Fútbol with Grant Wahl Grant Wahl

Grant interviews Chicago Red Stars defender Sarah Gorden (at 19:06) about the NWSL Challenge Cup and the emotional week her team has had with internal talks over Black Lives Matter in the wake of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police and the global protests that have followed. Gorden discusses why she wants the national anthem to be played before games, reads her powerful Instagram post about why she kneels and explains what the week has been like inside her team. She also talks about her story in soccer, what it's like to be a mom and model, and how real change can happen.
Before that, Grant catches up with Chris Wittyngham of the Chelsea Mike'd Up Podcast on the latest news in the soccer world, including Chelsea's 3-2 loss to West Ham, Christian Pulisic's continued good form, the logjam for a Champions League spot in the Premier League, the club uncertainty for Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson, the rising Covid cases in the MLS bubble and the big TV audience and good game in the NWSL Challenge Cup.
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4

Grant interviews the legendary broadcaster Andrés Cantor (at 28:19), who just celebrated his 20th anniversary with Telemundo Deportes. Cantor tells some amazing stories about his career, including his origins in Argentina, moving to California with his family as a teenager and how he got into the commentating business. He also drops some classic tales about being with 19-year-old Diego Maradona in LA in 1979 involving Muhammad Ali and a high-speed test drive of a Chevy Camaro.
Before that, Grant discusses the soccer weekend with Taylor Rockwell of the Total Soccer Show, our partner show. They talk about Christian Pulisic's standout week, a great week for U.S. coaches in Europe (Jesse Marsch and Pellegrino Matarazzo), the games and anthem protests of the NWSL Challenge Cup, Australia/New Zealand winning the hosting rights to the 2023 women's World Cup, the majesty of Real Madrid's Karim Benzema and much more.
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4

Grant teams up with his old partner from Sports Illustrated, Luis Miguel Echegaray (at 21:40), to catch up on what it means to have soccer back in the midst of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. They also talk about the chance for soccer to get new eyeballs in the U.S. as the only pro team sport going for the next month.
Before that, Chris Wittyngham of the Chelsea Mike'd Up podcast joins up to discuss the latest soccer news, including Liverpool's destruction of Crystal Palace, Atalanta's big comeback win against Lazio, Real Madrid staying a hair ahead of Barça atop La Liga, the Thursday naming of the women's World Cup host country for 2023, and the start of the NWSL Challenge Cup this Saturday.
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4

Grant has a fascinating conversation with ESPN's Hérculez Gómez (at 32:38) on his inside stories from the 2010 USA World Cup team on the 10th anniversary of the tournament. He goes game by game, from England to Slovenia to Algeria to Ghana and everything before and after that stood out to him. 
Before that, Grant discusses a busy soccer weekend with show partner Daryl Grove of the Total Soccer Show. They discuss a standout weekend for Americans Abroad, including Gio Reyna's first Dortmund start (and phenomenal assist), Christian Pulisic's important goal for Chelsea, solid performances by Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie and the impending promotion to the German Bundesliga by Stuttgart manager Pellegrino Matarazzo.
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4

Grant has a fun interview with his old friend Lothar Matthäus (at 18:12), who won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, captained the 1990 World Cup-winning West Germany side and won the European Championship and the UEFA Champions League in a remarkable 22-year pro career. They talk about a range of topics, including the 30-year anniversary of the '90 World Cup triumph, what Matthäus talks about with old rival Diego Maradona when they meet up (classic games and Diego's weight issues!), Bayern Munich's 8-year stranglehold on the Bundesliga, Alphonso Davies, Tyler Adams, Kai Havertz and much, much more.
Before that, Grant speaks with show producer Chris Wittyngham of the Chelsea Mike'd Up podcast about the restart of the Premier League, David Luiz's very bad day, Napoli's triumph over Juventus in the Coppa Italia final, Weston McKennie's continued lone bright spot in a very bad stretch for Schalke and Adams playing well in central midfield for Leipzig but still dropping points. They also discuss fan blobs in La Liga, Germany's superiority over England in fake fan noise and the nonsense of fake card-waving ad-driven fans in Italy.
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4
 

The NWSL will be the first U.S. pro contact sports league to resume play when its 25-game Challenge Cup starts in Utah on June 27, with all games on CBS Sports and Twitch platforms. Grant speaks to first-year NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird about how the tournament came together; how Baird and her staff landed Verizon as a multi-year league sponsor; how she has dealt with an extremely challenging first three months on the job; how the league will be looking out for player safety; how the league will support its players and policies during the Black Lives Matter protests and beyond; how her previous jobs at the NFL and the USOPC have prepared her for her current gig; how she's managing the differing interests of NWSL owners; and how the NWSL is looking at continued expansion interest, even during a pandemic.
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqIhXWUw0H4