Footy Banter

Whaaaaatup and welcome back for episode 104 of Footy Banter. After an extended, unannounced hiatus of our own doing, we came back guns a slingin this week to unpack the entire premier league season in order. We see what we got right from our preseason predictions, and just how wrong we could be about United and Tottenham. Tell ya friends.

Whaaaaatup and welcome back for episode 103. With the first legs of the Champions League Semi-finals down, we break down each side's chances of glory come May 31st.Can Arsenal come back from 1-0 down on the road in Paris? How the hell is Inter vs Barcelona going to play out back at the San Siro? And,  most importantly, will our pre-knockout prediction of PSG vs Inter going to play out in the final?Listen and tell a friend!

Whaaaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 102. This week, we're joined by Max Neve of Studio 14. We walk through Studio 14's efforts to explore the intersection of sport, society, culture, and fashion through individual case studies, and connect that to a larger conversation surrounding American soccer culture in this "wild west" landscape.Then, we blast you with MLS updates from everything that's happened so far this season in our nation's top flight, and walk through how USL's proposed Promotion/Relegation structure could shake up the norms going forward.Listen, enjoy, and tell a friend!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 101!This week, we're talking all things USMNT after their Nations League exit last week. We break down some issues from a squad point of view, a federation point of view, and a geo-political (?) point of view as the US is set to host World Cup 2026 under ... difficult circumstances. Listen and tell a friend!

Whaaaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 100 of Footy Banter. To celebrate the century mark, we broke out the thinking caps with special guest Trey Fillmore.This week, we're talking all things soccer data and advanced metrics. How important are they as an evaluation tool? Which metrics should be used? Which should be avoided? And above all, how much do they actually matter?Give it a listen and tell a friend!

Whaaaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 99 of Footy Banter. This week, we're bringing you a first (we think): a Champions League bracket challenge.With this year's new format, the random draws are gone, and there are brackets to be made from the Round of 16 on, so you best believe we're building this one out democracy style.The three of us will vote on each fixture, with the favored side moving on in a rapid, somewhat well-thought-out melee of prognostication.The result? A bracket none of us really wanted or believed in, but the bracket we made with our hearts and minds nonetheless.Enjoy and tell a friend!

Whaaaaaaaatup and welcome back for episode 98This week, we bring on a friend of the program, Will Flannery. He's a former D3 teammate turned coach, who walks us through the managerial world of American soccer through the lens of a former player. We talk through his coaching journey before diving into a chat about Arsenal, his favorite club. We talk through their title aspirations, Mikel Arteta's standing amongst the fans, and what the Gunners need to make it to that next level.Enjoy and tell a friend!

Whaaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 97. This week, we're talking all things January transfer window and building a starting XI of players who found a new club this winter. We bring some big name big money moves, and also some smaller niche transfers that we found generally interesting. But most of all, we had fun :)Listen along and tell a friend!

Whaaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 96. This week, we're back after a our multi-week pause to bring you a special episode with special guest, Chris Bowerbank. He's representing Guerrilla FC, the club famously home to our very own Will Brock. Chris walks us through the history and mission of the DC-based club, and walks us through what a footballing "Utopia" is all about. Flare, expression and culture are all in, while corporations and cookie-cutter styles are very much out.Give it a listen and tell a friend!

Whaaaaatup, welcome back, and happy New Year! We're back with episode 95 to bring you a New Year's resolution for all 20 Premier League clubs. Is it a new signing? A new manager? Or a new stadium altogether? Listen along to find out, and tell all of your friends and/or family about it once you do. Enjoy!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 94. For this week's headlines, we talk:- Galaxy lifting MLS Cup- Arsenal as set piece merchants- City's continued struggles- Simone Inzaghi as the best coach in the world (right now?)- American Bias/Stigma in world footballThen, we round it out with some oddly difficult trivia. Enjoy!

Whaaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 93! This week, we're bringing you what we're thankful for in this footballing world, even if it almost killed Will to do it.Then, we bring you headlines from around the globe. At home, we break down a wild MLS playoff bracket, a particularly sad Hudson River Derby for us Pigeons, and the first dominant display for the USMNT under Poch. Abroad, we break down Manchester City's continued struggles, Amorim's debut at Manchester United, and the return of the Champions League.Enjoy, tell a friend, eat some turkey, talk to family, and travel safe :)

Whaaaatup and welcome back for episode 92! This week, Lauren Sesselmann and Danny Rose join the program this week to walk us through their up-and-coming Yerba Mate brand, Pablo's Mate.As the founder and co-owner of Pablo's Mate, Danny tells us what his brand is all about, and explains the intersection of mate and the beautiful game. Sesselmann, the former Canadian International and real life Olympic medalist, gives us really cool insight into her playing days, and walks us through a bit of what she's been up to since hanging up the boots on the professional stage.Enjoy, tell a friend, and try some Pablo's Mate!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 91! This week we bring you our 5min headlines from around the footballing world and play some trivia. Enjoy!

Whaaatup and welcome back for Episode 90! This week we're bringing you aall of the headlines we've missed in the last few weeks and doing it on a shot clock. We bring you a tight 5 on Rodri's (controversial?) Ballon D'or, Ruben Amorim's appointment at Manchester United, and the title aspirations of Arsenal, Manchester City, and Liverpool. We round it out with some thoughts on the new Champions League format, and some updates on the MLS Playoff picture.Enjoy!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for episode 89 of Footy Banter. This week, we're talking women's soccer and rolling out the red carpet for our esteemed guest, Annie Pendleton. As a lifelong player and fan of the game, she helps break down the state of the women's game today. From challenges to triumphs, and roadblocks to breakthroughs, Annie brings us a bit of perspective of how she sees the game today, and how it might differ from the men's side of things.We focus in on the USWNT, and how these upcoming friendlies against Iceland, Iceland, and Argentina might show us a glimpse into the future of the federation. Enjoy! 

Whaaatup and welcome back for Episode 88! This week, we welcome Sader Matar to the program to walk us through all things Mexican soccer. We chat about Mexico taking down the USMNT 2-0, the state of the Mexican federation, and how Liga M-X fits into the picture compared to European exports. Enjoy!

Whaaaatp and welcome back for ANOTHER international break episode. We can hardly contain our excitement. This week, to pass the time, we created our own country and gave it a national team. I'm not sure exactly where we landed on the logistics, but I'm pretty sure we annexed the pacific garbage patch and made it our own. Then, we drafted players from different countries around the footballing world to build up national team roster.Enjoy!

Whaaaaatup and welcome back to Footy Banter! This week, we're talking two pretty different topics: Major League Soccer, and the growing issue of fixture congestion worldwide. We bring you some updates from the Major League Soccer playoff race, a few words on each of the contenders, and how Messi's Miami are looking after locking up the supporters shield mere hours after this podcast was recorded. Then, we pivot pretty hard tbh and start talking about how bad the fixture congestion problem actually is around the world. And, if these problems aren't going anywhere, how will teams have to adapt to cope with it? Is a strike inevitable? Or will teams just rack up 40-man squads like Chelsea? Who knows? I hop you enjoy!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for episode 85! Our Serie A correspondent, Niko Filippi, joins the show to walk us through how its all unfolding in Italy these days. In a mildly too late season preview, we break down how things were supposed to shake out going into the season, and how these things  actually are shaking out 5 matches in.Enjoy!

Whaaaaatup and welcome back for season 3 episode 5! Fresh off the back of the first ever Footy Banter Tournament, we take you through the latest in a much larger tournament: The Champions League, and its new format.We chat through exactly how this new structure is supposed to work, and try to figure out if we like it or not. We talk through the pros, cons, and weird kinks for this "league phase" and how it might be better or worse than the old model. Enjoy!

Hellllo and welcome back for Season 3 Episode 4! We keep the Season Preview's coming with the biggest of the lot so far: Manchester City.We bring in our Resident Manchester City Correspondent, Sage Ranaldo, to break down all things City in 24/25. From Pep's next tactical tweak, to the promise of new signings like Savinho and Gündogan, to the implications of "1-1-5" and how things could shake out in the courts come January, Sage has you covered with everything you could possibly need know about the subject. Listen along and tell a friend!

Whaaaaaatup and welcome back for Season 3 Episode 3 as we hit you with another Season Preview. This time, we're stepping away from the big 6 and focusing in on everyone's second favorite team: Brighton.Our special guest, esteemed collegue, and true box-to-box midfielder, Brendan McGovern walks us through his journey of trading the giants of Manchester United for the people's club of Brighton and Hove Albion. We talk their impressive transfer strategy, their innovative style of play, their deep forward line, and all the different ways AMERICAN head coach, Fabian Hürzeler, can set up this exciting Premier League side.Plus, we finally bring back trivia and do some math on air. Enjoy!

Whaaaaaaaatup and welcome back for Season 3 episode 2. This week, we're back on Prem Predictions with a bang to unpack the very active, always in the headlines, Chelsea Football Club.Our resident Chelsea Correspondent, Max Matsumoto, walks us through all things London Blue. From last season summation, to the many offseason dealings, to what their best XI might actually be next season, we give it a go in summing up what to expect from Chelsea in 2024/25.Will the talent of Cole Palmer, Joao Felix, Enzo Fernandez, and Christopher Nkunku be enough to lead this young side to meet their high expectations? And, how will Todd Bholey's financial strategies impact how Chelsea might look this year, and in years to come.Listen, and tell a friend. Hell, tell two! That's be a great day for me if you told two friends about this podcast. If everyone did that we'd be like, the biggest podcast in the world. Nice!

Heeelllooo and Welcome back for Season 3 Episode 1. We cannot believe we have been doing this for 2 entire years now -  thats borderline outrageous behavior from us.And, we're back for season three with an announcement! We'll be partnering up with Love.Fútball for a first annual Footy Banter 5-a-side Tournament on Saturday, September 14th. We'll be running this at JJ Walker Park in the West Village, and we'll have a cash prize for the winning team which we'll match with a donation to Love.Football. Hit us up if you're interested in starting or joining a team!As for the episode, it was the annual tradition: blindly predicting the upcoming Premier League Season with significant time left in the transfer window, and little to no idea what will actually transpire. But, you gotta try ... right?

Whaaaaatup and welcome back for episode 79! We continue our summer preview series with a rundown of Tottenham Hotspur. Our esteemed guest and senior Tottenham Correspondent, Max Barrett, walks you through everything you need to know about the North London Side heading into the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.One year after losing Harry Kane, where are Tottenham in this re-build? How should last season be viewed, and what should expectations be for next season? Will Heung-Min Son and Richarlison be enough to lead the front line, or will reinforcements like Dominic Solanke and Pedro Neto be needed to bag the goals? Plus, how will new young signings Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall get on in their new threads? 

Whaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 78! This week, we're doing the first club in our Summer Preview series. What better place than with the biggest club in the world (wink wink).Will walks us through everything he thinks this dumpster fire needs to get back to its former glory. From signings already made like Leny Yoro and Joshua Zirkzee, to signings left to be made like Methias De Ligt, Manuel Ugarte, Martin Zubemendi, or Johan Bakayoko. Or like 6 other dudes he mentioned but cant remember right now as i'm typing this? There were a lot of names.Plus, how will Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho, Kobbie Mainoo, and *gulp* Antony fare in a make or break season for Erik Ten Hag?We give some rpedicted starting XI's and some final table projections for the Red Devils going into the 2024/25 season. Enjoy!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for episode 77 of Footy Banter. With the Euros and Copa America coming to an end this weekend, we bring you a best Xi of the tournament from each:Our Copa America best XI came out as: Emi Martinez, Alphonso Davies, Ronald Araujo,  Daniel Munoz, Richard Rios, Fede Valverde, James Rodriguez, Latauro Martinez, Salomon Rondon, and Lionel Messi Our Euros Team : Jordan Pickford, Marc Guehi, William Saliba, Dani Carvajal, Rodri, fabian Ruiz, Niko Williams, Dani Olmo, Cody Gakpo, Jamal Musiala, and Lamine YamalAnd most importantly, who would emerge victorious if the two sides were to play in some inter-continental super tournament comprised of entire regions? Who's to say?Enjoy!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for episode 76 of Footy Banter.This week is a bit of a risky episode in that we are already lining up a replacement for USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter before any actual decision has been made about his job security. We're like, pretty sure we're gonna sack him (like we gotta, right?) but at the time of recording, that decision has not been made. I hope to god we do not look like idiots after this comes out.Nonetheless, we talk allll the options we can think of. From the dream appointment of Jurgen Klopp, to some more realistic options like Wilfried Nancy, Steve Cherundolo, and Harvé Renard. We also discuss our inability to keep BJ Callaghan around, and how the hell we didnt land Jesse Marsch when he literally wanted the job. Plus, how do figures like Patrick Viera, Thierry Henry, and Fabian Hurzeler fit into everything? And, what role does being American have to do with being the coach of the USMNT?Listen along and enjoy!

Whaaatup and welcome back for Episode 75! This week, we talk all things Euro 2024 and Copa America as we move further into both tournaments.In a brief MLS Blast, we talk how Inter Miami are still finding W's without Leo Messi, and the tightening race in the West between LA Galaxy, LAFC, and Real Salt Lake.As the group stages come to a close in the Euros, we talk everything from Gareth Southgate's sputtering England squad, to Mbappe and France's struggles to find their final gear. We discuss Ralf Rangnick's impressive dark horse in Austria, and hometown favorites Germany and their free-flowing attack with Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala. Plus, is Portugal's side (Cristiano Ronaldo included) the real deal? Or is it still trying to find the best version of itself.On the other side of the Atlantic, we break down the first round of the Copa America groups stages. How did Christian Pulisic and the USMNT fair against Bolivia? Is Gio Reyna the best fit in this midfield, or is it Yunus Musah? And, what's going on in Brazil? Is this Vinicious Jr's Team? Or will they continue to struggle without Neymar? And, will Leo Messi and Argentina continue to roll with Julian Alvarez up top? Or will Latauro Martinez get his chance to shine this tournament?Enjoy!

Whaaatup and welcome back for episode 74This week, we're previewing the Copa America through an American lens. We break down Gregg Berhalter's USMNT roster, and how his starting XI may shake out. With Sergiño Dest out, how does Joe Scally fill the void?  Does Gregg look to play Gio Reyna as a number 10? Or will he be shut out again? What happens at the number 6 position between Tyler Adams and Johnny Cordoso? And, who will line up as our number 9: Folarin Balogan or Ricardo Pepi?Plus, we break down some of the heavy hitters. Who should be considered the favorite? Is it Vinicious Jr and a Neymar-less Brazil? Or is it Leo Messi and Argentina?  And, how does Darwin Nunez and Co. fair for a Marcelo Bielsa-lead Uruguay? And are Colombia actually nice??Enjoy! 

Whaaatup and welcome back for episode 73. This week, we're talking everything Euro 2024. We break down every group, every team, and all the contenders as fast as we possibly can to fit everything in 1-hour . You're welcome.We talk the favorites between the stacked squads of France and England. Is Kylian Mbappé, Antoine Griezmann, William Saliba, Eduardo Camavinga, and Tchueimeni enough to take down Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Phil Foden, and all those other super good players? I dont know at all.Plus, Portugal's ridiculous attack of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rafa Leao, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Joao Felix, and the Netherlands outrageous center back stockpile of Virgil Van Dijk, De Light, Mickey van de Ven, Nathan Ake, Stefan De Vrij, and Daley Blind.Enjoy!

Hello and welcome to the first annual Footy Banter awards show! We carefully analyzed the 2023/24 season of soccer around this great wide world and came up with some awards for it. Some nominations and conversations include...Who was the player of the season: Vini Jr or Jude Bellingham? Which bald person produced a more impressive season: Pep Guardiola or Jean-Phelippe Mateta? Which goal was more impressive: Alejandro Garnacho's bike against Everton or  that one random meg/rabona from the Championship (you know the one I mean)Enjoy!

Whaaaaatup and welcome back for Episode 71. This week, we talk Inter Miami's "load management" and what that means for ticket prices, break down more managerial madness with alllll the new appointments, and give a little preview for the Champions League final. Enjoy!

Whaaaaatup welcome back and sorry for our second straight year-end hiatus for no reason. We were busy.We talk...- Our first week as a fully credentialed outlet at the Hudson River Derby for NYCFC vs New York Red Bulls at Citi Field- Pep Guardiola's dominance in the Premier League with Manchester City, plus Haaland, De Bruyne, Foden, Gundogan, and John Stones as club heros. - How close Arsenal came to glory, and what Mikel Arteta needs to do to get it right next year. Is Odegaard, Rice, Saka and Saliba enough? - Bayer Leverkusen's season coming to an end it tragic fashion for football (we're sorry Atalanta). How Xabi Aolonso's side should be viewed by history without being perfect. Does the Europa League count as a treble?- Chelsea's split with Mauricio Pochettino. Is anything ever really mutual? Who does Chelsea appoint from here? And where does Poch turn for his next job?

Whaaaatup and welcome back for episode 69 (no comment) This week, we're taking Champions League Semi-Finals and the final lap of the Premier League Title race. Plus we play some trivia, and tell stories of our MLS Coverage. Enjoy!

Whaaatup and welcome back for episode 68!This week, we're ranking the top 10 players of the 2023/24 season. Ya boys are going round robin, and blindly counting down from 10 to 1 until we've ranked the ten best players of the season. Plus we bring an MLS Blast and Trivia! Rate us five stars please, that'd be great. Unless you didn't enjoy it, in which case please don't tell us (it WILL hurt our feelings).

Whaaatup and welcome back for episode 67. This week, we're breaking down all four quarterfinal ties as we see PSG ravage Barca, Dortmund bounce Atleti, Bayern top Arsenal, and Madrid outlast City in PKs. Enjoy! 

Whaaaaatup excuse the audio and welcome back! I dont know why our mics kinda imploded but we bring our champions league rundown nonetheless. We talk Arsenal vs Bayern, Madrid vs City, PSG vs Barca, and Atleti vs Dortmund.Enjoy! 

Whaaaatup we're back for Episode 65 and we're talking through the biggest headlines we could think of (through like a 6-7 minute brainstorm tbf) from around the footballing world.Listen to it right now. Please. It would help us out a lot. 

Whaaaatup and welcome back to episode 64 of footy banter. This week we take a few minutes to talk through the concept of international soccer in general. What is its place in the modern game? What do we think of players turning down their federations *cough cough Ben White and Leon Bailey*? And, how do we manage fixture congestion with International and Domestic soccer going full steam ahead, 24/7?Enjoy, and tell a friend!

Whaaaaatupp and welcome back for episode 63! This week, we're talking headlines around the soccering world. A continental breakfast, if you'd like.We break down Manchester United's wild victory over Liverpool in the FA Cup, recap some of last week's champions league matches, and preview the draws for the next round. Then, we try to wrap our heads around why Forrest got a points deduction (and why that specific number of points??), and round it off with some MLS recap.Enjoy!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for episode 62! This week, we're taking the best of the best and making a best XI. We're building a starting lineup of the Premier League title chasers: Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City. It was pretty hard tbh - there's a lot of good players in there as it turns out.Plus, we play some MLS trivia since we're now officially *credentialed media members*

Whaaatup and welcome back for episode 61. This week, we're just giving some love to some of our favorite players this season. Who's over-performing? Who's not getting enough credit? Who's vibe are you liking this year?We also bring some MLS recap, some game day fit ideas, and some trivia. Enjoy!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for episode 60. This week, we're talking all things MLS ahead of the 2024 season. Our special guest Owen Murray hops on and helps walk us through some new arrivals, some controversies, and contenders for the upcoming campaign. Enjoy!

whaaaatup and welcome back to episode 59. This week, we're talking the return of the champions league, and the round of 16 matches that have either already kicked off, or are kicking off next week. We bring some rundowns of each matchup, and a prediction for each matchup. Plus, we chat through the latest MLS kit drops ahead of the 2024 season. Enjoy!

Whaaaatup and welcome back for episode 58! This week, we're trying to predict how the Premier League season will end. Who's taking home the title, who's rounding out the top-4, and who's going down to the Championship?Plus, we spin the sad tale of poor 'ol Duncan Maguire, and play some trivia. Sorry if the audio kinda sucks we're working on it :)

Whaaaaatp and welcome back for episode 57Just a 2-man episode this week as we speculate why this January transfer window has been so quiet. We talk lack of FFP (*PSR aCtUaLlY) and its implications in the modern game, and how teams can still build their squads under the new regulations

Whaaatup we're back for episode 56 with a new recording platform *that shall go unnamed until we get the sponsorship*Bear with us as we figure out the new platform and try to understand basic microphone technology. But at some point we do talk about Antoine Griezmann's great last few years, the success of different underdogs around the world despite the Super League talk, and the proposed behind-the-scenes docuseries for MLS.Enjoy!

whaaaatup we're back with our Premier League team of the season (so far) with a twist: we can only use one player from each club. We stole this from twitter but it was fun so we ran with itPlus, we bring some advanced stat trivia and the MLS blast - enjoy!

Whaaatup we're back for episode 54 with a Max and Brock special. John has been missing for 12 days and no one knows his exact location at this time. He said he was "finding himself" but we dont know what that means. Anyway, the brilliant and talented dynamic duo holds down the fort and talks AFCON, AFC Asian Cup, and January Transfers in this weeks episode. Enjoy and tell a friend!