Total Soccer Show: USMNT, Champions League, EPL, and more ...

Taylor talks to Sam Tighe of the B/R Football Ranks podcast about attending the Ballon d'Or awards whilst being as tall as Virgil van Dijk. After that, it's a group-by-group review of the Champions League so far. Who is in the strongest position? Who has a lot of work to be done between now and February? Is Jesse Marsch the greatest Champions League manager of all time? Those questioned answered, and many more as well!

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Daryl calls up Henry Bushnell of Yahoo! Sports to talk about the recent US Soccer board meeting, which Henry attended and reported on.

Topics include the ongoing CEO search (Jay Berhalter or not?), the controversial policy of asking staff to move to Chicago, the suitability or otherwise of Soccer House, the new and improved GM role for the USMNT, and how US Soccer is spending its money.

Links to four Yahoo! Sports articles below:

A CEO search, an evolving GM role, and more from a fascinating U.S. Soccer board meeting — Henry Bushnell

https://sports.yahoo.com/us-soccer-ceo-usmnt-gm-board-meeting-carlos-cordeiro-earnie-stewart-172503921.html

U.S. Soccer is spending millions fighting lawsuits – including equal pay — Henry Bushnell

https://sports.yahoo.com/us-soccer-lawsuits-equal-pay-cost-legal-fees-budget-financials-deficit-020203626.html

U.S. Soccer defends controversial hiring policy as numerous youth coaching jobs sit vacant — Caitlin Murray

https://sports.yahoo.com/us-soccer-defends-controversial-hiring-policy-as-numerous-youth-coaching-jobs-sit-vacant-195441791.html

Sources: U.S. Soccer denies NWSL owners' funding request, but offers counterproposal — Caitlin Murray

https://sports.yahoo.com/sources-us-soccer-denies-nwsl-owners-funding-request-but-offers-counterproposal-143108951.html

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Ryan and Taylor review all the action they were able to watch from this past weekend, including...

0:00 - Discussing the worst fake British accents in movies

3:26 - Manchester Derby

21:12 - Today's show is brought to you by SeatGeek! Use code TSS for $10 off your first ticket purchase

24:51 - Ryan discusses his hockey-attending experience

27:06 - Everton v Chelsea

33:07 - Bundesliga updates, plus Gladbach v Bayern Munich

42:01 - Today's show is brought to you by Audible! Get a free 30-day trial of Audible at http://audible.com/tss or by texting TSS to 500-500

44:36 - Serie A updates, plus Lazio v Juventus

52:40 - Barcelona v Mallorca

58:28 - Russia doping scandal and the potential impact for their soccer future

1:04:29 - Updates from the TSS Scouting Network

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It's a listener question special, with lots of hypotheticals! Timestamps below ...

1:20 — In the USMNT we often talk about German Americans. What are some other famous country-country relationships for other countries?

7:40 — How has Lampard used Pulisic for Chelsea tactically different from how Berhalter has tried to use Pulisic?

13:22 — How would you change penalties to make it more even odds for the goalkeeper? We’ve had the rule change where they can’t come off their line so let’s say that part can’t be changed.

18:05 — Today's show is sponsored by Express VPN. Go to http://expressvpn.com/soccer for three months free

20:20 — What would happen if, instead of international breaks spread throughout the season, all international games happened in say November and December?

26:20 — How much do coaches and assistant coaches make? Do MLS coaches get paid significantly less than European coaches?

33:10 — What is one aspect of a major American sports league that you would like the Premier League to try?

38:15 — Today's show is sponsored by Manscaped. Use code TSS at http://manscaped.com to get 20% off plus free shipping

40:25 — Why do teams with years in the Premier League consistently stall out in the Championship?

45:08 — Can you pinpoint the day/game where the USMNT lost their identity of grinding and working their butts off?

49:40 — Do you think a beach soccer or futsal player could translate their skills to traditional soccer?

(Link to World Soccer Falcao story: https://www.worldsoccer.com/blogs/falcao-pele-futsal-351602 )

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There's one Wall Street Journal article, two ads, and 11 listener questions on today's show. Here are the timestamps:

00:00 — Discussing Rachel Bachman's WSJ article about how the US Soccer Federation is being run. Link to article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-soccer-federations-struggles-deepen-11575567787

13:15 — What does "Kop" mean at football grounds in England?

16:08 — Could Christian Pulisic one day win the Ballon D'Or?

20:28 — Are we being too harsh on Berhalter for having his "group"? Haven't other USMNT coaches had the same criticism?

27:17 — Today's show sponsored by Hello Fresh. Go to http://hellofresh.com/tss9 and use code TSS9 for nine meals free

29:40 — Why don't people mention Juan Pablo Angel more as being one of the true elite players to help build MLS?

33:03 — Has the application of VAR in the EPL has been rougher than in other leagues? And if so, why?

38:25 — What’s is the most festive starting eleven you can make in the Christmas tree formation?

42:10 — Today's show is sponsored by Talisman Caps! Use code TOTALSOCCER10 for 10% off at http://talismancaps.com

44:15 — Which USMNT player, or players', injury/injuries do you think had the greatest impact on putting us on the path to where the men's national team is now?

50:55 — How do you view Samuel Eto’o’s career and where does he rank in top African footballers?

58:45 — Would PSG actually benefit from an equivalent-size takeover of a rival team in Ligue 1?

1:03:10 — With negotiations between MLS and MLSPA taking place this winter, what do you think are the main things a collective bargaining agreement needs to have to help the league move forward?

1:10:01 — How are UK citizens allocated to national teams? They all have a UK passport, but they play for England, Scotland, Wales, or Nothern Ireland. How does this work?

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We review Man Utd's 2-1 win over Spurs, highlighting the things that impressed us about Solskjaer's team.

In part two, we take a quick look at Liverpool's 5-2 win over Everton and then have a ponder about the problems at Goodison Park.

Today's show is sponsored by Manscaped. Go to http://manscaped.com and use code TSS for 20% off plus free shipping

Today's show is sponsored by Enclosed. Go to http://enclosed.gifts and code TOTALSOCCER for $35 off any multi month order

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Taylor is joined by The Athletic's Sam Stejskal to discuss the recent article Sam wrote with Paul Tenorio that outlined their ideal alternative to the current MLS roster rules. 

Here's a link to their MLS opus: https://theathletic.com/1424561/2019/12/02/how-wed-rewrite-mlss-maddeningly-complex-roster-rules/

We get into the background for their plan, the basics of their new roster rules, and the areas that Sam finds most confusing/offputting. 

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With Daryl still galavanting around England, Taylor talks to Manuel Veth (Forbes, ProSoccerUSA) about a wild Bundesliga season so far. Have Bayern righted the ship, will Klinsmann work out at Hertha, how big of an impact will Tyler Adams have when he returns to Leipzig, and much much more.

We also spend some time discussing Weston McKennie and Schalke, Gio Reyna and Dortmund, and the state of the German national team as it prepares for this summer's Euros.

Sponsors! Today's show is brought to you by...

Manscaped - Use code TSS to get 20% off plus free shipping at http://Manscaped.com

Ruffneck Scarves - Go to http://RuffneckScarves.com and use code TOTALSOCCERSHOW for a 20% discount

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Ryan and Taylor break down all the action from this past weekend, including...

Newcastle v Manchester City

Liverpool v Brighton

Today's show is brought to you by SeatGeek! Use code TSS for $10 off your first ticket purchase

Tottenham v Bournemouth

Arsenal v Norwich (and United v Villa)

Today's show is brought to you by Hims! Get a free trial by going to http://forhims.com/totalsoccerED

Bayern Munich v Bayer Leverkusen

Atletico Madrid v Barcelona

The Euro 2020 draw is complete: who is happiest and who is going to be nervous?

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We take turns listing the things we're thankful for this year. Most are soccer related. Some are personal. Some are things like Mourinho being back at Tottenham or Sergino Dest declaring for the USMNT. It's always good to give thanks. Speaking of...

Thank you to today's sponsors!

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