Hi, I'm Grant Wall, and welcome to the Planet Football Podcast, where I go in depth with the most intriguing people in the world of soccer.

On today's show, Best-Selling novelist John Green joins me to talk about his love for soccer, including Liverpool

FC and the inspirational 6 Division Rise of AFC Wimbledon, where he's a sponsor of the team and the stadium's North Stand is literally

called the John Green Stand.

For me, there is something special about soccer culture.

Part of it is that the teams usually aren't franchises at least outside the

United States and so they really are community assets. So whether or not your team

succeeds or fails is partly a reflection of the strength of your community.

But also think part of it's just the culture of soccer fandom, you know, it's the singing, it's the being with people.

It's a sense of like finding your

people finding your community and it's so powerful

all that and my thoughts on the world of soccer coming up. Take one.

Here we go with my three thoughts.

First up, Bruce Arena starts his first U.S. men's national team camp in more than a decade

this week in Southern California. The two friendlies

this month against Serbia and Jamaica aren't a big deal at all, but this month

is still important for the national team.

Arena's goal is to change the tone of what's happening inside this team.

And more than tactics, more than anything else,

Arena is a master of man management and building teams.

The biggest impact arena will have this month is simple.

His players will start to look forward to coming into the national team camps again.

...