New Ground with Allen & Jalil cover art

New Ground with Allen & Jalil

New Ground with Allen & Jalil

By: New Ground
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About this listen

It’s your favorite player’s favorite show.

Welcome to New Ground, where the conversations hit different.

Hosted by Allen Hopkins Jr. and Jalil Anibaba, this is where the locker room opens up. These are melanin-rich conversations about life, soccer — footy, whatever you want to call it — and the real stories that shape the game in America.

From Major League Soccer to the USMNT pipeline, from player identity to leadership, culture, pressure, and purpose — nothing’s off limits. This isn’t media-trained soundbites. It’s lived experience. It’s perspective you only get from the guys who’ve been in it.

Allen and Jalil sit down with current and former pros, coaches, creatives, and culture-shifters to unpack the moments you didn’t see on the highlight reel — the setbacks, the locker room truths, the growth behind the grind.

If you love the game beyond the scoreboard, this show is for you.

Real players. Real perspective. New Ground.

New Ground Show 2026 Football (Soccer) Politics & Government
Episodes
  • 079: Everyone be scoring goals like crazy. Was the 2022 World Cup Final a sign of what we see today?

    079: Everyone be scoring goals like crazy. Was the 2022 World Cup Final a sign of what we see today?
    May 1 2026

    You get a goal, you get a goal, we all get a goal!

    The offensive output across competitions has been a topic of conversation the last few months and this week it was in full motion as Paris Saint-Germain F.C. defeated FC Bayern Munich 5-4 in the 1st leg of their Champions League match.

    Allen reflects on his time connected to the LA Galaxy early in his career as he attended the Cobi Jones Statue Unveiling this past week. Not gonna lie, Cobi's statue is better than David Beckham and Landon Donovan's.

    We get into:

    • Can Jalil become elite at pickleball?
    • Allen at Cobi Jones Statue Unveiling
    • Champions League 1st leg of Semifinals
    • San Jose best in the league
    • 2nd best Whitecaps needs to stay in Vancouver
    • San Diego FC need to take it one at a time to turn it around
    • FLOWERS: Siblings & Maxi Moralez

    - - -

    If you want real conversations from inside MLS and all things global footy, follow New Ground and SHARE this episode with someone who lives and breathes the game.
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    50 mins
  • 078: USMNT & MLS Legend Cobi Jones has always been larger than life

    078: USMNT & MLS Legend Cobi Jones has always been larger than life
    Apr 25 2026

    Southern California legend Cobi Jones will be immortalized by the LA Galaxy with a 9' statue outside of the stadium he helped build at Dignity Health Park.

    Whether it was his dominances at UCLA, launching a franchise and league in the MLS, or becoming the most capped player in USMNT history, Cobi Jones made an impact on and off the field.

    We get into:

    • The Statue Unveiling in LA
    • Becoming the hated LA Galaxy
    • Then vs Now - Comparing the state of the league
    • Olympic Festivals and USMNT Experience
    • Cobi gets flowers for his impact on Black community

    - - -

    If you want real conversations from inside MLS and all things global footy, follow New Ground and SHARE this episode with someone who lives and breathes the game.
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • 077: Ousseni Bouda ditched school and set up his path to the MLS

    077: Ousseni Bouda ditched school and set up his path to the MLS
    Apr 17 2026

    Do you ever think about those moments in your life where you made a choice that set you up the rest of your life?

    San Jose Earthquakes attacker Ousseni Bouda had that moment at 11-years old where he cut class and set him up on his path to becoming a professional footballer.

    We get into:

    • Javier Mascherano sacked in Inter Miami CF
    • Matt Crocker Leaves US Soccer for Saudi Arabia
    • Ousseni Bouda's life at the top of the MLS Table
    • Playing for Bruce Arena
    • Right to Dream Academy Pathway
    • FLOWERS: Carbral Carter, Marie-Louise Eta, Jeremy Hall
    Show More Show Less
    50 mins
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