This weekend could be hugely consequential for the MLS Eastern Conference, while the U.S. women’s national team will take the field with yet another opportunity to make a statement. Plus, I have an important note about the future of the show at the end of this episode. The Athletic Soccer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo56QQ41e5Mc3ndX45mjauQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 24, 2022•11 min
In 1934, Wee Willie McLean represented the United States at the 1934 World Cup. Then, just a few years later, he vanished. Pablo Maurer and Matt Pentz spent two years gathering as many details as they could about Willie’s life to find out what happened to him. They wrote a story about it and it’s absolutely epic, and altogether human. The story is linked in the show’s description, so please do give it a read. But today, I want to share a clip from a talk Pablo and Matt did with the Society for A...
Jun 23, 2022•17 min
Felipe Cardenas is joined by The Athletic's Adam Leventhal to discuss Juan Camilo “Cucho” Hernandez and what to expect from the Colombian in Major League Soccer. How will Hernandez adapt to MLS? Adam's story: https://theathletic.com/3184982/2022/03/17/cucho-hernandezs-journey-to-watfords-first-team-debut-at-15-early-comparisons-to-aguero-and-his-nickname-origins/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 22, 2022•25 min
Felipe Cardenas hops on a live room and talks with subscribers following Atlanta United's 2-0 win over Inter Miami. Listen for all the fan reaction, analysis and comments! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 20, 2022•51 min
Felipe Cardenas reacts to the announcement of the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup host cities. Which cities should fans be excited about? Which cities were snubbed? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 17, 2022•20 min
By the end of today, we’ll know which cities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada will be hosting World Cup games when the men’s tournament comes here in 2026. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 16, 2022•4 min
You had plenty of questions about Apple TV’s 2.5 billion, 10-year media rights deal with MLS. Sam Stejskal is here with answers. Read more about the MLS TV deal: https://theathletic.com/3365616/2022/06/14/mls-media-rights-deal-facts/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 15, 2022•27 min
Jeff Rueter is joined by soccer fans in The Athletic's live room to answer questions about Major League Soccer's 10-year broadcast deal with Apple. What are some things fans are excited about? What are some concerns? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 15, 2022•41 min
Major League Soccer and Apple have agreed to a new 10-year broadcast deal. The Athletic's Felipe Cardenas is here to break down exactly what this means for the league, Apple, and, you, the fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 14, 2022•20 min
The World Cup’s final team gets decided today. Costa Rica will take on New Zealand in the final inter-confederation playoff today in Qatar. Paul Tenorio joins the show today to let you know what to expect from the Ticos in this game, and what might await them in the group stage should they advance to the tournament. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 14, 2022•17 min
Regional rivals meet in a competition of questionable importance. The United States begin a title defense. A battle at the top of the NWSL. All of that is happening on TV this weekend, so here’s a quick guide to all of it. The Athletic Soccer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo56QQ41e5Mc3ndX45mjauQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 10, 2022•6 min
Christian Pulisic created a stir with his postgame comments after the U.S. national team’s friendly against Morocco last week. On Allocation Disorder last week, Sam Stejskal and Felipe Cárdenas discussed the comments, the context behind them, and more. This happened last week but I still think it’s an interesting discussion, so we’re playing it today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 09, 2022•16 min
The Orlando Pride have placed head coach Amanda Cromwell and first assistant coach Sam Greene on administrative leave, all pending the results of an investigation into allegations of retaliation. It’s the latest in a long run of NWSL coaching suspensions, firings and the like. Meg Linehan is here to tell us why this one is important, and how a new policy is having its intended effect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 08, 2022•17 min
The Canadian men’s national team was supposed to play Panama in a friendly on Sunday. Instead, the game was canceled thanks to a protest by the Canadian players against their own federation. Joshua Kloke is here to explain why Canada’s players held out of the game, and what could come next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 07, 2022•21 min
64 years after their last appearance, Wales is in the World Cup. They defeated Ukraine 1-0 on Sunday to claim one of the final spots in the tournament. It’s a win that means they’ll face the United States men’s national team in both of their openers in Qatar. Sam Stejskal joins us today for a quick preview on how Wales will match up with the U.S., and how it might resemble some challenges the team faced through World Cup qualifying. Who is Wales? An explainer: https://theathletic.com/3350376/202...
Jun 06, 2022•11 min
The World Cup is coming up and several of Europe’s representatives are in action this weekend in the Nations League. Felipe Cardenas is here to run down which games to watch, all weekend long. The Athletic Soccer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo56QQ41e5Mc3ndX45mjauQ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 03, 2022•18 min
Real Madrid are European champions. But the lasting image from this year’s UEFA Champions League final might be the throngs of fans caught outside, tear-gassed, and caught in a crush. The Athletic’s Dan Bardell leads the show today, speaking with Adam Crafton and Oli Kay about the scene at the Stade de France. But first, we’ll hear from two fans that were caught up in the trouble. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 02, 2022•23 min
Charlotte FC entered the 2022 MLS season with plenty of doubters, but Miguel Angel Ramirez had the team performing surprisingly well. However, Ramirez was fired on Tuesday. Sam Stejskal is here to explain what we know about why he was let go, and also previews another potentially interesting shift in American soccer: Brenden Aaronson playing in central midfield in the U.S. men’s friendly against Morocco tonight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 01, 2022•18 min
Liverpool and Real Madrid meet on Saturday in the men’s Champions League final. My colleagues Ali Maxwell, Michael Cox and Mark Carey discussed team selection dilemmas for Liverpool defense, how Real Madrid’s midfield will match up, and what if anything can be done to defend against Karim Benzema. All that, plus your guide to what games are worth watching on TV all weekend long in the United States. The Athletic Soccer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo56QQ41e5Mc3ndX45mjauQ Learn mo...
May 27, 2022•20 min
Atlas have a chance to win back-to-back titles, while Pachuca have the chance to finish off an incredible season. What is to come in the Liga MX final, which starts tonight? Felipe Cardenas is here to fill us in. Felipe & Pablo Maurer’s story from Queretaro: https://theathletic.com/3191436/2022/03/17/queretaro-violence-liga-mx-atlas/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 26, 2022•18 min
For a long time, it was assumed that Kylian Mbappe’s next move would be to Real Madrid. That, for now at least, is no longer happening. The French superstar signed a big new contract with PSG this past weekend. My colleagues Adam Crafton and Dermot Corrigan have been following this issue closely, and they joined Mark Chapman to talk about what the deal means for Mbappé, PSG, and what Real Madrid and La Liga will do now. Hear the full episode of The Athletic Football Podcast here: https://theat...
May 25, 2022•23 min
The MLS season is already a third of the way through, and some unexpected MVP candidates are beginning to emerge. Today, Felipe Cárdenas takes the reins and goes over some of them with Sam Stejskal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 24, 2022•29 min
Carlo Ancelotti has had the type of career most managers can only dream of, which makes picking a lineup of the best players to have played under him is an exercise that’s trickier than you might think. Michael Cox and Mark Carey from The Athletic Football Podcast tried anyway on a recent episode of that show. Given that Ancelotti’s Real Madrid are in this weekend’s Champions League final, and given that John Muller will be here later this week to talk about Liverpool, we’re playing that for you...
May 23, 2022•13 min
League titles, Champions League spots, Europa League spots, relegation, oh my! These are just some of the things that are at stake this weekend, as the vast majority of European men’s leagues close up shop for the summer. There are a lot of games on TV this weekend, and Felipe Cárdenas is here to help you decided what to watch, and which stories to follow, all weekend long. The Athletic Soccer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo56QQ41e5Mc3ndX45mjauQ Learn more about your ad choices. ...
May 20, 2022•20 min
A long, long journey is finally at its end. The United States men’s and women’s national teams have agreed to a first-of-it’s kind joint collective bargaining agreement – one which guarantees equal compensation for both teams. Meg Linehan has covered this story closely since the beginning, and she joins the show today to reflect on all that’s happened over the course of this story, and what could come next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 19, 2022•20 min
Much of how MLS teams operate financially is shrouded in secrecy. But twice a year, a little bit of that gets pulled back with the MLS players’ association releases the list of salaries for just about every player in the league. Sam Stejskal and Jeff Rueter have analyzed some interesting things about those salary numbers, and they’re here today to break it down. Salary analysis: https://theathletic.com/3317383/2022/05/17/mls-salaries-2022-analysis/ Sam Stejskal on spending inefficiency: https://...
May 18, 2022•19 min
Liverpool are FA Cup champions, but that was just the beginning of an incredibly pressure-packed couple of weeks. That continues today with a Premier League visit to Southampton – a win, combined with Man City’s draw with West Ham over the weekend, would put Liverpool just one point behind Man City going into the final games this weekend. And then, of course, there’s the Champions League final the week after. There are injury worries, they’ve hired an additional medical staff to deal with it….it...
May 17, 2022•13 min
Jeff Rueter is joined by John Muller to break down which MLS teams have been exceeding expectations and falling short of expectations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 16, 2022•24 min
The end of the European season is nearly here and in some cases, it’s already upon us. But the highlight of this weekend’s action are the two FA Cup finals. I’ll run you through all the games to watch all weekend long in Europe and North America later in the show, but let’s start with the Athletic Football Podcast previewing a massive Chelsea vs. Liverpool FA Cup final on the men’s side. Later, we’ll send it over to The Athletic Women’s football podcast and their end-of-season awards, featuring ...
May 13, 2022•26 min
The FIFA video game franchise is a commercial juggernaut, but there are big changes in store. EA Sports, which makes the game, announced this week that its partnership with FIFA itself will end next year. What does this mean for EA, FIFA, and the game itself? Football business reporter Matt Slater is here to tell us all about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 12, 2022•24 min
