Stateside Gooners: An Arsenal FC Show

In this episode Matt and Eric host KP and Stephen from District Gooner Pod!

In our second collaboration, we learn plenty about them and from them as we cover everything from how our summers were to which kits are the best (our 3rd) and worst. Ewwww!

Tottenham are 💩, but did you know they made the most profit in the Levy era. What a waste of money. SMH

But the real discussion starts with the summer window, Berta’s successes and areas to improve.

We entertain a classic version of "How it started, how it’s going" that includes squad depth, injuries, and our expectations for 2025-26 including a host of things to consider while thinking about where Arsenal will finish in the league.

What about Champions League, the FA Cup, and that pesky Cup with an energy drink in the title? We’ve got you covered.

PGMOL?!? 😡 Yeah, we went there, too.

Lastly, let’s have some fun busting on other clubs awful jerseys while we enjoy one of the historically best kits from anywhere and any time.  (I'm not a fan of this network, ask MisplacedAggie, but here's the article. That way you can play along while we discuss the good, the bad, and the downright fugly!)

You can find Stateside Gooners on Bluesky, Spotify, Apple, and Substack.

District Gooner Pod is on Bluesky, Spotify, and many other podcast platforms.

Matt and Eric kickoff the women’s season with a recap of the incoming and outgoing players and those on loan. We touch on some of the possible moves that will be made on deadline day.

We discuss the cups and trophies the Arsenal women will compete for and which ones we’d like to see them win. We touch on their first WSL match against London City and finally talk about all the individuals up for awards this season.

For extra reading, check out this article about Mariona Caldentey: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cwye3yydw44o

Check out our Substack, @statesidegooners, and message us on BlueSky any time.

A wonderstrike by Dominik Szoboszlai won it for the Reds at Anfield but we're not sad. Stuff happens, you've seen the t-shirts and the buttons pinned on them.

Let's dig into the game together. Matt and Eric dissect the events, discuss the good, bad, and fugly (that's PGMOL) all with a bit of cheek and our normal degree of humor and analysis.

Forest is up next. What should we look for and what do we predict? Listen up.

After three quick things we've got a surprise, some snarky commentary by "the Kevin's." We love reading and hearing your thoughts after these games and are always happy to include them in Added Time. So make sure you're listening to the very end, that's when it gets extra fun because we have to use your words.

Saucy!!

Check out our Substack, Matt posts his Top Ten after each game. We're posting rando thoughts and special topical blogs as well. Help spread the word and share our podcast and blog.

You can reach us on BlueSky as well.

Be good to each other.

If you feel sassy, start using the Ødegaard and Gyökeres hashtags! Let's make them a 'thing.'

#CØYG

#CöyG

Sometimes winning by a lot is pretty, sometimes it's not. This was mostly a pretty win. We got goals from the front, goals from the back. We saw set piece goals (Set Piece FC) and great goals by Saka and Gyökeres from open play.

Saka's goal was a replica of his 2022 goal against Leeds at Elland Road. See that here starting around 14 seconds.

Liverpool is up next on Sunday at Anfield where the Gunners haven't lost in 3 straight (WDD).

Check out Matt's blog, a top 10 list of things he noticed from the game.

You can find that with all our blogs, on Substack.

Winning ugly is still winning.

In this episode, we cover the match, the gross and the beautiful, the good, the bad, and the fugly.

While we're at it, we peek at the other games from the PL weekend, preview our home match against Leeds United, and take a stab at where things end up in the League table.

Somewhere in there are 3 quick things.

Check out Matt's blog, a top 10 list of things he noticed from the game. You can find that with all our blogs, on Substack. (https://substack.com/@statesidegooners)

What more could you want? We cover a lot, in more time than we should, but maybe that's the point. This is the season getting started as Arsenal travel to the Theatre of Dreams (sometimes a nightmare for the visitors) as our squad faces the 3-4-3 of Manchester United in the manager's (Ruben Amorim) first full season in charge.

On this episode:

• Cold Open: Alexis Sánchez openly hopes Arsenal beat Manchester United — proving once again that once a Gunner, always a Gunner… even if you’ve worn the wrong red.

• Man United Preview:

  • The vibes? Chaotic. The stakes? High.

  • Arsenal’s vulnerabilities identified (yes, we noticed them, Arteta).

  • Opponent danger men include Cunha, Šeško, Mbuemo, and Bruno Fernandes.

  • Predicted lineups from Eric & Matt differ slightly, but both keep Raya in goal and trust the usual core.

  • Match predictions—both flavored with healthy doses of bias and optimism.

• Free Flow: Debates on Max Dowman’s season, left-wing starters, and whether Arteta’s next evolution is turning chaos into inevitable dominance.

• Wild Card: Tottenham’s possible 10th-place-or-worse finish, plus a summer checklist progress report for Berta.

• Three Quick Things:

  1. Revisit “Pizzagate” — Cesc Fabregas, Sir Alex, and a decade-old mystery confirmed.

  2. Wild transfer prediction — Bruno Fernandes to Saudi on deadline day.

  3. Declan Rice lands on the 30-man Ballon d’Or list.

Matt takes the lead on Arsenal's Women for Stateside Gooners. This season he and Eric will dedicate special pods focused on the women's club rather than include these updates on the men's podcast.

We're really excited about being focused on both our senior squads and to giving them each their own highlights and attention.

Come along for the ride as we look at summer activity and chat about trying to return to Earth, and solid feet, after the long run and victory in the Champions League.

In this episode Matt and Eric discuss and quickly recap the preseason matchups in the Far East against AC Milan and Newcastle, 1-0 and 3-2 wins respectively.

Arsenal have (so far) acquired 6 players this summer in what could turn out to be the best summer window in at least a decade, but probably more than two decades. The activity feels reminiscent of the 2004 when RVP, future billionaire Matt Flamini, GK Manny Almunia, and academy stars Cesc Fabregas and Johan Djourou. That was a hell of a summer as every one of them became a starter at their peak.

Just before recording Viktor Gyökeres was confirmed and introduced before the Newcastle match. We've also picked up Martin Zubimendi, and squad depth in the form of Noni Madueke, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard, and Cristhian Mosquera. Excitement abounds and as always we're both optimistic and flooded with joy because this summer brings a feeling of strong desire that we haven't seen in some time. These players are ready to win. They're hungry.

Please let us know about how you have come to follow our beloved Arsenal FC. We call them 'Origin Stories' and we'd love to share yours with the world. Email Eric at [email protected], comment on this podcast, or message us on Bluesky (‪@statesidegooners.bsky.social‬).

If you have questions, please ask us and we'll answer on a future episode.

If you enjoy our little show, please share it with other Gooner supporters. We'd love to share our passion and love with fans of Arsenal FC all across the world.

Lastly, we're writing the occasional blog using Substack, which you can find here: https://substack.com/@statesidegooners.

Thank you for listening!

Silly season is that time of year when we get all the rumors about who clubs are interested in and a tiny bit about what's actually real. In this episode, Matt and Eric look at a bunch of the wildly speculative, potentially possible, and even a few likely rumors about who's on the market and what the pundits are saying could happen.

Using 'pundit' lightly here because some sources are better than others and while we attempt to cover as many as possible, if you think we've missed any, please comment and let us know who and offer your thoughts about the player and where they'd fit.

We'd love to feature your "Arsenal Origin Story" on a future episode so comment how you came to love this club and we'll give you a shout out!

Remember to share the link with other Arsenal FC supporters, and share our links on your socials. As always, we appreciate your support.

Come On You Gunners!

Season One of Stateside Gooners wraps with a bang (and roughly two hours of joyful rambling) in a finale episode that perfectly balances Arsenal analysis and chaotic charm. Eric and Matt are joined by their podcasting pals from District Gooner Pod—Stephen and KP—for a Gooner-palooza that covers everything from Arsenal Women’s heroic European adventures to the men’s rollercoaster season. The crew debates whether finishing second again is a failure, a triumph, or just an expensive form of cardio.

You’ll hear takes on Arteta’s growth, season awards that range from “Player of the Year” to “Mr. Anonymous,” and hotly-contested picks for favorite game. There’s even an Arsenal-themed guessing game. The gang gets philosophical (and hilarious) about coaching, squad depth, and the WSL’s next chapter.

This episode is also packed with behind-the-scenes stories—like forgotten episodes from August, the Tottenham fan (possibly?) who photobombed an Arsenal wedding cake cutting, and tributes to listeners, Natalie the GunnerGal, and Eric’s brother Rick (aka Scooby Doo), and last but most important, our wives and offspring who gave us the time and space to create. Thank you all!

Whether you’re a District Gooner, Stateside lifer, or just wandered in after Googling “what happened to Jover?”, this one’s for you. Thanks for being part of the ride—and stick around, because Episode 73 will be here before the transfer window can close mysteriously at 11:59 PM.