Mark McKenzie is getting back into podcasting as the World Cup draws closer
The U.S. national team centerback and Union product is helping to relaunch the “Orange Slices” show he did with former MLS and U.S. player Heath Pearce from 2020-22.
With the World Cup on the horizon, Mark McKenzie is returning to his roots. Though this time, it isn’t about his ties to the Union or growing up in northern Delaware.
The U.S. national team centerback is getting back into podcasting, helping to relaunch the Orange Slices show he did with former MLS and U.S. player Heath Pearce from 2020-22.
Pearce will host the show, with McKenzie as a regular guest as his playing schedule allows. His season with French club Toulouse ends on May 17, and the U.S. World Cup roster will be announced on May 26 in New York.
Episodes are expected twice a week, focusing on the World Cup, with the first one available right from Tuesday’s launch.
“Returning to Orange Slices feels especially significant right now,” McKenzie said in a statement. “We’re living through an unprecedented time in U.S. soccer history, and I’m eager to help share the stories that define it — from inside the locker room to the community leaders building the game from the ground up. Just as 1994 helped create the foundation for my generation, this World Cup moment acts as an incredible springboard for the next generation of players and fans.”
McKenzie, 27, has long been natural in front of a microphone. This summer could raise his profile even more. He is a leading candidate not only to make the U.S. World Cup team, but to be a starter.
Pearce, 41, has done a variety of media work since hanging up his cleats in 2015. One of them has been as a color analyst on Apple’s MLS broadcasts. He’s also the president of For Soccer, a marketing and content agency that was founded by Union part-owner Richie Graham in 2018.
» READ MORE: The USMNT’s World Cup auditions are over. Now it’s time to project the tournament roster.
“This show is a celebration of our shared soccer story, told from the inside — through the voices, experiences, and moments that have shaped the American game, from youth fields to the World Cup stage,” Pearce said in a statement.
A live event in New York for fans is also expected during the World Cup, though the date is not finalized yet.
Nine nations will compete in five group stage matches this summer, plus two more in a knockout game on July 4. Here’s what you need to know about those countries — and what those fans need to know about Philly. Click here for more.
