We watched a lot of football, and many things happened. 0:00 - USWNT beats Zambia 3-0 16:40 - USWNT vs. Germany 17:45 - Germany batters Australia 22:00 - Is there a twitter bot sending us good football takes? 24:00 - Germany's quality on display 27:45 - Spain beats Japan in battle of two favorites 39:20 - France holds on vs. tough Colombia 45:40 - Canada beats New Zealand amidst wild spying thing (this was recorded before the points deduction and coaching suspensions) 54:15 - Brazil beats Nigeri...
Jul 28, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 72
Yeah, the Olympic women's football tournament has started by the time this will be published to Spotify and Apple podcasts, but now you'll have the opportunity to laugh at what predictions we immediately got wrong on Matchday 1. In this episode, we put all 12 Olympic sides into neat little tiers based on our expectations for them. Who can go for the gold? Who will celebrate a silver or bronze? And who will be content walking away with a participation ribbon? Subscribe now to catch all of our wom...
Jul 25, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 71
The Olympics are nearly here, so let's take a (figurative) trip to France to cover the home side for the tournament. Our guest today is Assile Toufaily, former Lebanon Women's National Team player, PhD Candidate, and freelance football writer for Forbes. Assile is based in France and does incredible work covering Division 1 Arkema and the global women's game. In this episode, we discuss the possibility of this being the last-best chance for some of France's legendary players to win a major tourn...
Jul 24, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 70
The Olympic previews roll on, and this time we're talking about the US Women's National Team. In this episode, we sit down with Bridie O'Toole, the founder and host of " Busy Watching Women's Soccer ," the phenomenal YouTube show where Bridie breaks down film and gives in-depth tactical analysis. We started with the incredibly unfortunate news about Cat Macario's injury and how that could affect how USA plays out of the midfield. Then, we discussed USWNT through the context of their three upcomi...
Jul 23, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 69
Our Olympic previews march on, and we are thrilled to welcome Júlia Belas Trindade to break down Brazil. Júlia is an educator, researcher, PhD student, and freelance football writer for the Guardian, where she regularly contributes to the newsletter " Moving the Goalposts ." In this episode, we chat with Júlia about the evolving landscape of women's football in Brazil, the team's potential ceiling at this Olympic tournament, the key players they'll need to play well to reach that ceiling, and mu...
Jul 18, 2024•42 min•Season 1Ep. 68
Our Olympic preview coverage continues as we're joined by the great Mariam Kourabi of She Scores Bangers , who breaks down her home team of Canada. In this episode, Mariam discusses the ups and downs the Canadian national team has gone through the past few years, with winning the 2020 Olympic Gold Medal, struggling through a disappointing 2023 World Cup, and now managing the departure of legendary players while building a new culture around talented young players. We also got into her thoughts o...
Jul 15, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 67
We continue our trek through the Olympic contenders by chatting with Peter Weis of Bulinews . Peter has been writing about football for more than 20 years, and has covered every major women's international tournament since 2011. In this episode, Peter talks tactics and how Germany's group of Frauen-Bundesliga stars will connect for the national team after a disappointing showing in the 2023 World Cup. Subscribe now to catch all of our women's football talk, including our ongoing coverage of the ...
Jul 12, 2024•46 min•Ep. 66
The 2024 Olympics is nearly here, and that means the incredible women's football tournament is here with it. In this episode, we chat with Samantha Lewis, a true pioneer in women's football journalism. Samantha currently writes for ABC News in Australia covering the Matildas and all things women's football, and you can listen to her on the ESPN podcast, The Far Post . We talked about Australia's chances at medaling, what young players we should watch for in the tournament, and who needs to perfo...
Jul 09, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 65
In our endless search to discuss the NWSL through as many lenses as possible, we decided to look at Matchweek 15 through the lens of two teams and two players who jumped out to us. Spotlight teams - North Carolina Courage smothered Washington Spirit in their 1-0 victory in Washington DC Saturday, and their smothering defense caught Dino's eye. On top of that, the club is anxiously awaiting the arrival of Australian attacker/midfielder Cortnee Vine, as well as the potential return of 2023 NWSL MV...
Jul 03, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 64
The USWNT announced its Olympic roster, and we have notes! Players not on the roster - Lily Yohannes was not included on the roster, but it's not so simple as her being "left off." Dino did some reporting, and we have the inside scoop. After that, we talked about the potential implications of Yohannes not being in the squad - Croix Bethune is an alternate, and that's cool and all, but could the USWNT miss her incredible passing ability as a true No. 10? - No Alex Morgan, either. We discussed why...
Jun 29, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 63
San Diego Wave FC announced the club has parted ways with manager Casey Stoney. Dino and Grant talk about Stoney's time at the Wave, including the club winning the 2023 NWSL Shield and the 2024 Challenge Cup, before diving into what's been a dismal 14 weeks to start this season. After that, your boys talk about the three teams at the front of the line in the title race: Kansas City Current, Orlando Pride, and Washington Spirit. We dive into the stats and storylines for those big three, but we ha...
Jun 27, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 62
We got some midweek NWSL action with Gotham FC beating the San Diego Wave 2-1 and Angel City FC beating Racing Louisville in a wild 3-2 finish on Wednesday. We started with Gotham playing direct against the Wave and San Diego not having a lot of answers. Everyone loved Gotham's offseason moves, then they started slow. Now, the Bats are on a run, and they don't even have Lynn Williams and Esther González back yet. And what the heck is going on in San Diego? We ask the question and try to find som...
Jun 22, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 61
We've reached the midpoint of the season, and multiple players have stood out as the potential MVP of the league. In this episode, Dino and Grant run through their five-player MVP ballots as if the season ended at time of recording and compare notes. We wrapped up with some honorable mentions and players who just missed the cut, but we're sure you have some players in mind who we might have missed. Hit us up on your social media platform of choice and let us know how your ballot would look. Subs...
Jun 20, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 60
The top-4 in the NWSL had some interesting results this week: - KC Current drew Chicago Red Stars 2-2 - Orlando Pride drew NC Courage 0-0 - Washington Spirit drew SD Wave 1-1 - Gotham FC beat Racing Louisville 2-0 Before we got into that, Dino and Grant discussed Seattle Reign FC and Portland Thorns (well, some of them) also playing to a 0-0 draw in the Cascadia derby -- and you know Grant was in the building. Subscribe now to catch all of our women's football talk, including our ongoing coverag...
Jun 18, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 59
In a landmark episode of our show, Lianne Sanderson joins the program to discuss a wide range of topics. Sanderson was a goal-scoring machine in her career. She is a quadruple winner from her days at Arsenal, she has a third-place medal from the 2015 World Cup with the Lionesses, and now she's one of the premiere football analysts in the media space. We peppered the legend with questions about football both in America and abroad. She covered everything from being at the UWCL Final in Bilbao; the...
Jun 13, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 58
The 2023-24 UEFA Women's Champions League is over, and Barcelona are Champions once again. UEFA had a say with their Starting 11 from the tournament, but now it's time for us to weigh in. In this episode, Dino and Grant utilize a draft format to each pick their "Favorite 11" from the UWCL. Let us know which team you think would win in a Final-type match with the possibility of extra time and penalty kicks, if necessary. Subscribe now to catch all of our women's football talk, including our ongoi...
Jun 11, 2024•34 min•Season 1Ep. 57
Fans of the USWNT finally got to see 16-year-old Ajax midfielder Lily Yohannes on the field -- and she delivered. In this episode, we forsake the idea of talking about a match in chronological order, and we go right to the 82' when Yohannes scored her first national team goal just 10 minutes after being subbed onto the pitch. We discussed her incredible poise and confidence for a young player, as well as how she fit into the side. Plus, Dino put on his reporter hat and got a quote from the goal-...
Jun 08, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 56
Turns out Emma Hayes might be a pretty good football manager... who's earned the right to coach another squad full of elite players. The USWNT looked dominant in a 4-0 victory over South Korea in Colorado on Saturday, but what were we able to glean from the starting 11, the substitutes, and the overall performance? In this episode, Grant and Dino discussed Sophia Smith showcasing her brilliant passing ability; the attacking four of Cat Macario, Mal Swanson, Sophia Smith, and Trinity Rodman; Naom...
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 55
After about 48 hours to fully digest the UEFA Women's Champions League Final, Dino and Grant regained their composure and called on someone who was live in Bilbao for the match to help break it down one more time. Chris Sharples is a freelance sports commentator and voice over artist who called the UWCL Final alongside Lucy Ward for DAZN. In this episode, we chatted with Chris about the incredible scenes in Bilbao; the ratio of Barcelona fans to Lyon fans; the Caroline Graham Hansen vs. Selma Ba...
May 29, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Barcelona has climbed the mountain for the second-consecutive year; this time, defeating fellow European powerhouse Lyon 2-0 in an intriguing match from start-to-finish. Dino and Grant hopped online and recorded their immediate reaction right after the match, and we were joined by several of our favorite Internet pals from this UWCL journey. We talked about the battle between the midfields; Caroline Graham Hansen vs. Selma Bacha; Lucy Bronze and our new nickname for her; how Barça's back four he...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Season 1Ep. 53
The UEFA Women's Champions League Final is upon us, and Grant and Dino have enlisted the help of a real footballer to help preview the matchup. Assile Toufaily is a former player on Lebanon's women's national team, and she's currently a freelance sports journalist and contributor to Forbes covering D1 Arkema, among other football matches and storylines. In this episode, Dino, Grant, and Assile chat about Lyon's current form, the key matchups to watch, the potential advantages each side might hav...
May 24, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Ajax midfielder, American Wonderkid, and Into the Channel-favorite Lily Yohannes has been named to the USWNT's upcoming squad for two friendlies against South Korea. We jumped in the studio to record our instant-reaction to the news while trying to provide a little context around a 16-year-old American player competing at a high-level in Europe and getting such a serious look at the national team. We also discussed the fascinating choice Yohannes has between USWNT and the Dutch national team. It...
May 22, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 51
The Global Game certainly lived up to its name this past week. In this episode, Dino and Grant talk about a couple of league-winners over in Europe before bouncing back stateside to cover a match of importance to both of them. First, we discuss Lyon's victory over PSG in the D1 Arkema Final, which saw OL jump out to a 2-0 lead before PSG relied on its resilience and fantastic play from Tabita Chawinga to provide a pretty tight finish. There was plenty to get into from that match, and we tried to...
May 22, 2024•46 min•Season 1Ep. 50
For the majority of clubs, we are 35 percent of the way through the NWSL season, and Dino and Grant have some thoughts about what we might see the rest of the way. We started with the four favorites to win the NWSL Shield and discussed a relevant storyline related to each club: Orlando Pride: Depth, flexibility, BANDA Washington Spirit: Croix Bethune is very, very good Portland Thorns FC: Sophia Smith playing for her second-straight Golden Boot and third-straight MVP Kansas City Current: Chawing...
May 18, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 49
In this episode, we (figuratively) travel to France and discuss the Division 1 Arkema semifinal matches and preview the final between our old pals: Lyon and PSG. We've watched these clubs battle both in their domestic league and the UEFA Women's Champions League, so we're looking for another banger between these great squads. Subscribe now to catch all of our women's football talk, including our ongoing 2023-24 UEFA Women's Champions League #UWCL coverage. Check us out: X/Twitter: @itc_pod YouTu...
May 17, 2024•21 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Let the NWSL midweek action begin! Dino and Grant discuss Wednesday night's action and take a quick look at what's next for those six clubs. Houston Dash vs. Gotham FC Gotham FC was able to notch a road victory in H-Town, and they're starting to show some signs of life after a slow start, but are they really the juggernaut everyone thought they'd be after their noisy offseason? Meanwhile, the Dash are hardly living up to their name offensively. What's next for this new ITC darling? Seattle Reign...
May 11, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 47
In this special WSL-focused episode of Into the Channel, Dino and Grant take a look at the title race across the pond. First, we quickly recap Chelsea's mid-week stumble vs. Liverpool and the idea that the Blues were gasping for air on their way to the finish line. Then, we cover Manchester City's devastating home loss to Arsenal, with a little extra reporting by Grant, who was in the building at Joie Stadium for the match. Did Manchester City get too defensive in the second half? Were Arsenal's...
May 08, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 46
The UEFA Women's Champions League Final is set. And even though plenty of people expected Barcelona to face off against Lyon for the trophy, neither club had an "easy" road to get here. In this episode, Dino and Grant first talk about Barcelona's 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We dove into the interesting lineup and formation changes Barca made, the Aitana Bonmatí masterclass, and yeah, the red card and general officiating woes. We made sure to pay homage to Chelsea, who were worth...
May 01, 2024•58 min•Season 1Ep. 45
We're poised for another incredible week of NWSL action. In this episode, we take a quick look at each of the seven games this week. 0:00 - Washington Spirit vs. Orlando Pride 10:30 - Angel City FC vs. KC Current 15:55 - NC Courage vs. Seattle Reign FC 22:00 - Chicago Red Stars vs. Portland Thorns FC 30:15 - Utah Royals FC vs. Houston Dash 38:05 - SD Wave FC vs. Bay FC 43:50 - Gotham FC vs. Racing Louisville 51:00 - Dino and Grant try to fix Gotham FC 56:45 - Dino admits he's a Houston Dash fan,...
Apr 27, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Well, we thought the first-leg matches of the UEFA Women's Champions League were going to be bangers, and we've never been more correct about anything in the history of this show. To start the show, we tackled Chelsea's incredible 1-0 victory over Barcelona in Spain (!!!), where the Blues were able to neutralize Barca's key attacking players. We talked about the great work from Jess Carter, Ashley Lawrence, Kadeisha Buchanan, and Niamh Charles in the back. And you know we had to discuss Erin Cut...
Apr 23, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 43
