Summary: Now at the tail end of the last international break of the year, we take the show and look inside US Soccer for a last look at what transpired for Jurgen Klinsmann during 2014 and take a moment to review another new soccer book that probes the American Game as the MLS Season resumes to find a champion amid a number of pressing questions for both clubs and country. Up first is ESPN FC soccer correspondent Jeff Carlisle who help us unpack the last two friendly matches of the season against Colombia and Ireland, perhaps another short term setback as the US National Team is set to reload into another World Cup cycle with some massive questions both in terms of tone from its manager and style from his team. We examine recent statements from Klinsmann himself, his ongoing issues with some owners inside Major League Soccer, perhaps the conflicts he now has as Technical Director with a number of clubs who sense that their investment in youth has been undermined and then we take a deeper look into MLS Playoffs for the key talking points, some emerging players and two key narratives that will shape the matchups as Landon Donovan faces his last professional matches and Charlie Davies begins to shape the terms of his comeback. Then in the second segment new author Sean Reid gives us a look into his new book, Love Thy Soccer, and applies some of the insights he gathered both in terms of American soccer history and his nationwide search for what exactly is the fan experience in the United States. We discuss identity, challenges some major assumptions and even begin to frame some of the requisite steps before promotion and relegation can be applied in this environment. Also discussed is how globalization and commercial interests largely shape fan and supporter experiences in the marketplace, how the audience is shaped by technology and where the sport seems headed as structural ambiguities between league divisions and expectations remain in need of further clarity. From the history to the present day, this is a complete US Soccer episode as the club calendar resumes with key domestic challenges and some huge group stage matches in the Champions League are now set to resume in earnest.
