In 2026, the World Cup will return to North America for the first time since 1994. The festival of football watched by nearly half the world's population will be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada and is projected to be the most profitable tournament of all time. 

Will the US Men's National Team be ready to compete for glory on  home soil? And how did the United States end up a partner in hosting a tournament whose parent organization they had sent to the courthouse just four years prior? All that and more on this episode of Win, Lose, or Draw. 

Music for this episode was provided by Soundstripe. 

You can find us on social media on Twitter and Facebook at @WLODShow. You can also reach us privately at the [email protected].

The United States Women's National Team have taken home the World Cup Trophy on three separate occasions. Still, the Men's National Team comes home with more money. The recent lawsuit filed against the United States Soccer Federation on International Women's Day is just another step in a long line of fighting back by female athletes. Fighting for equal pay and equal treatment. 

Today, we dive into the some of women's soccer's most recent history and how time and again they've outperformed their male counterparts and taken home very different paychecks. 

Music for this episode was provided by Soundstripe. 

You can reach the WLOD Show at [email protected] or find us on Twitter and Facebook at @WLODShow.

Soccer teams can buy their players via the transfer market, but that's expensive work. How do teams find youth players, sign talent, and develop them until they eventually start playing with the first team? That is...if they ever do. 

Around the world, teams manage academies that are developing the next generation of soccer talent. How many kids make it out? What happens when they don't make it? And how is America flipping this illustrious and proven system into a money-making scheme that's only working for the rich kids? 

Music for this episode was provided by Soundstripe.

As always, you can find the Win, Lose, or Draw show @WLODShow on Facebook and Twitter, or email us at [email protected].

Rule 5: The Referee. Unlike most American sports, the referee can have a significant impact on the game of soccer. How they choose to manage players, call fouls, and issue cards can vastly shift a game one way or the other.

To make matters more significant, where most American sports have 2-3 referees and in the case of American Football, 10-12, typically only one referee serves as the focal point of a soccer match.

This episode will explain the position of the referee, the rules of the game, their responsibilities, and their role in a match through the story of one of the worst refereed matches in World Cup History. 

Music for this episode was provided by Soundstripe. 

As always, you can find the Win, Lose, or Draw show @WLODShow on Facebook and Twitter, or email us at [email protected].

In the 1960s, Liverpool had evolved from an industrial port city to the music capital of the world. The launching point for Merseybeat and the "British Invasion," it's no surprise that the city would also play host to one of soccer's most legendary songs. Gerry and the Pacemaker's cover of "You'll Never Walk Alone" became an instant hit and permanently latched on to the local Liverpool FC. 

How did the song evolve into the anthem of the club and why are songs so tied to the identity of soccer? Tune in to find out.

Music for this episode was provided by Soundstripe. 

Special thanks to our guest this week, Brian Walsh. As always, you can find the Win, Lose, or Draw show @WLODShow on Facebook and Twitter, or email us at [email protected].

When people say they don't like soccer, a common reason why is because of all those nasty draws. How can you be happy without a winner and a loser? Even worse...a draw without any goals. 

This episode, we're joined by Dr. David Kilpatrick, former president of Arsenal America as we take a deep-dive into the 2006 Champions League match between Arsenal and Real Madrid, with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. 90 gut-wrenching minutes later the scoreline read...0-0. 

Music for this episode was provided by Soundstripe. 

As always, you can find the Win, Lose, or Draw show @WLODShow on Facebook and Twitter, or email us at [email protected].