The first episode of my new YouTube series, Soccer Rewind, is now live! If you love American soccer history, you’ll probably love this channel, so click here to visit it and subscribe.
The channel is born out of my collection of old American soccer matches – both outdoor and indoor, some I called and many I did not – and a historian’s desire to get things on the record for posterity.
It feels like nearly every day, there’s a new revelation from a celebrity appearing on a podcast. The passage of time often makes people unafraid to open up and admit uncomfortable truths. While we likely won’t get into anything potentially embarrassing on this channel, we will use the benefit of hindsight to gain insight into the games, teams and moments that have made American soccer history.
Enjoy the first episode below, and the show notes below that.
SHOW NOTES:
This is Season 1, Episode 1 of Soccer Rewind, “They Won the NASL With Six Americans!” which published on Friday, Dec. 27, 2024.
In this episode, I’m joined by soccer historian, attorney, polymath and Philadelphia Atoms devotee Steve Holroyd to look at the oldest American soccer broadcast in my library, the 1973 NASL final between the Atoms and Dallas Tornado. We examine the Atoms’ founding and affinity for American players, consider whether or not Kyle Rote, Jr. was overrated, break down the match itself (and the gamesmanship that preceded it) and discuss Philadelphia’s ultimate place in the firmament of U.S. soccer cities.
- You can follow Steve Holroyd on X at @soccermavn or on BlueSky here, or subscribe to his YouTube channel here.
- Click here for the Dallas Tornado’s World Tour exhibit at the University of North Texas Library or here for a story on that tour from FC Dallas’ website.
- The famous Sports Illustrated cover of Sept. 2, 1973, that was the first to feature a soccer player (in this case, Philadelphia’s Bob Rigby) is here. (Be sure to look for the point in the game when the cover photo was taken.)
- Another perspective on the demise of the Atoms, from former team PR director Doug Verb, is here on the wonderful (and apparently not-long-for-this-world) Fun While It Lasted site.
- Also from FWIL, a good summation of the Tornado’s tenure as a pro club.
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NOTE: My friend Steve Holroyd passed away in April 2025. I miss him a lot. This little video is far from his legacy, but it’s something I appreciate and wish we could do again.
