The Forgotten Football Podcast Forgotten Football

Rory is joined by Monterey Bay FC coach and aspiring football analyst Elian Corona to discuss one of the most loved tournaments in US Soccer - The US Open Cup!



Elian tells the history of the cup and the early teams who would dominate the trophy, before the pair discuss the recent issues the US Open Cup has had with scheduling, the MLS pulling out of supporting the tournament, and why preserving this inclusive piece of US Soccer history is essential to ensuring the longevity and continued participation of clubs in the tournament.


This episode offers a great insight into Grassroots Soccer vs the Capitalist Soccer Machine!

Rory is joined by English-German author and journalist Kit Holden to talk about one of Germany's most interesting clubs: 1. FC Union Berlin!

From their growth under the DDR to playing in the Champions League, Union Berlin have a phenomenal story and a unique fanbase. The circumstances of their existence, growth and identity make them one of the most interesting clubs to discuss from a heritage perspective, and as they become established in the Bundesliga, they continue to ride a fine balance between staying true to their roots and selling out completely.

Rory and Kit discuss the history of Union Berlin and the issues, events and conditions which led to their label as a 'rebel club', the identities of the fans and their role in the club and how Union traversed the oppression of East Germany to navigating modern capitalist football.

Kit is the author of 'Scheisse! We’re Going Up!', a book which documented the rise of Union Berlin and the crossroads they found themselves at at the time of writing.
He has covered football for Der Tagesspiegel and AFP, and he has also written for The Athletic, Guardian and Die Zeit. His second book 'Played in Germany' is set for release in June 2024.

Following up from our episode on Athletic Club with Chris Evans, Rory is once again joined by Chris as well as Aitor Salinas-Armendariz and Beñat Gutiérrez for another chat about Athletic Club, but this time through the eyes of people who grew up in Bilbao.

Rory asks Aitor and Beñat the all-important question; what does Athletic mean to you? He also digs deep into the relationship between Athletic Club and the Basque people to find out if and why they are the most well-known representative of the Basque Country in football.

Tthe four then discuss Athletic's recent Copa del Rey victory and what we can hope from them for the rest of the season.


"Herritik Sortu Zinalako Maite Zaitu Herriak"

"The People Love You Because You Were Born of the People"

Join Rory and Matt for a chat about some of Thailand's lost football clubs, Matt's tales from his time working in football in Thailand, and the many football books Matt has written.

This week, Rory is joined by Arciom Sizincaū to take a whistle-stop tour around football in Belarus, including the history of football in the country and the current football landscape.



They cover the reason why there are so many lost clubs, name changes and mergers in Belarusian football, and discuss the meaning behind Belarusian Ultras flying a different flag (spoiler: it involved politics, heritage and identity!).



In total, we mention 10 lost clubs in this episode but focus on Start Vorša, the predecessor of the club Arciom supports. We also mention:


- Tarpeda Mahiloū

- Daryda Miensk

- Traktar Miensk

- Tarpeda Miensk

- MTZ-RIPO Miensk

- Viedryč-97 Rečyca (Viedrich-97 Rechitsa)

- Dniapro Mahiloū

- Uradžaj Miensk

- Vertykal Kalinkavičy

And yes, we know what you're thinking - spellings, names, languages and flags are important in Belarusian football. Listen to find out why!

Join Rory and Chris for a discussion on the role of politics, identity and heritage within football clubs and how these elements have manifested themselves in football around the world. They cover everything from the early history of the game to the modern day and make the case for politics being inseparable from football.