Jon Nelson brings you the best of SDH AM from the week of October 30, 2026. Three conversations worth your time heading into the weekend.
First, Apple TV’s Carlos Mauricio Ramírez joins ahead of his call of Atlanta United’s home finale against Toronto FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With Atlanta missing the playoffs for a second straight year despite Almirón, Embolo, Alonso, and Tata Martino in the building, Ramírez asks what’s really missing, compares Atlanta’s situation to turnarounds in Philadelphia and St. Louis, and explains why the upcoming sprint season could hand teams playing under a roof a massive early-season edge.
Then, former Atlanta United captain Michael Parkhurst of Beyond Goals Mentoring checks in. He weighs in on the sprint season, why no late-season match is meaningless for players fighting for their futures, how leadership looks different in a pro locker room than with youth mentees, and the message he’d deliver to Atlanta United before Sunday: go out and put on a show for the fans who show up.
To close, IFCPF CEO Ash Hammond wraps up the CP Football World Cups held at the Arthur M. Blank U.S. Soccer National Training Center. Hammond reflects on the athletes, the Georgia volunteers, the USA women’s comeback from two goals down to beat Australia 3-2 for their second title, and England’s extra-time win over the USA in the men’s final. He also previews a 2027 calendar of regional championships and the debut of an AI-assisted digital classification system he believes will make the sport more accessible worldwide.
Soccer Down Here covers the beautiful game from a Southern perspective. Find the Morning Espresso newsletter at soccerdownhere.net.
