Alexi Lalas and David Mosse react to the news that Saudi Arabia will be the lone bid for the 2034 FIFA Men's World Cup. The duo then dives into MLS playoffs as the 2nd leg of games begin. Will SKC finish the job vs. top-seeded St. Louis? MLS star Lionel Messi won his record 8th Ballon d'Or this week, becoming the first active MLS player to take home the award. Alexi and Mosse then preview a stacked soccer weekend abroad including another edition of Der Klassiker, where Gio Reyna and Dortmund host Bayern Munich. In #AskAlexi, the guys rate Halloween costumes of Alexi himself before diving into the USMNT chances in 2026 to hoist the trophy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rog goes live right after the final whistle of the Carabao Cup action to answer your questions. Also, the 2034 Men's World Cup will be played in Saudi Arabia. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lionel Messi has won his eighth Ballon d’Or and Guillem Balague gives a behind-the-scenes account of how in Qatar, the Argentinian won the World Cup. Guillem hears from the biggest names in the sport; from Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, former England forward Gary Lineker and ex-Argentina defender, Pablo Zabaleta - who give their unique perspectives on what happened during that tournament. We are taken on a journey – from that shock loss in Argentina’s opening game against Saudi Arabia, to one of the best international finals ever – where Argentina beat France on penalties, fulfilling Lionel Messi’s destiny of winning the World Cup and cementing himself as one of the greatest players of all time

Paris Saint-Germain has officially acknowledged a staggering €300 million ($332 million) offer from Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal for their star forward Kylian Mbappé, as reported by James Robson of the Associated Press. This prospective transfer fee would smash world records if it comes to fruition. According to James Benge of CBS Sports, Al-Hilal is ready to provide Mbappé a colossal €700 million for a single season, effectively granting him the liberty to make a move to Real Madrid the following summer. Anticipation is mounting that the talented Frenchman will find himself in different colors when the 2023-24 season kicks off. Back in June, Mbappé communicated his decision to Paris Saint-Germain, stating he would not be activating the one-year extension in his contract, which paves the way for him to leave as a free agent during the summer transfer window in 2024. Consequently, PSG has conveyed its readiness to entertain offers from potential suitors for his departure now. Saudi clubs are currently caught up in a spending spree, part of a broader effort to enhance the nation's global reputation. Al-Hilal, one of four Saudi Pro League clubs now under the ownership of the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, has already secured the services of top players like Rúben Neves, Sergej Milinković-Savić, and Kalidou Koulibaly. However, even with the mind-boggling sums of money being offered in Saudi Arabia, it may not be sufficient to lure stars like Lionel Messi, as evidenced by a reported $400 million annual offer that failed to seal the deal. There's a growing sense that Kylian Mbappé's career might be hitting a bit of a plateau at Paris Saint-Germain. PSG's dominance in domestic competitions means that Ligue 1 doesn't provide him with the same level of challenges he could encounter elsewhere. Joining Al-Hilal, even if just for one season, would further extend this narrative. Despite the Saudi Pro League's improvements, the level of competition remains below that of Europe's top leagues. With over a month remaining in the summer transfer window, Mbappé's market situation is likely to evolve before he reaches a final decision. The interest from Al-Hilal could potentially motivate Real Madrid to take action and solidify a partnership that has been in the works for over a year. Kylian Mbappe will leave PSG for free! Striker set to give up €80m loyalty bonus and snub new contract offer In a significant development, Kylian Mbappé has once again conveyed to the club that he will not be signing a new contract, despite discussions about an extension earlier this summer, as reported by 90min. Remarkably, he is willing to forgo the €80 million (£69 million/$86 million) loyalty bonus he is entitled to and is determined to leave when his current contract expires next year. This situation marks a continuation of the friction that arose between Mbappé and PSG at the end of the previous season when he initially declined to activate an option for a contract extension by another year. This left PSG facing the prospect of losing him for free in the following year, prompting president Nasser Al-Khelaifi to issue an ultimatum: either extend the contract or be sold in the transfer window. However, no transfer materialized during the summer, and discussions about a new deal commenced. Now, it appears that Mbappé has reverted to his earlier position since the summer transfer window concluded, confirming his intention to move on in 2024.

Álvaro "Chino" Recoba recently took over as the head coach of Uruguay's Nacional football club. In his first press conference, Recoba committed to an aggres

This morning the joint UK and Ireland bid to host Euro 2028 was confirmed as successful with Turkey joining Italy to host the 2032 tournament. The awarding of the tournaments came soon after FIFA had confirmed six nations across three tournaments would host the 2030 World Cup... and that leaves an inevitable host for the 2034 tournament. Are one nation host tournaments now a thing of the past? How do Suj and James feel about Football Coming Home and the choice of selected venues across the UK and Ireland? Is it now inevitable that Saudi Arabia will get the 2034 World Cup? And could we be moving towards Winter international tournaments? Tomorrow on Planet FPL: Planet SkyFF s5 ep14 with all the latest for Sky Fantasy Football Today on Patreon: Club Facts Quiz hosted by James Davies For the full Planet FPL Schedule this week, including our offering on Patreon view this post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/89442472 Want to become a member of our FPL and SkyFF community and support the Podcast? Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/planetfpl Follow James on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PlanetFPLPod Follow Suj on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sujanshah Follow Clayton on Twitter: https://twitter.com/claytsAFC Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PlanetFPL Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/planetfpl Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/planetfpl #FIFA #UEFA #Euro2028 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alexi Lalas and David Mosse discuss the FIFA World Cup announcing the 2030 host locations for the FIFA World Cup: Portugal, Spain, and Morocco. But what really grabs our attention is the special twist for the 100th anniversary of the World Cup; Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay will each host a singular game to give their respective national teams and fans a home game experience. Shifting gears, since the 2022 Men's World Cup, Brenden Aaronson has struggled to find his form that we once saw glimpses of during his time at Leeds United. Now with Union Berlin, we break down his recent struggles and explore the possibilities of him returning. We then turn our attention to the MLS MVP race. Alexi Lalas shares his personal criteria for ranking the players in contention for the MVP title. We also delve into the implications of Messi's fluctuating status and how teams are beginning to address the ticketing issue associated with his absence. In #AskAlexi Alexi is asked about the current VAR issues occurring in the EPL and is also asked about Fiorentina owner, Rocco Commisso’s comments in 2018 regarding the state of US soccer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ste is joined by Chris & Dan to react to Mohamed Salah staying at Liverpool following the transfer deadline closing in Saudi Arabia at 10pm last night. Al-Ittihad reportedly made numerous attempts to sign Salah this summer including suggestions of a world record transfer fee. However, Liverpool stood firm and rejected all offers for Mo Salah. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Greg and Belz interview the living legend about the ongoing and upcoming challenges for the El Salvador men's national team, his early days of playing semi-pro soccer as a teenager in southern California, that 1994 World Cup Round of 16 match against Brazil, playing for Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia in the early 1990s, and much more. Patrons (link in the shownotes) can hear him speak for nearly another hour about this current crop of USMNT players, how to get more out of them than we've gotten, why he left USSF, sneaking into the Cuscatlan as a kid and whether he'd take a job with US Soccer in the future. It's a lengthy, fascinating, generous discussion.

Dan is here with the latest edition of Redmen Bitesize with the news that Liverpool 'will resist' any bids for Mohamed Salah before the transfer window closes in Saudi Arabia on Thursday. Other news stories include the latest on Ryan Gravenberch's 'mini pre-season', Adrian reportedly being left out of the Europa League squad & part two of Jordan Henderson's interview with The Athletic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.