# Leander Schaerlaeckens Talks About His USMNT Book, "The Long Game"

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-best-soccer-show-744760/leander-schaerlaeckens-talks-about-his-usmnt-book-the-long-game
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-best-soccer-show-744760/leander-schaerlaeckens-talks-about-his-usmnt-book-the-long-game.md
Podcast: [The Best Soccer Show](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-best-soccer-show-744760)
Published: 2026-05-14T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/RPPSG2169687385.mp3
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/RPPSG2169687385.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-best-soccer-show-744760/episodes/leander-schaerlaeckens-talks-about-his-usmnt-book-the-long-game
Duration seconds: 3108

## Resource

Special Edition: The Long Game with Leander Schaerlaeckens Jason is taking some time off, so this week he's sharing his full conversation with Leander Schaerlaeckens — journalist, USMNT beat reporter, and author of the new book The Long Game: US Men's Soccer and Its Savage Four-Decade Journey to the Top (or Thereabouts). It's the definitive history of the program, written just in time for the World Cup. Jason calls it a must-read, and this conversation shows why. [0:00:28] — Jason introduces the episode and Leander's new book, The Long Game. He'll be back live soon — catch him at patreon.com/thebestsoccershow for Wednesday office hours, the Bestie Slack, and bonus content. [0:02:50] — Interview begins. Leander on the writing process: three-plus years, 150+ interviews, every US World Cup game since 1990 rewatched — and then US Soccer fired Berhalter and he had to rewrite the whole thing. [0:07:50] — The book's structure: a chronological USMNT history woven with profiles of six current players — Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Matt Turner, and Antonee Robinson — each chosen because their story says something bigger about American soccer. [0:20:00] — The Dark Ages (1950–1990): the USMNT once went 11 years without winning a game and nobody noticed. A 1974 qualifier where they didn't have enough players and pulled one from the stands. A $5 per diem that players were sometimes asked to forego. It was a circus — and Leander went deep on why. [0:31:00] — The big structural question: is a US World Cup win inevitable, or does it require investment that doesn't make financial sense? Leander's take — it's not just a matter of time. The FC Dallas academy director's point lands hard: a kid in Dallas is still 12 times less likely to end up in a professi…

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