Summary: On this episode of the Yanks Abroad Podcast, host Christopher McCollum is joined by regular panelists Brian Sciaretta, John Kretlow, Jamie Hill and Mathew Wagner. For the first segment of the show, the gang is joined by Alex Smith of Wellington Phoenix, the lone American player in Australia's A-League. Alex answers questions about the growing soccer culture in Australia and New Zealand, his interest in the expanding Asian soccer market, and what it's like playing down under. The next segment of the show features the first European action in awhile as Mathew breaks down happenings in Norway after their summer break, with the nearly unbelievable announcement that Stabaek has won two games in a row, after losing their previous nine. Afterwards, Brian gives a breakdown of Europa League and Champions League draws featuring Americans, with the games beginning next month. The next segment sees the debut of the Yanks Abroad-themed MLS segment which will become a regular part of the show through the end of the MLS season, and the barrage of MLS information and opinion is led by John and Jamie, the resident MLS experts on the panel. A series of scores, news and player ratings follow along with the unvieling of the Stock Watch, a monthly segment that will track the progress of a group of American players expected to move overseas in the near future. The show is included with a discussion on Brian McBride's move to Wembley FC for their upcoming FA Cup campaign, and then the talk turns briefly to Terrence Boyd and Rapid Vienna, Oswaldo Alonzo's internaitonal situation, and things are finally capped off with a dissection of an opinion on MLS and player development from legendary broadcaster Ty Keough, who Christopher recently interviewed for Yanks Abroad.
