This one starts with a bit of housekeeping and a real one: Assistant Coach Neil Hlavaty heading to Spokane Velocity, and what his exit signals for a Forward Madison club that’s clearly reshaping itself on and off the field.

From there, we spend most of the episode with Mark Segbers, and it’s less about the highlight reel and more about the long arc. Segbers talks growing up in St. Louis, coming up in a full, energetic household, and finding his footing at Wisconsin before a pro career defined by drafts, loans, and the steady grind of the USL Championship. There’s perspective on MLS environments, winning locker rooms, and how your relationship with the game changes when you’ve seen a few different versions of it.

We wrap by zooming in on why Madison makes sense now—familiarity, trust in the club’s new direction, and the role veteran voices like Segbers can play as FMFC leans younger and builds something that looks intentionally different than past iterations.

Measured, reflective, and very much about the path, not just the destination.

Episode 90 feels like a turning of the page. We unpack Forward Madison’s biggest philosophical shift in years with the arrival of Sporting Director Matt Cairns—what “evolution, not disruption” actually means, and why 2026 already feels different. We also dive into roster news with the return of Derek Gebhard, the additions of Mark Segbers and Ryan Carmichael, and what those moves suggest about balance, continuity, and intent.

Plus: first reactions to the newly released 2026 schedule, expectations reset, and a little end-of-era reflection as FMFC closes one chapter and starts writing the next.

2025 was a tough one to take. 2026 can only be better, right? A major roster overhaul looms as FMFC hires a Sporting Director. It's a season-ending extravanganza!