The Final Third Soccer Podcast

Football is a business. From the formation of Premier League and the introduction of Sky Sports, TV deals, gate receipts, sponsorship revenue, all drivers of the global game. However, 30 plus years of commercialization has led dreadful effects across the footballing world. On the field, richer clubs have been running the show, causing a competitive gap between the have's and have not's in Europe's big leagues.

Off the field it's no different, the rich dominant sides get richer, causing a vicious cycle that has exacerbated the wealth gap between teams. With fewer resources, smaller teams can neither compete on the field, but off the field in getting more fans and sponsors.

This has led to a "Footballing Bubble" to form. In an attempt to further grow their business, club owners are constantly finding new ways to expand and keep up with the competition. This means increasing ticket prices, getting more and more sponsors, signing more lucrative TV deals, and of course, spending exuberant amounts on transfer fees and salaries in order to get big players and stay relevant. This level of conspicuous consumption isn't just unsustainable, it's downright harmful for the game. Which leads us to our open-ended discussion for today. Why is football so economically unequal, what's wrong with it, and what can we do to stop the football bubble - from bursting?

Some topics covered:

1. Causes: UCL/UEL money, unequal TV revenue, overspending, FFP not being enforced, state-owned clubs
2. Effects: leagues like the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Ligue 1 become less competitive; rampant overspending; hurts clubs in the long-run due to profitability being held paramount; over-expanding the game past sustainability. (Clubs mentioned: Leicester City, Chelsea FC, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal FC, Liverpool FC, Juventus, PSG, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Bolton Wanderers, Bury FC)
3. Solutions: The European Super League?, 50+1 and fan control (Kroenke out), Salary/Transfer caps, Stricter Financial Fair Play rules and punishments, more equitable TV deals, investments in the lower leagues.

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News and Predictions time! We talk about the changes to the Champions League, the social media boycott by EFL teams, big MLS transfers, Manchester City winning the EFL cup, the European lower leagues, and more!

Topics covered:

1. Chelsea and other English Clubs join social media boycott (EPL, EFL)
2. Man City win the Carabao/EFL Cup (Tottenham Hotspur choke another trophy away, Kane to leave?)
3. BIG MLS transfers: Frankie Amaya to NYRB / Hunou to MNUFC / Soteldo to TFC
4. UEFA Champions League format changes -> League format, 36 teams, 2 teams get in based on coefficient, TEN league stage games, pros and cons of the format. What does it mean in light of the European Super League ending?
5. “Kroenke Out” and “Glazers Out” protests
6. Schalke Relegated 
7. Fans in stadiums (LAFC’s vaccination policy, EFL cup)
8. Jack's Lower League Lowdown: EFL Championship, League One, League Two / 2. Bundesliga
9. USMNT Corner: Should we focus on the CONCACAF Gold Cup or the CONCACAF Nation's League this summer?
10. Last Week's Predictions: Man City (W) v Chelsea (W) (WSL, 4/21), West Ham United v Chelsea (Premier League, 4/24), LAFC v Seattle Sounders (MLS, 4/24), Lyon v Lille (Ligue 1, 4/25), Man City v Tottenham Hotspur (EFL Cup Final, 4/25)
11. This week's predictions: Real Madrid vs Chelsea (4-27, UCL), PSG vs Man City (4-28, UCL), Columbus Crew v Monterrey (4/28, CCL), Villareal vs Arsenal (4-29, UEL), Man United v Liverpool (5-2, EPL)

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The European Super League is officially suspended, but what does the collapse of the proposed league mean for the future of football? What are the lessons we learned? Join us as we dive deep into the downfall of the ESL, and where it puts the footballing world.

Topics Covered:

1. What the European Super League is and how it collapsed (Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Tottenham)
2. Why the European Super League would ruin the competitive integrity of the sport
3. How fan protests amongst Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea helped bring the project down
4. How social media backlash (#SayNoToSuperLeague, #BoycottTheEuropeanSuperLeague) affected the downfall of the league.
5. The player, manager, and smaller club protests (Klopp, Guardiola, Jordan Henderson, Bruno Fernandes, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Leeds United)
6. Why the European Super League will always potentially happen as long as the status quo level of spending continues.
7. Should we still punish the clubs involved?
8. Are we giving too much power to UEFA and FIFA?
9. What does this mean for club leadership (Ed Woodward, Glazers, Florentino Perez, Stan Kroenke, FSG)
10. What does this mean for club owner's relationship with the players and the managers?
11. What does this mean for the relationship between the 12 clubs and smaller clubs?
12. What does the downfall mean for "new fans"? Are "Legacy fans" getting ignored? What's the difference between the American view of sports and the European view of sports?
13. How do we keep this from happening again? (50+1 rule, more fan protests, salary cap/FFP and more spending rules)

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WHAT IS GOING ON!? We talk about the insane news circulating around the soccer world surrounding the breakaway league known as the European Super League. We also talk about the UCL, CCL, Hansi Flick leaving Bayern Munich, Jose Mourinho getting sacked by Spurs, and Inter Miami getting into some deep trouble. Yeah. A lot of stuff is happening. This isn't to mention our conversations about the FA Cup, the Open Cup, the Premier League promotions and relegations. AND all the big games we cover in the prediction section.

Topics Covered:

1. The European Super League has been announced. What does this mean for soccer? (Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurs, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan)
2. Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Spurs.
3. UEFA Champions League Roundup (Quarters: Porto v Chelsea, Real Madrid v Liverpool, Manchester City v Dortmund, PSG v Bayern Munich) (Semis: Chelsea v Real Madrid, Manchester City v PSG)
4. Concacaf Champions League Roundup. Why has MLS done so well this year? (Portland Timbers v America, Atlanta United v Philadelphia Union, Columbus Crew v CF Monterrey, Toronto FC v Cruz Azul)
5. Hansi Flick to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season and potentially get the German National Team job.
6. Inter Miami loan Pellegrini to their USL League 1 side, CF Fort Lauderdale. They have a punishment pending for their failure to follow roster rules last season.
7. FA Cup Final Set (Leicester City v Chelsea)
8. US Open Cup cancelled due to COVID-19 Financial and Logistical Issues
9. MLS Openers Summary
10. Norwich City has been promoted to the Premier League. Sheffield United have been relegated from the Premier League
11. Carlos Vela was subbed off on accident in LAFC game with Austin FC
12. USMNT Corner: The USMNT eligible players I'll be keeping an eye out in MLS.
13. Last Week's Predictions: USWNT v France(W) (International Friendly, 4/13), BVB v Man City (UCL, 4/14), Seattle Sounders v MNUFC (MLS, 4/16), Athletic Club v Barcelona (Copa Del Rey Final, 4/17), Atalanta v Juventus (Serie A, 4/18)
14. Next Week's Predictions: Man City (W) v Chelsea (W) (WSL, 4/21), West Ham United v Chelsea (Premier League, 4/24), LAFC v Seattle Sounders (MLS, 4/24), Lyon v Lille (Ligue 1, 4/25), Man City v Tottenham Hotspur (EFL Cup Final, 4/25)

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Vince of prominent US Soccer Twitter accounts @USMNT_Thoughts and @UniteToWatch joins us to talk about what #UniteToWatch, a grassroots movement, is doing to increase fan engagement and TV ratings in US Soccer.

We talk not only about what #UniteToWatch is doing, but why TV ratings are so important in growing the game here in the states.

In the second part of the episode, we talk about the very specific MLS predictions we have for the MLS Season!

Topics Covered:

1. Why are TV Ratings so important for US Soccer/ MLS / NWSL / USL/ USWNT / USMNT
2. The fragmentation of soccer fans in America and how it relates to TV ratings.
3. The purpose of UniteToWatch and how it's bringing change.
4. Specific MLS Predictions (Golden Boot, Golden Glove, MLS Cup Winner, MLS MVP, Signing of the year, Flop of the year, etc.)

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Time to go over the big news in the soccer world and give our predictions on the big matches coming up! This week we talk about Real Madrid winning El Clasico, Harry Kane perhaps leaving Tottenham this summer, the important MLS transfers, who the USMNT starting striker should be, and more!

Topics Covered:

1. MLS Transfers: Amaya to RBNY, Abila to MNUFC, Kevin Cabral to LA Galaxy, Alan Franco to Atlanta United
2. Real Madrid win both league El Clasicos for the first time since 2008 / won 3 El Clasicos in a row for the first time in 42 (FORTY-TWO) years
3. Harry Kane to leave Spurs this summer?
4. Inter Miami Pellegrini Situation (Designated Player Compliance)
5. Acts of Discrimination: La Liga found no instance of racism in the Cadiz/Valencia situation + Sebastian Lletget homophobia + Liam Moore/Reading social media racial abuse + Swansea/Rangers Social Media Boycott
6. CCL Updates (Columbus Crew, Atlanta United, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC, Portland Timbers)
7. Euro 2020 (2021) updates on stadium capacity
8.  USMNT Corner: What does our striker pool look like, and who's our starting #9, and what does it mean for the USMNT? (Sargent, Dike, Zardes, Altidore, Soto, Ferreira, Hoppe, etc.)
9. Last Week's Predictions: Bayern vs PSG (UCL, 4/07), Club Leon vs Toronto FC (CCL, 4/07), Juventus v Napoli (Serie A, 4/07), Houston Dash v Chicago Red Stars (NWSL, 4/09), Real Madrid v Barcelona (La Liga, 4/10), Gonzaga vs Baylor (NCAA, 4/5)
10. This Week's Predictions: USWNT v France(W) (International Friendly, 4/13), BVB v Man City (UCL, 4/14) , Seattle Sounders v MNUFC (MLS, 4/16), Athletic Club v Barcelona (Copa Del Rey Final, 4/17), Atalanta v Juventus (Serie A, 4/18)

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Western conference preview time! We talk about the new MLS season by previewing all the Western Conference teams. We go over each team's 2020 season, their transfers in and out, key players, their areas of concern, and what would make their 2021 successful!

Teams covered:

1. Minnesota United
2. Austin FC
3. Colorado Rapids
4. FC Dallas
5. Houston Dynamo
6. LA Galaxy
7. LAFC
8. Portland Timbers
9. Real Salt Lake
10. San Jose Earthquakes
11. Seattle Sounders
12. Sporting KC
13. Vancouver Whitecaps

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News + Predictions time! Jack and AJ sit down to talk Chelsea FC getting pounded by West Brom, Erling Haaland getting shopped around, Pulisic's struggles, Jozy Altidore's twitter rant, and more! We also talk about the big games from last week and this week!

Topics covered:

1. Erling Haaland is looking to move from Dortmund to a new club (FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool FC, Chelsea FC)
2. West Bromwich Albion snaps Chelsea’s winning streak
3. Jozy Altidore vs Taylor Twellman Twitter Argument (Discussions of racism)
4. European League Race updates (Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1, La Liga)
5. Sacramento Republic out of expansion contention? San Diego to MLS instead?
6. Aguero to leave Man City
7. Inter Milan change their logo
8. NWSL is back!
9. Concussion Subs to be introduced in MLS
10. Is it time for Pulisic to leave Chelsea due to ramant injuries? Is that the best move for him in terms of his standings in CFC and the USMNT?
11. Last Week's Predictions: Leicester City vs Manchester City (Premier League, 4/03), RB Leipzig vs Bayern Munich (Bundesliga, 4/03), PSG vs Lille (Ligue 1, 4/03), Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad (Copa Del Rey Final, 4/03), Liverpool vs Arsenal (Premier League, 4/04)
12. This Week's Predictions: Bayern vs PSG (UCL, 4/07), Club Leon vs Toronto FC (CCL, 4/07), Juventus v Napoli (Serie A, 4/07), Houston Dash v Chicago Red Stars (NWSL, 4/09), Real Madrid v Barcelona (La Liga, 4/10), Bonus: Gonzaga vs Baylor (NCAA, 4/5)

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MLS is back this month! We talk about the new MLS season by previewing all the eastern conference teams. We go over each team's 2020 season, their transfers in and out, key players, their areas of concern, and what would make their 2021 successful!

Teams covered:

1. Atlanta United
2. CF Montreal
3. Chicago Fire
4. Columbus Crew
5. DC United
6. FC Cincinnati
7. Inter Miami CF
8. Nashville SC
9. New England Revolution
10. NYCFC
11. New York Red Bulls
12. Orlando City SC
13. Philadelphia Union
14. Toronto FC

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Pain. Jack and AJ sit down to talk about the USMNT U-23's failing to qualify for the Olympics, the MLS Schedules getting released, the surprise upsets in the UEFA World Cup Qualifiers, and more!

Logan Stumph of the Stoppage Time Soccer Show and the Stateside Shoccer Show sits down to go over next week's biggest games!

Topics Covered:

1. USMNT U-23's fail to qualify for the Olympics for the third time in a row
2. MLS Schedules released / National Broadcast News
3. Surprising results in WCQ:  Luxembourg v Ireland, Turkey v Netherlands, Slovenia v Croatia, Serbia v Portugal, Hungary v Poland, Slovakia v Malta, and Spain v Greece
4. FIFA to bring down the minimum transfer age to Europe from 18 to 16
5. Thierry Henry leaves social media over racial abuse
6. Norway protests the 2022 Qatar World Cup over concerns of human rights violations
7. Cesare Prandelli resigns as manager of Fiorentina, citing mental health concerns
8. Going “Jack” In Time: “The Most Pathetic Soccer Game Ever Played” -- Chile vs the Soviet Union, 1973
9. USMNT March Friendly Reviews (v Jamaica, v Northern Ireland)
10. Last Week's Predictions: USMNT U-23 v Mexico U-23 (Olympic Qualifying), Barcelona(W) v Manchester City(W) (UWCL), France v Ukraine (UEFA WCQ), USMNT v Jamaica, Germany v Iceland (UEFA WCQ)
11. Next Week's Predictions: Leicester City vs Manchester City (Premier League, 4/03), RB Leipzig vs Bayern Munich (Bundesliga, 4/03), PSG vs Lille (Ligue 1, 4/03), Athletic Club vs Real Sociedad (Copa Del Rey Final, 4/03), Liverpool vs Arsenal (Premier League, 4/04)

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