Podcast: Soccer Sportsperson of the Year candidates; USMNT in WCQs

On the newest Planet Fútbol Podcast, we debate who would qualify as Soccer Sportsperson of the Year and what to expect from the USMNT as it kicks off World Cup qualifying.

As 2015 winds down, SI is kicking off the countdown to awarding our Sportsman of the Year, and a pair of soccer standouts are in the conversation. Lionel Messi and Carli Lloyd are among the candidates, which got us to thinking: Who else could be Soccer Sportsperson of the Year? 

That question kicks off our latest podcast, with SI's Grant Wahl, Brian Straus and Avi Creditor going over the merits of some obvious and some not-so-obvious candidates around the planet.

We turn our attention to the U.S. men's national team, which kicks off 2018 World Cup qualifying in St. Louis and aims to end a rocky year on a high note. How much pressure is on Jurgen Klinsmann? Should Clint Dempsey be part of this team? Just how good is St. Louis pizza?

• WAHL: The case for Lloyd as 2015 Sportsman of the Year

Listen to the new Planet Fútbol Podcast below (Subscribe to us on iTunes here | We're also available on Stitcher!):