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

It's a (borderline) emergency podcast! With Daryl still out wandering around England, Taylor called up The Athletic's Carl Anka to discuss the surprisingly surprising news that Manchester United and Jose Mourinho have parted ways.

They get into what went wrong for Mourinho (short answer: a lot), what happens now, and what needs to happen long term. You don't have to be a fan of Manchester United to listen to this episode... but it also doesn't hurt if you are!

Today's show is brought you by Robinhood, an investing app that lets you buy and sell stocks, ETFS, options, and cryptos... all commission free! Sign up for the Robinhood investing app at http://soccer.robinhood.com

Taylor calls up Daryl, currently somewhere in England, to discuss some moments from this weekend's action. Disclaimer: we don't really get into Liverpool's emphatic win over Manchester United, as our guest on Tuesday dives a little deeper into the proceedings at Anfield. Instead...

0:00 - Wolverhampton continuing to win: what they got right against Bournemouth and what Daryl's wife Shannon got wrong when it came to cheering.

11:31 - Today's show is brought to you by SeatGeek! 

13:05 - Southampton surprise Unai Emery and Arsenal: should the Gunners look to the January window to shore up their defense?

24:23 - Sargent gets minutes and Pulisic kinda does too as Dortmund (and their set piece wizardry) get the better of Werder Bremen.

30:06 - Today's show is sponsored by The Athletic! Go to http://theathletic.com/tssdecember for 40% off a one-year subscription. 

34:40 - Champions League Round of 16: what games to watch and what to watch for. We've got you covered!

Daryl is back (via the interwebs) to answer 5 listener questions...

1) If you arrive early enough to a live game to see the players warm-up, is there any information you can glean from what you see?

2) What is the best spot in a stadium to watch a soccer game?

3) Are football groups good or bad? Do they help develop soccer around the world or do they give their ownership groups an unfair advantage?

4) If we were hired to manage the USMNT in one do-or-die (literally) game, who would be in our starting eleven and what tactics would be utilize?

5) Has there ever been a USMNT coach that didn't Harvey Dent themselves? That is, manager long enough to become the villain.

SPONSORS!

Today's show is sponsored by ENCLOSED! Listen to the show and hear how you can get $35 off any multi month subscription to http://enclosedlingerie.com

Today’s show is sponsored by Away Days Football, now proudly featuring the American Kit Collection. Use code TSS at http://awaydaysfootball.com for 15% off.

With Daryl flying to England, Taylor called up The Athletic's Felipe Cardenas to discuss Atlanta United's victorious 2018 MLS campaign. They get into how Atlanta assembled the pieces and how Tata Martino went about effectively combining them into a winner. 

Felipe also gives his thoughts on what Tata might do as head coach of Mexico, who might take over in Atlanta, and what offseason moves will need to be dealt with by the incoming manager.

Here's a link to Felipe's article discussing the possible replacements for Tata Martino at Atlanta: https://theathletic.com/612818/2018/10/25/theres-no-way-were-going-to-lose-that-identity-beginning-the-search-for-atlanta-uniteds-next-manager/

SPONSORS!

Today's show is sponsored by SeatGeek. Download the app and use code TSS for $10 off your first ticket purchase.

Today's show is sponsored by The Athletic! Go to http://theathletic.com/tssdecember for 40% off a one-year subscription. 

Safely ensconced back in TSS Tower, Daryl and Taylor are ready to talk Champions League!

0:00 - Barcelona v Tottenham

22:35 - Today's show is sponsored by Grip6 belts. Go to http://grip6.com/tss to see 20% and 33% discounts.

24:49 - Liverpool v Napoli

35:52 - Today's show is brought to you by... Ruffneck Scarves! Get 20% off at http://ruffneckscarves.com by using code "TOTALSOCCERSHOW"

37:22 - Pulisic and Horvath: Americans in the Champions League!

40:43 - Quick analysis of the Women's World Cup draw, mostly focusing on the USA's future foes.

44:48 - Updating the TSS Scouting Network

We review Josh Sargent’s record-setting Werder Bremen debut, DeAndre Yedlin’s no-good-very-bad day for Newcastle, chelsea’s win over Man City, and River Plate’s Copa Libertadores win.

Today’s show is sponsored by Away Days Football, now proudly featuring the American Kit Collection. Use code TSS at http://awaydaysfootball.com for 15% off.

Today’s show is sponsored by GREATS. Go to http://greats.com and use code TSS for 15% off.

Robbie Earle on NBC Sports: https://twitter.com/NBCSportsSoccer/status/1071788369712201729

Form Mercedes Benz Stadium, we offer our analysis of Atlanta United versus Portland Timbers, starting with a tactical overview and then breaking down the goals.

No spoilers in the show notes, just in case!

Today's show is sponsored by Liverpool Jean. Use code TSS at http://liverpooljeans.com to get 20% off any pair.

Prior to departing Richmond for the raining/snowy conditions in Atlanta, we answered 5 listener questions:

1) Christian Pulisic finished 2nd in the Kopa Trophy race, which is awarded to the best U21 player in the world. Is he really that good?

2) Why should Berhalter/any coach be expected to provide their intended "style of play" to the media?

3) What would other federations version of CONCACAFing be?

4) When a former player becomes a manager, does their former position or preferred style of play as a player influence their coaching style?

5) When we talk about potential #6s for the US Men's National Team, why don't we talk about Danny Williams or Alfredo Morales?

SPONSORS!

Today's show is sponsored by Grip6 belts. Go to http://grip6.com/tss to see 20% and 33% discounts.

Today's show is brought to you by... Ruffneck Scarves! Get 20% off at http://ruffneckscarves.com by using code "TOTALSOCCERSHOW"

00:20 — Wolves v Chelsea

11:10 — Very quick review of Man Utd vs Arsenal

17:45 — US Soccer Foundation vs US Soccer Federation

23:50 — Today's show is sponsored by RXBAR. Go to http://rxbar.com/soccer and use code "soccer" for 25% off the RXBAR bestseller variety pack.  

26:30 — Stu Holden talks MLS Cup, Barcelona v Spurs, and Real Mallorca

Today's show is sponsored by GREATS. Go to http://greats.com and use code TSS for 15% off.

Taylor calls up Matt Doyle of mlssoccer.com to discuss this weekend's clash between Atlanta United and the Portland Timbers in the 2018 MLS Cup. Matt breaks down what both teams are most likely to do, who the key players will be for both sides, and what vulnerabilities/opportunities both teams might seek to capitalize upon.

Today's show is brought to you by... Simple Contacts! The ad (which starts around 11:26) features a special guest, so you won't want to skip it! Go to http://simplecontacts.com/TSS20 and use code TSS20 for $20 off your contact lenses.