Best of 2025 in the Western Hemisphere, kit designs, and Georgia Southern star Ricky Louis: SDH Week in Review, 12.27

·1 hr 23 min·5 clips

Ricky Lewis thought Atlanta drafted him, then learned he was traded to Dallas in a shocking moment.

This episode compiles segments from the SDH AM morning show, hosted by John Nelson of the Soccer Down Here network. It features interviews with MLS draft pick Ricky Lewis, AC Boise's kit designer Jenny Talaria, and a review of 2025 soccer stories with pundit Nino Torres. The show first interviews Ricky Lewis, the number two overall MLS SuperDraft pick from Georgia Southern University who was selected by Atlanta United and then traded to FC Dallas. Lewis describes draft day, including watching a live stream called Kick a Ball Pod and initially believing Atlanta had picked him before learning of the trade. He details his college journey, which included a gap year at the Strive academy under coach Christian Ngu and a USL League Two stint with Lionsbridge FC playing left wing-back. Lewis explains his playing style as an "annoying" forward who pressures defenders and never stops running, and he credits Georgia Southern coaches and teammate KP for helping him manage his emotions on the field. The episode then shifts to a conversation with Jenny Talaria, the Chief Marketing Officer and lead kit designer for the new USL League One club AC Boise. Talaria reveals the club's identity process began a decade ago with community listening sessions using sticker dots on images representing Boise. She explains the crest incorporates symbols like agriculture lines, mountain peaks, a star garnet, and a peregrine falcon, reflecting local elements including the area's significant Basque population. The design process involved hundreds of iterations over six rounds with a team of three designers before selecting Hummel as the kit manufacturer for its high customizability. The tone is conversational and interview-driven, blending sports journalism with behind-the-scenes creative discussions. Soccer fans interested in MLS prospects, club branding, and kit design will enjoy this episode, while listeners seeking match analysis or game highlights might want to skip it.

As heard by us

A year-end soccer wrap that catches up on missed news and dwells on the craft behind a kit.

Off the Woodwork feels more like a year-end catch-up than a victory lap, and that suits SDH AM's practical job: passing along the stories listeners may have missed from the night side and keeping up with a game that never really slows down.

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Why you'd press play

For a year-end SDH AM recap with kit-design behind-the-scenes detail.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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