The Double Pivot: Soccer analysis, analytics, and commentary

You could argue that France's approach in the Euro 16 final was right, it just wasn't right enough. It was also completely unnecessary. The two Mikes break down the final, remind you that the latest international tournament wasn't so bad (and you'll be excited about the next), and then spend some time breaking down how they evaluate managers. With club seasons approaching, they...

Les Bleus faced their first true challenge and dismantled Die Mannschaft, while Portugal made sure Wales' greatest accomplishment of the tournament would be the quarterfinals win over Belgium. Now, Ronaldo's band of disruptors square up with the first squad that may be up to the task of running straight at them for 90 minutes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...

The two Mikes keep riding with Portugal (who, along with Ronaldo, is getting a bad wrap), while Wales made Caley look prescient, Germany vs. Italy wasn't the chess match we were looking for, and Iceland's dream died an honorable death. Plus: Will Germany be able to adapt with so many missing pieces against France, and can Wales keep the miracle run going against Portugal? Learn more abou...

The two Mikes tackle a number of misconceptions including: Poland might be doing well because their best player is struggling, Belgium has at least one really great tactic, Italy is not a defensive team in the way that many are saying, and France is actually the underdog against Iceland (ok, we lied about the last one). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support the sho...

A bunch of bodies crashed into each other in the Copa América final, and it ended with Messi's international career on life support. The two Mikes dive into the chaos that unfolded at MetLife Stadium before turning their attention to Croatia's cruel exit at the hands of Portugal, Italy's total disruption of Spain, and Iceland's smiting of England. Learn more about your ad choic...

Can anything positive be drawn from Argentina's destruction of a hapless American side? The two Mikes offer their findings from an autopsy of the U.S. loss, posit whether this Argentina vs. Chile rematch will be any different than the one we saw in the group stages, and preview the Euro knockout rounds, while trying to figure out what makes Croatia so good. Learn more about your ad choices. V...

The power of Messi's beard (and really good players) is powering Argentina to what seems like an inevitable Copa win. Plus, Chile runs rampant, there's a nasty rumor going around that strikers at Euro 2016 are nonexistent, and the Mikes discuss what they've gotten right (Belgium) and wrong (Mexico). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support the show

Now that we've seen each group a few times, what can we make of Besler at left back for the USMNT, Roy Hodgson's striker and midfield decisions, France benching its two best players, and Belgium not quite living up to its potential on paper? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support the show

The two Mikes break down the biggest matches of the Euro 2016 and Copa América Centario weekend, but not before a necessary discussion about the elephant in the room with the Spanish national team, and the lesson we must all learn when it comes to the teams and players we love to watch, and the sexual assault, rape and domestic violence victims who are thoughtlessly cast aside in the name of sport...

In case you hadn't noticed, Argentina is great and they showed why in a dominant performance against Chile. The Mikes dive into how good the former squad is, and how worried we should be about the latter. Plus, the sky is no longer falling for the USMNT, England and Belgium seem better than they probably are, and four players to watch over the next week and why. Learn more about your ad choic...

The two Mikes can't wait to talk about the red-hot, scintillating action from the first weekend of Copa America Centario, but first, they're going to preview Euro 2016. Specifically, a quick examination of France (the deserved favorites), Germany (who play weirder than you thought), and Spain (no, seriously, they're still really good!). Also: El Tri weirdly struggles with a man adva...

Introducing The Double Pivot, hosted by Mike Goodman and Michael Caley. The Double Pivot is for people who want smart commentary with a healthy dose of analytics to back it up. First up: the Copa América, and why Argentina’s 2 to 1 odds to win it is a tad, shall we say, crazy. Mike and Mike also discuss what they’ll be watching for in the early matches, what to make of the USMNT right now, and tou...