The 15 Minute Book Club

Leander Sharlockens joins us to discuss his new book about the US Men's National Team, The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts, and we trace the uneven history of the U.S. men’s national team, from its early struggles and the 1950 win over England through the long period when the programme was underfunded and disorganised to today's hopes in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy The Long Game: U.S. Men's Soccer and Its Savage, Four-Decade Journey to the Top, or Thereabouts at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780593653876

UK Amazon Link: https://amzn.eu/d/0el47ixp

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub

0:00 Introduction to U.S. Soccer
3:17 Title IX’s Soccer Boom
6:19 From Glory to Collapse
7:34 Team America Disaster
10:28 Youth Soccer and Dropout
11:51 A Country, Not a Nation
13:53 Europe Beckons American Players
16:33 Adu’s Rise and Fall
17:56 Choosing the Book’s Profiles
19:45 The Berhalter Debate
21:24 World Cup Expectations
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After much pestering, we have the author of Alex's favourite recent read joining us! Gareth L. Powell's latest is Jitterbug, in which a crew of bounty hunters find themselves ensnared in a conspiracy on the very fringes of the devastated solar system, in a ship that acts like a parrot. Alex was very happy.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy Jittberbug by Gareth L. Powell at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781835414514
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9781835414514

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Fifth Crusade was unlike any other. It was the first to invade Egypt, a story filled with adventure and intrigue, yet it often gets overshadowed by its predecessors. Dr. Thomas Smith joins us to tell the untold tale of this epic campaign, where the Crusaders faced more than just battles; they encountered a land filled with ancient history and the remnants of powerful empires.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy The Fifth Crusade: A History of the Epic Campaign to Conquer Egypt by Thomas Smith at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9780300283952
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9780300283952

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the 15-Minute Book Club, Adrian Goldsworthy joins us to delve into the rivalry between Athens and Sparta in the 5th century BC and their continued influence on us today. Plus, we ask just how much of ancient history is just made up.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Buy Athens and Sparta: The Rivalry that Shaped Ancient Greece at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781800245426
US Link: https://bookshop.org/a/118682/9781541619982

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub

You can find all of Adrian's books below, including the fab Ferox series!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=adrian+goldsworthy
US Link: https://bookshop.org/beta-search?keywords=Adrian+Goldsworthy
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is no room to swing a cat this week as we are wall to wall cats! Author Alex Howard joins us to tell us about Archie the streetwise cat's odyssey in his new book, The Ship's Cat, and he has just 15 minutes to convince you to buy it.

Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Preorder The Ship's Cat by Alex Howard at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16621/9781785307706

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Patreon members get extra time: 15 more minutes, in which you get to see behind the scenes and find out how the book was written. You can subscribe here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/15MinuteBookClub

Watch the video version: https://www.youtube.com/@15MinuteBook_Club

Buy [INSERT BOOK TITLE] at our Bookshop.org shop. Support authors, indie bookshops and us!
UK Link:
US Link:

Visit our Bookshop with books from all of our guests via the links below:
(UK) https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
(US) https://bookshop.org/shop/15MinuteBookClub
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.