Planet Fútbol with Grant Wahl

Latest Episodes:

An Interview With DaMarcus Beasley Dec 30, 2019

Show notes

Grant sits down in Houston with DaMarcus Beasley, the only U.S. man ever to play in four World Cups, who recently retired from a club career that saw him win 13 trophies in North America and Europe. Beasley talks about his new work as an executive with Matrix Athletic Club and looks back on a rich career that saw him reach the World Cup quarterfinals with the U.S. (in 2002) and the UEFA Champions League semifinals with PSV Eindhoven (in 2005). He also shares his thoughts on the state of American soccer, explains two bits of important wisdom that he took over the years from his former coaches Jürgen Klinsmann and Bob Bradley, and reveals why he's serious about the possibility of going to culinary school.
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Suzy Wrack, Women's Soccer Writer for The Guardian Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

Grant speaks to Suzy Wrack, who covers women's soccer and women's sports for The Guardian, about a number of topics: Her blockbuster investigative story revealing sexual, physical and emotional abuse of Afghanistan women's national team players by the leaders of the Afghan soccer federation; her thoughts on the England national team and the rise of the English women's league; her visit to New York to interview Megan Rapinoe; the growing trend of British media outlets hiring full-time writers to cover women's soccer and her story of how she got into the media business.
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An Interview With Paul Tenorio of The Athletic Dec 19, 2019

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Grant speaks to Paul Tenorio, national soccer reporter for The Athletic, about a host of topics, including his career path, how he ended up choosing to cover soccer full-time instead of other sports, how he approaches covering MLS, his thoughts on the MLS collective bargaining talks, how his terrific story on Jesse Marsch came together and what he's hoping to do in the future covering the sport.
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Exciting Matchups in Champions League Draw; Liverpool Keeps Rolling; De Bruyne Magic for Man City; Arteta to Arsenal? a Midweek Clasico Dec 16, 2019

Show notes

SI's Luis Miguel Echegaray welcomes guest co-host Kay Murray to discuss each #UCLDraw matchup, another EPL victory for Liverpool, Man City's win at Arsenal, Tottenham under Jose Mourinho, who should manage Arsenal, La Liga action, a preview of Wednesday's Clásico and much more!
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An Interview With Nashville SC CEO Ian Ayre Dec 12, 2019

Show notes

Grant speaks to Ian Ayre, the former CEO of Liverpool and now the CEO of Nashville SC, which begins its first MLS season on February 29 when it hosts Atlanta United. They discuss what he has been doing over the last 19 months to prepare Nashville for MLS; the choices that went into hiring coach Gary Smith, signing DP midfielder Hany Mukhtar and assembling a roster that includes Dax McCarty, David Accam and Dominique Badji; the progress on Nashville's 30,000-seat soccer stadium (set to open in 2022); how much money they'll have to spend on players; and what he would consider "success" for the team in 2020. Ayre also provides his thoughts on the current success of Liverpool, where he worked until 2017.
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SI’s Jenny Vrentas on 2019 SI Sportsperson of the Year Megan Rapinoe Dec 09, 2019

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Grant talks to SI senior writer Jenny Vrentas about her new Sportsperson of the Year story on Megan Rapinoe—the sports figure who made the most lasting impression of 2019. They talk about Rapinoe’s athletic and social impact, the forces in her life that have shaped those things and how Vrentas approached writing a signature story on one of the most heavily covered athletes in the world.
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Liverpool Pulls Away; A Weekend of Glorious Backheels; Earnie Stewart’s Unwise Chicago Policy; Jesse Marsch Goes For It Dec 09, 2019

Show notes

Grant and Luis Miguel discuss Megan Rapinoe’s SI Sportsperson of the Year award, Man City falling 14 points behind Liverpool, Man United’s huge week, amazing backheels by Luis Suárez and Mohamed Salah, another Messi hat trick, Jesse Marsch’s huge Champions League opportunity on Tuesday, the crazy race in Germany and Earnie Stewart’s policy requiring U.S. Soccer coaches to live in Chicago.
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Portland Timbers Coach Giovanni Savarese Dec 05, 2019

Show notes

Grant has a wide-ranging conversation with Portland Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese in which they talk about Diego Valeri's potential return to the team for 2020, what happened with departed DP Brian Fernández, how Savarese works with GM Gavin Wilkinson and owner Merritt Paulson, what has (and hasn't changed) in MLS since he played in the league's first season for the MetroStars, how winning three NASL titles with the New York Cosmos has shaped him as a coach, his thoughts on the current state of his Venezuelan national team and how his family in Venezuela has dealt with the turmoil in that country.
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Unai Emery Out At Arsenal; Messi Saves Barça Again; The Day That Changed FIFA Forever Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

Grant and Luis Miguel kick off a busy December in the Premier League with talk of whether Liverpool can stay on cruise control without Fabinho, Arsenal's next move after dismissing Unai Emery, a flat performance by Chelsea in a home loss to West Ham and Wednesday's return of José Mourinho to Man United. They also discuss Lionel Messi saving Barcelona yet again, Inter moving into first place in Serie A, Jurgen Klinsmann's new gig at Hertha Berlin, Lyon buying the NWSL's Reign FC, Monday's Ballon d'Or awards, the 9-year anniversary of FIFA awarding World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar and the draws for Euro 2020 and next summer's Copa América.
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Astead Herndon, New York Times Political Reporter and Spurs Fan Nov 27, 2019

Show notes

Grant has a fun conversation with Astead Herndon, a national political reporter for the New York Times and a diehard Tottenham Hotspur fan. They talk about Herndon's soccer origin story, how he became a Spurs fan, his thoughts on José Mourinho replacing Mauricio Pochettino, how easy it is now to find Premier League games on the campaign trail, which presidential candidates are the biggest soccer fans and why President Trump has embraced soccer more than just about anyone would have expected.
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