Leander Schaerlaeckens Promotes 384-Page USMNT History After May 12 Book Release

2 articles · Updated · Marist College The Circle · May 21

Leander Schaerlaeckens reviewed his newly released 384-page book, “The Long Game,” before joining Alexi Lalas’ State of the Union podcast to discuss its account of the U.S. men’s national team.
The Marist sports communication lecturer said the project stretched across more than four years, though he completed the manuscript in summer 2023 ahead of a release timed to the buildup to the 2026 World Cup.
About 150 interviews and extensive archival research shaped the book, which grew from a 2021 profile of then-USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter into a deal with Viking Books in early 2022.
A 147,000-word manuscript of more than 500 pages was later edited down, with former Marist student Ricardo Martinez-Paz helping transcribe interviews, research archives and review drafts.
The book caps nearly two decades of Schaerlaeckens’ soccer reporting, from ESPN before the 2010 World Cup to later coverage of the USMNT’s failed 2018 qualification campaign.

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