Rooster and the Villain: An American Soccer Podcast

Jimmy and Jake's USL Adventure Show - Vacation Prep

Interview Series: Bill Taylor of Boise Pro Soccer (USL League One and USL Super League)

USL League One spreading out West is an essential part of the plan over the next few years (“Manifest Destiny for L1”). Forming a Western Division would cut down on travel costs and make a 3rd tier professional club more affordable to operate. It is cities like Boise that are the perfect fit for joining the USL Western Front.

The intrigue for the city as a potential soccer hotbed piqued after two friendlies produced sell-out results in the recent history. There was an Athletic Bilbao vs Liga MX Club Tijuana in 2015 that drew nearly 22k people into Boise State (where the infamous blue turf was covered with grass for the event…). Then there was a very unique event - where a USL Championship regular season league game took place (Portland Timbers II vs Swope Park Rangers) in 2016 at a High School in Boise and sold out the field at 4,350 people. The feeling of it being a good fit for USL is proving to be true as the club have already sold 3,500 season tickets for their USL League One Inaugural year. That is even without the branding in place (which is set to be released on June 27th).

There was a brief period where the local Minor League Ownership group (of Boise Hawks) was speaking with USL to get a USL Championship squad. But Covid changed the narrative there. Now the timing is right and an All Star Front Office composed of four individuals - each with a different, unique specialty, are the ones backing this new project. There’s NBA Executive experience, US Soccer Experience, Idaho Youth Soccer, and Real Estate Development experience all coming together to give this project legs.

The Stadium project is perhaps one of the best stadium projects in the Country at the moment as well. They are converting an old horse racing track into a 6,000 fan soccer-specific stadium that has an incredible mountain backdrop. Phase 2 of the stadium project, which will hopefully be necessary as USL institutes promotion/relegation, would add an additional 5,000 seats for a capacity of 11,000 people.

Needless to say, I’m looking forward to watching how things unfold in Boise, Idaho and I appreciate Bill Taylor for taking the time to speak with me.

Here’s a snippet of our conversation. If you want the full videos, visit our YouTube channel here.

Jimmy and Jake's USL Adventure Show - Episode 10 - Flying Solo

Jake attempts a solo-dolo episode and gets a little help from someone special to him.

Jimmy and Jake's USL Adventure - Episode 9 - What'd We Miss?

Sorry folks, we've been taking a personal break lately. This "new" show is more discussion based, and we leave more room for how we feel about our favorite league in the world. So come welcome us back and listen to us wax poetically about Cal Jennings, the Locomotive attack, and what's gone wrong with Tampa Bay. Also, Jake says nice things about New Mexico United!

Interview Series: Matt Valentine of Atletico Dallas

In late 2024, USL Dallas announced their intention to add Dallas to their list of USL Championship clubs for 2027. Led by co-founders and long time friends, Matt Valentine and Sam Morton, the club is poised to enter a market that is also occupied by Major League Soccer.

I was fortunate enough to have Matt on the podcast to discuss this exciting USL project. We talk about Matt’s personal history with the beautiful game, the Ownership group behind the club, the vision of the next few years as they work towards their goal of playing in 2027, why Dallas makes sense, and more.

Jimmy and Jake's USL Championship Adventure Show - Episode 8

Just wanted to get the word out on the USL Adventure Show on the R&V channel. If you haven't yet, go check it out on Beyond the 90!

Life Lately and Some Soccer

Hello out there. Just getting something out there to explain my inaction.

Sean McGee - Head of Ticketing for Sarasota Paradise FC

Sean McGee has spent his life hustling to make it in the business of sports. His journey has taken him from minor league baseball, to NPSL soccer with Kingston Stockade, to coaching College basketball, to business development with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and finally, to the Sarasota Paradise in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. 

For those keeping track at home, Sarasota Paradise will be moving up to USL League One for the 2026 season and is busy gearing up for USL League Two play this Summer. We talk to Sean about what it will take to build the project up to the professional level for next Summer.

Interview Series: Jimmy Filerman - A Career as Told in US Open Cup Matches

Eight years ago, a 19 year old Jimmy Filerman had his first experience in the US Open Cup as a player for the South Florida Surf in USL League Two. A team of mostly amateur players in their schools’ offseasons came together to face Miami FC, who at the time was spending big money to put together a competitive roster in the NASL with Manager Alessandro Nesta (of Italian National Team Fame).

The team of kids tied the game in the 76’ before Miami put the go-ahead goal away in the 80’. It was the type of game that makes this tournament so special. It gives young players the opportunity to test themselves against seasoned professionals. It puts David up against Goliath in a winner-take-all one match battle. It gives players that have given their youth to the game an experience they won’t forget. Lastly, it is truly the only open thing that exists in our world of soccer with a closed pyramid.

Jimmy would return back to Old Dominion for two more seasons after that and end his college career in 2019. Despite Covid doing its best to kill off parts of the fragile US Soccer Lower Leagues, he found a home in Detroit City in 2020 and 2021. He was part of those DCFC teams that completely dominated NISA. With Covid putting a pause on the Open Cup due to travel restrictions, there were no opportunities for him to play the tournament while playing for the club. But 2021 would take Filerman down to Greenville Triumph for his first experience playing in the professional ranks of USL.

It was here that he’d see US Open Cup action for the second time. Greenville triumphed (dad joke) over Oakland Roots for a first round cupset and that set up a home game for them against MLS’ Charlotte FC. The 4,000 person capacity stadium witnessed their 3rd Division squad take Charlotte to extra time where they eventually succumbed 2-1.

“They subbed in guys like Christian Fuchs” says Jimmy on the pod. “Just being on the field with guys you grew up watching, and those big entities where you know how much money they’re bringing in and how much money has gone into the roster is just different.”

After a broken leg ended his time at Greenville, Jimmy joined up with the Maryland Bobcats in 2023 and was part of a roster that took down the Ocean City Nor’easters on a last second winner before succumbing on the road to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on a cold, wet night along the Monongahela River.

Fast forward to Jimmy in 2025 and a lot has changed. The 19 year old kid that admittedly loved him some College is now a 28 year old man that has had a lasting career in the 3rd and 4th divisions of the US Soccer Pyramid.

A lot has happened in those eight years. Things have come full circle for Jimmy as he returned to the Open Cup as an amateur 8 years after being there with South Florida Surf.

Jimmy linked back up with his DC United Academy running mate, Lucas Mendes, who is the creative force and visionary behind Virginia Dream FC. For those that do not know, the Dream have been quickly building up accommodates as one of the best Amateur sides in the country. The club won the NPSL Mid-Atlantic last year, the Spring and Fall 2024 UPSL Seasons, and the 2024 Virginia Super Soccer League. Then they qualified for the 2025 US Open Cup by beating Alexandria Reds and the Aegean Hawks FC of the United States Amateur Soccer Association (USASA).

The Dream came into City Stadium with a chip on their shoulders. A squad full of players that had been there before and players that know they should still be there (special shout out to Elijah Amo who absolutely needs a call from a pro side…). After an 8’ minute penalty kick was calmly slotted into the corner by former Bobcat Nicolas Likulia, it was clear Richmond was in for a fight from the pesky amateur side.

After a banger from the Kickers’ James Vaughn drew them equal in the 36’, the Dream held on to head into the locker room at 1-1. After taking some abuse in front of their goal at the end of the first half, the Dream became the aggressors and put home two more goals. One from Suchecki in the 53’ and another from former Bobcat Mike Akinkoye in the 61’. With the lead in hand and the armband on, Jimmy came alive and showed he still has what it takes to compete on this level. Making tackles and shouting instructions. The cupset was on.

When the final whistle blew, it was the Dream marching on to the next round of the 2025 US Open Cup. On Wednesday, April 2nd, the Dream head to Segra Field to take on its next Goliath; the USL Championships’ Loudoun United. While it will be another uphill battle, I wouldn’t count them out.

Interview Series: Ben Chehebar on Building a New Soccer Boot Brand, Eleven Football

My Instagram algorithm led me to one of the more fascinating projects that I’ve seen in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup. Ben Chehebar is working to bring a DC-based, independent cleat (boot!) company to market later this year and is taking his Instagram followers on the journey with him.

Ben’s path into the Soccer industry has been via the scenic route. After a quick stop at Adidas on the West Coast post-University of Michigan back around 2011, he built a successful waste management company (Compology) that developed monitoring software to gauge whether haulers should empty full dumpsters or whether they could wait until more trash accumulated. When the company sold in October 2022, Ben stayed on with the new company during the transition for a bit and then in December 2023, found himself with time on his hands and a desire to build something different and new.

But he didn’t quite know what to do. That is until a conversation with a friend un-earthered the comment, “you know, Ben, I always thought you’d get into shoes." This planted a seed that is currently taking root and sprouting in Washington, DC.

In January 2024, Eleven Football began. After being out of the industry since his first job out of College, and even then only spending about a year in it, the journey has been filled with navigating choppy seas en route to get the product to market. After finding a kindred spirit in Tom Rushbrook, a designer who has spent time at Puma and Nike, Eleven Football aims to have its first product to market in Fall 2025.

With its first product; Eleven Football will be launching an indoor turf shoe. Ben has been traveling back and forth to a manufacturing facility in China perfecting the design to go from digital design to something you can confidently play in on turf fields.