescue late. The officials seemed to get most things right when overturning Gotham goals, but that Esther goal is a little dicey to change. We also discussed a really good interview Forbes did with Chris and Angie Long along with the new 2,000 seat stadium the KC Current are building at their Riverside complex. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few more topics, including: More SKC II woesUSWNT/USMNT resultsThe Chicago Fire privately funding a new stadiumHere is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC come back to Earth in LA - 7:28Benny gets a job and more in the SKC roundup - 41:25KC Current get a big road win (again) - 49:25Another KC women’s soccer stadium and more in the Current roundup - 55:39Digital Crawl - 1:09:46Upcoming Games USMNT vs. Switzerland - Tuesday, June 10th at 7:00PM CDTKC Current vs Racing Louisville, Saturday, June 14th at 6:30PMSporting KC vs. FC Dallas, Saturday, June 14th at 7:30PMSKC II have 3 weeks offAs a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

    1h 22m
  7. JUN 2

    Pulskamp has Proved Himself as an MLS Starter

    For the Glory KC is back with the 134th episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City went on the road and picked up a massive three points in a statistically defiant weekend. It was their first win in Houston since October 3, 2020. They had been 0-3-3 in their prior six visits in all competitions. The victory also broke a 19-game winless streak when they gave up the first goal in a game. Adding to all of that, Kerry Zavagnin has now been in charge for 10 games and has led his team to an appropriate 4-3-3 record. KZ is now responsible for 15 of the team's 16 points in 2025 and Sporting KC find themselves just four points south of a playoff spot. A big part of this successful run under Zavagnin is the emergence of John Pulskamp as a quality starter in Major League Soccer. Despite getting beat by another goal of the week candidate, he absolutely stood on his head for stretches of the game against the Houston Dynamo. He actually had a career high eight saves, including perhaps the save of the night when he shut down Griffin Dorsey one on one. Going into the season, it felt like a big risk to have three very young goalkeepers. There had been an expectation all offseason that a veteran goalkeeper would be added to a group that was 23, 22 and 17-years-of-age coming into the season. And it is not as if there haven't been growing pains. Sporting KC have allowed 28 goals in league play, but by no means has the defense helped out Pulskamp for large stretches. Personally, it feels like John has saved many shots he shouldn't save, which is supported by him being in the 95th percentile of post-shot expected goals per shot on target. Elite numbers. Elsewhere on the podcast, Sheena and I discuss the comeback by SKC, including a brace from Dejan Joveljic, Santiago Munoz's first goal with Sporting KC, Zorhan Bassong's delightful free kick and header, both of which led to goals and many other moments from the game. However, even with the win, I can't help but bring up the terrible officiating from referee Jair Marrufo. He has a dicey history refereeing Sporting KC games and that didn't change on Saturday. He had numerous questionable calls, which I break down. Perhaps the biggest questionable moment was a miss by Marrufo and the VAR when a handball went uncalled in the box. It wasn't as egregious as the error that may have eliminated SKC from the 2023 playoffs (also against Houston), but it seemed to be a clear handball. The lack of camera angles is an indictment on MLS too. The KC Current made plenty of news. Chris and Angie Long bought their second soccer team when the club announced the purchase of HB Køge Women in Denmark. Lo LaBonta also made her debut with the US Women's National Team, Michelle Cooper started that same game and added an assist and Mary Long and Katie Scott scored for the US U-20 women to qualify for the U-20 Women's World Cup. In another big move, the KC Current announced the Teal Rising Cup. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few more topics, including: St. Louis City fired their coachUS U-20 Men's World Cup Draw and learning about New CaledoniaMexico to co-host 2031 Women's World CupHere is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC win big on the road - 7:09SKC Round-up - 39:30KC Current have a big bye week - 47:02Digital Crawl - 58:32Upcoming Games USWNT vs. Jamaica, Tuesday, June 3rd at 7:00PM CDTKC Current at NJ/NY Gotham, Saturday, June 7th at 12:00PMSKC II at Houston Dynamo 2, Saturday, June 7th at 7:00PMSporting KC at LAFC, Sunday, June 8th at 8:00PMAs a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

    1h 6m
  8. MAY 26

    A Wild Sporting KC Comeback and an Ode to Gadi Kinda

    For the Glory KC is back with the 133rd episode of the show! Sporting Kansas City had a very heavy week. After the unexpected passing of former teammate Gadi Kinda, the team had to try to find a way to host the New England Revolution. It looked grim early as the team fell down 2-0 before staging a wild eight minutes in the second half where they scored three times to take the lead. Ultimately, the Revs stole a goal late to tie it, but the outburst of goals was the loudest I can remember hearing Children's Mercy Park in a very long time. Sheena and I break down key moments from the game from Daniel Salloi's standout performance to Zorhan Bassong lighting a spark in the midfield. Coursing through everything was the weight of Kinda's passing. From the pre-game warm-up tops to the "Gadi" armbands, video memorials, on field tributes and everything in between, his presence was felt in the stadium. We also got an injury update on Jake Davis, who popped back onto the injury report and showed up in a boot on Saturday. Don't worry, he said he doesn't even need it, so it's likely just a precaution. The KC Current continued their winning ways on Saturday night. They went to Illinois and dispatched the Chicago Stars 3-1 behind goals from Bia, Temwa Chawinga and Kayla Sharples. We also had to work through the news of the devastating injuries to Alana Cook and Debinha as well as the unbelievably positive news of Lo LaBonta's first call-up by the USWNT. The podcast also got off the rails more than usual. Did you ever want to know when boxed mac and cheese was invented? Well, we've got you covered for some reason. In the Digital Crawl, we touch on a few more topics, including: Bassong called upSKC II lose againVenezia relegated, is Busio available?Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times): Sporting KC have a wild comeback - 10:52Gadi Kinda - 50:15KC Current win again! - 1:00:09Kansas City Current Injuries and Lo's Call-up! - 1:06:53Digital Crawl - 1:16:45Upcoming Games USWNT vs. China, Saturday, May 31st at 4:30PM CDTSporting KC at Houston Dynamo, Saturday, May 31st at 7:30PMSKC II vs. Colorado Rapids II, Sunday, June 1st at 12:00PMKC Current have a bye (International Break)As a special gift to For the Glory KC listeners and KC Soccer Journal readers, Backheeled dot com is giving away 30 days of their amazing, independent American soccer coverage for free. If you decide you want to turn that into a paid membership, they'll give you 10 percent off too. Just follow this link! Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.

    1h 28m
4.2
out of 5
26 Ratings

About

A Kansas City Soccer podcast covering Sporting Kansas City, the KC Current, SKC II and more! Hosted by Chad and Sheena and co-published on KCSoccerJournal.com.

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