Sam's Army

Mikey gets gun-shy on IG captions; Larry Nance Jr opens up on the incredible SpongeBob meme video he starred in; Bartomeu's bye-bye Barcelona bombshell; wtf happened in Chelsea/United (and rest of the weekend results); Champions League recap (ft United & The Babyjesus doing things); Power & Watchability Rankings (s/o Leeds) and what to watch this weekend ft United/Arsenal + best bets. Also, [00:49:00] NYCFC's midfield duo Keaton Parks and James Sands swing by to chat about their opposite career paths, how high in the table they hope to climb this season and European aspirations; and James -- newly minted #6 on MLS's top 22 under 22 list -- names names on who he should have been higher than (Keaton may or may not disagree).

Larry Nance Jr. and Max Bretos join to discuss certain Premier League clubs' greedy obsession with killing the golden goose (aka Champions League); what to make of Lampard's controversial remarks about The Babyjesus; and Sergio Aguero's brush with a lineswoman. Also, Alex Bono of Toronto FC [00:15:10] offers a player's opinion on the decision not to award the Supporter's Shield to this season's MLS regular season winner. Rapid rundowns on last weekend [00:30:10] (f/t Merseyside, Tottenham/West Ham debacle plus all-important question: is Aston Villa legit?) as well as in Champions League (f/t big game for United and bigger couple days for Aaron Wan-Bissaka). Finally a preview of what to watch this weekend highlighted by United/Chelsea and Villa/Leeds, plus El Clasico in Spain, a top of the table tilt in MLS and USL Championship semifinals.

pros and cons of plan to overhaul the Premier League dubbed "Project Big Picture"; projected USMNT starting XI for next month's Wales and Australia games; thoughts on Jill Ellis as next DC United manager; and [[32:06]] weekend preview featuring Merseyside Daerby and City/Arsenal (plus Sam's *best bet* of the season)

Sam, Larry and Mikey debate who the big winners and losers are in the Premier League from the now-closed summer transfer window; discuss wtf just happened last weekend (looking at you Liverpool and United); power rankings plus we take a second -- far more contentious -- crack at season-long predictions f/t now that rosters are set. Next up [01:06:10] Aaron Maund, Brandon Miller and Hugh Roberts of the Charlotte Independence preview the USL Championship playoffs that start this weekend and discuss what life is like as pros in the second tier of US soccer, featuring COVID-19 scares, one big ass championship ring, a blossoming podcast career and the impact that efforts like the USL Black Players Alliance is having.

Sergino Dest's move to Barcelona and ridiculousness surrounding the new (and even newer) handball rule, recap of a wild weekend around the Premier League, Power Rankings and preview of the weekend ahead featuring United/Spurs and low key big games in Chelsea/Palace and Leeds/City plus *Best Bets*... then [57:20] Aaron Long and Tim Parker of the NY Red Bulls -- after debating who is the earner and nurturer in their CB marriage -- diagnose the team's early season struggles and dissect what role Tim's ginger flow played in the team's recent turnaround; Tim and Sam grill Aaron on his remarkable rise from USL to USMNT, thoughts on a possible move to Europe (s/o West Ham) and THAT Miazga/Lainez incident; and finally some Rapid Fire with debates on arm wrestling, 40 times, who my favorite ginger is, whether Aaron will play overseas and finally F/M/K the PMT crew.

Along with Larry Nance Jr. and Mikey Fowler, we hit the big headlines for the week, including Corona vs Zlatan, USA buying up European soccer clubs, Megan Rapinoe, Sebastian Soto and Frank de Bore. Reactions from last weekend's Premier League scores, Power Rankings, Fantasy Roundup and preview of what is on deck this weekend (ft Arsenal/Liverpool and City/Lester) plus Best Bets. Finally, Sam's Army's official Bundesliga expert Julian Gressel (of DC United) walks us through what to expect in the German league this season, including whether anyone can hang with Bayern, who will be fighting for top 4/bottom 3 and which Americans to keep an eye on.

Sam, Larry and Mikey roll through Premier League opening weekend f/t Liverpool's defense-optional win over Leeds; discuss the significant deals/almost deals (eg Bale, Aubameyang & Thiago) and which clubs still need what; current Power Rankings (top4/bottom3); fantasy tips & tricks; and finally a weekend preview highlighted by Chelsea/Liverpool & Wolves/City plus Sam's get-money Best Bets. Next up [00:57:45] Andre Shinyashiki & Keegan Rosenberry of the Colorado Rapids join to discuss their respective upbringings in Brazil and Amish country; the absurd questions they were asked at the MLS combine; the time Tim Howard got all up in Andre's metaphorical ass and literal face; Keegan throws down golf gauntlet to Riggs; credit card roulette shenanigans; FIFA ratings; and what ridiculousness is going down in the DMs of Andre's model-heavy Instagram.

Sam sits down with Mikey Fowler, Max Bretos and Larry Nance Jr. to break down the upcoming 2020-21 Premier League season, including title/top 4/relegation predictions and early thoughts on who has done the best (and not best) business this abbreviated offseason. Also: picks for POY, golden boot, first manager out and an egregiously ballsy call on this season's Europa League winner, plus must-have fantasy tips. Finally, with La Liga also kicking off this weekend, we discuss whether anyone can dethrone Real Madrid and what to expect from Messi's beloved Barcelona.

Sam and Mikey walk through the Messi drama, which has now reached an extremely amicable resolution (HA!), run through the unfortunate situation involving RSL/Royals/Monarchs then touch on the highlights/lowlights of transfer moves in England, Spain, Italy, MLS, NWSL and the FA Women's Super Cup... plus what to watch for in the week ahead.

Sam and Mikey debate the messy Messi/Barcelona saga and offer differing opinions on where he and the club go from here and why, plus a look back at Bayern 's triumph over PSG in the Champions League final, Chelsea's spending spree and what's what in MLS. Next up Sam sits down with GK Matt Freese and MF Brenden Aaronson of the Philadelphia Union wherein we get to the bottom of what makes the club's academy so damn productive, an inside look at the Union locker room, where Brenden's head is at on moving to Europe and whether Harvard is in Matt's tinder profile, plus another Rapid Fire highlighted by shocking revelations about someone's obsession with Tiktok.

San Jose Earthquakes keepagandist JT Marcinkowski sits down with Sam to discuss the Champions and Europa League semifinals and preview the finals coming up this weekend. We also chat about the most memorable aspects of MLSisBack bubble life, JT's experiences in SJ's youth program, Georgetown and Reno 1868 (USL), as well as how Earthquakes coach Matías Almeyda broke the team down and built it back up in his own image over the last two years. Finally, another very random but highly illuminating edition of Rapid Fire.

Sam and Mikey discuss the ridiculous circumstances surrounding a twitter mob (led by cornball-in-chief Grant Wahl) coming after Sam this week. Weekly hypothetical: if you could clone one player 11 times, who would make the best team? Thoughts on CBS's coverage. Corona silver linings. Champions and Europa League previews + predictions. Thoughts on MLS is Back final.

Larry Nance Jr. & Mikey Fowler join Sam to put the finishing touches on the 2019-20 season, featuring the biggest highlights and lowlights. We also take a way-way-way-too-early look at what to expect in 2020-21 and close the segment with a preview of Arsenal vs Chelsea in this weekend's FA Cup final and MLSisBack knockouts. Next up, [[45:40]] newly minted 2020 Challenge Cup champion Bri Visalli of Houston Dash stops by to discuss drug arrests inside the NWSL bubble, NARPs, Dash’s journey from powdered eggs to avocado toast, the power of the twerk, the surprising secret about Utah’s Bud Heavy’s, taking the Challenge Cup trophy to Magic Mike, her time playing for West Ham and Birmingham City, if teams party harder in the US or UK and contemplating a name change to Brinedict Arnoldsalli (among many other topics).

Toronto FC's Alex Bono offers an update on what life is like after a month in the including 'snitch line' gossip and the inside scoop on the brewing rivalry with DC United. MLSisBack group stage recap and preview of the knockout stage. Recap of a crazy week in the Premier League and especially Championship -- Swansea! Nottingham Forest :( -- and setting the stage for the massive weekend ahead. Next, Sam chats with Watford's Daniel Bachmann [one hour mark] about his evolution from athlete (downhill skier) to GK, making jump from Austria to UK, what cold rainy nights are *really* like in Stoke, his agent "love triangle" and messy breakup, mall-hopping in Dubai with Peter Crouch, what life in the midst of Watford's relegation fight is like and whether the USA or Austria will win a World Cup first [plus Daniel's thoughts on The Babyjesus].

Sam chats with Max Bretos and Mikey Fowler to discuss the fallout from CAS decision to overturn Man City's two-year Champions League ban. Also, some thoughts on Tottenham's "historic" win in the North London Dangly Dærby and a preview (and some predictions) for the games and teams to watch this week, featuring top FOUR/relegation battles, FA Cup, Atalanta, MLS and finally the NWSL playoffs. Finally, the latest "Profiles in Bubble Courage" with Matt Freese of the Philadelphia Union [[47 minutes]] in which we come up with a plan for MLS to wrestle back the spotlight from the NBA, dig a little deeper into the newly ascendent Union and debut a new "Media Training 101" segment. (ps: Matt also comes clean on the REAL reason there was a 0.0000% chance the Union were going to lose to Inter Miami this week.)