18 Mar 2026

First Touch '26

Remembering a Random World Cup Legend Every Week

Kyle Beckerman!

Headlines, Off-the-Pitch:

We will start with the political news. You can skip to the on-the-pitch section if this has simply become too exhausting (we won’t judge).

Comments from Donald Trump set off further consternation around Iran’s participation in the 2026 World Cup, as the President remarked that it wouldn’t be “appropriate” for Iran to participate in the World Cup, for “their own lives and safety.”

The ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran had already put Iran’s participation this summer in jeopardy. The Iranian federation has asked FIFA if they could be moved to Mexico for their matches, but the ask has supposedly been rebuffed.

Meanwhile, Iraq seems set to compete in their World Cup Playoff match in Mexico March 31st. Travel accommodations have been provided for, potentially including a private flight secured by FIFA to help the team avoid the airspace shutdown caused by the U.S. - Iranian conflict.

Finally, some good news…the World Cup is back on in Boston! The city of Foxborough’s standoff with the local organizing committee and the Kraft Sports Group is ending in an agreement that will help secure the necessary funds for security.

Headlines, On-the-Pitch:

Head Coach Mauricio Pochettino announced his 27 man roster for the U.S.’s matches against Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta. With this being the last international window, here is our read on the potential final roster:

The race for the last attacking midfielder spot seems to be Gio Reyna’s, as the talented attacker gets the nod despite barely featuring at the club level, while Alejandro Zendejas is left off the list.
Also, no Zendejas likely means Poch sees McKennie as an attacking midfielder this summer.
Josh Sargent is out, and it’s between Patrick Agyemang, Ricardo Pepi, and Haji Wright to win two of the three remaining striker spots behind Folarin Balogun.
Tyler Adams is left off the roster for health reasons, giving Aidan Morris and Johnny Cardoso a shot to battle it out for a last roster spot. We assume Cristian Roldan is a lock.

In Brazil the big news is a healthy Neymar was surprisingly left off of Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil roster, likely marking the conclusion of an iconic run for the Santos superstar.

Finally, we’ve got kits! The USMNT will feature their most audacious designs in years this summer, in no small part because of complaints from players in 2022 about the basic jersey selection, and their involvement in the design process for this year.

A Thing We're Excited About:

Cristian Roldan!

Look, we’re Roldan’s Stans at Kickback Soccer Media, but if you’re not a fan yet…hear us out. The Seattle Sounders midfielder has merely gotten better with age, and in his move to the defensive midfielder position, has become one of the best #6’s on the continent.

No one in the pool offers the range of passing Roldan offers from deep, and his front-foot defending is second only to Tyler Adams’s. On top of that…the vibes are just quality.

Roldan is slated to be the U.S. 's Kyle Beckerman 2.0, minus the dreads but plus a lot more on-ball expertise.

In 1989, Brazil and Chile squared off in a pivotal final qualifying match to see who would earn a spot to the 1990 World Cup.

With Brazil up 1-0 in the second half, the Chilean keeper Roberto Rojas collapsed, seemingly hit by a flare thrown by a fan. Rojas was carried off the pitch, his face covered in blood, and the Chilean team followed him to the locker room. The match was abandoned, and the potential of Brazil being knocked out of the World Cup via forfeit seemed very real.

However, one photographer alone seemed to have footage of the flare. He was rushed off with the President of the Brazilian Federation to process the film, which proved the flare had indeed landed many feet away from Rojas. Additional medical review of Rojas showed no burn marks, only a major cut to his face.

Turns out, the Chilean team had concocted a scheme. Rojas carried a razor blade in his glove, and cut his face at the first sign of crowd unrest.

The scheme would lead to a lifetime ban for Rojas, and a ban for Chile from the 1994 World Cup.

This Week In Songs To Kill With Fire:

This is the biggest World Cup ever, so everything has to be bigger. That means instead of a World Cup song, we’re doing a World Cup album.

With Canada, Mexico, and the U.S., there is an embarrassment of riches of iconic musicians for FIFA to turn to for their first World Cup song. One had to rise to the top, though, and we all know that person had to be Jelly Roll!

Are the lyrics to this World Cup song "Lighter" completely meaningless? Of course! Does this song sound like someone prompted “an Imagine Dragons song, but make it kinda gospel music” and then just hit publish? YOU KNOW IT.

I guess if you want a preview of it you can check out FIFA’s post, but you’ve been warned!

Another Way Too Early Prediction Ranking:

With U.S. rosters out for the final international window before the World Cup, here’s our list of surprise stars of the U.S. national team this summer:

5. Haji Wright

4. Alex Freeman

3. Max Arfsten

2. Cristian Roladn

1. Sebastian Berhalter

Week World Cup Palette Cleanser:

We’re nearly thirteen years past perhaps the seminal piece of writing about the U.S. Men’s National Team…Brian Phillips’s Grantland deep dive into “the most incredible photo shoot in U.S. Men’s National Team history.”

You might know the iconic photo of Landon Donovan at the water fountain, but the real draw is Brian Phillips’s s-tier writing. Please enjoy.

Episode 3 of First Touch Weekly is Out Now!

Introducing Kickback Soccer Media’s First Touch Weekly, our premium 2026 World Cup podcast, covering the biggest stories across global soccer—from players and matches to politics, culture, host cities, the fan experience, and beyond. Hosted by Susannah Fuller and David Gass alongside a rotating cast of journalists and experts, the show delivers smart, inclusive analysis and deep dives into everything shaping the road to and through the FIFA World Cup 2026—and continues beyond the tournament as a weekly destination for what’s next in the global game.

This week’s episode revisits one of the most iconic matches in World Cup history and the curious case around its marquee star, the 1998 final between Brazil and France.
Listen here (Apple) or here (Spotify) or wherever you find your podcasts!

Every World Cup Nation, Previewed!

Over at our website kickbacksoccer.com, we’ve launched a first-of-its-kind team by team preview of every participating World Cup nation!

You can find both written overviews, and special video and podcast primers for every country, all right at your fingertips.

Check it out here and tell your friends!

March 18, 2026 — Newsletter #28