House of Champions: A CBS Soccer Podcast

Ian Paul Joy, Michael Lahoud and James Benge get around the horn to break down the USMNT's narrow win over Team Melli to close out the group stage with a ticket to the Round of 16. Plus, England cruise in the 'Battle of Britain', Cody Gakpo scores again, and the African champions send Ecuador packing. (02:13) -- Iran 0-1 USA: An apology for Pulisic (17:50) -- Wales 0-3 England: Rashford slays the...

Michael Lahoud, Luis Garcia and Heath Pearce unpack a thrilling day of action from Qatar as Portugal saw off Uruguay, Serbia dropped points to Cameroon in a six-goal thriller, Casemiro got the winner for Brazil, and the Black Stars held on in a five-goal slugfest with South Korea. Plus, Juventus' board members resign and it's a sleepless night for USMNT fans ahead of Tuesday's win-or-go-home clash...

Ian Paul Joy, Jonathan Johnson, Luis Garcia and special guest Kate Mason decompress after a thrilling draw between Spain and Germany that leaves Group E wide open. Plus, Croatia end Canada's hopes of advancing, Morocco vindicate KDB's "we're too old" comments, and Kate recounts her experiences as a female journalist living and working in Qatar. (03:24) -- Spain 1-1 Germany: Group E not over yet (1...

Argentina kept their hopes of World Cup glory alive with a crucial win over Mexico on Sunday thanks in no small part to Lionel Messi. Ian Paul Joy, Nigel Reo-Coker, Jonathan Johnson and Michael Lahoud discuss that and Group C's other game as Poland squeaked a win over Saudi Arabia. Plus, Kylian Mbappe bags a brace, the Socceroos stun Tunisia, and Sunday's lineup promises fireworks! (01:53) -- Arge...

Ian Paul Joy, Nigel Reo-Coker, Michael Lahoud and Luis Garcia unpack a tense goalless draw between England and the USA which leaves Group B wide open heading into the last round of fixtures. Is Gareth Southgate to blame for the Three Lions lackluster performance or do the Stars and Stripes deserve more credit? Plus, Iran bounce back with a convincing but late win over Wales, Senegal dump out the h...

Fabrizio Romano joins Ian Paul Joy, Jonathan Johnson and Nigel Reo-Coker to share his impressions of the World Cup so far and discuss Cristiano Ronaldo's club future, why Manchester United and Liverpool's owners are looking to sell, and which young players are making waves in Qatar. Plus, Brazil live up to the hype against Serbia, Portugal flatter to deceive against Ghana, and what's with all the...

Michael Lahoud, Jonathan Johnson and Nigel Reo-Coker digest a wild day of action and news from the World Cup and beyond as CONCACAF is put to the test with Canada and Costa Rica. The crew analyzes those and the rest of Wednesday's games while also looking ahead to Thursday's action. (03:41) -- Belgium 1-0 Canada (16:00) -- Morocco 0-0 Croatia (25:13) -- Spain 7-0 Costa Rica (35:34) -- Germany 1-2...

Ian Paul Joy, Michael Lahoud, Jonathan Johnson and Nigel Reo-Coker digest a wild day of action and news from the World Cup and beyond as Saudi Arabia brought Argentina's 36-game unbeaten to an end, France stormed to the summit of Group D, and Cristiano Ronaldo parted company with Manchester United amid reports the Glazer family are weighing their options to sell the club. Plus, the rest of the day...

James Benge, Michael Lahoud and Nigel Reo-Coker discuss a tale of two halves at the Al-Rayyan Stadium which saw the U.S. and Wales share the spoils. The conversation then moves to the other game in Group B where England cruised to a 6-2 win over Iran, while goalkeeping gaffes helped the Netherlands to a late victory over the African champions. (01:03) -- USMNT 1-1 Wales: What went wrong for Berhal...

Ian Paul Joy, Nigel Reo-Coker, Michael Lahoud and Jonathan Johnson unpack an entertaining opening day of action in Qatar where Enner Valencia starred in Ecuador's win over the host nation. Christina Unkel joins to discuss the offside call that had many a viewer scratching their heads in confusion. And the guys look ahead to Monday's games as Senegal and Netherlands go toe-to-toe and Group B's hope...

Ian Paul Joy, Nigel Reo-Coker, James Benge and Michael Lahoud hone in on the Top 10 teams traveling to Qatar from the perspective of the bookmakers. Are there any weaknesses in Brazil's squad? Does a date with destiny beckon for Messi? Can a European team upset the South American giants? (01:45) -- Qatar's pre-tournament Fyre Fest vibes (05:42) -- Brazil: Is RB the chink in the armor? (13:51) -- A...

Jonathan Johnson, Nigel Reo-Coker and Michael Lahoud round off House of Champions' two-part series on the 32 teams vying to win this year's FIFA World Cup by turning their attention to groups E-H. (01:41) -- Nkunku & Mane injury updates (05:08) -- Will Qatar censor journalists? (07:11) -- Group E: Spain, Germany, Japan, Costa Rica (19:58) -- Group F: Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Morocco (30:52) -...

Ian Paul Joy and Nigel Reo-Coker are joined by Miguel Delaney, The Independent's chief soccer writer, to discuss the problematic nature of the Qatar World Cup and the debate over whether players should use their platforms to speak out against the host nation and FIFA. (01:55) -- World Cup undercut by modern slavery (06:04) -- The intersection of politics and sports (16:30) -- David Beckham facing...

With days to go until the action kicks off in Doha, Ian Paul Joy, Nigel Reo-Coker and Jonathan Johnson take a closer look at the teams converging on Qatar to compete for the biggest prize in soccer - the World Cup In the first of a two-part series analyzing all 32 of the teams involved, the guys turn their attention to groups A-D. (01:51) -- Group A: Netherlands, Senegal, Ecuador, Qatar (15:48) --...

Fabrizio Romano joins Ian Paul Joy to discuss the fallout from Cristiano Ronaldo's sensational interview with Piers Morgan where the Portugal star slammed the Manchester United hierarchy, including head coach Erik ten Hag. Plus what next for Rick Karsdorp following his exclusion from Jose Mourinho's Roma squad? Is Marcelo Bielsa heading back to the Premier League? And what are Arsenal's January pl...

Ian Paul Joy, Nigel Reo-Coker and Michael Lahoud unpack the final weekend of action in Europe's top leagues before club soccer goes on pause for the World Cup. (04:47) -- Fulham 1-2 Man Utd: Garnacho spares ETH's blushes (08:56) -- Arsenal's 5-point cushion, Man City hurt by pace (17:18) -- Newcastle are serious, Potter in trouble (26:32) -- BREAKING: Ronaldo feels "betrayed" (31:45) -- Serie A: J...

Before the big show starts in Qatar next week, Ian Paul Joy, James Benge, Michael Lahoud and Jonathan Johnson look ahead to the final weekend of action in the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue 1. Plus, midseason awards, unpacking England and Germany's World Cup squads and which club managers need to watch their backs? (01:50) -- The best so far of the 2022/23 season (13:21) -- Debate o...

Jonathan Johnson and Nigel Reo-Coker discuss two injuries that could severely impact Senegal and England's World Cup campaigns before turning their attention to some of the midweek action from the EFL Cup and beyond. Plus, with the USMNT, France, Croatia, Switzerland and other Qatar-bound national teams naming their 26-man rosters the guys share their thoughts on some of the surprise inclusions an...

Fabrizio Romano joins Ian Paul Joy to discuss the arms race among Europe's biggest clubs to lure Endrick Felipe away from Palmeiras. Plus, reaction to Monday's mouth-watering UEFA draws, Jude Bellingham's options, Newcastle's mastery of the transfer market, and the never-ending Cristiano Ronaldo saga. (02:34) -- Everyone wants Endrick, Danilo & Moukoko (08:51) -- Dortmund want BIG money for Be...

Monday's knockout stage draws for the UEFA Champions League and Europa League threw up some incredible matchups, and Ian Paul Joy, Nigel Reo-Coker, Jonathan Johnson and James Benge were on hand to react to them all in real time. Last season's UCL finalists draw swords again, the Bundesliga and Ligue 1 champions go toe-to-toe, and Cristiano Ronaldo is set to face off against an old foe. Plus, a deb...

Ian Paul Joy and Jonathan Johnson react to an incredible weekend of soccer across Europe and north America that wrapped with Juventus triumphing over the Nerazzurri while nine-man Betis had to settle for a point against arch rivals Sevilla. Plus, Arsenal impress again, Villa impress for once, and the MLS season gets a Hollywood ending. (00:54) -- Derby d'Italia: Juve shut out Inter (09:36) -- Derb...

James Benge is joined by USMNT and Valencia midfield maestro Yunus Musah to talk about his excitement ahead of Qatar, drawing England in the group stage, working under Gregg Berhalter and Gennaro Gattuso and much more. House of Champions is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Castbox and wherever else you listen to podcasts.  Follow the House of Champions team on Twitt...

Ian Paul Joy, Nigel Reo-Coker, James Benge and Michael Lahoud look ahead to a weekend bursting with narrative as Serie A prepares for three mouth-watering ties, the Benito Villamarin hosts El Gran Derbi, and Arsenal look to settle a score against their former captain. Plus, Tottenham and Liverpool look to reassert themselves in the Top 4 race, Unai Emery finally takes the reins of Aston Villa, and...

Ian Paul Joy, Nigel Reo-Coker and James Benge tip their hats to Olivier Giroud, Benfica and Christopher Nkunku following a thrilling finale to the 2022/23 Champions League group stage. Plus, PSG drop into Pot 2, Chelsea pick up more injuries and Celtic aren't as bad as the table suggests. (01:20) -- Giroud goes ham but Milan are no dark horse (08:58) -- Zakaria pops up and limps off for Chelsea (1...

Ian Paul Joy, Michael Lahoud, Jonathan Johnson and Nigel Reo-Coker tie a bow on Tuesday's Champions League matchday 6 action as Spurs clinched top spot with a last-gasp winner over Marseille, Liverpool put an end to the Serie A frontrunners' perfect start, and La Liga giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid went out with a whimper. (01:14) -- Tottenham topple Mike's Marseille (11:10) -- Frankfurt tur...