It’s been almost a week since the LA Galaxy won their record sixth MLS Cup, completing one of the most impressive turnarounds the league has ever seen. Taylor sits down with one of the architects of LA’s resurgence: Galaxy general manager Will Kuntz. And because fans are the lifeblood of this league, Offside has a special report from the heart of the LA and New York supporter sections during the final, featuring two die-hard fans. Plus, Taylor looks to 2025 by speaking with San Diego FC coach Mi...
Dec 13, 2024•52 min
The script for this year’s MLS Cup serves up a gripping story, as founding clubs clash against each other in the final for the first time. On one side, the LA Galaxy, a former dynasty who fell on hard times, aim to regain their crown for an astonishing sixth time. On the other, the gutsy, gritty New York Red Bulls, who have been here since the beginning, try to make it to the mountaintop for the first time. In this episode, Taylor breaks down everything you need to know about the MLS Cup F...
Dec 04, 2024•36 min
The MLS Cup Playoffs have always had upsets. But if this year feels extra chaotic, it’s not just you. So today, Taylor sits down with two of the managers behind some of this year’s post-season mayhem. First, Brian Schmetzer of the Seattle Sounders, who just knocked off the West’s #1 seed LAFC. Then, Sandro Schwarz of the New York Red Bulls, fresh off his team’s win over crosstown rivals, New York City and not far removed from their sweep of the reigning champions , Columbus. Plus, th...
Nov 27, 2024•42 min
Five teams made it to the conference semifinals on shootouts, and in the MLS playoffs, there’s always the possibility of more. So ahead of this weekend’s matches, Offside takes a deeper look at this game within the game, what some consider the most cerebral part of soccer: the penalty kick. Taylor speaks with two-time MLS Cup winner and goalkeeping legend Nick Rimando, who has the most PK saves in league history, to learn about his secret to stopping penalties. Dániel Gazdag of the Philadelphia ...
Nov 20, 2024•36 min
Taylor responds to Offside listeners’ reactions to the wild upsets during Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs, including Atlanta’s electric win over Messi and Miami. Now that the GOAT is out, what happens in the next round is anyone’s guess. Offside With Taylor Twellman is a Major League Soccer podcast, produced by Apple TV and Rain Delay Media. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts. Want to talk to Taylor? Call (646) 571-8496 or email offsidepodwithtaylor@gmail.com with ques...
Nov 12, 2024•6 min
The second weekend of MLS Cup Playoffs couldn’t have been more exciting: defending champs Columbus getting knocked out, the Galaxy sending a message to the rest of the West, and Atlanta stunning Miami in stoppage time. The Athletic’s Felipe Cardenas was at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to watch Atlanta tie the series, and he joins Taylor to reminisce about the incredible night and speculate what might happen next—in Miami on Saturday and throughout the rest of the postseason. Plus, Taylor di...
Nov 06, 2024•47 min
This time last year, the Galaxy were watching the playoffs from the sidelines. For the third time in four years, the most decorated team in MLS history hadn’t qualified. But head coach Greg Vanney vowed that this season would be different—and he was right. LA have been around the top of the standings all year, and they stormed into the playoffs with a 5-0 win over the Colorado Rapids. On today’s episode, Taylor sits down with Greg, a former Galaxy player who coached Toronto FC to MLS...
Oct 30, 2024•40 min
D.C. United’s Christian Benteke grew up playing soccer in the streets of Belgium—where a nutmeg is worth more than a goal. As he got older, he refined a blend of skill and physicality that helped him net 23 regular-season goals this year, beating out Bouanga, Messi, and Suárez to capture the 2024 MLS Golden Boot. Although D.C. barely missed out on a playoff spot, they were in contention thanks to Benteke—who contributed to almost 60% of the club’s goals this season. On today’s episod...
Oct 23, 2024•28 min
There’s only one regular-season matchday left in 2024. Time flies when you’re chasing Messi across the country—or is that just Taylor? To celebrate the end of the season, Taylor sits down with two friends of the show—his broadcast partner Jake Zivin and MLS Season Pass analyst Sacha Kljestan. The three of them try to get each other into hot water while playing a game of true or false, including a debate over whether Messi should win MLS MVP. Offside With Taylor Twellman is a Major Le...
Oct 16, 2024•36 min
Benjamin Cremaschi grew up playing for local soccer clubs in the Miami area. Now playing for Inter Miami CF at age 19 with Lionel Messi, Benja says his life “doesn’t feel real.” On today’s episode, Taylor sits down with Cremaschi to talk about his surreal life, why he chose soccer over his father’s sport (rugby), and his recent talk with Tony Cherchi of MLS Season Pass for a #TodayAtApple event in Miami. Offside With Taylor Twellman is a Major League Soccer podcast, produced by Apple...
Oct 02, 2024•25 min
In soccer, 10 isn’t just a number—it’s a position. And arguably, it’s the game’s most storied position. The 10 is a team’s creative force, the playmaker, the one who draws the crowds with goals, assists, and a little bit of magic. Messi, Pelé, Zidane, Marta, Maradona—all 10s. Around the world, the 10 is dying out, replaced with tactical systems made to grind out results. But there’s at least one place where the 10 still thrives and thrills: Major League Soccer. On today’s episode, Ta...
Sep 25, 2024•33 min
How did the USMNT go from crisis mode after crashing out of the group stage at Copa América to landing one of the most respected managers in the game? On today’s episode, Taylor sits down with US Soccer CEO JT Batson to get the inside story on how he helped convince Mauricio Pochettino, who has coached notable European clubs like Chelsea, PSG, and Tottenham, to come to the States. Hint: It involves an assist from one of his friends, new USWNT head coach Emma Hayes, who recently led her tea...
Sep 18, 2024•39 min
It’s been a busy summer of soccer: Leagues Cup, Copa América, the Euros, the Olympics, and nonstop MLS action. So before we get into the final push of the season, the team at Offside has a special treat for our listeners: the Roast of Taylor Twellman. Late last year, Offside executive producer Peter Moses gathered the best and brightest in soccer comedy—Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros of The Cooligans, Travis Helwig and Darren Miller of Happy Foot Sad Foot—and gave them free rein to...
Sep 11, 2024•22 min
Tim Ream started his pro career with New York Red Bulls in 2010. Just two years later, the Premier League came calling. Now after 12 years, two teams, and stints with the U.S. national team that included a trip to the 2022 World Cup, Tim returns to the league where it all started. On this week’s episode, Taylor sits down with Charlotte FC’s new star to talk about his first MLS match since 2011, how the league has changed over the past decade, and how his time in England shaped him as a player.&n...
Aug 28, 2024•42 min
As Leagues Cup draws to a close, it’s time to take stock of all the news around soccer in the States. Taylor sits down with Paul Tenorio, senior reporter for The Athletic, to talk about the MLS transfer window, roster strategies for the rest of the season, and the prospect of Mauricio Pochettino being named head coach of the U.S. men’s national team. Plus, Taylor breaks down the Colorado Rapids’ Leagues Cup run. Offside With Taylor Twellman is a Major League Soccer podcast, pro...
Aug 21, 2024•34 min
Leagues Cup is nonstop action—not only for the viewers, but for the players as well. This week, Offside goes behind the scenes with defender Julian Gressel, who recorded a series of audio diaries as Miami traveled to Houston to play Tigres before hosting Toronto in the Round of 32. Between the matches, Julian sat down with Taylor to talk about what it’s like preparing, traveling, and recovering, then doing it all over again. Offside With Taylor Twellman is a Major League Soccer podca...
Aug 13, 2024•35 min
Leagues Cup started with a bang, and we’re already into the knockout round. Expected clubs—like defending champs Miami and LIGA MX greats Club América—are there, but so are some surprises, like the San Jose Earthquakes. This week’s episode goes right to the center of the action. Immediately after calling the Tigres-Miami match on Saturday, Taylor sat down with fellow broadcaster Jake Zivin and with Diego Valeri, Spanish-language analyst for MLS Season Pass, to talk about the game and what ...
Aug 07, 2024•35 min
Actor, host, and comedian Drew Carey joins Taylor to look back on a career that has woven 40 years in the entertainment industry with his love of soccer and team ownership. Drew tells Taylor about how his move to LA to host The Price Is Right led him to become an MLS fan, his secret life as a soccer photographer, buying into the Seattle expansion in 2007, and how a prop mishap on set almost derailed his Sounders connection. Plus, Taylor shares his thoughts on Leagues Cup so far. Offside Wi...
Jul 31, 2024•33 min
Hang on tight—MLS fans are in for a wild ride the rest of the summer. On today’s episode, Taylor sits down with fellow MLS Season Pass analyst Sacha Kljestan, who participated in the All-Star Skills Challenge on Tuesday night. The two break down everything you need to know about Wednesday’s All-Star Game in Columbus between the best of MLS and LIGA MX. Then they look ahead to what’s sure to be an exciting Leagues Cup—which starts Friday, July 26. Plus, Taylor shares a behind-the-scen...
Jul 24, 2024•34 min
Larry Nance Jr. has been in the NBA for almost a decade. But his true love isn’t basketball. It’s soccer. On this week’s episode, Taylor sits down with Larry, a forward for the Atlanta Hawks, to learn what sparked his passion for the beautiful game. The first pro soccer match Larry attended was a Galaxy game when he was a rookie with the Lakers, and last year he became a part owner of Leeds United in England’s Championship division. Larry also shares what it was like playing with Kob...
Jul 17, 2024•30 min
Last year’s El Tráfico at the Rose Bowl was the United States’ most attended sports game of 2023, and the derby is one of the most exciting and bitterly contested rivalries in MLS. But it’s also one of the league’s newest. So how did El Tráfico reach these heights? To tell the full story, we have to go back to a graffiti duel between fans waged on the streets of Los Angeles, before the LA Galaxy and LAFC ever played a game. We hear from Geoff Gouveia, whose mural for LAFC was defaced by Ga...
Jul 03, 2024•42 min
Angel City FC, the LA-based National Women’s Soccer League club, was recently named the most valuable franchise in the league. ACFC joined the NWSL as an expansion team in 2022 and shares BMO Stadium with LAFC. From the beginning, the club made headlines with a star-studded ownership group, which includes Natalie Portman, Eva Longoria, Serena Williams, and Billie Jean King. On today’s episode, Taylor speaks with Kara Nortman, venture capitalist and co-founder of ACFC, and Julie Uhrman, co-...
Jun 26, 2024•31 min
When Tim Bezbatchenko realized he wasn’t going to be a Major League Soccer player, he knew he still wanted to be around the sport—so after attending law school (while playing on a USL team), he got a job at MLS headquarters. That led to successful stints as president and general manager of Toronto FC, which hoisted an MLS Cup during his tenure, and his hometown club, Columbus Crew, which won two league championships under his leadership. Now he’s taking all that knowledge to a new ro...
Jun 19, 2024•31 min
Haji Wright’s introduction to international soccer when he scored the lone goal for the United States against Holland in the 2022 World Cup’s Round of 16. Since then, the 26-year-old winger, who has played all over Europe, signed with Coventry City of the English Championship, where he just had his best season yet with 19 goals—seven of them match winners. Haji joins Taylor to talk about his early days playing soccer, his friendships with fellow USMNT players, and the goal that got family ...
Jun 12, 2024•29 min
Real Salt Lake is off to their best-ever franchise start, leading the West and just three points off from leading the Supporters’ Shield race — four years after finishing near the bottom of the league. One of the key figures behind this turnaround is head coach Pablo Mastroeni. On this week’s episode, Taylor sits down with Pablo to talk about his coaching philosophy, why he thinks stats can take a manager only so far, and why he thinks this RSL team can go all the way. Plus, the two ...
Jun 05, 2024•38 min
The Crew aim to be the fourth MLS side to win the Concacaf Champions Cup when they travel to face storied Liga MX club Pachuca this weekend. There’s more than continental bragging rights on the line: The winner gets an automatic bid to the next year’s FIFA Club World Cup, which will take place in the U.S. So far, Seattle are the only MLS team to qualify, through their own Concacaf win in ’22. For this week’s episode, Taylor breaks down what to expect with Sammy Sadovnik, Spanish-lang...
May 29, 2024•36 min
Filip Forsberg is an NHL All-Star from Sweden, the Nashville Predators’ all-time leading goal scorer, and—since last spring—a minority owner of Nashville SC. Taylor sits down with Filip to talk about his soccer roots, why he loves Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimović, and how he got to experience Nashville SC’s incredible Leagues Cup run last year, which collided with Messi Mania and Inter Miami CF in the final. Offside With Taylor Twellman is a Major League Soccer podcast, produced ...
May 22, 2024•33 min
Rivalries live and die by the fans. And in Texas, the three teams—FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, and Austin FC— compete for the Copa Tejas trophy. Soccer culture in Texas is big, dense, and diverse—just like the state. So this week’s episode is all about the fans whose happiness depends on winning Copa Tejas. There’s Paul Fletes, lead trumpet for the supporter band La Murga de Austin, Collin Coovert of Dallas’ El Matador, and Jesus Martinez, co-leader of Houston’s El Batallón, the first ...
May 15, 2024•28 min
It’s Rivalry Week. Across Major League Soccer, bitter rivals, old and new, are gearing up for matches that fans have had circled on their calendars since the 2024 schedule came out. Rivalries are a big deal for players too. FC Cincinnati center back Nick Hagglund tells Taylor that when the schedule comes out, the first ones he looks for are the Hell Is Real matchups with the Crew. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Nick talks about the pride and pressure he feels representing his hometown against Co...
May 08, 2024•30 min
On the pitch, Giorgos Giakoumakis comes across as a cocky striker. A bruiser who will do anything to score. An absolute villain. But there’s more to the big man than that. In a special episode of Offside, Giorgos opens up about his life story, including growing up in Crete, his early struggles in the Greek leagues, his scoring titles in Europe, and finally finding a home at Atlanta United. Also, Atlanta players Brad Guzan and Brooks Lennon tell Taylor why Giorgos makes such a great t...
May 01, 2024•41 min
