Episode 654 – The AFTN Soccer Show (Screaming Through The Astral Plane - Tristan Blackmon interview, Whitecaps preseason, World Cup legacy, CPL and NSL chat)

We’re back with another AFTN Soccer Show packed full of Vancouver Whitecaps, Major League Soccer, Canadian Premier League, Northern Super League, and World Cup chat.

The Whitecaps got their preseason action on the pitch underway last week in Spain with a narrow loss to Polish championship contenders Raków Częstochowa. We delve into what we gleaned from the match, the addition of Canadian winger Jayden Nelson to the team, talk Brian White's good week for his country, and find out just what is Sebastian Berhalter's Favourite Jam!

Our feature interview this episode is with the man that got a goal and an assist in that first preseason match, Whitecaps centre back Tristan Blackmon. We chat with Tiki about his time in Vancouver so far, life under a new coach, his footballing heroes, and his new found love of darts among other things.

Plus we look at what might be the legacy in Vancouver from the 2026 World Cup as the plan to improve Memorial Park gets shelved by the city, and we talk a busy preseason week in the CPL and NSL, as Vancouver Rise add more players and try out a few local and experienced faces.

All of this plus Hot Chocolate Boy is back, the Rakes wrap up their residency as Album of the Month, we've another Britpop song, and Wavelength features a song all about Ajax, as we debate - is football art?

Here’s the rundown for the main segments from the episode:

01.28: Intro - drama on the stage and late drama off the pitch
11.45: Hot Chocolate Boy - Dough Girls and 49th Parallel
21.27: Vancouver's legacy from the 2026 World Cup - or lack of?
46.20: Whitecaps preseason gets underway with a narrow loss
50.56: Jayden Nelson joins the 'Caps
58.16: Brian White - an American hero
63.50: Sebastian Berhalter's Favourite Jam
69.46: Tristan Blackmon interview
99.55: Vancouver Rise add players and try out many more
114.15: CPL news of the week
127.25: Wavelength - Robbie and the Kock - Ajax Is Art