Grant sits down in Toronto with MLS commissioner Don Garber, who goes into depth on the state of the league, what comes next in expansion, the changing landscape of media and sports leagues and some of his own personal story, including going to electronica clubs with his music-writer son, VICE's David Garber, and how beating prostate cancer changed Garber's life.

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SI senior writer Grant Wahl sits down with U.S. national team striker Jozy Altidore ahead of the team's qualifier at St. Vincent & The Grenadines. Together, the pair talk about Altidore's injury struggles, his return to form, and his interpretation of Colin Kaepernick's sitting down during the national anthem.

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Grant gets into the soccer side of HBO's Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy, founder and CEO of The Ringer and host of the Bill Simmons Podcast. Simmons talks about being deeply involved in Southern California youth soccer over the last five years with his daughter, including starting a new youth club. He also laments the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and shares his thoughts on MLS as an LAFC season ticket holder, as well as his experience attending a Mexico-USMNT World Cup qualifier at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.

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Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl sits down with new USMNT coach Bruce Arena, who recently replaced Jurgen Klinsmann for his second run leading the team.

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Grant and Brian talk about Jonathan González choosing Mexico over the United States, Eric Lichaj’s blinder to dethrone Arsenal in the FA Cup, the new U.S. January camp roster and what it was like for Brian to attend a Baltimore Blast indoor game over the weekend. 

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The inimitable Ray Hudson of BeIN Sports and SiriusXM joins Grant for a fun conversation on how he developed his love for words, his unique broadcasting style, his appreciation for Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, his favorite stories from the 1970s NASL his love of South American soccer players and fellow Floridian Dick Vitale, and the influence of his father, Wilfred, who passed away last year at 98.

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U.S. men's soccer teams endured a rough week, with the senior squad falling to Mexico in the CONCACAF Cup and U-23s failing to qualify automatically for the Olympics.
The debacles provide plenty of fodder for the new Planet Fútbol Podcast, in which SI's Avi Creditor (twitter.com/acreditor), Grant Wahl (twitter.com/grantwahl) and Liviu Bird (twitter.com/liviubird) wrap up the performances and provide some perspective for a frustrating October international fixture window for American soccer.
It's not all doom and gloom, though. North of the border, Toronto FC has secured its first playoff berth, and we pay tribute to the Reds (most notably the spectacular Sebastian Giovinco) and their drought coming to an end.
We close with some EPL manager talk, with "The Special One," Jose Mourinho, under constant fire, while "The Normal One," Jurgen Klopp, gets set for his first match on the Liverpool sidelines.
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ThePlanet Futbol Podcast is brought you by the SeatGeek app, available in app stores and at http://seatgeek.com. Enter code MEDIA in the app to for a $20 rebate off your first purchase. We are also sponsored by FanDuel. Enter promo code MEDIA at http://FanDuel.com for up to $200 in bonus cash.

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Grant speaks to Rory Smith, the first Chief Soccer Correspondent for the New York Times, about his role in the changing face of soccer media coverage in the United States and globally. Smith talks about the differences in sports media culture between the U.S. and England, his own career path, the writing process and his book, Mister: The Men Who Gave The World The Game.

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Fresh off his cross-country travels to see Mexico and the USMNT, Brian Straus joins Grant to talk about USA 1, Paraguay 0; the guys' visits with the Mexican and Icelandic national teams and the signing by LA Galaxy of Zlatan Ibrahimovic ahead of the first LA-LAFC showdown this weekend.

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The Women's World Cup is down to 16 teams, and the USA is one of them after winning its group. Can the USA win it all given its draw and group-stage production? Who might stand in the way? Has the expanded tournament been a good idea? As for Clint Dempsey's U.S. Open Cup antics, what do we make of the U.S. captain ripping up a referee's notebook, and how might his actions impact him, the USMNT and Sounders? SI's Grant Wahl, Brian Straus and Avi Creditor cover it all in the latest Planet Fútbol Podcast.

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NBC Premier League studio analyst Kyle Martino joins Grant for a remarkably honest discussion. Martino talks about being the lone American accent on NBC Premier League broadcasts; the differences between working for NBC, Fox Sports and ESPN; how he prepares for each week’s Premier League studio show; his own depression after having to retire from playing at age 27 due to injuries; why he doesn’t stick to sports; his part-ownership in the Spanish club Mallorca; and how he wouldn’t mind emulating the media career of Michael Strahan.

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Tab Ramos, the USMNT assistant coach and former star midfielder, sits down with Grant to talk Costa Rica-USA World Cup qualifier, spotting an 11-year-old Christian Pulisic, making the transition into coaching and his Hall of Fame playing career. How repeatable is Pulisic's development path from the US to UEFA Champions League? Ramos also discusses the broken skull he suffered in World Cup '94, which nearly ended his career.

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Bayern Munich and Germany striker Thomas Muller joins Grant Wahl to discuss his unorthodox playing style, his hometown, and why he prefers equestrian pursuits in his spare time.

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After the U.S.'s 2-0 friendly loss to Brazil, Grant and Brian discuss the game and Earnie Stewart's still-ongoing search to hire a new head coach. Then they discuss the new UEFA and CONCACAF Nations Leagues and debate whether a competitive Nations League game might be more useful than low-key friendlies against even the best teams like Brazil.

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SI’s Brian Straus joins Grant to talk about all things MLS as the new season gets underway, from new stadiums in Orlando (and soon to be D.C.) to new teams in Atlanta and Minnesota to why terminology matters in growing world of American soccer.

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In his most detailed public comments since coming out of retirement to play for Mexico's Club León, Landon Donovan describes why he made his decision, his lifelong connection to Mexico and Mexican-Americans, what he's capable of in pure soccer terms these days, how he feels about President Trump's stance on Mexico and his reaction to Carlos Cordeiro winning the U.S. Soccer presidential election.

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At the recent rally of the American Outlaws in Austin, TX, SI's Grant Wahl joined former USMNT midfielder Tab Ramos, former USWNT midfielder Kristine Lilly, and former MLS defender of the year Jimmy Conrad for a panel discussion on the state of U.S. soccer and fandom of the sport in this country.
In this special edition, we bring you a recording of that panel, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

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Grant and Brian record the podcast in Grant's rental car at the wedding of SI.com soccer editor Avi Creditor—and, fortified by a few wedding drinks, tell some of their favorite stories over the years from covering the World Cup.

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Grant and Luis Miguel break down a busy week, including Tottenham's decision to fire Mauricio Pochettino less than six months after making the Champions League final and replace him with José Mourinho; Man City's important 2-1 win over Chelsea; Flamengo's thrilling come-from-behind 2-1 victory over River Plate in the Copa Libertadores final; and the Chicago Fire's controversial rebrand (and why Grant thinks a real Chicago turnaround, Kansas City-style, would help fans get over a not-great badge switch).

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LAFC coach Bob Bradley discusses his team's fast start, this week's LA derby, his thoughts on Zlatan Ibrahimovic arriving in LA, what needs to happen in U.S. Soccer and his memories of working with an emerging Egyptian talent named Mohamed Salah.

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Grant speaks to Ian Ayre, the former CEO of Liverpool and now the CEO of Nashville SC, which begins its first MLS season on February 29 when it hosts Atlanta United. They discuss what he has been doing over the last 19 months to prepare Nashville for MLS; the choices that went into hiring coach Gary Smith, signing DP midfielder Hany Mukhtar and assembling a roster that includes Dax McCarty, David Accam and Dominique Badji; the progress on Nashville's 30,000-seat soccer stadium (set to open in 2022); how much money they'll have to spend on players; and what he would consider "success" for the team in 2020. Ayre also provides his thoughts on the current success of Liverpool, where he worked until 2017.

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Grant talks to SI senior writer Jenny Vrentas about her new Sportsperson of the Year story on Megan Rapinoe—the sports figure who made the most lasting impression of 2019. They talk about Rapinoe’s athletic and social impact, the forces in her life that have shaped those things and how Vrentas approached writing a signature story on one of the most heavily covered athletes in the world.

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Grant and Luis Miguel discuss Megan Rapinoe’s SI Sportsperson of the Year award, Man City falling 14 points behind Liverpool, Man United’s huge week, amazing backheels by Luis Suárez and Mohamed Salah, another Messi hat trick, Jesse Marsch’s huge Champions League opportunity on Tuesday, the crazy race in Germany and Earnie Stewart’s policy requiring U.S. Soccer coaches to live in Chicago.

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Grant has a wide-ranging conversation with Portland Timbers coach Giovanni Savarese in which they talk about Diego Valeri's potential return to the team for 2020, what happened with departed DP Brian Fernández, how Savarese works with GM Gavin Wilkinson and owner Merritt Paulson, what has (and hasn't changed) in MLS since he played in the league's first season for the MetroStars, how winning three NASL titles with the New York Cosmos has shaped him as a coach, his thoughts on the current state of his Venezuelan national team and how his family in Venezuela has dealt with the turmoil in that country.

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Grant and Luis Miguel kick off a busy December in the Premier League with talk of whether Liverpool can stay on cruise control without Fabinho, Arsenal's next move after dismissing Unai Emery, a flat performance by Chelsea in a home loss to West Ham and Wednesday's return of José Mourinho to Man United. They also discuss Lionel Messi saving Barcelona yet again, Inter moving into first place in Serie A, Jurgen Klinsmann's new gig at Hertha Berlin, Lyon buying the NWSL's Reign FC, Monday's Ballon d'Or awards, the 9-year anniversary of FIFA awarding World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar and the draws for Euro 2020 and next summer's Copa América.

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Grant has a fun conversation with Astead Herndon, a national political reporter for the New York Times and a diehard Tottenham Hotspur fan. They talk about Herndon's soccer origin story, how he became a Spurs fan, his thoughts on José Mourinho replacing Mauricio Pochettino, how easy it is now to find Premier League games on the campaign trail, which presidential candidates are the biggest soccer fans and why President Trump has embraced soccer more than just about anyone would have expected.

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Grant and Luis Miguel break down a busy week, including Tottenham's decision to fire Mauricio Pochettino less than six months after making the Champions League final and replace him with José Mourinho; Man City's important 2-1 win over Chelsea; Flamengo's thrilling come-from-behind 2-1 victory over River Plate in the Copa Libertadores final; and the Chicago Fire's controversial rebrand (and why Grant thinks a real Chicago turnaround, Kansas City-style, would help fans get over a not-great badge switch).

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Grant sits down with Yael Averbuch West, a former USWNT player, University of North Carolina star and 10-year club pro who these days works as the executive director of the NWSL Players Association and owns the soccer training app Techne Futbol. She talks about how she's able to wear so many hats, why she had to step aside from playing in the NWSL, and what daily life is like for the rank-and-file NWSL player.

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You'd think things would be quiet during a FIFA window, but that's hardly the case this week. Grant and Luis Miguel break down the USMNT's 4-1 win over Canada (which could have been Gregg Berhalter's last game); Earnie Stewart's strange all-is-well-here press conference; Mexico's 3-0 win at Panama; El Tri's run to the Under-17 World Cup final; Zlatan Ibrahimovic's MLS legacy; MLS moves involving Thierry Henry, Darwin Quintero, Brian Fernández and Darlington Nagbe; the fight for the final spots in Euro 2020; the reported switch to England of longtime USWNT high-performance coach Dawn Scott; and Saturday's Man City-Chelsea game, which is huge for City.

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Grant sits down with Landon Donovan to talk about why he decided to become the manager of the new San Diego Loyal USL team that starts play in 2020, why he wanted to name a woman (Carrie Taylor) as one of his assistants, what his aspirations are as a coach and what he'll do if owner Landon Donovan has issues with coach Landon Donovan. Donovan also shares his frank opinions on the state of the USMNT under Gregg Berhalter.

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Grant and Luis Miguel break down a huge soccer weekend on both sides of the Atlantic, including Liverpool's 3-1 victory over Man City in the game of the season (so far) of the Premier League; Seattle's 3-1 win over Toronto to win the Sounders' second MLS Cup title; Christian Pulisic's fifth goal in the last three Premier League games for Chelsea; Arsenal's continuing troubles after a deserved 2-0 loss at Leicester City; the remarkable scoring form of Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski, who now has 23 goals in 18 games this season; and the first two victories of Vlatko Andonovski's tenure with the USWNT (with Carli Lloyd being the main storyline).

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Grant has a lively conversation with The Guardian's David Squires, the world's top satirical soccer cartoonist, about how he creates his biting (and hilarious) weekly cartoons that have focused on the English Premier League, the men's and women's World Cups and soccer in Australia (where the Englishman is based). Squires tells the story of how he got started in the business and why he loves tweaking the absurdities of the modern soccer world.

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Grant and Luis Miguel break down the come-from-behind wins by Liverpool and Manchester City and look forward to Sunday's showdown between the Premier League leaders. They also discuss another goal-scoring performance by Christian Pulisic in Chelsea's victory, this Sunday's MLS Cup final between Seattle and Toronto, the U.S. Under-17 World Cup fiasco, the departure of Niko Kovac from Bayern Munich and two more incidents of racial abuse in Italian soccer.

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Dan Altman, the creator of the free soccer data site SmarterScout.com, speaks with Grant about data analytics and goalkeeping, answering a bunch of intriguing questions. Who are the best shot-stoppers in world soccer today? Who are the best goalkeepers with outfield skills? Which keepers are overrated and underrated in the data? What makes Brazilians Ederson and Alisson so good? And who are the top keepers in MLS and on the USMNT?

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Grant and Luis Miguel hail Christian Pulisic's breakthrough hat trick for Chelsea and Sergiño Dest's decision to play for the USMNT and break down Liverpool's comeback win against Spurs, as well as the misery at Southampton (9-0 home losers to Leicester) and Arsenal (where the home fans booed captain Granit Xhaka). On the MLS front, they discuss two mouthwatering semifinals in LAFC-Seattle and Atlanta-Toronto, and Grant shares from his experience covering the NWSL final in North Carolina, where the host Courage beat Chicago 4-0.

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Grant interviews Kashif Siddiqi, the player/diplomat who co-founded the NGO Football For Peace. Siddiqi, whose organization has drawn support from Prince William, Pelé, Ronaldinho, Mesut Özil and the United Nations, explains the soccer and non-soccer reasons why he decided to go on loan next week to the team Real Kashmir, located in the region disputed by Pakistan and India and the site of recent unrest as India has moved to exert control there.

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Grant and Luis Miguel break down a memorable weekend of MLS elimination-game playoffs, look ahead to a monster El Tráfico playoff in Los Angeles, explain how Manchester United pulled off its 1-1 tie against Liverpool and dissect the NWSL semifinals that have set up a North Carolina-Chicago final. 

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Grant interviews Michelle Akers, viewed by many as the greatest women's soccer player of all time, about her decision to sell her memorabilia at GoldinAuctions.com to fund her horse and animal welfare work, her farm relocation and family time. Akers explains what she has been doing on her Georgia farm rescuing horses in recent years, how she has responded to USWNT teammates who have expressed their skepticism on the memorabilia sale and what she hopes to do with horse rescue work after she moves back to the West Coast. Akers also expresses a desire to get into media work and explains why she feels she has been left out in the cold by U.S. Soccer.

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Grant and Luis Miguel discuss Tuesday's Canada-USMNT tilt, a proposal to improve CONCACAF Nations League, Vlatko Andonovski's USWNT coaching candidacy, the Mexican MNT, CONMEBOL friendlies, a game-by-game breakdown of this weekend's MLS and NWSL playoffs, our favorite soccer books and our recommendations on the best recent soccer videos on Netflix and Amazon.

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Grant interviews Jason Davis, the host of the United States of Soccer on SiriusXM FC, about his path in American soccer media, the relaunch of his popular soccer podcast with Jared Dubois (JD & The Rod: America's Best Soccer Podcast), the transition from "Labor of Love" soccer journalism to a full-time media job and what he has learned about American soccer fans. 

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