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First Touch '26

July 1, 2026 — Newsletter #43 First Touch is excited to continue the First Touch Writer Series with Musa Okwonga, co-founder of the Stadio podcast, and one of the game’s most distinctive voices. His essay this week reflects on joy of the World Cup. “Chaos, Community, and a Tournament

Minutes from the Committee Meeting

June 25, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 46 Our Kickback Minutes newsletter will run as a USMNT preview up until such point the team is no longer playing in the World Cup! Agenda Items 📋: * The U.S. plays Turkiye in a meaningless World Cup match. The U.S. has won the group,

First Touch '26

June 24, 2026 — Newsletter #42 Our daily World Cup show, First Touch ‘26, is live daily on both First Touch and Soccerwise YT! You can get your 24/7 World Cup coverage from our First Touch IG and Bluesky accounts, and USMNT/El Tri/Canada from Soccerwise.  The Wednesday newsletter

Minutes from the Committee Meeting

June 19, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 45 Our Friday newsletter will run the morning of the USMNT matches for the rest of the World Cup. That means next week’s edition will come early on Thursday! Agenda Items 📋: * The USMNT’s defeat of Paraguay 4-1 was its most substantial World

First Touch '26

June 17, 2026 — Newsletter #41 Our daily World Cup show, First Touch ‘26, is live daily on both First Touch and Soccerwise YT! You can get your 24/7 World Cup coverage from our First Touch IG and Bluesky accounts, and USMNT/El Tri/Canada from Soccerwise.  The Wednesday newsletter

Minutes from the Committee Meeting

June 12, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 44 Agenda Items 📋: * Today’s the day. The USMNT faces off against Paraguay at 9 p.m. ET at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. With potentially a record setting audience for the USMNT, this may be the biggest match in the program’s history. * The

First Touch '26

June 10, 2026 — Newsletter #40 A quick note on our World Cup coverage: Kickback Soccer Media will have a daily World Cup studio show, First Touch ‘26 (live on both First Touch and Soccerwise YT)! You can get your 24/7 World Cup coverage from our First Touch IG and

Minutes from the Committee Meeting

June 6, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 43 Our Kickback Minutes newsletter will be pivoting, starting this week, into close coverage of the USMNT and MLS at the World Cup, much like our Soccerwise account. Please enjoy our First Touch live show, newsletter, and social accounts for our general coverage of the

First Touch '26

June 3, 2026 — Newsletter #39 Remembering a Random World Cup Legend Every Week Andres Iniesta!!! Headlines: The USMNT restored confidence with a convincing 3-2 win over Senegal. We’ll cover this victory in depth in our Friday newsletter, but one note of interest: Manager Mauricio Pochettino used 22 players,

Minutes from the Committee Meeting

May 29, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 42 Agenda Items 📋: * MLS wrapped up the first part of its season ahead of the World Cup this past weekend in a chaotic manner, featuring three matches with eight or more goals. * These matches included Cincinnati putting six past Orlando, Montréal dramatically rescuing a point

First Touch '26

May 27, 2026 — Newsletter #38 Remembering a Random World Cup Legend Every Week James!  Headlines: New York Mayor Zohran Mamadani secured discounted tickets for New Yorkers, which are accessible for $50 and accessible via lottery.  Despite concerns over World Cup ticket prices, the 2026 World Cup is on piece to

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

First Touch '26

May 20, 2026 — Newsletter #37 Remembering a Random World Cup Legend Every Week Portugal’s Eusebio!! Headlines: Shakira saves the day, releasing the new 2026 World Cup anthem, “Dai Dai.”  Let us never speak of the Jelly Roll World Cup song again. Shakira will additionally feature in the Super Bowl

Minutes from the Committee Meeting

May 15, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 40 Agenda Items 📋: * The story of the MLS season continues to be young stars, and Wednesday’s games were no exception.  * 18-year-old Julian Hall and 19-year-old Zavier Gozo bagged a hat-trick and brace, respectively, while 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan

First Touch '26

May 13, 2026 — Newsletter #31 First Touch is excited to continue the First Touch Writer Series with Musa Okwonga, co-founder of the Stadio podcast, and one of the game’s most distinctive voices. His essay this week reflects on World Cup legends, and on the pressure and possibility facing

Minutes from the Committee Meeting

May 8, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 39 Agenda Items 📋: * The Concacaf Champions Cup Final is set! Both Tigres and Toluca advanced to the final with home shutout victories against Nashville and LAFC. * This marks the first season since 2021 in which the final will consist entirely of Liga MX clubs, and

First Touch '26

May 6, 2026 — Newsletter #35 Dear First Touch Friends, We know you’ve come here thinking “I just can’t start my day without reading about all the reasons I should be anxious about the 2026 World Cup delivering,” especially when we’ve delivered again and again. It’s may

Minutes from the Committee Meeting

May 1, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 38 Agenda Items 📋: * The Vancouver Whitecaps and city of Vancouver both released statements this week in efforts to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver, while a potential buyer has come forward who wants to move the team to Las Vegas.  * Kickback Soccer Media’s own Matt

First Touch '26

April 29, 2026 — Newsletter #34 Remembering a Random World Cup Legend Every Week German legend Gerd Muller! Headlines: Injuries are the news of the week, with the most notable being a Lamine Yamal hamstring injury that may impact his World Cup, as he will be out for the remainder of

Minutes from the Committee Meeting

April 24, 2026 — Committee Meeting # 37 Agenda Items 📋: * MLS held its first slate of midweek matches for the 2026 season, and they delivered! Wednesday night featured a pair of 4-4 draws, the first goalkeeper goal in 17 seasons, and countless sensational goals. * Elsewhere, Inter Miami picked up six points