FanPost

Soccer Podcasts: my reviews, your suggestions

The discussion over on the Xmas gift thread got me thinking about (soccer) podcasts. So I thought I'd throw out my own capsule reviews. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts. The podcasts themselves are in no particular order.

Timbers

Talk Timbers

This is produced by the Timbers, so it's a generally a rah-rah, uncritical podcast/radio show. The best thing about it is the access they have to other members of the media, and to the coaches and players. It's best to skip to the interviews as quickly as possible and ignore the ten minutes of "The boys really have heart". Blah blah blah. 100% guaranteed audience-pandering question to every guest: "How about those crowds in Portland?"

Also the only podcast to cover The Thorns, though usually only in the last segment, and somewhat half-heartedly. Will be interesting to see what happens when they try to cram T2 news in there as well.

Soccer Made in Portland

Easily the most in-depth Timbers podcast. The guys (as we know from SF) are definitely tied in to ongoings at the team, and they aren't afraid to take a critical eye. They're thoughtful and engaged, and their predictions are usually hilariously wrong (though surely no worse than the rest of us on average). I just wish they would write stuff down first, and then edit it. They ramble, way, way too much — I listen to most podcasts on 1.5x and this one on 2x. They make their point, then re-state it, then re-state it again. Really, they should make it shorter, and not ramble so much — just make your point(s) and move on without constantly re-stating it. With a little care, you can cut five sentences of repetition down to one and save a lot of time for your listener and yourselves.

5 Minutes to Kick Off

To be blunt, I can't listen to this. I've tried more than once, but every time I do I find the production quality very poor, and the hosts irritating and childish. I suspect that's what they're going for, which makes it worse.

MLS

ExtraTime Radio

Yes, Simon Borg is awful — but he's playing a role. His persona is intentionally bombastic; he's the foil for the other hosts, the straight-man for the other guys to play off of. Except that they're not funny. Yet, for some reason, I keep listening, albeit frequently skipping ahead during the interviews with players/FO people, which tend toward the vapid. Interviews with media members or coaches are usually more interesting. Probably the saving grace of this podcast is the mailbag.

March to the Match

Easily the best MLS podcast I've heard, owing primarily to Matt Doyle. He's a bonfire amongst the flickering candles of MLSSoccer.com. His (seemingly and frustratingly discontinued) "Between the Lines" series is amazing. MttM tends to eschew the puff pieces, and inane player interviews for analysis and insight of the game on the field. One of these days, I'd love to hear what they really think of MLS management. Highly recommended.

NWSL/WoSo

Keeper Notes WoSo

I'm relatively new to the one, but so far I like what I hear. Host Jen Cooper is tight and doesn't ramble like many podcasters and the show is well produced. It seems she focuses a bit more on the Dash during the NWSL season, so we'll have to see what that brings next year. She manages to bring on good guests, and ask them interesting questions. She also helped raise money for the Trinidad and Tobago teams during the Concacaf Championship, which is truly noble thing. By keeping the focus on US Soccer, it being too shallow.

Women's Soccer Zone

I have a fondness for this one, but I'm not quite sure why. By trying to cover women's soccer in general, it spreads itself too thin — I don't know who can really keep with the US, English, Australian, and German leagues, but if you want to this is the podcast for you. But the production quality is fairly high, but I tend to only listen when there's someone on that I'd really like to hear — such as the recent interview with Vero Boquete.

General/Global Soccer

Howler Radio and DUMMY

As they like to point out, this is the only soccer podcast not about what happened on the field last week, and I love it. It's more about soccer culture, and meta discussion of the soccer industry. This is professionally produced by professional journalists, who nonetheless don't take themselves too seriously. I look forward to every episode — highly recommended.

BBC World Service World Football

This is an interesting podcast, also not about what happens on the field, it gets into how soccer happens around the world both now and in the past. Given its provenance, it truly covers the globe in ways that no one else can. Want to hear professionally produced stories as varied as the creation of the Indian Super League, an immigrant woman trying to make it as an agent in Germany, or racism in Italian soccer? This is the podcast for you.

Final Thoughts

Honorable mention to "RSL's On Frame" – the couple times I've listened it seems to be much less RSL specific than Talk Timbers is to the Timbers, and could probably serve as a passable general MLS podcast that isn't produced by MLS.

I know a lot of people love "Men in Blazers". Maybe it's because I don't really pay attention to the BPL, but I don't quite get it. It's not bad or anything. I just don't get it.

Someone really needs to start a Thorns/NWSL podcast. (Not me, I have too much on my plate already.)

What about you all?

This FanPost was written by a Stumptown Footy community member and does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the site or its staff.

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