All Episodes

#167 The FIFA video game series and its lasting legacy

#166 What is the Copa Libertadores and why are Brazilian clubs suddenly so dominant in it?

#165 What are match programmes and why do they exist?

#164 What does a captain actually do?

#163 What are parachute payments, why do they exist, and what are their positives and negatives?

#162 What is doping and how prevalent is it in soccer?

#161 Hooligans and Football: where does the term come from, when did hooliganism first come to prominence, and how prevalent does it remain today?

Bonus episode! The Can I Kick It podcast discusses the new joint Anti-Discrimination Policy by MLS, MLSPA, and Black Players for Change

#160 Everything you need to know about The Designated Player Rule in Major League Soccer

#159 What is an interim manager, and who are the most successful examples in soccer history?

#158 What are soccer's biggest conspiracy theories?

#157 What is the 3pm blackout and why does it exist?

#156 What is the Asian Cup, and who are its most legendary competitors?

#155 What is a ‘wonderkid’ in soccer?

#154 What is the Africa Cup of Nations, who are its most successful competitors, and why does it take place mid-season?

#153 What is the Club World Cup, and how will it change in the near future?

#152 What is a points deduction, who hands them out, and how common are they historically?

#151 Why do throw-ins exist and how have their rules changed over time?

#150 The growth of the record transfer fee in soccer

#149 Scarves! Why did they become so widespread in soccer, what are the different styles, and more!

#148 What is the ‘league pyramid’ in English soccer and how does it work?

#147 How does prize money work in soccer?

#146 Why are gambling and football so intertwined, and how big a problem is that for sport in general?

#145 What is Team GB, why is it controversial and will it be involved with the next Olympics?

#144 What are coefficients, how are they calculated and why are they important?

#143 More terminology explained! Recovery, duel, reducer, corridor of uncertainty, and more!

#142 Why was the England-Scotland rivalry so significant? Plus, why it's lost some of its luster more recently

#141 What is VAR, how does it work and why does it make people angry?

#140 What are 'half spaces' and why are they important?

#139 How do teams prepare for a World Cup?

#138 All about season tickets

#137 Why is it a yellow card for taking off your shirt?

#136 What is the Gold Cup, and why does it seem less important these days?

#135 Where does transfer speculation come from and what’s the fascination with it?

#134 What is the A-League Men, is it the same as the A-League, and how has Australian club soccer evolved over the years?

Bonus episode! Part 2 of our crossover with the Can I Kick It podcast: Understanding the Culture

#133 Why is multi-club ownership becoming increasingly common?

#132 What is relegation? Plus, the ways teams cope with it, the disastrous ramifications, potential silver linings, and much more!

#131 It's a Promotion special! What is promotion, what are the benefits and drawbacks, and how do clubs approach trying to stay up?

#130 Why does Graham dislike Dumbarton FC? Or, the proper protocol for postponing a match

#129 All about stadiums!

#128 What is The Old Firm Derby and why is it so historically significant?

#127 Why are entrance anthems played before games, what makes a good anthem, how do their vary between clubs and international competitions, and much more!

#126 What are reserve leagues and how do they work?

#125 What is The New Manager Bounce, and is it a real thing?

#124 The Backheeled Show: What’s wrong with England? And can the USMNT take them down?

#123 The Backheeled Show: How to win the World Cup, by the numbers

#122 Why do children escort players onto the pitch before a game?

#121 Does politics belong in soccer? AKA Why soccer and politics will always be intertwined

#120 Everything you need to know about the Women's Champions League

#119 What is a 'Golden Generation' in soccer?

#118 What does a scout do and why are they important?

#117 What is a medical and what happens when a player fails one?

#116 How to host a World Cup and what makes a good one

#115 What is a ‘number 9’ and how has the position evolved?

#114 Why are World Cup jerseys such a big deal?

#113 How did the Premier League become the most dominant league on the planet?

#112 How has the Qatar national team been preparing for the 2022 World Cup?

#111 What are the most surprising relegation campaigns in soccer history?

#110 What makes Jurgen Klopp such a good manager?

#109 It's kicking off! How have the rules for kickoff changed, what are the best approaches to getting the game underway, and how could we improve on the present system?

#108 What is a front office and how does it work?

#107 Everything you need to know about preseason

#106 How to become a referee, and why someone might do that to themselves?

#105 What is the soccer schedule for the rest of 2022?

#104 What are coaching badges, how long do they take to acquire, how do they differ between federations, and how should they evolve?

#103 What is 'S***housery'?

#102 The best and biggest transfers of all time

#101 The 101 soccer terms you need to know, part two: N-Z

#100 The 101 soccer terms you need to know, part one: A-M

#99 What makes Pep Guardiola such a good manager?

#98 The past, present and future of boot sponsorship in soccer

#97 How to start a soccer club in the United States

#96 The past, present and future of jersey sponsorship in soccer

#95 What are the differences between club managers and international managers?

#94 What was the European Super League, why did it fail, and why might it return?

#93 What made Sir Alex Ferguson such a successful manager?

#92 What is the World Cup, how has it evolved since the inaugural tournament, and what will future iterations look like?

#91 "Are we the baddies?" What constitutes a poorly-run club? Plus, some of the best (and therefore worst) examples in world football!

#90 What constitutes a well-run soccer club, and what are some examples in world football?

#89 How has TV coverage helped grow the sport of soccer, as well as shape our understanding of it?

#88 How does MLS expansion work, and what comes next for the league?

#87 What happened to all that money being pumped into Chinese soccer?

#86 What is Boxing Day and why is it such a big day for British football?

#85 How and why are games postponed, abandoned or canceled?

#84 Everything you need to know about MLS Cup

#83 All about that Ballon d'Or! What is it, how did it come to exist, who are some lesser known winners, and does it matter all that much?

#82 Playoffs in soccer: their origin in the sport and weirdness throughout history

#81 Where did the terms brace and hat-trick come from, and what are our favorite examples of each?

Bonus Episode! Can I Kick It presents... A History of Cobi Jones

#80 New to soccer? Things to consider when picking a soccer team to support

#79 What is the Golden Goal rule and why isn't it around anymore?

#78 Everything you need to know about pressing: what it is, its many forms, how it evolved, and much more!

#77 Who can own a soccer team, and how does club ownership work?

#76 What are fan-owned clubs and how do they work?

#75 The comprehensive history of the soccer ball

#74 The best (and least best) approaches to soccer commentary

#73 "You're not singing anymore!" A brief history of chanting and singing in football

#72 How does World Cup qualification work? AFC, CAF, Concacaf, Conmebol, Oceania, and UEFA explained!

#71 Why isn't Scotland better at football, aka fitba?