Infinite Football

The boys reconvened for a special episode to discuss Ryan's new book, Net Gains: Inside the Beautiful Game's Analytics Revolution. They all send their love. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nograssintheclouds.substack.com

Not so “infinite”, huh? From Ryan, Franco, and Tom: We love you all. Subscribe at nograssintheclouds.substack.com

There were some issues with the initial upload, so let’s try this again: On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss eating semi-continental breakfasts on Long Island, balling in parking garages, getting in knife fights, and various other things of that nature, before breaking down the state of the Champions League and analyzing the latest moves on the managerial merry-go-round. Note: this episode was recorded on Wednesday (11/3) evening. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss eating semi-continental breakfasts on Long Island, balling in parking garages, getting in knife fights, and various other things of that nature, before breaking down the state of the Champions League and analyzing the latest moves on the managerial merry-go-round. Note: this episode was recorded on Wednesday (11/3) evening. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss what it’s like to be washed. Then they dive into the never-ending saga at Manchester United: When will Ole Gunnar Solskjaer inevitably lose his job? Should they hire Antonio Conte? (Duh.) And will any of it actually make a material long-term difference? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the state of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United before dissecting a truly special listener email. Then they conclude by previewing Sunday’s incredible slate of matches. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the future of Newcastle United’s roster after the club was taken over by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. Another nation-state purchasing a soccer club: really bad. Thinking about how said nation-state will try to build its team: really interesting. Also, all hail Luis Diaz. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan and Franco talked about, well, a lot of stuff. What would they do if they ran FIFA for a day? If they could steal any non-Champions League player to join the USMNT, who would they pick? Why did Ryan risk his life for a rec-league victory? Did Franco actually coach Ricardo Pepi at one point? All that, and lots more. Note: This episode was recorded on Wednesday night. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom envision what a soccer equivalent of golf’s Ryder Cup would look like. Who would start for Team Europe and Team Rest of the World? Where would the games take place? And more importantly, who would win? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan quizzes Tom and Franco about some early-season stats. How good are Bayern Munich? How bad are Juventus and Barcelona? And how much do we love Jack Grealish and Adama Traore? Then they conclude the show by breaking down Ronnie Brunswijk’s historic debut in the CONCACAF Champions League. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom hold an auction draft for the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League. Everyone gets five teams, and the further your teams go, the more points you get. People are already saying that Ryan’s draft is a public humiliation on the scale of something we haven’t seen since the height of the Protestant Reformation. Listen to see if you agree. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan is joined by Noah Davis and Andrew Helms discuss the USMNT’s confusing start to World Cup qualifying. Have these three games changed their opinions about the state of the team? Has there been any tangible progress since Gregg Berhalter took over as manager? And, uh, why the hell do they look so different from game to game? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco discuss all of the major moves and trends from the summer transfer window: Has the power center of Europe officially shifted to Paris and the Premier League? How many Chelsea teams could qualify for the Champions League? What’s going on with Barcelona and Atletico Madrid and Antoine Griezmann? Why are Manchester United doing this? And plenty more.Show notes:-“The Woman Who Accuses Ronaldo of Rape”, Der Spiegel Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco discuss all of the news surrounding Kylian Mbappe, Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane, Manchester City, Real Madrid, and PSG. Then they conclude the show by selecting a new member of the Infinite Football Starting XI. One note: the episode was recorded before Harry Kane confirmed he would be staying at Tottenham. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom each offer up their massive overreactions to the first week of the European domestic season. Will Arsenal get relegated? Is Barcelona better without Messi? Is Erling Haaland better than Messi? Listen to find out. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco are joined by the Soccer Don, Donnie Kwak, to run back a bigger and better version of this summer’s Euros goals draft. They each draft a player from each of Europe’s five biggest leagues. Come the end of the season, most combined goals wins. Domestic goals only. Let us know who has the best — and more importantly, worst — team. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom … preview the Premier League season. Too early? It starts next week! They looked at the betting-market projections for all 20 teams and predicted whether each club would finish over, under, or in the same spot. Note: This episode was recorded on the evening of August 3. Major transfers may or may not have occurred by the time you listen. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan and Tom discuss Manchester United’s busy summer. With the arrivals of genuine stars Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, have they finally figured out the transfer market? Did they really need to give OGS a new contract? And when can they realistically expect to challenge for the Premier League title? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss Italy’s win over England in the Euro 2020 final: What did Roberto Mancini get right and what did Gareth Southgate get wrong? Then they touch on Lionel Messi and Argentina’s Copa America triumph before looking ahead to the 2021 World Cup and considering whether or not the success of aggressive soccer this summer will inspire national-team managers to start opening things up. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco break down Italy’s win over Spain and England’s win over Denmark before previewing Sunday’s final: Will either manager change things up? Will … anyone score? Who would start in a combined XI? Then they conclude with a discussion about Saturday’s Copa America final between Brazil and Argentina. It’s not quite Messi vs. Neymar, but well, it kind of is. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss a wild Round of 16 and look ahead to the quarterfinals: What happened to the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, and France? Are we more or less confident in Spain and Italy after both teams went to ET? Will England ever take more than 9 shots? And: Denmark! Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco fill out their full brackets for the Euro 2020 knockout rounds. Will England get past Germany? Could the Netherlands seriously make the final? And who will emerge from the the Quadrant of Death? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco discuss all of the action at Euro 2020. How did Italy become everyone’s favorite team? Will England keep the same starting XI through the rest of the tournament? OH MY GOD DID YOU SEE PAUL POGBA? And lots more! Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan and Tom are joined by the original Soccer Don, the world’s preeminent vegan-but-only-for-cleats, Donnie Kwak of Complex. They each draft a team of five goal-scorers for Euro 2020, and the rules are simple: most total goals wins! How high did Karim Benzema go? Did someone actually pick Ferran Torres? Also: YILMAZ? Let us know who you think has the best team. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the upcoming summer of soccer: Who’s gonna win Euro 2020 in 2021? Will anyone win the Copa America? And how many superstars — Messi? Ronaldo? Kane? Sancho? Haaland? — will be swapping teams? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco preview the Champions League final between Manchester City and Chelsea for as long as they can until Franco, well, quite frankly just has a complete meltdown on air about Antonio Conte leaving Inter Milan. Note: This episode was recorded before Simone Inzaghi was hired by Inter and Max Allegri was re-hired by Juventus. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the big news out of the Premier League: Harry Kane telling Tottenham he wants to be sold. Will it actually happen? Should it actually happen? Who could buy him? Then, they preview the final weekend of the domestic-soccer season, before concluding with another edition of “#Disrespectful or #AbsolutelySick?” Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco present their unofficial top-three ballots for the Premier League’s Player of the Year award. How do you define “value” in soccer? Is anyone on Manchester City worthy of the designation? Is it Bruno’s to lose? And wait, what about … Harry Kane? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the results from the Champions League semifinals: Where do PSG and Real Madrid go from here? How close is Chelsea to Manchester City? Then Tom laments Arsenal’s exit from the Europa League before Franco waxes poetic about his beloved Inter’s first Serie A title in over a decade. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco discuss the Champions and Europa League semifinals: How fine were the margins between PSG and City? Is Christian Pulisic better than Pelé? Wtf, Roma? And wtf, Arsenal and Villarreal? Then they end with another edition of “#AbsolutelySick or #Disrespectful?” before recounting a ridiculous story from their college-soccer days. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom answer your questions about the pathetic rollout and the hilarious downfall of the short-lived Super League. Who would’ve been the ideal corporate sponsor for this craven enterprise? Is there a way to have a super league that’s actually good for the sport? What problems does European soccer need to solve now? And more! Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the results from the Champions League quarterfinals — mainly: Neymar’s brilliance — and preview the semis: How will Pep Guardiola try to stop Neymar and Mbappe? Who has the edge between Chelsea and Real Madrid? Then they conclude with another segment of #AbsolutelySick or #Disrespectful.Show notes:-The subject of this week’s #AbsolutelySick or #Disrespectful Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the first legs of the Champions League quarterfinals: Uh, Jurgen, you OK, buddy? Can PSG ride their superstars all the way to the title? And should we be worried about City and Chelsea despite their victories? Then, they conclude with another edition of the beloved segment: #Disrespectful or #AbsolutelySick? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco look back at the ripple effects of Coutinho’s disappointing mega-transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona: Could Jurgen Klopp and Co. still have won the Champions League and Premier League without those profits? Who could the Catalan club have acquired instead? And where does the Brazilian playmaker go from here? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco take a break from the professional game to talk about their experiences playing Division One soccer in the United States. What’s it like to not be washed? What’s wrong with youth development? And which of the three is the American Bastian Schweinsteiger? Then they conclude the show with another edition of “#Disrespectful or #AbsolutelySick”. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the differing trajectories of Atletico Madrid and Chelsea. Has the Simeone era gone stale? Can Chelsea win the Champions League? Then they wrap up by answering a listener question about the 2022 World Cup. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco discuss the fallout from the Round of 16 of the Champions League: Are Messi and Ronaldo gone? Are Mbappe and Haaland now? And is Liverpool … back? Then they conclude by touching on Arsenal’s 2021 resurgence and answering a listener question. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the week’s Champions League and Europa League action. What did we learn? What’s going on in Spain? And wow, so: Kylian Mbappe, huh? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco answer your questions about one of the quietest winter-transfer windows in recent memory: Is this lack of activity the new normal? Will Liverpool’s new center backs make an impact? Will Martin Odegaard see much of the field for Arsenal? And will Americans soon take over the Championship? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom go through all 20 Premier League sides and predict where they’ll finish at the end of the season. Can Fulham survive? Could Chelsea re-enter the top four? Might Liverpool fall out? And will anyone stop Manchester City? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the final Infinite Football episode of the year, Ryan, Franco, and Tom kick 2020 to the curb and look forward to next year. They each offer up three Ballon d’Or nominees for 2021 before deciding, as a group, on their three finalists and their predicted winner. Happy holidays! Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan talks to Noah Davis and Andrew Helms about the USMNT’s barely existent 2020. They only played four matches, but was this actually one of the program’s best years in a long time? Who was the MVP? And what do we wanna see in 2021? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco discuss the end of the Champions League group stage. Does Antonio Conte have Inter headed in the right direction? And much longer will Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last in Manchester? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco discuss the chaos across the Champions League and preview the final match day. Then they debate the merits of Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech before deciding whether putting a 12th player onto the field is #Disrespectful or #AbsolutelySick. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan and Tom discuss the various title-race dark horses throughout Europe. Roma? Real Sociedad? Milan? Spurs? Inter? Chelsea? Atletico? Can any of them really win a championship? Programming note: This episode was recorded before Thanksgiving. Given the death of Diego Maradona, it didn’t feel right to publish it right away. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan talks to ESPN’s Bill Connelly about the difficulties of predicting sporting events. They discuss Bill’s college-football rating system (SP+) before delving into his attempts to do something similar for soccer. Does anything other than “shots” matter? Listen to find out! Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom select the 11 players and the one manager who best represent the ethos of the podcast. Their picks are, uh, well, yeah. Just listen to the show and then tell them why they’re wrong. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom talk about all of the things they’ve enjoyed about the European soccer season so far. Jack Grealish is our god now, and we stand with Elche. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco discuss match-day two in the Champions League. Will Real Madrid even make it to the Europa League? Manchester United: they’re back? Barcelona: they’re back, too? Then they talk about Everton loanee Moise Kean’s recent success with PSG before determining whether Ajax’s recent 13-0 win over VVV Venlo was #Disrespectful or #AbsolutelySick. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Franco, and Tom discuss the first week of group-stage play in the Champions League. Bayern are clearly the favorites to repeat, but who else has a shot? A VVD-less Liverpool? A just-beaten-by-Manchester-United PSG? A just-lost-to-Shakhtar Real Madrid? Or is this the year for an unexpected outsider? Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe

On the latest episode of Infinite Football, Ryan, Tom, and Franco discuss Project Big Picture, the proposal put forward by Liverpool and Manchester United to revamp English soccer. Then they try to figure out why anyone thought it was a good idea to play international soccer for two weeks during a global pandemic. Apologies, again, for the audio issues. Get full access to No Grass in the Clouds at nograssintheclouds.substack.com/subscribe