Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast

A conversation on topics involving the MLS club Sporting Kansas City. Tactical breakdowns of match performances, discussion around personnel and their usage, and previews of upcoming matches. Some additional content around other USMNT and MLS news as appropriate.Want to participate in the discussion? Join us on the Podcast Discord: https://discord.gg/pkg4S85qR2

Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast is a sports podcast hosted by Drew VanderPloeg and Cody Welton, with 195 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Drew VanderPloeg and Cody Welton hosts Home and Away - A Sporting KC Podcast, a sports show with 195 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

• 

  Episode #194

  Episode 194 - Manu Garcia out, Andre Luiz in, and hopefully more to come?

  Aug 18, 20261h 30mS4

  Whoo boy have Sporting KC fans been through it over the last 72 hours. Going through a depressing 2-0 loss in Colorado on Saturday which did not include Manu Garcia in the proceedings, to hearing the coach make nebulous post game statements about his future with the club, to finding out Monday evening at 8pm that he not only was leaving, but that his contract was being terminated and bought out. Good news though, Andre Luiz was finally announced as an official signing 12 hours later! To say that it left the fanbase a bit confused and with mixed emotions today would be putting it mildly. Manu was a very well liked player both by the proprietors of this podcast and the fanbase writ large, so to see him leave in what appeared to be a fairly unceremonious manner right before announcing the biggest signing in club history definitely created quite the paradox. We did thankfully hear from David Lee today and he spoke at length about the decision-making that led to these recent transactions as well as the future looking plans and it did help bring some of this into focus. We will do our best to unpack all of this news and what it means for the club both in the short and long term before previewing the match against St Louis lowercase city tomorrow night at Sporting Park. Music by The Spin Wires

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #193

  Episode 193 - Is Rapha Wicky a Problem?

  Aug 12, 20261h 57mS5

  We are back after a quick one week hiatus and boy do we have some things to talk about. Our Egyptian prince has chosen the golden toilet in Turkiye, but fear not, because it appears Plan B is progressing as planned. SKC made some fun front office hires, and in Potpourri we have a plethora of items to cover like MLS hot stove, Temwa making a run at the Ballon d’Or in WAFCON, Gianni Infantino really stepping in it, and everyone’s favorite tournament, Leagues Cup! But first, we have to talk about the game vs. Houston, but again not about the play on the field, but rather the choices the coach made. Music by The Spin Wires

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #192

  Episode 192 - Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe sh*t

  Jul 29, 20261h 49mS5

  In this episode, Drew and Cody analyze Sporting Kansas City's recent performances, tactical decisions, and roster challenges. They explore what went right and wrong in matches against Minnesota United and LAFC, and discuss coaching strategies, player development, and future roster needs. In this episode, Drew and Cody analyze the current state of Sporting Kansas City, including roster issues, transfer negotiations, and team performance. They also discuss MLS developments, youth prospects, and international coaching strategies, providing insights for dedicated soccer fans. Music by the Spin Wires

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #191

  Episode 191 - SKC return to action but fall to their pink rivals, Tactical choices were made, and who took the fun away from the Current?

  Jul 21, 20261h 50mS5

  This week we get back to MLS action which includes a return of a worrying trend from the first half of the season: only playing one good half of soccer and getting dominated in the xG battle, this time to the rivals to the east in pink. Coach Rapha Wicky made some...choices...in his setup and lineup in the first half, and outside of the first 10 minutes or so, they generally didn't work. He fixed the problems of his own making in the 2nd half and the team looked much better, but had also dug a hole that was eventually too large to get out of and they lost the match 3-2. We'll discuss the why, as well as our general disagreement with his usage of Ian James tactically. Finally, we discuss what has gone wrong with the KC Current, which also feels like some galaxy-brained overthought and meddling, and get into a quick preview of this week's action vs. Minnesota and LAFC Music by The Spin Wires

  ListenShow Notes
• 

  Episode #190

  Episode 190 - SKC gets ambitious(Mo Salah mentioned), the World Cup final is set, and MLS is Back!

  Jul 15, 20261h 44mS5

  The World Cup final is set, and do you know what that means? MLS is Back, baby! After inundating yourselves with game after game filled with the most talented players on earth, we bring you the only matchup that can satiate your desires for quality football: Marcel Hartel vs. Wyatt Meyer. Jokes aside, this dumb league we love so much is back in play in less than 24 hours as we record this podcast, and while I have enjoyed every minute of the World Cup, I am actually excited to get back to business and “take it from here” as it were. Sporting Kansas City remain in the news as the secondary transfer window officially opens and new signings can be registered. They’ve already been linked to high priced winger Yann Gboho, but things did not stop there. They apparently have multiple targets including one Liverpool legend that will have the other member of this podcast duo running straight to the Sporting Style store shouting shut up and take my money for a jersey should that move come to fruition. It’s fun to be part of the hot stove discussion, and new majority owner Peter Mallouk is ensuring that the team has whatever resources necessary to make a splash and improve the talent on the roster. David Lee plus a cadre of folks sat with the media for almost an hour yesterday, the first time since early June that such a forum was made available, and there was a lot to glean from that conversation, and we will do our best to cover all those potential details. In Potpourri, we will discuss those captivating world cup semifinal matches and how they went down, as well as the Kansas City Current’s concerning road form continuing(as well as what might be causing it), including some injury and availability issues that could cause results to be harder to attain for the next several weeks. Finally we will preview the beginning of the 2nd half( ⅔’s?) of the season opener vs the scum in scumville. SKC have signed reinforcements since they last took the field, and it will be fascinating to see how those integrate and if they can raise the competitive floor of the club.

  ListenShow Notes

Based on semantic analysis of episode topics and host coverage, this show is a strong guest fit for executives in:

Industry fit is computed by PitchCentric using vector embeddings of the show's episode catalog.