Any Given Thursday

Maxwell Brown & David Blomquist

On Any Given Thursday, football enthusiasts Maxwell Brown & David Blomquist cover all things Europa League & Europa Conference League. Match-day reactions, club spotlights, untold stories, unique narratives — if it happens on a Thursday, we're talking about it. So from Reykjavík to Roma, Zürich to Zagreb, Bodø to Baku, and everywhere in between, join us as we explore European football beyond the oil clubs.

  1. Club Spotlight – Jordan

    vor 14 Std.

    Club Spotlight – Jordan

    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

    32 Min.
  2. Africans awe, Uruguay and Scotland crash and burn, and Colombia is a contender! | World Cup Group Stage, Round 3

    vor 3 Tagen

    Africans awe, Uruguay and Scotland crash and burn, and Colombia is a contender! | World Cup Group Stage, Round 3

    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

    1 Std. 15 Min.
  3. Capo Verde does it again, Uruguay and Ecuador flirt with disaster, Portugal punches back | World Cup Group Stage, Round 2

    24. Juni

    Capo Verde does it again, Uruguay and Ecuador flirt with disaster, Portugal punches back | World Cup Group Stage, Round 2

    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

    1 Std. 1 Min.
  4. Happy hosts, Dutch delight, and a Turkish train wreck | Bonus Episode!

    21. Juni

    Happy hosts, Dutch delight, and a Turkish train wreck | Bonus Episode!

    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

    30 Min.
  5. Cabo Verde & DR Congo captivate, England electrifies, and favorites frustrate | World Cup Group Stage, Round 1

    18. Juni

    Cabo Verde & DR Congo captivate, England electrifies, and favorites frustrate | World Cup Group Stage, Round 1

    We're back to talk the first round of games in the World Cup group stage! We start by discussing the quality and depth throughout the tournament, from South Korea to Jordan to New Zealand and Iran. Has there ever been so much quality at a World Cup? Then we give our flowers to Cabo Verde and DR Congo, who picked up historic results against Spain and Portugal, respectively. We examine how they achieved these most epic of points and enjoy Verdean keeper Vozinha's rise to global fame. We also check in on the tournament favorites, who enjoyed a mixed opening round. England were brilliant in a high-octane win over Croatia and France demonstrated the immense power of their attacking talent in a brilliant second half steamrolling of Senegal. But elsewhere, Brazil struggled to cope in the midfield against Morocco, and Spain and Portugal encountered low-blocks they couldn't solve. We delve in Portugal's issues against Congo, from Ronaldo to the sameness of many of their creative midfielders. Finally, we move onto our superlatives, decreeing the first group stage round's best and worst games, players, moments, and much more. Cheers to Bubista and Sébastien Desabre! Chapters: 0:00 – the start 3:18 – top stories (Cabo Verde, DR Congo, + parity) 16:20 – England 20:39 – France 23:50 – Brazil & Germany 27:27 – Spain & Portugal 35:50 – CONCACAF check-in 41:32 – Superlatives 58:17 – James Rodriguez Award check-in

    1 Std. 5 Min.

Info

On Any Given Thursday, football enthusiasts Maxwell Brown & David Blomquist cover all things Europa League & Europa Conference League. Match-day reactions, club spotlights, untold stories, unique narratives — if it happens on a Thursday, we're talking about it. So from Reykjavík to Roma, Zürich to Zagreb, Bodø to Baku, and everywhere in between, join us as we explore European football beyond the oil clubs.