For the Glory KC Chad and Sheena Smith

S3E24 - For the Glory KC is back with the 89th episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City have returned to their losing ways, unfortunately. After a hopeful win at home against the Seattle Sounders, they dropped a result to the LA Galaxy 4-2 in California. There were some interesting lineup choices, lots of standing around on the first goal and lots of things to talk about that are pretty negative from the game.

However, was there something to build on? The underlying numbers are actually not that bad. Sporting KC were creating chances, they just didn't finish them. That, sadly, feels like progress from all these games where it felt like they can't even get a decent shot off. The issue is, it's all too late as the season is in the back half and they just lost again.

Unfortunately, we have to talk about the elephant in the room that is Felipe Hernandez. He was suspended for the second time for gambling related violations. It really feels like we'll never see Felipe in a Sporting KC uniform again. The question is, what sort of punishment is he in for? I'd assume he'll not be allowed to play in Major League Soccer, but how far or wide could a ban/suspension go?

Then we talk about the Peter Vermes interview in the KC Star with Daniel Sperry about the upcoming transfer window. On the pod we try to look long-term since any move will come too late in the season if the team hasn't already gone on a great winning streak. Vermes mentions the need for an attacking midfielder, in somewhat of a contrast to what Mike Illig said last week about needing a winger and a central defender.

The Kansas City Current unfortunately couldn't carry Kansas City soccer this weekend settling for a 2-2 draw to the Chicago Red Stars. It led to a discussion about rivalries in the NWSL. It sort of feels like the only rival the Current have right now, is the referees.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few other topics, including:


SKC II lose
Camille Ashton found a new, very similar, NWSL job
SKC injury updates for Salloi, Remi and Rosero
A KC Current injury update for Vanessa DiBernardo
Lots of US Soccer news
and Pitchside Coffee by several KC Current players

Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):


Sporting KC lose again - 4:41
Felipe Hernandez suspended - 27:41
Vermes gives a transfer update - 44:01
KC Current draw at home - 58:05
Digital Crawl - 1:07:22

Upcoming Schedule:


Sporting KC vs. Real Salt Lake - Wednesday, June 19th @ 7:30 PM CT
Sporting KC at Columbus Crew - Saturday, June 22nd @ 6:30 PM
KC Current at Portland Thorns - Sunday, June 23rd @ 3:00 PM
Sporting KC II at St. Louis City II - Sunday, June 23rd @ 6:00 PM

We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation.

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.


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S3E23 - For the Glory KC is back with the 88th episode of the show! 

Sporting Kansas City ended the streak! For the second straight season (let's not make it three, please) Sporting KC ended a 10-game winless run with a victory over the Seattle Sounders. This time, it was seven straight losses, so a win was a massive relief.

The question is, can Sporting KC sustain this success? They got the game winning goal against a 10-man Seattle side and their expected goals (xG) was actually lower than Seattle's. Then again, confidence can do wonders. The release of emotions from the players both on and off the field showed how much it meant to all of them.

The victory comes on the same day that Sam McDowell put out a fantastic story in the KC Star about a sit-down interview with managing owner Mike Illig. Mike, son of Cliff Illig, told Sam that he had no plans to fire Peter Vermes and wanted him to run a rebuild over the next three transfer windows (through the summer of 2025).

Infamously, Peter Vermes signed a five-year contract extension after missing the playoffs in 2022 that just kicked in this year. He's signed through the 2028 season, and it always sort of felt like they wouldn't pay him for four-and-a-half years of nothing, plus pay another coach.

Sheena and I weigh in on the story, Peter handling the rebuild, the targeted positions of center back and winger (no midfielders?) this summer. Fontas and Russell are probably approaching the end of their SKC careers, so replacing them makes sense. Ignoring the midfield is concerning though.

Before listening, I encourage you to read the whole story over at the Star.

We also address the rumor that Robert Castellanos has interest from Chivas (Liga MX).

And the Kansas City Current just keep winning! This time 5-2 at home over the Seattle Reign to climb back to the top of the NWSL standings. There were new starters, new goal scorers, a testing of the team's depth and the return of orchestrated celebrations by captain Lo LaBonta.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few other topics, including:


SKC II keep winning
Important moments for Pulskamp and Russell
Gianluca Busio gets promoted
Two more coaches are fired in MLS
and an NWSL attendance record

Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):


Sporting KC defeated the Sounders(again) - 7:21
Vermes’ job is safe - 25:16
Robert Castellanos Transfer Rumor - 47:47
KC Current crush the Reign - 55:43
Digital Crawl - 1:09:53

Upcoming Schedule:


USA U-23s vs. Japan, Tuesday, June 11th @ 7:00 PM CT
USMNT vs. Brazil, Wednesday, June 12th @ 6:00 PM
Sporting KC II at Real Monarchs, Wednesday, June 12th @ 6:00 PM
Euros 2024 Starts Friday at 2:00 PM - Germany vs. Scotland
KC Current vs. Chicago Red Stars, Friday, June 14th @ 7:00 PM
Sporting KC at LA Galaxy, Saturday, June 15th @ 9:30 PM

We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation.

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.


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E22 - For the Glory KC is back with the 87th episode of the show! And it's a controversial one.

Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):


Media Game - 3:46
Sporting KC Lose Two More Games - 10:54
Is it Time for Peter Vermes to Go? - 41:25
Digital Crawl - 1:35:25

We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation.

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.

Upcoming Schedule:


SKC II @ Minnesota United 2 - Sunday, June 2nd @ 6:00 PM CT
USWNT vs. Korea Republic - Tuesday, June 4th @ 7:00 PM
SKC II vs. Houston Dynamo 2 - Friday, June 7th @ 6:00 PM
Sporting KC vs. Seattle Sounders - Saturday, June 8th @ 7:30 PM 
KC Current vs. Seattle Reign - Sunday, June 9th @ 5:00 PM


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S3E21 - For the Glory KC is back with the 86th episode of the show! 

Sporting Kansas City have extended their losing streak to five games. But before we get to the bad results, they did have a good result this week. They did what a Major League Soccer team should have done and downed FC Tulsa, a second division foe, 4-0 in the US Open Cup. That sets Sporting KC up to play FC Dallas in the quarterfinal where they only need three more wins to lift a trophy in an otherwise abysmal year.

While Sheena sneaks some negativity in that Open Cup conversation, we do eventually switch gears to talk about the 2-1 loss to the Portland Timbers on the road. The "starters" were all back except Remi Walter, who was replaced by the goal scorer Memo Rodriguez. The game went poor from a chance creation perspective, results perspective, and an injury perspective.

Erik Thommy appeared to pull his hamstring and had to sub out early and then Memo Rodriguez picked up a suspension for yellow card accumulation. That led to a conversation of what the midfield could possibly look like against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Wednesday. I think it's time for an SKC II loan over playing someone out of position.

The Kansas City Current did what they often do and kept winning! This time in the first ever meeting against the Utah Royals. Despite the win, it wasn't all good news as Gabby Robinson went down with an injury and we fear the worst.

And of course, we have to talk about the surprise resignation of General Manager Camille Ashton from the KC Current.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few topics, including:


Gianluca Busio on the verge of Serie A again
KC Current have so many international call ups
SKC Academy have a couple as well
And a clarification on pay "raises and cuts"

Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):


Sporting KC advance in the Open Cup - 7:23
But lose their 5th straight in MLS play - 24:16
Clarification on a new MLS rule - 53:43
KC Current win! - 55:01
Camille Ashton resigns - 1:02:32
Digital Crawl - 1:06:41

Upcoming Schedule:


Sporting KC vs Vancouver Whitecaps, Wednesday, May 29th @ 7:30 PM CDT
USWNT vs. South Korea, Saturday, June 1st @ 4:00 PM (TNT/Max/Peacock)
Sporting KC at Minnesota United, Saturday, June 1st @ 7:30 PM
SKC II at MNUFC 2, Sunday, June 2nd @ 6:00 PM
The KC Current are off for the international break

We recently turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation.

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.


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support

S3E20 - For the Glory KC is back with the 85th episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City keep disappointing us. This time, it was a 3-2 loss on the road against Austin FC. Peter Vermes made a big deal about "effort" and "mentality" after last week's loss against the Houston Dynamo, but the changes to the lineup were minimal.

Sheena and I discuss what we thought was going to happen versus what happened and how things played out. Did the new starters play glorious or did the wrong people find their way to the bench? The only changes were Erik Thommy, Robert Castellanos and Zorhan Bassong staring while Willy Agada, Robert Volder and Tim Leibold found themselves benched. Peter thinks the effort is good though.

Then we couldn't avoid our chance to play Fantasy Sporting Director as the salaries for Sporting KC were released and there are a lot of questionable contracts on the list. Sheena managed to limit the amount of blackmail accusations, but we both have strong opinions about who is being paid too much and just a little on who is underpaid. 

The Kansas City Current couldn't lift us out of the doldrums as they gave up a late lead in an extended amount of stoppage time against Racing Louisville. 112 minutes were played in a 90-minute game, so we look at if that time was justified and what could have been done differently to hold on to the lead. But hey, at least the KC Current are still unbeaten! Plus, a ball almost got into the Missouri River.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few topics, including:


Nashville SC are the first in MLS to fire a coach
SKC II update
Another Marco Reus rumor
Raquino! 
and what is going on with the Tulsa Athletic

Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):


Sporting KC lose yet again - 6:19
SKC/MLS Salaries Released - 27:51
KC Current draw late - 1:05:09
Digital Crawl - 1:21:21

Upcoming Schedule:


Sporting KC vs FC Tulsa, Tuesday, May 21st @ 7:30 PM CDT
KC Current at Utah Royals, Saturday, May 25th @ 9:30 PM
Sporting KC at Portland, Saturday, May 25th @ 9:30 PM 
SKC II off this week

Spotify took away our ads, so we turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation.

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/message
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S3E19 - For the Glory KC is back with the 84th episode of the show!

Sporting Kansas City just keep tumbling. They are down to 12th place in the Western Conference, just a single point ahead of 13th and 14th placed San Jose Earthquakes and the Portland Timbers. They got there with a 2-1 loss to the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night.

Sheena and I set out to try and figure out what is wrong. I have a theory that they actually need to go away from the 4-2-3-1 formation and back to the 4-3-3. Folks get tired of that formation, but the 4-2-3-1 is not working! They haven't won a single game in five tries rolling it out. Let's recap:


We first saw it against the LA Galaxy and blew a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2
Then again against Portland and blew a 3-0 lead to tie 3-3
Lost to Inter Miami in this formation
Tied St. Louis 3-3
Lost to Minnesota United

We talked about the outstanding performances of Memo Rodriguez and a lot of middling performances all around the roster. Peter Vermes agreed in his post-match press conference. There was a lot of discussion around a "change in mentality." Vermes said, "its' not all the guys, it's quite of few of the guys though." He also called the Houston goals "atrocious" and "amateur, at best." And above all else, he said a lot of players lacked effort. There was talk in benching players, suffering and so many other topics in a short seven-minute presser. Daniel Salloi gave some tough interviews in the locker room too. 

We try to figure out who lacked effort and who is going to get benched, and there are a lot of potential candidates. We also discuss briefly the 120-minute win over Union Omaha to advance in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup to face FC Tulsa in the Round of 16.

Thankfully, we still have the Kansas City Current. While they only mustered out a draw Wednesday on incredibly short rest and travel nightmares against Vlatko's former team, the Seattle Reign, they won again on Sunday against the North Carolina Courage.

In the Digital Crawl, we hit a few topics, including:


Espinoza and Zusi are back... sort of.
SKC are the 41st most valuable franchise in the world
And a bunch of other stuff covered in this story
Bia, Chawinga and DiBernardo earn NWSL honors
Neil McGuinness is the new LAFC Technical Director (but SKC only could find Gavin Wilkinson?)
14-year-old Cavan Sullivan is one to watch

Here is a rundown of topics (and approximate start times):


Northern Lights - 1:38
Sporting KC lost at home again - 5:20
Vermes post-game Presser after Houston - 21:59
SKC (barely) advance in the US Open Cup - 43:37
KC Current have another solid week - 50:11
Digital Crawl - 1:04:01

Upcoming Schedule:


Sporting KC at Austin FC, Saturday, May 18th @ 7:30 PM CST
KC Current vs. Racing Louisville, Saturday, May 18th @ 8:30 PM

Spotify took away our ads, so we turned on "Listener Support." Don't feel obligated, but if you have a few spare bucks and are a fan of the pod, we'd appreciate your donation.

Big thanks to Splitter Conspiracy (listen to them here) for our theme music made with the permission of the KC Cauldron.


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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/message
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/fortheglorykc/support