Episode 31: The new USMNT starts to coalesce, and maybe finds a formation! Also, don't miss: Sounders academy chief Marc Nicholls joins the pod

Greg and I wrap up the last USMNT camp and what we learned -- it's quite a bit more positive than our reactions to the games themselves. Then we’ve got an interview with Marc Nicholls, director of player development and academy director for the Seattle Sounders, and we come back with Short Corners at the end.

• 0:30 takeaways from the recent USMNT friendlies and camp: 1) the 4-2-3-1 deserves further experimentation, 2) gotta find McKennie’s role, 3) we’ve got a core of 7-8 near-lock starters now, 4) let's use the next two camps to test new players against the floor, which is set by another 7-8 players we saw in the last two friendlies.
• 46:05 Marc Nicholls, director of player development and academy director for the Seattle Sounders. Their U17 boys won the DA championship last year, they’ve given at least 9 teenagers a USL debut this season and at least 6 Sounders players have been called up to youth national teams in the past few months. We talked about his work, the Sounders’ style of play, the development academy, how they scout out-of-state players and the type of kids they’re looking for. Covered lots of ground.
• 1:34:15 Short Corners: Champions League, MLS East homestretch, U20 Concacaf Championship draw

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Also, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.com