Hands Free Football

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Yep, the time has come. Not only are we saying farewell to the season, but we are saying farewell to this show (mostly), and to you, all our friends. This week, Carol and Dave talk about the experience of winning an MLS Cup at home, and how Carol’s badassery gave us the best parade experience ever. Also, we take a look at the travesty that is the new Chicago Fire crest. And finally, we talk about the show and it’s past, and what you might see from us in the future. It’s been a great run, and we’re proud of this. Thank you everyone who listened to us for enjoying a great four years with us.

Oh, but we have a lot of links for this episode.

First, we need to take a look at the fabulous Seattle MLS World Cup hats: <blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>They beat you to it, <a href=”https://twitter.com/ChicagoFire?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@ChicagoFire</a>. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLSCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#MLSCup</a> <a href=”https://t.co/0m8EV12tAU”>https://t.co/0m8EV12tAU</a></p>— Major League Soccer (@MLS) <a href=”https://twitter.com/MLS/status/1193708676382507008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>November 11, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

Here’s the News Tribune article that Dave was quoted in:

https://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/soccer/mls/sounders-fc/article237285229.html?fbclid=IwAR1WU3o9S3NHAY8W-7LJsuHs0gkt4bxRh7QWxzygEAkJ6D3uENUuadEqlto

Here’s the meme Dave loved so much:

Here’s where we joined our friends at Flounders B-Team for a little drinking and post-match revelry: https://www.floundersbteam.com/podcast-feed/2019/11/12/thanksgiving-with-the-bradleys

Here’s the disaster that is the new Chicago Fire logos and colors: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/11/21/chicago-fire-fc-unveil-new-badge-brand-identity-inspired-story-and-spirit-chicagoans

Speaking of disasters, here’s the 90’s LA Galaxy kit:

Of course, some people are questioning the parentage of this new crest:

Thanks for everything, all of you! Keep in touch!

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Hey guys! I case you were wondering, Dave and Carol are more than a little excited to have and MLS Cup right here in Seattle. This week they talk about what it means to have the game here. They also look back at this postseason, and discuss how the changes to the playoff structure have improved things. Plus Nick Rimando and LAFC.

Just a couple links on this one:

First, here’s a piece from MLS Soccer about just how popular this ticket is: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/11/05/sold-out-2019-mls-cup-hottest-ticket-recent-mls-history

Here’s a list of the highest scoring playoff games in MLS history: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/10/19/seattle-sounders-fc-dallas-match-among-highest-scoring-playoff-matches-mls-history

And finally, just in case you do want to drop a couple hundred dollars to see MLS Cup, here’s where you can get tickets: https://seatgeek.com/toronto-fc-at-seattle-sounders-fc-mls-cup-final-tickets/mls/2019-11-10-12-pm/5080866

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Hey all! We’re back! This show was recorded awhile ago, and there have been some changes in the state of things since we were in the studio. However, this week Dave and Carol spend some time talking about the state of the Nazis and Iron Front issue. Then they delve into some of the stories they would want to talk about if they didn’t have to focus on more serious fare. This one is a bit of a potpourri, but we think you’ll enjoy it.

No links this week.

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Okay, let’s just stop pretending like we’re recording anything that isn’t a serious topic ever again. But dammit, we need to talk about this stuff. First, Dave and Carol talk about the ACTUAL FRIGGIN’ WHITE SUPREMACISTS who showed up at the Sounders match a couple weeks ago. And then we take a close look at the USWNT’s lawsuit against US Soccer, and discuss why US Soccer is hiring lobbying firms to argue against their own players. Look. We’re mad. It’s just how it is.

First, here’s the blog post Dave wrote for MLS Aces: https://www.mlsaces.com/blog/2019/8/7/white-supremacists-at-a-sounders-match-and-why-the-league-and-the-team-front-office-is-responsible

Here’s a breakdown of the lawsuit by CBS Sports: https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/uswnt-equal-pay-lawsuit-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-womens-world-cup-champions-legal-fight/

This is a piece from Big Think looking at the numbers of the pay gap: https://bigthink.com/politics-current-affairs/womens-soccer-pay?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1

And finally, an article from ESPN about the lobbyists US Soccer hired: https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states/story/3915613/us-soccer-hires-lobbyists-in-equal-pay-dispute

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We’re back! Despite a long – and unexpected – hiatus, we’re here again with another episode! This week, Carol and Dave talk about why they were gone for so long, and their thoughts on the future of the show. Then, the take a look at a dispute between the Sounders front office and supporters groups over an anti-fascist symbol. And finally, some Women’s World Cup talk! Sorry again for the delay, and enjoy!

First of all, here’s some pictures of the Three Lions Pub in Charleston:

Secondly, here’s a bit on the history of the Iron Front logo: https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/03/28/the-iron-front-was-a-german-anti-nazi-paramilitary-organization-whose-logo-was-designed-to-be-painted-over-swastikas/

This is the ECS press release including the full letter from the Sounders Front office: https://www.weareecs.com/multimedia/category-news/430-anti-fascism-in-the-brougham-end

Here’s a letter from the Editor published at Sounder at Heart about the situation: https://www.sounderatheart.com/2019/8/1/20746701/letter-from-the-editor-the-fight-over-the-iron-front-flag

Update: This is the Sounder’s response which came after we recorded: https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/sounders/sounders-apologize-to-fan-groups-for-banning-iron-front-flag-but-tension-persists/

And finally, here’s the full version of the Nike ad that gets to us so much:

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Hey everybody! Got another heavy one for you guys, because apparently the theme for this year is that we hate fun. This week Carol and Dave tackle MLS’ sponsorship deal with Chick-Fil-A and what that means for the League’s “Soccer For All” campaign. Also, there’s some questions about how FloSports is handling the broadcasting rights in DC, and what it means for the league in the future.

First, here’s a great article from High Press Soccer about MLS’ history with the LGBTQ community: https://www.highpresssoccer.com/mls-and-the-lgbtq-community/

Here’s a brilliantly scathing satire article about MLS and Chick-Fil-A from The Nutmeg News: https://www.thenutmegnews.com/current/2019/5/18/mls-announces-chick-fil-a-as-soccer-for-all-campaign-sponsor

This is a look at Flo Sports handling of DC United’s broadcasts from The Athletic (behind a paywall): https://theathletic.com/1000851/2019/05/29/flo-sports-broadcasts-have-d-c-united-fans-seeing-red/

This is a really fun look at some alternative formats for the MLS All-Star Game from Sounder at Heart: https://www.sounderatheart.com/2019/5/30/18638956/improving-the-mls-all-star-game

Here’s Mike Petke’s interview on KSL Sports:

If Tyler went to the "Technology Store" and bought him a "freakin earpiece" @petkemike could hear him. @BrianDunseth @realsaltlake
You can watch to the rest of the show here:
➡️https://t.co/LOaHVGJJx4 pic.twitter.com/HX82FbmP25

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 22, 2019

Here’s the Bleacher Report’s write-up of the Leagues Cup (including the impressively bland logo): https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2838555-mls-liga-mx-announce-creation-of-leagues-cup-tournament-beginning-in-july

And finally, Sounder at Heart’s announcement of Chad Marshall’s retirement: https://www.sounderatheart.com/2019/5/22/18627249/chad-marshall-retirement

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Holy crap, guys! We made it to episode 100! And to help us celebrate this milestone, we got soccer legend Alexi Lalas to join us and talk about the Women’s World Cup. Plus, Carol and Dave reminisce on the history of the show, and our hopes for the future of it. Thanks for being with us for 100 episodes, and on!

Just one note today, here’s a piece on Megan Rapinoe’s spread in Sports Illustrated: https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/megan-rapinoe-first-out-lesbian-pose-sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue-n1004331

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Hey, maybe it’s about time we actually talked about what’s going on in this league that we ostensibly follow. This week, Dave and Carol talk about why MLS decided to comply with FIFA’s Solidarity Payment and Training Compensation rules. Also, Zlatan walked into another team’s locker room. Was that okay? Then they discuss what the table looks like one third the way through the season, and finally some wrap-up on the end of the transfer window. Here’s a jam packed one for you guys.

First, here’s an outstanding breakdown of the RSTP rules from Miki Turner over at Sounder At Heart:

https://www.sounderatheart.com/2019/4/19/18507561/analysis-mls-solidarity-payments-seattle-sounders-youth-development

Secondly, here’s Bobby Warshaw’s take on trash talk from MLS Soccer:

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/04/30/warshaw-wheres-line-trash-talk

Here’s what the table looks like currently:

https://www.mlssoccer.com/standings

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You know what? It’s not that we keep wanting to do very serious topics. It’s just that there’s too many very serious topics that need to be covered in soccer right now. This week, Carol and Dave talk about Kaku kicking a ball right at a fan, and why Dave thinks this might be the worst kind of interaction for the league. Then they talk about why the Southsiders and Cuerva Collective walked out for fifteen minutes of the Whitecaps match against LAFC. It’s gonna get heavy again guys.

First off, here’s an article by ESPN on Kaku getting sent off for kicking a ball into a fan:http://www.espn.com/soccer/new-york-red-bulls/story/3826327/new-york-red-bulls-kaku-sent-off-after-firing-ball-at-fans

Second, here’s a CBC article on the Southsiders and Cuerva Collective walkout: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-whitecaps-southsiders-protest-1.5101770

This is Ciara McCormack’s original blog post about the abuse: https://ciaramccormack.com/2019/02/25/a-horrific-canadian-soccer-story-the-story-no-one-wants-to-listen-to-but-everyone-needs-to-hear/

This is an article from The 42 discussing McCormack’s post: https://www.the42.ie/ciara-mccormack-vancouver-whitecaps-canada-soccer-4596835-Apr2019/

This is a write-up from Ride of the Valkyries on the Reign FC vs Orlando Pride match, including film of Alanna Kennedy’s fantastic bicycle kick: https://www.sounderatheart.com/2019/4/22/18510352/reign-fc-orlando-pride-recap-draw-inaugural-match-cheney-stadium

And finally, here’s the tweet from the Royal Guard about the Puyallup Tribe:

Tonight, we begin our commentary by acknowledging that we are on the ancestral land of @Puyallup_Tribe and other Coast Salish people, and calling on @CityofTacoma to consult meaningfully with the Puyallup regarding the Liquid Fracked Gas plant. #RFCvORL— Royal Guard (@RoyalGuard_SG) April 22, 2019

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Hey guys! Well, we’re on vacation, but the doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Hands Free Football! Instead, you get another show that’s a week out of date. Yay! Just before taking off for the week, Dave and Carol sat down to talk about a listener challenge from friends-of-the-show Karl and James who had some questions about how to get more people to go to New England Revolution games. This was a really fun discussion, and I hope you guys like the lighter fare this week after the heavy topics the past few. Aloha everyone!

More of some background research for this episode. Here’s an article about how important the push for downtown stadiums is: https://www.citylab.com/design/2014/11/why-the-future-of-major-league-soccer-is-downtown/382942/

Here’s one of the many articles in which Jonathan Kraft promises a downtown stadium for the Revs: https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/new-england-revolution/new-england-revolution-owner-jonathan-kraft-we-will-get-the-stadium-done/

Here’s a look at how attendance numbers in MLS are complicated: https://ussoccerplayers.com/2018/05/mls-attendance-is-still-complicated.html

And here’s a look at the new Valencia logo that DC is objecting to: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/football/8695418/dc-comics-valencia-batman-logo-bison/