The United States is unequivocally the best place in the world to watch football. With all 10 of the final Premier League matches available on television or online, even England couldn't hold a candle to the coverage of The Sport of the Future here in America. Look out, competitive camel jumping — soccer is on the move.
And what a day it was. By beating 10-man Queens Park Rangers in a frantic finale, Manchester City won its first league title since 1968, shed their long tradition of self-harm, and validated the business savvy of sheikhs with money to burn getting involved in football. In this week's pod, Michael Davies and Roger Bennett attempt to make sense of it all, while taking stock of the rest of the league — everything from Arsenal maintaining third position to Bolton vanishing through the trapdoor. But the football doesn't stop here. It never does. Just days before the Champions League final, the Blazered Men preview Bayern Munich vs. Chelsea — a day of delight for Davo but a Sophie's Choice for Rog.
Story lines abound as the English Premier League enters the sharp end of the season. On Monday, Americans everywhere feigned illness to slip out of work and into the nearest Irish pub to watch the seismic Manchester Derby. City's victory nudges them ahead in the tightest title race finish in 23 years, and the Men in Blazers couldn't be happier. In this week's pod, Michael and Roger review the crap game of football that yielded managerial handbags, Vincent Kompany's winner, and the appearance of soccer's most famous father-in-law, Diego Maradona.
Plus, they take a look at the moral victories that weren't for Liverpool and Chelsea, welcome Reading and Southampton, the first two sides slated for a return to the Premier League next year, and analyze the appointment of Roger's DadRoy Hodgson as England manager.
It's the inaugural episode of The Triangle Podcast. Each episode, I'll talk to a few different Triangle writers about the sports they cover. This week, I talked to Bill Barnwell about the falling NFL draft stock Vontaze Burfict, the Dolphins pinning their hopes on Ryan Tannehill, and whether a system should come before personnel when it comes to drafting players. I also checked in with Katie Baker on the crazy, bloody, and dramatic Stanley Cup playoffs, then Roger Bennett, one half of the Men in Blazers, joined me to recap two insane days of Champions League semifinals and the upcoming Manchester derby. Finally, I talked to Jonah Keri about Carl Crawford's trip to Dr. James Andrews and Oakland's five-tool star in the making, Yoenis Cespedes.
It was simply not meant to be. Andy Carroll picked the worst time imaginable to step out of his fat suit and "pony-tail" home the winner against doomed Everton. Instead of an All-Men in Blazers dream FA Cup Final featuring Chelsea and America's team, Liverpool will play Roberto Di Matteo's side on Cinco De Mayo. On the bright side, John Terry and Luis Suarez will finally have found a soulmate eager to shake the others hand before kickoff. In this week's midnight pod special, Roger and Michael bemoan the FA Cup Final that could have been and breakdown why things went so terribly wrong for Rog's beloved Toffees.
Plus, the Men in Blazers recap the return of golf's Carlos Tevez, explore mighty Ray Hudson's bizarre sexual predilections, celebrate the state bird of Massachusetts and answer a GFOP's hard-hitting telegram regarding the Premier League's sexiest manager. 'Arry can rest easy.
In a smashing weekend of topflight football drama, both Questionable Penalty and Clear Offside Goal took their turns in the spotlight. Elsewhere, Manchester United delivered more of the same: the ruthless pragmatism that has seen them win 11 out of their last 12 matches, effectively locking up the Premier League title in the process. While neighboring Manchester City continued to implode against Arsenal, as Mario Balotelli made fans wonder what would come first — a red card or institutionalization. In this week's podcast, the Men in Blazers tackle both houses of Manchester and then turn their attention to the breathless race for third and fourth place.
Plus, Michael and Roger look ahead to an FA Cup semifinal weekend that could produce a Clash of the Blazers Chelsea v. Everton final. This may very well be the beginning of the end.
The current Premier League season continues to be predictably erratic. Manchester United resume their traditional script, winning late against Blackburn on Monday, while the rest of the league fails to decide on any discernible, consistent plotlines. In this week's podcast, Michael and Roger contemplate the weekend's action featuring all of the favorite Men in Blazers' characters — Mario Balotelli's self-destructive ways, Andy Carroll's inexplicable dive, and Joey Barton's disdain for statistics.
But it's not all about the glamorous teams at the top of the table. The blazered men analyze the battle against relegation at the bottom. While they can decide on one of the teams set to move down at the season's end (so long, Wolverhampton!), the other two teams leave Michael and Roger at odds.
Of course, none of this football really matters in the wake of Giorgio Chinaglia's death on Sunday. The Cosmos legend was the Greatest Friend of the Pod and a dear colleague at SiriusXM. He forever changed the landscape of America's Sport of the Future and we're eternally indebted to him.
Everything I know about history I learned from Game of Thrones. And I know I am not alone. The HBO series is so painstakingly realistic; it runs like a Ken Burns documentary, except it's interesting.
Those of us who love Soccer — America’s Sport of the Future Since 1972 — can only look with envy at the millions of fans the book series has garnered in the United States. I am among them. Finishing the five-book series certainly ranks as the greatest accomplishment of my life (marriage, witnessing Everton become league champions in 1986-87, becoming a father, and getting Dana Plato’s autograph off eBay round out the Top Five).
To celebrate the show's return to HBO, and in a craven attempt to lull die-hard Tyrion Lannister aficionados from the geopolitics of Westeros to the goals, dives, and feigned injuries of top-quality soccer, we have worked with Men in Blazers listeners to construct this GAME OF THRONES–to–ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE converter based on the characters we will meet in Season 2. (Mild, obtuse spoiler alert.)
Giorgio Chinaglia, the former Italian soccer star and goal-scoring legend for the New York Cosmos, passed away Sunday at his home in Florida, according to reports. Chinaglia, who spent several seasons with the Cosmos in the North American Soccer League, also played for Lazio, which won an Italian title in 1974.
Mind games? What mind games? With the Premier League's finish line now vaguely visible on the horizon, Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United emerge, as predictably as a footballing groundhog, to separate themselves from the rest of the table. In this week's podcast, Michael Davies and Roger Bennett examine United's pragmatic path to glory and what that means for their aspirational cross-town rivals, City.
Plus, Roger chats with refereeing legend Abraham Klein, the Holocaust survivor who became one of the world's best during the World Cup's heyday in the 1970s. The 5-foot-tall disciplinarian sheds light on how he'd handle today's Premier League prima donnas.
It's March and it's madness. The FA Cup continued its slow but steady return to football's radar of relevance over the weekend, with storylines abounding across England. And while the goal-scoring return of Chelsea's Fernando Torres and vaudeville villainy of Liverpool's Luis Suarez are subjects that warrant considerable attention in this week's podcast, all of it pales in significance compared to the condition of Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba after his collapse during the quarterfinal clash at White Hart Lane.
Michael Davies and Roger Bennett review the remarkable storylines and salivate with anticipation at the week of scintillating football that lies ahead, including the seismic Manchester City-Chelsea matchup. The Blazered Men wrap up the pod by discussing the usual: How to fix the Champions League away goals rule, and whether "Ginger Ninja" is officially the greatest nickname in soccer.
What an uneventful weekend of football it was. Nothing to see here. Particularly not Tottenham’s latest lapse against Everton, and definitely not Manchester City handing pole position to crosstown rivals Manchester United following their 1-0 loss to Welsh Barcelona, Swansea City. In fact, it was so uneventful that Michael Davies took the weekend off to sample the tasteful debauchery available on the golf courses of South Carolina.
That leaves Man in Blazer Roger Bennett to address the nation all by his lonesome, like a poor man’s Spalding Gray. And in honor of the humdrum weekend over in England, Rog is left to celebrate the return of Major League Soccer by welcoming His Excellency, Commissioner Don Garber, to discuss his formative years at the NFL, the state of MLS finances, and what goes through his mind when he straddles his big ol’ Harley. Rog then transitions to more serious matters with the help of another mover and shaker from an MLS, Portland’s iconic mascot, Timber Joey. The classically trained logger lays bare his thoughts on love, life, and chainsaw circumcision.
Fears of a double-dip recession in Britain may be over, thanks to the sudden wealth of job openings in England’s managerial ranks. Joining the post that nobody wants — manager of England’s national team — is the toxic task that only the clinically insane would consider with a straight face — manager of Chelsea Football Club. And it’s all fodder for analysis in this week’s pod from the Men in Blazers.
After offering a tearful goodbye to Andre Villas-Boas as he sets out for other prepubescent adventures, Michael and Roger work their way down the Premier League table and dissect the biggest storylines from the weekend. The blazered men consider matrimony for Mario Balotelli, Liverpool’s penalty woes, and the magisterial form of part-time American bassmaster/full-time Fulham’s leading goal scorer Clint Dempsey. What will it take for America to care? Someone please get him on Dancing With the Stars.
With their beloved Downton Abbey gone but not forgotten, and the Oscars a plodding replacement, only a peerless feast of football could save the Men in Blazers from the mid-winter blues. Luckily for this week's pod, their cup runneth over.
Michael and Roger kick things off with the United States' victory over Italy in Genoa on Wednesday. A gritty, collective effort that was sure to put a smile on former national team coach Bob Bradley's face (if such a things is possible). Rubbernecking at the wreckage of England's 3-2 loss to the Netherlands, the Blazered Boys move from country to club. In the Carling Cup that nobody — yet secretly everyone — wanted to win, Liverpool emerged triumphant thanks to one of the most pitiful penalty shootouts in recent memory. But their story wasn't the only one of deliverance over the weekend. Arsenal hoped to salvage the season with a comeback for the ages against crosstown rival Tottenham.
Scintillating stuff, indeed. But just as the pod ends, the Black Dog returns. Oh, Mrs. Patmore, where art thou?
It's the time of the season when the competitions start to bleed together. In the span of only a week, connoisseurs of association football can dabble in the eclectic delights of the FA Cup, take in the seductive Champions League, slum it with Europa, obediently return to the Premiership, and then cap it all with Sunday's critically important/slightly meaningless Carling Cup final.
Somehow, the Men in Blazers manage to cover it all in this week's pod, even making time to analyze the latest big stories emerging from the Puerto Rican and Malagasy leagues for good measure. Their paramount concerns surround the London clubs in crisis — Arsenal and Chelsea. Michael and Roger delve deep into EPL management psychology as they consider the fates of Arsenal's bewildered wizard, Arsene Wenger, and Chelsea's very own Doogie Howser, Andre Villas-Boas.
Love is in the air in the crap part of Soho as Roger and Michael celebrate their union with a Valentine's Day Special. Luckily, it's a mix of business and pleasure. The blazered men cover last weekend's Handshakegate between Liverpool's Luis Suarez and Manchester United's Patrice Evra, reconcile after Roger's lionhearted Everton dispose of Michael's woebegone Chelsea, and uncover some inspiring tabloid journalism involving Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey. We advise romantic partners to relish these suboptimal sounds before the FA Cup makes its underwhelming return Saturday.
