And just like that, only 8 remains.

The World Cup Round of 16 has come and gone, and we've broken down all the big moments.

And unfortunately for the Americans, we must start with a USMNT audit after their all-time stinker on Monday night, losing to Belgium 4-1 in Seattle. What went wrong for this team after such a promising June?

We examine the team's mental weaknesses, the dreadful individual performances, including Dest, Freese, Ream, and of course, Pulisic, and wonder if Pulisic should continue to be the face of this team. We also address the Balogun situation and Trump's intervention, expressing our frustration on the damage this does to American soccer's perception across the globe.

Then we recap an instant classic at the Azteca, where England held on to beat Mexico 3-2. What went right and wrong for a Mexico side that left it all out there but couldn't find a decisive moment of quality? And did England prove something to themselves and to the world with their mental fortitude?

Egypt nearly shocked holders Argentina in another all-timer in Atlanta on Tuesday, but much of the conversation is mired in VAR and refereeing decisions. How did Egypt nearly accomplish a historic upset and went wrong in the final 20 minutes? And is there any merit to claims that this was rigged for Argentina?

Next, we perform autopsies on eliminated Brazil and Portugal, two contenders than never reached their potentials. We discuss first how Carlo approached the Norway game – did he get it wrong? Or was the team just undone by poor finishing? And on a larger scale, does Brazil even know who they are anymore?

There's a lot of blame to go around on the Portuguese side, and we delve into why Roberto Martinez got everything wrong this unbelievably talented group of players.

We also hail Norway's greatest ever win, with a predictable star turn from Haaland and an unpredictable one from Nyland in goal, as well as some brave decision from their coach, Solbakken.

Finally, we briefly touch on France withstanding Paraguay's aggression and the defensive showcase that was Switzerland-Colombia.

Cheers to Murat Yakin and Switzerland!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

02:20 – USA 1 - 4 Belgium

05:37 – USMNT's mental weakness

08:24 – Trump's interference

13:08 – what Belgium did well

15:34 – Pulisic

22:30 – Mexico 2 - 3 England – Mexico's thrilling send off

28:43 – how did England withstand the Azteca?

34:37 – Canada 0 - 3 Morocco

37:11 – Argentina 3 - 2 Egypt – how did Egypt almost pull it off?

39:58 – VAR controversies – were Egypt robbed?

47:21 – Brazil 1 - 2 Norway – a Brazilian autopsy

53:20 – Haaland, Nyland, Solbakken – Norway's triump

56:00 – Spain 1 - 0 Portugal – Roberto Martinez gets it all wrong

01:01:25 – France 1 - 0 Paraguay

01:02:08 – Switzerland (pens) 0 - 0 Colombia

01:03:40 – the World Cup of stars & power rankings

01:05:17 – quick Quarterfinal thoughts

We're back after a thrilling and dramatic inaugural Round of 32 at the World Cup!

We were going to lead off the pod with Germany, but then Cabo Verde happened (again). What a story and what a performance (again) from the Blue Sharks, who took Messi and the defending champions to the very brink in Miami, and in the process, provided one of the greatest World Cup games of the century. We spend some time heaping love on their performance, from the heroic individual performances to the brilliance of Bubista's tactics to their undying belief and stamina. What a moment, what a team.

Next, we move on to tournament disappointments, including Germany, The Netherlands, and Senegal. First, we wonder what should Germany's identity be moving forward and why couldn't Nagelsmann get it right with this group. Then we tackle Koeman's catastrophe versus Morocco, where he seemed to sabotage his own team's chances for success, before asking what went wrong for a Senegal group that was fully in control with ten minutes to play against Belgium.

Elsewhere, all six pre-tournament favorites advanced, but only France and Spain comfortably. England were pushed to the brink by a terrific DR Congo, with Harry Kane coming up huge again. Is this a sign of trouble for the Three Lions or were Congo just awesome? Brazil also need a late winner to send Japan home, but a promising second half performance has us wondering if we're foolishly doubting Carlo once again.

Portugal, too, were up against it, with some questionable VAR interventions salvaging Ramos' stoppage time go-ahead. We debate if Croatia were unfairly treated, how they bossed the second half, and whether this version of Portugal has any chance against Spain.

We also officially welcome Morocco and Norway into our Official Contenders circle. Congrats to all involved.

All 3 hosts have advanced, so we look ahead to each's chances to reach the quarterfinals. The U.S. is, like, better than Belgium right? Can Mexico really knock out England in the Azteca? And can Canada hang with Morocco?

And finally, we power rank the remaining 16 nations and identify the round's best games.

One final cheers to maestro, Bubista!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

01:28 – Cabo Verde

11:42 – Germany

21:17 – Netherlands

29:27 – Senegal-Belgium

33:50 – England-DR Congo

40:53 – Brazil

43:48 – Spain & France

45:12 – Portugal-Croatia

54:10 – Argentina

57:43 – Morocco & Norway are contenders

01:01:39 – Hosts advance: USA, Mexico, Canada

01:13:22 – Farewell Ivory Coast, Japan

01:19:24 – Round of 16, power rankings

01:22:51 – Round of 16, pick 'em

Our Club Spotlight series is returning for a special World Cup edition!

At this season's tournament, we have four nations competing at their first ever World Cup: Curaçao, Cabo Verde, Uzbekistan, and Jordan. As the competition progresses, we will be highlighting each footballing nation – exploring their political, geographical, and sporting histories and learning how they got here.

Next up is Jordan, a middle eastern country with a rich and ancient past, with a population just under 12 million.

We talk about Jordan's history dating back 60,000 years, its relationship to English colonization, and the complexities of its geographical positioning. We also discuss their unusually progressive policies towards immigration and refugees and how that has impacted its sporting landscape.

Next, we learn about its history in football, including its relatively stable domestic league, the rise of the national team, and how they finally qualified for the big one.

Finally, we lament the insanely difficult group they were drawn into, as it limits the heights they can reach at their inaugural World Cup.*

Cheers to Jordan!

*Note: This podcast was recorded before Jordan's group stage matches. Naturally, they did not pick up any points, but they did acquit themselves well!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

03:00 – history & geography

06:43 – politics & immigration

11:35 – Jordanian domestic league

15:57 – the national team

24:10 – the world cup draw

We pick all 16 Round of 32 games as the knockout stage kicks off at the World Cup.

Which favorites will coast? Which will be upset? Find out here!

Plus, we look ahead to some possible matchups in future rounds.

Cheers!

We're back to talk about the last round of the group stage! Teams advanced. Teams went home. We have thoughts.

First, we acknowledge Canada advancing past South Africa in their first ever knockout appearance, before moving on to the ways in which FIFA has detracted from the drama of the group stage, including the new head-to-head tiebreaker and the expanded format.

Next, we discuss some of the positive developments, including Ecuador and Bosnia and Herzegovina getting through, and the strength evident in the African contingent. Did we underestimate the depth from the continent's nations? How far Ivory Coast go?

Uruguay, Scotland, and South Korea were all dumped out unceremoniously, and we spend some time on what went wrong for each, including why Bielsa and Uruguay never meshed. We close the segment with a power ranking of all the eliminated teams.

Finally, we check in on the tournament favorites as they enter the knockouts, including considering new entries to the exclusive club. Does Colombia officially belong?

Cheers to Didier Deschamps, Lionel Scaloni, and Javier Aguirre!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

01:08 – Canada-South Africa

03:07 – FIFA frustrations

13:09 – Saturday's games

17:07 – African succes

27:10 – more nice stories

31:25 – Scotland

37:34 – Uruguay

46:09 – South Korea

51:29 – power ranking eliminated teams

01:01:44 – favorites check-in

Another highly entertaining round of group stage football is behind us, and we're having deja vu!

That's thanks to Capo Verde, who once again held a former World Cup champion to a draw – this time Biela's Uruguay. Who did the African islanders put together such a high-octane performance in the Miami heat?

Fellow debutants Curaçao also shocked a South American dark horse favorite in Ecuador with a 0-0 draw. We praise Eloy Room's historic 15-save performance, as well as Dick Advocaat's resolute outfield players.

Then we move on to discuss the tournament disappointments so far. Uruguay and Ecuador are on the brink of elimination, Turkey's been dumped out already, and Senegal and Belgium have much work to do. What's gone wrong for these talented groups?

Next, we touch on some tournament big boys, including much-needed responses from Portugal and Spain, a come-from-behind win for Germany over Ivory Coast, and a comedown draw for England against a resolute Ghana. We also luxuriate in another world-class Messi performance and wax poetic about Argentina's excellence.

Finally, we do our superlatives, a check-in on our James Rodriguez Award contenders, and look ahead to a spicy slate of games in the upcoming days.

Cheers to Dick Advocaat and Bubista!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

02:05 – Cabo Verde + Curaçao

09:35 – disappointments (Uruguay, Ecuador, Senegal, Belgium)

25:25 – Portugal

30:25 – Spain

32:10 – Germany

38:00 – England

41:15 – Argentina

45:45 – CONCACAF

46:45 – superlatives

56:10 – James Rodriguez Award

In honor of the NBA draft this week, our special series, Any Given Redraft returns, along with star guest Jacob Hill!

Today, we tackle a strong 2014 crop of players, including Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, and Zach Lavine.

We begin by revisiting the big storylines heading into the night, the broadcast on ESPN starring Bill Simmons, Jalen Rose, and Jay Bilas, and pick an all-time injury starting 5.

Then we move into the Redraft, each selecting a team of 8 destined to do battle head-to-head.

If you're a basketball sicko, this one's for you.

Cheers!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

05:25 – draft preview

20:15 – broadcast

31:55 – injury starting 5

48:55 – prelude to picks, Jokic

01:04:20 – picks 2-3

01:13:15 – picks 4-6

01:27:15 – picks 7-9

01:37:10 – picks 10-16

We've got another World Cup bonus episode for you on the most important goings-on from the past couple days.

First, we check in on the soaring hosts – USA and Mexico have already topped their group and advanced, and Canada are not far behind. Who looks the best out of the trio and why?

Then we take a look at the fiasco that is the Türkiye national team, who bowed out of the tournament after just two matches. What went wrong for perpetual "dark horses?" How did their coach get this so wrong?

Next up is the scintillating Netherlands-Sweden game, which ended in a 5-1 Dutch romp but felt much closer than that. We discuss Brian Brobbey's breakout day, Malen vs. Summerville on the right, and what Koemen got right, as well as Potter's decision to go all in and whether that could cost them heading into their final game against Japan.

Finally, we do quick hits on Brazil and Germany. Brazil picked up a comfortable win over Haiti, but did they answer any of our questions about their midfield and defense? Germany, meanwhile, earned a tough come-from-behind win over a frisky Ivory Coast. What should be done about Leroy Sane? Should Undav start?

Cheers to Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koemen!

Chapters:

00:00 – the start

01:05 – wins for all 3 hosts

03:00 – which host looks the best?

09:05 – Turkish tragedy

16:20 – Dutch delight, Swedes go all out

21:30 – questions about Brazil

25:20 – Germans come from behind