Welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast!" (S14 E20)

                    Welcome to the GP Soccer Podcast!  (S14 E20)

                                    Bonus World Cup Coverage!

Proud member of the Sports History Network and endorsed by the National                                                  Soccer Coaches Association of Canada.     

Welcome to this special edition of the GP Soccer Podcast! Listeners of the show can now enjoy bonus content featuring- "Stories from The World Cup". Host Giovanni Pacini each week will highlight World Cup stories that typically don't get front page coverage but are interesting and fascinating nonetheless!

The GP Soccer Podcast features new shows every Wednesday and can be found anywhere you listen to your podcasts. Listeners are encouraged to "Like" and "Subscribe" the GP Soccer Podcast and share the show amongst those within their social media network! Those interested in advertising on the show can contact host Giovanni Pacini at gp4soccer@yahoo.com. And be sure to check out the show website at www.gpsoccerpodcast.com. 

                    GP Soccer Podcast enjoys continued support from-
United Goalkeeping Alliance - Music Meets Sports - National Soccer Coaches Association of Canada - The Sports History Network - Feedspot.com - GP Voice Over Services - Zone 14 Coaching

Host Giovanni Pacini's new book- "The Importance of Unstructured Free Play: Coaching with a Street Soccer Mentality is now available on Amazon!

GP Soccer Podcast welcomes a new sponsor- Zone 14 Coaching! Check it out at Zone14coaching.com. Use promo code GP20 for 20% off!

To purchase a signed copy of Dr. Joe Machnik's book- "From the Sandlots to the World Cup: 7 Decades of American Soccer", e-mail "Dr. Joe" at joemachnik@no1soccercamps.com. Be sure to mention the GP Soccer Podcast!

Enjoy the show!

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 1:21

Well, hey there, everyone. Giovanni Piccini here, your host of the GP Soccer Podcast. Welcome, welcome, welcome to Stories from the World Cup. And as you all know by now, over the last several weeks, uh, I've taken the time to uh pull some stories uh uh that don't typically make the front page or are the at the top of uh your social media list when you're scrolling. Um, and they might not be the the sexiest of topics, but they're interesting nonetheless. Um we're kind of winding down. We get uh this week's uh bonus content, uh stories from the World Cup, and then we'll conclude next week. But before I get into all that, a little bit of housekeeping. Now, next week, as I just noted, uh, will be the last episode of the World Cup bonus content, of uh some final stories from the World Cup. I will also add uh my personal two cents, my overview of the tournament from beginning to end. And uh I would uh that's obviously going to include the performance of the U.S. men's national team. Certainly I've got uh lots of thoughts on that, uh, all of which I will share with you in greater detail next week. Um and in the remaining weeks uh of the show, after we conclude the uh the World Cup uh bonus content, uh I will be featuring, as I have over the last 14 seasons during our hiatus, the best of the GP Soccer Podcast. So every Wednesday morning, uh, like always, I'll be putting up uh again the best of the GP Soccer Podcast. So you can enjoy some uh some uh some shows from from the archives, as they say. Season 15. I can't believe I'm gonna say that. Season 15 of the GP Soccer Podcast kicks off on September the 9th. It's closer than you think. It's closer, it's closer than I think. Um you will you will find that there won't be, I won't call it a set theme, but there will be a bit of a theme for the lack of better words, uh, on a couple of issues. First and foremost, uh, I want to bring broader attention to this pay-to-play issue uh that seems to be uh a hot topic right now. Certainly was a hot topic after the demise of the U.S. Mans national team and their uh terrible loss to Belgium uh a couple of weeks ago here in the World Cup. So uh that's something that I've been chatting about, talking about for a lot of years, a lot of years. And um so you'll find a little bit more of a theme in that. Um I'm also gonna add to all this the importance of establishing a a street soccer culture in the United States of America, both in terms of getting kids out to play on their own and making it a part of a player development mindset. And in the spirit of shameless plugs here, uh I just wrote a book and it's out there, it's available on Amazon and it's called The Importance of Unstructured Free Play, Coaching with a Street Soccer Mentality, where I go into great detail about the importance of kids going out to play from the from you know from the youngest to you know well heck to the oldest, if you will. Uh and then taking this street soccer mindset, and I have been able to formulate an actual methodology that I think maintains the DNA of street soccer while still being able to put together uh activities and training sessions um that could be implemented in any kind of training environment. So you're gonna see starting September the 9th of season 15 of the GP Soccer Podcast uh a discernible theme. Uh I'm gonna have guests uh that will come on and we'll we'll chat about we'll chat about these issues and uh see if we can't bring it to more of the forefront of the soccer uh culture out there, but the forefront of soccer conversation. You're starting to hear it and see it now, I grant you, but I think it needs to go to a whole other level. In particular, in particular, this idea of being able to take this the uh the the free play uh uh uh approach and uh turn it into an actual methodology. So again, a little bit of housekeeping here, a little bit of housekeeping. So as I record this, getting back to stories from the World Cup, uh it is July the 14th, and it is the first day of the semifinals. Um my goodness. Um in a World Cup semifinal lineup for the ages, there's just no question about that. Uh I don't think you could have picked a better four teams uh to be in this situation. We we've got four previous champions and four top-ranking teams in the world, five of the six top scorers, one, well heck, let's just call it for what he is, Lionel Messi, the greatest of all time, the GOAT, and you know, and one of the sport's most bitter rivalries. So who are we talking about? Obviously, Argentina, Spain, France, and England. They're all two victories away from being champion again. Uh France will play Spain and Arlington, Texas today, and England will face Argentina and Atlanta, Georgia tomorrow. Now, not since 1990 has the Final Four of a World Cup been made up of entirely previous winners. England and Argentina were involved then, although they didn't play each other. But but then, like now, Argentina was the defending champion after beating West Germany in the 1986 final in Mexico, and went on to lose to West Germany in the 1990 final. Now, this year could also see a repeat final for the 2022 uh championship if France and Argentina both advance. Um Argentina, heck, they must overcome England in a match that uh resumes a fiery rivalry that goes beyond the soccer field with tensions uh that that relate to the 1982 conflict over the Falkland Islands. And those of you a certain age do remember uh that issue of the Falkland Islands. Uh now on the field, there have been numerous flashpoints, and I mean there have been numerous flashpoints between the teams on the World Cup stage. Argentina captain Antonio Ratin, whose death was announced uh this past Saturday, was sent off in a bad-tempered quarterfinal match against winner in England in 1966. England manager Alf Ramsey tried to stop his players. Now, picture this tried to stop his players from swapping shirts with their opponents after a 1-0 victory. Now, roll the clock forward 20 years from there. You've got Diego Maradona's infamous. Yes, you know it, hand of God. Uh that goal helped Argentina to a two-to-one win against England in the 1986 quarterfinals on the way to eventually lifting the trophy. Uh, David Beckham, we all remember David Beckham was sent off in 1998 for kicking out the Argentinian midfield, Diego Simeone, uh, who was predictedly uh obviously criticized by the English media for his reaction to what appeared to be a a light contact. Um Argentina won the round of 16 match on penalties. Beckham uh got his revenge four years later by scoring a penalty and a one-nil win that contributed to Argentina being eliminated at the group stage. Now, meanwhile, meanwhile, France and Spain meet again in the semifinals in a major tournament. Now, just two years ago, since going ahead-to-head in the Euros, Spain won 2-1 with a then 16-year-old Lamin Yamal on the score sheet, and then beat England in the final. Uh Killenimap's powers were, well, they were a little diminished, if you will, after he sustained a broken nose. Um, but yeah, there were emerging stars, uh, Michael Lise, Dia Due, uh, and they were just starting to break through. Now, fast forward two years on, you got France, which is widely regarded to have the most impressive team in this World Cup, with an amazing array of attacking talent in the joint leading score and Mbappe ahead of uh this semifinal on France's Bastille Day. Now, in contrast, Spain had to contend with injuries to your mom and fellow winger Nico Williams coming into the tournament, and they've had to rely on on late goals from substitutes Mikhail Marino and they to edge pass Portugal and Belgium in in the last two rounds. So there's lots, lots of history here, lots of stuff, if you will, uh that are going into this uh you know this final four, if you will. Uh each one of these matches, including the third place game, which will be played this Saturday, are all worthy of a final. They're all worthy of a World Cup final. So uh we're in for a great ride. Uh buckle up, ladies and gentlemen. Buckle up. There's lots of great soccer uh that will be taking place uh here over the next week, concluding next Saturday with the World Cup final. So that's uh our little bit of an opening here. We're gonna break for a commercial message, and then we'll uh we'll uh uh re-engage on the other side, and then I'll share with you our first story from the World Cup. This is Giovanni Pacini. This is the GP Soccer Podcast. Don't you dare go anywhere. Youth soccer has changed. Expectations are higher, but systems haven't kept up. 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What if we could give every coach, from the passionate parent at the recreational level to the club coaching director, access to the same level of structured, thoughtful planning? Zone 14 Coaching is the answer. Visit zone14coaching.com and use the promo code GP20 for 20% off. And if you want to outfit your entire organization or even just one team, contact Zone 14 Coaching at Zone14Coaching.com for bulk pricing. Zone 14 Coaching, where high-level soccer knowledge and structured planning is accessible and simple.

SPEAKER_00 11:25

Hi, this is Rob Ellis, the author of the Soccer Coaches Toolkit. You are listening to the GP Soccer Podcast with host Giovanni Piccini, who, in my opinion, has one of the smoothest voices I've ever heard.

SPEAKER_03 11:41

And welcome back to the GP Soccer Podcast, stories from the World Cup. Our first story here comes from a sports media columnist at the Boston Globe by the name of Chad Finn. Column that I enjoy following on a regular basis. And um, this is entitled, Host of Numbers Show Tournament to be a winner across the United States. And it goes something like this. Has been satisfying in a variety of ways, from Killen Mbappe's dynamism to Erling Holland's gronk-like, good-natured dominance to the tartan army taking over Boston's favorite houses of refreshments, to perhaps, and have I mentioned this before, Terry Henry and Zlatan Ibrahimovich's open mockery of Alexi Lawless on the Fox Studio program. The joy and entertainment that the World Cup has delivered in a broad way has been reflected in its staggering viewership numbers for its broadcast partners. Colleague Aiden Ryan dug into the ratings and viewership for the U.S. men's national team, particularly in the Boston market and his treadlines newsletter this week. It's an important four-minute read if you've missed it. Now, over here, let's check out some other ratings and viewership data of note through the round of 16 before acknowledging a couple of variables that have been that have benefited the broadcast and streaming partners in this year's tournament. First, Fox averaged 14.47 million viewers for its round of 16 broadcasts, locking it in as the most watched round of 16 in English language broadcasting history in the United States. That's up a staggering 216% from the same period during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was available on Fox and FS1. The top 10 most watched matches in Spanish language history in the United States in terms of total audience all happened during the first 96 matches in this World Cup. Overall, across Telemundo and its streaming platforms, plus Peacock and Universo, the total audience averaged 5.7 million viewers, up 157% over the 2022 uh championship that averaged 2.2 million million people viewers. Now the United States uh suspense-free 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16 Monday, nevertheless, became this country's most watched soccer telegraph telecast, averaging 33 million viewers. The audience peaked at 41 million from 9.15 to 9.30 p.m. Now that's getting into NFL playoff viewership territory, which are the most watched uh of their television season. The Patriots three playoff games averaged 28.9 million against the Chargers, 38 million against the Texans, 48.6 million in the AFC Championship game versus the Broncos, the second most watched game of the NFL season, excluding the Super Bowl. A little more context is necessary to understand why the World Cup numbers are so astounding. Now, not to sound like Lawless, but it helps greatly if it's in the United States, particularly in terms of start times. The 2022 final between France and Argentina and Qatar started at 10 a.m. in the East and 7 a.m. Pacific time. That match averaged 25.3 million viewers. The 2018 World Cup in Russia, for which the Americans did not qualify, uh offered starker numbers. And the final between France and Croatia averaging 12.51 million viewers in the United States on Fox and on Telemundo. It's also worth noting that live sports ratings are up pretty much everywhere you look in the United States because Nielsen changed this methodology in September 2025, an upgrade that now includes out-of-home uh audience measurements in such establishments as bars and restaurants. Now just a hunch, but those do seem like spots where people like to gather to watch sports, especially something as universal and inclusive as the World Cup. One last thought. I am part of the media on my show here, these these uh these numbers are absolutely astounding. Um and in a bit of two cents here. Um I'd like to think that uh these numbers, these viewership numbers, will provide uh a significant bump in overall viewership of the game going forward here, and particularly here in the United States and and I guess Major League Soccer in particular, since that is our uh you know our domestic professional league. Um and I'd like to also think, you know, as a side note, that it will offer a bit of a bump in terms of popularity of the sport overall. We see more kids playing, uh, more people are getting involved in in uh in matches, we see better corporate sponsors and those types of things. So um pretty interesting piece here. Moving forward, stories from the World Cup. Again, from my favorite newspaper in the whole wide world, the Boston Globe. This is from the Metro section, and it is entitled Boston Bids Farewell to the World Cup. And this was written by a terrific group of journalists, uh Ty Theodoro, Jane Miller, Sterling Davies, and Audrey Tomlin. It goes something like this. For one last day, Boston belonged to the World Cup. Boston ended its run as host city for the World Cup on Tuesday as France defeated Morocco 2-0 in the quarterfinals, capping a remarkable stretch where the region became one of the tournament's liveliest stages. From Foxbow to Revere, anticipation built days and hours before the kickoff. Fireworks burst over Boston Common on Wednesday night as Moroccan supporters gathered for one final celebration before the state hosted its last match. Hundreds of fans lined the sidewalk outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, hoping for a glimpse of the French national team before it departed for Foxboro. Some had waited for hours. I've been here long enough, said Sean Paul Cormier of East Boston, who stood outside the hotel for nearly four hours. I'm going to enjoy the moment. The crowd erupted as the players filed out of the hotel and onto the team bus. Olise, Olise, a young fan shouted from the front of the crowd, calling out to his favorite player, Mike Olisse. Layla Santos, age 22, originally from Nancy Friends, left confident her country would advance. We will win, she said with a smile. Elsewhere, Boston's waterfront had already transformed into a soccer festival. At the Marriott Long Wharf, Men and Blazers hosted one of the city's largest watch parties, drawing more than 100 fans, along with guests, including Massachusetts Native and World Cup champion Sam Mewis, baseball Hall of Famer, and former Red Sox pitcher Pedro Martinez and Boston mayor Michelle Wu. Hours before kickoff, Martinez picked Morocco to pull off the upset. I love the underdogs, he said. I'm thinking Morocco, and I think Hakimi is going to come up with and come up big and show us why he's captain of that team. Wu said the World Cup has shown Boston at its most welcoming. When we see other sports fans show up with as much pride as we have on our teams, we recognize our own kind of crazy and we embrace it, Wu said. By early afternoon, South Station platforms filled with fans boarding trains to Foxboro. Now among them was Tommy Scannel, 25 of Quincy, who operates a lemonade and pretzel stand outside the station. Business has boomed throughout the tournament, he said. I will miss the energy that's here, he said. It was fun standing out there and seeing all the different cultures. As kickoff approached, Boston split into two colors. French and Moroccan flans flags flew outside cafes, parks, and waterfront watch parties from Long War to Revere, where Beirut Espresso filled long before the opening whistle. When two late arrivals entered looking for seats, another supporter quickly moved his bag. Hop in, he called. Nearly at all Christopher Columbus waterfront park, music played beneath the DJ tent while children kicked soccer balls across the grass. Dancing with his brother under the DJ tent for the for the match was Mehdi Abdesar, originally from Casablanca and now living in Montreal, said he traveled to Boston to support the Morocco, the Morocco side. The World Cup is always the best time of year, he said. It's time to be happy. Galil Humadi, 25, who moved from Morocco to the United States as a teenager and now lives in Chicago, so he made the trip to cheer on his homeland. I'm very happy to be here and contribute positive energy towards the team because they need it, he said. The matchup carried extra weight beyond its place in the semifinals. France eliminated Morocco in the 2022 World Cup semifinals, and France's rule over Morocco from 1912 to 1956 added another layer of emotion for the many supporters. France's protectorate ruling over the North African nation added a layer of tension that was palpable the last time the two Titans of global football played in the World Cup. The tension this time was evident from the opening whistle. The first half ended scoreless, with every missed chance producing cheers from one side and groans from the other. At Long Worth, Morph, Moroccan supporters held their breath when Killin Mbappe stepped up to the penalty, stepped up for a penalty. Haja Hume crouched with her hands on her head as goalkeeper Yasmin Banu prepared for the shot. When Banu made the save, she threw both hands into the air. A lot of scary feelings, she said afterward. It's exciting. It's a big deal because like because this is like a big revenge game. The celebration didn't last. Mbappe broke through in the 59th minute to give France a 1-0 lead, sending French fans into celebration across the city. Usmani Dembele doubled in the advantage seven minutes later, putting France firmly in control. At Christopher Columbus Park, siblings, Gabriel Petit, who is age 15, and twins, Indy and Jesse Petit at age 10, celebrating their French jerseys. The twins had served as player escorts when France defeated Norway during the group stage in Foxboro. It was really fun. It was really exciting, Indy said. Even as time wound down, Moroccan supporters continued singing and cheering. Noir Hakamore traveled. From Louisiana, hoping to watch the match inside Gillette Stadium before discovering the secondhand ticket she bought was fake. Instead, she joined fellow supporters in revere. For me, what matters is not being in the stadium, she said. What matters most is being among my people, among our community. When the final whistle sounded, French supporters celebrated another trip to the World Cup semifinals. Moroccan fans embraced and slowly began saying goodbye after another deep tournament run. It also marked the end of Boston's month as one of the world's soccer capitals. Since the tournament opened in June, Boston welcomed fans from around the world. Scotland's Tartanami pack pubs, England fans flooded the streets, and the Boston Fan Fest drew thousands to City Hall Plaza, and neighborhoods turned to the gathering places where strangers were welcomed all together. That's a terrific piece. I think that piece could be uh well from any one of the venues that have hosted uh these games, whether it's uh, you know, in in Canada or down in Mexico, um it has been an absolutely resounding success. Uh and it's getting close. As I noted earlier, semifinal start today. Giovanni Pacini here, GP Soccer Podcast, stories from the World Cup. We're gonna bring for one more commercial message and we'll re-engage on the other side. And as always, don't you dare go anywhere. It is time to bring back the game that teaches players how to think. Modern youth soccer is more organized than ever, yet many young players are missing one of the most powerful development tools in the game, unstructured free play. The importance of unstructured free play, coaching with a street soccer mentality, challenges coaches, parents, and player development leaders to rethink how young athletes learn. Drawing from decades of coaching experience, child development principles, and the timeless lessons of street soccer, the author Giovanni Piccini shows why creativity, decision-making, resilience, joy, and soccer IQ grow when players are given space to explore the game. The importance of unstructured free play, coaching with a street soccer mentality, is a book for grassroots coaches, youth soccer directors, parents, educators, and anyone who believes that player development should produce more than organized drill followers. It offers a practical approach for balancing structure with freedom using guided learning, constraints, small set of games, reflection, and activity designs that let the game be the ultimate teacher. Order your copy of The Importance of Unstructured Free Play, Coaching with a Street Soccer Mentality on Amazon today.

SPEAKER_00 24:41

This is JP Della Camera from Fox Sports, and you're listening to the GP Soccer Podcast with host Giovanni Paccini.

SPEAKER_03 25:19

And there you have it, a couple of stories from the World Cup. Uh, as I noted to you in the opening block, next week will be our final uh edition of World Cup bonus content here on the GP Soccer Podcast. And then the the following week um we will kick off uh our uh best of the GP Soccer Podcast, and we'll kick off uh our new uh new live shows, new content starting on September the 9th. So, yeah, that's it. That's our show for today. If you like what you hear, please tell everyone. And remember those likes matter, those subscribes matter, all of that stuff really, really is serious stuff. Uh it helps me, it helps my sponsors, uh, and so uh if you like the show, bang away on those likes and those subscribes and all that stuff that goes along with supporting this show. You can follow the GP Soccer Podcast, all of our social media, and new episodes are available every Wednesday morning, and that'll be September the 9th. Don't forget to check out my website at gpsoccerpodcast.com. And if you're interested in advertising on this fabulous show, well, then email me at GP4Soccer, and that's the number four at Yahoo.com. This is your host, Giovanni Piccini, and I will catch you later.