What’s Going On‪?‬ What’s Going On?

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

02:20 - Spurs: Ange Postecoglou is tearing it up

09:30 - Arsenal: better defensively, worse offensively

11:00 - Man City: business as usual

13:29 - Liverpool: are they back?

16:13 - Aston Villa: what a job Unai Emery has done

18:47 - Newcastle: a well-run (and absurdly rich) club

22:07 - Brighton: struggling with European football

23:57 - Man Utd: chaos

29:08 - Chelsea: £1bn spent, but doesn’t look like it

30:49 - Real Madrid: Jude Bellingham

33:04 - Girona: the surprise team near the top of LaLiga

33:54 - Atletico Madrid: actually playing good football

37:12 - Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup

38:50 - Ballon d’Or

40:56 - Tonali and Fagioli banned for illegal betting

44:00 - Bundesliga: Harry Kane on fire, and Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen are flying

47:00 - Luis Rubiales banned for 3 years

48:04 - AIK close to avoiding relegation

49:53 - Beckham documentary

52:00 - Outro

We're back with Season 2 after an extended summer break. A lot has happened in the football world over the summer and opening few weeks of the season. We reflect on the fantastic FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, and we discuss the disgraced former president of the Spanish FA (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, who finally resigned as a result of his non-consensual kiss on Spain midfielder Jenni Hermoso. We also delve into the "Las 15" incident, which ultimately led to Spain's Womens head coach, Jorge Vilda, getting sacked, despite winning the World Cup. We deep dive into the Manchester United right winger, Mason Greenwood, situation, who was arrested in January 2022 for attempted rape, occasioning actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behavior. Those charges were dropped in February 2023, and we touch on this summer's drama and u-turns, which resulted in his move to Getafe. Finally, we discuss another Manchester United right winger, Antony, who is under investigation for domestic violence.



Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

02:27 - FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023

12:00 - Equal pay

17:40 - Luis Rubiales kiss scandal

26:00 - Jorge Vilda sacked as Spain’s women national team coach after “Las 15”

29:49 - Greenwood leaves ManUtd to Getafe after backlash from leaked reintegration plan forces u-turn

47:00 - Domestic violence allegations against ManUtd RW Antony

50:14 - Outro



If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube.



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Erik McCue and Helmer Rusten join us to discuss their fascinating footballing journeys. Born in 2001 and raised in expat environments, Erik and Helmer became best friends in Thailand in 7th grade and represented FC Bangkok. 



Erik, a Swedish/American centre-back, has played in the DC United academy, represented Houston Dynamo from 2017-2021, and currently plays for El Paso Locomotive in the USL (2nd tier of US football). Helmer, a centre-back turned right-back, has represented Norway at U15-17 level, and currently plays for Kjelsås, a 3rd tier Norwegian side. Helmer is also Cwa’s cousin.



Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome Erik McCue and Helmer Rusten!

01:16 - Helmer intro

02:12 - Erik intro

03:33 - The friendship

08:16 - Helmer’s transition from Thailand to Norwegian youth football

12:15 - Helmer time in Norway’s U15-U17 national teams

13:02 - Helmer’s 907 days of injury

19:41 - Helmer at Kjelsås

23:53 - Kjelsås’ run to the Norwegian Cup QF

28:06 - Helmer’s next goal

29:16 - Erik’s transition from Thailand to DC United

33:30 - Erik’s time at Houston Dynamo

36:43 - Erik’s call up to Sweden U19 national team

37:25 - Erik on confidence, and the MLS Homegrown All Stars

40:58 - Erik’s encounter with Zlatan

45:11 - Erik’s struggle to find a club after leaving Houston

48:36 - Erik on life at AB Argir in the Faroe Islands

51:19 - Erik’s season at El Paso Locomotive

59:25 - Erik’s next goal

1:01:11 - Gazelle vs Bull - the art of defending

1:05:15 - Quickfire questions

1:17:50 - Outro



If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube.



Social media:


Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠
Twitter: @⁠wgofootball
TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

This is a Swedish episode. We are joined by Edvard Sjöberg, part-owner & Head of Sales and Marketing at FC Stockholm.



FC Stockholm was founded in 2010 and have already been promoted 6 times. They are currently in Division 1 (the 3rd tier of Swedish football), and aim to make it to Allsvenskan and become the 4th big team in Stockholm, after AIK, Djurgården and Hammarby.



Timestamps

00:00 - Välkommen Edvard Sjöberg, sälj- och marknadschef på FC Stockholm

01:18 - Edvards bakgrund

04:07 - Edvard träffar FC Stockholms grundare Sfefan Elfver

07:02 - Hur FC Stockholms grundades och namnvalet

09:30 - Välkända namn och PR-vågen i klubben

11:25 - Det fjärde Stockholmslaget?

15:27 - Revanschsugen, hitta glädjen och vara med på resan uppåt

17:19 - Div 7 till Div 1 Norra på 10 år. Vad är visionen?

25:14 - Omställningen från Tvåan till Ettan har varit stor

26:28 - Vikten av att spelarna ska ha kul

28:36 - Marknadsföring

34:53 - Intresset växer internationellt kring klubben

36:39 - Stockholms Stadion, Kristinebergs IP och Stadshagens IP

40:26 - Scouting, agenter och rådgivare

47:11 - Superettan nästa år?

49:20 - Vart är FC Stockholm om 5-10 år? 

51:10 - Dam- och flicklag

52:01 - Outro 



If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube.



Social media:


Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠
Twitter: @⁠wgofootball
TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

We reflect on this never-ending season, discuss the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan, deep-dive into the Saudi Pro League - football's big disruptors, and finally touch on some transfer news.



Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:30 - 2022/23 was a never-ending season

04:09 - Too much football?

05:58 - We consume football and it consumes us

08:03 - Man City win the Champions League and Treble

09:50 - Man City had the luck they missed in the past

10:54 - John Stones as an 8

13:27 - Haaland dropping deep and never being offside

17:15 - Pep: “now we enjoy defending”

19:05 - Greatness has not come easy for some of City’s stars

25:00 - Saudi Arabia - football’s disruptors

26:49 - Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030

30:36 - The sovereign wealth fund (PIF) revamp the Saudi Pro League

32:31 - PIF-funded LIV Golf merges with PGA Tour

34:13 - Saudi Pro League’s goals

37:50 - Saudi Pro League vs Chinese Super League 10 years ago

39:50 - Recruitment process in Saudi

42:58 - Distribution of the product

45:15 - Saudi Pro League wrap up

47:51 - Transfer news & rumours

57:34 - Outro



If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube.



Social media:


Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠
Twitter: @⁠wgofootball
TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast

We are joined by Gabriele Marcotti, ESPN Senior Writer and Corriere dello Sport correspondent. We discuss Gab’s journey so far, life as a football journalist, local match-going fans vs fans that watch from afar, being a fan of individuals vs clubs, whether it’s “soccer” or “football”, why American investors are buying European football clubs, and Gab’s honest thoughts on the US Men's National Team.



Follow Gab on Twitter @Marcotti



Timestamps:

00:00 - Coming up

00:33 - Welcome Gabriele Marcotti, ESPN Senior Writer

01:22 - Gab’s journey so far

04:54 - Life as a football journalist

16:15 - Speed vs accuracy

17:06 - Social media fans vs match-going fans

18:49 - How much is a non-match-going fan worth to a club?

25:29 - Key factors in being a top journalist

28:17 - Social media abuse

29:23 - Fandom: being a fan of individuals vs clubs

36:11 - Career highlights

38:21 - Favourite leagues

43:16 - Football or soccer?

47:03 - Why are Americans investing in European clubs?

52:19 - Gab’s thoughts on USMNT hopes for World Cup 2026

59:12 - Outro



If you're enjoying the podcast, follow and rate us on ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠, and subscribe on YouTube.



Social media:


Instagram: @⁠whatsgoingon.podcast⁠
Twitter: @⁠wgofootball
TikTok: @whatsgoingonpodcast