Soccer 101
Episodes
#53 Who is the USMNT's biggest bogey team away from home in World Cup qualifying? Plus, possible explanations for why that's the case
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode, Taylor takes a long look at the Concacaf nations where the USMNT has the worst record away from home, and tries to figure out ...
#52 What is a loan and how does it work?
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey explores the world of loans in soccer. How and why did the loan system start? Why is it useful? And how is...
#51 Why isn't Olympic soccer as popular as the World Cup?
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Taylor discusses the history of soccer/football at the Olympics, and prevents some explanations for why the World Cup h...
#50 What is a super agent? And who are some super agents?
09 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery dives into the world of super agents. Who are they? What do they do? And do they wear their underwear on the...
#49 What happened to Wimbledon FC and how did Wimbledon AFC come to be?
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey explores the story of the team he holds dear to his heart, AFC Wimbledon. The club was founded by fans in ...
#48 Who are the Baggies? Exploring the naming origins of clubs around the world
25 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why are there so many Uniteds and Towns in England, Spartas in Europe, and rowing-inspired football teams in Brazil? Taylor attempts to explain the hi...
#47 What is the SheBelieves Cup and how did it come to be?
18 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With the 2021 SheBelieves soon to kick off, Taylor takes a look at the history of the competition. What came before it, how and why did it come to be,...
#46 Who are the all-time top scoring Americans in Europe?
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this week's episode of Soccer 101, Taylor answers a question he's been trying to figure out for weeks: which Americans have the best goal scoring r...
#45 What is La Masia?
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery talks all about La Masia. What is it? How did Johan Cruyff change it? And how important is it today? This ep...
#44 Why are there so many Americans in the Bundesliga?
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Taylor gives a three-pronged explanation for why so many Americans play (or have played) in the Bundesliga. We'll also ...
#43 What is the Champions League?
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey explains everything you need to know about the Champions League and its origins as a competition. Plus, a B...
#42 What is man-marking? And what is zonal-marking?
21 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery rolls out the tactics whiteboard and dives into the fundamentals of man-marking and zonal-marking. This epis...
#41 Who is Paul Gascoigne and what was Gazzamania?
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Ryan Bailey explores the story of Paul Gascoigne. The maverick midfielder was one of England’s brightest talents, a b...
#40 What is the origin of the red card?
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery dives into the origin of the red (and yellow) card. From the Battle of Santiago to the streets of London, th...
#39 What is a rondo and why is it useful?
10 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery talks about rondos. What are they? Why are they useful? And how do they relate to soccer's past and present?...
#38 What is a football group?
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery answers the question, what is a football group? Hint, there’s a lot of money involved. This episode is bro...
#37 What do the terms regista, enganche, and raumdeuter mean?
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery explains what the terms "regista", "enganche", and "raumdeuter" mean - and how they shine a light on soccer'...
#36 Why isn’t the U.S. Open Cup a big deal?
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery explains why the U.S. Open Cup isn’t a big deal. From missed opportunities to capitalize on wild upsets, t...
#35 How did sibling strife lead to the creation of Adidas and Puma?
13 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Taylor explains the history of the Dassler brothers who 1) did not like each other and 2) founded Puma and Adidas, resp...
#34 What are soccer’s phases of play?
05 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery digs into soccer’s phases of play. What does the term “phase of play” mean? And what are soccer’s ph...
#33 How many leagues are in this season?
31 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode, Taylor tries to get to the bottom of a straightforward topic that invites ten million tangents: there are so many different competiti...
#32 What is xG and why are advanced stats useful in soccer?
29 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery provides an introductory look at soccer analytics. Can advanced stats really give insight into soccer? The a...
# 31 Why is El Clásico so important?
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Joe Lowery examines El Clásico, the famous rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Why is El Clásico so importa...
#30 Why did the United States fail to qualify for the World Cup for 40 years?
16 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Soccer 101, Taylor takes a trip in the way-back-machine to attempt to figure out why the United States failed to qualify for the Wo...
#29 What are FIFA’s new national team eligibility rules and how could they impact the USMNT?
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
At the 70th FIFA Congress in September 2020, FIFA authorized new rules relating to national team eligibility. How did things formerly function, what a...
What is the Premier League and how did it come to be?
25 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor explains the origins of the Premier League and how broadcast money paved the way for a global juggernaut. This episode is bought to you by Expr...
#27 What is pressing? (including: What is gegenpressing?)
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daryl explains the basics of pressing and gegenpressing Sponsored by Hims. Go to http://forhimscom/totalsoccer for your first month free Hosted on Aca...
#26 How have Bayern Munich been so good for so long?
19 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor is joined by Manuel Veth of the Gegenpressing podcast to discuss the absolute juggernaut that is Bayern Munich, a team that has won 50% of the ...
#25 What is Positional Play?
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daryl explains positional play, the football philosophy favored by Pep Guardiola. Today's show is sponsored by Hims. Go to http://forhims.com/totalsoc...
#24 What is the Bosman Ruling and how did it impact the transfer market?
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Taylor explains what the Bosman Ruling was and goes deep on the impact it had on the European transfer market. Today's show is sponsored by ExpressV...
#23 What is GAM and what is TAM?
26 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daryl answers the questions what is General Allocation Money and Targeted Allocation Money, and how does it work in Major League Soccer? Today's show ...
#22 Diego Maradona v England at the 1986 World Cup
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal, Diego Maradona scored two of the most famous goals of all time. One with his hand, the other with his feet. We bre...
#21 Liverpool FC v AC Milan, 2005 Champions League Final
07 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We revisit and review the Miracle of Istanbul, paying special attention to tactical changes and some incredible individual performances. For your view...
#20 USA v Spain, 2009 Confederations Cup semifinal
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daryl and Joe Lowery review the USA's shock 2-0 win over Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup semifinal, featuring a teenage Jozy Altidore, a 21-year-...
#19 USA v Argentina, 1995 Copa America
24 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We review the USA's incredible 3-0 win over Argentina at the 1995 Copa America, maybe the scrappiest upset win in US history. Here's video of the full...
#18 USA v Mexico, 2002 World Cup
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We review the game that made Dos a Cero go mainstream. It's the USA's famous 2-0 win over Mexico at the 2002 World Cup. The context, the tactics, the ...
#17 Bundesliga 50+1 rule — how it works, why it was needed, and how Red Bull beat it
01 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Daryl calls up Matt Hermann of the Talking Fussball podcast to get a full and thorough explanation of the 50+1 rule, including the story of how Red Bu...
#16 Why does the UK have four teams? Also: What is IFAB?
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Daryl explains why the United Kingdom is allowed to have four separate international teams — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland This epi...
#15 Promotion/Relegation and how it could work in the United States
22 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is promotion/relegation, why hasn't it been implemented in the United States, and could it be good for soccer in America? Plus, we reveal our pla...
#14 Why does the League Cup exist? (and how to make it better)
22 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We explain the origin of the English Football League Cup, and ponder the big questions like why does the League Cup exist, why doesn't anyone seem to ...
#13 History and meaning of the lines and markings on a football pitch
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We take you all the way back to the 1800s to explain what football pitches used to look like and how they evolved into what we see today. This episode...
#12 How Johan Cruyff changed soccer
15 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We look at the life and career of Johan Cruyff, explaining the numerous ways he changed the way soccer is played. Today's show is sponsored by Express...
#11 Strengths and weakness of different formations: 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2
12 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We explain and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of some of the most commonly used formations in soccer. Today's sponsor is Away Days. Visit http:/...
#10 USMNT All-Time XI
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We look back at the history of the US Men's National Team and go position by position to decide the all-time best XI. Today's show is sponsored by Exp...
#9 What is a Panenka? (and how to take one)
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We explain the Panenka penalty, including the man that started it all, Antonin Panenka. We also explain how to take one, and what can go wrong. VIDEOS...
#8 Parks and Recreation XI
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We each select a starting XI of Parks and Rec characters, and explain why they make our team. This is a Total Soccer Show episode, and we'll soon add ...
#7 Why is Pele so famous?
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We take a look at Pele's soccer career. Not in a "born in October 1940" kind of way (though he was) but more discussing the moves, the moments, and th...
#6 How to watch a game for tactics
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We are often asked how we break down and analyze soccer games. So here's an episode with Taylor and I explaining our method and offering tips on how t...
#5 Soccer vs Football: American vs British terminology
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this classic episode from the Total Soccer Show archives, we get into the different terminologies that Americans and British people use. Here's the...
#4 Skills special! Rabona, Trivela, Elastico, Sombrero explained
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We explain four classic skill moves: Rabona Trivela Elastico Sombrero We discuss what it is, the most famous proponent, the etymology of each term, an...
#3 Why is it called a derby? Plus: our six favorite derbies
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We offer two explanations for why the term derby is used for a big soccer rivalry, then each offer up three of our favorite derbies. Worth noting, we ...
#2 What do the numbers mean? Number 6, 8, 10, and all the rest
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We answer the question we get asked the most. By far: What do the numbers mean? He's a great number 6, that number 8 is up and down the field, he's an...
#1 The offside rule: how it works, why it exists, and its 100-plus-year history
21 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We offer the ultimate explainer for the most debated thing in soccer: the offside rule. There's plenty here for soccer newbies and experts alike. If y...
#0 Hello and welcome to Soccer 101: What it is, why we did it, and how you can help
20 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This is our intro episode explaining who we are, what Soccer 101 is, and how you can help us make it successful. Soccer 101 is sponsored by Postmates....