Dummy: Interviews With Smart People About Soccer

This week in the New York Times Magazine, Jay Caspian Kang published a confused mish-mash of a story claiming, among other things, that “crowds who gather in M.L.S. stadiums and bars and sing songs inspired by groups who shove black men off subway trains and travel to foreign cities to taunt Muslim immigrants” are the reason “why so many Mexican-Americans choose not to root for the United States.” What? We’re using the occasion to speak with Simon Evans (Washington Post, Reuters), who has actual knowledge of English and Italian supporter traditions and is also familiar with the Americans trying to adopt them. He joins George and Bobby for a more informed discussion of American fan culture. Simon, who traveled to France for the knock-out rounds, also helps George convince Bobby that Euro 16 wasn’t boring. Next, Wes Burdine talks about the $700,000 transfer of Poku from NYCFC to Miami FC and what purchases like this reveal about the NASL. The country’s second division is struggling to keep pace with MLS and