Planet Fútbol with Grant Wahl

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Transcribed - Published: 20 September 2022

In an interview that touches all aspects of his long career, LAFC coach Bob Bradley discusses leadership in a time of crisis, what he learned from coaching Egypt during a national emergency, how he's interacting with his LAFC players and coaching staff right now, what he communicated with Charlie Davies after rewatching the 2009 USA-Costa Rica game this week, what he looks for when he's watching games on TV and what he'd like to see happen at U.S. Soccer. Then Bradley takes the Rapid-Fire Quiz, naming his most memorable victory and defeat of his career, the three best players he's ever coached, the best team he's ever coached against, the player in world football he gets the most pleasure from watching, and the figure he most admires in the global game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 April 2020

Grant gets the latest on the coronavirus from his wife Dr. Celine Gounder, a CNN medical analyst and co-host of the EPIDEMIC podcast. Then he interviews Carli Lloyd, the two-time world player of the year, in a wide-ranging interview that gets into what she's doing during the virus slowdown, how the Olympics postponement has altered her playing plans, her thoughts on NFL place-kicking and a Rapid-Fire Quiz on her greatest goals, best player she's ever played against, best teammate and coach she's had, toughest goalkeeper she's ever faced and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 April 2020

Landon Donovan and Grant were talking on the phone earlier this week, and Donovan asked if it might be possible for him to interview Grant's wife—Dr. Celine Gounder, a CNN medical analyst and co-host of the podcast EPIDEMIC—about the coronavirus. So that's what this podcast is: A half-hour of good questions from a concerned member of the public who happens to be the greatest men's player in U.S. soccer history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2020

Grant speaks to his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, a CNN medical analyst and co-host of the podcast EPIDEMIC, about the latest coronavirus news and listener questions. Then he interviews American Lauren Barnes about playing for Melbourne City in the Australian women's league final on March 21, one of the last pro sports events anywhere on the planet during the virus. Barnes describes what it was like winning that final in an empty stadium and details her harrowing trip back from Australia to Los Angeles on a full Qantas flight, one of the last ones that wasn't canceled. Barnes adds her thoughts on her NWSL team, OL Reign, what kind of changes are in store under new owners from Lyon and what's up next for the NWSL as it hunkers down like the rest of us. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 March 2020

Grant has a short interview on the coronavirus latest with his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, a CNN medical analyst and co-host of the EPIDEMIC podcast. Then he speaks to Garth Lagerwey, the president of soccer for the reigning MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders. Lagerwey details how challenging the past few weeks have been at his job in Seattle, one of the virus's U.S. hotspots. Then Grant and Garth have some fun talking about wild MLS stories from his playing days during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 26 March 2020

Grant interviews his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious-disease specialist, CNN medical analyst and co-host of the EPIDEMIC podcast, on the latest coronavirus news. Then he talks to Weston McKennie of the USMNT and Schalke about his project with Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams to donate to Feeding America; what he's been doing during the coronavirus shutdown; his season with Schalke to date; what he has learned about Schalke coach David Wagner; and what he's hoping for from the USMNT once the soccer world gets going again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 March 2020

Grant spends seven good minutes getting the latest on general and sports-related coronavirus info with his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, a medical analyst for CNN and co-host of the podcast Epidemic. Then he has a wide-ranging interview with Jesse Marsch, the American coach of Red Bull Salzburg. They talk about leading a team during coronavirus, the impact of the January sales of Erling Haaland to Dortmund and Takumi Minamino to Liverpool and Marsch's revulsion to U.S. Soccer's legal strategy arguing that USWNT players inherently have less skill, ability and responsibility than USMNT players. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 March 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel are on lockdown in New York City due to the coronavirus, but they connect here to talk about the impact of the soccer (and sports) world being shut down. They also discuss the momentous week for the U.S. Soccer Federation, which saw president Carlos Cordeiro resign due to the federation's disastrous legal strategy against the USWNT in its gender-discrimination case. What lies ahead for new president Cindy Parlow Cone? How soon will the legal case be settled? And how long could it be before we see soccer being played again? Luis Miguel gives an update on Liga MX, one of the last leagues in the world to take action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 March 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel break down the stunning Champions League exit of defending champ Liverpool at the hands of Atlético Madrid along with the other UCL results. Then Grant interviews his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious-disease expert, about the rapidly expanding coronavirus situation and the sports world—including what should be done with Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 March 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel have a jam-packed podcast discussing the global impact of coronavirus on soccer; the impact of Bruno Fernandes on Manchester United's revival; Tottenham's malaise under Mourinho; Bayern Munich and Dortmund starting to separate from the rest in Germany; Juventus's big win over Inter in an eerily empty stadium; Real Madrid's worst game of the season to lose at Betis; a look ahead to Champions League elimination games (PSG-Dortmund! Liverpool-Atlético Madrid!); terrific MLS starts by Minnesota, Kansas City and Colorado; the so-far sputtering LA Galaxy and Chicharito; media shutdowns by Chicharito and Carlos Vela; how media get access to players around games; Grant's controversial media tweet; the terrific form of Christen Press and Julie Ertz; the USWNT's victories over Spain and England; and the poor timing of U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro's latest letter in the USWNT's gender-discrimination case. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 March 2020

Grant has a wide-ranging conversation with Keith Costigan, who broadcasts games for Fox Sports and the Seattle Sounders. Costigan discusses the Bundesliga title race, why he got a UEFA A coaching license, his lifelong Liverpool fandom, why he switched from game analysis to play-by-play, his month with Grant in Poland covering Euro 2012, how he handles a crazy workload and how some Seattle fans can’t forget that he once played for their rival Portland Timbers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 March 2020

Planet Fútbol's Luis Miguel Echegaray welcomes host, commentator Kevin Egan to break down the opening weekend of MLS, Jurgen Klopp in shock as Watford routs Liverpool and an imperfect Clasico with Real Madrid beating Barcelona. Also, Luis Miguel and Kevin - being Aston Villa fans - discuss the League Cup final loss against Man City, EPL relegation battle, Champions League favorites, a quick lookahead to the Euros and if Ireland can qualify and much, much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 March 2020

SPECIAL SPANISH LANGUAGE BONUS EP: Grant tiene entrevistas exclusivos en español con tres de las estrellas más grandes de MLS: Carlos Vela de LAFC, actual jugador más valioso de la liga; Josef Martínez de Atlanta United, jugador más valioso de 2018; y Nicolás Lodeiro, actual campeón de la liga con Seattle Sounders. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 February 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel break down the four UEFA Champions League games, including Man City's huge 2-1 win at Real Madrid and Bayern Munich's 3-0 victory at Chelsea (henceforth known as The Alphonso Davies Game). Then Grant has an interview with Carolyn Kindle Betz, who leads the ownership group of the St. Louis MLS expansion team set to start in 2022. They talk about why she wanted to own an MLS team, her team's plans for one of America's greatest soccer cities and the impact of St. Louis being the league's first club to be majority owned by women. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 February 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel marvel at Lionel Messi’s four-goal performance as Barcelona goes back atop La Liga ahead of Real Madrid (a 1-0 loser at Levante). They also discuss the VAR failure in Chelsea’s 2-1 win vs Spurs; José Mourinho’s silly bellyaching about needing players; the leaders holding serve in Germany and Italy; a mouthwatering slate of this week’s UEFA Champions League games led by Manchester City-Real Madrid; the start of MLS’s 25th season this week; MLS teams’ encouraging situation in CONCACAF Champions League; Grant’s wild story on Jermaine Jones; Luis Miguel’s interview with Orlando’s Pedro Gallese; and their issues with U.S. Soccer lawyers asking USWNT players like Carli Lloyd how they’d do in games against men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 February 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel break down this week’s UEFA Champions League games, and Grant interviews Tariq Panja of the New York Times about UEFA’s stunning Man City ban, what comes next and what it could mean for the landscape of the European game. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 February 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel thank the soccer gods for the return of UEFA Champions League with some fun matchups this week, including PSG-Dortmund, Atlético Madrid-Liverpool and Spurs-Leipzig; break down UEFA's stunning two-year Champions League ban for Manchester City; hail Lazio's 2-1 win vs. Inter to shake up the top of Serie A; discuss more incidents of racism in Portugal, Germany and the U.S.; look ahead to this week's CONCACAF Champions League games involving five MLS teams, including León-LAFC; and ask the question: Do we agree with Inter Miami's Rodolfo Pizarro that MLS is a better gateway to Europe than Liga MX? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 February 2020

Grant has a wide-ranging conversation with Tyler Adams, the USMNT and RB Leipzig midfielder who celebrates his 21st birthday this week while he's in the middle of a Bundesliga title race, UEFA Champions League and (soon) a return to the national team. Adams talks in depth about his instructions from Leipzig manager Julian Nagelsmann, his learning curve in the Bundesliga, his recovery from a long injury layoff, his conversations with U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter and his hopes of playing in the Olympics this summer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 February 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel break down the world football weekend, including Inter's remarkable comeback in a 4-2 win over AC Milan to go top in Italy; Leipzig's useful point at Bayern Munich; Real Madrid and Barcelona holding serve in La Liga; Messi's Insta outburst; Dortmund's wild swings; Lazio staying close; the USWNT punching its Olympics ticket; whether Rose Lavelle can become the world's best player; Christen Press's big tournament; Jay Berhalter's departure from U.S. Soccer; the new MLS collective bargaining agreement and CBS's newfound interest in soccer (NWSL and UEFA Champions League). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 10 February 2020

Grant has a fun discussion with ESPN's Fernando Palomo, who's also well-known for his role on the EA Sports FIFA video game. They talk about suffering Champions League withdrawal and the knockout matchups ahead, including Real Madrid-Manchester City, Dortmund-PSG and Atlético Madrid-Liverpool. They also get into Palomo's thoughts on Chicharito Hernández coming to MLS, how much distance the Mexican national team has right now over the USMNT and why his native El Salvador has a good shot to get back in the CONCACAF Hexagonal this time around. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 February 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel break down the soccer weekend, including the reasons for Man City falling 22 points behind Liverpool, Chelsea's Frank Lampard benching Kepa for Willy Caballero, which teams we see making the Premier League's top four, two more goals for Dortmund's Erling Haaland, the undderrated goal-scoring machine Ciro Immobile of Lazio, why we're aching to re-start UEFA Champions League, Inter Miami closing in on Rodolfo Pizarro, the USWNT cruising as expected through Olympic qualifying, the goal-scoring debut of USMNT 18-year-old Ulysses Llanez and our frustrations with the cookie-cutter and uninteresting MLS kits. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 3 February 2020

Grant has an in-depth conversation with The Athletic's Meg Linehan about the NWSL and the state of the USWNT as it moves forward in the Olympic qualifying tournament. Will Carli Lloyd perform under the microscope at centerforward? Is Lynn Williams the most important new player under Vlatko Andonovski? Where is Megan Rapinoe in a pure soccer sense right now? They also discuss Linehan's story of how she got to The Athletic and ask why she's one of a very small number of full-time women's soccer writers in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 January 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel devote the first part of the podcast to the tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in Sunday's helicopter crash; the impact that Bryant had on so many millions, including in the soccer world; and then transition into the other news of the week. Topics: Erling Haaland's remarkable goal-scoring run; the exciting title race at the top of the Bundesliga; Barcelona's toothless possession under Quique Setién in a 2-0 loss at Valencia; Inter's missed opportunity with Juventus losing at Napoli; Liverpool's surprising tie against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup; the frosty relationship of Chicharito to the Mexican and Latino media in the aftermath of his viral video; and the USWNT's start of Olympic qualifying this week (as well as the story behind TV coverage). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 January 2020

Grant has a fun interview with Hérculez Gómez, who co-hosts Ahora o Nunca on ESPN Deportes and appears on ESPNFC. They talk in depth about LA Galaxy's signing of Chicharitio Hernández, why Herc thinks the Mexican national team has frozen out Chicharito due to his stance on labor issues, his thoughts on the MLS season ahead, what it's like to move from Connecticut to Los Angeles and how he's stepped out of his comfort zone on his talk show to interview guests like Mike Tyson, Dana White and others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 January 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel break down Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Man United, in which LFC fans sang they’re going to win the league for the first time; the debut hat trick for Dortmund’s Erling Haaland (and Gio Reyna’s debut in the same game); Barcelona’s victory in Quique Setién’s first game; Juventus starting to pull away in Serie A; LA Galaxy’s long-awaited signing of Chicharito Hernández; Luis Miguel’s trip to DC to interview Edison Flores; Grant’s trip to LA for MLS Media Day; Mal Pugh being cut from the USWNT Olympic qualifying roster; and Sam Kerr bringing her goal-scoring ways to Chelsea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 20 January 2020

Grant sits down in LA with Alexi Lalas of Fox Sports, who hosts the State of the Union Podcast. They talk about the impending arrival of Chicharito Hernández to LA Galaxy, the potential of labor strife ahead of the MLS season, what he's excited about in MLS 2020, what he thinks about surrounding MLS's 25th anniversary, whether he ever issues an opinion that he doesn't really believe just to stir the pot, why he became an AYSO referee, and much, much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 January 2020

In an action-packed pod, Grant and Luis Miguel discuss José Mourinho's "dark force" impact on Tottenham in the wake of Saturday's loss to Liverpool; Grant's big Jürgen Klopp story coming out this week for SI; Sergio Agüero's place in the Premier League; the managerial chaos at Barcelona (which will miss Luis Suárez for four months); the LA Galaxy's Ahab-like pursuit of Chicharito Hernández; Luis Miguel's thoughts on the Liga MX Clausura; the hiring of Brian McBride as the new general manager of the USMNT; the big NWSL moves of the past week; the problematic impending hire of Farid Benstiti by Reign FC; and your hosts' true life stories that sound like a lie, from Luis Miguel's birthday party attended by Pras of the Fugees to Grant's beef with Urkel in a locker room. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 13 January 2020

Grant speaks about all things Liverpool with Michael MacCambridge, an Austin-based writer and author who's one half of "Red Letters," a weekly season-long series of letters about Liverpool FC for the Liverpool Echo with Neil Atkinson of The Anfield Wrap. They discuss MacCambridge's origin story with Liverpool and his thoughts on Liverpool fandom, what makes Jürgen Klopp and this Liverpool team special, and how we consume global sports in the 21st century. Grant and Michael, both Kansas City natives, also discuss their fandom for the NFL Chiefs, how they sat together in frigid conditions at last year's AFC championship game and what they would do if the Chiefs can win their first Super Bowl in 50 years. MacCambridge's books include '69 Chiefs (a new coffee table book on the only Chiefs Super Bowl winners), America's Game (on the history of the NFL) and The Franchise (on the history of Sports Illustrated). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 January 2020

Grant and Luis Miguel reconvene and hop around the world of soccer, starting with a discussion on all the new Premier League managers (Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, Everton's Carlo Ancelotti, West Ham's David Moyes and Watford's Nigel Pearson. They also discuss how Liverpool beefed up its Premier League lead over the past month; whether England plays too many games; why stale Barcelona feels like it did during Frank Rijkaard's last season (2007-08) and how it could set up a Pep-like return for Xavi to coach the club next season. Additional topics: New MLS coaches at Inter Miami (Diego Alonso) and NYCFC (Ronny Deila), Kate Markgraf landing Laura Harvey to coach the Under-20 USWNT and South American transfer targets in 2020. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2020

Grant sits down in Houston with DaMarcus Beasley, the only U.S. man ever to play in four World Cups, who recently retired from a club career that saw him win 13 trophies in North America and Europe. Beasley talks about his new work as an executive with Matrix Athletic Club and looks back on a rich career that saw him reach the World Cup quarterfinals with the U.S. (in 2002) and the UEFA Champions League semifinals with PSV Eindhoven (in 2005). He also shares his thoughts on the state of American soccer, explains two bits of important wisdom that he took over the years from his former coaches Jürgen Klinsmann and Bob Bradley, and reveals why he's serious about the possibility of going to culinary school. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 30 December 2019

Grant speaks to Suzy Wrack, who covers women's soccer and women's sports for The Guardian, about a number of topics: Her blockbuster investigative story revealing sexual, physical and emotional abuse of Afghanistan women's national team players by the leaders of the Afghan soccer federation; her thoughts on the England national team and the rise of the English women's league; her visit to New York to interview Megan Rapinoe; the growing trend of British media outlets hiring full-time writers to cover women's soccer and her story of how she got into the media business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 23 December 2019

Grant speaks to Paul Tenorio, national soccer reporter for The Athletic, about a host of topics, including his career path, how he ended up choosing to cover soccer full-time instead of other sports, how he approaches covering MLS, his thoughts on the MLS collective bargaining talks, how his terrific story on Jesse Marsch came together and what he's hoping to do in the future covering the sport. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2019

SI's Luis Miguel Echegaray welcomes guest co-host Kay Murray to discuss each #UCLDraw matchup, another EPL victory for Liverpool, Man City's win at Arsenal, Tottenham under Jose Mourinho, who should manage Arsenal, La Liga action, a preview of Wednesday's Clásico and much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2019

Grant speaks to Ian Ayre, the former CEO of Liverpool and now the CEO of Nashville SC, which begins its first MLS season on February 29 when it hosts Atlanta United. They discuss what he has been doing over the last 19 months to prepare Nashville for MLS; the choices that went into hiring coach Gary Smith, signing DP midfielder Hany Mukhtar and assembling a roster that includes Dax McCarty, David Accam and Dominique Badji; the progress on Nashville's 30,000-seat soccer stadium (set to open in 2022); how much money they'll have to spend on players; and what he would consider "success" for the team in 2020. Ayre also provides his thoughts on the current success of Liverpool, where he worked until 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 December 2019

Grant talks to SI senior writer Jenny Vrentas about her new Sportsperson of the Year story on Megan Rapinoe—the sports figure who made the most lasting impression of 2019. They talk about Rapinoe’s athletic and social impact, the forces in her life that have shaped those things and how Vrentas approached writing a signature story on one of the most heavily covered athletes in the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2019

Grant and Luis Miguel discuss Megan Rapinoe’s SI Sportsperson of the Year award, Man City falling 14 points behind Liverpool, Man United’s huge week, amazing backheels by Luis Suárez and Mohamed Salah, another Messi hat trick, Jesse Marsch’s huge Champions League opportunity on Tuesday, the crazy race in Germany and Earnie Stewart’s policy requiring U.S. Soccer coaches to live in Chicago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 9 December 2019

Grant has a wide-ranging conversation with Portland Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese in which they talk about Diego Valeri's potential return to the team for 2020, what happened with departed DP Brian Fernández, how Savarese works with GM Gavin Wilkinson and owner Merritt Paulson, what has (and hasn't changed) in MLS since he played in the league's first season for the MetroStars, how winning three NASL titles with the New York Cosmos has shaped him as a coach, his thoughts on the current state of his Venezuelan national team and how his family in Venezuela has dealt with the turmoil in that country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2019

Grant and Luis Miguel kick off a busy December in the Premier League with talk of whether Liverpool can stay on cruise control without Fabinho, Arsenal's next move after dismissing Unai Emery, a flat performance by Chelsea in a home loss to West Ham and Wednesday's return of José Mourinho to Man United. They also discuss Lionel Messi saving Barcelona yet again, Inter moving into first place in Serie A, Jurgen Klinsmann's new gig at Hertha Berlin, Lyon buying the NWSL's Reign FC, Monday's Ballon d'Or awards, the 9-year anniversary of FIFA awarding World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar and the draws for Euro 2020 and next summer's Copa América. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 2 December 2019

Grant has a fun conversation with Astead Herndon, a national political reporter for the New York Times and a diehard Tottenham Hotspur fan. They talk about Herndon's soccer origin story, how he became a Spurs fan, his thoughts on José Mourinho replacing Mauricio Pochettino, how easy it is now to find Premier League games on the campaign trail, which presidential candidates are the biggest soccer fans and why President Trump has embraced soccer more than just about anyone would have expected. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 27 November 2019

Grant and Luis Miguel break down a busy week, including Tottenham's decision to fire Mauricio Pochettino less than six months after making the Champions League final and replace him with José Mourinho; Man City's important 2-1 win over Chelsea; Flamengo's thrilling come-from-behind 2-1 victory over River Plate in the Copa Libertadores final; and the Chicago Fire's controversial rebrand (and why Grant thinks a real Chicago turnaround, Kansas City-style, would help fans get over a not-great badge switch). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 25 November 2019

Grant sits down with Yael Averbuch West, a former USWNT player, University of North Carolina star and 10-year club pro who these days works as the executive director of the NWSL Players Association and owns the soccer training app Techne Futbol. She talks about how she's able to wear so many hats, why she had to step aside from playing in the NWSL, and what daily life is like for the rank-and-file NWSL player. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 21 November 2019

You'd think things would be quiet during a FIFA window, but that's hardly the case this week. Grant and Luis Miguel break down the USMNT's 4-1 win over Canada (which could have been Gregg Berhalter's last game); Earnie Stewart's strange all-is-well-here press conference; Mexico's 3-0 win at Panama; El Tri's run to the Under-17 World Cup final; Zlatan Ibrahimovic's MLS legacy; MLS moves involving Thierry Henry, Darwin Quintero, Brian Fernández and Darlington Nagbe; the fight for the final spots in Euro 2020; the reported switch to England of longtime USWNT high-performance coach Dawn Scott; and Saturday's Man City-Chelsea game, which is huge for City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 18 November 2019

Grant sits down with Landon Donovan to talk about why he decided to become the manager of the new San Diego Loyal USL team that starts play in 2020, why he wanted to name a woman (Carrie Taylor) as one of his assistants, what his aspirations are as a coach and what he'll do if owner Landon Donovan has issues with coach Landon Donovan. Donovan also shares his frank opinions on the state of the USMNT under Gregg Berhalter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 14 November 2019

Grant and Luis Miguel break down a huge soccer weekend on both sides of the Atlantic, including Liverpool's 3-1 victory over Man City in the game of the season (so far) of the Premier League; Seattle's 3-1 win over Toronto to win the Sounders' second MLS Cup title; Christian Pulisic's fifth goal in the last three Premier League games for Chelsea; Arsenal's continuing troubles after a deserved 2-0 loss at Leicester City; the remarkable scoring form of Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, who now has 23 goals in 18 games this season; and the first two victories of Vlatko Andonovski's tenure with the USWNT (with Carli Lloyd being the main storyline). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 11 November 2019

Grant has a lively conversation with The Guardian's David Squires, the world's top satirical soccer cartoonist, about how he creates his biting (and hilarious) weekly cartoons that have focused on the English Premier League, the men's and women's World Cups and soccer in Australia (where the Englishman is based). Squires tells the story of how he got started in the business and why he loves tweaking the absurdities of the modern soccer world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 7 November 2019

Grant and Luis Miguel break down the come-from-behind wins by Liverpool and Manchester City and look forward to Sunday's showdown between the Premier League leaders. They also discuss another goal-scoring performance by Christian Pulisic in Chelsea's victory, this Sunday's MLS Cup final between Seattle and Toronto, the U.S. Under-17 World Cup fiasco, the departure of Niko Kovac from Bayern Munich and two more incidents of racial abuse in Italian soccer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 4 November 2019

Dan Altman, the creator of the free soccer data site SmarterScout.com, speaks with Grant about data analytics and goalkeeping, answering a bunch of intriguing questions. Who are the best shot-stoppers in world soccer today? Who are the best goalkeepers with outfield skills? Which keepers are overrated and underrated in the data? What makes Brazilians Ederson and Alisson so good? And who are the top keepers in MLS and on the USMNT? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 31 October 2019

Grant and Luis Miguel hail Christian Pulisic's breakthrough hat trick for Chelsea and Sergiño Dest's decision to play for the USMNT and break down Liverpool's comeback win against Spurs, as well as the misery at Southampton (9-0 home losers to Leicester) and Arsenal (where the home fans booed captain Granit Xhaka). On the MLS front, they discuss two mouthwatering semifinals in LAFC-Seattle and Atlanta-Toronto, and Grant shares from his experience covering the NWSL final in North Carolina, where the host Courage beat Chicago 4-0. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 28 October 2019

Grant interviews Kashif Siddiqi, the player/diplomat who co-founded the NGO Football For Peace. Siddiqi, whose organization has drawn support from Prince William, Pelé, Ronaldinho, Mesut Özil and the United Nations, explains the soccer and non-soccer reasons why he decided to go on loan next week to the team Real Kashmir, located in the region disputed by Pakistan and India and the site of recent unrest as India has moved to exert control there. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 October 2019