One of the biggest questions I get about soccer is how time works in the sport. In short, time is a relative concept, and referees really like to experiment with the properties of time itself. But we don't need to get into the metaphysical aspects of time, because that would be silly. The true short answer is that matches are 90 minutes long with discretionary additions based on circumstances that happen during a match. 

Aside from some riveting metaphysical discussions, we're also talking about what's happening around the world in soccer.

Thank you for listening! Be well and watch more soccer.

What if I told you soccer fans get a year of madness and not just in March? College basketball just wrapped up a wild and unpredictable March Madness tournament, with Baylor taking the crown this year. But this week I'm talking about a different kind of tournament. The UEFA Champions League is the annual tournament among the heavyweights of European soccer. While comic book nerds argue about whether Batman could beat up Superman, soccer nerds get the real battles between the likes of Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and more.

Thank you for listening! Be well and watch more soccer.

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Also covered in this episode:

Last year, a friend and I did a podcast series about DC United's MLS championship seasons (1996, 1997, 1999, 2004).

How to catch UEFA Champions League, CONCACAF Champions League, and Major League Soccer matches.

Sometimes the best way to get into soccer is with through a video game.

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Soccer Made Simple is a newsletter, blog, and podcast that aims to connect newcomers to the Beautiful Game. I'm on Twitter as @SDakotaSoccer. 

This week on the Soccer Made Simple Podcast, we take a brief break to check on what's happening with international competitions. While my attention focuses on club competitions, the international games bring a new kind of flavor to the sport. Like March Madness in college basketball, each international tournament brings its own kind of madness for people who follow their national teams.

For Americans, there's a society of soccer fans called The American Outlaws. And this group welcomes everyone who loves the Red, White, and Blue. There are chapters all across the United States, and it's a good idea to join if you want to learn more about soccer and the joys of being a spectator. 

Also in this episode:

Thank you for listening. As always, be well and watch more soccer.

So how was your year? It's been roughly a year since I last made one of these episodes. Much has happened between moving home, starting a new career, plus balancing life and relationships. And all of these wild curveballs happened in the midst of a global pandemic.

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In all my years of helping people understand the beautiful game of soccer, the number one question I get is, "How does the offside rule work?" It's a mystifying rule that escapes the understanding of casual onlookers, but it's an easier rule to understand than they think. So this week I will give you a brief explanation about how the rule works, how the players exploit the rule to their benefit and the general strategy that goes into playing offense and defense. 

But this week's episode is more than a lesson on the value of the offside rule. I will take you to Germany where there is some unrest brewing in the Bundesliga. Thanks to a 50+1 rule, most teams are run and owned by the fans who have the majority say in how the clubs are run. However, a billionaire has skirted the rule and has helped bring a team from the lower to the top flight of German soccer. Also happening in the news but closer to home is the wonderful start to the #SheBelieves Cup competition for the US Women's National Team. The Yankees pulled off an impressive win against England and I'll tell you all about it.

The next match for the USWNT is against Spain and they'll kick-off is slated for Sunday, March 8 at 4:00 PM CST on ESPN. 

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Soccer is the world's sport, but there are many people who are still on the outside looking in. I want my writing to connect with the soccer clueless, curious, or the fans wanting to make their friends fans. This weekly newsletter aims to help get people into the mood to watch some soccer or at least learn more about the sport, its players, and its history. If you're seeing this online or this was forwarded to you, you can subscribe to the newsletter here. You can also follow my on-and-off-topic tweets here and get my spicy Instagrams here.

In this first episode of the Soccer Made Simple podcast, your host Daniel Wise explains why he started his newsletter and brand new podcast and the current state of the US Men's National Team (USMNT) and their prospects for the 2022 world cup in Qatar. 

Daniel has been writing about soccer for over a year and has been a guest on other soccer-related podcasts:

DC United Kingdom

District Futbol Podcast

DCU Soccer Podcast

With dozens of leagues and many nations competing worldwide, it's hard to keep track of everything. That is why Daniel depends on the Onefootball app, which is a bible to everything happening in soccer today. 

Download Onefootball on iOS for your Apple device or via the Google Play store on Android phones.