On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham do a full deep dive on where the US Men's National Team should go from here with their managerial situation. Should Gregg Berhalter come back? Who would replace him? How should the process work? Plus, the guys look ahead to a star studded World Cup Quarterfinal round.

Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down what we've seen so far in the World Cup Round of 16 that's been very chalky. Can Morocco or Switzerland turn that around? Who has impressed us? How unique was that Brazil performance? And how much more can we look forward to with Kylian Mbappe? These questions answered and more

Grant and Chris Wittyngham do their postmortem on the USA's elimination from the World Cup by the Netherlands. What went wrong in this game, what did Gregg Berhalter get wrong, and where do the US go from here are among the questions asked and answered. Then, US Women's National Team and Lyon star Catarina Macario talks to Grant about her recovery from injury and the growth of her career.

Grant and Chris Wittyngham look ahead to the US game against the Netherlands in the World Cup Round of 16 on Saturday by asking whether the US should play without a recognized striker, praising Christian Pulisic's commitment to the US, and discussing the Gio Reyna situation. Plus, we discuss a crazy couple of days in Group stage conclusions that saw some big nations go out of the tournament.

Grant and Chris Wittyngham react to the USMNT's 1-0 win over Iran in their final group game of the World Cup, seeing them advance to the knockout round beginning Saturday. They discuss Christian Pulisic's deciding goal, the significance of getting out of the group, and highlight how solid the US has been defensively in this tournament. Plus, Grant tells a cool story from his day in Qatar.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham look back on the weekend at the World Cup and look ahead to the United States' game against Iran on Tuesday. We discuss how the USMNT should line up, how they approach needing to win, and the issues between US Soccer and Iran. Then, we discuss Grant's day at Germany-Spain, Mexico's struggles, and Canada being knocked out of the tournament by Croatia.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down all of the talking points from the US Men's National Team's 0-0 draw with England at the World Cup. How good of a performance was this? Did Gregg Berhalter get the major decisions right? How strong is their chance to get out of the group? Those questions and more discussed.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the biggest games from the last 2 days of action at the World Cup including Japan and Saudi Arabia upsetting Germany and Saudi Arabia, Mexico drawing 0-0 with Poland, and a look ahead to USA-England on Friday. Then, Grant interviews Devin L'Amoreaux, a rising-star soccer photographer and former University of South Carolina player who embedded for an extended time with Weston McKennie in Italy. L'Amoreaux tells the story of how he got into photography, how he builds relationships with players and how he's approaching his work shooting games in Qatar at the World Cup. Subscribe to Grant's written work from the World Cup at GrantWahl.com

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the United States' World Cup opener. Was this a good result? How does this game portend for the US getting out of the group? And what happened when Grant was confronted by World Cup security in Qatar? Those questions and more answered. Check out Grant's written work from this World Cup on his website.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss Ecuador's opening night win over Qatar to open the World Cup, the bizarre scenes in and around the curtain raiser, and look ahead to the opening game for the USMNT against Wales tomorrow afternoon. Then, Grant talks to Adam Elder, author of the book "New Kids in the World Cup" on the 1990 US team that qualified for their first World Cup in 40 years.

On this episode, Grant discusses what the scene is like in Qatar a few days ahead of the World Cup, some of the worrying issues already happening with the nation and the media, and Chris Wittyngham joins to look preview the tournament and give their thoughts for what is going to happen. Then, former Aston Villa and Colombia player and current Telemundo analyst Juan Pablo Angel joins to talk about his new podcast "My Favorite Futbolista" and author Neel Shah joins to discuss his new book Awakening The Blue Tigers: India's Quest For Football's Holy Grail about India's search to become a football power.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham talk about some of the major storylines from the weekend including Manchester City's defeat to Brentford, Leeds United's defeat to Spurs, and some debates to be solved before the United States open the World Cup. Then, Grant talks to journalists Jason and Yeganeh Rezaian about the situation both on and off the pitch with Iran, who the US will close out group play with at the World Cup. Check out Grant's written work at this World Cup at GrantWahl.com

Grant is live from Brooklyn where he reacts to the release of the United States Men's National Team's 26 man squad for the World Cup with Chris Wittyngham. How did Zack Steffen miss the team entirely? Who were the surprise inclusions? How did Haji Wright get the final spot at striker? We discuss that and much more. Plus, Hal Phillips joins to discuss his book about the USMNT in the 80s and 90s called Generation Zero: Founding Fathers, Hidden Histories & the Making of Soccer in America. Here is the full US Squad: GOALKEEPERS (3): Ethan Horvath - Luton Town, Sean Johnson - New York City FC, Matt Turner -Arsenal DEFENDERS (9): Aaron Long - New York Red Bulls, Antonee "Jedi" Robinson - Fulham, Cameron Carter-Vickers - Celtic, DeAndre Yedlin - Inter Miami CF, Joe Scally - Borussia Mönchengladbach, Walker Zimmerman - Nashville SC, Sergiño Dest - AC Milan, Shaq Moore - Nashville SC, Tim Ream - Fulham MIDFIELDERS (7): Brenden Aaronson - Leeds United, Cristian Roldan - Seattle Sounders FC, Kellyn Acosta - LAFC, Luca de la Torre - Celta de Vigo, Tyler Adams - Leeds United, Weston McKennie - Juventus, Yunus Musah - Valencia FORWARDS (7): Christian Pulisic – Chelsea, Haji Wright - Antalyaspor, Jesús Ferreira - FC Dallas, Jordan Morris - Seattle Sounders FC, Tim Weah – Lille, Josh Sargent - Norwich City, Gio Reyna - Borussia Dortmund

Grant and Chris Wittyngham round up a busy weekend of football as LAFC is crowned champions of MLS, Arsenal wins a London Derby, Liverpool get back on track with a win over Spurs, Gerard Pique retires, and we look ahead to the USMNT squad reveal this week. Then, The Athletic's Adam Crafton joins (55:05) to discuss his new podcast series "Away From Home", chronicling Shakhtar Donetsk's UEFA Champions League journey in which they can't play at home in Ukraine.

Grant interviews longtime ESPN reporter Jeremy Schaap. His ESPN E60 episode “Qatar’s World Cup” on the controversies surrounding the selection of Qatar to host the upcoming World Cup debuts this Sunday at 8:30 pm Eastern on ESPN. Produced and directed by Max Brodsky, it will be available for on-demand streaming on ESPN+ after the initial airing. Then Grant interviews Domènec Torrent, the former coach of NYCFC, Flamengo and Galtasaray, as well as Pep Guardiola’s assistant for 11 seasons and 24 trophies.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the major headlines from the soccer weekend including Leeds' 2-1 win over Liverpool, a rough weekend for injuries to USMNT players, Portland Thorns winning the NWSL title, and Philadelphia winning the East and LAFC winning the West to set the MLS Cup Final matchup for next Saturday.

Grant interviews Crystal Dunn about scoring the goal that sent Portland to this weekend’s NWSL final just five months after she gave birth to her son, Marcel. And in Book Talk, Grant speaks to Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg about their new book Messi vs Ronaldo: One Rivalry, Two GOATS and the Era that Remade the World’s Game.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the weekend's soccer talking point including a headline making week for Manchester United, another Leeds defeat putting Jesse Marsch under pressure, a check on USMNT players in Europe, and a look at the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez of the LA Galaxy joins the show ahead of LA's El Trafico MLS Cup Playoff match against LAFC on Thursday night. Grant and Chicharito discuss the rivalry between the two LA teams, how he deals with being such a big figure in the Mexcian community, his status with the Mexican National Team, and learning from mistakes. Then, Ryan O'Hanlon joins the show for "Book Talk" to discuss his book Net Gains: Inside The Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the weekend's footballing talking points including Liverpool's victory over Man City behind a Mo Salah goal, Real Madrid soundly beating Barcelona in El Clásico, the first round of the MLS Cup playoffs, and form affecting the USMNT player pool. You can find Grant's written work including his recent piece on visiting Richmond, the town depicted in Ted Lasso, at GrantWahl.com

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss a UEFA Champions League midweek that saw Barca head to the precipice of Group Stage elimination and Club Brugge and Napoli progress to the knockouts with 2 games to spare. Plus, a conversation about the USWNT's defeat to Spain on Tuesday. Then, Vicky Cogevina Reynal discusses her app Gloria, a soccer community app, being purchased by OneFootball and her work in the women's game.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham react to the weekend's soccer headlines including the USWNT's 2-1 defeat to England, more discussion about the Sally Yates report into abuse in the NWSL, the final day of the MLS season, Christian Pulisic on the score sheet for Chelsea, and Arsenal beating Liverpool 3-2. Plus, an anecdote from Grant on visiting Richmond, the real town depicted in Ted Lasso. You can find Grant's written work on his newsletter, GrantWahl.com

On this episode, Grant opens the show by addressing the findings of the Sally Yates report on the NWSL. Then, Grant interviews former USMNT player Jermaine Jones about working on his coaching badges, the upcoming World Cup, and being a coach for the US U19 national team. Finally, Grant closes the show by talking to The Athletic's Joshua Kloke about his new book The Voyageurs on the rebirth of the Canadian National Team. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham round up the weekend with thoughts on another Erling Haaland hat trick in a 6-3 Man City win over Manchester United, the USMNT's struggles during games against Saudi Arabia and Japan, Arsenal's win over Spurs in the North London Derby, Florentino Perez trying to make the Super League a thing, and LAFC and OL Reign winning the regular season trophies in MLS and NWSL.

On this episode, Grant speaks with the manager of expansion NWSL side San Diego Wave Casey Stoney about their sellout in San Diego against Angel City, finding a winning formula in their expansion season, her first experience with playoffs, working for Jill Ellis, and England winning the Women’s Euros.

US Men's National Team goalkeeper Matt Turner joins Grant (29:30) from Spain to discuss his performance against Japan last Friday, his first few months at Arsenal, and the overall competition for the goalkeeping position. Before that, Grant talks to Chris Wittyngham about the 2-0 US defeat to Japan, the issues we see in the US ahead of the World Cup, and Christian Pulisic's new book.

On this episode, the favorite to be the United States Men's National Team's starting striker Jesus Ferreira sits down with Grant to discuss his role in the national team, the competition for the #9 position, the role his father played in his career, and working with a psychologist.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the major stories from the weekend including Grant's Qatar story, racist incidents in Madrid and DC, Inter Miami and Gonzalo Higuain's playoff surge, the USMNT squad called in by Gregg Berhalter, another Arsenal win, Bayern's Bundesliga struggles, and more. You can check out Grant's story about life for migrant workers in Qatar here

On this episode, Grant sits down in Austin with the Austin FC manager Josh Wolff about his team's remarkable 2nd season in MLS, working in the USMNT setup under Gregg Berhalter, and his memories as a former USMNT player.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the major storylines from the last week including Chelsea sacking their manager, Liverpool losing against in Europe, Weston McKennie's exploits at Juventus, Philadelphia Union's remarkable run in MLS, and the major stories around the NWSL.

Grant speaks to the accomplished broadcaster Eduardo Biscayart, who does work for Telemundo on the Premier League and World Cup, about his journey in the business from photographer to game caller. They talk about Argentina’s chances at the World Cup, Biscayart’s advice for young people and much more.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the major talking points from the weekend including Man United handing Arsenal their first loss and winning a 4th in a row, a controversial weekend for VAR, an update on USMNT key figures Yunus Musah and Christian Pulisic, and Chicharito's Panenka gone wrong for the LA Galaxy.

On this episode, ESPN Bundesliga reporter Archie Rhind-Tutt joins the show to discuss how Bayern Munich's dominance affects the league, chronicling his public journey with mental health, and how Brian McBride left him starstruck as a Fulham supporter.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the major talking points from the football weekend including Liverpool's 9-0 over Bournemouth after losing to Man United, if Arsenal are for real after a 4th win from 4, a first defeat for Leeds, the US Men's National Team striker situation, and a big win for Austin FC over LAFC. Then, FC Cincinnati manager Pat Noonan joins the show to discuss how his team went from bottom of MLS for 3 straight years to the thick of the playoff chase.

On this episode, former Man City/QPR/Real Salt Lake defender and current ESPN analyst Nedum Onuoha joins the show to talk about his new book called Kicking Back, his career in football, and his decision to move to the US and play for Real Salt Lake. It's the 1st anniversary of GrantWahl.com! You can check out Grant's full written work here.

On this episode, Grant flies solo with Chris Wittyngham out to discuss a huge win for Leeds United over Chelsea, the crazy 3-3 draw between Manchester City and Newcastle, and a look ahead to Monday's Liverpool-Man United tilt. Get full access to Grant's writing work on Substack at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Grant talks to Sophia Smith, one of the rising stars in world soccer, about the Portland Thorns, her recent time with the US Women's National Team, the big year ahead before the World Cup, and more.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham explore all the major European and domestic football talking points including a great Chelsea-Spurs game with touchline fights between the managers, Man United losing 4-0 at Brentford, Leeds dropping points from a 2-0 lead, Barca drawing 0-0 on the opening day, Brandon Vazquez's USMNT candidacy, Toronto FC's playoff chances, and Inter Miami's rise into the playoff places. Get full access to Grant's writing work on Substack at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Grant talks to The Ringer's Brian Phillips about his new podcast for The Ringer, 22 Goals, telling the history of football through Famous World Cup Goals. You can find Grant's written work for his Substack newsletter at GrantWahl.com

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down a full slate of Premier League action including Erling Haaland's debut brace, Liverpool dropping points at Fulham, and Leeds' opening day win with Brenden Aaronson among the Americans impressing. Then, Heather O'Reilly joins Grant (33:45) to discuss her decision to come out of retirement and play for Irish champion Shelbourne FC in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds, the events that led up to her moving to Dublin and her thoughts on the USWNT and England winning the Euros.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham ask and answer their 10 biggest questions heading into the Premier League season which kicks off on Friday Can anyone other than Man City or Liverpool win the league? Which rebuild do you believe is closer to contention? Arsenal or Spurs?  Is there any chance Erling Haaland won’t be phenomenal for City?  Can 3 Americans help Leeds United to respectability? Is Christian Pulisic losing his place at Chelsea? Should he move? How good will Man United be and should they keep Cristiano Ronaldo?  Why are more Americans moving to the Premier League lately?  Why does NBC have two paywalls to watch the Premier League when the three other major European leagues have only one paywall in the US?  Who will be the surprise team of the season?  Who are your three to go down?

On this episode, Grant talks to Chris Wittyngham after taking in the Women's Euro 2022 Final from Wembley Stadium. They break down the game and what England winning the tournament could mean for the women's game in the UK. After, the guys discuss Liverpool winning the Community Shield, Gabriel Slonina's transfer to Chelsea, and Sacramento Republic to the US Open Cup final. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Grant sits down with LA Galaxy midfielder Sacha Kljestan to discuss his thoughts on both the Galaxy and the US Men's National team, playing for Jesse Marsch in New York, his thoughts on mass shootings that he shared at a press conference, and what he plans to do after his career comes to an end.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the major headlines in the soccer world including the UEFA Women's Euros semifinals, European friendlies in the US, LAFC and Toronto FC dominating the MLS headlines, and the latest movement in the transfer window. Then, Sacramento Republic GM and President Todd Dunivant joins Grant (46:00) to discuss Sacramento's US Open Cup semifinal against Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday night. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Grant talks to Sirius XM and Real Salt Lake broadcaster Brian Dunseth about his recent monologue on Sirius XM FC discussing concussions in soccer, the many hats he wears in the soccer media, and the current state of RSL who sit 3rd in the MLS western conference.

On this episode, Grant talks to Chris Wittyngham about the major headlines including a preview of USWNT-Canada in the Concacaf W Championship final, the women's Euros, Philadelphia Union top of the MLS eastern conference, Seattle Sounders losing 3 matches in a week, and the latest completed transfers in Europe. Then, ESPN's Julie Foudy (30:00) joins the show to talk about the USWNT and the women's Euros.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham cover the major soccer talking points including the US Women's National Team not meeting their high standards in Mexico, Wayne Rooney to DC United, Austin FC flying at the top of MLS, and two big European transfers. Plus, Mia Fishel of Tigres joins (35:30) to discuss how she's progressing in the club game in Mexico after turning down a chance to join NWSL.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the major headlines from the weekend including the USWNT qualifying for the Women's World Cup and Mexico's disastrous start to the Concacaf W Championship, Raheem Sterling going to Chelsea, and a big weekend of MLS (we recorded this before Pablo Maurer of The Athletic reported Wayne Rooney will be the next manager of DC United). Then, Everton goalkeeper Asmir Begovic (36:30) joins the show. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

With women's continental championships in full swing around the world, Grant interviews Gwendolyn Oxenham, the preeminent long-form writer in women's soccer, about her new podcast series Hustle Rule: The Untold Stories of Women's Soccer, which is hosted by Hannah Waddingham from Ted Lasso. The series, which has a collection of tremendous stories on the women's game from around the globe, is based on Oxenham's book Under the Lights and In the Dark: Untold Stories of Women's Soccer. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the major talking points from the weekend including Tyler Adams to Leeds, the US U20 team qualifying for the U20 World Cup in 2023 and the Paris Olympics in 2024, and the latest in the transfer window including where Cristiano Ronaldo might end up. Then, US U20 coach Mikey Varas (32:15) joins to discuss how he qualified the team for 2 major tournaments and his journey in coaching. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has two interviews on this episode. The first is with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy about World Cup 2026 and the NWSL team, Gotham FC, for which Murphy is one of the majority owners. The second is with Ross Greenburg, the executive producer of a new documentary film Hidden Dynasty: The Story of Carolina Women’s Soccer. The film is part of ESPN’s Fifty/50 initiative celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX and can be seen on-demand via the ESPN App. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the major talking points from the soccer world including Gareth Bale to LAFC, soccer's reaction to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the USWNT's win over Colombia, and the latest in the transfer window. Then, Grant has a memorable hour-long conversation (35:00) with Hall of Famer Briana Scurry about her new memoir (written with Wayne Coffey) My Greatest Save: The Brave, Barrier-Breaking Journey of a World Champion Goalkeeper. Scurry explains why she wanted to write a book now and goes into detail on the biggest events during and after her remarkable playing career, including what it meant to be Black and openly gay on the USWNT, her origin story, the concussion that ended her career, her decline into suicidal thoughts and her rebound following surgery and her marriage. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth conversation with on-fire USWNT and Chicago Red Stars winger Mallory Pugh, who goes into detail about the psychological work she has done to revive her national team career ahead of two friendlies against Colombia and the upcoming CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the World Cup and Olympics. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant is back from vacation and joins Chris Wittyngham for a conversation about the awarding of World Cup 2026 host cities, the close of the USMNT international window and the opening of the USWNT international window, the vacationing footballing world descending on Miami, and the 10 year TV deal MLS did with Apple last week. Then, (25:45) Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul president Lindsay Barenz joins the show. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, long time MLS executive Brendan Hannan joins Grant to discuss his time working with the LA Galaxy and the work he's doing with his new company Skylark. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Chris Wittyngham fills in for the vacationing Grant and is joined by Tom Bogert of MLSSoccer.com to talk about the major talking points from the United States Men's National Team's 5-0 win over Grenada and discuss all of the latest transfer news in the world of MLS. Then, Pablo Maurer of The Athletic joins Grant (29:30) to talk about his stories on Clint Dempsey's "Don't Tread" music video, the famous Landon Donovan water fountain in Cary, NC, and Pablo's travels across America. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, Grant is joined by The Athletic's Stephanie Yang to discuss all of the major talking points in the NWSL including the coaching situations in Orlando and Houston, the status of the league's broadcast partnerships, and Alex Morgan's brilliant start to the season with San Diego.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant and the returning Chris Wittyngham discuss all the major talking points from the US' 0-0 draw with Uruguay in Kansas City on Sunday. Plus, we discuss Wales beating Ukraine and their eventual matchup with the USMNT on the opening day of the World Cup, the USMNT's gun violence statement, and Canada Soccer's labor dispute with their players. Then, US great John Harkes joins Grant (30:10) to discuss his perspective on the current national team, how much soccer has grown in the US since he started playing, the success of his kids in soccer, and his tenure in charge of Greenville Triumph in USL League One.

On this episode, Grant is in Cincinnati to break down the US Men's National Team's 3-0 friendly win over Morocco to start their buildup to the World Cup. Then, Grant interviews Andy McDermott (11:15), the founder and president of Intentional Sports, a non-profit that’s building a big sports facility, including for soccer, on the west side of Chicago. Andy played soccer at Northwestern followed by seven seasons of pro soccer in Germany, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Charlotte. He then spent nine years working as a police officer in Phoenix and then became an actor with his break in the Will Ferrell film Everything Must Go in 2012. From 2017 to 2020 he was the director of culture at the Copa Soccer training center in the East Bay of San Francisco.

Grant reacts to the UEFA Champions League Final, both the game as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 1-0 and the event as Liverpool fans had to deal with getting tear gassed in enormous lines outside of the stadium. Then, Nick Ames joins the podcast (8:20) to discuss his incredible coverage of Ukraine's build up to their World Cup playoff and more.

Grant has an in-depth interview with Geir Jordet, a soccer psychology researcher, consultant, speaker and a professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. Jordet has done fascinating work studying the psychology of penalty shootouts, which can make a big difference this time of year in the soccer world.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down a bonkers final day in the Premier League, the UEFA Women's Champions League final, and the latest squad from Gregg Berhalter and the US Men's National Team. Plus, VfB Stuttgart manager Pellegrino Matarazzo (30:05) joins to discuss the final day of the Bundesliga season and how his club stayed in the German top flight.

On this episode, Grant sits down with Olympique Lyonnais and US Women's National Team midfielder Lindsey Horan to discuss this weekend's epic UEFA Women's Champions League Final between Lyon and Barcelona. Note: This interview was recorded before the equal pay settlement between US Soccer, the USWNT, and USMNT. You can find more of Grant's written work at GrantWahl.com

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down a weekend where Liverpool beat Chelsea to win the FA Cup and got help from West Ham. who took a point off Manchester City in the Premier League. Plus, the title race in Italy, bonkers scenes in Germany, and the impending sadness of the European club season ending. Then, Grant discusses an intriguing new scientific poll of Americans about soccer with Daniel Ladik (24:15), an associate professor of marketing and a methodologist for the Seton Hall Sports Poll at the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the headlines from midweek including Man City and Liverpool both winning, Leeds deep in relegation trouble, and the US Open Cup round of 32. Then, Grant interviews Meg Swanick (22:45), who travels extensively to cover US soccer for her new Substack site The Swan Dive (Check it out here). Swanick discusses traveling to cover the USMNT’s qualifying games for World Cup 2022 and the 2019 women’s World Cup in France; why it’s so rare for women to cover soccer in the United States; how she finds sustainability in the modern media landscape; and much more.

On this episode, Grant talks to Chris Wittyngham about the major talking points from the weekend including Manchester City going 3 points clear atop the Premier League after a win and a Liverpool 1-1 draw with Spurs, Christian Pulisic's Dad tweeting about his immediate feature, and the NWSL Challenge Cup Final. Then, Grant goes in-depth on Manchester United’s woes with his friend Brent Maximin (27:40), a diehard United fan and former managing editor of SB Nation’s The Busby Babe.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant and Chris Wittyngham breakdown the headlines in soccer from the week including Seattle's 3-0 win over Pumas UNAM to secure the Concacaf Champions League title (Grant was there!) and Real Madrid's improbable 3-1 win over Manchester City to progress to the UEFA Champions League final. Plus, the football commentating GOAT Martin Tyler joins the show to discuss his illustrious career.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the major headlines from the weekend in soccer including Man City and Liverpool holding serve, Burnley and Everton winning dragging Leeds into the relegation scrap, Real Madrid winning La Liga, super agent Mino Raiola's passing, and a weekend of big events in American soccer. Then, Grant has an in-depth interview with Boris Gartner (44:35), the CEO of La Liga North America, about the impact of La Liga moving to ESPN this season, what Gartner has learned about fans in the U.S. sports market, the benefits of an eight-year La Liga deal over more traditional short-term contracts and much more.

On this episode, Grant is joined by Chris Wittyngham for a conversation about the first legs of Real Madrid-Manchester City and Liverpool-Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League. They then hit on a bit of banter in the Women's Champions League, look ahead to the start of the NWSL season, and bring a joyous bit of sound from Marshawn Lynch highlighting the CCL Final in Seattle. Then, Grant has a wide-ranging interview (28:50) with Janusz Michallik of ESPN and SiriusXM. They talk about Michallk’s journey from Soviet-era Poland to the United States, his 44 USMNT caps and days playing in the indoor MISL and outdoor MLS, his thoughts on what’s happening in the sport right now, his take on Polish-American Gaga Slonina and much more.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the headlines from the soccer weekend including Liverpool's win over Everton sending the Toffees into the bottom 3, Bayern and PSG confirming league titles, and Grant's story about the hosting cities for World Cup 2026. Then, Grant has an in-depth interview with María Fernanda Mora of Fox Sports Mexico (49:20) about Monday night’s showdown between Tigres and Monterrey in Liga MX Femenil, an update on El Tri, and Mora’s career as a studio host and journalist covering soccer, tennis, golf and Formula 1. You can find Grant's written work for his Substack newsletter at GrantWahl.com

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant sits down with Ali Curtis and Charles Altchek, the executives in charge of the new 3rd tier MLS NEXT Pro men's soccer league. They discuss the goals of the first year league and how it fits within the soccer pyramid in the United States.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the headlines from the soccer weekend including Zack Steffen's mistake for Manchester City in their FA Cup semifinal against Liverpool, the end of Matias Almeyda's tenure in charge of San Jose, some general USMNT angst, and a look ahead to the Concacaf Champions League Final. Then, Grant (39:05) interviews Victoire Cogevina Reynal, the Miami- and London-based founder and CEO of Gloria, a soon-to-be-released soccer community app. Cogevina Reynal was on-site at the recent Barcelona-Real Madrid women’s Champions League game that drew 91,553 fans at the Camp Nou. The next day she announced a €10 million commitment from Gloria for the naming rights of the Spanish women’s pro league. She and Grant discuss the impact of the giant crowd in Barcelona, her plans for Gloria and her back story as a U.S.-born Argentine Greek who’s a UN ambassador for gender equality in soccer and a board member of WIST, a nonprofit for women in sports tech.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Chris Wittyngham joins Grant to round up the Champions League quarterfinal round that saw Liverpool, Villarreal, Real Madrid, and Manchester City progress to the semis. Then, Borussia Monchengladbach defender Joe Scally joins (22:00) the show to discuss his rise from New York City to the Bundesliga and his future with the US Men's National Team.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant and Chris Wittyngham recap the soccer weekend with a review of Manchester-Liverpool, Gio Reyna's injury, and El Trafico. Then, Jamie Carragher (24:05) joins the show to discuss Liverpool's season, preview the upcoming UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, and answer some rapid fire questions.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the first legs from the 4 quarterfinal ties in the UEFA Champions League. We break down another Karim Benzema hat trick, Diego Simeone's 5-5-0 formation, and good results for Villarreal and Liverpool. Then, (21:30) Kay Murray joins the show to talk about how someone from Middlesbrough ended up working for years in Madrid and the United States, her story from interviewing Sir Bobby Robson to raising money for his foundation, and advice for people getting into the business.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Chris Wittyngham joins Grant off the top to break down the latest news from the football world. They discuss the World Cup draw and how they think the US will fare, Liverpool and Manchester City having Champions League quarterfinals on either side of their massive Premier League encounter, Christian Eriksen's goal for Brentford, and more. Then, Grant interviews novelist and journalist Daniel Alarcón (34:10), the co-founder and host of Radio Ambulante who recently won a MacArthur Genius Grant. They discuss his love of the Peruvian national team, his various soccer fandoms (including Arsenal and the New York Red Bulls), the radio culture around soccer in South America, being friends since high school with the novelist and soccer fan John Green, and much more.

On this episode of Landon, Wahl, and Witty on the Road to Qatar, Grant Wahl, Landon Donovan, and Chris Wittyngham react to the US' 2-0 loss to Costa Rica that secured a birth to the World Cup. We discuss how optimistic we should be about the US' chances in Qatar, how the US should handle the next 7 months before the World Cup, and if the goalkeeping situation is becoming a controversy. Plus we work out how we're going to pronounce Qatar.

On this episode of Landon, Wahl, and Witty on the Road to Qatar, Grant Wahl, Landon Donovan, and Chris Wittyngham react to the US Men's National Team 5-1 victory over Panama in Orlando. Grant and Witty witnessed Christian Pulisic's hat trick in person and break it down with Landon, along with the US' scenarios to qualify for the World Cup and what the future of the national team is.

On this episode of Landon, Wahl, and Witty on the Road to Qatar, Grant Wahl, Landon Donovan, and Chris Wittyngham convene in Mexico City to break down the USMNT's 0-0 draw in the Estadio Azteca. We break down the missed chances the US had to win the game, why the atmosphere wasn't great in Mexico City, and where the US sits now in their hopes to qualify for the World Cup.

On this day of USA-Mexico, Grant has a revealing interview with David Marulanda, a Bronx-born, White Plains, N.Y.-based barber who has earned so much trust from USMNT players that they now pay to fly him out for every World Cup qualifying window. If you happened to read Grant’s story about Marulanda this week (LINK HERE), there’s a lot more information about Marulanda in this audio interview.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the major soccer headlines including Witty's viral social media moment, Barcelona's 4-0 win over Real Madrid in El Clásico, the growing list of USMNT injuries, big wins for Jesse Marsch's Leeds, and Chelsea's ownership situation. Plus, incoming NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman joins the show (40:40) to discuss what her leadership will bring to the league.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, FOX Sports analyst Stuart Holden joins Grant from SoccerEx in Miami to discuss the US Men's National Team, his progression as a TV analyst, and his recent knee replacement surgery.

Grant has a fun interview with Arsenal legend and former England international Ian Wright, who just visited New York City on behalf of GREAT Calling, a campaign asking Americans to see the UK differently. Discussion topics include Arsenal men and women, England, the Premier League title race, Chelsea turmoil and more. Plus Wright takes the Rapid-Fire Quiz!

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the Champions League midweek headlined by Real Madrid's comeback Round of 16 win over Paris Saint-Germain. Then, Kellyn Acosta joins Grant (14:50) to discuss his rise within the USMNT and his move to LAFC. To close, Susannah Collins and Jillian Sakovits of The Call Up podcast (32:10) join the show.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the latest news in the football world including horrific and potentially fatal violence amongst fans at the Queretaro-Atlas match in Mexico, Manchester City's win over United in the derby, Jesse Marsch's first game at leads, and the major MLS headlines. Then, former Manchester City and Argentina right back Pablo Zabaleta joins the show (33:05).

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the latest sanctions from FIFA towards Russia, Roman Abramovich selling Chelsea, and Jesse Marsch's appointment as Leeds manager. Then, Witty becomes guest instead of cohost as Grant grills him about how he got into soccer and how he acquired his nicknames on the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.

On this episode, Grant is joined by Chris Wittyngham to discuss how the football world reacted to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and how Russia might be thrown out of FIFA competitions. They then discussed the Carabao Cup final, a couple of impressive wins for Barcelona, and the opening weekend of Major League Soccer. Then, attorney Kelsey Trainor (36:30) joins to discuss the fallout of US Soccer's settlement with the USWNT players.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the major news from this week, including a settlement between the US Women's National Team and US Soccer in their equal pay lawsuit, the USMNT fallout from the UEFA Champions League fixtures, and the midweek Premier League results and their impact on the title race and relegation race. Then, Oguchi Onyewu, DaMarcus Beasley, and Mabricio Wilson of The Crack podcast (20:05) join the show. We close with a preview of the MLS season that starts on Saturday.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss all of the major headlines from the weekend including a US Women's National Team 5-0 win over New Zealand, a Man City defeat with a Liverpool win opening up the Premier League title race, and Inter Milan slipping up again in Italy. Then, Austin FC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna joins (42:30) to discuss his role at Austin, his thoughts on the US Men's National Team, and his son Gio. Note: the conversation was recorded before Gio Reyna's injury in Dortmund's 6-0 win over Borussia Monchengladbach on Sunday.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant talks to the US Soccer President Cindy Parlow Cone (25:31) about her tenure in charge of the federation and her re-election campaign. Also, Grant talks to Chris Wittyngham about the first legs of the UEFA Champions League and the beginning of the Concacaf Champions League.

Grant talks to Chris Wittyngham about all the major talking points from the weekend including Chelsea winning the Club World Cup, the tightening title race in Italy, Matt Turner to Arsenal, and a lookahead to the UEFA Champions League returning. Then, (39:05) Grant talks to MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, New York Times best selling author, and soccer fan Hanif Abdurraqib.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant speaks to the DC United manager Hernan Losada (19:45) about how he experienced soccer in his first season managing in MLS, his journey from Argentina to the US, and his famous coaching fitness regiment. Before that, Grant talks to Witty about the major football news including the Club World Cup, Frank Lampard's potential relegation fight with Everton, and the Washington Post's story about Rory Dames.

On this episode, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the major goings on from the soccer weekend including the African Cup of Nations Final, title race in Serie A, Barcelona's strongest performance in Spain this season, and Jordan Pefok's brace for BSC Young Boys and how he deserves a shout for the USMNT. Then, (36:40) Ashley Hatch of the Washington Spirit and the US Women's National Team talks to Grant about winning the NWSL Golden Boot, playing with the USWNT, and all of the off field turmoil for Washington in the last year.

Landon Donovan, Grant Wahl, and Chris Wittyngham react to a World Cup Qualifying win for the United States over Honduras. The guys discuss the US dominating from set pieces, Christian Pulisic starting the game from the bench, and the idea of playing in subzero temperatures with the result in hand. Plus, a trip down memory lane from a time Landon was asked about Michael Jackson ahead of the 2009 Confederations Cup Final.

Landon Donovan, Grant Wahl, and Chris Wittyngham react to the United States' second loss in World Cup Qualifying, this time at the hands of Canada. We contextualize the loss in the history of these two, discuss what went wrong, and figure out how to try and get Christian Pulisic going again.

Landon Donovan, Grant Wahl, and Chris Wittyngham return to break down a 1-0 US Men's National Team win in World Cup Qualifying over El Salvador. We discuss Antonee (or as he prefers, Jedi) Robinson's goal and performance, Christian Pulisic having an off night and what he might be going through, and Gregg Berhalter's decision to start Jesus Ferreira up top over Ricardo Pepi.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Bob Bradley joins the pod (33:14) to discuss his move from LAFC to Toronto FC, how he sees the signing of Lorenzo Insigne, and the development of his football philosophy. Before that, Chris Wittyngham is along to look ahead to the United States returning to World Cup Qualifying action and look back on the weekend in the world of soccer.

On this episode, David Blitzer, who is part of the investment team behind Real Salt Lake, Crystal Palace, and FC Augsburg, talks to Grant (24:11) about why he invested in those clubs and his various forays into sports ownership. Also, Witty joins Grant to cover the latest soccer news including the MLS transfer market, Spurs' bonkers win over Leicester, and Cristiano Ronaldo not enjoying being substituted. Sign up for the Futbol newsletter here.

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Grant talks to USMNT winger Jordan Morris about his return to US Men's National Team duty in January camp and his recovery from an ACL injury suffered at Swansea. Then, Manchester United columnist for The Athletic Carl Anka joins to talk about the state of Man United, writing a book with Marcus Rashford, and the Africa Cup of Nations.

Grant has an in-depth interview with Shaw Brown, one of the longest-tenured producers in U.S. soccer television, who has worked at CBS Sports HQ (currently), Fox Sports, NBC Sports and ESPN over the last two-and-a-half decades. Brown explains the details of what he does for soccer TV broadcasts, how he lands A-list interview guests, what he looks for in TV talent, which current players he thinks will become good TV broadcasters someday, and tells stories about his most memorable soccer interviews of his career.

Grant and Witty break down the weekend in soccer that saw Cameroon win the opener of the African Cup of Nations, Ricardo Pepi debut for Augsburg, and the FA Cup 3rd round bring us upsets and other delights. Plus, Witty has a theory on anti-American bias. Then, CBS Sports' Marisa Pilla joins the pod (32:00) to discuss her role covering the NWSL for CBS, the USWNT during the Olympics, and the Philadelphia Union for local TV.

On this episode, Grant and Witty discuss the latest soccer headlines including a big day in Serie A, Lorenzo Insigne's impending transfer to Toronto FC, and the latest coaching hires and ownership changes in MLS. Then, Grant talks to John Muller (22:50) about his journey from being an attorney to a senior writer at The Athletic covering data and analytics in soccer.

Matt Doyle of MLSSoccer.com joins Grant and Witty (29:40) for a conversation about how he became the Armchair Analyst, the MLS clubs that are facing big offseasons, and the USMNT heading into January qualifiers. Before that, Grant and Witty discuss Ricardo Pepi's transfer to Augsburg for between $18 and 20 million, Daryl Dike's transfer to West Bromwich Albion for just under $10 million, and Christian Pulisic's goal and impact in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

Grant and Witty look back on 2021 with their top 5 soccer stories of the year, look ahead to 2022 with our top 5 predictions for next year, and Grant previews the upcoming African Cup of Nations with BBC broadcaster Mimi Fawaz (30:22).

Grant interviews his old friend and regular podcast guest Andy Markovits, Manchester United fan and University of Michigan professor, about the latest goings-on at United as well as his new memoir: The Passport As Home: Comfort in Rootlessness. 

Andres Cordero, CBS Sports' lead commentator for the USMNT and Serie A, talks to Grant and Witty about his recent pilgrimage to San Siro for Milan-Napoli, watching the USMNT away, and his remarkable journey from Cuba to the US. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode of Futbol with Grant Wahl, Dr. Celine Gounder, infectious disease expert, joins Grant (1:11) to discuss the Omicron variant of Covid-19 and how it's affecting the soccer world. Then, Amanda Vandervort, president of the USL Super League, the 2nd division US women's league beginning in 2023, joins (12:26) to discuss the forming of the league and its place in the women's game. To close, Chris Wittyngham comes on to break down the USMNT's friendly win over Bosnia and Herzegovina and the weekend in the Premier League.

Alex Morgan, now of NWSL expansion team San Diego Wave, joins Grant (0:57) to discuss her move from Orlando to Southern California, how she's planning her post-career, and giving her voice to The Athletic's reporting on Paul Riley's sexual abuse of his players. Plus, Jessica Black (10:56) of She Knows Arsenal joins the show about how she got into creating content about Arsenal and the state of the side that moved into the Premier League's top 4 last night. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Chris went all the way to Portland, Ore., and sat next to each other in the press box for the MLS Cup final, and they break down New York City’s win in penalties over the Portland Timbers. Plus an extravaganza for Liverpool fans eager to consume more about the club’s triumphant 2019-20 season: Grant interviews Michael MacCambridge and Neil Atkinson (23:41) about their book Red Letters: Two Fervent Liverpool FC Supporters Correspond through the Epic Season That Wouldn’t End, and then director James Erskine (50:49) about his film The End of the Storm. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Our big MLS Cup final preview includes Grant’s must-listen interviews of MLS commissioner Don Garber, Portland coach Giovanni Savarese (26:02) and New York City captain Sean Johnson (37:52). Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews John Sutcliffe, one of the top reporters in North America (20:29), about what’s going on with the Mexican national team and the growing bonds between Liga MX and MLS. And Grant and Chris break down the weekend, including the MLS playoff semifinals, movement atop the Premier League, Ralf Rangnick’s first Man United game, Jesse Marsch being out at Leipzig and Cincinnati having interest in Philadelphia coach Jim Curtin. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a rollicking interview with Pablo Mastroeni, the interim head coach who has taken Real Salt Lake on an incredible journey to the MLS playoffs final four. Mastroeni is remarkably honest about not being ready at first to be a head coach again and telling the story about how he was digging ditches for $18 an hour after coaching the Colorado Rapids until he decided he wanted to be a coach again. Plus Grant and Witty break down the MLS playoffs, New York City’s upset of the New England Revolution, how the playoffs could be restructured, the uproar over the Ballon d’Or and much more. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Jasmine Baba (18:38), a Germany-based soccer consultant and tactics expert. She shares her thoughts on Ralf Rangnick becoming Manchester United’s interim coach, as well as her story as a woman and POC in the soccer space. In Segment 1, Grant and Witty break look at United’s 1-1 tie with Chelsea and the decision to sit Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as PSG’s own struggles with a front 3 who don’t defend. And in Segment 3, the guys discuss an eventful weekend of MLS playoffs, the young USWNT’s win in Australia and the strategy for MLS owners when it comes to Designated Players. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal on NBC winning the bid for six more years of broadcasting the English Premier League. And Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down a busy weekend, including the NWSL final, the MLS playoffs, Man United firing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and the three-horse race atop the Premier League. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Chris Wittyngham interviews Tony Khan, the Co-owner and director of football operations for Fulham. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Landon Donovan joins Grant and Chris to break down the USMNT’s 1-1 tie at Jamaica in World Cup qualifying in Kingston on Tuesday. The result leaves the U.S. (15 points) in second place in the Octagonal after eight games in the 14-game tournament. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Landon Donovan joins Grant, Chris and Mike Ryan to break down the USMNT’s convincing 2-0 win over Mexico in World Cup qualifying in Cincinnati on Friday. The victory vaults the U.S. into first place in the Octagonal halfway through the 14-game tournament. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant is finally back from Eastern Europe, which means we have a full podcast experience for listeners again. Ahead of Friday’s USMNT-Mexico World Cup qualifying showdown, Grant interviews ESPN’s Sebastian Salazar (22:15) about his thoughts on the game from both sides’ perspectives, how ESPN will approach its broadcast from Cincinnati, his ESPN+ show Fútbol Américas, his story in the business and much more. In Segment 1, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the USMNT roster and European games, including what’s next for Manchester United after a brutal loss to Man City, West Ham’s statement-making win over Liverpool and whether new manager Xavi can get things right on the field at Barcelona. In Segment 3 (64:17), the boys discuss a wild MLS Decision Day that saw Salt Lake get into the playoffs and the LA Galaxy be eliminated in the final moments, as well as Colorado making a huge jump from third to first in the West. Then they finish with talk on the two NWSL playoff quarterfinals, won by Chicago (1-0 over Gotham) and Washington (1-0 over North Carolina). Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant speaks to author Andrew Downie about his new oral history book The Greatest Show on Earth: The Inside Story of the Legendary 1970 World Cup. Downie explains why the 1970 tournament in Mexico was so special, provides insight into Pelé’s Brazilian champions (thought by many to be the greatest team of all time) and details how he put together the book’s interviews with players from participant nations, many of whom are now in their 70s and 80s. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews rising star Jenny Chiu of CBS Sports about a bunch of topics, including how she approaches sideline reporting in hostile environments at USMNT away World Cup qualifiers; her story with soccer growing up in El Paso, Texas; playing for Mexican youth national teams; how she got into the TV business; how she met Grant at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro; her advice for young people who want to go into TV; and much, much more. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant gets up to speed on Spain with an enlightening conversation with Sid Lowe, who does terrific work for ESPN, The Guardian and the Spanish Football Podcast. Lowe gives his big-picture views on the situation at Barcelona (the podcast was recorded a few hours before manager Ronald Koeman was fired), the status of La Liga after the departures of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the success of Atlético Madrid and Real Sociedad, why the Super League was a more popular idea in Spain than elsewhere, his own story of coming to live and work in Spain in 2001 and much more. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a must-listen interview with Walker Zimmerman (20:54), the reigning MLS Defender of the Year with Nashville who recently captained the USMNT in World Cup qualifying. Zimmerman goes in depth on why Nashville has been so successful in its first two years. He also details his experience with the USMNT, what it was like to go from not making the recent initial roster to being the captain in Panama, and what he needs to do to be on the plane to Qatar next year. In Segment 1, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the big games in Europe, including Liverpool’s 5-0 beatdown of Man United and Real Madrid’s 2-1 win at Barcelona in El Clásico. In Segment 3, they discuss the job Bruce Arena has done to lead New England to the MLS Supporters Shield and discuss the playing career legacy of Carli Lloyd. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Nick Holliday (18:07), the 15-year-old goalkeeper for North Carolina FC of USL League One, who recently signed his first pro contract. Holliday is from a sports family: His father, Corey, caught two passes in Super Bowl XXX for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and his brother, Chris, is a defensive back at the University of North Carolina. Nick explains why he decided to go with soccer instead of football or lacrosse (he liked soccer, and he didn’t want a helmet to mess up his hair) and details what it has been like this season playing with adult men in a professional league. Before that, Grant and Chris dive into the latest FIFA proposal for once-every-two-years World Cups and break down Wednesday’s Champions League games, including Man United’s 3-2 come-from-behind win over Atalanta. In Segment 3, they talk about the headliners of Tuesday’s Champions League games, including Liverpool’s 3-2 win at Atlético Madrid. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Chris interview Nick Mohammed (17:00), who plays Nate Shelley on Ted Lasso. (Spoiler alert: Don’t listen to this until you’ve finished Season 2 of the show.) Mohammed details the challenges of playing Nate in a transformative season for his character, shares how Ted Lasso fans have responded to him recently and explains how he’s able to portray a sports figure even though he doesn’t care much for sports. Grant and Chris also break down the soccer weekend, including Man United’s loss to Leicester, Chelsea’s win at Brentford, Americans Abroad, Steve Baldwin’s plans to sell the Washington Spirit, the Hudson River Derby and much more. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In partnership with Meadowlark Media and Le Batard and Friends for every USMNT World Cup qualifier, Grant is joined by Landon Donovan and Chris Wittyngham to discuss the USMNT’s 2-1 win over Costa Rica on Matchday 6 of the World Cup qualifying campaign. The U.S. (11 points) is now in second place in the tournament, behind Mexico (14), the next opponent for the U.S. on November 12 in Cincinnati. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In partnership with Meadowlark and Dan Le Batard and Friends for every USMNT World Cup qualifier, Grant is joined by Landon Donovan and Chris Wittyngham to discuss the USMNT’s 1-0 loss at Panama in Game 5 of the World Cup qualifying campaign. The U.S. (eight points) is now in second place in the tournament, ahead of Panama on goal difference. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In partnership with Meadowlark and Dan Le Batard and Friends for every USMNT World Cup qualifier, Grant is joined by Landon Donovan and Chris Wittyngham to discuss the USMNT’s 2-0 win over Jamaica in Game 4 of the World Cup qualifying campaign. The U.S. (eight points) is now in first place in the tournament, ahead of Mexico on goal difference. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun interview with Santiago Muñoz, the El Paso-born 19-year-old forward for Newcastle United (27:38) who scored the goal of the tournament for Mexico at the 2019 Under-17 World Cup, where El Tri finished runner-up behind Brazil. They discuss his history in El Paso/Ciudad Juárez (where he became friends with Ricardo Pepi), his discovery at Alianza de Fútbol and signing by Santos Laguna, his loan move to Newcastle, his eerily similar name and story compared to the character of the Goal movies, his thoughts on whether he wants to play at senior level for Mexico or the USMNT and much more. Before that, Grant and Chris break down the weekend, including the latest in the NWSL abuse scandals, a big week ahead for the USMNT and the electric 2-2 tie between Liverpool and Manchester City. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In a special Friday episode, Grant has an in-depth discussion about the turmoil in the NWSL with the two journalists whose stories have brought systemic wrongdoing to light: Meg Linehan, the USWNT and NWSL national writer for The Athletic, whose story on coach Paul Riley’s sexual coercion allegations and abuse led to Riley’s firing and the suspension of NWSL games this weekend; and Molly Hensley-Clancy, a sports investigations reporter for the Washington Post, whose August 11 story on abuse by Washington Spirit coach Richie Burke led to his firing and whose continuing coverage of the Spirit story has shed new light on the organization. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth conversation with Sporting Kansas City manager and sporting director Peter Vermes about a number of topics, including how he deals with defeats, what he’s learned about this year’s team, how he balances selling young talent and winning games, his four bedrock principles, his family’s connection to Hungary, how he maintains his job longevity, the story behind THAT .gif and much more. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant catches up with Robbie Keane, whose phenomenal 20-year senior playing career included three MLS Cup titles with the LA Galaxy; the 2014 MLS MVP award; club tenures at Tottenham, Liverpool, Inter, Coventry City, West Ham, Aston Villa, Celtic and others; and a record 68 international goals in 146 appearances for the Republic of Ireland. Keane talks at length about favorite memories from his playing career, explains why he’s ready to be a head coach in MLS and provides some terrific answers for the Rapid-Fire Quiz. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Canadian soccer is doing better than ever, with the women’s national team winning the Olympic gold medal and the men’s national team a genuine contender to qualify for its first World Cup since 1986. Grant has a in-depth interview about what’s happening in Canada with Kristian Jack, a top broadcaster for more than two decades who works for One Soccer and serves as the vice president of content and media for the Canadian Premier League. Jack also breaks down what’s happening with Canada’s three MLS teams, what’s going on with the CPL and how Canadians are viewing co-hosting World Cup 2026, in addition to detailing his career story in the business. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant catches up with the legendary broadcaster Bob Ley (17:51), who spent 40 years at ESPN and was front and center on its World Cup coverage from 1982 to 2014. Ley tells some fun stories from covering USMNT World Cup qualifiers over the years and shares his thoughts on the most recent U.S. games, the challenge of finding soccer games on so many streaming apps today, the modern sports media landscape and much more. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the soccer weekend, including Chelsea looking like the team to beat in England, Man United’s wild win over West Ham, a tough week for Leipzig and American coach Jesse Marsch and Atlanta United looking like the Atlanta of old. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth interview with the man of the moment for the USMNT, 18-year-old forward Ricardo Pepi of FC Dallas. Then he speaks to LA Galaxy technical director Jovan Kirovski (16:02), perhaps the best-connected American in European soccer, about how he landed superstars like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Chicharito Hernández and others. They also discuss Kirovski’s own playing career, in which he spent four years with Manchester United and became the first U.S. player to win the men’s UEFA Champions League title with Borussia Dortmund in 1996-97. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth interview with Dan Leydon (42:57), a phenomenal soccer illustrator and designer whose work appears on several global platforms, including the Fútbol with Grant Wahl newsletter. He explains how he does his work, his backstory and how being a soccer fan helps him do his job. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the soccer weekend, including Manchester United’s return to watchability, Bayern Munich’s 4-1 win at Leipzig, the rise of Inter Miami, the beleaguered Washington Spirit and why FIFA is pushing to stage the men’s World Cup once every two years, with Grant (against) and Chris (pro) stating their cases. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In partnership with Meadowlark and Dan Le Batard and Friends for every USMNT World Cup qualifier, Grant is joined by Landon Donovan and Chris Wittyngham to discuss the USMNT’s 4-1 win at Honduras in Game 3 of the World Cup qualifying campaign. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In partnership with Meadowlark and Dan Le Batard and Friends for every USMNT World Cup qualifier, Grant is joined by Landon Donovan and Chris Wittyngham to discuss the USMNT’s 1-1 tie with Canada in Game 2 of the World Cup qualifying campaign. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In a new partnership with Meadowlark and Dan Le Batard and Friends for every USMNT World Cup qualifier, Grant is joined by Landon Donovan and Chris Wittyngham to discuss the USMNT’s 0-0 tie at El Salvador to start the World Cup qualifying campaign. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant speaks to Donald Wine II, a board member of the American Outlaws, the biggest U.S. national teams supporters group. Wine, who has attended 134 U.S. men’s and women’s games in person, will be in the stadium for all three World Cup qualifiers this week in El Salvador, Nashville and Honduras. He explains how he got into being a traveling U.S. soccer fan, how AO organizes trips and how new fans can join in the fun. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

The USMNT has its biggest games in four years with the start of World Cup qualifying this week, and Grant talks all about it with Doug McIntyre of Fox Sports (29:01). Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the soccer weekend, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s move back to Manchester United, Lionel Messi’s debut with PSG, Chelsea’s 1-1 tie with Liverpool and Grant’s recent story on Leipzig’s American coach, Jesse Marsch. Music: Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has two interviews in this episode. The first is with Robin Fraser, the head coach of the Colorado Rapids, whose team has the fourth-highest points in the league this season. The second is with Andrea Yoch (24:19), the president of the women-led, community-owned Minnesota women’s team that starts play in the USL in 2022. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has two interviews in this episode. The first is with Ted Philipakos, the American chief marketing officer of Venezia. He tells the remarkable story of the Venice club's rise from the fourth division to Serie A, the American influence on the club (from himself to owner Duncan Niederauer to players Tanner Tessmann and Gianluca Busio) and what makes a soccer team in one of the world's tourism capitals so special. The second interview is with Bayern Munich's Sarah Zadrazil (31:47), who explains how she went from her native Austria to playing college soccer at East Tennessee State, her journey to Bayern Munich and her hopes of contending for this year's women's UEFA Champions League title. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fascinating interview with the renowned author Simon Kuper about his new book The Barcelona Complex: Lionel Messi and the Making—and Unmaking—of the World's Greatest Soccer Club. The timing of the book release is impeccable, and Kuper explains the forces that have resulted in FC Barcelona getting more than $1 billion in debt and being forced to announce that Lionel Messi would be leaving the club. He also forecasts where Barça goes from here and explains how he received remarkable access to so many people at the club for his book. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant speaks to his friend Leander Schaerlaeckens about his Soccer Stories newsletter, his love for good storytelling and how to manage the modern media landscape. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun conversation with Chris Russell, the Brooklyn-based video editor who produces hilarious clips for USMNT Twitter under the name Watke.  Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

With the Delta variant running rampant and the Covid pandemic continuing, Grant speaks about the latest news in the sports context (including soccer) with two accomplished doctors in the field. Dr. Celine Gounder, Grant's wife, is an infectious disease specialist and epidemiologist at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Bellevue Hospital, the host of the Epidemic Podcast and was a member of the Biden-Harris Transition Covid Advisory Board. Dr. Robby Sikka has worked with a variety of sports leagues and different entertainment industry resources to manage Covid and has been involved since the start of the pandemic with the Covid Sports and Society Work Group, a public-private partnership that works with the CDC, the White House and all the major professional sports leagues. Until recently he was the VP of basketball operations and player wellness with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and he is presently working with NFL and NBA teams on Covid and all things sports analytics. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Luis García, who was just announced as an analyst for ESPN's La Liga coverage, about Thursday's stunning news that Lionel Messi is apparently leaving Barcelona; how it could impact the La Liga season and the club; where Messi might go next; his thoughts on Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid; García's own journey in the sport; and much more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Christine Cupo break down the USWNT's Bronze Medal Game game against Australia at the Olympics.  Episode sponsored by Verna Law. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an engaging conversation with Danny Higginbotham, the former 17-year English pro who moved to the U.S. last year and is doing studio work for NBC Sports' Premier League coverage, analysis for Philadelphia Union TV broadcasts and this weekend's FA Community Shield on ESPN+. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Christine Cupo break down the USWNT's semifinal game against Canada at the Olympics.  Episode sponsored by Verna Law. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Chris have their instant reaction to the USMNT's 1-0 win over Mexico in the Gold Cup final. Then Grant interviews Mark McKenzie of the USMNT and Belgium's Genk (30:04) about a wide range of topics, including his rise with the USMNT, his experience at Genk, his podcast Orange Slices with Heath Pearce and much, much more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Christine Cupo break down the USWNT's quarterfinal game against the Netherlands at the Olympics.  Episode sponsored by Verna Law. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Chris Wittyngham have their instant reactions to USMNT 1, Qatar 0 in the Gold Cup semifinals. And then Grant interviews Everton's Michael Keane (24:40), who's in the U.S. right now for the Florida Cup preseason tournament. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant speaks to Michael Parkhurst, a 15-year pro and former Atlanta United captain, about his remarkable career and his thoughts on what's happening today. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Christine break down the USWNT's Matchday 3 game against Australia at the Olympics.  Episode sponsored by Verna Law. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a jam-packed interview with USWNT legend Hope Solo (10:41), who speaks at length on the USWNT Olympic performance so far, what she's up to these days, her thoughts and feelings on being snubbed by the National Soccer Hall of Fame, the USWNT equal-pay lawsuit, and much, much more. Before that, Grant shares his thoughts on USMNT 1, Jamaica 0, a hard game won with a late Matthew Hoppe goal (his first international goal). Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Christine Cupo break down the USWNT's 6-1 win over New Zealand on Matchday 2 of the Olympics, a bounceback win for the U.S. after losing to Sweden in the opener.  Episode sponsored by Verna Law. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth interview with The Athletic's rising star writer Felipe Cárdenas about everything that's happening around Atlanta United in the wake of Gabriel Heinze's firing as coach after just 13 MLS games in charge. Cárdenas describes how the culture has changed inside the club, what led to Heinze's firing and what might come next. He also goes into detail on his recent mega-story on Atlanta United in recent years (including its unconsummated negotiations with Marcelo Bielsa) and his own story as a soccer journalist with roots in South Bend, Ind., and Colombia. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Christine Cupo break down Sweden's stunning 3-0 victory over the USWNT to start the Olympic soccer tournament. The defeat broke the U.S.'s 44-game unbeaten streak and exposed a midfield that got overrun without Julie Ertz until she entered the game in the second half. By then it was too late. Episode sponsored by Verna Law. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Chris provide their instant reactions to USMNT 1, Canada 0, which gave the U.S. first place in their Gold Cup group. Then Grant interviews Flavio Zveiter and Ricardo Fort (27:18) about their proposal—with up to $1 billion backing—to form an equivalent of the English Premier League with the top clubs of the Brazilian game. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Chris chime in with their instant reactions to the USMNT's 6-1 win over Martinique in the Gold Cup, with Daryl Dike scoring twice for the Americans. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a good conversation with Matt Turner, the goalkeeper for the New England Revolution who's starting for the USMNT during the Gold Cup. Turner gives the low-down on what's happening ahead of Thursday's group-stage game against Martinique and goes into detail on his remarkable career journey despite being overlooked on multiple occasions. Turner also explains his eerie shot-stopping ability, his aspirations and his goals at club and national team levels. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant breaks down a huge soccer weekend with Chris Wittyngham, including the USMNT's 1-0 win over Haiti in the Gold Cup, Italy's penalty-kick triumph over England in the Euro final and Argentina's surprising win over Brazil in the Copa América final. Then Grant interviews Esmeralda Negrón and Susie Petrucelli about ATA Football (31:47), their venture to make global women's club soccer available to more TV viewers. Plus Petrucelli discusses her terrific book Raised a Warrior: A Memoir of Soccer, Grit and Leveling the Playing Field. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth interview with his friend Christine Cupo about the revival of the Italian national team under Roberto Mancini, a look ahead to the England-Italy Euro final and her thoughts on American soccer culture. Cupo, who's a regular on Juventibus's JB Show, explains her soccer story, including becoming the doyenne of New York City coed soccer, a soccer social media influencer, a Serie A commentator and the proprietor of a soccer-themed cookie pop-up store. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant and Chris Wittyngham catch up and break down all the quarterfinals from the Euros and Copa América, as well as the USMNT roster for the Gold Cup and Toronto's firing of Chris Armas. Then Grant talks to Andy Harper (39:42), the longtime Australian soccer commentator, about the impact of Australian Ange Postecoglou as the new Celtic manager, comparing and contrasting Australian and U.S. soccer and how he's viewing the news in the U.S. game these days. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun interview with Janine Beckie, the Canadian national team and Manchester City forward who's also working as an analyst for Canada's TSN during the Euros. Beckie, who checks in from her offseason home in Denver, discusses why she chose to play for Canada instead of the U.S., her thoughts on playing in the upcoming Olympics, her thoughts on the USA-Canada rivalry, her experiences with Man City, TSN and the NWSL, and much more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun discussion with Tyler Heaps, an American who’s the head of sporting technology and insights for AS Monaco. Before that, Heaps spent five years with U.S. Soccer, where he became the director of sporting analytics. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Efan Ekoku, who's broadcasting the Euros for ESPN, joins Grant for an in-depth discussion on a number of topics, including how he approaches calling a game, his playing career at the start of the Premier League, being on Nigeria's historic 1994 World Cup team, how he got into media, coded racism in the way soccer is discussed, what it has been like to be stationed in Connecticut during the Euros and much more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a wide-ranging interview with TUDN's Paco Villa about all the events taking place on TUDN platforms this summer, including the Euros, Copa América and the USA-Mexico rivalry that rekindled itself in the Nations League final and could again in the upcoming Gold Cup. Villa also explains how he got into the media business in Mexico and his thoughts on Inter Miami, located in the city where he lives now.  Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth interview with Sola Winley, who since February has been an MLS executive vice president and the league’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer. They discuss the league's efforts to address its abysmal record of hiring Black American head coaches, the plan to work with Black Players for Change and SCORE, the commemoration of Juneteenth, how Winley does his work and much, much more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In a bonus episode, Grant has a lively interview with Bruce Arena, whose New England Revolution is currently atop the MLS Eastern Conference. Arena explains how he has built this Revolution team, how he and the MLS have changed over the years, what he has learned about Boston, his thoughts on the USMNT and World Cup qualifying and much, much more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Jamie Vardy, one of the Premier League's greatest goal-scorers for Leicester City, about his surprising decision to become a co-owner of the Rochester Rhinos. Vardy explains why he wanted to become an owner, where it fits in his plans for the future, whether he has seen Ted Lasso yet and much more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews the photographer Adrián Macías (23:30) and Mexsport Agency owner David Leah about Macías's memorable photograph of Christian Pulisic and the USMNT after Pulisic's game-winning penalty against Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League final. Macías tells the story of how he got the shot—and of his own journey in the sports photography business. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the opening weekend of Euro 2020, starting with the most important story, the survival of Denmark's Christian Eriksen after collapsing on the field vs. Finland. Other topics include the Netherlands' wild 3-2 win vs Ukraine, England's 1-0 victory against Croatia and Italy's 3-0 win vs Turkey. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an enlightening conversation with Alexis Ohanian, an owner of Angel City FC, which starts play in the NWSL next year. Ohanian is also a co-founder and former executive chair of Reddit and a prolific Internet entrepreneur and investor, including in the site Gloria, which is building a global community for soccer fans. Ohanian explains why he thinks women's sports and the NWSL are set to explode, why he's big on women's sports collectibles, and the interest of his wife, Serena, and their daughter, Olympia, in the sport of soccer. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a deep-dive interview with USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski (26:50), who describes what it's like to coach his hyper-competitive players and tells a bit about his story from coaching youth players to becoming the coach of the most successful women's soccer team in the world. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss the USMNT's memorable 3-2 win over arch-rival Mexico in Sunday's CONCACAF Nations League final. There's a lot to break down after another memorable game in one of the world's greatest international sports rivalries. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Melissa Ortiz, the former Colombian national team player, about her new role as a studio analyst for FuboTV's coverage of the CONMEBOL men's World Cup qualifiers starting Thursday with a quadruple-header. They talk about some of the main storylines as well as her playing career, how she transitioned into her current gig, her new business Kickoff Coffee Co. (coffee for soccer people by soccer people) and much more. You can get a 15% discount for coffee purchases from Kickoff Coffee Co. with the code: FUTBOLGRANT15 Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an intriguing conversation with Tom Statham (34:34), a longtime Manchester United academy coach who has worked with Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and many other players when they were eight years old and seen them go on to do great things. Statham also hosts the Go Play Soccer Podcast which explores the topic of coaching young players so they can develop while still having fun with the sport. Statham also has extensive U.S. connections and explains his history with the sport in these parts. Before that Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the soccer weekend, including Chelsea's 1-0 win over Man City in the men's UEFA Champions League final, the history-making Christian Pulisic, the USMNT's 2-1 loss at Switzerland, this week's Concacaf Nations League finals and Inter Miami's severe sanctions from MLS as the result of its massive cheating scandal breaking the league's roster rules. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. The Brazilian league just started, and you can stream all the games on Fanatiz live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant is joined by Caroline Graham Hansen, one of the most electric players in the women's game, to talk about her Barcelona team's rampaging 4-0 win in the UEFA Champions League final over Chelsea. Graham Hansen explains what makes Barcelona special, how she developed her style of taking on defenders, her thoughts on the Norwegian national team, as well as Barça's visit in August to play in the WICC tournament with Lyon, Portland and Houston, and much more. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. This is the opening weekend of the Brazilian league with marquee games like São Paulo-Fluminense and Flamengo-Palmeiras, and you can stream all the games on Fanatiz live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has two entertaining interviews in this episode. Matthew Hoppe checks in from Germany (30:33) and shares how he experienced his big-break season with Schalke, which he ended up leading with six league goals. Hoppe, 20, also discusses what he's looking forward to in his first camp with the USMNT this week ahead of the Switzerland friendly. Then Grant speaks to Chris Ivy (55:05), the co-founder and director of sports for Heritage Auctions, about the skyrocketing market in sports collectibles, including soccer cards. A 1979 Diego Maradona Panini sticker sold for a soccer record of almost $560,000 last month, and this month Ivy's house auctioned a 1958 Pelé Alifabolaget "rookie" card for $372,000, a 182% increase over the exact same card and grade sold just five months earlier. To kick off the pod, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down a wild final weekend of the European domestic leagues, including Chelsea and Liverpool beating out Leicester for Champions League berths, Luis Suárez giving Atlético Madrid the La Liga title, Juventus and Milan beating out Napoli for the top four in Italy, and Lille staving off PSG in Ligue 1. The guys also look ahead to this weekend's men's UEFA Champions League final between Man City and Chelsea and discuss the news on Sunday that U.S. Soccer and Soccer United Marketing will end their 20-year business partnership at the end of 2022. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. La Liga has the best title race in Europe, and it's heading down to the final day. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga, Ligue 1 and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In a bonus episode, Grant has two revealing interviews. Alejandro Irarragorri is the chair of Orlegi Sports, which owns Santos Laguna and Atlas of Liga MX. He discusses his successful strategies for his Mexican clubs and shares his thoughts on a potential MLS-Liga MX competition, his near-miss (so far) on buying Newcastle United and much more. Then Grant speaks to Jeff Barger (33:28), the communications director for the Columbus Crew's Nordecke supporters group, about the drama in recent weeks over the club's controversial rebrand and ownership's decision this week to restore "Crew" to the team's name forever. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. La Liga has the best title race in Europe, and it's heading down to the final day. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga, Ligue 1 and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth interview with Steven Mandis about his just-released book What Happened to the USMNT: The Ugly Truth About the Beautiful Game. Mandis, who has written previous books about the culture of Real Madrid and Italian soccer, explains his data- and interview-driven approach to studying the identity and styles of the U.S. men's national team over the past three decades. That research has led to some conclusions about the USMNT that might surprise you. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. La Liga has the best title race in Europe, and it's heading down to the final day. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga, Ligue 1 and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Dwayne De Rosario, recently named to MLS's top 25 players of all time, has a new memoir out: DeRo: My Life (written with Brendan Dunlop), and the two men join Grant for an intriguing conversation about the book and how it came together. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. La Liga has the best title race in Europe, and it's heading down to the final day. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In a special bonus episode, Grant interviews Chelsea manager Emma Hayes ahead of Sunday's women's UEFA Champions League final, in which her team will face Barcelona. Hayes goes into detail on what makes her Chelsea team special; the challenges presented by Barcelona; why she feels like she was "born in England, made in America;" whether she's interested in coaching in the U.S. again, her close relationship with Fran Kirby and much more. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. La Liga has the best title race in Europe, and it's heading down to the final day. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fascinating conversation with Christina Unkel, a former FIFA referee and current Laws of the Game expert whose work can be seen on CBS Sports platforms and The Athletic. Unkel tells the story of how she became a referee, her highlights along the way, her switch into becoming a Laws of the Game expert for Fox Sports during its 2019 women's World Cup broadcasts, her thoughts on hot-button officiating topics for fans and much, much more. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. La Liga has the best title race in Europe, and it's heading down to the final day. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant connects for a fun talk with the USWNT's Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams, who have just started a new podcast called Snacks with Just Women's Sports. The two friends (and former roommates) explain why they decided to start a podcast together, why it's important they talk about race in addition to soccer and fun stuff, how they're viewing the busy year ahead with the national team and much more. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a delightful conversation (at 2:30) with Alexis Nunes, the London-based ESPN host who appears on ESPN FC, conducts interviews with top soccer stars and also covers the sport of cricket. Nunes explains what it has been like to be at the center of the soccer world in the UK in recent weeks, how she has managed to work during the pandemic, how she got the nickname The Haaland Whisperer, her journey from Jamaica to Connecticut to London, and much more. At the top of the show, Grant has an audio column on USMNT pillars Christian Pulisic and Zack Steffen making the men's UEFA Champions League final and what it means for the sport in the United States. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In a special bonus episode, Peter Schmeichel of CBS Sports and Paramount+ joins Grant for a lively conversation about his thoughts on the Manchester United protests, the men's UEFA Champions League semifinals, the state of goalkeeping today and much more.  This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun talk (at 39:30) with his old friend University of Michigan professor Andy Markovits, the author many books including Offside: Soccer and American Exceptionalism. Markovits brings his unique perspective to the Super League failure, the angst around his beloved Manchester United and his upcoming memoir. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the Man United protests, big weeks for Americans Christian Pulisic and Jesse Marsch, the men's and women's Champions League semifinals, Cade Cowell, Caden Clark and MLS teams' situations in the CONCACAF Champions League. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fascinating and fun conversation with Jon Champion, ESPN's lead commentator for MLS in the United States. Champion explains why he made the leap in 2019 from England to live in the U.S., what he's learning about America and American soccer culture and how he got into soccer and soccer broadcasting in the first place. Champion has had a remarkable 37-year career broadcasting everything from eight World Cups to the start of the Premier League in 1992 and everything in between. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant is joined (at 46:15) by Dermot McQuarrie, a former Fox Sports TV executive who was a pioneer in the addition of European soccer leagues to U.S. television in the late 1990s and early 2000s. McQuarrie tells the origin stories of Fox Sports World, the Fox Soccer Channel and the Fox Soccer Report, as well as why that daily soccer news show was based in Winnipeg, Canada. McQuarrie's experience provides perspective on how the U.S. has gone from being one of the world's worst countries in which to watch soccer to one of the best. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the week in soccer, from new thoughts on the Super League demise to how that fits in the American context. They also discuss the dismissal of José Mourinho by Spurs, the European trophies being won by USMNT players and the highlights of the MLS weekend. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

The European Super League debacle is the soccer story of the year, and Grant is joined to discuss all the aspects of it by Rob Harris, the global sports correspondent of the Associated Press and the co-host of the terrific new Sports Unlocked Podcast. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Miguel Delaney, the chief football writer of The Independent, joins Grant for a wide-ranging conversation about the business end of the European season, including the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League. (This episode was recorded on Saturday, before the news broke of the European Super League and José Mourinho's firing.) This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant looks ahead to the MLS season, which starts Friday, with Paul Tenorio, who's the national soccer reporter for The Athletic and co-hosts the Allocation Disorder Podcast with Sam Stejskal. Grant and Paul go over the biggest storylines heading into the season, discuss what MLS can do to make covering the league easier, ask whether Paul knows more about MLS roster rules than many of the GMs in the league itself, and much more. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Daryl Dike, the 20-year-old red-hot USMNT striker who has scored eight goals in 14 games on loan with Barnsley from Orlando City. Dike explains what it has been like setting the Championship on fire as he tries to help take Barnsley up to the Premier League. Other topics of discussion include whether he's hoping to stay in England beyond this loan period, his recent camp with the USMNT and his story of growing up in Edmond, Okla., as the youngest of five kids in a soccer-playing family that includes his brother Bright (who played in MLS and for Nigeria) and his sister Courtney (who played for Nigeria at the 2015 World Cup). After that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down a busy soccer weekend, including which teams they think will make the Premier League top four, Real Madrid's thrilling 2-1 win over Barcelona in El Clásico, which UEFA Champions League quarterfinals they see turning around in the second leg, how many MLS they see advancing to the final eight of the CONCACAF Champions League, the USWNT's disputed late equalizer in a 1-1 tie at Sweden and the opening weekend of the NWSL Challenge Cup. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Kevin Egan, the rising-star soccer broadcaster who serves as the TV play-by-play voice for Atlanta United, co-hosts a SiriusXM show with Ray Hudson, does soccer work for CNN International and recently started broadcasting for the WWE, including this weekend's WrestleMania 37. Egan explains how he got the wrestling gig, his career story from Ireland to the U.S., how he views the season ahead for Atlanta United, and tips for students who want to do what he does someday. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an on-point interview (at 39:28) with Courtney Stith and André Carlisle, the hosts of the terrific new podcast Diaspora United, which centers Black women in domestic and global soccer. They explain the origin story of their podcast, how they approach their analysis and interview choices, and what they're excited about heading into a busy week with USWNT games at Sweden and France and the start of the new NWSL Challenge Cup. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the news of the soccer weekend, including Christian Pulisic's latest injury, Americans Tim Weah and Tyler Adams playing in top-of-the-table clashes in France and Germany, yet another racism incident in European soccer, and previews of this week's four highly anticipated men's UEFA Champions League quarterfinal matchups. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Jon Arnold, the leading voice in English on all things CONCACAF, about the busy first week of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, his takes on the great stories in the region, and his work with the New York Times and The Striker Texas. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a revealing interview with Santiago Solari (at 35:14), the manager of Mexico's Club América and formerly of Real Madrid. Solari discusses why his hometown of Rosario, Argentina, has produced so many great soccer minds and players; why he attended college at Stockton University in New Jersey; playing all 90 minutes for Real Madrid in its 2002 Champions League final victory; why he moved into coaching; his time managing Real Madrid in 2018-19 and why he decided to take the América job. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the U.S. men's third straight failure to qualify for the Olympics after Sunday's 2-1 loss to Honduras. There's plenty to talk about! This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

With the USMNT taking on Jamaica Thursday at 1 pm ET on ESPN2, Unimás and TUDN, Grant interviews Chris Richards, the U.S. defender currently on loan from Bayern Munich to Hoffenheim. They talk about the positive mood inside the USMNT camp, the future of the national team, Richards' experience lately going on loan, what he's hoping for in his club future and much more. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun talk about soccer and other things with Chris Jones (at 26:18), the two-time National Magazine Award-winning writer who also covers the sport for ESPN. They discuss Jones playing soccer and coaching his sons, his favorite soccer stories from over the years, whether his beloved Canadian men's national team can finally make a World Cup again, his transition from magazine writing to screenwriting and his viral Friday Twitter story threads about everything from Ricky Williams to Carrot Top. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer weekend with Chris Wittyngham, including the U.S. men's Olympic team getting six points in its first two group games, this week's senior USMNT games and whether UEFA should do anything to seed the Champions League quarterfinal draw. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun interview with ESPN"s Sarah Spain, who recently became a member of the ownership group of the NWSL's Chicago Red Stars. Spain explains why she took the leap, how it came about and why public figures investing in NWSL teams has become so popular lately. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Jason Kreis (at 21:41), the head coach of the U.S. Under-23 men's national team, which opens the Olympics qualifying tournament against Costa Rica this Thursday at 5 pm ET on FS1 and TUDN. Kreis explains how he put together his U.S. team, what he hopes its identity will be and what this opportunity means for him as a coach. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down Arsenal's memorable 2-1 win over Spurs in the North London Derby and the significance of Olympic qualifying as the U.S. men attempt to qualify for the first time since 2008. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a wide-ranging interview with Ian Joy, who has followed his 14-year pro playing career with a meteoric rise in media from BeIN Sports to Fox Sports to his jobs these days in the NYC area with CBS Sports HQ and with the YES Network broadcasting NYCFC and his new general talk show Joy to the World. Joy details his journey in the game, including several years playing in Hamburg for Hamburg and St. Pauli; his years playing in MLS; his bouts with depression and the recovery he's gone through; and how he became a studio host in addition to an analyst. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant makes a call to Kazakhstan and connects with Shannon McCarthy (at 26:34), a former University of Miami player who's currently playing with five other Americans for BIIK-Kazygurt in the Round of 16 of the women's UEFA Champions League. The U.S. is the best women's soccer country in the world, which explains why the U.S. is one of the top exporters of women's pro soccer talent to places far and wide. McCarthy tells the story of how she arrived in Kazakhstan, what the soccer is like and what she's experiencing there with her American compatriots. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer weekend with Chris Wittyngham, including the 1-1 tie in the Madrid Derbi, Bayern Munich's overpowering 4-2 victory against Dortmund in Der Klassiker, Man United's 2-0 victory at Man City to end City's 21-game winning streak, Liverpool's continuing freefall and whether Jürgen Klopp might really be in trouble, Daryl Dike's thunderstrike goal for Barnsley and whether Sacramento might now be out of the picture for MLS with the sudden departure of billionaire primary investor Ron Burkle. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fascinating interview with Shep Messing, who currently broadcasts the New York Red Bulls for MSG Network, about being the goalkeeper on the legendary New York Cosmos that included Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer, Giorgio Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto and some of the greatest moments in American soccer history. Messing explains what it was like to play for those teams and plenty about his soccer history, including the 1972 Munich Olympics, the indoor champion New York Arrows and his thoughts on missing the World Cup era of the USMNT.  This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth interview about everything going on at FC Barcelona (at 26:57) with Kevin Williams, who by day is the music and visual arts editor at the Chicago Tribune but who has also become an expert over the years on Barça on his Twitter feed. Williams, a Barça member, explains why he thinks Lionel Messi will leave after the season, how Barça got itself in massive debt, how the March 7 club elections will impact the institution, why he loves watching Barcelona's women's team, and whether he thinks Xavi will come back to lead the men's team as its manager. Before that, Grant has a column on U.S. Soccer's Athlete Council voting to remove member Seth Jahn after his remarks at Saturday's AGM minimizing Black American slavery and dismissing police brutality of Black Americans. Then Grant breaks down the soccer news with Chris Wittyngham, including Tyler Adams' big central midfield performance in Leipzig's win over Gladbach, which team (Man City or Bayern Munich) they think should be the favorite to win Champions League, which team is most likely to completely a Champions League Round of 16 upset (Porto, Chelsea or Atalanta) and why on earth Zlatan Ibrahimovic decided to go after LeBron James for not sticking to sports. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun interview with Jason Davis, the host of a daily American soccer show on SiriusXM FC and co-host of The Best Soccer Show with Jared DuBois. Grant and Jason discuss the current American media landscape, which topics resonate most with American soccer fans and whether soccer will ever be a regular topic on mainstream U.S. TV sports debate shows. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In a special bonus episode of the podcast, Grant interviews USWNT and Portland star Crystal Dunn, who Grant thinks has become the USWNT's best player in 2021. They discuss the first two games of the SheBelieves Cup ahead of Wednesday's finale vs Argentina; what she's hoping to achieve in 2021 on and off the field; whether she can be a candidate for world player of the year as an outside back (with the national team); and her process of finding her authentic voice publicly. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews his friend Wright Thompson (at 32:04), a senior writer at ESPN and the author of the recent New York Times Best-Seller Pappyland: A Story Of Family, Fine Bourbon and the Things That Last. They discuss his book, his interest in Kentucky and his approach to writing, including an anthology's worth of Thompson's phenomenal soccer writing over the years. Those include stories by Thompson on Luis Suárez and Uruguayan soccer, Brazilian protests ahead of World Cup 2014, the culture of Italian football, Paul Pogba, the Boca Juniors-River Plate rivalry and the death of Fiorentina captain Davide Astori. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down a busy soccer weekend, including: the USWNT's 2-0 win over Brazil; Inter's big 3-0 victory over Milan; whether we have concerns about Christian Pulisic at Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel; Liverpool's nosedive; Man City's breathtaking run; whether Messi will stay or leave Barcelona; and Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid dropping more points in Germany and Spain. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Bria Felicien, the creator of The Black Sportswoman, which includes recent feature stories on Briana Scurry and Crystal Dunn. Felicien discusses her thoughts on the USWNT and the SheBelieves Cup, which starts on Thursday, and she also gets into a wide-ranging conversation on the NWSL, her journey and how to create pathways for more Black women soccer journalists. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a wide-ranging interview with Ivan Gazidis, the CEO of AC Milan, which has become a contender again this season for the Scudetto in Italy. Gazidis, who previously was the chief executive at Arsenal and the MLS deputy commissioner, explains why he decided to take the Milan job; his strategy for the club on and off the field; what it's like to work with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paolo Maldini; his views on why new investors are coming to Italian clubs; his thoughts on the future landscape of European soccer; his stories from the origin of MLS; and whether he'd like to return to MLS as the commissioner someday. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fascinating interview with La Liga TV's Semra Hunter, the only American who's working in television in a top-5 European soccer league. Based in Barcelona, Hunter explains what she does week to week with the Spanish top flight and tells her story. That includes growing up in the Los Angeles area, attending the 1999 women's World Cup final, graduating from Cal-Berkeley, and starting a career in European soccer media. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Lutz Pfannenstiel, the recently named sporting director for St. Louis City, which starts in MLS in 2023. They talk Pfannenstiel's new project in one of the U.S.'s most historic soccer cities, and then they dive into Lutz's incredible soccer journey as told in his memoir The Unstoppable Keeper. Pfannenstiel, a German-born goalkeeper, is the only soccer player ever to compete professionally for clubs on all six FIFA continents, and he tells some incredible stories from his life adventures and misadventures. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Don't want to pay $65 a month to watch them on overpriced streaming services? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant connects with Leeds United's Jack Harrison, formerly of NYCFC and Wake Forest, and they have an entertaining discussion about Harrison's productive year in the Premier League; what he has learned about playing for the legendary manager Marcelo Bielsa; and his story of growing up in Man United's academy, deciding to decamp to the United States and then returning to England to make his mark on the professional game there. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Don't want to pay $65 a month to watch them on overpriced streaming services? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

After seeing CNN New Day anchor John Berman tweeting about USMNT hopeful Owen Otasowie, Grant decided it was time to get Berman on the podcast, and they have a fun conversation about how Berman became a die-hard fan of the U.S. national soccer teams. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. Frustrated that you can't get games from Spain's La Liga on your cable or satellite system? Don't want to pay $65 a month to watch them on overpriced streaming services? Sign up to stream Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it costs only $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant checks in with Brenden Aaronson, the 20-year-old USMNT and Red Bull Salzburg midfielder who made his debut with his new club over the weekend and got an assist in his first start with Salzburg on Wednesday. Aaronson explains how things have gone since he arrived in Austria earlier this month; the welcome he got from Salzburg coach Jesse Marsch and his family; the level of training sessions so far; and his first thoughts on the Austrian league compared to MLS. Aaronson, who starred with the Philadelphia Union, also tells his personal story, from the soccer influence of his father, Rusty, to his closeness with his younger brother, Paxten, who's in the Union organization, to his favorite players that he follows when he watches games on television.  This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant catches up with Pia Sundhage (at 30:59), who won two Olympic gold medals and a World Cup silver medal coaching the USWNT and currently coaches the Brazilian WNT. Calling in from Porto Alegre, Sundhage addresses why she took the Brazil job, how she's trying to unearth the next great Brazilian generation, how the Brazilian women ended up getting paid the same per day as the men with the national team, how she's using her guitar skills to connect with her players and what she's looking forward to next month with her team competing in the SheBelieves Cup with USA, Japan and Canada. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the soccer week, including Weston McKennie's continued excellence with Juventus and its potential impact; our choice for the starting USMNT centerforward if the decision took place today; Man United's 3-2 FA Cup win over Liverpool, and the opposing directions of both teams; and Catarina Macario's debut with the USWNT in two friendly wins over Colombia. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Drake Hills, a rising-star journalist covering Nashville SC and the soccer beat at The Tennesean and co-host of the Plugged In Podcast. Hills explains why expansion team Nashville did so much better than expected in 2020, describes the Nashville soccer culture and describes his journey from growing up in Augusta, Ga., and San Diego to graduating from the University of Oregon and the prestigious Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern. Included is a discussion on Hills being one of only five Black journalists covering MLS beats last season and his thoughts on MLS teams continuing to pass over hiring Black head coaches this off-season. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun conversation with Lyon superstar Ada Hegerberg, who has won the past five UEFA Champions League titles and stars in the new ESPN+ documentary My Name Is Ada Hegerberg. They discuss the making of the video doc; the influences of her parents and sister; her excitement over American Catarina Macario joining Lyon; her reasons for continuing not to play for Norway; her desire to get back on the field soon after missing the last year due to injuries; her new contracts with Lyon and Nike; whether she might play in the NWSL at some point; and what she wants to achieve in the remainder of her career. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a wide-ranging conversation with his old friend Raphael Honigstein, who's the world's leading journalist on German soccer and does work for The Athletic, CBS Sports television, Der Spiegel and the podcasts Steilcast and the Totally Football Show. (He has also written the terrific books Das Reboot and Bring the Noise, a Jürgen Klopp biography.) Their podcast discussion includes American Schalke sensation Matthew Hoppe; Honigstein's thoughts on Bayern Munich, Dortmund and Leipzig; the American coaches Pellegrino Matarazzo and Jesse Marsch; whether Americans have become annoying in their national soccer pride; and Honigstein's own story, which includes moving to London from Germany in 1993, studying law and venturing into soccer writing after doing writing on music and fashion. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a must-listen interview with his friend Henry Winter, the chief football writer for The Times of London and one of the world's top writers covering the sport for the last 35 years. Winter tells fun stories from his globe-trotting career, including from covering World Cup 1994 in the U.S., and explains why the on-site match report still matters; how he has managed his work during the pandemic; his take on the Premier League season so far; his thoughts on England ahead of this summer's Euro 2020; what it's like to have a brother who has been chosen among the world's most influential Muslims and a wife who is an actress and former "Bond girl'; and much more. This is an interview you won't want to miss. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth conversation about US soccer TV rights with John Ourand, a longtime reporter for the Sports Business Journal. Ourand explains why NBC is putting marquee games like the upcoming Liverpool-Man United showdown on the Peacock pay-streaming channel; why he thinks NBC will win the rights to extend its Premier League coverage; what's behind CBS's entree into the soccer space; whether he thinks Fox, which has lost several soccer deals, will keep its World Cup rights through 2026; why he's concerned about MLS's ability to get more money in its next TV contract; his thoughts on the TV attractiveness of a potential MLS-Liga MX merger down the line; and what could happen with the free-vs-pay TV strategies of Spanish-language vs. English-language coverage of the UEFA Champions League. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant kicks off 2021 with a fun interview of Soccer Girl Problems (at 31:24), the trio of Alanna Locast, Carly Beyar and Shannon Fay that has become a digital powerhouse resonating throughout the women's soccer community. SGP tells their origin story of how they met as teammates at Fairfield University, how they made their first viral videos back in 2011 and how they turned SGP into a sustainable business that serves as their full-time jobs. They also discuss their terrific podcast, which has included interviews with Sarah Fuller, Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy, Kelley O’Hara and Sam and Kristie Mewis. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer weekend with Chris Wittyngham. They discuss Man United's rise to tie Liverpool on points atop the Premier League, the sources of Chelsea's poor run of form, the widespread starts of several USMNT players over the weekend and the one thing they're most looking forward to soccer-wise in 2021. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a festive end-of-year interview with one of the most interesting people in world soccer, Rubin Kazan coach Leonid Slutsky. Slutsky went viral globally this week with his hysterical music video rendition of Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You. He speaks to Grant about the idea for the video and tells the story of his career, from having to quit playing as a goalkeeper at age 18 due to an injury that resulted from falling out of a tree while rescuing a cat; his rise as a coach to reaching the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League quarterfinals with CSKA Moscow; his three Russian league championships; his time as Russia coach at Euro 2016; his adventures in England coaching Hull City and learning English; his friendships with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and chief executive Marina Granovskaia; his return to Russia at Rubin Kazan; and his thoughts on soccer in the United States. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an enlightening interview with Bex Smith, the Los Angeles-born former New Zealand national team captain who currently hosts The Players Podcast with top players from the women's game for Copa90 and the BBC. Smith explains how she approaches her podcast, including interviews with Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis; her background at Duke University and playing in two World Cups and two Olympics; her years in Germany, including winning the Champions League with Wolfsburg; her time as an executive for women's soccer at FIFA; and what she has been doing in recent years for Copa90. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun interview with Melissa Reddy, one of the rising stars of global soccer media. Reddy, South African-raised and Liverpool-based, is the author of the new book Believe Us: How Jurgen Klopp Transformed Liverpool into Title Winners. She's also the senior football correspondent for The Independent, hosts the podcast Between The Lines and has done TV for CBS Sports and Sky Sports. Reddy explains how she built a career in England, where the barriers to women of color in sports journalism have been significant. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a candid interview with Columbus Crew head coach Caleb Porter (at 37:57) coming off Porter's second MLS Cup-winning title campaign. Porter reveals that he cried upon learning that Darlington Nagbe and Pedro Santos wouldn't be available for the final, and he explains in detail how he has changed as a coach and a person in the years since he started in MLS. Porter never disappoints in these interviews, and that's no different here! Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the soccer weekend, including LAFC's wild 3-1 victory over Club América in the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals; what it would mean for an MLS to win the CONCACAF title for the first time in the Champions League era; whether Liverpool is set to pull away from the pack in the Premier League; how to diagnose the issues with Arsenal, Dortmund and Barcelona; and Sam Mewis and Weston McKennie winning the US Soccer player of the year awards. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fascinating interview with Brianna Pinto of the University of North Carolina, who's on the verge of breaking into the senior USWNT pool, and Nick Mayhugh of the U.S. Para 7-a-side team about their recent election to the powerful Athlete Council of U.S. Soccer. They were joined on a ticket called Next Gen United (average age: 22) by Smith Hunter, currently at Harvard and a member of the U.S. U20 women’s team; Mikey López of the Birmingham Legion in the USL and former men’s YNT player; and Matt Freese of the Philadelphia Union. All five of them won spots on the Athlete Council, which swung the U.S. Soccer presidential election in 2018 for Carlos Cordeiro. Pinto and Mayhugh explain why they wanted to run for the Athlete Council, Next Gen United's platform and how they all managed to win seats. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews two longtime friends from his teenage days (at 23:37): Angie and Chris Long, the owners of the new NWSL team in Grant's hometown of Kansas City. They explain why they wanted to invest in the NWSL, what their plans are for the team and reveal that they want to build a new women's soccer stadium in the Kansas City area. Before that, Grant connects with Chris Wittyngham to break down Columbus's big win over Seattle in the MLS Cup final and discuss what the firing of Dortmund coach Lucien Favre could mean for Gio Reyna and potentially replacement candidate Jesse Marsch. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Ahead of Saturday's MLS Cup final between Columbus and Seattle, Grant has an entertaining conversation with commissioner Don Garber about a number of topics: The intriguing possibilities of an MLS-Liga MX merger; the landscape for MLS as it heads toward a new domestic TV contract after the 2022 season; the hardest thing personally for Garber during a difficult 2020; the challenges of recently laying off 20% of the employees at MLS headquarters; what he's most excited about for 2021; the possibilities of invoking force majeure and starting a new CBA negotiation with MLS players; his thoughts on how MLS handled Freddy Adu in the early 2000s; and making the case for why an investor should spend $500 million to start an MLS team when it would cost less to buy a top-flight team in Europe. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has two fun interviews on this episode. The first is with Arne Friedrich (at 3:48), the sporting director for Hertha Berlin. Friedrich, who played in two World Cups for Germany and also for the Chicago Fire, explains how he got the job at Hertha; the challenge of trying to build a trophy contender with newly infused investment in the club; the allure of bringing players to one of the world's great capitals; and his love for the United States, where he's friends with athletes like Steve Nash and still owns a house in Los Angeles.  The second interview is with Luis Miguel Echegaray of CBS Sports (at 25:38), who talks about his new five-days-a-week podcast called Qué Golazo! Echegaray, who used to host video shows and podcasts with Grant at Sports Illustrated, discusses CBS's soccer strategy; what he's covering on his new podcast; and how he's supported by fellow CBS soccer hires Fabrizio Romano, Aaron West, Jimmy Conrad, Heath Pearce, Jonathan Johnson, James Benge and others. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs as little as $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews USMNT legend Landon Donovan about a number of topics, including his decision as San Diego Loyal coach to take his team off the field in a game it was leading after one of his players was abused with a homophobic slur; what he learned as a manager during his first season; and his thoughts on the LA Galaxy, USMNT and the passing of Diego Maradona. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4  Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant geeks out with Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt (at 9:50), who star in the brilliant show Ted Lasso on Apple TV+. They discuss the virtues of Midwestern kindness; the challenge of developing characters from Ted Lasso's origins as a short comedy sketch; the risk that comes with the show's ambitions; Brendan's history of living in Amsterdam and meeting John O'Brien; the anticipation for Seasons 2 and 3 (which have already been green-lit); the real-life coaching inspirations for the Ted Lasso character; and much, much more. Before that, Grant honors the genius of Diego Armando Maradona, who passed away at age 60 last week. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Kyle Krause (at 17:26), the new Iowa-based owner of Italian top-flight club Parma. Krause, who's of Italian origin and has owned the Des Moines Menace for the past two decades, explains why he wanted to buy Parma, his plan for the club in the coming years and where he sees Serie A going in the big picture. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the craziness of the weekend's MLS playoff elimination games, including the wild penalty shootout wins by Orlando City (thanks to the goalkeeping heroics of outfield player Rodrigo Schlegel) and Kansas City (thanks to Penalty Rain Man Tim Melia).  This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews his old friend and former work teammate Kate Abdo of CBS Sports (at 24:08) about how CBS is approaching its UEFA Champions League coverage; how she's dealing with working from London despite living in Los Angeles; what she has learned about studio pundits Roberto Martínez, Jamie Carragher, Alex Scott and Micah Richards; how she learned languages well enough to do simultaneous interview interpretation in Spanish, German and French (and soon Italian); and how she ended up having a global wanderlust despite growing up in a family that rarely traveled from Manchester, England. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham discuss Grant's new podcast series American Prodigy: The Freddy Adu Story from Blue Wire Podcasts and break down what they learned from the USMNT's friendlies against Wales and Panama. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has an in-depth conversation with Red Bull Salzburg's American head coach, Jesse Marsch, about his experience in the UEFA Champions League group stage so far; why exactly he thinks group foe Bayern Munich is the world's best team right now; why he expects to lose star 20-year-old Dominik Szoboszlai during the January transfer window; his hopes for new Salzburg signing Brenden Aaronson of Philadelphia; his thoughts on the response to his comments saying Frank Lampard underestimated Christian Pulisic because he's American; why he thinks it's a good thing to bring American "arrogance" to European soccer; his interest in the USMNT coaching job at some point; and his take on Bild's report that he's one Dortmund's top three candidates to replace Lucien Favre (who's out of contract at season's end). This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has two intriguing interviews in this episode. The first is with Sergiño Dest, the 19-year-old right back for the USMNT and FC Barcelona, ahead of Thursday's MNT friendly against Wales. Dest talks about his excitement over being with the national team this week, his belief that the U.S. could do big things at upcoming World Cups, why he decided to play for USA over the Netherlands and what it has been like to meet and play with Lionel Messi at Barcelona.  Then (at 12:54) Grant interviews Alejandro Domínguez, the Paraguayan president of CONMEBOL, the South American soccer confederation. Domínguez tells the story of why he decided to go to the University of Kansas and explains how he became the most powerful figure in South American soccer after the FIFA-gate crisis in 2015. He discusses the potential for another combined Copa América tournament involving teams from CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, whether we might ever see U.S. clubs in the Copa Libertadores and what his confederation is trying to do to grow women's soccer in South America. This episode of Fútbol with Grant Wahl is brought to you by Fanatiz. On Fanatiz, you can watch all the action in Spain’s La Liga and other international leagues and tournaments live and on-demand from your mobile phone, tablet or directly on your TV with the Fanatiz app. Fanatiz features channels you know, like BeIN Sports in English and Spanish, GolTV and many more. And it only costs $7.99 a month.  If you’d like to try Fanatiz for yourself, you can get a free week-long trial by going to fntz.co/Grant-FZ. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Seattle Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer, whose team has been to three of the last four MLS Cup finals, winning two of them. Schmetzer goes into detail about how he prepares his team for the one-and-done playoffs, why he thinks the Sounders have taken the next step in recent years and answers what he thinks lies ahead in his contract negotiations with the club. Schmetzer also goes into great detail about his intimate connection to the Seattle soccer culture over the years, from youth soccer to turning pro out of high school for the NASL Sounders to coaching the USL Sounders (while having two other jobs on the side) to taking over from Sigi Schmid as the MLS Sounders head coach in 2016 and winning the MLS Cup title that year. Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Arlo White, the lead commentator for NBC Sports' production of the English Premier League. They talk about Arlo's role in Ted Lasso and the remarkable public response to the show; this Sunday's Man City-Liverpool showdown; the wide-open Premier League start; Leicester City's rise to 2nd place; Arlo's Inside the Mind interviews with Jürgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Harry Kane and other top figures; his plans with the Chicago Fire and the NBC Olympics coverage; and his love for the United States. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Joe Lowery (at 24:04), an emerging major talent in soccer media who co-hosts the MLS Assist Podcast on tactics with Jordan Angeli; founded 361 Soccer, which does video storytelling on American soccer; writes a newsletter called Benched; and hosts podcast episodes of Soccer 101 in the Total Soccer Show network. Lowery explains how he started doing his work in the tactics area and where he wants to go from here. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the soccer weekend, including men's and women's Yanks Abroad, Arsenal's rare win at Manchester United and whether MLS remains a bizarro world league for foreign coaches. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant speaks with Matteo Bonetti, who does a sensational job as a broadcast analyst for ESPN's coverage of Italy's Serie A. Bonetti explains how he went from writing ESPN blogs for free at the start to getting a foot in the door as a production assistant at BeIN Sports to earning a chance to broadcast games at BeIN to being called up to ESPN when it bought the Serie A rights. Grant and Matteo also discuss what's happening in Italy, from Milan's rise from mediocrity to the beginning of Andrea Pirlo's coaching career at Juventus to Weston McKennie's Juve role to the reputation of all the North American club owners in Italy these days. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interview Amelia López (at 29:04), a terrific Los Angeles-based writer, editor and podcaster for Fut Mex Nation and the Mexican Soccer Show. López breaks down the failures of the LA Galaxy and Chicharito Hernández, the strange-but-potentially-still-successful season for LAFC, her status comparison of the Mexican national team to the USMNT, the lowdown on the Mexican women's league, and what she thinks it will take to get more Latinas like her working in U.S. soccer media.  Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer weekend with Chris Wittyngham, including Real Madrid's 3-1 El Clásico win at Barcelona, the possibility for a wide-open Premier League with the Big 6 clubs spread out in the table, and Philadelphia's 5-0 smackdown of Toronto in their MLS clash.  Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant starts the episode honoring Daryl Grove, the co-host with Taylor Rockwell of our partner the Total Soccer Show, for everything Daryl has done for American soccer culture and emerging soccer media members in the United States. One of those rising media figures is this week's interview subject, Adam Belz, the co-host of the Scuffed Soccer Podcast, which does a regular deep dive into all things USMNT. Grant and Adam talk about the origins of his podcast, how he and co-host Greg Velásquez put together their Monthly USMNT Top 40 and how to try and navigate today's sports media landscape. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Philadelphia Union coach Jim Curtin (at 39:21) about his team's second-best record in MLS, the significance of the Brenden Aaronson sale to Salzburg, how the Union tries to balance being a selling team and a team competing for trophies, why it's important to stick to your guns on a long-term philosophy, the influence of the Bob Bradley coaching tree, and how he has been able to earn every bit of his coaching success, including starting as an interim boss at Philly and getting the wins necessary in 2019 to sign a two-year contract extension. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham of the Chelsea Mike'd Up Podcast break down a busy soccer weekend, including USMNT and WNT Yanks Abroad, the potential title-race impact of Virgil van Dijk's ACL surgery, Sergio Agüero's inappropriate contact with AR Sian Massey-Ellis, Barça and Real Madrid testing positive for the FIFA Flu, Milan's return to Italian contender status and the decision not to award the MLS Supporters Shield in 2020. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a memorable interview with poet, soccer journalist and musician Musa Okwonga, who co-hosts The Ringer’s Stadio Podcast with Ryan Hunn on Spotify. Okwonga has three books set to come out in 2021: One of Them, an Eton College memoir; In the End It Was All About Love, a meditation on being a foreigner and a Black man in Berlin; and Striking Out, a novel for children written with Ian Wright about the former Arsenal star’s life. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Univision's Luis Omar Tapia, who's starting his 26th straight season broadcasting the UEFA Champions League. Tapia argues why he thinks English speakers should watch Champions League on Univision (one reason: a lot of it is free), how Spanish-language game broadcasts are different stylistically from English-language ones, the stories behind his hundreds of nicknames for prominent players and coaches (as well as his own nickname, Panda), his thoughts on so many USMNT players (10) playing in this season's UCL group stage. He also tells a great Diego Maradona story. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a lively interview with Becky Sauerbrunn, the two-time World Cup-winning defender for the USWNT and Portland Thorns. Sauerbrunn discusses why she chose to honor Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on her U.S. jersey last year and the letter she received from RBG; how she has responded to the challenges of 2020; her role in the APPRECIATE EXCELLENCE response apparel to the racism and misogyny of those who ran her former club, the Utah Royals; how she's feeling about the USWNT ahead of its upcoming camp; and what she thinks white players need to do to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a candid interview with former USMNT standout Eddie Pope, former MLS veteran Evan Whitfield and former broadcaster Allen Hopkins about their new organization SCORE, which stands for Soccer Collective on Racial Equity. They explain how their group formed in a year defined by the Black Lives Matter movement; the dearth of Black head coaches, GMs and presidents in American club soccer; and the changes they hope to bring about in the U.S. soccer landscape. The other members of SCORE currently include DaMarcus Beasley, Cobi Jones, Oguchi Onyewu, Tony Sanneh, Rob Smith, Danielle Slaton, Kim Crabbe and Mike Curry. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant catches up with his old friend Kyle Martino, who discusses his departure from the NBC Sports Premier League studio after seven years, his move to Brooklyn, his new membership community space for soccer fans (called Haus), his playground soccer goal concept called Goalpher, his thoughts on the current state of U.S. Soccer and whether he's considering running for the presidency of U.S. Soccer again in February. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a thoroughly enjoyable conversation with The Cooligans, Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros, two standup comedians who recently hosted the 100th episode of their eponymous show, which airs every Tuesday and Thursday at 8 pm ET on the Fubo Sports Network. Polanco and Guerreros explain the story of how they became a partnership, why there are so many great sources of humor in the soccer world, what the word "gully" means, why they're pals with AOC and why their favorite interview guest of all time is Ali Krieger. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Danny Sillman, the CEO of Relevent Sports, which puts on the men's and women's International Champions Cup summer tournaments in the U.S. featuring the world's biggest clubs. Sillman explains what Relevent is trying to achieve in the U.S., why he thinks his company will be able to stage a regular-season La Liga game in the U.S. before too long and how Relevent is becoming its own media company. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Alyse LaHue (at 37:31), the general manager of Sky Blue FC, who has led a complete turnaround of the NWSL team off and on the field since taking over. LaHue tells her personal story, explains what she encountered when she took the job and how she went about making changes. Those have included moving the team's playing venue to Red Bull Arena, changing the training site and adding players like Mal Pugh, Midge Purce and McCall Zerboni. LaHue also shares her opinions on the USMNT stars moving this season to England, why she thinks it's important to have women as NWSL head coaches and why she thinks the NWSL's white players need to do more in support of Black Lives Matter. Before that, Grant breaks down the busy soccer weekend with Taylor Rockwell of the Total Soccer Show. Topics include a big weekend for USMNT players Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna and Tyler Adams; the impact of NBC Sports' decision to put Premier League games behind a new paywall; Liverpool's 2-0 win at Chelsea; the similarities of Kepa Arrizabalaga to Richie Tenenbaum; Man United's 3-1 home loss to Crystal Palace; and why Columbus has been so good in MLS while San Jose and Atlanta have been so bad. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun interview with Edreece Arghandiwal, the co-founder and CMO of the Oakland Roots, which announced this week that it will move into the second-tier USL Championship next season. Arghandiwal, an Oakland native, explains the origin story of the club, which is organized around a heavy community-based ethic that taps into the identity of one of the U.S.'s most diverse cities.  Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Fabrizio Romano, the Milan-based European transfer market insider who has become the closest thing to the Woj and Schefter of European football. Romano, who's only 27 years old, explains how he does his job, how the transfer market is changing, how he uses his multiple languages and what lessons he would share with aspiring journalists who want to follow his lead. He also gives an update on the transfer-market stories he's following right now in real time. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Gio Reyna, one of the biggest prospects of American soccer, about his story at Borussia Dortmund as a 17-year-old, his views on the season ahead and his thoughts on his teammates and experiencing a crazy 2020 as a teen in the midst of Covid and everything else. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Andy Williams (at 42:48), Real Salt Lake's head scout and a former RSL midfield stalwart, about his courageous decision to become a whistleblower and tell The Athletic's Sam Stejskal about multiple instances of racism (including use of the . N-word) by RSL owner Dell Loy Hansen that Williams had witnessed over the years. Those details helped lead to Hansen's announcement last week that he would sell his ownership of Real Salt Lake, the NWSL's Utah Royals and the USL's Real Monarchs.  Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer news with Chris Wittyngham, including Lionel Messi's dramatic decision to stay at Barcelona against his wishes, Chelsea's Kai Havertz signing, Man United's impending acquisition of Tobin Heath and Christen Press, the appeal of UEFA Nations League, and the way forward for Atlanta United (post-Pity Martínez, Frank de Boer and potentially Ezequiel Barco) and the New York Red Bulls (post-Chris Armas). Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Pellegrino Matarazzo (at 25:34), the American manager of Stuttgart, which he led to promotion to the German top flight for this season. Matarazzo tells his story from growing up in New Jersey and playing at Columbia University to living in Germany, getting connected to Julian Nagelsmann at Hoffenheim and taking over at Stuttgart, which has an immense history. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down all the postgame topics from Bayern Munich's 1-0 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA men's Champions League final on Sunday.  Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun conversation (at 29:11) with Micah Richards, who has been doing studio work for CBS Sports during its coverage of the UEFA Champions League. Richards discusses his transition from playing to doing media work, how working for an American outlet has been different than working for British TV, his perspective on Man City winning the Premier League on the final day in 2012, his best Mario Balotelli stories and how he has taken the tiger out of Roy Keane when they work together in England. Before that, Grant and Chris Wittyngham break down the news, including Bayern Munich's 3-0 win over Lyon, a preview of the Bayern-PSG Champions League final, the USMNT's draw for the World Cup qualifying tournament, the continued moves of top USWNT players from the NWSL to England and MLS moving to hosting games in home venues, some of them with fans in the stands. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant dials up Lisbon and connects with his dear friend Guillem Balague, who's working for CBS Sports and other outlets, and they break down all the big news from the UEFA Champions League madness. Balague, who has written books on Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, shares what he knows about Barcelona in the wake of its epochal 8-2 quarterfinal loss to Bayern Munich. That includes who the next Barça manager is likely to be, whether Messi will come back next season and what might be the likely destination of Pochettino. They also discuss Guardiola in the wake of Man City's stunning loss to Lyon and what it means for the ongoing City project. Then they break down the matchups in the two semifinals: PSG-Leipzig and Bayern Munich-Lyon.  Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant is joined by his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder (at 23:42), for 10 good minutes on what she thinks MLS should be doing to stage games in the middle of a pandemic. She explains her thoughts on Dallas (and other teams) allowing fans in home venues and whether she thinks a second bubble would be a better call for MLS. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer news with Chris Wittyngham, including PSG's dramatic 2-1 comeback win in Champions League against Atalanta; this week's quarterfinals of Leipzig-Atlético Madrid, Barcelona-Bayern Munich and Manchester City-Lyon; and Portland's 2-1 win in the MLS final against Orlando City. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Angus McNab (at 48:13), managing consultant of York9 FC of the Canadian Premier League, which begins its Island Games bubble tournament this Thursday. McNab, who used to be at Opta, provides the lowdown on why the CPL is a growing league, how his team engineered the transfer of Emilio Estévez to ADO Den Haag, and how the Island Games came together. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer news with Taylor Rockwell of our partner the Total Soccer Show. They get into detail on all the news in the UEFA Champions League (from Juventus turmoil to whether Barça might get blown out by Bayern Munich), how CBS is covering the UEFA events, a preview of the Orlando-Portland MLS final and how they feel about MLS's plan to stage games in home venues, even with fans in some locations. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant is joined by The Athletic's Pablo Maurer (at 42:17) to talk about his phenomenal new story on George Best's time in the United States during the old NASL days. Maurer, who has also written about Johan Cruyff's U.S. experience and the infamous USMNT New York Times photo shoot before World Cup 2002, explains why he's fascinated by the history of American soccer and spends so much time pursuing these stories. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer news with Chris Wittyngham. They preview each of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 return legs and the second MLS semifinal. Then they discuss Grant's interview with the execs behind CBS Sports's UEFA Champions League coverage.  Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun interview with Jordan Angeli (at 38:05), one of the busiest people in U.S. soccer media, on her work co-hosting the MLS Assist Podcast (where she has discussed the tactics of every game in the MLS is Back tournament) and the U.S. Soccer Podcast (where she recently interviewed Mia Hamm), as well as what she has been doing as the local TV analyst for the Columbus Crew and a longtime figure covering the NWSL. Angeli shares her story in the sport as a player in the NWSL and WPS, how she dealt with three ACL tears and how she transitioned into the media in recent years. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer weekend with Chris Wittyngham, who co-hosts the Chelsea Mike'd Up Podcast. They talk about Christian Pulisic's memorable game in the FA Cup final, Arsenal's eventual victory and the latest on the MLS tournament, which is now set for the semifinals. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews ESPN's Stefano Fusaro (at 23:46), who explains what it's been like inside the Orlando bubble covering the MLS is Back tournament. Fusaro provides the view from the ground at one of the most unusual sports events ever, explains the human challenge of covering it and gets into some soccer talk about what are the stories he's most interested in. He also gives his own personal backstory and shares what it's like being in the bubble with all the players and coaches. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer news with Chris Wittyngham, including previewing Christian Pulisic's role in this weekend's FA Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal, taking a close look at the MLS tournament, and considering the ratings win for the NWSL tournament and the choice by CBS to put the men's UEFA Champions League quarterfinals through semifinals behind the paywall at CBS All Access and not at all on TV channels. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fascinating interview (at 29:32) with Portland Timbers forward Jeremy Ebobisse, who's had three goals in his first three games at the MLS is Back tournament. Ebobisse, who's also a board member of the MLS Black Players for Change organization, discusses his story of becoming aware of racial justice issues, his biggest influences among writers, his role in forming the BPC group, the response of MLS commissioner Don Garber in a call with him and other Black players, and the issues in the league that he wants MLS and its clubs to address in the future. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer weekend with Taylor Rockwell of our partner the Total Soccer Show. They discuss Man United and Chelsea qualifying for next year's Champions League, Aston Villa staying up, Bournemouth and Watford being relegated, the NWSL final won by Houston over Chicago and the MLS in Back tournament, with Orlando and Philadelphia reaching the quarterfinals and a big LAFC-Seattle elimination game set for Monday night. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant is joined by Julie Uhrman (at 31:13), the president and founder of the Los Angeles NWSL expansion team announced this week. Uhrman explains the origin story of the new LA team, which had more than 30 owners, including A-list Hollywood actors, tech entrepreneurs and many former USWNT legends; lays out the tasks she plans to accomplish soon (including team name, colors and badge); describes the club's social mission and capital infusion; and provides other details about what comes next for the NWSL's newest team. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer news with Chris Wittyngham of the Chelsea Mike'd Up Podcast, including Liverpool's 5-3 win over Chelsea (featuring Christian Pulisic's virtuoso sub performance), Man United's 1-1 tie against West Ham, the stakes for Sunday's final day of the Premier League, Atlanta's failure in the MLS tournament and Houston making the NWSL final. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fascinating conversation with Matthew Wolff (at 27:30), the leading designer of soccer badges in the American game, about his work with LAFC, Racing Louisville, the Oakland Roots and several other clubs. Wolff, who worked in-house at Nike (with the Nigeria 2018 World Cup kit, France and PSG) and at NYCFC, tells the story of his origins as a soccer designer and how he goes about his process involving communities, color, typography and other elements.  Before that, Grant catches up on the soccer weekend with Daryl Grove of our partner podcast the Total Soccer Show. They discuss Chelsea's win over Manchester United and Arsenal's over Man City in the FA Cup semifinals; Leicester City's loss to Spurs and what it means for the Top 4 battle; the MLS tournament, including LAFC, young American goal scorers and the fun/great/bad San Jose win over Vancouver; and Portland's takedown of top-seeded North Carolina in the NWSL tournament. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has lively conversation with Lori Lindsey (at 19:47), who's calling a boatload of games during the NWSL Challenge Cup, which is at the quarterfinal stage. Lindsey, who played for the U.S. in World Cup 2011 and in all three top-flight women's leagues (WUSA, WPS, NWSL), discusses her thoughts on the four NWSL quarterfinal matchups; how she has moved into media with the NWSL, calling MLS games on the Nashville SC local broadcasts and NCAA and U.S. Open Cup games; how she approaches her volunteer gig representing the Athlete Council on the U.S. Soccer board of directors; how she handled the board's discussion of the repeal for anthem protests; and her front-row seat to what her friend Megan Rapinoe had to deal with in 2016 and '17 after she kneeled in protest of police brutality toward Black Americans. Before that, Grant breaks down the mid-week soccer news with Chris Wittyngham of the Chelsea: Mike'd Up Podcast. They discuss Arsenal's unlikely win over Liverpool, CAS overturning Man City's Champions League punishment, the remaining scenario for England's Champions League berths and the early lessons from the MLS tournament in Orlando. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

A candid Jozy Altidore speaks to Grant (at 29:44) about life in the MLS Orlando bubble, the powerful message he feels as part of MLS's Black Players for Change, whether he'll kneel once MLS starts playing the national anthem again, his push to support women's sports and the NWSL, his thoughts on equal pay and the USWNT, his take on the impact of MLS threatening a lockout and what's on his mind with the USMNT these days. Before that, Grant breaks down the soccer weekend with Taylor Rockwell of our partner the Total Soccer Show. They discuss Tottenham's win over Arsenal in the North London Derby, the wild race for England's Champions League berths, Atalanta's continued great form, the UEFA Champions League draw, the fits and starts of the MLS is Back Tournament and the standout storylines of the NWSL Challenge Cup in Utah. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

With MLS starting its bubble tournament in Orlando, Grant interviews Sam Stejskal (at 6:30), who covers MLS for The Athletic and co-hosts the podcast Allocation Disorder on the Total Soccer Show feed. They discuss the impact of Covid-19 on Dallas and Nashville and what to look for soccer-wise, and then Stejskal tells his career story and explains his strategies for covering MLS as a growing league with complex roster rules. Before that, Grant speaks to his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, a CNN medical analyst and host of the Epidemic podcast. She shares an expert's opinion on the wisdom of MLS staging a bubble tournament in virus hotspot Florida, as well as why she thinks there should have been a longer quarantine time upon arrival in Florida for MLS teams. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Jordan Gardner, the American co-owner of Denmark's FC Helsingor, which clinched promotion to the Danish second tier by the narrowest of margins on Saturday (at 26:45). The San Francisco-based Gardner, who led an American investor group that bought the club a year and a half ago, tells the story of what he has learned trying to bring American business approaches to a team in Denmark. He also explains how Covid-19 has forced his club to adapt—and why he had to alter his initial hopes of developing a raft of young American players there.  Before that, Grant raps with Daryl Grove of our partner The Total Soccer Show, about the soccer weekend that was, including why Chelsea and Manchester United are the most fun English teams to watch right now; whether Bayern Munich can keep its current phenomenal form after a long break when the UEFA Champions League resumes in August; whether Lionel Messi might seriously consider leaving Barcelona after next season; whether any NWSL team can challenge dynasty North Carolina Courage; and how we're feeling about the Covid-threatened MLSisBack tournament that's supposed to start on Wednesday. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews Chicago Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden (at 19:06) about the NWSL Challenge Cup and the emotional week her team has had with internal talks over Black Lives Matter in the wake of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police and the global protests that have followed. Gorden discusses why she wants the national anthem to be played before games, reads her powerful Instagram post about why she kneels and explains what the week has been like inside her team. She also talks about her story in soccer, what it's like to be a mom and model, and how real change can happen. Before that, Grant catches up with Chris Wittyngham of the Chelsea Mike'd Up Podcast on the latest news in the soccer world, including Chelsea's 3-2 loss to West Ham, Christian Pulisic's continued good form, the logjam for a Champions League spot in the Premier League, the club uncertainty for Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson, the rising Covid cases in the MLS bubble and the big TV audience and good game in the NWSL Challenge Cup. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews the legendary broadcaster Andrés Cantor (at 28:19), who just celebrated his 20th anniversary with Telemundo Deportes. Cantor tells some amazing stories about his career, including his origins in Argentina, moving to California with his family as a teenager and how he got into the commentating business. He also drops some classic tales about being with 19-year-old Diego Maradona in LA in 1979 involving Muhammad Ali and a high-speed test drive of a Chevy Camaro. Before that, Grant discusses the soccer weekend with Taylor Rockwell of the Total Soccer Show, our partner show. They talk about Christian Pulisic's standout week, a great week for U.S. coaches in Europe (Jesse Marsch and Pellegrino Matarazzo), the games and anthem protests of the NWSL Challenge Cup, Australia/New Zealand winning the hosting rights to the 2023 women's World Cup, the majesty of Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and much more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant teams up with his old partner from Sports Illustrated, Luis Miguel Echegaray (at 21:40), to catch up on what it means to have soccer back in the midst of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. They also talk about the chance for soccer to get new eyeballs in the U.S. as the only pro team sport going for the next month. Before that, Chris Wittyngham of the Chelsea Mike'd Up podcast joins up to discuss the latest soccer news, including Liverpool's destruction of Crystal Palace, Atalanta's big comeback win against Lazio, Real Madrid staying a hair ahead of Barça atop La Liga, the Thursday naming of the women's World Cup host country for 2023, and the start of the NWSL Challenge Cup this Saturday. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fascinating conversation with ESPN's Hérculez Gómez (at 32:38) on his inside stories from the 2010 USA World Cup team on the 10th anniversary of the tournament. He goes game by game, from England to Slovenia to Algeria to Ghana and everything before and after that stood out to him.  Before that, Grant discusses a busy soccer weekend with show partner Daryl Grove of the Total Soccer Show. They discuss a standout weekend for Americans Abroad, including Gio Reyna's first Dortmund start (and phenomenal assist), Christian Pulisic's important goal for Chelsea, solid performances by Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie and the impending promotion to the German Bundesliga by Stuttgart manager Pellegrino Matarazzo. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a fun interview with his old friend Lothar Matthäus (at 18:12), who won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, captained the 1990 World Cup-winning West Germany side and won the European Championship and the UEFA Champions League in a remarkable 22-year pro career. They talk about a range of topics, including the 30-year anniversary of the '90 World Cup triumph, what Matthäus talks about with old rival Diego Maradona when they meet up (classic games and Diego's weight issues!), Bayern Munich's 8-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga, Alphonso Davies, Tyler Adams, Kai Havertz and much, much more. Before that, Grant speaks with show producer Chris Wittyngham of the Chelsea Mike'd Up podcast about the restart of the Premier League, David Luiz's very bad day, Napoli's triumph over Juventus in the Coppa Italia final, Weston McKennie's continued lone bright spot in a very bad stretch for Schalke and Adams playing well in central midfield for Leipzig but still dropping points. They also discuss fan blobs in La Liga, Germany's superiority over England in fake fan noise and the nonsense of fake card-waving ad-driven fans in Italy. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4   Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

The NWSL will be the first U.S. pro contact sports league to resume play when its 25-game Challenge Cup starts in Utah on June 27, with all games on CBS Sports and Twitch platforms. Grant speaks to first-year NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird about how the tournament came together; how Baird and her staff landed Verizon as a multi-year league sponsor; how she has dealt with an extremely challenging first three months on the job; how the league will be looking out for player safety; how the league will support its players and policies during the Black Lives Matter protests and beyond; how her previous jobs at the NFL and the USOPC have prepared her for her current gig; how she's managing the differing interests of NWSL owners; and how the NWSL is looking at continued expansion interest, even during a pandemic. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

The Premier League is back on Wednesday, and Grant has a blockbuster interview with Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp (at 0:45) as the Reds get closer and closer to their first English title in 30 years. Klopp discusses a range of topics, including his thoughts on the coronavirus response and Black Lives Matter; the little things he loves about football that he missed the last three months; how many more seasons his front three of Sadio Mané, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino (all 28 years old) can stay at the top together; and how the most prolific-hugging coach in world sports will handle being told he can't hug people due to social distancing. Then Grant speaks to Taylor Rockwell of our partner the Total Soccer Show about the weekend in soccer (at 20:20) and finishes the show with an interview of Common Goal's Nathen McVittie and Zack Goldman (at 40:25), multitalented guys who designed the branding and identity of this podcast. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4   Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a wide-ranging interview with one of his dearest friends, Gabriele Marcotti of ESPN. They talk about his new book with Gianluca Vialli, Goals: Inspirational Stories to Help Tackle Life's Challenges; the influence that attending college in the U.S. and consuming American media has had on his work in England; the career decision he made to focus less on news-breaking and more on well-informed punditry; his thoughts on MLS 25 years after writing about the start of the league at Columbia Journalism School; the rise of cosmopolitanism in the English Premier League; how he approaches a typical work week; and some of the things he's interested in doing career-wise in the future. Grant and Gabriele have covered World Cups together going back to 1998 and shared a house with other journalists during World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4   Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant has a revealing interview with Henrikh Mkhitaryan (starting at 30:55), the best player ever from Armenia, who has had an impressive season with Roma on loan from Arsenal. Mkhitaryan discusses the benefits of his ability to speak six languages fluently, why Premier League players have adapted well to Serie A, why he'd prefer to stay longer at Roma instead of returning to Arsenal, what it felt like to miss a European final due to not feeling safe in Azerbaijan, his greatest goal ever, and the positives and negatives of having as his agent Mino Raiola, the Scott Boras of European soccer. Before that, Grant catches up on the soccer news with Daryl Grove of our partners the Total Soccer Show. They discuss the new voice found by the young leaders of the USMNT during the protests against police brutality against black Americans; the long-term impact of the relationship between MLS players and owners being "set back years" by the threat of a lockout; the impact of Timo Werner's expected move to Chelsea for Christian Pulisic; Grant's concern that Megan Rapinoe may never play again competitively; and, with La Liga starting again on Thursday, the importance of watching Lionel Messi (soon to turn 33) while we still can. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4   Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant interviews U.S. World Cup 2002 star Tony Sanneh, whose Sanneh Foundation has become a force in the Twin Cities over the last 17 years, employing 50 full-time employees and raising an annual budget in excess of $3 million to serve thousands of minorities in his hometown and in Haiti. Sanneh describes how he has experienced the last week following the Minneapolis police murder of George Floyd, explains what his group has been doing for the community curing Covid-19 and the protests, and shares his raw thoughts on whether he thinks real change can actually happen in the America of 2020. Grant also shares his opinion segment on how MLS players feel it will take years to repair their relationship with MLS owners after they threatened a lockout—no pay, no health benefits for their families—during a pandemic.  Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In a special bonus episode, Grant interviews Roberto Martínez, who recently extended his contract as the head coach and technical director for the No. 1 team in the FIFA world rankings, Belgium, through World Cup 2022. Martínez, who used to manage Everton, Wigan and Swansea City and has worked for ESPN during several major tournaments, has a chapter on him in Grant's book Masters of Modern Soccer. In their interview, Martínez shares why he wanted to continue with Belgium for another two years; his memories of eliminating Brazil and winning third place at World Cup 2018; what it's like to work with Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard; how he's dealing with the year's delay of Euro 2020; which club team he has enjoyed watching the most this season; and whether he would be interested in the USMNT job for World Cup 2026 in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Martínez is known as one of the true gentlemen of the game, and he shows that again in this interview. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

In our latest episode, Grant interviews Hall of Famer Marcelo Balboa about his experience in the past and the present as a central figure in the American soccer experience. In the interview (which starts at 24:42), Balboa discusses his history playing in three World Cups, being part of the start of MLS and his role these days as a broadcaster and coach in the Colorado Rapids Developmental Academy. Before that, Grant delivers an essay on racism in soccer and speaks to Taylor Rockwell of the Total Soccer Show about the soccer weekend. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant speaks to one of soccer's most soothing and informed voices, Derek Rae, who broadcasts world feed Bundesliga games, Premier League games for NBC Sports, World Cups for Fox Sports, video games for EA Sports and the NFL and Premier League for Prime Video. In their interview (which starts at 2:45) they discuss Bayern Munich's likely title-sealing 1-0 win at Borussia Dortmund and focus on Rae's love for the soccer culture of Germany, dating from his early days of listening to German radio from his native Aberdeen, Scotland. Rae has called soccer games all over Germany, and he explains why he recently decided to share detailed video breakdowns about German culture and soccer on his Twitter feed.  Grant opens the episode of this podcast, a co-production with our friends at the Total Soccer Show, with his take on the simulated crowd noise on the Fox Sports Bundesliga broadcasts from empty stadiums.  You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and wherever you get your podcasts. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

USMNT legend and San Diego Loyal manager Landon Donovan joins the show, first to ask 10 minutes of good questions about the coronavirus to Dr. Celine Gounder, Grant's wife and co-host of the Epidemic Podcast (at 18:53). Then Grant interviews Donovan about soccer stuff (at 31:10), including his thoughts on the German Bundesliga and the culture around soccer in Germany compared to his experience on loans at Everton. They also discuss Donovan's emotional reaction to Matt Pentz's recent oral history in The Athletic about Donovan's famous World Cup 2010 goal against Algeria—and why Grant was in the stadium that day but didn't see the goal. Donovan also discusses his feelings about sharing the all-time USMNT goals record with Clint Dempsey, what made Dempsey special and why he thinks it's no coincidence that he and Dempsey came from lower-middle-class backgrounds. This podcast is a co-production with our friends at the Total Soccer Show, and to open the show Grant is joined by TSS's Daryl Grove to look ahead to Tuesday's Bundesliga game of the year, Borussia Dortmund-Bayern Munich. They also give their thoughts on the new manufactured crowd noise on the Bundesliga broadcasts, the rise of Bayern's Canadian left back Alphonso Davies and the breakout star turn of Lutz Pfannensteil, who analyzes Bundesliga games on TV, works as Fortuna Düsseldorf's sporting director, is the only pro to have played on six continents and has an insane memoir, The Unstoppable Keeper. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 2 features an interview with ESPN's Julie Foudy, the two-time World Cup winner and two-time Olympic gold medalist who hosts the "Laughter Permitted with Julie Foudy" podcast. Foudy gives the lowdown on how the deal got done for the upcoming Netflix feature film on her 1999 Women's World Cup-winning team, speculating on casting decisions and revealing that the proceeds from the life rights sale of the eight players involved are being spread out among the rest of the members of the '99 team. She also talks about the latest in the USWNT players' gender-discrimination lawsuit against U.S. Soccer, why she wanted to do her own podcast and how she has gone about transitioning from an elite player into a successful media personality whose influence goes far beyond the soccer world. This podcast publishes every Monday and Thursday and is a co-production with our friends at the Total Soccer Show. You can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts and more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 1 of "Fútbol With Grant Wahl" features an interview with Tyler Adams, the 21-year-old USMNT midfielder (and future captain), about all the unusual things surrounding the German Bundesliga's return to the field and his first game back with RB Leipzig. Adams (whose interview starts at 12:44), talks about reaching the rarified air of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals (after eliminating Tottenham), reveals who the funniest USMNT player is on their team-wide text-message chain and describes what Germany did to become the first major soccer league to return to play during the coronavirus. This podcast is a co-production with our friends at The Total Soccer Show, and to open the show Grant is joined by TSS's Taylor Rockwell for a fun talk about the return of elite live soccer, whether Dortmund's Erling Haaland is the new Ivan Drago, what it's like watching games in empty stadiums, their excitement for the May 26 showdown between Dortmund and Bayern Munich and much more. You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts and more. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4 Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe

Grant Wahl, who has covered soccer for more than two decades, is one of the world’s leading fútbol journalists. In his new podcast, he shares his thoughts on the sport and interviews the biggest names and the most intriguing figures in the game. Please consider subscribing and coming on the journey. We promise you'll learn a lot about the world's greatest sport. Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4&feature=youtu.be Get full access to Fútbol with Grant Wahl at grantwahl.substack.com/subscribe