Minutes from the Committee Meeting

May 22, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 41

Agenda Items 📋:

• It was a red wedding week in MLS, as Columbus Crew relieved head coach Henrik Rydstrom of his duties, and Austin FC sacked both their Sporting Director and Head Coach, Rodolfo Borrell and Nico Extevez.
• Long time Wilfried Nancy disciple Laurent Courtois will takeover as interim in Columbus, but is being prioritized as the potential long-term replacement. Austin FC have begun the search for a new Sporting Director, saving their head coach selection likely for the 2026 offseason.
• Soccerwise’s Tom Bogert is reporting that Brazilian international Casemiro is close to joining Inter Miami. 
• The midfielder’s priority rights are held by the LA Galaxy, who made offers, but Casemiro is set on South Florida.
• Three-time MLS Cup-winning CSO Tim Bezbatchenko is returning to Columbus as the president of global soccer for Haslam Sports Group, which includes both the Columbus Crew and the newly awarded NWSL club. 
• MLS has reportedly held preliminary talks with IFAB, the group that oversees the laws of the game, about potentially trialing a stopped clock during matches.
• Concacaf W, the regional club competition for North America, returned with disappointment for the reigning NWSL champs. While Washington Spirit proceeded to the final, Gotham FC lost 4-1 to Club America and lost star goalkeeper Ann Katrin Berger to injury.
• Returning to the pitch this week, however, was USWNT and Chicago Stars star Mal Pugh, who made her first appearance since 2024 off the bench after maternity leave.

Story of the Week:

This next week represents a transition, as MLS plays its last weekend for nearly two months, and the naming of the U.S. Soccer roster kicks off the men’s national team’s most important tournament…ever.

Another transition that has been years in the making is likely to follow this summer, at least in terms of the USMNT’s roster composition.

The “Golden Generation” that followed the disaster of 2018 is about to feature at its second World Cup. This generation of players has already achieved significantly more than any of its predecessors at the club level in Europe, and has done so before any of them reach their thirties. 

Players like Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Chris Richards, and Gio Reyna joined the world’s biggest academies as teenagers, and debuted as professionals at Europe’s highest levels. Supplemented by dual nationals like Sergino Dest, Malik Tillman, and Yunus Musah, this generation of players has only ever played professionally in Europe, and have been the featured faces of the national team for the better half of a decade. 

Their legacy as a national team is TBD, based upon the results of this summer’s tournament.

What comes afterwards, however, will be the beginning of the transition to a next generation, however, almost exclusively developed in MLS. Outside of Dortmund’s Mathis Albert, this new potential Golden Generation for the U.S. is excelling at an age never before seen. Players like Adri Mehmeti, Zavier Gozo, Julian Hall, Cavan Sullivan, Justin Ellis, and Niko Tsakiris are merely the start of the conversation about the new crop of stars who will demand a USMNT look post-World Cup.

This will also be the first generation to be developed by MLS academies, to debut in MLS, and to even find stardom in MLS for their hometown clubs. While many of these players are likely to soon make the leap to Europe, their path is quite unlike that of the players who have defined the decade for the USMNT, and pioneered a path of their own just a decade ago.

What it means at this juncture is of course unclear. Whether this new generation perhaps scales new heights, or perhaps better matches club and country performances, is to be seen. However, what it does mean is this summer is likely the last time that the majority of the USMNT didn’t debut for their hometown club, a quality that will soon align the U.S. with most of the top soccer nations around the world.

Matches to Watch:

LAFC vs. Seattle Sounders, MLS (May 24th, 9:15 PM ET, FOX/Apple TV): Ahead of a nearly two-month break for the World Cup, two perennial Western Conference powerhouses face off in the league’s final match until July. LAFC started the season in record form, but has stumbled since, losing four consecutive matches. Up north, Seattle was unbeaten in league play since February, but fell at home to the LA Galaxy last weekend. Two strong contenders in the West close out the Spring in what should be a thriller!

Kansas City Current vs. Portland Thorns, NWSL (May 24th, 1:00 PM ET, CBS/Paramount+): Sunday’s NWSL matinee features two of the most entertaining teams in the league. Kansas City’s matches have resulted in 30 total goals so far, good for second. Meanwhile, first place Portland boasts the league’s leading attack, and a table topping 23 points.

Orange County SC vs. Oakland Roots SC, USL Championship (May 23rd, 10:00 PM ET, ESPN Select): Two unexpected teams from the west put their stellar starts to the test. Orange County and Oakland sit second and third, respectively, after finishing seventh and tenth just a season ago. Which of these young, unexpected contenders can prove they belong amongst the best?

Corpus Cristi FC vs. One Knoxville SC, USL League One (May 23rd, 8:30 PM ET, ESPN Select): A brand new away trip awaits One Knox, who heads down to Corpus Cristi for the first time! The Tennessee club sits just two points back of the league leaders, and a win could propel them back into the top spot. Meanwhile, Corpus Cristi is still in search of a first-ever league win as they look to get off the bottom of the table. Spoiler alert: they won’t. Up the Knox!

Kickback's World Cup Plans!

Kickback Soccer Media announced its 2026 World Cup plans and its featured partnership with the World’s largest soccer retailer, Soccer.com!

Action Items, Kickback:

Soccerwise: We’ve still got your weekly MLS and NWSL reviews and previews, plus more on U.S. Open Cup, Casemiro to MLS, and the USMNT at the World Cup!

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 is joined by Channel 6 co-founder and Shutdown Fullcast co-host Spencer Hall to talk SB Nation, USMNT, Atlanta as a Soccer City, and more!

First Touch: Episode 14 is now out of First Touch Weekly, as is the third edition of the First Touch weekly news show, First Touch Dispatch! 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.