{"podcast":{"title":"The Best Soccer Show","slug":"the-best-soccer-show-744760","podcast_index_feed_id":744760,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/RPPSG8719704371","website_url":"https://www.thebestsoccershow.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/db8cd422-f915-11ef-a5ff-c7623cc576f4/image/1f2f57b676a27257837f4e8ca7070cbe.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Davis & Dubois","episode_count":289,"summary":"Hosted by the voice of the American fan, Jason Davis (SiriusXM), and the clown prince of soccer, Jared Dubois (JD & The Rod), The Best Soccer Show is dedicated to all things American Soccer, covering Major League Soccer, the National Women’s Soccer League, the US national teams, Americans around the globe, and more. The show features a who's who of American soccer in an energetic, call-in format that gives fans a voice while never taking itself or the game too seriously.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-best-soccer-show-744760"},"episode":{"title":"Shawn Francis Talks About The World Cup","slug":"shawn-francis-talks-about-the-world-cup","published_at":"2026-05-26T14:40:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-best-soccer-show-744760/shawn-francis-talks-about-the-world-cup","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-best-soccer-show-744760","url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/RPPSG8335457075.mp3","audio_url":"https://traffic.megaphone.fm/RPPSG8335457075.mp3","summary":"With the countdown to the biggest World Cup on American soil since 1994 officially underway, we are looking back at where the American soccer media landscape started, where it is now, and where it’s going next. This week, Jason sits down for a special interview with long-time friend and foundational voice in American soccer media, Shawn Francis. Known to many generations of fans as the creator behind The Offside Rules and the original MLS Insider, Shawn has tracked the growth of the game from its early blogging days to the modern landscape. Today, Shawn is working with Copa90 as they make a massive push back into the American market. Jason and Shawn dive deep into the \"soccer wars,\" how the internet and social media fractured modern sports media, and why the upcoming North American World Cup will force fan experiences to become beautifully local. Plus, Shawn shares some incredible, vintage World Cup viewing memories from the streets of New York. Whether you're an old-school fan from the pre-Twitter blog days or new to the American soccer pyramid, you won't want to miss this insidery conversation. 00:00 - Welcome to a special episode of The Best Soccer Show 01:10 - Introducing Shawn Francis: From The Offside Rules to Copa90 02:12 - Support the show on Patreon & getting access to the Bestie Slack 03:24 - Welcoming Shawn: Remembering the American soccer world before Twitter 04:35 - Have we \"won\"? Looking at the commercial boom of the game today 05:45 - The fracturing of modern sports media and how social media changed MLS 07:35 - Rocket fuel or watershed moment? Expectations for the upcoming World Cup 09:34 - Personal nostalgia: What the 1994 World Cup meant to a generation of fans 10:10 - The local knock-on effect of ticket pricing and massive tournament travel 10:43 - F…","meta_description":"With the countdown to the biggest World Cup on American soil since 1994 officially underway, we are looking back at where the American soccer media landsc…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3044,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-best-soccer-show-744760/episodes/shawn-francis-talks-about-the-world-cup/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-best-soccer-show-744760/shawn-francis-talks-about-the-world-cup.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}