World Soccer Talk

Jude Bellingham is the darling of world football and he lit up the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen with a virtuoso performance against Serbia. Meanwhile one of football's greatest scribes lit up insideeuro2024...please meet Henry Winter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Day 2 of the Euros and 3 matches - Nick Webster was in Cologne for Switzerland vs. Hungary and it was a great game. He also had the chance to talk with Clive Tyldesley about commentary and his legendary call during the 1999 Champions League Final. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nick Webster reports from Germany to share his experiences about his Euro 2024 journey. Included in this podcast episode, Nick sits down with ARD journalist Oliver Hintz to talk about the European Championship tournament. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Former FOX Soccer TV presenter Nick Webster previews his new podcast series that we'll be bringing to you all summer long through World Soccer Talk. Nick explains what to expect, and how it'll be different than other Euro 2024-related podcasts. Plus, he'll be on site in Germany to bring you all of the sights, sounds and exclusive interviews. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some argue that "American soccer should do American soccer in its own unique American way." What is the American way, anyway, when it comes to soccer? A long regular season of meaningless games followed by playoffs to crown a champion. We take a closer look at the pros and cons of the playoffs, how they came about, and why they don't work in American soccer. We also offer ideas for what a better system would be, and what the main reason is why playoffs exist in the first place. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We jump into reading the feedback from soccer fans throughout the United States and our analysis and experience about why soccer fans are not signing up for MLS Season Pass, fifteen months after the service launched on Apple TV. Has MLS moving to Apple left the door wide-open for USL, NWSL, and EPL to increase their viewership on US TV? How can MLS compete against other streaming services that offer better soccer for less money? How fans of Liga MX are flipping to the Premier League, and how the rest of the leagues are left picking up the scraps?We also dive into MLS Commissioner Don Garber’s hypocritical comments when he spoke to World Soccer Talk about his reaction to foreign leagues wanting to play official league games in the United States. Plus, he shared with us about the possibilities of more soccer rights coming to Apple soon, and whether Major League Soccer would welcome that Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's been more than one year since MLS Season Pass has launched, so it's perfect timing to identify the pros and cons of the streaming product as well as the market conditions that are impacting it. What has improved, what needs to improve and what issues are impacting the growth of Major League Soccer's revolutionary streaming product such as CBS Sports Golazo Network and other free services?We also discuss how many people tuned into the CBS network to watch the historic USL Championship game between Louisville City and Indy Eleven.Other topics debated include the perception of The Athletic as a mouthpiece for MLS. Plus we share your questions and feedback in the Listener Mailbag segment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode discusses Gio Reyna in the USA vs Jamaica game, what European title races are the most exciting, the reaction to the first round of the US Open Cup, ESPN's poor coverage of the FA Cup, The Athletic's cozy relationship with MLS, and a tribute to Joe Barone.There's more soccer on streaming now than ever before that it's sometimes hard to find common ground with fellow soccer fans. It often feels like two worlds colliding — the mainstream soccer games against niche leagues. Despite this, there's enough soccer for people to choose from. No matter which teams or leagues we're all watching, there are plenty of things in common to discuss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shown by its mismanagement of the US Open Cup, the US Soccer Federation has lost all authority as the governing body for the sport in this country. USSF has allowed MLS to become the most powerful soccer entity in this country. At the same time, the US soccer system is a mess as leagues compete against leagues. The chaos of the way that the US Open Cup debacle has been run shows how weak the leadership is under the US Soccer Federation.Also discussed in this episode is the new TV deals from USL and NWSL, and how those two leagues will be giving MLS a run for its money since the launch of MLS Season Pass. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, we discuss whether the soccer streaming bubble has burst. We also dive into a breakdown of the ESPN, FOX, and TNT app and whether it’s a killer app. We discuss the Premier League’s domination of the soccer landscape in the United States, and how that may not be a good thing. Plus, when even the biggest story happens in a league but no one seems to care, what does that say? We also answer the questions, can LaLiga close the gap with the Premier League, and what do the leagues Serie A, EFL, and Ligue 1 do about their next rights deals in the USA? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MLS tries to balance Messi's playing time and selling Apple TV subscriptions. We also discuss why FIFA chose New Jersey for the World Cup Final, how Arlington or Atlanta would have been a better choice, where the Women’s World Cup final could be if US/Mexico wins the bid, how Messi Mania is turning into a PR disaster for MLS and Inter Miami, Apple isn’t managing the expectations of fans by making everything about Messi, and why is MLS making so many sloppy PR mistakes lately,  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Wilson joins World Soccer Talk to discuss his new soccer newsletter that’s written specifically for the U.S. audience, the evolution of soccer managers, his thoughts about Marcelo Bielsa and what he can accomplish at Uruguay, how writing for a U.S. audience is different, whether he feels American soccer fans are informed or not about the world’s game, news about an updated edition of his book about Brian Clough, how he would write his Sunderland book differently now in hindsight, why Brian Clough doesn’t have as much of a legacy as other English football managers, comparing Klopp to Guardiola, and how Clough’s upbringing had an impact on his role as a manager.The newsletter 'Soccer With Jonathan Wilson' is available on The Guardian's website.Jonathan Wilson writes about football for The Guardian and Observer, including a weekly column for The Observer. He has written 11 books, including Inverting the Pyramid, and is the editor of The Blizzard. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati

In a fascinating interview with Wrexham Director of Football Shaun Harvey, the executive discusses the crossroads the EFL finds itself in ahead of a new international rights deal. iFollow is ending, so what does the future of streaming EFL games look like for international viewers? Harvey shares his insight regarding the available options and the lessons learned from launching iFollow. We also discuss how soccer fans in the United States can watch every Wrexham game, why so few Wrexham league games are shown on ESPN+, what changed to normalize streaming of games in the United Kingdom, where Wrexham stands in popularity of EFL clubs worldwide, why iFollow was started in the first place, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We can reveal that the Premier League has become the most popular soccer league in the United States for the first time, but how can the competing leagues fight back so they're still contenders? At the same time, we discuss why MLS fans will have to fork out more in 2024 to see the new Drive to Survive-like docuseries, how the new series may or may not be more successful than the docuseries that MLS has done in the past, what type of MLS subject material would drive interest for soccer fans, how MLS believes it can be more successful worldwide in 2024, how the timing of the MLS deal with Box to Box Productions may be too late. Plus we dive into your feedback about MLS' decision to quit the US Open Cup, and their subsequent U-turn. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Major League Soccer’s cold and calculated decision to quit the US Open Cup has had a dramatic impact on the credibility of the USA’s top-flight league. Many hardcore fans of Major League Soccer have criticized the league for its lack of respect for American soccer. As usual, we take a deep dive into the topic. We discuss whether US Open Cup can survive without MLS if NFL-owned MLS teams purposely want to hold soccer’s growth back in this country, and how Major League Soccer’s target demographic is a key driver in these decisions.Subsequently, what role has MLS rightsholder Apple had with team owners making this decision? Also, what do soccer fans need to do to get MLS to overturn its decision? Plus we discuss how US Open Cup plans on marketing the competition differently in 2024. Last but not least, is US Soccer capable of removing Major League Soccer’s D1 sanctioning? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you want MLS to rule all of professional club soccer in the United States? It’s heading that way. We dissect what MLS Commissioner Don Garber says on the topic, as well as what it means for soccer fans (and clubs) across the United States. We also share our analysis of the viewership numbers for the 2023 MLS Cup Final between Columbus Crew and LAFC, as well as discuss the risk that MLS admits it’s taking with MLS Season Pass. Last but not least, we explain why Kartik is in Jacksonville, and the new chapter of the SoccerWarz, as well as your excellent comments and feedback in the Listener Mailbag segment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A deep dive into whether the popularity of soccer is growing or shrinking in the United States at the same time that the English Premier League has cemented its place as THE soccer league in this country. What can LaLiga, MLS, Serie A, Ligue 1, and the Bundesliga do to catch up with the Premier League? We also discuss how the Premier League is close to surpassing the popularity of the most popular soccer league on US television.Why hasn’t soccer been able to make an impact on the mainstream? We pinpoint what is missing to make the sport more popular in this country, and what that means for the future of soccer in the United States with the 2026 World Cup around the corner.In addition to these topics, we share what the consensus is about Apple’s deal with Major League Soccer from key executives in the sport at the Soccerex Miami conference.As the Premier League continues to grow in popularity, does this hurt or help the popularity of the different national teams among soccer fans in the United States? Hosted o

When it comes to watching soccer, if a league isn't on television, does it make a sound? We discuss this topic in light of the new media deals announced for NWSL and USL, which begs the question about other leagues who are struggling with the same question, namely Major League Soccer (with MLS Season Pass) and the Bundesliga (with ESPN+).On this week’s episode, we also discuss whether NWSL and USL going down the path of MLS 1.0 is going to help or hurt them, we share your feedback on VAR, plus we answer all of your questions in the Listener Mailbag segment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a game that is so simple, VAR has made the sport more complicated. It has removed a lot of enjoyment from the game and has made it more tedious to watch when VAR gets involved. As such, hosts Kartik Krishnaiyer and Christopher Harris discuss how VAR is ruining the Premier League, and what the solution is, as well as comparing it to how other leagues handle VAR. In an attempt to add a spectacle to the Premier League, it has had the reverse effect. The topic of discussion, of course, is the Newcastle-Arsenal game, as well as Fulham versus Man United. The podcast was recorded before the Tottenham-Chelsea match where VAR controversies raged on.Other than VAR, we discuss Matt Turner being dropped by Nottingham Forest and what it means for USMNT players in Europe, ESPN2's coverage of the USL League One final, who would have been a better USWNT coach - Emma Hayes or Sarina Wiegman, news about Kartik interviewing Guillem Balague about Lionel Messi, the joys of watching the FA Cup 1st Round, feedback on NBC and CBS

In this episode, we discuss whether CBS Sports could do a better job of covering the Premier League than NBC Sports does, Kartik discusses what he discovered about world soccer from traveling to Turkey, and what other soccer coverage we've been seeking out to fill the void. We also discuss what's missing from CBS Sports' Morning Footy show that would improve it. Plus, is there enough demand or interest in watching League Two games from viewers in the United States? And have the Premier League, Championship and League One become too boring and predictable?In the Listener Mailbag segment, we answer your questions about CBS Sports Golazo Network, Saudi Pro League, BBC’s ‘Everton: Nothing will be the Same’ series, MLS Cup Playoffs, Welcome to Wrexham, and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.