Extratime

After eight years of heartache, Toronto FC are playoff bound. It’s worth repeating: Toronto FC have qualified for the MLS postseason, putting eight years of failure in the rearview mirror. The man who helped drag them there, Italian star Giovinco, unveiled a masterpiece against the Red Bulls. Watch his goal then listen to what Andrew, David and Matt have to say about all three Wednesday games and the year of the playmaker in MLS. In the second segment, get your Soccer Sunday breakdown then listen to Diego Pinzon’s interview with MLS legend Juan Pablo Angel. What does JPA think about Fabian Castillo’s nascent Colombia career? How about the Red Bulls’ success under new management? Plus, is old friend Juan Carlos Osorio the right man for Mexico? The mailbag starts with more United States national team talk before veering into MLS waters. What city will a fan in Madrid visit after falling in love with the league? You’ll have to listen to find out.

First the U-23s fell flat in their attempt to avoid an Olympic playoff. Then the senior team hung on against Mexico through 118 minutes before Paul Aguilar scored a goal nobody on either side of the rivalry will forget. Make no mistake about it, Saturday was a low point for U.S. Soccer. So what do the guys make of it? Andrew, David and Matt give their thoughts, then ESPN’s Doug McIntyre joins to chime in after a disappointing weekend followed by a friendly against Costa Rica. In the second segment, it’s all MLS as three midweek games with huge Audi MLS Cup Playoffs implications take over the airwaves. Toronto FC, with a win or draw against the Red Bulls, will make the playoffs. Yes, we said playoffs. Local boy Jonathan Osorio calls in to discuss the new culture at the club and dishes on what Giovinco’s taught him. Plus, Fabian Castillo…how much is he worth? In the mailbag, more USMNT controversy plus listener’s thoughts on the big game.

First, midweek action at Red Bull Arena and BC Place as the Impact give themselves an uphill climb to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs and the ‘Caps booked their place in the big dance. After that, the main event – for this week at least – the CONCACAF Cup. Andrew, David and Matt break down the storylines surrounding the game, not least the mounting pressure on Jurgen Klinsmann. In the second segment, Eric Gomez (FutbolTotal) and Jeff Carlisle (ESPN) join the guys to preview both sides. Gomez takes Mexico, who are weathering an especially bumpy road as coach familiar to MLS fans gets ready to take over the team. The US has issues of it’s own, including an illness to one presumed starter. Plus, will the US and Canada book a place in the Olympics? It’s peanut butter and jelly time in the mailbag, then a little East-West debate before calling it a day. Send your CONCACAF Cup thoughts via Twitter and email for a chance to win prizes!

So what do we know about MLS with three rounds left? Well, four teams are safely in the playoffs – the Red Bulls, D.C. United, LA Galaxy and FC Dallas – and that’s about it. With eight Audi MLS Cup Playoffs spots still up for grabs, Andrew, David and Matt take a closer look at the weekend that was: Why is Lil’ B a Toronto FC and Giovinco fan? What’s wrong with Crew SC’s backline? Why hasn’t Plan B worked in Portland? Why didn’t Kekuta pass? Is FC Dallas MLS’ best team? In the second segment, the guys are joined by Chipotle’s No. 1 customer Kellyn Acosta, who explains why he doesn’t eat burritos before games, picks his FCD 3v3 team and gives fans outside of the Lone Star State insight into the Texas Derby. Acosta has USMNT dreams, but he’s still years away from playing in a game like CONCACAF Cup. Jurgen Klinsmann named his roster on Saturday, and the guys take a shot at the lineup that’ll take the field at the Rose Bowl. No mailbag. Instead, an extra special interview with Matt and Brooklyn Banks, the Sounders FC supporters who got married at halftime of the Seattle-LA match on Sunday night.

As champagne soaked the visitor’s locker room at PPL Park, Sporting Kansas City belted out the old classic at the top of their lungs. Campeones, campeones! Olé, olé, olé! With help from captain Matt Besler, Andrew, David and Matt break down the US Open Cup final, a back-and-forth affair decided from the spot, the third time in four years Sporting did the the business via spot kicks. But what of the Union? And who helped Kansas City prepare for PK specialist John McCarthy? In the second segment, the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs race rages on, with plenty of weekend implications. Will Portland take advantage of Sporting’s USOC hangover? Can Vancouver break out of their slump? Who will take over first place in the Eastern Conference? What will the Red Bulls do without Matt Miazga? So many questions, and the guys have (some) of the answers. Where is Miazga, you ask? He’s with the United States Olympic team, who – along with Canada and six other CONCACAF qualifiers – is trying to book a place in Rio. See what’s at stake, plus gain new appreciation for Kei Kamara’s historic season in the mailbag.

It figures. Just when you think you’ve got MLS all figured out, the league turns itself inside out with an unpredictable weekend that saw expansion Orlando trounce the high-flying Red Bulls, Portland snatch a huge road win in Columbus and a precocious Sporting squad nearly knock off the a Sounders squad full of World Cup vets. The Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle joins Andrew and David to break it all down as the race of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs reaches fever pitch.  There’s a trophy up for grabs this week, too, as Kansas City head to Philadelphia to take on the Union in the 102nd Lamar Hunt US Open Cup final. There are goalkeeping questions on both sides, while form favors the home team. Visiting manager Peter Vermes joins the guys to talk history, second-half swoons and the balance between the Eastern and Western Conference. Plus, one team swept the guys’ predictions. Was it SKC or the Union?  In the mailbag, David wraps up the opening weekend of the USL playoffs, then it’s shots, shots, shots as a unique record gets broken. Finally, what does a MLS-run USL squad (or not) actually mean for a club?

The annual 24 Under 24 list is out, and the debate around MLS has been heated. Andrew and David are joined by this year’s 24U24 head honcho ETR regular Matt Doyle to discuss the best young players in MLS. Get the full story on the voting process, the missing players he still sheds a tear for and what has changed most since the series started in 2010. Following up on that conversation, Sporting KC assistant technical director and former USL executive and college soccer coach Mike Jacobs sits down with Andrew Wiebe to discuss the lay of the land when it comes to talent development in the US and North America. What are the most drastic changes in recent years as well as the most worrying trends? Will SKC be getting a USL team soon? You’ll have to listen to find out. In the final segment, get your full weekend preview as the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs approach. Which clubs could add their name to the list of teams in the big dance and which could fall out of the running?

Andrew and David sit down in studio with RSL super-fan and author of the "Believe" chant Branden Steineckert. They discuss his love affair with soccer and MLS plus the work he has done with some USMNT players. He tells the story of how "Believe" came to life from his world soccer travels to the first recording. And he discusses the trials and tribulations of following his club while on tour with Rancid.

Win or spend November at home. That’s where things stand as the season reaches fever pitch and the league sees it’s first coaching casualty in Chicago. On a weekend that saw the Red Bulls clinch the first spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, Crew SC fell just short – but not by their own doing. Ambitious winger Ethan Finlay joins the guys to talk fantasy football, Kei Kamara the alpha dog, his international future (hint: Canada is out) and Columbus’ status as the MLS Las Vegas.  New York may have booked a postseason place, but they didn’t lift a trophy in Cascadia. The Sounders did, though, going to Vancouver for a Cascadia Cup-clinching win that was doubly important as San Jose, a direct competitor, lost again. Plus, Real Salt Lake are roaring back with the help of a man named Burrito, and Montreal and Toronto got it done with the help of their stars.  In the mailbag, Rancid drummer Branden Steineckert describes how he fell in love with the beautiful game and RSL. Check back on Tuesday for the full interview. Plus, the scarf vs. jersey debate continues and listeners make a MLS Cup case for their teams.

verybody loves a little midweek action, and Andrew and David break it all down – from Frank Lampard’s first MLS goal to another missed opportunity for the Quakes – before New England’s Diego Fagundez joins to give MLS fans the lowdown on muddin’ with Lee Nguyen, the Revs late-summer runs and his decision to represent Uruguay. Plus, MLS clubs do the business in the CONCACAF Champions League.   In the second segment, the guys take a closer look at what’s turning into a back-and-forth MLS Cup playoff race. Who can clinch this weekend? Whose hopes are slowly dwindling? Can Drogba and Co. knock off the first-place Revs? Can Sporting Kansas City pull out of their recent nosedive? Is the Wiebe curse for real?   The mailbag starts with some CONCACAF Cup roster chatter (no Guardado? USMNT fans can hope), then rumors from around the Copa Centenario water cooler. Will it happen? Soccer fans in the US wait with baited breath. Plus, thoughts on LAFC’s name confirmation and Darlington Nagbe’s United States citizenship and what it could mean for the US national team.