Campfire Football: Recent Episodes
Sebastian North
I am Sebastian North. The whole point of this show is to create a venue where all varieties of football/soccer dialogue take place. Campfires are nice for that. Why talk so much about a game? Well, for 1, we love it. But it also reflects parts of our society and culture. Check in for a wide variety of topics and nuanced conversation spanning the world of football.
I had my good friends Ronny and Vas from The Soccer View (formerly Soccer Subs) to talk about MLS, the Apple Deal, Messi, and the playoffs.
Gregg Collins from he SGFC Pod and I got together to talk about the hot topic of the week, VAR madness in the Spurs vs Liverpool match and Chelsea because we are both fans and it has been an.....interesting start to the season.
Where is it all going from here?
6 Big Questions going into this Premier League season and I had the Plastics Podcast crew on to break them down. We also talk about the Champions League draw and the transfer window.
- Can Man City win a 4th title in a row?
- Will Chelsea improve?
- How will Spurs cope in the Ange Post Harry Kane Era?
- Who will be the "Pretenders" threatening the top 6?
- Will the rule changes have a major affect on the games?
- How big of an impact will injuries have this season?
Ronny and I break down the Women's World Cup. We cover a lot. Come on the ride for a chat about the greatest Women's World Cup EVER!!
Two World Cups in 7 months is unique. This time it's the turn of the women as teams collide in Australia and New Zealand.
PART 3 of this series in which I came up with some questions about the Premier League season after the opening day fixtures. I revisited this at the midway point and now we can look at each question and the outcomes.
I am joined by my good friends Christian and Ronnie from the Soccer Subs Podcast, one of my favorite shows, to talk about a few topics:
- Soccer Subs Podcast and Radio. The journey of a podcast going into year 3 and finding a niche.
- MLS Press Rooms
- MLS Owners and Fans role in growing the game
- Things we need to get off our chest: Barcelona's Ref Payment Scandal, World Cups in Multiple Countries, and Antonio Conte's recent outburst in a press conference.
Chelsea spent more than the other biggest 5 leagues in Europe combined. Gregg Collins from SGFC Podcast joins me to dissect the transfer window, the Chelsea perspective, and some of the other important deals that affect Premier League clubs.
After the opening day of the season, I had some questions that came up. Here they are below and this episode is to evaluate them at the midway point of the season.
- Todd Boehly's Chelsea - What will it look like?
- Can Leicester avoid a relegation battle?
- Is Newcastle's rise going yield European Football next season?
- Liverpool vs Manchester City, Volume 5.
- Manchester United and Erik Ten Hag: Will things finally change?
- Who will finish in 3rd and 4th?
- How will the World Cup affect the season?
Check out Episode 113 to take a time capsule
https://stream.redcircle.com/episodes/6d091f34-0b94-4c6c-9df6-81d8b841d27f/stream.mp3
The podcast is 2 years old on Boxing Day, which is a fun way to mark the anniversary. The Premier League is back after the World Cup break and it gets going on a traditionally iconic day.
The football was good, I quickly cover all of the matches as we get the league season going again.
That's it. The World Cup is ending. The Final is tomorrow between France and Argentina. So I preview that.
But we start with a quick ode to Sinisa Mihaijlovic, who recently passed away. He will be missed.
We go over the 3rd place match, an underrated and derided fixture but an important game. Congratulations to Croatia for winning it and Morocco for arriving to a semi final.
What a World Cup it has been. 63 Matches Played, One Match to Go.
The United States have been eliminated from the 2022 World Cup at the hands of the Netherlands. They put in a good performance throughout the tournament, also in the match against the Dutch, but they ran into a new level of quality against Holland.
Also, Argentina won 2-1 against a pesky Australia side for Messi's March to continue.
Jake Marchesani from the Soccertes Podcast and I go over the World Cup so far. We talk USA advancing from the group and their upcoming match against the Netherlands. We touch on other key games in the final round of group stage matches. And some of our best memories of the tournament so far.
Rohan from the Kitmen Podcast joined me for a little preview of the World Cup. This isn't your typical prediction talk.
A LOT has been said and reported about human rights abuses in Qatar as they are about to host the World Cup. Journalists are conflicted about how to feel going into it. And the level of disgust that Qatar will host has people uneasy. Let's just break it down before we enjoy the football.
Cat and Evelyn are the founders of ThePKspot, a small company selling footballs as planters. These will make excellent World Cup Christmas presents. Check them out on Etsy and Instagram.
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePKspot?ref=shop_sugg
https://www.instagram.com/the.pkspot/
I am joined by Kevin Pettit of LADS Podcast and the LADS enterprise. We talk football memes, Qatar 2022 on and off field stuff, and the "MLS World Cup."
Cristiano Ronaldo is Football's Kanye West, Thibault Courtois wants the Ballon D'Or as a GK, and the world is putting Qatar's culture is under fire for the upcoming World Cup.
The top 5 leagues in Europe have some compelling races, surprise leaders, and some intriguing stories after 10 games. Real Madrid, PSG, Union Berlin, Arsenal, and Napoli are the frontrunners but each is there for different reasons and still have pursuers hot on their trail.
As managers start to feel the pressure and sackings start to become inevitable, there is also a wave of job removal happening in the United States National Womens Soccer League (NWSL). A damning report was recently published detailing a long history of ignored abuse. Heads are finally rolling.
It's been a minute. I was away on vacation and then had some hardware failures for my recording. So it took some time to get going again but I'm back. Football never left and keeps on going at a frantic pace.
I talk about football stopping for the death of the queen, international fixtures, World Cup kits, USMNT not being that good, the return of the PL, and Champions League.
Dion Von Moltke is a former race car driver who started his own company called Blayze, a platform for athletes (racers and footballers) to work 1 on 1 with top quality coaches.
This is what Campfire Football is all about, connecting folks from varies backgrounds with a like minded view to sports, coaching, community, and cross professional perspectives.
Episode 116** I mess that up in the intro.
Gregg Collins, host of the SGFC podcast, joins me to break down different parts of the transfer window. We talk about:
- Our Winners
- Our Losers
- Some Surprise Signings
- Our Favorite Signings
- 1 Season Prediction on the back of the window
Jake Marchesani of the Soccertes Podcast and I teamed up to break down the matches from this past weekend in the English Premier League.
Follow the Soccertes Podcast for an analytical and intellectual point of view on the world of football.
I teamed up with Greg from SGFC Podcast to talk about more questions I have going into the Premier League season.
- Who will finish in the top 4 and how many teams are in the conversation?
- How will West Ham and David Moyes do after going big in the transfer market?
- How well is Tod Boehly doing with the Chelsea rebuild?
- 1 transfer we hope to see happen and 1 we hope falls through.
- Todd Boehly's Chelsea - What will it look like?
- Can Leicester avoid a relegation battle?
- Is Newcastle's rise going yield European Football next season?
- Liverpool vs Manchester City, Volume 5.
- Manchester United and Erik Ten Hag: Will things finally change?
- Who will finish in 3rd and 4th?
- How will the World Cup affect the season?
Brian Barlow is a motivational speaker, business consultant, and youth soccer referee who is one of the leaders in advocating for better treatment of sports officials. He started the Offside page on Facebook to expose toxic sideline behavior and is the founder of Innovate Crazy.
https://www.facebook.com/youreoffside
https://innovatecrazy.com/?fbclid=IwAR21JMW5lfK866OBbRjwjpASx0wXFnaIE7yZW2e8-6Erv27LI4rkswa5WXE
America Quintana is a baller and an avid football fan with a great tactical eye and a great voice to speak on. We talk about the football pyramid in the women's professional game, Mexican football, and the Euros.
Deena Rahman is a one of football's heroes. She played for the first professional women's team in Europe, played in Egypt, and Bahrain, where she went on to build women's football from the ground up. She also has 5 Guinness World Records and is an inspiration for anybody.
The Women's Euro has begun. I've got England as favorites but here's a quick guide to each group. Don't forget to watch and keep up with this historic event.
In 2011, Romelu Lukaku was signed to Chelsea with great expectation. Bought, loaned, loaned, sold, bought, and loaned again. The last 10 years tell a story of a matrimony that seems as if it was never meant to work out.
Arsene Wenger is back in the spotlight with some more ideas for rule changes to the game. Some folks are quite upset about the possibility of kick ins and other tweaks. So let's go through the issues and how this is likely to play out. No panic.
Chelsea Football Club has been sold after the 19 year reign of Roman Abramovich. As a Chelsea fan, I look back on the ride and what made his tenure such an adventure.
John Nellis is a YouTuber and Sorare affiliate. He witnessed Football Index's rise and the demise of the company before getting into Sorare, a fantasy football platform operating on the blockchain with cryptocurrency.
El Kaiser (Rony), Buck Nasty (LV), and Recordinho (me) break down some of the topics surrounding Qatar 2022. For some levity, we talk about the mascot, the theme song, and some stories we are excited for. We weigh in on the human rights stories surrounding the tournament. We're only getting started because........It's World Cup Year!
Ida Sports is back on Campfire Football and this time, we have both founders, Laura Youngson and Ben Sandhu, on the pod to talk about the continued growth of the company, plans for the future, and an amalgam of lovely metaphors to tie everything together.
Kickoff Coffee Company is a family-run start up project inspired by a love for football and great coffee. They donate proceeds from the sale of each bag to community organizations linked to the beautiful game. Inspired by football, they started a company with a big dream to do some good in the world.
I spoke with Juan Pablo Kuka who created his own football training academy called TCS (Train, Conquer, Succeed). His insight, relationship building ability, football knowledge, and creativity to coach in dynamic ways makes him very good at what he does.
The Carabao Cup Final between Liverpool and Chelsea was a superb game of football. There was so much about it to enjoy. Kepa Arrizabalaga became the main story which is so typical of who he is, the multifaceted character in his long and winding story.
The TalentProjekt, founded by Mark Dillon, is an academy for highly talented American soccer players to go to Germany to train and play at a high level during a crucial development phase. After 3.5 years of operating, they are starting to see fantastic results. This is the second installment of Mark Dillon on the show.
UEFA has scrapped the away goals rule in European knockout competitions for the time being. Some people are quite upset about this, but if we look at the statistical and historical evidence, do we really lose much of anything? Let's break it down.
The African Nations Cup has reached the quarterfinal stage and 3 small nations with limited football lineage have booked a spot in this round of play. The Gambia, Burkina Faso, and Equatorial Guinea have the odds stacked against them but have fascinating stories so I dive into a few fun facts from each.
Christian is a youth soccer coach, a teacher at a vocational school in NYC, and Co-founder of the Soccer Subs Podcast. We have a chat about coaching, learning, teaching, AFCON, Qatar and starting a podcast.
The African Cup of Nations has begun! It has been disrespected a bit in the build up, but it's finally here and I'm grateful for that.
In addition, we already have a great story. That of the Comoros Islands and their improbable qualification as a tiny nation. How they got here is fascinating and deserves a spotlight.
Brian Barlow is a high level soccer referee who started the Offside Facebook page (not Youtube as I say in the episode), which exposes abuse towards youth sports officials. He is also a consultant, motivational speaker and founder of Innovate Crazy.
Barlow is a force for positive change in our game and somebody I find inspirational and greatly respect. Check him out.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/youreoffside/
https://innovatecrazy.com
My podcast is officially 1 year old! I started last year on Boxing Day and am happy to still be going today. I hope to bring you a quality and consistently improving experience here.
Please reach out if you want to collaborate, if you have topic suggestions, or any other feedback. This is a community. Thanks to all fellow Campers this year.
Sincerely,
Sebastian - Your Chief Practical Pyro
Well that concludes the MLS 2021 season. NYCFC finish as deserved champions so I wanted to talk to a die hard City fan who went to Portland to see his time take the Championship. I invited my friend Ronny from the Soccer Subs Podcast to talk about his experience and what NYCFC means to the city of New York and its legion of soccer fans.
"I don't know what that competition is," said Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers after being asked if his aim was to win the Europa Conference League after finishing 3rd in their Europa League group.
I got you Brendan, and anybody else confused about this new tournament that positively binds more clubs together across the European continent.
I had Ronny and LV from the Football Misfits Podcast on the show to probe into a few topics. Here's the agenda:
- MLS Playoffs - Drama, Structure, Level of Quality
- The Ballon D'Or - Why do we care?
- Player Shoutouts - 1 who is thriving, 1 who needs support
- Silliest Debate of Late - Annoying arguments that go nowhere
Jason Keever is the coach of Northfield High School's boys soccer team. This year, they went 20-0 to win the Colorado 4A State Championship. He started the program from scratch 7 years ago and his story is fantastic. He is my colleague, mentor, and dear friend.
Sam Chappell, the Founder of Denver Soccer Society, installed two 5-a-side turf fields in the heart of downtown Denver. Here is his story and how we was inspired to plant a seed for soccer culture to grow and to bring folks together. Inspirational for all football lovers.
I previewed these 5 big clashes in Ep. #86 so why not recap them.
Ajax vs PSV Eindhoven
Inter Milan vs Juventus
Marseilles vs Paris Saint-Germain
Barcelona vs Real Madrid
Manchester United vs Liverpool
And I close out with my awards of the weekend.
This Sunday is packed with 5 massive rivalries across Europe. El Clasico, Le Clasique, Il Derby D'Italia, De Topper, and the unnamed Manchester United vs Liverpool fixture. So much is expected in each of these games that we are sure to emerge from this weekend with a flood of storylines, narratives...hopefully unforgettable games and goals.
FC Sheriff just beat Real Madrid 2-1 in the Bernabeu in their first ever Champions League campaign. It is a football fairytale story. The club from Transnistria, an autonomous region of Moldova, and are owned by The Sheriff Company which was founded by ex KGB servicemen. It is an incredible story of geopolitics, economics, sport, war, and media.
Debate and discussion on this topic continues to grow, which is a good thing. FIFA trialling a match with no headers can make the blood of purists boil and the Lee Dixons of the world to say, "Game's Gone."
Let's get into some of the data and I'll provide my point of view as a coach, player, and lover of the game on how we can educate safety instead of banning headers full stop at any age group.
References
Davis, N. (2017, April 25). What happens when soccer bans heading? The Ringer. Retrieved September 22, 2021, from https://www.theringer.com/2017/4/25/16041684/us-soccer-header-ban-concussions-4805684f63ca.
Mooney, J., Self, M., ReFaey, K., Elsayed, G., Chagoya, G., Bernstock, J. D., & Johnston, J. M. (2020). Concussion in soccer: a comprehensive review of the literature. Concussion (London, England), 5(3), CNC76. https://doi.org/10.2217/cnc-2020-0004
The Champions League with full stadiums is back, hopefully for good. We were treated to a feast of fantastic football this week. Fans and spectators contributed so much as we get to enjoy some interesting stories and narratives that will only build as the fall rolls on.
Sometimes things are just meant to be. This past weekend we witnessed plenty of moments that felt destined to happen. CR7, Haaland, Edouard, Zlatan, Mourinho... It was a good time.
CR7 sets another record. The groups of UEFA World Cup Qualifying are getting interesting. The USA trip and stumble in their campaign. But another Covid Crisis occurs and CONMEMBOL is in disarray after unprecedented scenes in Brazil cut the Argentina game short after 6:30 minutes played.
So where is all this going?
I start out by going over some of the talking points from Premier League games this weekend. Liverpool vs Chelsea, Man Utd vs Wolves. Roma and Milan's new recruits are flying in the Seria A. Own goal of the weekend from Villareal.
And I close out with my experience watching the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. A true spectacle that deserves more attention and hype.
I am back from a 2 week break recharged for the new season. In this episode, I start with an update on my Masters Degree, the boys I coach winning a tournament, everybody sleeping on the Colorado Rapids, and big news from the football world as usual.
I also went on the Football Misfits Podcast so some takes from that conversation make up the middle of this installment of Campfire Football.
Ida Sports is a company founded by Ben Sandhu and Laura Youngson who have broken ground to make the first football boot designed specifically for women and girls.
Their story is moving, inspiring, and fascinating on so many levels. Brilliant entrepreneurs with a plan to change the world.
The United States Men delivered the Gold Cup trophy with a C team, beating everyone they had to face and building a strong dynamic. The Women crashed out as tournament favorites as that end of era feeling sets in.
What is the future for these two programs? Here's my take.
The group stages of the Olympics for the men and women are wrapped up with some tasty affairs coming.
The Gold Cup has reached the semifinal stage after a thrilling round in the 1/4s.
The Gold Cup can't be ignored. So let's talk about that for a bit and make some predictions for the knockout rounds.
In addition, the Olympics have begun. The Men's U-23 tournament and the Women's major honor. By the way, the USWNT lost 3-0. So let's get into that.
The Euros have ended. Messi won the Copa America with Argentina too. But the return of fans in Europe made for a Football Fiesta like we have not experienced in a few years. The end was fitting. Bravo Italia! Worthy winners.
Here, I break down the final and close with my tribute track to this amazing tournament we all witnessed.
My beloved France are out. It's not quite the same debacle is 2002 or 2010, but it still doesn't look good. So who is to blame for France? Why did they lose? And in a match that had everything, what were the moments that will stick with us? Ronnie, Christian, Cayo, Eric, and Vas from the Soccer Subs Podcast join me to break it down.
Well that was fun. What a round of 16. The surprises were endless. The storylines were deep and the emotions ran incredibly high. On top of that, we got goals, extra time, red cards, penalties, upsets, and a dull game or two. But overall, Thank you Football!
The final round of Group Stage games were completed with a flurry of bangers and crazy matches. High quality long range goals are always fun and a sign that big game players are stepping up for the moment. Good time for that as the knockout round approaches and those match ups are set.
Also, quick shout out to Copa America and how things are panning out in Brazil, as the group stage ends this weekend.
Apparently England are shite. So are Germany. Ronaldo scores goals, Morata doesn't. Hungary are hungry while France flounder. Everybody's got a story. But is it what we really want to hear?
6 games to cover but the problem is what people with the loudest mics are saying. Some audio clips as supplement.
Some teams just wilt at these tournaments. They don't play well from the start despite all the promise from their squad or qualification campaign. But during these second round of games, a lot of teams blow opportunities to go into the next round by putting in limp performances. Other teams step up and show that they belong because they rise to the occasion.
Group F, the Group of Death, finally kicked off. We've waited for this for quite some time. As the 1st set of group stage matches ends, we can look back at the past week of the football bonanza.
Oh Yeah. We want more! After a Goal of the Tournament contender yesterday, we may have seen the eventual winner of that award. Slovakia impressed against a limp and abject Poland. Sweden almost pulled off the ultimate Smash 'N Grab by frustrating Spain to the first 0-0 draw of the tournament.
After a slightly cagey first few games, the nerves seem gone and the shackles are off. We witnessed 9 goals in 3 games including a 5 goal thriller and the goal of the tournament so far.
In Brazil, the Copa America has begun. So this is a Bonfire Football month.
Christian Eriksen is alive and well from what we now know. Phew! That was awful to watch. But there is something for us to learn about Cardiac Arrest and how you can possibly save a life in such a moment. We all witnessed something terrifying. Let's all be grateful.
Oh and there was football being played amidst all of this. I'll cover that too, obviously.
It's time! The Euros begin in 1 hour from time of recording. Here I just go through each group and give my picks for the two teams who will advance from each group. I'm not getting into the wildcards just yet. But follow me this month, as I hope to bring you daily musings on this beautiful competition. Let the games begin!
That lull between the end of the season and the beginning of summer football is over. It's only about a week long anyway. The Euro 21s Final and CONCACAF Nations League Final were both played and offered a quick glimpse into what we are in for now that Post Covid Football begins.
Claire (EPL Wrecked) and I talk about the Europa League and Champions League Finals. She is a Manchester United fan and I am a Chelsea fan so we react to our two teams and their performances in these pivotal games.
The European season is just about done. What a year it has been. As we look back on some of the things that happened over the last year, we can also be positive and optimistic for the future of football.
One final weekend in the European Leagues. One final opportunity for drama. What a season and year it has been. So many story lines pop up and the tension going into this last game week is palpable.
It's for all the marbles now.
The Talentprojekt model was conceived in 2010 with the intention of bringing young American soccer talents with high potential to Germany to develop within its unequivocally world-class youth development system. The program set out to prove that American athletes with a high soccer IQ and a high level skill set, an adaptable character and willingness to work hard and learn, could close the gap on their European counterparts when given the same advantage.
Fergie said it. It's that time of the year where you're squirming in your seat due to the tension and squeaking the chair with your bum. The pressure is sure to produce some gems in the coming weeks. Some champions were crowned and some races got even more intense.
This weekend we may see many teams across Europe become Champions of their respective leagues. In addition, the finals of all the Domestic Cup Competitions, the Europa League, and the Champions League are set.
I took the weekend off from watching much football, recording any episodes, or participating in social media. And of course, a cascade of events tumbled through.
With 4 or 5 matches to go, there are quite a few leagues with a lot of places to fight for. Titles, Champions League Spots, and Relegation are all still very much in the balance in Turkey, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, and England. Every weekend is going to have a new twist. What a feast for the neutral.
WOW! Crazy Week in Football. First, I cover the WSL title decider between Chelsea and Manchester City. Then I cover the Super League which Died On Arrival. Florentino went from Mago de Oz to Loco Abuelo in 24 hours to make my Monday episode sound paranoid. But no matter because this power grab woke up the football world and brought us together like never before.
The European Super League has put football in a state of rage. I understand, but I don't think it's helpful. Florentino Perez, Real Madrid President and ESL Mastermind, came out and said all the quiet stuff out loud in a calm and candid manner. If you listen to what he said, you will fully understand the reasons for the creation of this competition. Then you can look for solutions. But don't stay angry. It's futile.
I was going to talk about Hansi Flick, Jose Mourinho, PSG Feminine, Messi, MLS week 1, and NWSL Challenge Cup. But then an asteroid crashed into the top ranks of the football world. The plans for the European Super League were finally made public. I don't like it either, but I'm optimistic and believe fans have the power to fight back. Jesse Suarez Castro joins me to provide some hope.
The Wednesday Champions League games, the Thursday Europa League games, and my predictions for the semi finals. Plus I touch on a few extra talking points from the week.
That is not a typo. It's wordplay. Enjoy my football news limerick with all kinds of alliteration. Then I get into Tuesday's Champions League matches - Chelsea/Porto and PSG/Bayern - and spend a few minutes looking back at the Women's Internationals in preparation for this summer's Olympic Games.
April and May is the business end of the season. Titles, cups, silverware are being won. The battles for European places are heating up as are the relegation dog fights. The narratives are building as teams enter the final push.
Why do we call it the International Break? It's not a break at all. Football was being played at its compact best. Some shock results across the different qualifiers but the big story here is the USA Men's National Team failing to qualify for the Olympics, Again.
The WSL just signed a big TV rights deal. A line of football boots designed for women is out. The NWSL has a club arriving backed by huge investors, Hollywood stars and venture capitalists, a sign of massive expansion in the women's game. Yet every time a story about this growth appears, there are a lot of haters. Get Out The Way or get your surfboards out, because the Women's Football Tidal Wave is coming.
Football Index was a Gambling Website that masqueraded as an investment platform pulling off a Ponzi Scheme. Well it's slightly more complicated than that but a lot of people lost a lot of money. So WHAT THE BUCK HAPPENED?
Brendan Griffiths is an aspiring professional footballer and the host of In The Eleven Podcast where he tells his ongoing story and pathway towards his goal of signing a pro contract. He is a gifted young man with a great mindset and an eloquent way of expressing himself. Check out his show on your choice of media. Enjoy
The Champions League and Europa League Round of 16 is over. And it closed with a flourish of goals, red cards, upsets, and just utter madness. Slavia Prague surprised Rangers and Dinamo Zagreb's Mislav Orsic announced himself with a killer hat trick against Spurs.
I also review the picks I made and who my favorites are for each tie in the 1/4 final of each competition.
Messi and CR7 were labeled as "finished" after their Champions League exits, yet both put on performances of immense quality and showed their worth. Fran Kirby had her hands on all 6 goals for Chelsea's Women to win the Conti Cup. Big Rom and Lautaro keep getting it done for Inter. Lamela Rabona. 6 Series Karim Benz.
A match takes place and everybody has an opinion. Some are lazy, impatient and simply knee-jerk reactions. They hold no water. The midweek games gave us so many football talking points so let's give some props but also call out some silly narratives.
A recap of the weekend games form March 6th and 7th. Rangers seal their title, Spurs have a wanted hashtag, Liverpool are in an unthinkable situation, Der Klasiker Strikers Show up, this Messi guy is still quite good, Atletico Madrid are stuttering, and the Women's Super League Title charge is heating up.
My good friends Ben and Jesse join the show to talk about the Goalkeeper, the 11th player (though they are #1). The position has changed and the demands on their skillset has evolved. As coaches, we talk about the way Goalkeepers should be utilized in training, but more importantly, viewed within the team. LOVE YOUR GK!
The Football Dynasties across the major European leagues are at risk. The status quo might come back soon enough and this may all be a Post Covid Dream. But Football Regimes are being toppled and the landscape is changing for the coming decade.
There are some really interesting match ups in the Europa League. I would say they are less predictable than the Champions League ties. Some exciting sides still alive so who can get to the Elite Eight?
Giroud and Delle Alli got on their bikes. Lio Messi put on his weekly magic show. Mendy's curler crushed Atalanta's hearts. Stuart Dallas embodied Ronaldinho. Some great goals but some difficult 90 minutes to sit through for the reward.
Darren Drysdale is a referee in the English League (L1 & L2). He recently became famous for squaring up face to face with a player before giving him a yellow card for abusive language. He will receive a ban, no doubt, but it's a thankless job, being a football referee. They take abuse at all levels so something needs to change.
So far my predictions are intact, just. Liverpool are not a terrible team overnight, Dortmund get by as Erling Haaland blitzes Sevilla. Mbappe bags a hat trick against Messi's Barcelona, and Juve stumble but survive.
The Champions League is back! This round of 16 is tasty and the matchups are mostly quite difficult to call. But I've decided to put my mouth on record here and see how clairvoyant I really am.
There were so many games with story lines this weekend. Too many, almost. I mention the Liverpool "crisis" but spend some time running down some of the goals of the weekend. There were some pearls out there which deserve a YouTube search.
I end with the Bayern Munich vs Arminia Bielefeld round up, because that was quite a bit of fun.
Domestic cup matches across Europe this weekend, and most matches were poor. Atalanta beat Napoli 3-1 with some class and quality, but that was almost it.
Thankfully Everton and Spurs served up a 9 goal thriller to make up for the rest of it.
I'll offer my perspective on the 9 farcical goals that were scored on a defensive level, and supplement that with some audio clips from Jose and some pundits.
VAR is not ruining the game. The misuse of the tool has been the main problem. It seems as if the officials feel a need to get involved, slow the game down, and nitpick highly subjective decisions, when they are supposed to wield this power to overrule egregious calls.
Some audio clips from Scott Parker, David Moyes, Craig Burley, and Frank Leboeuf to supplement my views.
I guess we all saw this coming. It wasn't fun for me as a Chelsea fan who has admired Lampard for years. He gave a lot to the club in his brief tenure. So how did it all end? There were warning signs from last season, 5 key matches that sealed his fate, disagreements on recruitment with the board, and the looming cloud of 200 Million Pounds spent on players who were not delivering. Good luck to Thomas Tuchel.
Welcome back to Campfire Football! I was out with a computer failure for 2 weeks. Horrible time to miss one football story after another. But I am back!
Today, a little recap of Drunk Football in the 2020/2021 season from around Europe, Granada vs Barcelona (3-5 Thriller) in the Copa Del Rey, and a word on the racial abuse players have received online.
Today I go over some thoughts on the Frank Lampard Sack Saga and where the situation may actually stand. Then it's on to games of the day. Chelsea's Women beat Manchester City in a Continental Cup thriller. Real Madrid fell to 4th tier Alcoyano, Juve beats Napoli in the Supercopa thanks to an American, and the Manchester clubs went through tough tests to get all 3 points.
Bayer Leverkusen against Borussia Dortmund was a cracking game of two halves. A real contest. Leicester against Chelsea, less so. Leicester were efficient and good enough. Chelsea were not. As a Blues fan, this was frustrating and I'll tell you why.
The governing bodies and authority figures have decided to ban goal celebrations where players touch each other. Why? Well, Covid of course. But does that even make any logical sense? Is stopping a celebration doing anything except virtue signalling and posturing? I don't think so, and neither does John Nicholson of Football365.com. See his article here:
https://www.football365.com/news/football-celebration-clampdown-utter-bullshit-john-nicholson
Some big matches are duds, like the Liverpool vs Manchester United match. But some are dimes, like Inter Milan and Juventus. They played a good match, as did the Chelsea and Manchester United Ladies. Tanguy Ndombele scored a pearler, so did Lauren James, and the Brozovic-Barella-Bastoni B-trio showed that Conte spirit to keep the title race in Serie A hot.
It's winter football at its best. Snow in Turkey, a 1980s Elland Road throwback pitch, 1 - nils where you were certain there would be goals, and the early match with Sam Allardyce on the touchline turned out to be the Premier League thriller.
In youth football, the learning process to get kids back out onto the field has been on a steep curve. We have needed to adapt, collaborate, communicate, and in the end, try to create a culture that is geared towards the health and wellness of the players.
I watched a webinar called Navigating Return to Play Protocols Across State Lines and Political Subdivisions. Some great insights from Vince Ganzberg (USC Education Content Coordinator), Mayowa Owalabi (CCL FL President), John Barata (Legacy Soccer Club CEO/DOC), German Peri (Arlington Soccer Association), and Matt Busch (Inter Atlanta FC Exec Director)
I was fortunate enough to be able to sit in on a Q&A with Jose Mourinho. This was a real treat for this convention. The Special One talked openly about a range of topics:
tactical evolution of the game in recent years, technology use in modern football, what Spurs did for each player during Covid Lockdown in March, how he feels about getting into international management, and what he thought about the Amazon series on the club.
Please check out https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/ and if you are interested to attend the convention in the future, you won't be disappointed.
I saw Jose Mourinho do a Q&A this morning. It was incredible. Fascinating. I need a day to synthesize the information.
So, I watched Seth Taylor from Ianni Training conduct this talk:
"Parent Drama and Player Trauma: The origins and solutions to the largest problem in youth soccer."
As a coach, I have an opinion on this. Keep kids in the game. Do your part. I'll do mine if you let me.
It's the second leg of the Copa Libertadores semi-final between these two teams. Palmeiras won the first leg 3-0 away from home so River needed to really bring it in this game to make it interesting for the neutral. And wow, what a game it turned out to be. It had absolutely everything!
Here's the second installment of the United Soccer Coaches Convention Series. Today I watched Emma Hayes, Chelsea Ladies Coach and her Assistant Denise Reddy discuss "The Pathway to Scoring Goals" which I very much enjoyed. Then I saw Collen Hacker deliver an inspiring talk on "Coaching Mentally Tough Athletes: Are They Born or Made?"
A lot more of the organizational, culture, and process side of achieving high performance. This advice applies directly to life in general as well.
I am attending the United Soccer Coaches Convention this week. It is remote so I get to watch amazing discussions, panels, and interviews on a variety of topics related to the game. Today I saw Tyler Adams, Kelly O'Hara, Jordan Morris, and Crystal Dunn talk about adversity and versatility. Then I watched a talk about Dynamic Investment in Women's Football so I'll give my takeaways from each discussion.
I forgot to spare a thought for Shalke, who snapped one of the worst winless streaks I've ever heard of, Chelsea men and ladies won, and FA Cup magic from Marine, Crawley Town, and Spurs.
Football from all over today. Ligue 1, La Liga, Bundesliga, FA Cup, Serie A. I watched a lot of football and stuck with teams that are my "neutral's picks." Here are a few teams from different leagues that I recommend looking into if you are trying to broaden your horizons. There are also some feel-good stories that we can all use right now.
Here's another while I'm on Recordinho mode. If you don't watch the Bundesliga and missed the match between Borussia Moenchengladbach and Bayern Munich to watch Liverpool's first team thrash the Aston Villa kids, I've got you covered. The reality is that even though the Bundesliga seems like a formality because of Bayern's annual dominance, the football is fantastic between them and other quality sides.
The FA has made this story more noteworthy with a statement released this morning regarding Edinson Cavani and the ban he received for his Instagram post that caused a lot of controversy.
Anybody who was offended by his post, I have no issue with that.
I just wanted to offer a perspective on why we should be more sensitive to cultural differences before taking punitive action against somebody who has misspoken or was unaware of cultural sensitivities. As I said, we live in a tense time, so less confrontation and more conversation is the best approach.
Society is a tinderbox. We are living in a glass house with a pile of rocks. It's up to us to decide if we want to pick them up and toss 'em. I started this podcast to bring a positive and measured voice to the sphere. Who's with me?
Some of the cautions we see these days are nothing short of bizarre. The actual laws of the game are rarely enforced in some cases and overly litigated in others. Are the bookings doled out by referees actually befitting of the crimes?
Deena Rahman is a downright heroine and inspiration. Her dedication to football has led her to drastically grow the girls game in the Middle East. She has also broken 5 world records and used football as a binding agent for goodness in humanity. Brilliant. Read the story by Kathleen McNamee on ESPN and FIFA's exclusive as well.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/blog-espn-fc-united/story/4277337/rahmans-mission-smash-guinness-world-records-and-challenge-soccers-gender-equality-problem
https://www.fifa.com/womens-football/news/deena-rahman-s-love-of-special-challenges
https://news.lenovo.com/equal-playing-field-deena-rahman-womens-soccer-football/
It seems as if every manager in the league gets their turn being under immense pressure to keep their job. They all have to walk a plank and hope their executives don't knock them off before turning things around. Yet most of them seem to do it, given the time. So are we that patient?
Atleti's Kieran Trippier was hit with a 2 month ban and a 75,000 Pound fine for allegedly breaching betting rules and regulations. This whole story is bizarre, especially after news this morning that the ban has been suspended until appeal. I ask some questions about what is going on here.
Here's a short history of the last 10 years and why it is great to see Rangers competing for the Scottish Premiership again. From Glory to Bankruptcy and back.
Happy New Year! Today I give some of my thoughts on 2020. What I enjoyed, my favorite goals, games, teams, and players to watch. I pay some respects and talk about some things I hope to see this coming year.
My long time friend Ben Sipkoff joins as my first ever guest to talk about Loyalty in football. It's not dead, but it can be better.
A petty media frenzy erupted after Leeds got offended by comments made by pundit and ex England International, Karen Carney. All of this over BielsaBall. Can't we just enjoy the game?
West Bromwich Albion were thrashed 5-0 at the hands of Leeds Utd in a spectacular display of Bielsa Ball. However, the defending was shocking at a basic level. So as Coach Seb, I'm giving my advice to young players on the basics to avoid this kind of rollicking.
We go over the 2 matches of the day, Palace vs Leicester and Chelsea vs Villa, as well as a look at a great article by Matt Stead from F365.com.
I give some of my thoughts on the matches on Sunday 12/27. Leeds vs Burnley, West Ham vs Brighton, Liverpool vs West Brom, Wolves vs Spurs.
An old football tradition. Matches all day in the UK. Here is what I thought. The cat likes the set-up.
Welcome to Campfire Football. I am your host, Sebastian North, and this is the place to have chats about football that go into the nuance, the gray areas, between the lines if you will. Gossip and average opinions are not highly valued here. I hope to give you a place to listen to an objective and optimistic way of looking a the beautiful game.