Planet Fútbol With Grant Wahl

The Premier League has been won by its most unpredictable champion, so, naturally, it's a good time to look back on our oh-so-prescient season predictions from August. How badly did we misjudge Leicester City? How did we see Harry Kane following up his breakout season? Before that, though, we play a wide-ranging game of word association. So much is going on across the soccer landscape, whether it's the Champions League being whittled down to two Madrid sides or Copa America looming on the horizon. We talk some of the biggest names involved in those competitions and beyond to kick off our episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you've been watching soccer at all in recent years, you know that Alexi Lalas is a man of many opinions, and he shares a number of them with us on our new podcast. Lalas, the former U.S. men's national team defender and current Fox Sports 1 soccer analyst, speaks with SI's Grant Wahl in a wide-ranging interview covering a number of topics: Jurgen Klinsmann, Abby Wambach, Fox Sports' "Embrace Debate" strategy, and what it's like to have opinions on television. We also discuss Leicester City, which is on the cusp of winning the Premier League. Given that the Foxes could win at Old Trafford on Sunday, what is the best manner for them to win it all? In Manchester? By virtue of a Tottenham loss to Chelsea? At home next week against Everton? Wahl, Brian Straus and Avi Creditor discuss. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're fortunate enough to be joined on our latest podcast by a pair of guests who know a thing or two about overcoming the odds. Christian Fuchs's Leicester City is closing in on the most improbable Premier League title ever, while Chris Wondolowski continues to climb the all-time MLS goal-scoring charts after emerging from obscurity years ago, and both join the podcast in a pair of entertaining and enlightening interviews. We start our show, though, with SI's Ben Lyttleton and Brian Straus breaking down the top stories in Europe. If you read Lyttleton's Monday column, you'll be familiar with the format, and with title races winding down and the summer approaching, he plucks the top storylines from each of the five major European leagues in light of recent events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Leicester City is closing in on its historical title, so who better to marvel at what the Foxes have been able to do this season than Leicester native and NBC Sports Network lead soccer announcer Arlo White? White joins the Planet Fútbol Podcast to paint a picture of Leicester the city and put the magnitude of what Claudio Ranieri's club has done thus far–and is aiming to finish off–into proper perspective. He also warns against celebrating too soon, though, with Tottenham still alive in the title race. There's also the matter of some of the other major stories elsewhere in world soccer: Barcelona's ouster from the Champions League at the hands of Atletico Madrid; Cristiano Ronaldo's heroics for Real Madrid; Nigel De Jong's tackle on Darlington Nagbe; the 2016 Olympic soccer tournaments. We cover it all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We kick off our latest podcast with SI's Grant Wahl and Brian Straus delving into all of the off-field circumstances surrounding U.S. Soccer. We're also joined by Charlie Stillitano, who has come under fire overseas amid discussion of a European Super League and changes to the UEFA Champions League. The International Champions Cup organizer discusses his role with top clubs and what's actually happening, and he reads mean tweets directed at him from soccer fans overseas in a highly entertaining and insightful interview with Wahl. Finally, with the backdrop of the dramatic NCAA men's basketball championship game, we recall some of the greatest high-stakes finishes in soccer history, for both club and country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. men's national team avoided the disaster scenario it was facing entering Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Guatemala, but the U.S. U-23s failed when it mattered most, and both developments are the focus of the new Planet Fútbol Podcast. SI's Grant Wahl, Brian Straus and Liviu Bird were each present at one of the U.S. games during the international break, and each has stories to share from his experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Johan Cruyff's passing on Thursday has caused many to commemorate and remember the Dutch soccer icon. Among them is Thomas Rongen, Cruyff's former teammate on the Washington Diplomats and L.A. Aztecs. In this special edition of the Planet Futbol podcast, Grant Wahl sits down with Rongen, who shared stories of Cruyff's time in the NASL and reflections on his impact on the world of soccer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The soccer world was saddened Thursday by the passing of Ajax, Barcelona and Netherlands great Johan Cruyff, who lost his battle with lung cancer at age 68. We begin our latest podcast with a tribute to Cruyff, as SI's Brian Straus and Grant Wahl share their memories of watching Cruyff play and offer thoughts on his profound impact on the game and undeniable legacy. It's an international fixture week, and we preview the U.S.'s pair of World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala. Wahl also speaks with Manchester United and Belgium midfielder Marouane Fellaini (NOTE: The conversation took place prior to this week's tragic terrorist attacks in Brussels), whose No. 1-ranked team in the world will face Portugal on Tuesday in the build-up to Euro 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. men's national team and FC Nantes midfielder Alejandro Bedoya joins our latest podcast, with the U.S. on the cusp of a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala. Between becoming a father, having talks with MLS, hitting a hot run of form and taking part in penning his first piece for SI, Bedoya has plenty to talk about with SI's Grant Wahl. Wahl and SI's Avi Creditor also discuss the madness in Bayern Munich and Juventus's Champions League series, whether Barcelona can be beaten and how the U.S. should be prioritizing the World Cup qualifying/Olympic playoff roster dilemma facing Jurgen Klinsmann. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On this week's edition of the Planet Futbol Podcast, Herculez Gomez joins Grant Wahl to discuss the differences between American and Mexican leagues, why the U.S. loses young prospects to Mexico, and how MLS has changed in his time away from the league. Elsewhere in the pod, host Avi Creditor and SI.com's Brian Straus try to get SI.com's Ben Lyttleton set up with an MLS team to support now that the league is more readily available to watch across the Atlantic. The crew also recap the last week's Champions League action, and ponder whether PSG has what it takes to win the title. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The 2016 MLS season kicks off on Sunday, with all 20 teams in action. With that in mind, we preview all 20 teams on the new Planet Fútbol Podcast–with a twist. We've brought in the calvary, with SI's Grant Wahl, Brian Straus, Liviu Bird, Alexander Abnos and Avi Creditor given 20 seconds apiece to preview every MLS team, whip-around style. We also welcome former MLS standout Geoff Cameron, whose Stoke City remains in the hunt for a Champions League berth. The outspoken Cameron is back from injury, returning last weekend against Aston Villa, and he joins Wahl for a 1-on-1 interview. --- The Planet Futbol Podcast is brought to you by FreshBooks. For freelancers and small business owners, Freshbooks takes the pain out of accounting. Have a question about the service? A real-live human will answer every call in about three rings. Get your 30-day free trial by going to FreshBooks.com/SPORTS and entering the promo code SPORTS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The FIFA election will give the world's game a new administrative leader and the draw was finally made for the historic Copa América Centenario, and these two major events provide the basis for discussion on the new episode of the Planet Fútbol Podcast. From Brazil, SI.com's James Young joins SI senior writer Grant Wahl (from Zurich), Brian Straus (from Washington, D.C.), and host Avi Creditor (from New York City), for perspective from three continents on what the next FIFA president needs to fix first, and who could come out on top of the special Copa America tournament. -- The Planet Futbol Podcast is brought to you by FreshBooks. For freelancers and small business owners, Freshbooks takes the pain out of accounting. Have a question about the service? A real-live human will answer every call in about three rings. Get your 30-day free trial by going to FreshBooks.com/planet and entering the promo code PLANET. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

JP Dellacamera has been in the broadcast booth for 13 World Cups (men's and women's) and countless other iconic moments in American and world soccer lore, so it's no surprise that he has some fantastic stories to tell. Dellacamera does just that with SI's Grant Wahl on the new Planet Fútbol Podcast. What are the top moments of his broadcasting career? What does he think about "authentic" being the word used to describe foreign announcers calling the game on U.S. broadcasts? Dellacamera, known affectionately by many as simply "The Legend," talks about that and much more in an entertaining, lengthy discussion. -- Audibles is brought to you by FreshBooks. For freelancers and small business owners, Freshbooks takes the pain out of accounting. Have a question about the service? A real-live human will answer every call in about three rings. Get your 30-day free trial by going to FreshBooks.com/planet and entering the promo code PLANET. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. women's national team is currently taking on CONCACAF foes on the field, but its players are squaring off against the U.S. federation off the field in a labor dispute, so we welcome SI legal analyst Michael McCann to the new Planet Fútbol Podcast to break down the case and explain how it's likely to be resolved. We're also joined by New York City FC midfielder Frank Lampard, who spoke with SI's Grant Wahl ahead of his first full season in MLS about what it was like playing against current manager Patrick Vieira as opposed to now playing for him, and the rise of Ghanaian teammate Kwadwo Poku. We close by responding to your listener/reader questions, which you submitted on Twitter and Facebook, ranging from MLS to Barcelona's dominance to Christian Pulisic and beyond. --- Planet Futbol is brought to you by FreshBooks. For freelancers and small business owners, Freshbooks takes the pain out of accounting. Have a question about the service? A real-live human will answer every call in about three rings. G

Christian Pulisic's fast rise at Borussia Dortmund has caught the attention of U.S. soccer fans, with the 17-year-old making his debut for the Bundesliga power last weekend. How has he risen so quickly and what is it like being a teenager in his position? Pulisic joins Grant Wahl (twitter.com/grantwahl) on the latest Planet Fútbol Podcast to discuss it all. We also touch on the biggest news this week in the U.S. (U.S. Soccer's lawsuit against the U.S. women's national team's players union and Stuart Holden's retirement) and Europe (Pep Guardiola signing on to coach Manchester City for the next three seasons and Man City's upcoming clash vs. first-place Leicester City), spanning a pair of continents with SI.com's Brian Straus and Ben Lyttleton. ||| Audibles is brought to you by FreshBooks. For freelancers and small business owners, Freshbooks takes the pain out of accounting. Have a question about the service? A real-live human will answer every call in about three rings. Get your 30-day free trial by going to

Between Matt Miazga, Christian Pulisic, and Tim Howard, there have been plenty of intriguing stories around the world of soccer this week, and those transactions provide the backbone of discussion between SI Senior Writer Grant Wahl (twitter.com/grantwahl), SI.com's Brian Straus (twitter.com/brianstraus), and host Avi Creditor (twitter.com/avicreditor) in the latest Planet Fútbol Podcast. As MLS preseason gets underway, Wahl also visits with the LA Galaxy's two big acquisitions from last season: Mexico's Giovani Dos Santos, and England's Steven Gerrard. In separate interviews, the two discuss their favorite goals, teammates, and opponents in their careers, as well as their first impressions of MLS. Finally, the crew plays The Mario Gomez Game. It's a new feature on the show. It features 30-second answers...and Mario Gomez. Just listen. It'll be fun. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The winter transfer window in Europe is beginning to shut, and there are a number of factors in play that will determine which big names, if any, change addresses ahead of the stretch run. SI.com's Ben Lyttleton joins the Planet Fútbol Podcast to explain all the intricate reasons why players may be staying put (hint: few big names risk moving ahead of a major tournament like the Euros), which big names will actually move and how the transfer bans against Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid could complicate matters as well. But how do teams identify the players they want to go after? For that, we bring in analytics expert Daniel Altman, who speaks with SI's Grant Wahl about the not-so-obvious things teams and talent scouts may look for in a player. Finally, we conclude with the biggest stories in U.S. Soccer: Jordan Morris choosing Seattle over Werder Bremen and the Benny Feilhaber-Jurgen Klinsmann war of words. With Morris in the fold, does Seattle have the best NBA Jam-style (three-man team) attacking trio in ML

This week's Planet Futbol Podcast comes to you from Baltimore, the site of the 2016 MLS SuperDraft and the NSCAA convention. SI senior writer Grant Wahl and SI.com's Brian Straus, Liviu Bird, and Alex Abnos were all in town for the event, and together they'll give you a sense of what the mood is like at the biggest gathering of soccer people in the country. First, Grant Wahl sits down for a chat with MLS Commissioner Don Garber on the eve of the league's 21st season. In the talk, Garber discusses the importance of the SuperDraft, potential cities for MLS' next round of expansion, and what the league thinks of Dider Drogba's supposed flirtation with a return to Chelsea. Finally, Abnos, Straus, and Bird deliver a rich look at college soccer's importance to the American soccer system, and how Maryland's Sasho Cirovski's radical changes could improve the sport going forward. Additional music in this episode provided by SLP [http://freemusicarchive.org/music/SLP/] and Brandon Liew [http://freemusicarchive.org/musi

Days before she could become the third U.S. player in history to win FIFA's Women's World Player of the Year award, Carli Lloyd joins the Planet Fútbol Podcast. Lloyd, who joined our podcast back in August as well, talks to SI's Grant Wahl (twitter.com/grantwahl) about being up for FIFA World Player of the Year, and also delves into the hot-button issue of equality across men's and women's players. Wahl, SI's Ben Lyttleton (twitter.com/benlyt) and Avi Creditor (twitter.com/avicreditor) also take a spin on Europe's coaching carousel, which has already seen some of the biggest names in management change addresses and surely has more moves on the way. Where will Pep Guardiola go? Is Arsenal a viable possibility? How will Zinedine Zidane fare at Real Madrid? == The Planet Futbol Podcast is brought you by the SeatGeek app, available in app stores and at seatgeek.com. Enter code PLANET in the app to for a $20 rebate off your first purchase. We are also sponsored by FanDuel. Enter promo code PLANET at FanDuel.com to

In this special year-end edition of the Planet Futbol Podcast, host Avi Creditor (twitter.com/acreditor) is joined by Alex Abnos (twitter.com/anabnos), and the guys recap the biggest and most notable moments in the world of soccer in 2015. Spoiler alert: There's a lot of them! Soccer was at the center of a worldwide corruption investigation, a terrorist attack, and yet another notable incident of racism. Then there where the slightly more positive, on-field moments: Which of Barcelona's incredible goals made the cut? And what performance does Alex think tops Robert Lewandowski's ridiculous outburst of five goals in nine minutes? All that and more on this year-end edition of the Planet Futbol Podcast. -- The Planet Futbol Podcast is brought you by the SeatGeek app, available in app stores and at seatgeek.com. Enter code PLANET in the app to for a $20 rebate off your first purchase. We are also sponsored by FanDuel. Enter promo code PLANET at FanDuel.com to play a risk-free tournament for up to $10. Learn more