SoccerPod

As I talked to Steve Sampson, I was very much reminded of the coaches of my youth in the 80s and 90s. I smirked nostalgically as I heard words like: accountability, preparation, and culture.If you Google Steve Sampson, of the first 10 articles you see, 9 will be about one event he experienced - a moment where he was coaching the US National Team, prepping for the 1998 World Cup, and was faced with an impossible off-the-field situation. He handled it in his way, grounded in his own set of values, which he summarized in that clichéd/old school but very true idea of: can you look yourself in the mirror? His decision was hugely unpopular. His career and reputation suffered tremendously, but as he says both then and now, he sleeps just fine at night. He talks a lot about that incident with me and how it impacted him. In his words, 'that's the most I've ever talked about that'. And he humbled me by casually adding that, 'he felt in good hands'. Of course, there is much more to the man than this single moment. And I hope you enjoy hearing from the man himself: the life and philosophies of 'el profe' , Steve Sampson. EP: 025 - Steve Sampson Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

Freeman Jones was a black, PhD-educated scientist in Jim Crow America, who was the lead of his team. However, when his company opened up the facility for tours for investors or the public, he was kindly asked by ownership to exit the facility and go wait in the yard with the other black employees, most of whom were part of the cleaning crew. Freeman would go onto marry Mada Myers, who had marched with Dr Martin Luther King in Mobile, Alabama, and was active in that legendary Civil Rights movement of the 1960s American South. She later taught English Literature for nearly 30 years. Freeman and Mada were married for 62 years.  It's not surprising that such people would go on to raise four lovely children – the youngest of whom they named: Cobi N'Gai Jones. As a young man, Cobi was very nervous when he approached his highly educated parents with his desire to put his education on hold to pursue a career in soccer, where there was no established league, hardly any professional players and very little money.  Surprisingly to Cobi, it was his mother, the educator, who told her son, " Go chase this dream of yours, son, and see where it takes you.”Cobi went on to have a legendary US soccer career; he is in the Guinness Book for most games played for the US National Team, and the most continuous years played with one MLS club – two records that will never be touched.So, as he poignantly told me: in the end, he was glad his mother won the argument. Cobi was kind enough to host me at the LA Galaxy facility where he will soon join Landon Donovan and David Beckham in the form of a 10-foot-tall bronze statue - soon to be unveiled in the Legends Plaza at the Galaxy stadium entrance. It was a pleasure to sit with Cobi Jones and I hope you enjoy it was well. Ep 24 – Cobi Jones Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

Gary Mabbutt is a real legend of that historic club – Tottenham Hotspur of North London – but Gary was quite lucky to get that far as he nearly died as a boy while at his youth club. He did not die of course, but was diagnosed with what was then a pretty unknown condition - that of type 1 diabetes – he was told by the doctor that his football career was over and he would have to take a lot of precautions and master his diet moving forward just to insure his life would not be cut short.  He was 17 and his world was shattered, but given his nature he didn't give up and with his father, he did what any stubborn teenage boy would do - he went looking for another doctor. It took 4 tries, but he found one that walked him through the care he had to take, explained to him the nature of blood sugar and insulin, and all the ins/outs of living with this condition – his pregame meal, his post game meal, his sleep and of course, what to do in case of emergency. He would go on to play nearly 500 times for Tottenham, over the course of 16 seasons – 11 as captain. He played with or against the likes of: Enzo Scifo, Dennis Bergkamp, Paul Gascoigne, Jurgen Klinsmann and Johan Cruyff. As an aside, the other three doctors that recommended retirement all spoke to Gary over the years – congratulated him on his success, marveled at what he was able to accomplish with his disease - and further that his career would provide a blueprint for all the diabetics that would came after him, something that Gary is very proud of. He is a true legend of White Hart Lane, an inspiration for those that share his ailment and a gentleman above all. Gary Mabbutt - EP 23 Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

2025 Season, here we go! A bit late, but hey - I'm a child of divorce. Dean Windass was never really an elite player at the top flight of English football. He is a legend of Hull City – that Yorkshire club with great history - but Hull rarely find themselves in the top flight of English football. He had many great moments at Hull – some of the best in that clubs history – and when Dean retired, they offered to build a statue of him in front of the stadium, but he declined the offer saying, “I could not think of one working man who had a statue' – its sounds fake I know, but it is true. Like many players of his era, he did not have an easy time upon leaving the game. He struggled with depression and turned to alcohol to anesthetize said depression which made him more depressed and round and round he went. There were dark times and after a failed suicide attempt, his friend (and great ex player) Chris Kamara got him into a rehab facility. It was a very hard time, but he was able to get sober, face his demons and turn his life around. He then began offering help to other players – help that he did not really see when he left the game. He began posting an inspirational twitter vid every morning - which went viral and garners quite the following to this day. He even gave a TED talk on his experiences and is so brutally honest and vulnerable about what he went through - I recommend you check it out. So, a bit of a different one this one, but if you give it a go – I hope you get something out of it. It is one of those episodes where I kind of wanna say, pretentious as it may sound, maybe forward it onto a friend who is not in the best of spots – it may help them….So here we go - #22 Soccerpod – Dean Windass.Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

I always smile big when I get to speak to an old US National Team guy – of all the players and characters from around the world that I've sat with - they are my favorite lot, because they did it here and they did it first. No player from any other country can honestly say: 'When I was a kid there really was no soccer in my country, there was no league, there was no national team, there were no heroes to look up to. But for Tab Ramos it was like this – being a professional soccer player when you grow up? You just didn't know what that looked like. If you are a professional today or a national team player today – there is a clear path to follow – you can see the endgame - I need to do this, that and try out here, etc. But for Tab Ramos and his colleagues, there was no such path – you had to be creative and it kind of evolved around them and they happened to be good enough to carry the burden and take the thing and leave it in a much better place than where they found it.Further, if you had to list the most important 3 US soccer moments in history: I do think they would be: Qualifying for the 90 World Cup, hosting the 94 World Cup, and the formation of the MLS in 95 – and Tab Ramos is on a very short list of players who were instrumental in all these. The players of today – and the players of tomorrow owe a huge debt to Tab and his colleagues for all they did to get the game to where it is in this country –I love sitting with Tab Ramos, and I loved hearing him lay it all out for us. I hope you do as well. Soccerpod #21 – Tab Ramos Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

In 1984, John Fashanu, a black Englishman of Nigerian descent, signed with the British club: Millwall FC; an openly racist club at that time. The semi-official chant the supporters sing from the crowd is: ‘We are Millwall, No One Likes Us, No One Likes Us, We Don't Care, We are Millwall, From the Den'. (The Den is the name of their home ground) The supporters hated him, they abused him, they threw bananas at him, they threatened his life if he dare stay. Somehow, as time progressed - they came to adore him. Impossibly, he became the most beloved player at the club. His passion, his skill and of course his goals just won them over, kind of like the Soviet crowd conversion in Rocky IV. In fact, they revered him so much that when he left the club, the ‘ultra' supporters – a notorious group known as the F Troupe – were so distraught, that they took out a hit on his life, and he had to go into hiding. And this is just chapter 4 for John – It was such a good time to chat with him - Give us a listen to hear it all. soccerPod - Ep: 20Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

He was known as ‘the mayor of Rome' – and he was such a great player that later in his career the great Pele would go on to say that he was the best player in the 1982 World Cup. But Bruno Conti had a very humble start – his home village of Nettuno was actually known as the baseball capital of Italy. It was the site of a major US Naval Base during World War 2 – and the Italian boys would watch in fascination as the American GI's would play baseball on the beach. Eventually they started to teach the locals and a small league formed. Bruno was so good as a lefty pitcher that he was scouted by – and offered a trial with the NY Yankees – which would be the right team for an Italian – being the club of: Joe DiMaggio and Yogi Berra. But he chose soccer and became a legend of both club and country. I met him at his AS Roma facility where he could not have been nicer. It was a real honor to sit with the man and hear his storied career. I hope you find it as interesting as I did – SoccerPod #19 – the great Bruno Conti. Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

If you love sports and you love sports stories, then it is hard to do much better than Wes Morgan, and the absurd story of the 2015 Leicester City Silver Foxes. They were 5000-1 odds against winning the title. But it may as well have been 5 million. It was not going to happen, no way, an impossibility. To bet 10 bucks on it, was to throw 10 bucks away. They played Manchester City away late in that year. The cost for the starting 11 that Man City put on the field that day was: 477M (USD), the cost for the Leicester City starting 11 was 32M (USD). In fact, Man City had 6 players that cost more than the entire Leicester squad. Leicester won 3-1, comfortably. It was the classic David and Goliath story, but with a twist that we can never see in American sports. In America, our titles are won with an end of season tournament – NFL playoffs, March Madness, etc – short term events where strange things can happen – a pitcher gets hot, a quarterback is injured, a boxer has the night of his life. But, what are we to make of an upset that lasts 9 months? 38 weeks of ‘upsets' until they lift the trophy as champions? I don't know but upset seems the wrong word. It is what makes that campaign so strange, so special and so very unlikely to ever happen again.  The great Peter Drury, who was commentating that final day, put it like this - as the captain, Wes Morgan, lifted the trophy to the screaming home fans and as the fireworks went off behind him - ‘It is quite simply the greatest tale told in the history of football' Even Wes cannot help but smile as he recalled some of the moments from that insane year. And this was but one chapter in his remarkable career that I was humbled to hear him lay out in a small room in a small hotel on a rainy day (of course) in his hometown of Nottingham. Wes Morgan – Episode 18Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

Gabriel Agbonlahor is the all time leading scorer for Aston Villa Football Club – he is a true legend there and we dive into his time there - but when I think of Gabby I think of this - It's an interesting time for a player when it comes time to retire. They are still young – usually in their early 30's – they're famous, have a ton of money, a ton of time, they don't really know how to do anything else, and used to the rush of 50,000 people screaming for you once per week.  And well -  it does not always go well for a young man with that set of circumstances.  And when I think of Gabby Agbonlahor – I think about this moment in his life. He remembers how it crept up on him – like, wait – 'I can just grab my lads and head to Las Vegas, or Monaco, and hang out and party? And when Gabby retired he did this - for one year – way too much booze,  living a fast and hard life – until he had a moment – a personal moment of reflection that wise people can have – that his life was veering out of control and he had to right the ship. So, Gabby caught himself before he fell too far - and he entered the field of soccer journalism and punditry and found himself right at home. He now talks football on the biggest radio station in the world – and he's quite good at it – full of humor and charisma – and often with a controversial take that lands him in the papers. Gabby also counsels other football clubs on how to deal with life after the game – how to plan ahead – how to avoid trouble, care for your mental health and live a good post career life. I learned a lot from Gabby and I hope you find him as interesting as I did. Episode 17 – Gabriel AgbonlahorThanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

He was the best American soccer player when America could care less about soccer.Today, the most talented  21 year old American player – we know that guy. He is probably quite famous, rich and playing at a massive club. This was not the case in 1989 for John Harkes. But his ability could not be overlooked, and as such he was able to play at levels no American ever had before: the Prem, FA Cup, Wembley. He would star in two World Cups, and with his teammates and friends, were so successful that the US National Team will never again be as irrelevant as it was when John was coming up.  He was a key member to the initial launch of the MLS – and while more lucrative opportunities lay elsewhere – as a US Player, who never really had ‘a league of their own' he, along with his colleagues, wanted to leave one for those players that came after. I loved my chat with John – smiled the entire time - Give us a listen and I hope you enjoy our conversation. EP: 16 – the great John Harkes Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

This is a really sad one for me – Andreas Brehme tragically passed away this week – at the age of 63 in his home town of Munich. If you do not know of Andi, he is a true legend of German football - having scored one of the biggest goals in that nation's history to win the World Cup in 1990 in Italy.  But I will always remember and have love for Andi as he was the first guest I ever reached out to that actually said ‘yes' to my interview request. I was lucky with my timing in that he was working on his memoir at the time. I am sure he thought: ‘sure, I will sit with this silly American as I have been reliving memories for my book – why not do it for a podcast – whatever the hell that is'. ‘Come to Munich' he said – ‘and I will get you interviews with a lot of my friends'. Not knowing if it would entirely work out, we did go – and he was good on his word and secured us 12 sits with German internationals all over the country. As a player, Andi also spent time with Inter Milan and is a sort of legend in northern Italy – ‘Come to Milan' he said – ‘and I will get you interviews with my Italian friends.' We did go - and he connected us with 7 Italian internationals who only sat with us as it was a favor to Andi.   He said once that we would do another podcast one day – ‘I was your first one, you were my first one – but you come back and I will be your 100th episode, and we will see how far you have come' I would have loved for that to have happened. But I guess this will have to do. So I hope you enjoy my talk with this great and funny man. And if this is your introduction to his career and life – I truly hope I do it justice here. Andi Brehme – SoccerPod #15 – Thank you Andi!Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

Ray played 15 years for Arsenal. And he was there for the arrival of the great Arsene Wegner – and he would go on to bring some of the greatest players to ever grace the Premier League -  Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera to name a few. In the 97-98 campaign, Ray was playing exceptionally well – maybe the best year of his career – and it was only natural that the national team – coached by that Tottenham legend – Glenn Hoddle - would give him a look. Coach Arsene himself lobbied the coach that there is no better winger in all of England. Glenn Hoddle was a believe in: ‘faith healing' – and the team had an appointed faith healer – a woman named Eileen Drewery. As Ray was on trial with the Three Lions, he had pulled his calf. And coach Hoddle sent him to see Miss Eileen for 'treatment'. Eileen sat him in the chair, walked round to his back and began rubbing Ray's scalp. Ray being Ray goes, 'Allright Love, take a little off the the sides and the back, but leave the length on the top' (this is a slight paraphrase, but you get the gyst) Unbeknownst to him, Ray had deeply offended Mr Hoddle with this, and would miss out on playing in the 98 World Cup as a result. But his smile was big as he recalled this story – as was mine – and it was a real joy to hear him tell me so many others – I hope you enjoy them as well - here on the soccerPod #14. Enjoy!Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

There are currently some 13000 players in the youth system of English premier league clubs. Of these 13000 players – the best youth players in the country - less than 1% - way less - will ever see the field for a premier league side.  Now if you adjust those odds for a 23 year old American – who plays in the English 9th division – who has to work odd jobs to make ends meet – well the odds – they become much longer than 1%.  But that is what Jay Demerit did – he began his professional career in England playing at parks for no pay and within 2 years he was playing at Wembley Stadium in front of 80,000 people. He went from guarding guys who would have beers at halftime, to guarding Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford.  His story is truly remarkable and as far as American soccer careers go – there are few that are more screenplay worthy than Jay Demerits. I hope you enjoy him as he lays it out for us on the soccerPod – Enjoy!Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

If you are an American soccer fan of roughly my age – mid 40's - you may remember a movie called: Victory, with Sylvester Stallone, Michael Caine - directed by the great John Huston. The film is set in WW2 where a group of war prisoners – captured from around the world – are forced to play a football match against the Nazi German squad – for propaganda purposes.  The filmmakers secured real footballers for the prisoners – the great Pele, Bobby Moore and a young kid from Cordoba, Argentina who looks to be the best of them all. At one point, he dribbles the entire Germans – even includes a rainbow over a defender - scores and even the Germans in the crowd applaud his skill. And he does look – for what its worth for a staged film production – like he is the most skilled out there. And this turned out to be a normal occurrence for Oswaldo Ardiles. In 1978 Oswaldo won the World Cup on home soil for his beloved Argentina. Then he did something that was rare for the time. He took his game to north London and signed with the Tottenham HotSpurs with his good friend – Ricardo Villa. As is his tendency, he won over the fan base immediately – but it was during this time unfortunately, that his country of birth and his country of employment went to war in the Falkland Islands. It was a strange time for Ossie – the English began to look suspiciously on him as an Argentine and his Argentine countrymen did the same – as if this Londoner was not to be trusted. But Ossie weathered this as he did all things. His career spans nearly 30 years as a player and another 30 as a manager. We met in his hometown of London in a small flat and he could not have been cooler to us. I hope you enjoy our conversation – the great Ossie Ardiles. Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

Paul Merson is one of the most popular soccer pundits in the UK. And his voice and childlike enthusiasm serves as nice commentary to go with some of the biggest moments of recent English football. He is a legend at mighty Arsenal as his runs down the right and crosses in were a mainstay of that era. He has his fair share of trophies - and he played in and won a game that in my view – is the most important in Premier League history – where it entered a new strata of popularity.But Paul is also in recovery – from alcohol, drugs and what he says is the worse one by far – gambling. When we booked Paul – he required a fee for his time – not an unusual thing for us. But what was unusual is it was made very clear to us on several occasions that we were never under any circumstances to give money directly to Paul. Directly to his wife was the firm instruction. Paul's phone is disabled from adding apps so as not to allow for any gambling. The reason for this worry had to do with a gambling relapse Paul had recently suffered – He had worked hard with Sky and BBC - and saved up for 18 months for a down payment on a new home with his wife – 160,000 pounds was now sitting in savings. Covid had made him antsy though and as he put it - the monster awoke in him. Within half a day – one 4 hour session - he had lost it all - on various sports - mostly table tennis – of which he knew nothing, but was one of the few sports that he could find during the lockdown - but he had to bet on something. It was for him – rock bottom. He contemplated two choices. Tell his wife – or commit suicide. And for 2 weeks he wasn't sure. Hard to believe walking around for 2 weeks with that operating on your mind. But in the end, and as he spent time with his children, luckily the answer was to come clean and tell his wife. And luckily, she stood by him - sought help from the right people, and things seem to be ok. I think of that as being a heroic moment for Paul – and he allows for some pride to come out as he recalls the decision – which was cool to see. Paul was a year clear of this when we sat with him in Twickenham in West London – and he seemed well. We spoke about his tremendous Arsenal career, his national team experience with the Three Lions – and of course his demons off the pitch. As he put it – all we have is one day at a time. Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

If you have children that play youth soccer, I hope you will give a listen to Bruce Murray. He has a brain condition called CTE. In his 30's he began forgetting things, he developed a sensitivity to light and began to develop a problem with impulse control. It really scared him - he went through dark times and ended up in some dark places. He and his doctors have no doubt that this is related to the repeated heading of the ball while his brain was still in development as a boy and young man. He has a foundation to help other athletes that suffer from this – and actively campaigns for rules of the game to be amended – especially at the youth levels and notes that ‘no developing brain should collide with a soccer ball at some 40 mph. He is happy and doing well now though – and this campaign is what Bruce cares about most now, but he also had a fascinating career as a player. He was part of that crew of American National Team guys that played for a county that didn't care too much about what they were doing. And he was a huge part of that 1990 World Cup Team that qualified for the first world cup for America in 40 years. That campaign from qualifying to competing is the greatest American soccer story there is – and every generation that comes after owes these boys a huge debt - and Bruce was there for all of that. I really do love Bruce Murray – in many ways, of all the sits I have done – he is my favorite one. Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

The women's game has come a long way in the US. The female stars of today make millions of dollars and play in front of sold out American stadiums. But it was not always so. The generation prior to them – of which Tisha Venturini was one of the best – did not have a league to play in. They would go from winning World Cups to giving lessons to young girls for $25/hour to make ends meet. They were on their own to keep fit until the Olympic Games would come along – and after winning the gold they would have to go and wait tables until the next tournament. You were kind of on your own to piece together your own career.  It is deeply satisfying for Tisha to see that she and her crew left the game in far better shape for the young women of today than they found it. I found Tisha's journey fascinating – and even more so because we will not see the likes of it again. I hope you enjoy our conversation here. SoccerPod #9 – Tisha Venturini    Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

What do you call a Scotsman in the 2nd round of the World Cup? - A referee. Paul Gascoigne told me that joke in loving gest of his friend, Colin Hendry – whom he has  a bit of history on the pitch with. Colin Hendry's first job was delivering mail in the Nortwest Rolling Hills of Scotland. One pound fifty per week was the going wage, and it was always cold. But like so many – a ball was always at his feet – and he would progress through the youth system of Scotland without issue. He would go on to play for some of the biggest clubs in the world – including being a part of that most famous of derbies – The Old Firm – for which ‘rivalry' doesn't quite seem the right word.  He would captain his side in the 98 World Cup where Scotland opened the tournament. And when you play that opening match of the World Cup the entire world is watching – all the other teams are watching. And on that day Colin was tasked with defending a Brazilian side that featured their captain, Dunga, Rivaldo, Bebeto, Cafu, Roberto Carlos and their young number 9 – Ronaldo Nozario. One of many memorable games in a career that spanned nearly 2 decades. He has had his share of tragedy - losing his wife – Denise - at a young age after a cosmetic surgery accident. And like so many players of his era, he lost his way a bit with drink and gambling during this rough stretch. But he is good now – fit, happy, still playing a bit and helping his son navigate his professional career. I had a lovely sit with Colin on a gorgeous day in South London, and I hope you enjoy it here – Soccerpod #8 – Colin Hendry.Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

When Pierre Littbarski was an infant - age one, the Berlin Wall was put up right behind his family home. He remembers as a boy going through ‘Checkpoint Charlie' and smuggling food to friends and family who found themselves on the wrong side of that structure. Further, he talked about how he and his friends would play games kicking the ball up against that ‘wall of shame' as it was known in West Berlin. Norman Rockwell could have done well with that.  Pierre is a very unusual name for a German. And it is appropriate that this unique player have an equally rare name. If you watch the West Germany of the 1980's you will notice a German doing it a little bit differently than his much larger colleagues – as if a Brazilian found his way onto the field. His skill, pace, quickness and vision was World class – on point with the best players in the world of that time.  He was in 3 World Cup finals, lifting the trophy once – and has the record, with Pele and Maradona - for most assists in a World Cup Tournament. Rare company. Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

The great Gaizka Mendieta on the podcast this week - we talk the curious refereeing at the 2002 World Cup, back to back Champions League finals, the superiority of Spanish cuisine over British, 1980's American heavy metal music and more...Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

Mickey Thomas is my kind of character. He comes from a poor village in Wales where football was everything. As a boy, he dreamt of following in the footsteps of his hero – George Best – and he was talented enough to accomplish this – playing in front of 80,000 screaming fans in the ‘Theatre of Dreams'. And he immediately hated it. Way too much anxiety for Mickey and after a short stay, when he asked to leave Manchester, the staff half thought he was joking. Players don't ask to leave Manchester United. But he longed for a friendlier situation. And he found that back at Wrexham – his home club. And, it was there where he would  captain the 4th tier Welsh side to the greatest upset in FA Cup history when they beat the English champions - Arsenal. Such a great career and such an interesting character – Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

Jens Lehmann joined us for a sit in Munich right after his return from Doha and the World Cup. We rapped about one of the greatest derbys in the world in Dortmund - which he saw from both sides - his heroics at the World Cup, to the ‘Invincibles' – he is one of the greatest goalkeepers in German and Premier League history and I hope you enjoy him laying it out for you on the podcast. Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

Kristine Lilly won 4 NCAA championships, she won 2 Olympic Gold medals, 2 World Cups and is in the Guinness Book of World Record for most caps played for country with 354. Her first World Cup was in 1991 and was hardly covered by any American sports media – even her home paper did not write about it. But some 8 years later in the 1999 World Cup, her and her teammates would go on to break the record, still standing today, for people to watch a women's soccer match. In a packed Rose Bowl that day, they won the final in dramatic fashion and won over their county in such a way that a Women's World Cup will never be as anonymous as it was when Kristine began.Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

In June of 1982, Norman Whiteside broke the Guinness record for the youngest person to ever play in a World Cup - at 17 years and 40 days. The record had stood for 24 years when a young Brazilian named Pele' went to Sweden and won the World Cup for his country. When Norman returned home after the tournament, he received a letter from the great Brazilian. It was very congratulatory, very gracious and kind. But with wit, the great one ended it with: ‘now son, go to work on my other records'. Norman had many more stories to tell and it was with great joy that on a rainy Sunday in Manchester I got to hear him lay them out. I hope you enjoy it.  Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

On the premier episode of soccerPod, Eric sits down with the great Freddy Adu. SoccerPod hosts conversations with soccer legends from around the world, and Freddy has a truly remarkable tale to tell. At 7 years old, he was playing barefoot in the streets of his Ghana fishing village – but a short 6 years later he would be a millionaire, the face of an entire league and the most famous American soccer player ever.Give a listen and hear about the most unique soccer career in American soccer history.Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx

In this episode, you will learn about all the exciting things to come when we launch on June 1, 2023.Thanks for listening! We appreciate your support. If you love SoccerPod, please consider supporting us through our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/soccerpodBy subscribing to our Patreon, you get behind-the-scenes content, discounts on merchandise and the opportunity to submit questions for future guests. Connect with us on social:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/soccer.pod/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soccerpodTwitter: https://twitter.com/SoccerPod1YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@soccerPod-go5vx