B/R Football Ranks

This week B/R Football played host to a round table on racism in the game and beyond with some friends, colleagues and heroes of the Rank Squad. We wanted to give you a chance to listen to that discussion, in full, here on the podcast. 

Hosted by Kate Abdo, the conversation features the USMNT and Schalke’s Weston McKennie, World Cup winning USWNT star Crystal Dunn, and former players and B/R broadcasters Tim Howard and Maurice Edu talking about the experiences they’ve had in the game and further afield.

There is no place for racism, in football or beyond. 

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La Liga becomes the second of Europe's big five leagues to return this week, following in the footsteps of the Bundesliga and there's plenty to be excited about in Spain: a title race, a Champions League race, a Europa League race and a relegation scrap all in the balance.

We discuss all of it in a La Liga special, alongside the three players you need to watch outside of the top two, and the games we're most looking forward to—starting with the Seville Derby that kicks us off on Thursday. 

There's also a chat with our friend Stu Holden, who's a part-owner of relegation-threatened Real Mallorca. He talks about what it's been like owning a club in this weird time, and how the club is looking to avoid the drop back into the Segunda. 

If you want more Ranks content, make sure you're locked in as Sam and Jack commentate on Sevilla-Real Betis on Thursday night (9pm UK/4pm ET/1pm PT) on the HotMic app - sign up using the code RANKS!

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Alex Inglethorpe is the Academy Manager at Liverpool and former Youth Coach at Tottenham, one of the most highly regarded youth coaches on the planet, and has helped bring through talents such as Harry Kane and Trent-Alexander Arnold among many more. He joins the Rank Squad to talk about what elite players such as these have in common, and how they rise above the rest in a field full of talent. 

We talk mentality, love of the game, attitude and much more, and with the added benefit that Alex used to coach our very own Dean Jones at semi-pro level many years ago, there's a fair bit of reminiscing too. 

And, of course, we talk about the horrific events that have rocked the planet this weekend and the response in football. There is no place for racism, in football or anywhere beyond. 

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This Saturday should have been the 2020 Champions League Final, with thousands descending on the Ataturk Stadium in Istanbul, 15 years after the Miracle of Istanbul in 2005 took place on the same turf. Other circumstances mean that can't be the case, but we thought it was a good time to look back on the last 20 finals and rank them in terms of entertainment, drama and footballing quality. 

Would the last visit to the Ataturk top the list? Or could it be topped by La Decima, or the Madness in Moscow, or one of the Wembley wonders? Only one way to find out...

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So says Charlie Stillitano, perhaps the best connected man in the US soccer sphere. We were lucky enough to be joined by Charlie, Executive Chairman of Relevent Sports, the company that hosts the International Champions Cup, and host on The Football Show on SiriusXM FC.

We cover everything from across the world of football, from La Liga to the Champions League, the idea of a Super League to robots in football. There's a lot to cover, but it's a ride through some of the most contentious ideas in the modern game with one of its most interesting and thoughtful characters. 

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Yes it was a bit strange. No it wasn't perfect. But it was a damn sight better than nothing and we loved having football back on our screens! Jack and Sam are joined by Bundesliga commentator James Thorogood to talk through the weekend's action and see what we can glean from it, not only just for Germany, but for the rest of the world too.

We talk empty stadiums, the benefits of home advantage, explosive fullbacks, Achraf Hakimi's impending return to Real Madrid and Kai Havertz's next move, alongside much more. 

Join us for Gladbach vs. Leverkusen on Saturday on HotMic! Keep an eye on @jackjcollins and @stighefootball on Twitter for all the details. 

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USMNT and Schalke star Weston McKennie joins the Rank Squad to talk the return of the Bundesliga, the Revierderby against Dortmund the future of the USMNT, and chilling with Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams, as well as ranking all the Harry Potter films and much more!

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The Bundesliga is coming back this weekend, as our friend Alphonso Davies starts off by telling us and Ranks is here to tell you everything that you need to know to make sure you're on the ball and ahead of your friends when football returns to our stadiums and screens. 

Who do you need to be keeping an eye on? Who is going to be a superstar? Which teams are the most fun to watch? Who should you support? And which games should you be watching?

All this and more locked up in true Ranks style, as Sam and Jack are joined by Bundesliga commentator Rob Daly to talk through the league from top to bottom. Football's back, and we're more excited than ever. 

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There might be a pause on football, but there's no pause on the rumours linking Europe's future stars to the elite clubs coveting them. In this episode we look at future superstar hotbed Ligue 1, talking the players you need to know before the summer window, why you need to know about them, and where they look to be headed.

We talk Ibrahim Sangare, Victor Osimhen, Moussa Dembele, Houssem Aouar and Eduardo Camavinga, as well as a few more star names on their way to the top; before Sam brings back nonsense rankings - the skills he's learned in Quarantine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Five players you need to know about who are on the verge of making the hop to some of Europe's biggest footballing institutions.