Local Grassroots Stories
John Cross
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About This Podcast
Local Grassroots Stories (LGS) is a weekly companion podcast to the Soccer Shorts documentary series. Soccer Shorts is a YouTube channel that produces about 10-12 stories a year that shine a spotlight on local grassroots soccer culture. The LGS podcast will go behind the scenes on our Soccer Shorts episodes, allow us to further explore history, people, and events in our grassroots soccer communities, and give time to explore the current events that directly affect local grassroots soccer both in San Diego (our hometown) and across the globe.
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Recent Episodes
S1E41 The Longest Game(s) in College Soccer History | LGS Pod Ep. 25.41
Send a textThis year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1985 NCAA Men's College Cup final between UCLA and American University that took EIGHT overtime periods to decide the winner. It is usually…
S1E40 Developing Storylines for the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup | LGS Pod Ep. 25.40
Send a textThe 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup is approximately 200 days away. Forty-two teams have qualified. Six additional berths will be determined in March 2026. The draw will take place on…
S1E39 The Knock on Effects of the MLS Calendar Switch | LGS Pod Ep. 25.39
Send a textAfter years of internal discussion, the MLS Board of Governors has voted to more closely align their calendar with many of the major European leagues. While much of the discussion this…
S1E38 Forecasting the Women's Game in the U.S.? | LGS Pod Ep. 25.38
Send a textThe last few years have seem dramatic growth in women's professional sports. The NWSL and the USL Super League are growing and adding more teams. The lower leagues of women's soccer…
S1E37 Pro-Rel Series: Pt. 8 - Designing an Integrated P/R Ecosystem for USL (2 of 2) | LGS Pod Ep. 25.37
Send a textLast week, John presented his Vision 2050 for the USL: four independent regional pyramids—East, Midwest, South, West—linked by a national, Champions League style tournament featuring the…
S1E36 Pro-Rel Series: Pt. 7 - Designing an Integrated P/R Ecosystem for USL (1 of 2) | LGS Pod Ep. 25.36
Send a textMorning Kickaround (https://www.youtube.com/@MorningKickaround) asked and we delivered!On Oct. 1, the crew at Morning Kickaround published this video:…
S1E34 Pro-Rel Series: Part 6 - Soccer in Australia | LGS Pod Ep. 25.34
Send a textLast weekend, was the premier of the brand new D2 Australian Championship (men only). Tonight (as we record our live stream) the USMNT take on AUS in a friendly. This weekend marks the…
S1E35 US Soccer's Plan to Overhaul College Soccer | LGS Pod Ep. 25.35
Send a textLast week, the NextGen College Soccer Committee in partnership with US Soccer dropped its new white paper: Ensuring College Soccer Thrives in the Modern Era of College Athletics and the…
S1E33 San Diego Soccer History - Part 3 (1914-1920): LGS Pod. Ep. 25.33
Send a textAt the close of the 2012-2013 winter season, soccer was picking up in San Diego. Games were well attended and three locals teams dominated the adult scene: San Diego Soccer Football Club,…
S1E32 Does San Diego have a shot at the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup? | LGS Pod Ep. 25.32
Send a textA 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup match night in San Diego isn’t a fantasy—it’s a math problem.Tonight, John and Dylan break down exactly how teams qualify for the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup…
S1E31 Pro-Rel Series: Part 5 - Soccer in Canada | LGS Pod Ep. 25.31
Send a textIn regards to soccer, and specifically in regards to promotion and relegation, Canada is a country in transition. For most of it's professional sporting existence, many Canadian…
S1E30 Project 2010: US Soccer's Moonshot | LGS Pod Ep. 25.30
Send a textOn the heels of the 1998 Men's World Cup, US Soccer launches a bold initiative called Project 2010: an attempt to give the U.S. a realistic shot at winning the 2010 Men's World Cup. An…
S1E29 Pro-Rel Series: Part 4 - What can the US learn from Japan? LGS Pod Ep. 25.29
Send a textLast week, in Part 3 of our Pro-Rel Series, John and Dylan looked at how Japan went from ZERO professional football teams in 1990 to (in 2025) a fully functioning 7+ tier football pyramid,…
S1E28 Pro-Rel Series: Part 3 - How Japan went from ZERO professional teams to a fully integrated 7+ tier pyramid in 35 years: LGS Pod Ep. 25.28
Send a textWho says you need 100+ years of culture to build an effective football pyramid that links your local leagues to the top tier professional league? Don't tell that to Japan. They have…
S1E27 Non-FIFA International Football: LGS Pod: Episode 25.27
Send a textWhat happens when your *community* is not recognized by FIFA, the IOC, or the UN? Where do you play your international football?Recently, the Marshall Islands played their first…
S1E26 Pro-Rel Series: Part 2 - The National League System (England): LGS Pod: Episode 25.26
Send a textTonight, John and Dylan bring you Part 2 of our Pro-Rel series where we focus on the bottom half of the English football pyramid: the National League System. We'll start in 1959 and…
S1E25 Pro-Rel Series: Part 1 - The (English) Football League: LGS Pod: Episode 25.25
Send a textAs we all know by now, the USL looking to become the first professional soccer league in the USA to implement promotional and relegation. Over the next few years we imagine their will be…
S1E24 The Rise of the Super Clubs: LGS Pod. Ep. 25.24
Send a textTonight, John and Dylan look at world football over the past three decades (post-Bosman), the consolidation of money and power at the top of the global football pyramid (mostly in Europe),…
S1E23 A Deep Dive Into the History of Player Registration and Transfers: LGS Pod. Ep. 25.23
Send a textJohn is flying solo tonight . . . so it's time for another deep dive into soccer history.After musing over the complicated MLS player acquisition rules surrounding the Müller, Vancouver,…
S1E22 Kickback Soccer Media: LGS Pod. Ep. 25.22
Send a textTonight John and Dylan share their thoughts on the new media platform, "Kickback Soccer," and how it could change the soccer media landscape in the U.S.And, as always, you'll get the…
Frequently Asked Questions
Local Grassroots Stories has published 20 episodes since July 2025, covering topics in Documentary, Soccer.
Local Grassroots Stories is currently dormant with new episodes every few days. Average episode length is 1h 30m.
Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Local Grassroots Stories, including email and social media links.
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