In this episode, Matt Doherty welcomes his new co-host, New England Soccer Journal writer Sam Robb O'Hagan. The duo sits down for an early summer check-in to unpack the opening of the college recruiting window and break the news on a massive structural shift coming to the NEPSAC boys' soccer postseason.

• Boys' Class of 2028 Insights: Sam shares his early takeaways from researching the local boys' talent pool.

• The High-Ed Trend (D1 vs. D3/NESCAC): The hosts debate why local boys' players are increasingly choosing high-academic Division 3 programs (like Tufts or Amherst) over mid-tier Division 1 schools due to the transfer portal and international roster squeeze.

• The Girls' Talent Hotbed: Unlike the boys' side, where development timelines are more complex, local girls' commits are flying off the board to Power Four schools within the first 24 hours (including commits to Boston College and Utah). The hosts credit a highly consolidated ECNL/Girls Academy structure for better player continuity and visibility in New England.

Sam shares a major scoop regarding a postseason overhaul for NEPSAC boys' soccer starting this fall.

• Why the Change? The NEPSAC aims for a 35% tournament representation threshold across sports. With only 32 teams making the postseason across four classes, soccer fell short, prompting a vote to add 8 more postseason spots.

• The Tournament Format: Instead of introducing a fifth class, the NEPSAC is introducing an elite 8-team Open Tournament (similar to an "Elite Eight"). It will run as a single-elimination bracket alongside the existing class tournaments.

• Selection Process: The field will be selected by a committee of coaches, aided by an RPI-style formula looking at strength of schedule. It is expected to heavily feature top Class A and a few Class B programs.

• The Discourse: Matt and Sam debate the pros and cons—while it creates massive regular-season drama and an exciting playoff field, it could inadvertently dilute the prestige of the traditional Class A title.

"The soccer landscape in New England and just in general in the US at amateur levels is pretty freaking wild, as I've come to learn." – Sam Robb O'Hagan

"The quality of play of the NESCAC is at an all-time high... the biggest winners of what's going on at the D1 level are the D3s." – Matt Doherty

Host Matt Doherty welcomes Frank Dell’Apa (New England Soccer Journal/Boston Globe) to discuss the World Cup one month out, focusing on US expectations, injuries, and local ties. They say the US is highly talented but inconsistent under new coach Mauricio Pochettino, should advance from a group with Paraguay, Australia, and Turkey. Frank shifts his title favorites from Spain to France (seen up close in Foxborough) and Germany, flags Portugal and Norway as threats, and highlights Morocco’s depth; they discuss Italy missing another World Cup and compare Boston’s muted buzz to Philadelphia’s planning, preview Gillette games (Scotland-Haiti, France-Norway, England-Ghana), and in “Extra Time” cover Gillette’s pros/cons, vuvuzelas, and novelty merch.

Topics

01:18 USMNT Expectations and Group Outlook

03:11 Breakout Players and Goalkeeper Battle

06:01 Local Ties and Injury Concerns

07:38 Tournament Favorites France and Germany

10:13 Dark Horses Norway England Morocco

15:05 Boston Buzz and Foxborough Logistics

18:42 Must See Gillette Matches and Fanbases

22:11 Picking Extra Teams and Group of Death

23:45 Group of Death Breakdown

25:13 US Group Outlook

25:54 Bosnia Dark Horse Story

28:05 Italy Misses Again

30:17 Extra Time Kickoff

31:21 Gillette Matchday Pros Cons

35:49 Vuvuzelas and Crowd Noise

37:41 World Cup Merch Draft

40:54 Final Thanks and Wrap

Matt Doherty and Matt Langone discuss their “Best in New England” rankings for boys and girls in the classes of 2026 and 2027, explaining their evaluation process using in-person scouting, input from coaches, league honors, team success, and college commitments while acknowledging the difficulty of positional comparisons and “splitting hairs” within tiers. The hosts describe the 2026 boys list as MLS Next-heavy near the top and discuss balancing MLS Next, prep, and commitment context and explain why only 25 2027 boys were ranked due to slower recruiting. They call the 2027 girls class exceptionally deep, with many FC Stars commits, and discuss club and school representation across New England. In Extra Time, they answer questions about favorite New England soccer venues, unusual moments seen in games, and differences between men’s and women’s soccer and coaching approaches.

Topics

01:00 Podcast Intro and Rankings Recap

01:59 How the Rankings Were Built

03:56 2026 Boys Top Tier Breakdown

04:58 MLS Next vs Prep Weighting

08:29 Splitting Hairs and Tier Gaps

10:21 Positions and Goalkeeper Value

11:33 Owning Mistakes and Updates

17:10 2027 Boys List and Recruiting Trends

22:10 2027 Girls Loaded Class

25:51 New England Club Powerhouses

27:53 Girls Clubs and Commit Numbers

28:36 High Schools Producing Talent

30:49 Rankings Updates and Next Steps

31:32 Regional Gaps Beyond Mass and Conn

32:52 Extra Time Segment Begins

33:21 Best Soccer Venues in New England

36:42 Craziest Never Seen That Moment

40:01 Men vs Women Soccer Differences

43:32 Coaching Women vs Men

48:14 Wrap Up and July Tease