In this episode, Sam Robb O'Hagan and Matt Doherty discuss the upcoming 2026 fall girls soccer season, focusing on team rankings, league comparisons, key players, and the dynamics of talent depth versus star power in NEPSAC and other leagues.

In this episode, we explore the upcoming girls high school soccer season in Connecticut, focusing on team prospects, key players, and the new tournament seeding system. Host Matt Doherty is joined by Sam Robb O'Hagan to provide insights into the competitive landscape and what to expect. They focus on tournament seeding, league strength, and the impact of MLS Next and ECNL on local talent. They analyze team prospects, key players, and the evolving landscape of high school and club soccer.

In this episode, we explore the upcoming boys high school soccer season in Connecticut, focusing on team prospects and key players. Host Matt Doherty is joined by Sam Robb O'Hagan to provide insights into the competitive landscape and what to expect. They focus on league strength and the impact of MLS Next on local talent. They analyze team prospects, key players, and the evolving landscape of high school and club soccer.

In this episode, Matt Doherty welcomes his new co-host, New England Soccer Journal writer Sam Robb O'Hagan. The duo sits down for an early summer check-in to unpack the opening of the college recruiting window and break the news on a massive structural shift coming to the NEPSAC boys' soccer postseason.

• Boys' Class of 2028 Insights: Sam shares his early takeaways from researching the local boys' talent pool.

• The High-Ed Trend (D1 vs. D3/NESCAC): The hosts debate why local boys' players are increasingly choosing high-academic Division 3 programs (like Tufts or Amherst) over mid-tier Division 1 schools due to the transfer portal and international roster squeeze.

• The Girls' Talent Hotbed: Unlike the boys' side, where development timelines are more complex, local girls' commits are flying off the board to Power Four schools within the first 24 hours (including commits to Boston College and Utah). The hosts credit a highly consolidated ECNL/Girls Academy structure for better player continuity and visibility in New England.

Sam shares a major scoop regarding a postseason overhaul for NEPSAC boys' soccer starting this fall.

• Why the Change? The NEPSAC aims for a 35% tournament representation threshold across sports. With only 32 teams making the postseason across four classes, soccer fell short, prompting a vote to add 8 more postseason spots.

• The Tournament Format: Instead of introducing a fifth class, the NEPSAC is introducing an elite 8-team Open Tournament (similar to an "Elite Eight"). It will run as a single-elimination bracket alongside the existing class tournaments.

• Selection Process: The field will be selected by a committee of coaches, aided by an RPI-style formula looking at strength of schedule. It is expected to heavily feature top Class A and a few Class B programs.

• The Discourse: Matt and Sam debate the pros and cons—while it creates massive regular-season drama and an exciting playoff field, it could inadvertently dilute the prestige of the traditional Class A title.

"The soccer landscape in New England and just in general in the US at amateur levels is pretty freaking wild, as I've come to learn." – Sam Robb O'Hagan

"The quality of play of the NESCAC is at an all-time high... the biggest winners of what's going on at the D1 level are the D3s." – Matt Doherty

In this episode, Sam Rob O'Hagan and Matt Doherty discuss the upcoming NEPSAC boys soccer season, focusing on team strengths, key players, and the new open tournament structure. They analyze team strategies, player prospects, and predictions for the season's outcomes.

In this episode, we delve into our newest Best of New England player rankings, exploring the criteria, standout players, and the evolving landscape of youth development. We ranked 150 players on the boys and girls sides, plus we created "watch list" players from the class of 2029.

Matt Doherty and Sam Robb O'Hagan explain how they arrived at these lists.

Host Matt Doherty welcomes Frank Dell’Apa (New England Soccer Journal/Boston Globe) to discuss the World Cup one month out, focusing on US expectations, injuries, and local ties. They say the US is highly talented but inconsistent under new coach Mauricio Pochettino, should advance from a group with Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey. Frank shifts his title favorites from Spain to France (seen up close in Foxborough) and Germany, flags Portugal and Norway as threats, and highlights Morocco’s depth; they discuss Italy missing another World Cup and compare Boston’s muted buzz to Philadelphia’s planning, preview Gillette games (Scotland-Haiti, France-Norway, England-Ghana), and in “Extra Time” cover Gillette’s pros/cons, vuvuzelas, and novelty merch.

Topics

01:18 USMNT Expectations and Group Outlook

03:11 Breakout Players and Goalkeeper Battle

06:01 Local Ties and Injury Concerns

07:38 Tournament Favorites France and Germany

10:13 Dark Horses Norway England Morocco

15:05 Boston Buzz and Foxborough Logistics

18:42 Must See Gillette Matches and Fanbases

22:11 Picking Extra Teams and Group of Death

23:45 Group of Death Breakdown

25:13 US Group Outlook

25:54 Bosnia Dark Horse Story

28:05 Italy Misses Again

30:17 Extra Time Kickoff

31:21 Gillette Matchday Pros Cons

35:49 Vuvuzelas and Crowd Noise

37:41 World Cup Merch Draft

40:54 Final Thanks and Wrap

Matt Langone and Matt Doherty welcome James Proctor, the director of boys soccer at Masters Academy International. The discussion centers around the launch of MAI, a soccer academy aiming to nurture student-athletes with a year-round program. Proctor shares insights on transitioning from Worcester Academy, the recruitment process, and the development of the program, including domestic and international travel plans. He also discusses the establishment of the coaching staff and how MAI will coexist with other New England prep schools. The episode concludes with Proctor's vision for an attacking and energetic soccer style at MAI.

Topics

00:36 Guest Introduction: James Proctor

01:10 Building Masters Academy International

02:51 Recruitment and Staffing

07:51 Program Structure and Schedule

10:17 Challenges and Excitement

12:31 League Participation and Competitions

18:20 Future Vision and Style of Play

19:21 Conclusion and Farewell