Shades of Blue on new signings and World Cup chaos

This week on the Shades of Blue Soccer Show, we’re talking about Sporting KC’s newest young signing as well as the absolutely chaos from the World Cup knockout rounds so far.

SKC announced the addition of 15-year-old Luca Antongirolami on a Homegrown contract to begin in the summer of 2027 when Major League Soccer begins the new schedule. The club, and David Lee, have done a fair share of promising and hinting that signings were on the way. So, this is good to see. Luca has been with the academy since he was ten years old and it appears other clubs have been inquiring about him. Locking him up to a contract is simply good business no matter where he ends up.

On Thursday morning we’re getting a livestreamed scrimmage against Atlanta United, complete with a post-game presser! It’ll be the first chance to see a couple new signings on the field.

The guys also dive into the US Men’s National Team loss to Belgium, as well as the pain and embarrassment that came with it. There was a scenario in which the US lost this game, but fans still felt good about the overall World Cup performance. This, however, was so bad ugly it kind of feels like we accomplished nothing this tournament.

Did the off the field drama have an effect on the US? Perhaps, but it all definitely impacted the Belgians. They were foaming at the mouths from the first whistle and looked miles better than they looked all tournament. It’s almost like something united and motivated them to a point they were never going to lose.

Where do we go from here? What will life look like after Mauricio Pochettino?

The show covers the rest of the World Cup excitement from the Round of 32 and Round 16 as we prepare for the final game in Kansas City! Lionel Messi and Argentina come back to town to face off with Switzerland in the World Cup Quarterfinals.

Find the KC Soccer Journal wherever you get your podcasts. Please subscribe, rate, & review! Feel free to yell at Cody @ThatCodyTho, Thad @TheBackpost, Carrie @crobbie20, and Robert @SpKCLife.

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The 2026 Shades of Blue Soccer Show is officially sponsored by CORE Outdoor Equipment! Keep an eye out for giveaways and other fun things we will be doing this year, thanks to our new friends.