‘Tracking Back’ Podcast, Episode 2

Talented Rod Stewart fan and staunch Andres Villas–Boas supporter the Newbie has posted another episode of our spinoff podcast, Tracking Back. Please go give it a listen here.

This week, the Lifer, the Newbie, and the Omnivore discuss the U.S. national team’s landmark win in Italy, CONCACAF Champions League, the upcoming MLS season, and poor Villas-Boas.

Also: Arsene Wenger, Portlandia, and Derek Zoolander.

Just so you know, we recorded the episode before Arsenal’s almost-miraculous, near-comeback against Milan in the Champions League yesterday. (And the Gunners almost got the Tracking Back bump…. You’ll see.)

Also: the Galaxy’s preseason trophy came from the Desert Diamond Cup, not the Disney Pro Soccer Classic, which was won by the Vancouver Whitecaps. We will literally read anything put on the teleprompter.

Lionel Messi: Human Gyroscope

Thanks for the feedback on the inaugural, beta edition of Tracking Back, our podcast spinoff. We’re going to produce it every other week for the time being, and if all goes well and schedules allow, we’ll move to a weekly podcast.

One item we discussed in last week’s debut was the great Leo Messi and how he never dives. It’s true, and as we said on Tracking Back, it’s not just on principle that he always tries to stay on his feet after getting kicked, grabbed, hacked and hip-checked by defenders. He does it because his low center of gravity gives him superior balance and enables him to zip past, around and sometimes through opponents’ wild lunges.

Behold:

The game may be overpopulated by divers, floppers, and fakers, but Messi is not one of them. And if you had any lingering doubts that he is the best player on the planet, well, it’s hard to argue against the evidence on display above.

Introducing: ‘Tracking Back,’ Our Spinoff Podcast

We’re not ready to quit our day jobs just yet, but we have launched a soccer podcast. It’s called Tracking Back, and the very first episode is up now. You can download and listen to it right here.

The debut edition features the Lifer, the Newbie, and the Omnivore discussing Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry, Brian Ching and Eddie Johnson, the plight of Glasgow Rangers, and the FA Cup.

Also: Leo Messi, automotive mishaps, and streakers.

The Lifer is a longtime soccer fan, player, and writer. The Newbie is new not only to soccer fandom, but also to sports in general, and the Omnivore is a voracious consumer of sports, both North American and international. And cake.

Please go give it a listen, and be gentle—it’s our first time out of the gate.