Orange Slices

Latest Episodes:

A Long Overdue Catchup: Genk's Recent Form & USMNT World Cup Qualifying Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

We're back! No guest this week but we wanted to catch up and say hello to the OS fam. Mark has been focusing on his club football at Genk after the USMNT World Cup Qualifying matches earlier this month. Mark opens up about his frustrations with the club's recent 5 match losing streak and his fight for playing time. Heath shares some of his similar war stories and the guys have a nice chat about staying mentally strong when things aren't going your way. Genk won in the League Cup this week so hopefully this is the start of them getting back on track.

Check out FootyCon: https://bit.ly/31daW6P

Check out Black Star Initiative's Launch THIS WEEKEND in Detroit: https://bit.ly/3mlHzHx

“Orange Slices” connects the past, present, and future generations of U.S. internationals around our collective soccer story. Hosted by emerging U.S. international Mark McKenzie and former U.S. international Heath Pearce, this cross-generational show is an unfiltered celebration of our national team and soccer Americana.

Gianluca Busio Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

On the eve of their World Cup Qualifying match against Jamaica, we caught up with one of the youngest guys in camp, Gianluca Busio. The guys may have been battling jet lag - 7 hours is no joke - but they still had a great conversation about this camp, Venezia and life outside of soccer. The guys give you a behind the scenes look on this current camp, general vibe, training sessions, how it compares to the Gold Cup and how they stay mentally ready on match day. Plus, Gianluca opens up about his time in Venice: how he feels playing against players he played with on FIFA, new training gear, and who he's swapping a jersey (or shorts) with next.

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Tanner Tessmann Sep 30, 2021

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Our guy Tanner Tessmann may just be the most chill guest we have had on the pod, just don’t come at the FC Dallas Academy around him. Tanner stopped by for a great conversation with the guys about his new life in Venice, the food scene, navigating Serie A with a fellow American on the squad, breaking into the team and so much boat talk. Tanner also dives into his USMNT career, his first taste of Concacaf in Olympic qualifying and his future in red, white and blue. Finally, Tanner and Mark may have began a new feud over the best academy in MLS. This dude has a bright future.

Check out Tanner’s podcast “Chum Chat”

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World Cup Qualifying Recap #1 Sep 16, 2021

Show notes

Well, it’s finally time. After talking to countless US Soccer veterans on this pod, Mark has his own Concacaf war stories to share. No guest this week, but Heath and Mark catch up on what has been a truly insane couple of weeks for our host. Mark opens up about El Salvador’s hostile stadium, the team’s vibe in-between matches, the distractions outside the locker room, getting the start in Honduras, how the team came together at half time and propelled themselves to that historic second half and so much more. All this on the eve of Genk’s return to the Europa League! Exciting times for the OS fam.

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Listener Mail #2 Sep 02, 2021

Show notes

Mark is a little busy this week at National Team camp but we didn’t want to leave the OS fam hanging! Heath opens the show talking about these upcoming WCQ matches and what he hopes to see from the squad before we dive into the full episode. A couple of weeks ago Mark & Heath opened the mailbag and answered all your most pressing questions. Find out what the guys really think about dual nationals, their favorite youth soccer memories, coaches who had the biggest impacts on their careers, what they eat for breakfast, Mark’s Warzone load out and much more. We will be back with a proper episode next week!

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USMNT World Cup Qualifying Roster Reaction Aug 26, 2021

Show notes

Heath and Mark react to the USMNT Roster announcement that just dropped. Mark is in the squad for his first World Cup Qualifying matches! The guys talk through Mark’s expectations, Heath’s experiences in El Salvador and Honduras, how Gregg has been preparing the guys for this moment and who else Heath is excited to see in this round of games. Finally, the guys react to some of the recent US-Mexico dual nationals news and Heath gives a recap of his MLS All-Star experience.

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Antonee Robinson Aug 19, 2021

Show notes

The young Jedi himself joins the pod for an awesome conversation this week. Antonee Robinson may have been born in England and spent most of his career across the pond but our guy is an American through and through. Antonee shares some great stories with the guys ranging from his youth career at Everton and with the England Youth National Team, why he chose to play with the US over England, the Nations League, playing for Fulhamerica, the biggest differences between the Premier League and the Championship and how he got his nickname “Jedi”.

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Yunus Musah Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

Our guest this week is the most recent multinational to commit to the USA back in March 2021. Yunus Musah is a young baller honing his craft out in Valencia when he’s not tearing it up with the USMNT. He’s rehabbing from an injury right now and took some time out of his busy schedule to catch up with Mark and Heath. The guys get into US Soccer’s recruiting process and why Yunus decided to commit to the USA, his relationship with Gregg Berhalter, who’s got the biggest legs in the squad, his time in the England Youth National Teams, the crop of ballers he was playing with back then and at his club and the guys revisit the Nations League Final and how wild his first taste of Concacaf was. Finally, he talks about life in Valencia, his future with the USMNT and much more. Big thanks to Mr. USA himself for chopping it up with us.

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Sam Vines Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

We caught our guest this week on the eve of his biggest career accomplishments to date. Sam Vines joins us on the day before the Gold Cup Final against Mexico and a few days before he moves to Royal Antwerp. Sam was incredibly generous with his time at such a critical moment and we are very thankful to him for chopping it up with us. Sam gives us an inside look at the USMNT vibes throughout the Gold Cup, the matchup against Qatar, reviewing footage with Gregg Berhalter and the USMNT staff, life on the road and so much more. Sam also opens up about his pending move to Royal Antwerp and what he is most looking forward to in this next chapter, what language he is going to learn, must hit restaurants and organizes a dog playdate with Mark already. It's a fun, light hearted episode and knowing the result of the final now, it's no surprise the USMNT was able to mentally push through Mexico if this was the vibe in Las Vegas. Congrats to Sam and the whole squad on a job well done! 🏆

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Genk Season 2 Underway, Champions League Qualifying and Mark's a (Dog) Dad Jul 29, 2021

Show notes

On today's Orange Slices, Heath and Mark catchup after what's been a busy couple of weeks for the hosts and US soccer in general. No guest this week, but we'll be back on a normal cadence next week with guests. Heath and Mark catch up on Mark's latest adventure - pet fatherhood, the Belgian Super Cup, the beginning of the Belgian season, Champions League Qualifying against Shakhtar Donetsk right around the corner, Gold Cup, the Olympics and some other fun topics. Join in and listen to a candid conversation with the OS hosts.

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