An American Game Podcast Returns With Season 2 Ahead of 2026 World Cup
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup set to take place in the United States this summer, the timing of the podcast’s comeback feels deliberate—and powerful. Instead of treating the World Cup as the “beginning” of American soccer relevance, the podcast aims to remind listeners that the sport has been woven into the country’s culture for well over a century.
Hosted by Tom McCabe and Kirk Rudell, An American Game is now reframing how American fans understand the sport’s legacy—one episode at a time.
Season 2 Launches With a Bold Message: US Soccer Has Always Been Here
The second season of An American Game premiered yesterday, continuing the hosts’ mission to highlight what they describe as a 150-year soccer history that most American fans were never taught in schools, media, or mainstream sports coverage.
While soccer in the US is often portrayed as a modern phenomenon—rising only after Major League Soccer and international superstars gained popularity—the podcast challenges that narrative directly.
Instead, Season 2 paints a richer picture: America has always had soccer culture, but its stories have been overlooked, erased, or forgotten.
What Is An American Game Podcast About?
An American Game is a biweekly podcast that blends investigative storytelling, sports history, and cultural analysis. It focuses on the people and places that shaped American soccer long before the sport entered the mainstream spotlight.
The podcast argues that the sport’s roots in the United States were built by:
immigrant communities
factory towns
local club systems
regional leagues
youth teams and school programs
working-class supporters
According to the series, American soccer did not begin with modern branding or stadium expansions—it began with communities who lived and breathed the game long before it became “cool.”
Why Season 2 Matters More Than Ever in 2026
The return of the podcast arrives at a time when the US is experiencing its biggest football moment in history.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup being hosted in the United States, global attention will soon focus on American stadiums, American fans, and the country’s football culture.
However, An American Game offers a different perspective: the World Cup isn’t a fresh start—it’s a continuation.
The series positions the 2026 tournament as:
a milestone, not an origin story
a spotlight, not a beginning
a continuation of generations of football tradition
This framing is particularly important because American soccer has often been treated like an “emerging” sport, even though it has existed for decades.
Season 2 Episodes Explore Soccer’s Real American Identity
The new season explores stories that place the United States at the centre of football history long before the modern professional era.
Rather than focusing only on MLS expansion, European transfers, or global icons, the podcast dives into deeper cultural history.
Key themes in Season 2 include:
how soccer developed in industrial towns
the impact of immigrant communities in shaping early US football
cross-border football ties with Mexico and Canada
supporter culture and its evolution over 100 years
debates about professional pathways beyond MLS
Each episode is designed not only to educate listeners, but also to challenge popular assumptions about what American soccer really is.
US, Mexico and Canada: A Shared Football Story Long Before 2026
One of the most anticipated themes in Season 2 is the intertwined football histories of the United States, Mexico, and Canada—a topic that feels especially relevant with all three countries co-hosting the World Cup.
The podcast argues that football culture across North America was never isolated. Instead, it grew through migration, trade, shared communities, and competitive matchups that shaped regional identity.
By highlighting the deep-rooted connections between the three nations, the show offers a reminder that North American soccer history is older and more complex than most people realize.
A Century of Supporter Culture Told Through Five Songs
Another standout element of Season 2 is its creative approach to storytelling.
The podcast dedicates part of its season to exploring 100 years of supporter culture—not through trophies or league tables, but through music.
The show examines the evolution of fan identity through five songs, using them as cultural markers that reflect how football fandom has transformed across generations.
This angle taps into something often ignored in American sports media: soccer is not just a sport, it’s a culture—and culture is shaped by art, community rituals, and shared emotion.
MLS vs USL Debate: The Podcast Challenges Conventional Narratives
Perhaps one of the boldest claims made in the podcast is its discussion around professional football pathways in the United States.
Season 2 reportedly explores the idea that the United Soccer League (USL)—not Major League Soccer—may represent a more authentic pathway for professional football development in America.
This perspective will likely spark debate among fans, analysts, and football executives.
The podcast suggests that USL represents authenticity because of:
closer ties to local communities
grassroots club-building philosophy
regional fan engagement
a structure that feels more aligned with traditional football culture
While MLS remains the top-tier league in the US, the conversation around USL’s role has grown louder in recent years, and An American Game is leaning directly into that cultural tension.
Newark’s Legendary High School Team: A Forgotten Dynasty
Season 2 also shines a spotlight on a story that feels almost cinematic: what the podcast calls the most dominant high school football team in history.
The team was based in Newark, New Jersey, a city long associated with deep immigrant culture and working-class sports traditions.
Though details are still emerging from the season’s episodes, the show positions this Newark squad as proof that elite football history existed in America long before modern academies and youth development systems.
For many listeners, this may be one of the most surprising discoveries of the season.
Who Are the Hosts of An American Game?
The podcast is hosted by two longtime collaborators: Kirk Rudell and Tom McCabe.
Kirk Rudell
Kirk Rudell is an Emmy-nominated and GLAAD Award-winning writer, known for major television credits including:
American Dad!
Will & Grace
His storytelling background brings an entertainment-level polish to the podcast, helping transform historical material into engaging narratives.
Rudell says the goal is simple: to reconnect Americans with a past they never knew belonged to them.
“It’s not that the United States has no soccer history. It’s that we’ve forgotten it,” Rudell explained. “We want to speak to that vast and fragmented U.S. soccer community and show them that they’re part of a much larger story.”
Tom McCabe
Tom McCabe is an award-winning:
teacher
author
filmmaker
He currently teaches soccer history at Notre Dame’s London Global Gateway, giving him both academic credibility and a deep research foundation.
McCabe and Rudell were once college teammates, later working together on film projects through Soccertown Media before launching the podcast.
Their long-standing partnership is part of what makes the show’s tone feel both knowledgeable and personal.
From Documentaries to Podcasting: The Evolution of Soccertown Media
Before launching An American Game, the pair produced two soccer documentaries under the Soccertown Media banner.
That documentary experience plays a major role in how the podcast is structured.
Instead of sounding like a typical sports recap show, An American Game uses:
narrative arcs
historical context
archival storytelling
emotional character-driven reporting
cultural analysis
This is one reason why the podcast has been steadily building credibility among hardcore football fans and casual listeners alike.
Why Many Americans Were Never Taught Soccer History
One of the central arguments of An American Game is that soccer history in the US isn’t absent—it’s missing from mainstream memory.
The podcast suggests that American sports storytelling has long been dominated by narratives around:
American football
baseball
basketball
hockey
Because of that, soccer’s legacy was treated as “foreign,” even though immigrant communities were playing it consistently across American cities for generations.
The result is a strange cultural gap where millions of Americans enjoy soccer today, but don’t realize their own country played a major role in the sport’s growth.
Season 2 aims to correct that.
The Podcast’s Core Mission: Rebuilding a Shared Soccer Identity
At its heart, An American Game is not just about historical trivia.
It is about identity.
The show speaks to what Rudell calls the “vast and fragmented” soccer community in the United States—fans divided by:
MLS vs European club loyalties
national team vs club fandom
regional supporter culture
immigrant community football traditions
generational differences in how soccer is followed
By revisiting forgotten stories, the podcast tries to create a single thread connecting all those groups.
In a year when the World Cup will bring millions of Americans into the sport, that mission feels especially timely.
World Cup 2026: A Turning Point, But Not the Beginning
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will likely be the biggest soccer event ever hosted on American soil, with packed stadiums and global media coverage.
Yet An American Game insists that the World Cup should not be treated as America “finally discovering” football.
Instead, the show argues the World Cup is:
the latest chapter of a long narrative
a moment of recognition for communities that kept soccer alive
proof that the sport has been part of American culture for generations
This reframing may influence how fans view the tournament—not as a new era, but as a historic continuation.
Why An American Game Could Become Essential Listening for US Soccer Fans
With soccer content booming online, podcasts are becoming one of the most powerful ways fans connect with the sport.
What makes An American Game stand out is its ability to blend:
storytelling
education
cultural journalism
investigative research
modern football relevance
For fans preparing for World Cup 2026, Season 2 may offer a deeper understanding of what it means for the US to host the biggest sporting event in the world.
Key Highlights From Season 2 (Quick Summary)
Here are the biggest talking points from the newly launched season:
Season 2 explores:
The forgotten 150-year history of American soccer
How immigrants shaped early football culture
The deep connection between US, Mexico and Canada football history
Supporter culture told through iconic songs
Why USL may represent a more authentic pathway than MLS
The story of a legendary Newark, New Jersey high school team
How football existed in factory towns long before pro leagues
What Fans Can Expect Moving Forward
The show is releasing episodes biweekly, meaning fans will receive fresh installments steadily as the build-up to the World Cup continues.
As the United States prepares for a summer filled with global football energy, the podcast is positioning itself as a guide—not to the future, but to the past that shaped it.
Final Thoughts: A Podcast That Challenges the “New Soccer Nation” Myth
The return of An American Game comes with a timely reminder: American soccer is not new.
It has always existed—played in streets, schools, factories, immigrant neighborhoods, and local clubs long before it was televised or commercialized.
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaches, this podcast is asking fans to see the tournament not as the beginning of a soccer revolution, but as recognition of a culture that has been alive for generations.
For many listeners, Season 2 may feel like a rediscovery of something they never knew they inherited.
