Protagonist Podcasts

All the podcasts from the Protagonist Family on one feed. All grassroots soccer leagues from your neighborhood club up to Division One. Those national leagues include The League for Clubs, NPSL, UPSL, USL, WPSL, UWS, and all the big regional leagues that are growing the game.

The Super Show - Another Week in the Books 09/18/2026

The Super Show - Another Week in the Books Josh covers for Dan with John Howard-Fusco as they break down the action in the USL Super League. Plenty to talk about as the the Fall season flies by! /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42950428

The Soccer Romantics with guest Chris Kessell 09/14/2026

The Soccer Romantics with guest Chris Kessell Chris Kessell, a grassroots soccer organizer in West Virginia, one of the biggest non corporate voices on the internet in American soccer, and the possessor of one of the most impressive beards in the sport joins the show. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42545155

The Super Show - I have the POWER 09/09/2026

The Super Show - I have the POWER DC Power on the rise and we're believers! Week 4 review plus a look forward to the matches this weekend. Everything USL Super League! /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42845690

The Soccer Romantics with guest Moussa Seck of MoFutbolTV 09/07/2026

The Soccer Romantics with guest Moussa Seck of MoFutbolTV This week, Josh sits down with founder of MoFutbolTV to discuss his unique platform to share soccer stories from not only St. Louis, but also of the African Diaspora. The former Parisian academy product now lives in the Gateway City and serves soccer as a coach, an advocate, and most importantly as a father. Mo shares his story with us. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42538260

The Super Show - Super Sub! 09/03/2026

The Super Show - Super Sub! This week on the Super Show, Dan is out injured during warmups and Josh comes into the starting two - John HF carries the show with match insight and analysis. We get to the Week Four picks and there aren't too many surprises considering the matchups. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42770260

The Soccer Romantics with guest Jeff Rueter 08/31/2026

The Soccer Romantics with guest Jeff Rueter This week on The Soccer Romantics, Josh is joined by staff writer for the Guardian, Jeff Rueter. We discuss growing up in Minnesota, attending a local university and through love of the game and dedication to the craft, transforming that work into a full time gig for one of the most well-known soccer outlets in the world. We get into the weeds a little bit about lower league soccer in the US, which is right where we want to be! /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42538125

The Protagonist - David Applegate 08/28/2026

The Protagonist - David Applegate David Applegate, the Director of Competitions at US Soccer and the Commissioner of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, joins the show to discuss his path to the top of the best competition in the world, how he discovered the love of the game, and what's next for the Open Cup. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42539390

The Super Show - Baylee DeSmit Doing Baylee DeSmit Things 08/28/2026

The Super Show - Baylee DeSmit Doing Baylee DeSmit Things Week 2 of the USL Super League delivered 14 goals in three matches and Dan and John discuss all the results before looking forward to Week 3. Plus some chatter around the exit of our dear friend Amanda V. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42586580

The Soccer Romantics with guest Amobi Okugo 08/24/2026

The Soccer Romantics with guest Amobi Okugo Former Philadelphia Union, Timbers, and Austin Bold player, Amobi Okugo joins Josh Duder on this episode of The Soccer Romantics. Amobi tells us about his path from IMG Academy to UCLA and onward to USMNT U17s, MLS, and ending his career in the USL Championship with Austin Bold. Mr Okugo tells us about growing up with Nigerian parents and his current professional endeavor, . /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42538185

The Soccer Romantics with Guest Rubio Rubin 08/21/2026

The Soccer Romantics with Guest Rubio Rubin Rubio Rubin, of El Paso Locomotive, joins Josh on this episode of The Soccer Romantics to discuss his extraordinary career so far; from Oregon to the Netherlands and from Liga MX to the Guatemalan National Team, Rubin has travelled the world and has a wonderful perspective. Listen now to hear how he's fallen in love with futbol and where he's going next. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42510065

The Super Show - Week 1 in the Books 08/21/2026

The Super Show - Week 1 in the Books The first week of the USL Super League fall season gave us plenty to talk about and we discuss all the matches plus look forward to this weekend's matchups. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42510465

The Super Show - Season Three Preview 08/14/2026

The Super Show - Season Three Preview Sure it's a short season and will be a wild race to a title, but John and Dan preview this fall season of the USL Super League. They discuss the offseason, the biggest stories heading into this year, and what they expect in the title race. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42434175

A Protagonist Podcast - USL League Two Final Preview 08/01/2026

A Protagonist Podcast - USL League Two Final Preview A Pod of two halves! Josh checks in with Patrick Infurma, co-founder of Vermont Green FC, while he had to find a place to record from within the confines of Atwood Stadium. We talk about the path VGFC took to get to another final and the legacy their building as an organization. Then, we catch up with President of Flint City Bucks, Mr. Costa Papista, and talk about the team who has been successful for 30 years; how they have consistently challenged for titles and how they have prepared to host the 2026 USL League Two Final. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42284945

A Protagonist Podcast with Guest Joel Nash 07/31/2026

A Protagonist Podcast with Guest Joel Nash With the USL W League Final having just wrapped and the USL League Two Final right around the corner, Josh Duder catches up with Joel Nash, Senior Vice President for both leagues, to lament the end of the season. Before we get too low, its time to hype up for the clash between legends Flint City Bucks and legends in the making Vermont Green - Josh and Joel talk about how we got here and where the league is going to next. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42271380

The Soccer Romantics - Dan Hoedeman 07/30/2026

The Soccer Romantics - Dan Hoedeman One of the founders of MPLS City, Dan Hoedeman joins the show to talk about his passion for the game and how it connects to his local community. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42271440

The W Show - Josh Duder Discusses the Final 07/23/2026

The W Show - Josh Duder Discusses the Final Josh Duder, assistant editor for Protagonist Soccer, joins the show to discuss his trip to Seattle to take in the USL W League final. He describes his experience, matchday vibes, and the blow by blow of a stellar season championship. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42198710

The Protagonist: Josh Hakala 07/13/2026

The Protagonist: Josh Hakala Founder of theCup.us joins Dan to discuss his entry into soccer, his goals for covering the Open Cup, and how he'd change the competition to make it more viable for the future. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41242610

Root and Branch - Damon Gochneaur of the Denton Diablos 07/11/2026

Root and Branch - Damon Gochneaur of the Denton Diablos Damon joins the show to talk about what made USL2 the right spot for his club, along with a wide variety of topics, including the World Cup! Dennis and Dan break down the MANY playoff races going on across the country. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42041080

The Soccer Romantics: Darren Sawatzky 07/10/2026

The Soccer Romantics: Darren Sawatzky Newly appointed Head Coach of USL Leauge One's 2027 expansion side, Sporting Cascades FC, Darren Sawatzky, joins Josh on this episode of the Soccer Romantics. We discuss his childhood in Seattle, how he impressed the legendary Clive Charles enough to join the Portland Pilots, and the era of journeymen players looking for stability. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42007375

The W Show - Mid-Playoff Recap 07/09/2026

The W Show - Mid-Playoff Recap With just three matches left in the USL W League Playoffs, John and Dan sit down to discuss the rapidly approaching end of the 2026 W League season. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/42019525

The Soccer Romantics: Joel Nash 07/07/2026

The Soccer Romantics: Joel Nash Joel Nash, Senior Vice President of Youth & Pre-Professional Soccer at USL joins Josh Duder to talk about his life-long love for the beautiful game. The former player for University of Evansville is now one of the key members of the USL leadership team, growing the pre-professional level of soccer in the United States. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41997435

The Protagonist: Charles Boehm 07/06/2026

The Protagonist: Charles Boehm Longtime soccer journalist Charles Boehm sits down with Dan to discuss his entry into soccer, how the game has changed over the years, and how this year's World Cup will impact the future of the game in the United States. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41260110

The Soccer Romantics: John Morrisey 07/01/2026

The Soccer Romantics: John Morrisey John Morrisey is known throughout the lower league world as USLTactics. His application of analysis to the USL Championship level has been an eye-opening change for the online soccer community. He joins the show to discuss his connection to the sport and the goals of his work. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41745465

The Protagonist: Jason Davis 06/29/2026

The Protagonist: Jason Davis Veteran broadcaster Jason Davis joins The Protagonist to discuss his entry to the sport, his goals behind the mic, and how he's managed to stay relavent for almost two decades covering the beautiful game. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41410290

The Soccer Romantics: Dennis Crowley 06/26/2026

The Soccer Romantics: Dennis Crowley Dennis Crowley, most famous for his work in big tech, including Dodgeball, Foursquare, and Hopscotch Labs, joins The Soccer Romantics to discuss his passion project - soccer. A founder of the now decade-old soccer club Kingston Stockade and one of the primary influencers and cofounders of The League for Clubs, Dennis' passion for the sport is making it more sustainable. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41730365

Root and Branch - No Guest, No Problem 06/25/2026

Root and Branch - No Guest, No Problem Dennis and Dan discuss World Cup magic, then transition to soccer warz in Nevada. Finally, the show wraps with a full tour of men's amateur soccer in the United States. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41806415

The Soccer Romantics: Jeff Duback 06/24/2026

The Soccer Romantics: Jeff Duback On our brand new show, The Soccer Romantics, Josh Duder welcomes the Country Manager of Hummel USA, former San Diego Nomad, Boston Bolt, Tampa Bay Rowdy, Charlotte Eagle and US National Team player, Jeff Duback. We talk about his work in the soccer apparel industry, playing in an era without a national first division, and how he fell in love with the game. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41724040

Protagonist Interview: Jack Lowery 06/23/2026

Protagonist Interview: Jack Lowery One of two voices for the unique and entertaining broadcast team of San Francisco City FC, Jack Lowery, joins Josh on the pod. They discuss his unique format with Mark Federico Moreno, who was unable to join us. We get into Jack's soccer origin story then talk a little about the great season that SF City FC is having. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41723855

Root and Branch: S2E5 - Christian Vallejos, UPSL Minority Owner 06/18/2026

Root and Branch: S2E5 - Christian Vallejos, UPSL Minority Owner Plenty of talk about the success of Yan Diomande in this year's World Cup. Christian Vallejos joins the show to talk about seeing Yan as a 16yo playing in the UPSL. We discuss the rise of soccer in Florida and the role of the UPSL in developing talent. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41693310

The W Show - Things are Heating Up 06/11/2026

The W Show - Things are Heating Up Halfway through the USL W League season and winners and losers are rapidly falling into place. John and Dan discuss the big results from the weekend and how the tables are being shaped. /episode/index/show/pllss/id/41607525

Protagonist Podcasts

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