World Soccer Talk

This episode of the World Soccer Talk podcast is presented by Sling.Do not let the accent fool you, Semra Hunter is American. At least, that is what her passport says. Her time in Spain has made her one of the leaders in coverage of LaLiga, and her experience covering the Spanish top flight makes her one of the best hosts and pundits in soccer coverage. As of now, Semra Hunter works with iTV, Sky and LaLiga TV. Outside of that, she has also worked freelance, including the 2022 World Cup.Hunter joins the World Soccer Talk podcast to talk about her career and how it led to Spain. Plus, she describes her career ambitions and what it has been like to cover the league she is so passionate about. Semra discusses what makes LaLiga unique, in addition to Sevilla's rollercoaster of a ride the last few years. Last but not least, Semra chats about career aspirations and whether she would be interested in a job in the United States. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You speak, we listen. Your feedback about MLS Season Pass and what you like or don't like about the streaming service has blown up our comments section and in-boxes. On this episode of the World Soccer Talk Podcast, we share your experiences of MLS Season Pass thus far. And it appears that the service has hit an impasse for many of you.We wish we could have included more of your feedback in the episode about MLS Season Pass. However, we included as much as we could within the time we had.In addition to discussing the issues that Major League Soccer faces, we also dive into a round-up of the top action from around the European leagues, as well as our continued frustration with the inconsistencies of VAR.Last but not least, we discuss whether the Red Bull coaching system has largely been a failure when used in the English Premier League. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite Apple and MLS being unwilling to share any metrics about how MLS Season Pass is doing, it's safe to say that MLS Season Pass is not in the zeitgeist of soccer watching in the United States. On this episode, we share suggestions on how MLS Season Pass can get more subscriptions, as well as improve as a service. But the inability of MLS Season Pass to be a runaway hit thus far raises bigger questions about Major League Soccer that Apple TV cannot solve.Hosts Christopher Harris and Kartik Krishnaiyer discuss what the league and Apple can do to make improvements, as well as the issues that are causing a lot of frustration among soccer fans in the United States who want to watch MLS. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest episode of the World Soccer Talk Podcast is presented by Sling - https://sling-tv.pxf.io/c/330866/1664360/14334?sharedid=worldsports_2023Rob Phillips is a commentator and reporter for the BBC Radio Wales, and the preeminent radio voice for soccer in Wales. With a 40-year plus career in journalism and broadcasting, Phillips has called many of Wrexham’s games this season as the club secured promotion back to the Football League. Phillips talks to World Soccer Talk about the historic season for Wrexham, the impact Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have had on the club and the community and what the club’s outlook is for next season and beyond. Phillips keys in on how Rob McElhenney & Ryan Reynolds have galvanized the community, other clubs that Rob and Ryan considered buying instead of Wrexham, what Rob & Ryan have done at Wrexham that Vincent Tan and the American hedge-fund owners were unable to do at Cardiff and Swansea, why Wrexham has been the perfect takeover, how many clubs have been promoted consecutively from the National League to League Two and to League One, the beauty of promotion and relegation, and whether Wrexham can make it all the way to the Premier League. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest episode of the World Soccer Talk Podcast is presented by Sling. Hosted by Christopher Harris and Kartik Krishnaiyer, this episode focuses on what makes relegation is appealing to watch, as a neutral. Plus, we take a closer look at the race to avoid relegation. The clubs in the Premier League fighting to stay up are West Ham, Southampton, Leeds, Everton, Leicester and Nottingham Forest.We also discuss when the concept of relegation was created in soccer, what makes it so appealing, and whether there's anything like it in American sports.In our Listener Mailbag segment, we also share what we're hearing from a MLS insider about MLS Season Pass. Plus we read out your feedback about last week's episode on the topic of promotion and relegation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest episode of the World Soccer Talk Podcast is presented by Sling. Hosted by Christopher Harris and Kartik Krishnaiyer, this episode is focused on the big debate of promotion and relegation in the USA. It's a bigger topic now more than ever, and we dissect the pros and cons of the system.Some of the questions we answer are: Can pro/rel be successful in the United States for leagues such as USL, NISA, etc even if it doesn’t include MLS? What benefits are there to having a closed league? What would happen if leagues didn't have promotion and relegation? Does a closed league improve player development compared to open leagues? Plus, how can promotion and relegation improve the US Men's National Team? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest episode of the World Soccer Talk Podcast is presented by Sling. Hosted by Christopher Harris and Kartik Krishnaiyer, this episode discusses how Wrexham is increasing the interest in lower-league soccer in the United States. The success of the fifth division team was the biggest soccer story from this past weekend, arguably bigger than many of the Premier League stories.We discuss how the interest in the team continues to grow at the same time that CBS Sports Golazo Network has agreed to show games from US Open Cup. Could one of the reasons why The Golazo Network picked up the permission to show US Open Cup games be due to the interest level of a fellow lower-league team, Wrexham AFC?Other topics discussed on the show include whether Jesse Marsch could have done a better job at Leeds United than Javi Gracia, as well as reading your feedback about CBS Sports' coverage of the UEFA Champions League, and discussing the new appointment of a sporting director by US Soccer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The latest episode of the World Soccer Talk Podcast is presented by Sling. Hosted by Christopher Harris and Kartik Krishnaiyer, this episode discusses how CBS Sports' soccer coverage is hit and miss. We dive deeper into their coverage of the UEFA Champions League and NWSL, as well as CBS Sports Golazo Network, which includes their new show Morning Footy. Other topics discussed on this episode include what impact the World Cup, Women's World Cup and Olympics would have on soccer in the United States in three successive years, if the US-Mexico joint bid is approved by FIFA. For instance, how is USL, NPSL, NISA and US Soccer planning to use the World Cups to the benefit of grassroots soccer in this country?This episode's Listener Mailbag segment is chock-a-block with discussion about MLS Season Pass, lower league soccer, and CBS' Champions League coverage. Plus we find time on the show to mention the UEFA Women's Champions League streaming news, as well as looking ahead to what the streaming options could be for Wrexham AFC next season if they're in League Two. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the bottom to the top, we take a deep dive into discussing what US lower league soccer clubs (and leagues themselves) need to improve in order to be more relevant in 2023 and beyond. This also includes a discussion of the complexity of the current system, and how the US Soccer Federation can make a difference. More specifically, we analyze how the changing media landscape means that lower division soccer leagues have to think nationally and internationally especially after more games are available to stream than ever before. Last but not least, we read and discuss your feedback about the positives and negatives of Apple TV's MLS Season Pass. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

MLS, Apple and CBS Sports all face challenges in presenting soccer to its audiences. For MLS and Apple, the struggles revolve around convincing casual soccer fans to subscribe to a streaming package they may not want or believe in. With CBS, in their preparation for the launch of their new 24/7 soccer streaming channel, how do they win over an audience who may not be interested in anything outside their favorite team, league or competition?On this podcast episode, we discuss the challenges in more detail, and share our analysis from more than two decades of experience working in the soccer industry (as well as watching thousands of soccer broadcasts).In addition to focusing on the challenges facing MLS, Apple and CBS Sports, we dive into whether CBS Sports are going overboard with playing to the social media audience, a discussion about FOX Sports and whether they’re hurting Apple’s subscriptions to MLS Season Pass, who’s dropping the ball with broadcasts of US Open Cup, why fans of Bundesliga clubs should feel positive, how our viewing habits change the teams or leagues we watch, as well as discussing why there was a gap since our last podcast episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pete Radovich, the VP of Production and Creative Director of CBS Sports, talked to World Soccer Talk about the impending release of CBS Golazo Network. This is a 24/7 channel on CBS's platforms that is solely dedicated to soccer. It has live and pre-recorded matches, documentaries, studio and magazine shows and pre- and post-game coverage. The channel launches on April 11.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is MLS Season Pass the smartest or dumbest decision the league has ever made? We discuss the positives and negatives of the MLS Season Pass experience as well as whether it's changing our viewing habits at all. We share our favorite analysts thus far as well as what impact the viewing experience on Apple TV may have on other soccer leagues. We also take a detour and discuss ESPN's technical issues with the Bundesliga, and ask whether Apple TV may be a better home for the German league in the future. All this and much much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here’s a candid interview with Taylor Twellman, where he opens up to talk about his departure from ESPN, whether he and Jon Champion may work together again in the future, he responds to some of the criticisms of MLS, the challenges that MLS and Apple face with MLS Season Pass, how it'll work with FOX Sports being the only television partner left, and what he likes most about MLS Season Pass that begins broadcasting games on February 25, 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kaylyn Kyle, who spent time most recently as a reporter and analyst with Inter Miami, is among the talented names featuring on MLS Season Pass. The former Canadian international will be on the four-person crew on MLS 360, the whiparound show during busy MLS matchdays.Kyle talks about how excited she is for this new era of Major League Soccer streaming, providing boundless potential for a league ready to take the next step in terms of popularity. The whiparound show that she serves as a host and analyst for could be the key for a league with 29 teams playing almost simultaneously. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, we discuss MLS Season Pass, the pluses and minuses of the streaming subscription app, why MLS Season Pass is a game changer for the sport of soccer, how HBO Max did with its first game of SheBelieves Cup coverage, how news from Comcast is going to impact our Premier League viewing next week, NBC's excellent new analyst, and much more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.