Soccer Saturday - INDY ELEVEN for 02/26/22

(0:00-4:20) Greg Rakestraw is back for another edition of Soccer Saturday on 93.5 and 107.5 the Fan. He begins with the most recent Indy Eleven action in preseason friendlies as they gear up for 2022 season and sets the agenda for a busy show on this Saturday morning.

(7:21-14:52) The head coach of the Indy Eleven, Mark Lowry, joins the show in the second segment to discuss recent Eleven action on the pitch and how close the squad is to "regular season" form. Greg and Mark discuss how close his coaching staff is to having a Starting XI in ink with just a couple weeks left before the season opener as well as what Raul Aguilera. The conversation concludes with an update on personnel for the Boys in Blue.

(17:55-27:15) A recent addition to the Indy Eleven, Raul Aguilera, calls in to chat about his transition from Florida to Indianapolis. Raul touches on what he has explored in the city thus far and Rakestraw, as a longtime Broad Ripple native, gives him some guidance on where to find some good tacos. Transitioning to the pitch, Raul discusses the dynamic of the Eleven locker room and what attracted him to the club here in Indy. Finally, how close is the team to regular season form? Raul paints that picture to end the conversation.

(30:17-47:40) It is the opening week of the MLS season and Jason Davis from SiriusXM FC joins Greg Rakestraw to kick off the season. Jason touches on how he feels like everything is running behind before running through some of his predictions for the 2022 season. Which teams have a chance to win the whole thing? And who is the best player in Major League Soccer right now? Then, the conversation switches to the USMNT and the road ahead for them to make it to the World Cup at the end of 2022. Then, Greg and Jason discuss MLS NEXT Pro and the impact it will have on talent in the US and MLS.

(50:42-56:20) To round out the show, Rakestraw takes a tour of the international soccer landscape making stops at the Premier League and the Champions League. Finally, Greg takes a moment to talk about what's happening in Ukraine and hopes for swift resolution when it comes to the conflict in eastern Europe.