Oct 31, 2020

On this episode, Taylor tries to get to the bottom of a straightforward topic that invites ten million tangents: there are so many different competitions that seem to be happening simultaneously? What are the normal competitions in a season, how long do they last, and who gets to participate? 

The Soccer 101 theme (and...

Oct 29, 2020

On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery provides an introductory look at soccer analytics. Can advanced stats really give insight into soccer? The answer, as you’ll find out, is yes.

The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of other excellent music) can be found right here: https://aerialist.bandcamp.com

This episode is...

Oct 23, 2020

On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery examines El Clásico, the famous rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Why is El Clásico so important? Where did the rivalry come from? How was it influenced by Spanish politics? And, um, apparently there was a pig's head involved? 

The Soccer 101 theme (and plenty of...

Oct 16, 2020

On this episode of Soccer 101, Taylor takes a trip in the way-back-machine to attempt to figure out why the United States failed to qualify for the World Cup from 1950 until 1990. How much of the blame goes to Mexico for being consistently good for a very long time? Roughly 14%.

The Soccer 101 theme (and lots of other...

Oct 8, 2020

At the 70th FIFA Congress in September 2020, FIFA authorized new rules relating to national team eligibility. How did things formerly function, what are the new rules regarding dual nationals and one-time switches, and what impact might these changes have on the USMNT?

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