{"podcast":{"title":"The Smerconish Podcast","slug":"the-smerconish-podcast-4474155","podcast_index_feed_id":4474155,"rss_url":"https://feeds.simplecast.com/Dv1m2CJC","website_url":"https://www.siriusxm.com","image_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/8436e3c1-2479-4466-ac48-fa58259960bb/3307704c-973a-4ab2-a9c2-8e76f28a7ee9/3000x3000/podcast-20on-20dark-7.jpg?aid=rss_feed","author":"SiriusXM","episode_count":1991,"summary":"Spirited discussions of government, politics, and current events without predictable left/right bias. The Smerconish Podcast is for Independent Minds. The Michael Smerconish Program airs live on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel 9AM-12PM ET and replays 9PM-12AM East, Monday-Friday.","last_synced_at":"2026-08-01T06:17:03.780985+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155"},"episode":{"title":"America's World Cup Loss Might Be Good for America","slug":"america-s-world-cup-loss-might-be-good-for-america","published_at":"2026-07-07T18:23:08+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/america-s-world-cup-loss-might-be-good-for-america","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155","url":"https://www.siriusxm.com","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/sxm.simplecastaudio.com/d49edecb-af71-4e40-b63b-f7bdc3faae1b/episodes/95269ac5-eb21-41e7-83be-adca205b3223/audio/128/default.mp3?aid=rss_feed&awCollectionId=d49edecb-af71-4e40-b63b-f7bdc3faae1b&awEpisodeId=95269ac5-eb21-41e7-83be-adca205b3223&feed=Dv1m2CJC","summary":"After Team USA's World Cup exit against Belgium, Michael offers a surprising reaction: disappointment, yes—but also relief. He unpacks the match, Matt Freese's heartbreaking night, the controversy surrounding Flo Balogun's reinstatement after President Trump's intervention with FIFA, and why he believes a U.S. victory might have overshadowed something even bigger. Plus, Michael explains why the real success story may be America's role as host of the World Cup—and why that matters long after the final whistle. Original air date 7 July 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.","meta_description":"After Team USA's World Cup exit against Belgium, Michael offers a surprising reaction: disappointment, yes—but also relief. He unpacks the match, Matt Fre…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1554,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/episodes/america-s-world-cup-loss-might-be-good-for-america/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-smerconish-podcast-4474155/america-s-world-cup-loss-might-be-good-for-america.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}