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Kelly and Eugene’s first year as soccer friends is in the books and they (unsurprisingly) have some feelings to process. They start by recapping Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Tottenham in the Champions League Final -- somehow Kelly isn’t as low and Eugene isn’t as victorious as expected. They then debrief a year of soccer fandom -- the highs, the lows, and the future of the pod. The pod is going on a mini hiatus (though may pop up for Women’s World Cup!). Do you have ideas on what should come next for the pod? Hit them up at second half pod at gmail dot com.

For Kelly and Eugene, it all comes down to this --- Liverpool and Tottenham meet in the Champions League Final aka The Second Half Substitution! They preview the match up, debate if Harry Kane should start, try to out jinx each other, and make a prediction on who they think will win. Assuming they are still friends and that the podcasts exists, they will be back next week to recap the match and discuss their feelings.

Kelly and Eugene are recapping the end of the English Premier League and all the sports things that have made Kelly cry in the past week. They share some feelings about who is left at the top and say goodbye to the relegated teams. They then continue their book club discussion on The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer by focusing on the team in past 20 years - the highs, the lows, and what it takes to build a sustainable professional league. They will be back in a few weeks to preview The Second Half Substitution Derby aka The Champions League Final.

Kelly and Eugene are in full-on celebration mode: both of their clubs - Tottenham and Liverpool - overcame huge goal deficits to make it to the Champions League Final. They open a bottle of bubbles, recap the matches, and marvel at the odds of their two clubs making it this far. Eugene then talks to friend of the pod, Emma, about her experience living abroad in the U.K. and journey to soccer fandom. They also discuss the first part of the SHS Sports Book Club pick: The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer and the 1999 Women’s World Cup team. Next week: EPL wrap up and the second half of the book!

Kelly is on vacation and Eugene is recovering from a bad Liverpool Champions League loss to Barcelona, so no official pod this week. They’ll be back next week once the Champions League Final is set and and to start discussing the SHS Sports Book Club pick: The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer.

Kelly and Eugene do a deep dive on Tottenham’s stunning upset over Manchester City in the Champions League quarter-final and Kelly tries out a new nickname for Sonny: The City Slayer. They then do a quick round of takes on the remaining teams: Liverpool, Barcelona, and Ajax. They also discuss the latest on the title race in the English Premier League and wonder if Liverpool has what it takes to win the league. They close with a reminder to read the SHS Sports Book Club pick: The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer.

On this episode, Kelly and Eugene break down the first Second Half Substitution Derby aka Liverpool v Tottenham. Their friendship barely survived, but Liverpool stays in the race for the top of the table, while Spurs make their race to stay in the top four unnecessarily dramatic. They then do a deep dive on Kelly’s favorite Liverpool player - Roberto Firmino - and what his career tells us about soccer today. They close by encouraging folks to read the SHS Sports Book Club pick -- The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer. They will be back in a few weeks to talk Champions League.

Kelly and Eugene are back to recap all things EPL and Champions League, including Liverpool’s move back to the top of the EPL table, the long-awaited opening of Tottenham’s stadium, and the v specific pants Zidane wore in his return to Real Madrid. They then turn to previewing the Women’s World Cup and talk about the U.S. Women’s National Team -- what familiar faces and new stars will make up the roster, the current takes on the team, and their recent lawsuit for equal pay. Their next book in Sports Book Club will be Caitlin Murray’s new book -- The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer. The next match to watch is a Second Half Substitution Derby -- Tottenham v Liverpool on 3/31.

In this episode, Kelly and Eugene reflect on a disappointing week for a bunch of big soccer clubs (Real Madrid and PSG), including their favorites (Liverpool and Tottenham). This leads them to a bigger reflection on how their recently-acquired soccer fandom compares to their other hometown sports allegiances -- do these losses sting less? will winning feel different? would playoffs change the stakes? what if your favorite player changes teams? They close with a look ahead to Champions League and check-in on the USWNT as they head to the World Cup.

In this episode, Kelly and Eugene recap a weekend of highs and lows in English soccer, including a goalie/manager clash during the Chelsea/Manchester City final match of the Carabao Cup, the 0-0 draw between Manchester United/Liverpool and Spurs’ disappointing loss to Burnley. They then do the first installment of Podcast Sports Book Club and discuss Sid Lowe’s history of Spanish soccer “Fear and Loathing in La Liga: Barcelona, Real Madrid, and the World's Greatest Sports Rivalry” in the lead up to this week’s El Clasico (which just so happens to be this week’s Match to Watch).

On this episode, Kelly and Eugene recap a busy week of Champions League and English Premier League matches. They start in the Champions League with Kelly relishing another Spurs win and Eugene lamenting a mediocre Dortmund performance. They then move to the EPL to discuss Manchester City’s decisive 6-0 win over Chelsea and wonder how much longer Sarri holds on to his manager position. Kelly also delights over another Spurs win / goal from Son Heung-min. They close with Eugene’s upcoming matches to watch and they somehow all involve Liverpool -- first up against Bayern in CL and then Manchester United in the EPL.

In this episode, Kelly and Eugene recap the recent batch of EPL matches and Eugene refuses to be sad about Liverpool’s drop to second place. They are then joined by their friend Leslie to debrief watching Arsenal v Manchester City out at a soccer bar and how it compares to other fan experiences. They also share reactions and hot takes on Netflix’s soccer docuseries, Sunderland ‘Til I Die. Last but not least, Champions League is back so they close with a quick preview of which players and matches to watch.

On this episode, Kelly and Eugene do a quick round of takes on recent matches in the English Premier League. They cover the high scoring Wolves v Leicester, the grumbly Chelsea v Arsenal, and the unnecessarily dramatic Liverpool v Crystal Palace and Fulham v Spurs. No matches next week, but the next match to watch will be Arsenal v Manchester City on Feb 3rd.

In this episode, Kelly recounts her first rough patch of soccer fandom: Spurs lost to Manchester United, Harry Kane is hurt, and Son Heung-Min is off to the Asian Cup. Eugene analyzes what the match means for both clubs and runs through EPL news. They then do a deep dive on Relegation: why it matters, what the process is, how it fits with other leagues, and what to watch for the rest of the season. They close by previewing two matches to watch -- Arsenal v Chelsea and Wolves v Leicester.

On this episode, Kelly and Eugene talk soccer pop culture recommendations, analytics, and why Eugene doesn’t care about the FA cup. First up, they are reading Fear and Loathing in La Liga: Barcelona, Real Madrid, and the World's Greatest Sports Rivalry in advance of the next El Clasico on March 3rd. They are also watching Sunderland 'Til I Die, a new show on Netflix about the relegated club and their struggles to get back to the EPL. Eugene then talks about where analytics fit into the wider soccer world and the one stat everyone should know. They close on this week’s match to watch: Tottenham v Manchester United.

It’s a new year and Kelly and Eugene are back to talk all things English Premier League. They run through what’s going on with Manchester City (and what Eugene has been wrong about), wonder if Liverpool is for real, discuss their feels on Christian Pulisic's transfer to Chelsea, and Kelly grumbles about news that the Oakland Raiders may play at Tottenham’s new stadium next year. They then talk soccer New Year's resolutions: both those they aspire to and those they will most likely NOT do. No match of the week as we head into international break, but the pod will be back next week!

In the last episode of 2018, Kelly and Eugene break down Liverpool v Manchester United and Jose Mourinho’s subsequent firing. In the midst of all the drama, Kelly manages to talk about Tottenham and her favorite player, Son Heung-min. Eugene then places Jose’s firing in context by doing a quick history lesson on Manchester United and their management team. They close by answering a listener question on why there isn’t an all-star game in the EPL and Eugene previews the matches to watch over the holidays.

Kelly and Eugene break down Chelsea’s exciting win over Manchester City and the implications for the EPL. They also discuss the racist abuse that a number of Chelsea fans were caught yelling at Raheem Sterling during the match and how that’s sparked a broader conversation on racism in football and the media. Eugene then does an explainer on transfers, loans, and what to expect in the upcoming transfer window. They close by previewing Eugene’s match to watch: Liverpool v Manchester United.

In this episode, Kelly and Eugene are back from a break and ready to catch up on all things EPL. They break down Tottenham’s recent highs (v Chelsea) and lows (v Arsenal) and Kelly spends way too much time talking about her new favorite player, Son Heung-min. Eugene then discusses the latest Football Leaks news around the possibility of a new European Super League. They close by talking about Eugene’s match to watch: Chelsea v Manchester City.

In this episode, Eugene and Kelly have matches on matches to recap and review. They start with breaking down the Manchester Derby but also recap important things like haircuts, tattoos, and manager outfits. They then run through Crystal Palace v Tottenham and Everton v Chelsea. They close by previewing the international break, answering a question about records, and set up Eugene’s next match to watch: Tottenham v Chelsea.