On Friday, August 7, 2026, Dr. Joe Machnik, author of From the Sandlots to the World Cup: Inside Seven Decades Of American Soccer, joined us for a SASH Session.

The National Soccer Hall of Famer and SASH member discussed his long and storied career as a player, coach, referee, administrator, and broadcaster, including observations about working as a rules analyst for Fox's coverage of the 2026 World Cup.

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Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad.

Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay.

View the video of the session at httpshttps://youtu.be/RDV0Ba-At9g

Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

Donate to SASH at https://gofund.me/89e657f93

Twitter: https://x.com/USSoccerHistory

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ussoccerhistory.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/103886903

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocietyforAmericanSoccerHistory

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ussoccerhistory/

On Friday, July 17, 2026, Mark C Franek, author of American Soccer Nation: The Remarkable 150-Year History of Yanks on a Roll, from Mob Football to the Modern Game joined us for a discussion about teaching soccer history.

Franek teaches English at YSC Academy, the independent, college-preparatory school founded by Philadelphia Union minority owner Richie Graham in 2013. The school is embedded within the club’s’s academy system and combines rigorous academics with professional-level soccer training. Part of the academic program includes a yearlong course Franek teaches on the history of American soccer.

Franek’s presentation focused on his work as a teacher, the components of his course on American soccer history, and the classroom experiences that led him to writing American Soccer Nation.

American Soccer Nation recounts the history of elite men’s soccer in the United States while also offering a roadmap for how the US can go from good to great on the international stage—based on firsthand accounts from professional athletes and experts in the sport.

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Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad.

Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay.

View the video of the session at httpshttps://youtu.be/RDV0Ba-At9g

Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

Donate to SASH at https://gofund.me/89e657f93

Twitter: https://x.com/USSoccerHistory

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ussoccerhistory.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/103886903

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocietyforAmericanSoccerHistory

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ussoccerhistory/

On Friday, June, 5 2026, Michael Lewis presented a Book Talk on his new book, “Around the World Cup in 40 years: An American Sportswriter’s Perspective.”

Lewis talked about the history of the World Cup, some memorable games he has covered, and how the tournament has changed over the past four decades.

A member of the SASH Board of Directors, Lewis is the recipient of the United Soccer Coaches 2025 Clay Berling Media Career of Excellence Award. The award announcement described,

“Michael Lewis has devoted more than 50 years of his life to chronicling the sport of soccer at all levels. The native of Brooklyn, N.Y., began his career at the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle in 1974. As a beat writer he covered the Rochester Lancers of the NASL as well local and regional soccer at all levels in western New York. During his time there, he witnessed Pele’s first NASL goal in 1975 and his final pro match at the 1977 Soccer Bowl.

“Lewis served as the New York Daily News soccer columnist for 22 years. He also was editor and publisher of Soccer Week (1987-93), editor of Soccer Magazine (1993-2000), was the cofounder and editor of BigApple Soccer.com and is currently the editor of FrontRowSoccer.com.

“A well-known contributor to many publications, Lewis has had by-lines in Soccer America, The Guardian, The Athletic.com. ESPN, CBS, World Soccer, FourFourTwo, Forbes and the Washington Post. He has published nine books on soccer and has covered 13 World Cups and seven Olympic Games. In addition, he has covered all but one of the 29 previous MLS Cups.”

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Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad.

Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay.

View the video of the session at httpshttps://youtu.be/RDV0Ba-At9g

Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

Donate to SASH at https://gofund.me/89e657f93

Twitter: https://x.com/USSoccerHistory

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ussoccerhistory.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/103886903

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocietyforAmericanSoccerHistory

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ussoccerhistory/

On Friday, May 8, Dilwyn Porter presented a SASH Session titled, “How about that trip to Worcester!’ Building sporting links between Britain and the USA in the 1920s.”

In the presentation, Porter discussed the history behind a series of games featuring clubs from Worcester, Massachusetts and Worcester, England in the 1920s. Originating during the First World War with the establishment of the British American Fellowship, a forerunner of today’s “twinning” or “sister cities” movement, the partnership between the two cities resulted in teams from the American Worcester visiting the English Worcester in 1926 and 1929, and teams from Worcestershire crossing the Atlantic in the other direction in 1927 and 1930.

Porter has written an essay describing some of the background that can be read on the SASH website.

Soccer historians are most likely to have come across Dil Porter via English Gentlemen and World Soccer: Corinthians, Amateurism and the Global Game, co-authored with Chris Bolsmann, or through his online contributions to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography on various iconic figures in English football, especially members of the 1966 World Cup winning squad (most recently Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Charlton, forthcoming).

As a historian of sport, he has been drawn to a number of broad themes – amateurism, Cold War sport and sports tourism being three of them. Now retired from teaching at De Montfort University, Leicester, he chairs the Friends of Worcestershire Archives in his home town of Worcester, England, which is how he got interested in this topic.

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Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad.

Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay.

View the video of the session at httpshttps://youtu.be/RDV0Ba-At9g

Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

Donate to SASH at https://gofund.me/89e657f93

Twitter: https://x.com/USSoccerHistory

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ussoccerhistory.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/103886903

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocietyforAmericanSoccerHistory

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ussoccerhistory/

On Friday, April 10, 2026, women's soccer historian and NWSL stats manager Jen Cooper discussed the lead-up to the Women's United Soccer Association's inaugural league game on April 14, 2001 — the world's first fully-professional women's league game — and the precedent is set for all the women's pro leagues that followed.

1999 Women's World Cup champions Mia Hamm (Washington Freedom) and Brandi Chastain (Bay Area CyberRays) faced off in the match in front of 34,148 fans at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC, a number that was not surpassed in the USA until 2024.

The link for the the ESPN 30-for-30 podcast mentioned in the session about the WUSA featuring Julie Foudy is: https://30for30podcasts.com/episodes/back-pass/

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Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad.

Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay.

View the video of the session at httpshttps://youtu.be/RDV0Ba-At9g

Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

Donate to SASH at https://gofund.me/89e657f93

Twitter: https://x.com/USSoccerHistory

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/ussoccerhistory.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/103886903

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocietyforAmericanSoccerHistory

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ussoccerhistory/

On Friday, February 20, 2026, Jermaine Scott, professor of history at Florida Atlantic University, Maxwell Murray of Detroit City FC and the Urban Football League, and SASH board member Chuck Carlson presented a SASH Session about two Black soccer players who broke racial barriers in US during the 1940’s and 1950’s.

Murray and Carlson discuss the Jamaica-born Gil Heron. In addition to playing for Ontario, Detroit, and Chicago sides, Heron was the first Black player signed by Glasgow Celtic.

Scott discusses the American Soccer League’s first Black player, Jesus “Pito” Villalon, who was born in Cuba before playing in the US. You can see footage of Villalon in action playing for the Kearny All Stars against Scotland on June 5, 1949 on the SASH YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/QdXXEYZ9dy8.

The session includes discussion of Villalon and Heron’s lives on and off the field, and also explored broader issues of race in soccer in the US, including the team selection of the US Men’s National Team for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.

Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad.

Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay.

View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6cCsZCxPAo

Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

On January 16, 2026 at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia, SASH hosted a discussion ranking the US World Cup coaches.

Eighteen members and friends gathered to discuss and debate “Ranking the USMNT World Cup Coaches.” Board member, Michael Lewis, providing opening remarks, followed by Dr. David Kilpatrick, who explained the game and its rules for the session: ranking the ten USMNT head coaches of the eleven teams to appear in FIFA World Cup Finals, based entirely on matches played in World Cup Finals (not qualification, other competitions, friendly matches, or any other achievements in their coaching careers).

A brief summary of the USMNT performances in World Cup Finals was provided as everyone in attendance was encouraged to make their own list from best to worst. Lewis gave his rankings, emphasizing his personal take from covering forty years of World Cups as a journalist, followed Dr. Joe Machnik, who declined to provide a list, explaining that because he was Bob Gansler’s assistant coach at the 1990 World Cup he had a bias and sense of loyalty, while providing unique insight to the issues faced coaching. Cosmos legends Boris Bandov, Fred Grgurev, Erhardt Kapp, and Ferdinando De Matthaeis were in attendance, offering invaluable perspective as players. Jack Huckel emphasized the role of trust in coaching, followed by Kilpatrick, who stressed style of play and aesthetic judgement.

The floor was then opened for attendees to share their opinions, with Roger Allaway, Charles Cuttone, and Remy Lupica sharing valuations before Lewis and Kilpatrick provided closing comments.

Of the eighteen in attendance, nine cast their ballots for best coach with Bruce Arena coming out on top. You can view a breakdown of the results of the vote at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/sash-session-at-the-united-soccer-coaches-convention-votes-bruce-the-best/

Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad.

Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay.

View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6cCsZCxPAo

Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/

On Friday, January 9, 2026, Alex Popovich discussed his time with the first Junior US Men’s National team.

The team was assembled to participate in the second CONCACAF Youth Tournament, which was staged in Guatemala City in April 1964.

Alex’s essay, “Memories of the first US Junior National Team: Guatemala, 1964,” was recently published on the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/memories-of-the-first-us-junior-national-team-guatemala-1964/.

The session was hosted by David Kilpatrick and several of Alex's teammates joined the discussion.

Podcast produced by Brian Quarstad.

Music created by LiteSaturation and found at Pixabay.

View the video of the session at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6cCsZCxPAo

Visit the SASH website at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/

Join SASH at https://www.ussoccerhistory.org/store/sash-membership-one-year/