A new season of An American Game is reframing how American fans view the country’s football history ahead of this summer’s 2026 World Cup.
The series returned yesterday, with hosts Tom McCabe and Kirk Rudell continuing their exploration of what they describe as a 150-year legacy that many supporters have never been taught.
Released biweekly, season two examines stories which place the United States at the centre of the sport’s development long before the modern professional era.
The podcast argues that immigrant communities, factory towns and local club sides were building football culture across the country well before global superstars and major leagues shaped public perception.
Among the themes covered are the intertwined football histories of the United States, Mexico and Canada, a century of supporter culture told through five songs, and the claim that the United Soccer League rather than Major League Soccer represents the more authentic professional pathway.
The season also looks at what it calls the most dominant high school team in history, based in Newark, New Jersey.
Kirk, an Emmy nominated and GLAAD Award winning writer whose credits include American Dad! and Will & Grace, says the aim is to reconnect listeners with a shared past.
“It’s not that the United States has no soccer history. It’s that we’ve forgotten it,” he says. “We want to speak to that vast and fragmented U.S. soccer community and show them that they’re part of a much larger story.”
Tom, an award-winning teacher, author and filmmaker, currently teaches soccer history at Notre Dame’s London Global Gateway. The pair were college teammates before becoming long term collaborators, producing two documentaries through Soccertown Media prior to launching the podcast.
With the 2026 tournament taking place in the United States this summer, the new season positions the World Cup not as a starting point for American interest, but as the latest chapter in a much longer story.
