Total Soccer Show: USMNT, Champions League, EPL, and more ...

On today's Weekend Review edition of The Total Soccer Show, Ryan Bailey and Graham Ruvthen cast an eye over four of the biggest matches from this past weekend—and analyze the Champions League Round of 16 draw: 0:00 - Champions League draw: Frank Lampard will have his biggest managerial test to date when Chelsea meet Atletico Madrid, while PSG face familiar foes Barcelona.  16.43 - Manchester Utd v...

With MLS Cup coming up on Saturday, Paul and Sam talk about some of the pieces and strategies that have helped the Seattle Sounders and the Columbus Crew advance to the final. Then, they hit the highlights from Don Garber's State of the League address that happened earlier this week, and discuss some big Inter Miami news. 2:00 - General managers Garth Lagerwey (Seattle Sounders) and Tim Bezbatchen...

Ryan Bailey and Sam Tighe take a look back at the 2020-21 Champions League Group Stage, to assess the biggest winners and losers, the breakout stars, and the team who will give defending champions Bayern Munich a run for their money in the knockout rounds! Sponsors! Today's episode is brought to you by... The Athletic! Check out theathletic.com/TSS to receive two all-access subscriptions for the p...

Joe Lowery is joined by Adam Snavely to review the USMNT's friendly against El Salvador. What did we learn? Did anything change tactically? Which players showed well? And which ones might have a spot in Gregg Berhalter's first-choice group of players? Joe and Adam answer those questions...and talk about a bunch of other things, too! Sponsors! Today's episode is brought to you by... The Athletic! C...

MLS Cup is less than a week away! On Saturday, December 12th, the Columbus Crew and the Seattle Sounders will battle for a serious piece of silverware. To preview Saturday's final and shine a light on the two teams playing, Joe Lowery is joined by not one, but two excellent guests on today's show. Up first, Jordan Angeli, also known as the "Crew Guru", talks all things Columbus. Then, Matt Pentz c...

On today's Weekend Review edition of The Total Soccer Show, Ryan Bailey and Graham Ruvthen break down 4 big games from this past weekend: 0:00 - Tottenham vs. Arsenal: Kane and Son combine to pour more misery on Mikel Arteta, whose side were lacking all over the field. 27.40 - Liverpool vs. Wolves: Jurgen Klopp’s side were ruthless in their destruction of Wolves, who instilled a puzzling formation...

Before discussing some of the biggest off-the-field news in Major League Soccer, Paul and Sam sink their teeth into the most recent MLS Cup Playoff games, talking rosters, tactics, and more.  0:45 - With their roster turnaround and their recent on-field performance, it’s time to give Adrian Heath, Mark Watson, and Minnesota United the credit they deserve.  19:55 - Some rapid-fire analysis of Seatt...

It’s a Dirty Tackle reunion of sorts on today’s episode of TSS! Ryan Bailey is joined by DT founder Brooks Peck to look at some weird and wonderful recent stories from the beautiful game, including Joleon Lescott’s accidental comeback and the bizarre world of “Socker Slam”!  Listen carefully, and DT fans may hear an appearance from a familiar special guest, too… Sponsors! Today's episode is brough...

Earlier this week, U.S. Soccer gave us all an early Christmas present: a shiny, brand-new USMNT roster for the United States' game against El Salvador on December 9th. The roster is almost entirely made up of domestic-based, Olympic-eligible players, so it's an exciting group! Joe Lowery is joined by Bobby Warshaw to break down the roster and pick their preferred starting elevens for the 9th. Way...

Joe Lowery is joined by The Athletic’s Meg Linehan to talk about all things United States Women’s National Team! Joe asks Meg about the U.S.’s first game in 8 months, the emerging young talent in the player pool, and the differences between Vlatko Andonovski and Jill Ellis. Sponsors! Today's episode is brought to you by... Credible! Visit Credible.com/TSS and get a $200 gift card when you refinanc...

Ryan Bailey and Graham Ruvthen put the world to rights b y breaking down the biggest games of the weekend: 4:00 - Chelsea vs. Tottenham: How was Harry Kane kept quiet, and which manager is happier with a Stamford Bridge stalemate? 20:32 - Southampton vs. Manchester United: Ole’s hands slipped off the whee; but Edinson Cavani was there to place them back!  36:50 - Real Madrid vs. Alaves: Zinedine Z...

Paul and Sam are recording Tuesday for a Thursday release, so they're breaking down the Tuesday night names. 0:00 - Recapping the weekend's playoff games, and the intense entertainment therein, featuring a whole lot of Orlando City-NYCFC. What happened behind the scenes of one of the wildest games in MLS history? Why did Oscar Pareja go running into the dressing room? How many times did we think t...

It's a TSS Thanksgiving extravaganza! Joe Lowery is joined by Adam Snavely to talk about all of the soccer things that they're thankful for. From a promising addition to the USWNT player pool, to the goal of the decade(?), to a heartfelt thank you to the American soccer community, Joe and Adam run through their respective Lists of Thankfulness™. And, as discussed on the show, you can honor Daryl a...

ESPN commentator and pundit Matteo Bonetti joins Ryan Bailey to answer listener questions and shoot the breeze about all things Serie A. You’ll find out how Milan are topping the table (spoiler: it's not all about Zlatan), what Weston McKennie will offer Juventus going forward, and which Italian team the skinny-jeans-and-oat-milk-latte crowd will be following now that Atalanta have gone mainstream...

Joe Lowery is joined by Jordan Angeli to answer all of your tactical listener questions! 3:52 - What is a false nine, how was it popularized, and how do you play with one? 10:51 - What makes it a double pivot?  18:59 - What happens when you play with four central midfielders? Plus, examples of teams that do just that! 24:27 - What is an overload? And what does it have to do with Nani? 28:36 - What...

On today's Weekend Review edition of The Total Soccer Show, Ryan Bailey and Graham Ruvthen break down 4 big games from this past weekend: 0:00 - Tottenham vs. Manchester City: What is Mourinho doing right—and what is Pep doing wrong?  28:20 - Liverpool vs. Leicester: Despite having three quarters of the defense, the captain and the top goalscorer out of action, Liverpool dominated Leicester. Rumor...

Our old pal George Quraishi returns to the show to share his memories of Daryl Grove, and also does a very good job interviewing Taylor about Daryl, the last month, and what the future holds for TSS. There's also some parenting chat at the very end, and definitely at least 3 minutes or so of actual soccer content. Sponsors! LinkedIn! Visit LinkedIn.com/soccer to get $50 off your first job posting...

"It's my why." Paul and Sam spend a late Thursday evening discussing all-things MLS playoffs. How will teams deal with injuries and Coronavirus-related absences? Who could spring a surprise run? Who makes New England v Montreal sexier: Bruce Arena or Thierry Henry? All that and much much more! Also, at one point, Paul says "you're from Illinois" and it sounds angry and accusatory. Some time stamps...

Ryan and Taylor do their best to answer 6 listener questions, plus talk a little international window... 1) Would David Wagner fix DC United? 2) How good would Aleksandar Mitrovic be if he didn't spend the last few seasons playing for Newcastle and Fulham? 3) With the current expanded benches available in many leagues, why aren't all teams using all the available spaces? 4) Why do goalkeepers yell...

Taylor chats with Grant Wahl about his new podcast series "American Prodigy, the Freddy Adu story." How did the project first come to be, how did Grant get Freddy on board, and what were the challenges of doing an entire series on a person who is very aware of their own media narrative? Plus, what has American soccer done to improve how it treats its potential future stars? All that and much more!...

On this episode, which we are aware turned out... quite long... Taylor is joined by Adam Snavely and Ryan Bailey to answer 8 listener questions... Who are your favorite soccer “one hit wonders”? What team could most benefit from hiring Eddie Howe? What is Miguel Arteta doing that Unai Emery isn't? How do teams make big shifts in performance from season to season? How well have Wolves replacements...

Taylor and Joe review the USMNT's friendly match up with Panama... (Spoilers below) And what a result it was! Double braces for some teenagers (but not in the way you might think), Weston McKennie put in his best performance yet (according to one of your hosts), and much much more! We also try to answer some questions about this squad, including who had the best time in camp (and who did not), hav...

"The most negative MLS podcast out there" (their words) is about to spread the love! Up first is USMNT v Wales: who looked good, what didn't quite work, and positivity abounds Around the 14 minute mark, Paul and Sam get into some of the latest stories in MLS: which playoff teams will be most impacted by Covid quarantines, Chicago is bringing everybody back, and lots of praise for Sporting KC and t...

No spoilers... Joe and Taylor review the USMNT's friendly match versus Wales. Why did the US struggle to create clear-cut chances? How good was Yunus Musah on his debut? When will Twitter stop debating the merits of a false nine? Who do we want to see start against Panama? We answer all but one of those questions, and a lot more! Sponsors! Today's episode is brought to you by... Indochino! Get $30...

Taylor talks to Michael Kammarman, the USMNT's press officer since 2001. They get into the evolution of how the team has been covered since he came on board, Michael's advice to journalists who are just starting out, and the differences in his role based on the manager in charge. There's also insight into the post-Couva locker room, the current pool of players, and the individuals that have been t...