Minutes from the Committee Meeting

April 17, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 36

Agenda Items 📋:

• Javier Mascherano has stunningly resigned as manager of Inter Miami, just 131 days after leading them to the 2025 MLS Cup.
• His 2026 tenure has started unspectacularly, but reports have his resignation rooted in the disagreements with the star players.
• The Concacaf Champions Cup Semifinals are set, with LAFC and Nashville as the two MLS clubs remaining.
• LAFC advanced 4-1 on aggregate against reigning champions, Cruz Azul, while Nashville defeated Club América 1-0, becoming the first MLS team to win at the Estadio Azteca.
• Seattle Sounders just missed out on the semifinals following a 3-1 victory over Tigres that resulted in an away goal loss. The L.A. Galaxy, meanwhile, were the one MLS team to find themselves easily dispatched (by Toluca).
• Sporting Director Matt Crocker has departed U.S. Soccer to take on a similar role with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. 
• Yes, it’s two months before the World Cup. Yes, the USSF likely needs to hire his replacement before hiring a likely Pochettino replacement, potentially wrestling in yet another extended interim Head Coach period for the USMNT.
• Columbus Crew will play the rest of 2026 without DP Forward, Wessam Abou Ali, who will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

Story of the Week:

Two MLS head coaching positions were surprisingly vacated this week. One could say more coaching turnover makes MLS more analogous to the rest of the world and therefore more mature…on the other hand, wooooof.

Montreal and Miami are, in some ways, very similar. Both have a certain level of chaos being contributed by inexperienced people making the front office decisions (the Saputo sons and Lionel Messi). Of course, one of those people is the GOAT and perhaps the most accomplished recruiter of talent in MLS history. The others:

Sports are fun because of the drama that makes it fun to discuss 24/7 (thank you for subscribing, please listen to Thursday’s Soccerwise episode too). It’s less fun when your team is the dramatic one. 

For Inter Miami, ownership is going to have to find a way to wrestle some control back to create some continuity for the post-Messi era. The departure of Javier Mascherano sounds much like Tata Martino’s, the result of unempowered leadership. Messi and spending can paper over a lot of those cracks, but you don’t have to look too far north (in Atlanta) to see what happens if you don’t have Messi and all you have is a big budget.

For Montreal, well…we feel for the fans. The Saputo regime has either fired or ran off coach after coach, including two of the best in MLS history (Jesse Marsch and Wilfried Nancy). It’s time for ownership to either step back and empower professionals, or move on.

All in all, we’re not saying there aren’t coaches that should be replaced right now. We’re just saying maybe these weren’t the right teams to be looking at coaching vacancies in April.

Matches to Watch:

Colorado Rapids vs. Inter Miami CF, MLS (April 18th, 4:30 PM ET, Apple TV): After a shaky start, the Colorado Rapids have won back-to-back MLS matches by a combined score of 10 to three. Colorado welcomes reigning MLS Cup Champions, Inter Miami, to Empower Field, where a club-record crowd is expected. With the ‘Pids scoring at will and Miami in its first match with a new manager, this one can’t be missed.

LAFC vs. San Jose Earthquakes, MLS (April 19th, 7:00 PM ET, Apple TV): No one is surprised by LAFC’s dominant start to the season, with nine wins, three draws, and just a single loss in all competitions. On the other hand, nobody expected San Jose to keep up with seven wins from eight. Add in the fact that these two California clubs don’t like each other very much, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for a primetime match.

San Antonio FC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC, USL Championship (April 18th, 9:00 PM ET, ESPN Select): A huge clash at the top of the Western Conference, featuring one of the league’s best attacks against one of its best defensive units. El Paso has scored a staggering 14 times in five league matches, whereas San Antonio has conceded just three times in seven. Two elite Texas teams battling for a chance to take the top spot in the West.

One Knoxville SC vs. Charlotte Independence, USL League One (April 18th, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN Select): Fresh off taking down D.C. United in the U.S. Open Cup, One Knox returns home to face Charlotte Independence, a side that has never won in Knoxville. Midweek action couldn’t have gone more differently for the Jacks, who fell 6-0 to Charlotte FC in an Open Cup derby.

Susannah "Cup Should Always Be" Fuller's Cocktail Recipe of the Week:

Some exciting announcements are forthcoming from Kickback Soccer Media regarding our World Cup plans. One teaser comes from our base camp of New York City, and the classic Dirty Dry Martini from one of New York’s best, Bemmelman’s Bar.

1. Freeze the following:
   1. One (1) bottle of a gin such as Beefeaters.
   2. One (1) dry vermouth.
   3. One (1) cocktail mixing glass.
   4. Two (2) cocktail glasses.
2. For each Martini:
   1. 3.5 oz Gin or Vodkas (but…c’mon, Gin).
   2. .25 oz Vermouth (rinse and dump for extra dry).
   3. .25 oz Olive Brine.
3. Stir for an extended period of time.
4. Staring and pour over an olive or twist.

Make sure you raise a glass on behalf of Susannah Fuller to the toast of American soccer as well, One Knoxville, for dispatching D.C. United in the “Cupset” of the tournament in U.S. Open Cup!

Action Items, Kickback:

Soccerwise: Tom is back, and we’ve still got your weekly MLS and NWSL reviews and previews!

Make sure you listen to Soccerwise with David Gass, Tom Bogert, Matt Doyle, and Jordan Angeli now on SiriusXM, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9 p.m. on SiriusXM FC 157, and on the SiriusXM App!

Kickback Committee: Susannah Fuller welcomes NFL writer Bill Barnwell on for a new edition of Kickback Committee: Open Mic to discuss a variety of topics, including his support of Leicester City FC and Red Bull New York!

First Touch: Episode eight is now out! Make sure to subscribe and listen to the first-ever World Cup 2026 dedicated show, First Touch! Inspired by podcasts with premium, rich storytelling like The Daily and Planet Money, this is Kickback Soccer Media’s most unique offering yet.