Kick From The Spot

If you follow English Football you’ve probably heard someone say something about “the magic of the FA Cup”.  Over the years this magic seems to have faded. With the money and subsequent superstar talent now in the Premier League and the popularity and level of competition and talent in the Champions League, cup competitions have taken a back seat.  My faith has been restored and I’m here to tell you that the magic is real. Don’t believe me?  Just ask Wigan Athletic and Rochdale AFC supporters.  They certainly believe. Let’s start with Wigan Athletic.  For half a decade the club has been on a downward roller-coaster-like spiral that has found them currently fighting at the top of the English League 1.  They actually won the FA Cup and were relegated from the Premier League in the same season in 2013.  Well, they’re making some noise this year. The bandwagon is loaded up, and I’m driving!   Their FA Cup campaign this season saw them beat Premier L...

Sevilla vs Manchester United and Chelsea vs Barcelona Champions League match review. When goal keepers are the stars and a horrendous defensive error is the highlight, match reviews are pretty straight forward. 16th Minute: News from the world of soccer including Russian hooligans and a complete update on Europa League round of 16. Pretty cool, this year 10 different leagues are represented in the Europa League competition. 27th Minute: The most important matches you need to see are previewed for this coming week. It's heavy on Manchester City, but there are some gems in the rough highlighted by John and Jay. Only Jose Mourinho was injured in the production of this podcast. Thank you for finding us and listening.  We hope to build a solid soccer community together with you based on fun, respect, and love for the beautiful game. Jay Fratt John Gonsalves Kick from the Spot Twitter Kick from the Spot Website Email: kickfromthespot@gmail.com Sponsor: Smokin Js ...

Jordan Morris will most likely miss the entirety of 2018. The injury is yet to be confirmed, but it appears he tore his ACL in a Sounders CONCACAF Champions League match on Sunday. Usain Bolt to play soccer professionally? Yes, the 8 time Olympic Gold medalist will announce Tuesday morning the beginning of his new career.  In January he announced his plan to train with Dortmund in the Bundesliga starting in March.  His ultimate goal is to play for his favorite club Manchester United. Russians are the new soccer hooligans! One police officer died trying to quell a clash of soccer fans before the Athletic Bilboa vs Spartak Moscow Europa league match.  The Basque people - my people - Well through a meretricious relationship only - They are the last revolutionary group in Europe.  Not a group of people to back down from a fight. The scene outside of "The Cathedral" ... the home stadium for Athletic Club ... saw police in riot gear swinging batons and flares being...

That's it! Jay might just be a Tottenham fan after their performances during two weeks of hell! John and Jay break down the Tottenham 2-2 draw away to Juventus and the 3-1 home win for Real Madrid against PSG. It's all about Champions League baby, the best football on the planet. The Training Ground segment is back (40:50)! John and Jay step in for Memo to explain aggregate scoring in tournament play. Then the boys discuss some interesting news and preview next weeks important matches (48:00). Chelsea vs Barcelona, Sevilla vs Manchester United in Champions League play, and John is interested or fearful for the Chelsea vs Manchester United league match on the weekend. No taxi cabs were stolen during the production of this podcast. Thank you for finding us and listening.  We hope to build a solid soccer community together with you based on fun, respect, and love for the beautiful game. Jay Fratt John Gonsalves Kick from the Spot Twitter Kick from the Spot Website...

Tottenham are flying through their two weeks of hell. Earning 7 of 9 points available in the EPL with results against Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal. They also managed to advance in the FA Cup. Only Juventus remains in Champions League to finish off the two week run. John and Jay discuss the North London Derby, Tottenham's amazing run, US Soccer election news, Geoff Cameron's scathing interview in the New York Times, and the return of Champions League. The knock out stage is discussed with previews of Juventus vs Tottenham and Real Madrid vs PSG. Bruce Arena and Hope Solo were not injured during the production of this podcast. Thank you for finding us and listening.  We hope to build a solid soccer community together with you based on fun, respect, and love for the beautiful game. Jay Fratt John Gonsalves Kick from the Spot Twitter Kick from the Spot Website Email: kickfromthespot@gmail.com Sponsor: Smokin Js If you cannot see the audio cont...

There’s a reason the Champions League returns for the group stage close to Valentines Day. What better way to celebrate love than with the best club teams in the world playing the most beautiful game in the world. I know what a lot of you are probably thinking, “This guy is crazy, the World Cup is the best thing in the beautiful game!” I agree, the World Cup rules! However, I give the edge to the Champions League. It happens every year and the quality of matches is greater. For those of you not familiar, I’ll describe it in the simplest of terms. The Champions League is a tournament involving the best professional club teams from all over Europe and beyond. Depending on how much you follow European football and who you support, you might not be very familiar with the UCL. Stop what you’re doing and check it out right now! This is a time when we get to see matches like FC Barcelona ( Spanish League ) versus Chelsea ( English Premiere League ), Real Madrid (Spanish League) versus PSG...

On the whole the Premiere League got stronger after the January transfer window bringing in far more players than they lost. Tottenham ditched two serial killers.  Everton revamped their line-up.  Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger swapped wives. Arsenal : In :  Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Dortmund Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Man U Out :  Francis Coquelin to Valencia Olivier Giroud to Chelsea Alexis Sanchez to Man U Theo Walcott to Everton Brighton & Hove Albion : In :  Leonardo Ulloa on loan from Leicester City Burnley : In :  Aaron Lennon from Everton Georges-Kevin Nkoudou on loan from Tottrenham Out :  Dan Agyei on loan to Blackpool Chelsea : In :  Ross Barkley from Everton Olivier Giroud from Arsenal Emerson Palmieri from Roma Out :  Michy Batshuayi on loan to Dortmund Everton : In :  Cenk Tosun from Besiktas Eliaquim Mangala on loan from Man City Theo Walcott from Arsenal ...

Tons of controversy in the match of the week review for Liverpool vs Tottenham. John and Jay give the nuts and bolts of the controversial moments and help Liverpool fans get beyond the emotional scars of the match. Even though the guys disagree on every aspect of the referee's decisions, in the end everyone is right with subjective calls. Or is it everyone is wrong? The January transfer window has closed. The Kick from the Spot crew give a top down assessment of all the January transfers in the English Premiere League. Who made out the best of all the clubs? It's derby time in North London! The Tottenham vs Arsenal match is previewed with all the particulars. It's a wonderful time to be a soccer fan with Champions League right around the corner! Thank you for finding us and listening.  We hope to build a solid soccer community together with you based on fun, respect, and love for the beautiful game. Jay Fratt John Gonsalves Kick from the Spot Twitter Kick ...