Houston's World Cup countdown is paired with Brad Davis's long road to a World Cup team.
Glenn Davis shapes Destination 2026 around Houston's World Cup buildup and Brad Davis's path from youth soccer to a World Cup team under Juergen Klinsmann.

Houston's countdown to the Cup, nightly.
Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis is Houston soccer talk built around a countdown: seven World Cup matches are coming to the city, and every night gets a little closer. Champions League results, U.S. national team roster arguments, listener calls, and local brewery meetups all share the same two hours.
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Houston is hosting seven World Cup matches, and Glenn Davis has been counting the days out loud. That countdown organizes Soccer Matters, a nightly show on ESPN 97.5 broadcast from the Huntington Bank Studios with Brian McDonald behind the glass. The format is loose on purpose. A night can start with Champions League scores — Atletico Madrid two-nil over Barcelona, Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloff scoring, a Barcelona player sent off, the second leg still to come — and end on a story about youth soccer. Davis calls it improvisation mode, which is roughly accurate. He gives out a phone number and takes calls. The World Cup field is settled at 48 teams, and the show worked through the whole ledger of it: winners in Turkey, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Bosnia, Congo and Iraq, heartbreak in Kosovo, Poland, Denmark, Jamaica, Bolivia and Italy. Italy missing a third consecutive tournament gets the incredulity it deserves. Guests are the show's other engine. Brian Sciaretta of Soccer America and American Soccer Now, described as one of the show's favorite guests, breaks down the U.S. team's games against Belgium and Portugal and who gained ground with Mauricio Pochettino. Franco Panizo reports on Inter Miami. Eric Quill, head coach of FC Dallas, takes questions. Brad Davis, a former U.S. national team player, remembers being a small-town kid who once scored four goals against a touring Dutch side and got an offer to go to the Netherlands that his family turned down. Bob Yampey comes on as a Houston soccer pioneer. Jordan Cutler and Allison Brooks appear from Visit Sugarland to talk about the region's role in the tournament. Destination 2026 airs as a companion program, presented by a roster of Houston-area sponsors, and it keeps the World Cup framing tight to the city. Nothing about the show is remote or press-box detached. Davis reads out that Soccer Matters will broadcast live from Senate Avenue Brewing in Jersey Village, calls it a radio party honoring the Houston soccer community, and mentions the patio and the World Cup viewing to come. He tells listeners to mention the show at a slider place near the zoo for fifteen percent off. He says what he actually likes about the sport: a player picking up the ball, running at a defender, beating him, changing the tactical picture. The register is fast and conversational, with the repeated emphasis and mid-thought turns of live radio. Underneath the enthusiasm is a long memory — Houston soccer going back to the sixties, a city that Davis clearly thinks has earned the matches it is about to get.
Made for: Soccer fans in and around Houston who want the global game filtered through their own city, plus U.S. national team followers who like roster arguments and qualification math. It suits listeners who enjoy call-in radio and want to know where to actually watch matches.
What sets it apart: Most World Cup shows report from nowhere in particular; this one is anchored to one city that is hosting seven matches, moving from Champions League results to Houston soccer history to a brewery meetup without changing gears. The guest list runs from national-team writers to local pioneers, and both get real time.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Glenn Davis connects USMNT decisions and World Cup preparation with the people shaping Houston's soccer community.
Glenn Davis treats soccer as both a game to be read and a public event taking shape around Houston. The radio-to-podcast format moves from USMNT roster questions and Champions League results to interviews about World Cup preparations, giving Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis a…
Houston's World Cup clock is ticking; Glenn Davis gives your roster anxiety a local address.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
Houston's World Cup countdown is paired with Brad Davis's long road to a World Cup team.
Glenn Davis shapes Destination 2026 around Houston's World Cup buildup and Brad Davis's path from youth soccer to a World Cup team under Juergen Klinsmann.
A Houston World Cup update finds its heart in Abby's Cup and its scale in the city's preparations.
Destination 2026 catches Houston at the point where World Cup preparation feels less like a distant countdown and more like a live operation. Glenn Davis moves from infrastructure work and the expectation of half a million plus fans into Abby's Cup at Rice, where soccer becomes…
Houston's World Cup year frames Cruyff memory, African football debate, and two comeback stories.
Soccer Matters keeps Houston's 2026 World Cup role up front, from seven matches at Energy Stadium to the 24-carat-gold trophy in the studio. The hour then widens out: Johan Cruyff's imprint on 1974, an African football dispute with Sam Mbonu, Tigris erasing a 3-0 aggregate…
A Houston soccer hour that leans into World Cup buildup and the U.S. roster race.
Glenn Davis opens Soccer Matters on ESPN 97.5 with sponsor reads and local promotion before bringing on Paul Agosta for a conversation that moves from family into the U.S. men's buildup.
Danny Gonzalez connects Argentina's football culture to neighborhood loyalty, public life, and Houston's World Cup buildup.
Argentina gives this Destination 2026 episode a clear center, with Glenn Davis moving from the international mood around Houston's World Baseball Classic games into a conversation with Danny Gonzalez, known locally from Telemundo and now as a Houston Astros commentator.
A personal soccer conversation grows into U.S. roster questions, with Houston's 2026 stage in view.
Paul Agosta's conversation with Glenn Davis gives the hour a clear emotional center, rooted in a personal discussion about Agosta's daughter, Abby.
A World Cup countdown that links Houston-area watch-party plans with Champions League pressure.
Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis frames the 2026 World Cup countdown through both major European results and a practical Houston-area question: what will the tournament feel like for fans when the matches are not the only draw?





Rivalry panic with tactical receipts.

Glenn Davis hosts a two-hour episode of Soccer Matters covering mental health in soccer and World Cup preparations.
Glenn Davis hosts 'Destination 2026' focusing on Houston's preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Glenn Davis opens with Ronaldo's Instagram statement announcing his exit from Portugal's camp after coach Jesus said "No player will ever make a decision for me." He then reviews the USMNT's 4-1 win over Peru and a win over Chile, in which Julian Hall scored in his first two caps and 17-year-old Matthias Albert became the youngest US men's goal scorer.
This episode discusses Houston's preparations for the 2026 World Cup, including Visit Sugarland's involvement, and covers recent soccer news like Champions League results.
This episode of Soccer Matters discusses Houston soccer day, Champions League action, World Cup updates, and features an interview with the MLS commissioner.
This episode of Soccer Matters promotes upcoming live radio events and local business partnerships in the Houston soccer community.
This episode discusses the USMNT roster and player performance in recent games against Belgium and Portugal, featuring insights from writer Brian Sciaretta and former player Brad Davis.
This episode discusses the dramatic World Cup playoff results, highlighting which teams qualified and which were eliminated, including Italy's third consecutive absence.
Destination 2026 opens with Houston's World Cup countdown.
["Glenn Davis says the World Cup \"becomes real\" this week as UEFA playoffs and intercontinental playoffs decide the final six teams for the 48-team tournament, with Turkey, Romania, Italy, and Denmark all in the mix.", "He connects those playoff results to Houston's seven World Cup matches, the June 14 opener against Germany and Cura\u00e7ao, and later fixtures involving Portugal and the Netherlands.", "A long interview with Paul Agosta centers on Abby's Cup at Rice University, his daughter Abby Agosta's OCD, and the free Rice-Houston Christian game built around mental health awareness.", "David Fletcher of Lone Star Sports and Entertainment closes the episode by describing the NRG-to-Houston Stadium conversion, fan zones downtown, and the goal of making Houston look like a top-tier soccer city."]
Thursday's World Cup playoff slate drives Soccer Matters, with Turkey-Romania, Italy-Northern Ireland, Bolivia-Suriname, Jamaica-New Caledonia, and Iraq-Congo all shaping the last six places in the 48-team field.
Glenn Davis opens the second hour of Soccer Matters with Houston soccer and brings on Paul Agosta for a conversation that turns personal pretty quickly.
Glenn Davis opens Destination 2026 by connecting Houston's World Cup countdown to the international buzz he felt at the World Baseball Classic.
This episode profiles the Scotland and France national soccer teams ahead of the 2026 World Cup, featuring interviews with experts Phil Ebner and Olivier Finidori.
This episode discusses Harry Kane's injury at Bayern Munich, his historic scoring run in the Bundesliga, and teases an upcoming interview with former Bayern Munich player Claudio Pizarro.
This episode of Destination 2026 discusses updates on the World Cup 2026 and German National Team, featuring an interview with Claudio Pizarro, hosted by Glenn Davis.
This episode of Destination 2026 provides updates on the countdown to the 2026 World Cup, focusing on Houston's preparations and upcoming matches.
This episode features an interview with former Houston Hurricane/Summit player Kai Haaskivi discussing Houston soccer history and life in the 1970s, while promoting the upcoming World Cup matches in Houston.