Planet Fútbol with Grant Wahl

Latest Episodes:

Fernando Palomo of ESPN Feb 06, 2020

Show notes

Grant has a fun discussion with ESPN's Fernando Palomo, who's also well-known for his role on the EA Sports FIFA video game. They talk about suffering Champions League withdrawal and the knockout matchups ahead, including Real Madrid-Manchester City, Dortmund-PSG and Atlético Madrid-Liverpool. They also get into Palomo's thoughts on Chicharito Hernández coming to MLS, how much distance the Mexican national team has right now over the USMNT and why his native El Salvador has a good shot to get back in the CONCACAF Hexagonal this time around.
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Man City's Issues; Lazio and Ciro Immobile; Ulysses Llanez Feb 03, 2020

Show notes

Grant and Luis Miguel break down the soccer weekend, including the reasons for Man City falling 22 points behind Liverpool, Chelsea's Frank Lampard benching Kepa for Willy Caballero, which teams we see making the Premier League's top four, two more goals for Dortmund's Erling Haaland, the undderrated goal-scoring machine Ciro Immobile of Lazio, why we're aching to re-start UEFA Champions League, Inter Miami closing in on Rodolfo Pizarro, the USWNT cruising as expected through Olympic qualifying, the goal-scoring debut of USMNT 18-year-old Ulysses Llanez and our frustrations with the cookie-cutter and uninteresting MLS kits.
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USWNT and NWSL Talk With The Athletic's Meg Linehan Jan 30, 2020

Show notes

Grant has an in-depth conversation with The Athletic's Meg Linehan about the NWSL and the state of the USWNT as it moves forward in the Olympic qualifying tournament. Will Carli Lloyd perform under the microscope at centerforward? Is Lynn Williams the most important new player under Vlatko Andonovski? Where is Megan Rapinoe in a pure soccer sense right now? They also discuss Linehan's story of how she got to The Athletic and ask why she's one of a very small number of full-time women's soccer writers in America.
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On Kobe Bryant's Legacy and Soccer Connection; Erling Haaland, Chicharito's Relationship with Mexican Media Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

Grant and Luis Miguel devote the first part of the podcast to the tragic deaths of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in Sunday's helicopter crash; the impact that Bryant had on so many millions, including in the soccer world; and then transition into the other news of the week. Topics: Erling Haaland's remarkable goal-scoring run; the exciting title race at the top of the Bundesliga; Barcelona's toothless possession under Quique Setién in a 2-0 loss at Valencia; Inter's missed opportunity with Juventus losing at Napoli; Liverpool's surprising tie against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup; the frosty relationship of Chicharito to the Mexican and Latino media in the aftermath of his viral video; and the USWNT's start of Olympic qualifying this week (as well as the story behind TV coverage).
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ESPN's Hérculez Gómez Jan 23, 2020

Show notes

Grant has a fun interview with Hérculez Gómez, who co-hosts Ahora o Nunca on ESPN Deportes and appears on ESPNFC. They talk in depth about LA Galaxy's signing of Chicharitio Hernández, why Herc thinks the Mexican national team has frozen out Chicharito due to his stance on labor issues, his thoughts on the MLS season ahead, what it's like to move from Connecticut to Los Angeles and how he's stepped out of his comfort zone on his talk show to interview guests like Mike Tyson, Dana White and others.
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Liverpool Dumps Man United; Dortmund Is Now Must-See TV; LA Galaxy Lands Chicharito Jan 20, 2020

Show notes

Grant and Luis Miguel break down Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Man United, in which LFC fans sang they’re going to win the league for the first time; the debut hat trick for Dortmund’s Erling Haaland (and Gio Reyna’s debut in the same game); Barcelona’s victory in Quique Setién’s first game; Juventus starting to pull away in Serie A; LA Galaxy’s long-awaited signing of Chicharito Hernández; Luis Miguel’s trip to DC to interview Edison Flores; Grant’s trip to LA for MLS Media Day; Mal Pugh being cut from the USWNT Olympic qualifying roster; and Sam Kerr bringing her goal-scoring ways to Chelsea.
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Catching Up With Alexi Lalas Jan 16, 2020

Show notes

Grant sits down in LA with Alexi Lalas of Fox Sports, who hosts the State of the Union Podcast. They talk about the impending arrival of Chicharito Hernández to LA Galaxy, the potential of labor strife ahead of the MLS season, what he's excited about in MLS 2020, what he thinks about surrounding MLS's 25th anniversary, whether he ever issues an opinion that he doesn't really believe just to stir the pot, why he became an AYSO referee, and much, much more.
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Grant's Jürgen Klopp Magazine Story, Barcelona Chaos, New USMNT GM Brian McBride, Chicharito to LA Galaxy? Jan 13, 2020

Show notes

In an action-packed pod, Grant and Luis Miguel discuss José Mourinho's "dark force" impact on Tottenham in the wake of Saturday's loss to Liverpool; Grant's big Jürgen Klopp story coming out this week for SI; Sergio Agüero's place in the Premier League; the managerial chaos at Barcelona (which will miss Luis Suárez for four months); the LA Galaxy's Ahab-like pursuit of Chicharito Hernández; Luis Miguel's thoughts on the Liga MX Clausura; the hiring of Brian McBride as the new general manager of the USMNT; the big NWSL moves of the past week; the problematic impending hire of Farid Benstiti by Reign FC; and your hosts' true life stories that sound like a lie, from Luis Miguel's birthday party attended by Pras of the Fugees to Grant's beef with Urkel in a locker room.
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Michael MacCambridge of "Red Letters" on Liverpool's magical season, Jürgen Klopp and the Changing Face of Premier League Accessibility in America Jan 09, 2020

Show notes

Grant speaks about all things Liverpool with Michael MacCambridge, an Austin-based writer and author who's one half of "Red Letters," a weekly season-long series of letters about Liverpool FC for the Liverpool Echo with Neil Atkinson of The Anfield Wrap. They discuss MacCambridge's origin story with Liverpool and his thoughts on Liverpool fandom, what makes Jürgen Klopp and this Liverpool team special, and how we consume global sports in the 21st century. Grant and Michael, both Kansas City natives, also discuss their fandom for the NFL Chiefs, how they sat together in frigid conditions at last year's AFC championship game and what they would do if the Chiefs can win their first Super Bowl in 50 years. MacCambridge's books include '69 Chiefs (a new coffee table book on the only Chiefs Super Bowl winners), America's Game (on the history of the NFL) and The Franchise (on the history of Sports Illustrated).
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Breaking Down Arteta, Ancelotti, Moyes & Pearson; Is Barcelona Ready For Xavi to Be Pep 2?; Will Inter Miami Sign Any Big Names? Jan 06, 2020

Show notes

Grant and Luis Miguel reconvene and hop around the world of soccer, starting with a discussion on all the new Premier League managers (Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, Everton's Carlo Ancelotti, West Ham's David Moyes and Watford's Nigel Pearson. They also discuss how Liverpool beefed up its Premier League lead over the past month; whether England plays too many games; why stale Barcelona feels like it did during Frank Rijkaard's last season (2007-08) and how it could set up a Pep-like return for Xavi to coach the club next season. Additional topics: New MLS coaches at Inter Miami (Diego Alonso) and NYCFC (Ronny Deila), Kate Markgraf landing Laura Harvey to coach the Under-20 USWNT and South American transfer targets in 2020.
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