{"podcast":{"title":"First Touch '26 World Cup Podcast","slug":"kickback-26-7606085","podcast_index_feed_id":7606085,"rss_url":"https://feeds.captivate.fm/kickback-26/","website_url":"https://kickbacksoccer.com/","image_url":"https://artwork.captivate.fm/18b0ac78-0fa4-4703-b61d-878064448fa7/firsttouch26-podtile-062326.png","author":"Kickback Soccer Media","episode_count":112,"summary":"First Touch is the home for World Cup 2026 storytelling and modern soccer coverage guiding fans from the road to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and beyond. From premium podcasts and original series to smart analysis and cultural context, First Touch brings new, emerging, and diehard fans inclusive, American-driven perspectives on the stories shaping the global game, from now, through World Cup 2026, and into soccer’s future.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-23T10:18:22.450637+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kickback-26-7606085"},"episode":{"title":"State Of Mexican Soccer w/Eduardo Saracho - Ep. 11 First Touch Weekly","slug":"state-of-mexican-soccer-w-eduardo-saracho-ep-11-first-touch-weekly","published_at":"2026-05-01T13:45:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kickback-26-7606085/state-of-mexican-soccer-w-eduardo-saracho-ep-11-first-touch-weekly","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kickback-26-7606085","url":"https://kickbacksoccer.com/","audio_url":"https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/c7d8ab4b-c2c0-4a49-8bf8-db9903ead0a9.mp3","summary":"On this week's episode, host David Gass explores the ambition, growth, and the state of the game through the lens of several teams heading to the 2026 World Cup. This episode opens with news on updated yellow and red card rules for the World Cup, a German national team fighting for fitness, and an Iranian official being denied entry into Canada for a FIFA Conference. Gass is then joined by John Duerden—a Guardian and BBC contributor and author of How Soccer Explains Asia—to break down World Cup outlook for countries from the Asian Football Confederation. Then Gass and fellow Kickback contributor Tom Bogart are joined by former Pumas and Pueblo sporting director, Edward Saracho to discuss the current state of the Mexico national football team and the broader landscape of soccer in Mexico. 0:30 News On German & Mexican World Cup Rosters 3:15 John Durden \"How Soccer Explains Asia\" On Korea, Japan & Saudi Arabia 14:50 Eduardo Saracho (former Pumas & Puebla Sporting Director) On All Things El Tri & Mexican Soccer","meta_description":"On this week's episode, host David Gass explores the ambition, growth, and the state of the game through the lens of several teams heading to the 2026 Wor…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1830,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/kickback-26-7606085/episodes/state-of-mexican-soccer-w-eduardo-saracho-ep-11-first-touch-weekly/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/kickback-26-7606085/state-of-mexican-soccer-w-eduardo-saracho-ep-11-first-touch-weekly.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}