Episode 490 - The AFTN Soccer Show (Play The Drum A Little Louder with special guest Nikos Overheul)

The latest AFTN Soccer Show is out for another packed episode of Vancouver Whitecaps, MLS, and Canadian football chat. The 2021 MLS season is finally over and there's a new name on the Cup. We chat about NYCFC's win over Portland in a MLS Cup that was far from a classic but did have controversy on and off the pitch, late drama, and a penalty shootout. Plus we talk about whether MLS should move back to neutral venues for their cup finals and the growing dominance of multi-club operations around world football. There was also a lot of other MLS news this week and we chat about some of the stuff coming out of Commissioner Don Garber's State of the League address including expansion to Las Vegas, how much the league has helped Canada's national team get to the level they're at, and a new league has been launched. What will MLS Next Pro look like for the Whitecaps? Our feature interview this episode is with Whitecaps Director of Recruitment Nikos Overheul. We chat to Nikos about his role at the club, his background in football, his previous work with Brentford FC and at Stats Bomb, and the growing important of analytics in modern football. All of this, plus English punk band The Angelic Upstarts feature in this episode's special Wavelength and Isle of Wight band Wet Leg continue their residency as our Artists of the Month.