Soccer 101

On this week's episode, we're diving into football in India: it's the world's most populous country, but why can't it qualify for a World Cup? We get into the history of the sport in the country, the growth of the domestic professional league, and the possible explanations for why the world's most popular sport still hasn't quite caught on yet. WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With young talent, a manager full of potential, wealth that would make Scrooge McDuck look like a pauper, and an idyllic location, Como has become one of the biggest stories in Italian football. How have they had such a meteoric rise? What role have players and tactics played in those successes? What does the future hold, both for this season and beyond? All that and much more on this week's episode! WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we dive into the dominance of the Premier League: when did it take the top spot in terms of global popularity and league strength? What factors allowed it to become the dominant league in the world? Can any other leagues challenge them, anytime soon? WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Pogba went from teenage wonderkid to World Cup winner to a doping ban that nearly ended everything. And now, out at Monaco but battling fresh injury setbacks, his career is at another crossroads. We trace the full ride: his breakout at Juventus, his blockbuster return to Manchester United (and why it never quite clicked), the positive drug test that derailed everything, his comeback attempt in France, and what might come next — including whether MLS could be the final chapter. WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Graham and Taylor are together again on the 101 feed to discuss the return of Ted Lasso! How did the show go from NBC ad to beloved series? What role has it played in helping grow the game in the US? What are our personal opinions on the show, the storylines, and what's worked (and not worked). WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Premier League of Bosnia was born in 2000 out of the wreckage of a brutal civil war, and served as a deliberate attempt to unite three separate ethnic football cultures under one roof. It hasn't always worked cleanly, but out of that turbulence came something remarkable: a golden generation that took a young, war-scarred nation to its first World Cup in 2014, and now back again in 2026. WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we head back to South America to do a little World Cup previewing... and this week, it's Ecuador! How have they risen to such prominence so quickly? Where does their talent come from geographically, and what does that say about the socioeconomics of the region? Plus, biggest and most successful clubs, legendary players, and an insane ranking in terms of the league's quality. All that and much more! WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We spend some time in the country that has been several other countries in its footballing history: Czechia. From uncommon German roots to the impact of The Iron Curtain to modern challengers to the conventional favorites, we get into it all! WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're spending some time in a nation with a complicated soccer history that mirrors its own complicated history: South Africa! From apartheid pitches to match fixing scandals, how soccer in the country has grown from an act of resistance to the nation's most popular sport. WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we spend some time on a topic that seems absurd but is actually already widespread: Artificial Intelligence in modern soccer. What are its present applications, how common is it today (and who uses it), its positive uses versus negative drawbacks, and its future in the sport. WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Disclaimer - This is Taylor. I edited this episode. I talk A LOT. Even by my standards. But it's the first time I've gotten to talk about Turkiye in detail in a very long time, from its massive history (soccer and non-soccer), political upheaval, 3-club-dominance, Kemalism, Gulen vs Erdogan, and much much more! Plus, why Hakan Suker went from national superstar and up-and-coming politician, to living in exile and driving Uber in the United States. WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're traveling to a land that tends to fly under-the-radar when it comes to the hype machine, but has been quietly influential in world soccer since the mid-19th century: Switzerland. What is the history of the country's top flight, how has the league evolved over time, who are its biggest and most successful clubs, and what role has the league played in shaping the Swiss national team. WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, we're talking about THE dark horse candidate at every World Cup since 2010... it's Uruguay. The four-time world champion has one of the oldest leagues in South America, but how did it come to be, how has it evolved over time, and who are its dominant clubs? Plus, how Diego Godin helped kill a deal that was hurting the national team, why so many of their best players have so few caps for the massively successful clubs of the league, and much much more! WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In an effort to not only be depressing when discussing the World Cup, Graham and Taylor take a look at the lighter side of the tournament, and weigh in on the best balls, mascots and anthems in the tournament's history. Plus, what are sticker albums and why aren't they more common in the US? WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Graham and Taylor spend some time trying to scratch the surface of the complicated history of soccer in Egypt: how did the sport rise to prominence, which club has dominated both the country and the continent, the occasionally hostile relationship between government and supporters, and much much more! Plus, how has the Egyptian Premier League, the country's top flight, helped shape Egypt national teams, past and present? WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode, inspired by the latest chaos surrounding the 2026 World Cup, we take a look at the history of upheaval at the tournament: when have teams withdrawn, what happens when they do, have hosts ever had to drop out, what are the issues facing the upcoming iteration, and much much more! WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, it's the country for whom De Bruyne, Hazard, Lukaku and Courtois have all played... just not in terms of the domestic league: Belgium! We trace the full arc of the top flight in the tiny nation, from the league's founding in 1895 through the golden era of the 1970s and 80s when Anderlecht and Club Brugge were genuine European forces, through the match-fixing scandals and the sprawling corruption investigation that rocked the sport in Belgium in the late 2010s, and into the present day. And along the way, we try to determine just why a country so rich in football talent has ended up with a league better known as a stepping stone than a destination. WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's show, we spend probably way too much time discussing the Rise of Wrexham (TM). Just kidding. They've probably already got that trademarked. How have they succeeded so fast, so quickly? Can they stay alive in a Premier League world? Can a club be an underdog and a juggernaut, simultaneously? All that, and much much more! WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In honor of Pellegrino Matarazzo's strong start to life with Real Sociedad, Graham and Taylor spend some time discussing American managers in Europe's top five leagues. How many have their been, who was THE trailblazer, is there a stigma against them (and is it fair), possible candidates for future gigs, and much much more! WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How does a country of under four million people keep churning out World Cup semifinalists and all-time great midfielders? In this episode, we break down the history of Croatian football, from the founding of the HNL in the early 1990s to its modern role as a talent factor, and look at how clubs like Dinamo Zagreb, Hajduk Split, and Rijeka shaped a league built more on development than spending. We’ll explain where the Croatian league fits in Europe, why domestic dominance doesn’t tell the whole story, and how a clear footballing identity, elite coaching, and a relentless export pipeline helped produce global stars. And, of course, why writing them off ahead of the 2026 World Cup would be a familiar mistake. WE HAVE A YOUTUBE CHANNEL! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠We're posting all our episodes here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ! Smash the like and subscribe etc.! JOIN THE TSS+ PATREON! Check out our Patreon , which houses bonus podcasts, access to our exclusive Discord, blog posts, videos, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.