‘Men in Blazers’ Podcast Comes to Higher Ground to Talk Vermont … – Seven Days

"I believe football in this nation is like one of those towns you read about in Arizona that was just a truck stop 20 years ago," proclaimed Roger Bennett, cohost of the massively popular soccer podcast (and Peacock show) "Men in Blazers." "The town has grown so fast, now the sewage doesn't work properly; the electric grid can't keep up. But we've only just begun, and everything is about to change."

Bennett is something of a proselytizer for "the world's game" here in America. A native of Liverpool, England, Bennett has since become an American citizen, which is fitting as he spent so much of his career covering and speaking on the state of the sport in the U.S. The "Men in Blazers" podcast, which he cofounded with friend and fellow Brit Michael Davies, has grown into the Men in Blazers Media Network, almost parallel to the rise of soccer in America.

"We are blessed to be able to tell stories about football with an audience that are falling head over heels in love with it," Bennett said in a video press conference with Vermont media outlets last week ahead of a live "Men in Blazers" taping atthe Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington on Thursday, June 1. "And I want to use our platform to shine a light on incredible American stories where football has taken root in the most creative, passionate, authentic and joyous ways. When I think about that, the first place I reached out to was Vermont Green FC."

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"When you see how they've built it, the care, the joy, the big dreams and the professionalism ... it's genuinely thrilling," Bennettsaid. "It seems to scream Vermont in the most wonderful way.

"Whenever I see anything [the Green] do, I want to jump through the screen and be there," the podcast host continued. "[The Higher Ground] show will be the first of what I hope will be many of these visits where we travel to a club, spend time in the community, talk about their vision and what they're building."

Bennett said one of his greatest joys in life is watching small communities harness the power of soccer to create connections. He believes the sport is uniquely positioned to operate on the global and local scales simultaneously, serving as both escapism for fans and as a platform for talking about bigger societal issues.

"I've always believed that football is ultimately a mirror that holds up a reflection to the surroundings," Bennett said. "I look at the Green, and it's such an incredibly intentional piece of community building." Bennett hopes that his listeners share his passion for the Green's story, as both an inspiring tale of local-level soccer and as a sign of things to come.

"There's no better place to be a football fan than in the United Staes of America right now," he asserted, pointing to the sense of shared discovery many new fans are reveling in, as well as the potential of World Cup 2026, which will be jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

"What I admire about the Green is how authentic it feels," he said. "The songs will come; the traditions and rituals will come. Honestly, what the Green are building, I hope it's the future of football."

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'Men in Blazers' Podcast Comes to Higher Ground to Talk Vermont ... - Seven Days