Rooster and the Villain: An American Soccer Podcast

Bonus Episode! Friend and Former NBA Colleague, Gerardo Lopez of @Cultura.Sports

I have known Gerardo since the 2013-2014 NBA Season. We were both on "International Row", which was a section in the lower bowl of Verizon Center that was dedicated to International media covering the Wizards. 

We had a mutual friend early on, Arnaud Gelb, who connected us and then led our group in motivation as we all ended up doing some pretty great NBA player interviews before and after games. I recall a time where Gerardo, Arnaud, and I, spoke with Dirk Nowitzski for a good 10 minutes after the game and it was a fun conversation. We also met our fourth Verizon Center pal, Roscoe Whalen, from an Australian podcast on the way. We became a close group. Happy hours on days that there weren't games. Constant conversation on a Facebook group. Trips to NBA games. NBA All Star Weekends. Phone calls. Texts. 

But then...our friend and glue guy, Arnaud Gelb died suddenly in the middle of the night at 31 years old. It was crazy. Gerardo, Roscoe, and I were grieving hard. We still talk on our thread but it is definitely more bare without the constant barrage of Gelb-isms on there. But we're all still friends.

Roscoe has since left the US to pursue a career in producing news journalism on Australian Broadcast Network. I have pretty much "retired" from being a "fake reporter" and will have 2 kids any day now. Gerardo maintains a DC day job and has now successfully started his own journalism company. Just wonder what Gelb would have been up to?

English Premier League Sorting Hat Special

We sit down our friend Michael McCloskey and put the Premier League sorting hat upon his head and let the gods of the internet determine which team he should support. Will it stick?

Beyond that, we talk about all the juicy drama happening in the soccer world. From Man City's two year Champions League ban and its ripple effects to some red hot Champions League match-ups, and a new soccer bar experience for Mike.

Lots of silliness.

Bonus Episode! Interview with GM of Maryland Bobcats FC (NPSL/UPSL)

In this bonus episode, we take a deep dive into the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid with the General Manager of Maryland Bobcats FC, Evan Raimist.

The Bobcats are fresh off of winning a United Premier League Championship (UPSL) National Championship in Florida. Now they are gearing up for their first season as a National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) squad. Evan gives us a glimpse of what life is like as the GM of the Montgomery County based, Maryland Bobcats FC and educates us on both the UPSL and NPSL. 

Then of course we had to ask him about his opinion of soccer development here in the US. He gives us a breakdown of his own soccer journey (shoutout to FC Frederick and Shippensburg University). Tells us about some of the "dream brands" in the US (Providence City FC, Minneapolis FC, Forward Madison FC). Regales us with stories from his experience as a 10 year old at the 2006 World Cup. Then we dream about the future of US Soccer.

 

There's a bright future for Evan!

 

Under the Devil's Wing: Salford City, Champions League, Premier League

I'm legit publishing this before listening and the keywords I have been sent are:

• Rangers FC
• Salford City
• Yellow Wall (Dortmund)
• Basque Region (Pyrenees Mountains)
• Pablo Escobar
• Bundesliga
• United States Soccer Federation
• Monterrey 

I'm curious and I hope you are too. Enjoy a conversation among two friends that revolves around the beautiful game. 

Tottenham Planting a Trillion Trees

Leicester and Chelsea tie. Bournemouth over Villa. Sheffield over Palace. Liverpool over Southampton. Newcastle and Norwich tie. Everton comeback against Watford. United and Wolves in a scoreless draw. Tottenham slaying City. Burnley and Arse in an unwatchable 0-0 tie. Bergwijn!

FA Cup schtuff. DFB Pokal. GIO REYNA GOLAZO. 

This is a weak ass effort for this write-up. Does anyone even read it anyway?

Southampton Saints Musings

We are delighted to have Southampton supporter, Matt Neuhausen, back on the podcast this week.

We discuss Southampton's nice run of form. Danny Ings and his fantastic season. The transfer of one of the best Right Backs in all of world football (winky face). Then we relive some recent European play for Southampton. A bit about the finances of the club and some of the details of their structure. We then give Matt the opportunity to make a plea to new soccer teams to pick a squad outside of the top-6. Then we talk about the rest of the Prem, as usual.

We then make a hard right turn and talk about the MLS for some time. Including those ugly ass Adidas kits that everyone is so worked up about. Then we rant about horrifically bad franchises...like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions.

All in all. A fun conversation.

 

The Relegation Battle is [fire emoji] in the English Premier League

That final Salah Liverpool goal against Manchester United was just a gross display of dominance and celebration at Anfield. I hope that Liverpool fans are actually starting to get sad because it's NEVER going to be better than that moment. You'll lift the trophy but you'll regret not enjoying it more. I hope it feels like the last day of vacation for the rest of the year.

Yes, I'm bitter. 

But I shouldn't be because the relegation battle is going to be so much fun to watch this year. Only 8 points separate #8 (Tottenham) from #18 (Bournemouth). Although that stat is a little off because I'm writing this on Wednesday morning and there's a bunch of game-in-hand scenarios going on. But, I'd argue that anyone from Burnley (#14 on 27 points) to Norwich (#20 on 17 points) has a chance at going down. The bottom of the league is competitive this year. Did you see that insane Villa goal in the 94' minute against Watford? That shit was fire.

Fun. Fun. Fun.

An Auditory Journey from Old White Hart Lane to Carrow Road - English Premier League

The first ever couples interview here on Rooster and the Devil. And for good reason. 

We spoke with Paul and his wife, Emily, because they have been on a couple of awesome England trips where they make a point to check out new stadiums. On their honeymoon, they've visited Old White Hart lane where they saw Fulham play Tottenham. Then they ventured out to the East coast to catch a game at Carrow Road. Emily fell in love with the town of Norwich and probably gives me enough firepower to convince my own wife that a trip there some day would be worth it.

More recently, they went to see a Queens Park Rangers game. They described the ground (Loftus Road) as a rough, old school stadium. Then they ventured off to see Fulham at Craven Cottage. 

All in all. Fantastic trips with some fun stories. It's also nice to hear the female perspective here.

P.S. Shoutout to their home supporters bar in Minneapolis, Part Wolf. 

NBA-EPL Crossover and EPL Sorting Hat

Happy Friday! Got a bonus episode for yo' ass. We take you on a journey from NBA to the EPL and discuss where the NBA fits into the English game. Shoutout to all the basketball dudes that love Premier League

My fellow NBA writer friend reports back to duty on Rooster and the Devil for the second NBA-EPL crossover episode. My guy Noah Perkins comes on the podcast to reflect upon the similarities between the beautiful game and basketball. He goes on an epic James Dolan rant that brings a tear to my eye. He waxes poetic about Chet Hanks' speaking patois. Then Donald Sterling. David Stern. And how amazing LeBron has been for the NBA.

Then we throw on the old Premier League sorting hat and sort this man into house Newcastle. Where he will be force fed information by me. Go magpies!

 

The Joy of the FA Cup and Pain of Hamstring Injuries

The mood around Rooster and the Devil has turned a little gloomy with both the Roosters and Devils turning in a poor run of form. Plus, Harry Kane is out for the foreseeable future. As is Moussa Sissoko. Sadness abounds.

But we turn those frowns upside down with some talk about the FA Cup. We also predict the future of relegation and give you our picks for the teams going down. Then, Jimmy compares Gyasi Zardes to genital herpes. It's a good one.

Thanks for tuning in, folks.