Sam's Army

PREMIER LEAGUE: this weekend crystallized Arsenal's great fears. City really feeling themselves. Modest vindication for Arne Slot and Mo Salah (and "Rui" Ngamoha). Relegation battle featuring three clubs and one clownshow. Preview of Sunday's all-important Arsenal at City fixture. HALFTIME: fascism-related weekly what if postponed to next week... stay tuned ROUND THE WORLD: Champions League chatter - which club has the best and worst chance of overturning their first leg deficit plus an extra spicy MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal's quadruple dreams up in smoke - more disappointment to come? Liverpool gets belt-to-assed by City and clock is running out for Arne Slot. Weekend preview featuring critical battles at top (City/Chelsea) and bottom (Leeds, Forest, Spurs and Hammies) of table. HALFTIME: What If - you controlled Christian Pulisic's social life... do you want him going into the World Cup single and hungry or booed up and comfortable? ROUND THE WORLD: Champions League chatter plus the spiciest ML Minute yet STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

ROUND THE WORLD: Breakdown of USMNT's wasted window f/t belts to ass from Belgium and Portugal. Did we answer ANY questions? Is Poch playing the long game or flailing wildly? What is our best XI right now? HALFTIME: What If the French national team played in the Premier League... where are they finishing? PREMIER LEAGUE: What is the best-case scenario for Tottenham's 5-year deal - LOL - for Roberto De Zerbi? Arsenal's (shrewd) shamelessness continues. STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: City sends shivers down (some) Arsenal spines with dominant League Cup final win. Tottenham fail yet another must-win test in embarrassing fashion results in massive (and impressive) win for Forest. Tyler reacts to the confirmed and rumored departures of Salah and Slot -- respectively. Laim is losing the plot at Chelsea. HALFTIME: Pop Quiz on EPL relegation favorites ROUND THE WORLD: A look ahead at what matters in USMNT vs Belgium and fears of what it could lead to... STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Chelsea's pregame chuddles and thoughts on how performative/gimmicky Rosenior (aka "Liam") is. Sam thinks Spurs are so back (yikes). Huge weekend in title race but another one still to come. Preview of Sunday's twin toilet bowls. HALFTIME: What If - you played for Morocco and were suddenly * hypothetically * handed the AFCON title two months after the fact... how are you reacting/celebrating? ROUND THE WORLD: Champions League roundup plus brief thoughts on Poch's USMNT roster STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Tottenham's nightmare midweek and concern that the team's head is not in it; Osula's incredible game-winner for Newcastle; Rob Edwards raises the Whitewalker Wolves... and a look ahead at Liverpool vs Tottenham and Chelsea vs Newcastle HALFTIME: Pop Quiz on favorites to win the WC26 golden boot ROUND THE WORLD: Extra spicy MLS Hit-It-N-Quit-It Minute and (double) compliment corner - Everton and Tottenham STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal outlasts Chelsea in a wrestling match masquerading as a soccer game, thanks in part to the Blues' tendency for childish petulance (which says a lot about the club's lack of leadership). Brentford controversially pips Burnley in and unexpected thriller. Being on the wrong end of 50-50 calls by referees is becoming an unfortunate way of life for Tottenham, leaving the club with a must-win home game on Thursday against 14th place Palace in early March (woof). HALFTIME: What If the USL players go on strike and the league scours local pub leagues and offers you a chance to be a scab and cross the picket line... you seizing the opportunity? REST OF WORLD: Extra spicy Hit-It-N-Quit-It MLS Minute STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Join our beautiful soccer community/discord and support the pod: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal's North London Demolition of sad sack Spurs. Hot take on Liam Rosenior's job security. LiVARpool survives. Carrick pulls the right levers for United once again. Everton's lack of creativity bites them. Weekend preview f/t Arsenal vs Chelsea. HALFTIME: Pop Quiz putting Champions League mini-marauders Bodo/Glimt's remarkable run in context ROUND THE WORLD: extra spicy MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Join our beautiful soccer community/discord and support the pod: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Pressure beginning to mount on Arsenal and Arteta. Tottenham and (especially) Nottingham Forest smash the panic button, bringing in temporary stopgap managers. PR101 tips for how Manchester United haircut guy SHOULD handle the situation moving forward. Weekend preview f/t biggest wild card game in recent North London Daerby history. HALFTIME: What If a legendary team from the 1950s or 60s played in the Premier League today - how would they do? ROUND THE WORLD: what to watch for from MLS in 2026 - on and off the field. STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Wild and woolly last 20 minutes of Liverpool vs City makes up for first 70' f/t good, bad and ugly from Dominick Szoboszlai. Brentford stays buzzing with exciting win over floundering Newcastle. Christian Romero buries Spurs' board and Spurs' chances all within 24 hours. West Ham might be back. HALFTIME: What If you could watch World Cup 2026 games at any two stadiums this summer... ROUND THE WORLD: breaking down the battle between Cristiano Ronaldo and PIF that is shaking the Saudi Pro League to its core STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community/discord: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Coming out parties for Liverpool's Ekitike and Wirtz vs banged up Newcastle. Tottenham (belatedly) remind everyone they are Pep's inexplicable kryptonite. United arguably post most impressive win yet under Michael Carrick against Fulham. Chelsea's sudden injection of quiet confidence. Preview of next weekend's slate f/t Liverpool vs City and Spurs hosting United. HALFTIME: What If the soccergods say you can win Champions League this season but you also get relegated - you taking the deal? ROUND THE WORLD: thoughts on final week of Champions League "league" phase and new format itself STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community/discord: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Dan Rapaport joins to discuss United's sudden resurgence under Michael Carrick, including Sunday's 3-2 win at champs-elect Arsenal. Palace flub chance for much-needed reset. Chelsea grows up. Slot's Liverpool running out of excuses and facing a WAR this weekend vs Newcastle. How (the heck) Thomas Frank still has a job... but Dr Tottenham couldn't possibly do it again vs City - could they?? HALFTIME: Pop Quiz - who is the Premier League's richest broke boy? ROUND THE WORLD: permutations and preview of last Champions League group stage games STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community/discord: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Postmortem of United's dismantling of City in the Manchester Daerby and what it says about each club going forward. Arsenal and Villa stay missing opportunities. Sam has had enough of Thomas Frank. Palace's loss to Sunderland barely makes the top 3 of their biggest L's last week. HALFTIME: What If - you are Chris Richards seeing your CB partner and coach heading for the exit, what convo are you having with your agent? Also, "Compliment Corner" (air quotes) for Man City. ROUND THE WORLD: breaking down the insanity of Morocco vs Senegal in the AFCON final STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal vs Liverpool pillow fight leaves nobody ecstatic. Tepid draws from other title contenders soften the blow. Semenyo storybook ending doubles as Tottenham's latest nightmare. Anatomy of Brentford's quiet ride into 5th place. PR101 for Managerial Dummies for Thomas Frank and Nuno. Weekend preview f/t Manchester Daerby. HALFTIME: If your club's goalkeepers all got injured in a game, which field player would you trust must between the pipes? ROUND THE WORLD: USMNT chatter f/t Josh Sargent to TFC and unfortunate Ricardo Pepi update plus quick look at AFCON semifinal storylines STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Sudden departures of Chelsea's Maresca and United's Amorim. Did Arsenal's dismantling of Villa expose a clear gap? City may have regrets come May. Harrison Reed does Liverpool dirty. Nuno cements legend status at Wolves. HALFTIME: GKU-related weekly what if ROUND THE WORLD: AFCON check in and thoughts on Arsene Wenger's boneheaded idea for "improving" offside. STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Aston Villa keeps playing possum and Unai Emery keeps pulling all the right levers. City's Rayan Cherki making a strong push to be signing of the summer. Ruben Amorim successfully capitulates on tactics. Preview of this week's massive Arsenal vs Villa match. HALFTIME: Pop Quiz on USMNT goalscorers at World Cup 2026 ROUND THE WORLD: AFCON news and notes STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Enzo Maresca's master plan to generate hype as Pep 2.0 is working perfectly. Aston Villa led by Morgan Rogers are a problem. #FrankOut at Tottenham? Arsenal start feeling City's heat. Leeds may have fixed their glaring problem. HALFTIME: Pop Quiz - odds to win AFCON ROUND THE WORLD: storylines and narratives worth paying attention to at AFCON STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal fans starting to feel a little pressure. Salah responds to Slot's massive midweek UCL win (in his absence). Villa keep on keeping on. Forest architect Spurs' latest indignity. Nobody quite knows what Amorim is trying to do with United but if it produces more 4-4 draws like this week vs Bournemouth, so be it. STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets (f/t Cone of Shame) and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Mo Salah goes nuclear on Arne Slot after getting benched for third straight game. Massive week for Leeds who batter Chelsea and hold Liverpool. Moises Caicedo is great missed. Aston Villa solve the puzzle that is Arsenal and make case for league's second best team. Toffees go 7th! HALFTIME: What If you quit your job and focused on eGaming - how long would it take to get a pro contract? ROUND THE WORLD: Messi's Inter Miami takes down a game Vancouver Whitecaps and what is must-watch in Champions League this week STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Chelsea impress vs Arsenal but disciplinary remains Achilles heel. United's bounce back thanks to (legitimately) bad boys. Leeds show life vs City but it's too late for moral victories. Spurs straight up stink. Arne Slot feels pressure and finally benches Salah - and it works - plus Lucas Paquetá's love for spot-fixing allegations. Villa and Brighton quietly making moves. Power Rankings. Midweek + weekend preview f/t Spurs vs Newcastle, Villa vs Arsenal and Elephant vs Honey Badger. HALFTIME: What If you could choose any other living player or coach to get the "60 Minutes" treatment like Lamine Yamal (but doesn't have to be a puff piece), who you going with? ROUND THE WORLD: MLS hit-it-n-quit-it *playoff* minute recapping semis and preview/prediction for Saturday's MLS Cup STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Arsenal trounce scared Spurs. Everton earn one of the dumbest red cards in history but somehow it is United that goes home embarrassed. Liverpool's crisis of confidence continues. Evangelos Marinakis may have saved Forest's AND West Ham's seasons. HALFTIME: What If - you are David Moyes and two of your players get into a fight on the field... how do you handle it? ROUND THE WORLD: MLS semifinals are set and USL-Championship organizers pull one of the pettiest moves of all times STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Mailbag episode: USMNT's "successful" international window full of sound and fury but signifying what? Also, what Ronny, Donny and Musk talked about at White House gala. Mikey spews more malicious lies about Sam. Alex Bono on what to watch this week in MLS playoffs. North London Daerby preview. Scotland vs Ireland - only one can stay...

PREMIER LEAGUE: lessons learned from City's thrashing of Liverpool, big time "prove it" week for Sunderland and Bournemouth but only one showed up, United and (especially) Tottenham both managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory HALFTIME: Pop quiz on Sunderland's title hopes ROUND THE WORLD: USMNT primer looking at notable absences and key inclusions for this week's Paraguay and Urugay friendlies STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: getting to the bottom of Tottenham's woeful home form. Would you rather be a fan of West Ham or Nottingham Forest right now? Erling Haaland singlehandedly keeping title race alive. Sunderland's (revised) floor and ceiling this season. Previews of City/Liverpool, Spurs/United and Villa/Bournemouth. HALFTIME: What If someone is going to embarrass the podcast at Tyler's wedding this weekend, who is the biggest potential liability? ROUND THE WORLD: MLS hit-it-n-quit-it (extra special) PLAYOFF minute and this week's must-watch Champions League games STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Amorim's United finally showing signs of progress. Sunderland keep doing the damn thing. Gravenberch-less Liverpool quickly fading from title contention. Arsenal just as quickly solidifying its nickame as the Unwatchable Unevitables. Spurs win ugly but face Chelsea at home this weekend (ruh roh). HALFTIME: What If the unthinkable happens and USMNT does not win WC26 - who we rooting for? ROUND THE WORLD: thoughts on Japan (angered by alleged Qatari meddling) potentially splitting off from Asian federation STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy On the eve of the MLS playoffs, two of SamFam's finest -- Tim Parker of New York Red Bulls and Alex Bono of New England Revolution -- join to discuss everything that is worth knowing about this season's fight for MLS Cup.

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Tyler admits that Liverpool's loss to United exposed serious problems at Anfield (and potentially in his wedding plans). Forest's ill-fated Ange experiment blows up even earlier than predicted. Bournemouth and Palace high-quality slugfest. Villa drops two absolute WORLDIES right on Tottenham's face. And a preview of the weekend f/t Arsenal vs Palace (strong vs strong) and Bournemouth vs Forest (strong vs calamitous). HALFTIME: reaction to US Soccer's plan to reshape NCAA soccer into a world class U23 league that could involve regional promotion and relegation, though questions and concerns are myriad ROUND THE WORLD: extra brief MLS Hit-It-N-Quit-It Minute and Champions League preview STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy Connor Tobin, head of the USL Players Association and one-time captain of Forward Madison, sits down with Tommy and Sam to discuss where things stand in the ridiculously complicated three-way negotiations in which the players, clubs and league are trying to hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement as the December 31st deadline begins to loom larger and larger (in hopes of avoiding a possible work stoppage)

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy ROUND THE WORLD: What did we learn from USMNT's 1-1 draw with Ecuador and 2-1 win over Australia? Whose stock is up/down? Grade for Poch? Do we have a striker controversy brewing? HALFTIME: Mikey's incredible promo suddenly goes off the rails and Tyler has thots on "halftime" occurring more than halfway through the program PREMIER LEAGUE: what games are must-watch this weekend f/t a hot take prediction about how Liverpool vs United is about to go down STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: What we learned from Chelsea's win over suddenly-luckless Liverpool and what Arne Slot needs to do to get the train back on the tracks. Thomas Frank is just what Doctor Tottenham needed. Never mind Christmas, Ange may not make it to Halloween. Drama-free United?!? HALFTIME: Hot Topic - what we can and should take issue with most about FIFA's World Cup 2026 ticket sales strategy, which (hint) isn't necessarily the astronomically high prices ROUND THE WORLD: MLS Hit-It-N-Quit-It MLS Minute plus thots on Poch's "most serious" USMNT roster yet for this month's friendlies vs Ecuador and Australia STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Late goals for Palace (vs Liverpool) and Arsenal (vs Newcastle) reshape title race. Sam angers the Tweedles and chat with a hot take on Arsenal and Liverpool. Legit-O-Meter: Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland. The freak injury that may have just saved Aston Villa's season. HALFTIME: FIFA's Gianni Infantino is up to his old tricks again teasing a 64-team World Cup 2030 despite the fact we have yet to see of/how an expanded 48-team tournament is going to work ROUND THE WORLD: must-watch games in Champions League this week plus a special Hit-It-N-Quit-It MLS Moment (shorter and less pleasurable than our usual MLS Minute) STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: people are saying Pep tacitly admitted City don't got the juice this year with his approach to Arsenal match. Amorin receives a red-carded aided stay of execution. Unai Emery may not be so lucky. Another tough matchup (in an underwhelming weekend) coming up for Arteta's lads on Sunday. HALFTIME: Mykhailo Mudryk-related Weekly What If ROUND THE WORLD: Thoughts on Ballon d'Or jumping the shark and MLS Hit-It-N-Quit-it Minute STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: Manchester Daerby postmortem, is Liverpool good or nah, Ange's first test at Forest does not go well, which club is mashing the "Panic" button hardest, what 4 managers may be gone by Christmas, Arsenal/City and Merseyside previews plus why this weekend's Chelsea game may be do-or-die for Ruben Amorim HALFTIME: MLS Cup 2025 pop quiz ROUND THE WORLD: MLS Hit-It-N-Quit-it Minute and what Champions League games are must-watch this week STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: grading Daniel Levy's performance at Tottenham; Ange replaces Nuno after the latter fell out with Forest owner Marinakis and weekend preview f/t Manchester Daerby (with bonus LOCK prediction on the result) HALFTIME: World Cup 2026 pop quiz ROUND THE WORLD: News and notes from World Cup qualifying in Europe, South America and Africa STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy USMNT: Instant reaction to "big" win over Japan (B), thoughts on the shambolic 0-2 loss to Good Korea, and where the program goes from here (starting with what to watch for from next month's far-more-important international window with games vs Ecuador and Australia)

PREMIER LEAGUE: Szoboszlai's worldie flips narrative on Arsenal's performance and forces Arteta to admit Anfield owns beachfront property in his brain; Dan Rapaport hops back on to discuss United's Grimsby Town debacle; Bournemouth out-Franks Thomas Frank and Jack Grealish is the best PL storyline going HALFTIME: What If you could pick which club newly-unemployed Dear Leader Jozay goes to next - where you choosing? ROUND THE WORLD: reaction to Pochettino's USMNT roster for this week's Good Korea/Japan friendlies and his decision not to call in so many first choice players plus MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: instant reaction to Newcastle/Liverpool's game of the season candidate. Thomas Frank walks Pep's dog (again). Dan Rapoport frustrated by same old problems coming back to bite United. Burnley and Brentford bounce back. United, Villa and Brighton on Panic Button watch. Preview of Sunday's massive Liverpool vs Arsenal battle. HALFTIME ROUND THE WORLD: MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute; Leagues Cup nightmare and Gio Reyna finally gets his move STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Support the pod and join our beautiful soccer community, including discord chat, tactical blogs and bonus episodes: https://www.patreon.com/samsarmy PREMIER LEAGUE: better result for Arsenal but better performance from United at Old Trafford. Is Liverpool offense good enough to compensate for their defense? Chelsea look leggy. Sunderland and Leeds get started with a bang. HALFTIME: What If you got to choose a walkout song? ROUND THE WORLD: Leagues Cup quarterfinals preview STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: Who is finishing top 4 and in what order? Which non-Big 6 club could grab a Champions League spot? Will any newly-promoteds survive? Golden Boot and POTY winners? First manager sacked? HALFTIME: pop quiz on players with most goals +from assists in Europe's top five leagues ROUND THE WORLD: MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

ROUND THE WORLD: honest assessment of the new version of Leagues Cup; thoughts on Heung-Min Son to LAFC and Matt Turner to NE Revs HALFTIME: What If you played on Inter Miami, how many goals would you score simply being fed by Leo Messi? TRANSFER TALK: Tottenham may have taken the lead over Newcastle in battle for league's worst summer plus which Big 7 suitor Ben Sesko should choose this window STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: are Tottenham or Newcastle having a worse summer; the one position Manchester United need to upgrade most; Xhaka to Sunderland; updated transfer grade for Arsenal (post-Gyokeres) and way-too-early predictions for 2025/26 PL Handicap Champs HALFTIME: Tyler Terens-related Weekly What If ROUND THE WORLD: thoughts on preseason North London Daerby in... Hong Kong plus MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

PREMIER LEAGUE: *preliminary* winners and losers of the 2025 summer transfer window plus best and worst individual deals thus far, and whether Liverpool is bowing to pressure to become a big spender (like City or Chelsea) HALFTIME: What If you were a player on a Big 6 club, where would you want to go on summer tour? ROUND THE WORLD: which USMNT transfers do we like and dislike, notably those involving Matt Turner and Gio Reyna, along with the MLS hit-it-n-quit-it minute STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

CLUB WORLD CUP: what Chelsea's shocking win in the CWC final says about their title chances, making sense of PSG's ridiculous reaction to losing and the trophy lift heard round the world featuring Cole Palmer vs Donald Trump HALFTIME: What If you could choose where Gio Reyna goes when he leaves Dortmund this summer... where's he landing (and impact on his chance of making WC26)? ROUND THE WORLD: transfer talk f/t "Not My Tottenham Hotspur" (in a good way) plus Liverpool and Newcastle tet-a-tet over Isak and Ekitike STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

USMNT: Takeaways from the 1-2 "home" loss to Mexico in the Gold Cup final, and thoughts on the team and Poch's performance at the tournament more generally. Who is pushing for starting roles at WC26? Who helped their case to make the roster? Who did not? And where the team goes from here (starting with September friendlies). STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Rapid reaction to the USMNT's (unnecessarily?) hard fought 2-1 win over Guatemala in front of a hostile crowd in... St Louis?!?!?! Diego Luna and Malik Tillman continue to make a case for punching their tickets to World Cup 2026, and not just to round out the roster. Also, chatter about Pochettino having no choice in how to handle the Pulisic situation.

USMNT: Rapid reaction to nervy win on penalties over Costa Rica in the Gold Cup quarterfinal. Some individual shoutouts, thoughts on Max Arfsten's highly "eventful" performance and a preview of what to expect from Guatemala. STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

INTERVIEW: San Diego FC's 4-goal hero Milan Iloski chatted with teammate/roommate Tommy McGunner and Sam in 2023 about his path to Orange County, his cooking "skills", some truly impressive pranks and big plans for the future in Denmark (now MLS)

USMNT: what we have learned about this team and individual players so far this tournament plus what to expect from Costa Rica and (unbiased) predictions GOLD CUP: the pluses and minuses of Jesse Marsch proactively painting himself as the bad boy of CONCACAF as well as whether Saudi Arabia give Mexico problems in other quarterfinal ROUND THE WORLD: thoughts on the Club World Cup so far, games to watch from the last matchday of group stage games and power rankings of both teams and fanbases STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets (#OverTrain is NOT cooking) and GOAWs

USMNT: takeaways from comfortable win over Trinidad & Tobago plus a look ahead to Thursday's tougher game against Saudi Arabia, including starting XI and predictions (plus some broader thoughts on the first round of games and what to watch for in the Gold Cup) HALFTIME: What If... Jesse Marsch had been hired as USMNT coach and Compliment Corner for Mr. (Manufactured?) Controversy himself, Alexi Lalas ROUND THE WORLD: early thoughts on Infantino's beloved Club World Cup and an extra abbreviated Hit-It-N-Quit-It MLS Minute STOPPAGE TIME: Ivan Toney's Best Bets and GOAWs

Highlights and WAY more lowlights from Saturday's 1-2 loss to Türkiye and Tuesday's 0-4 shellacking by Switzerland. We scour the wreckage of another catastrophic international window for silver linings. How much of this is on Pochettino? Who from this USMNT roster is in the mix for World Cup 2026? Is Sam capable of criticizing Pulisic? Are we about to get grouped in the Gold Cup??