The MLS 2025 Season Preview Show

There's a familiar voice in the Ranks FC studio this week, and not because it's a returning guest, but because it's the Voice of FIFA, Bundesliga Broadcast Behemoth, and one of the finest commentators to ever grace the microphone, Mr. Derek Rae, who joins the Rank Squad to talk all things commentary. We start off with Derek's own background and how he started life behind the mic, before taking a waltz through five pillars of his glittering commentary career: Preparation, Pronunciation, FIFA, Clichés and Experiences - to get the complete package of just what makes the great man tick when he's in the booth. Thanks for listening, Rank Squad! Make sure you're subscribed to the pod on whatever platform you use, and if you want to give our Patreon a spin in March's free trial, come join us at patreon.com/ranksfc. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

3 Mars 20211h 27min

On Monday, the UK announced its roadmap towards a world without lockdowns, a world which screams to us - full stadiums and football as we love it. It's not quite a global movement yet, but a glut of vaccines means that wherever you are, it feels like the moment is coming where we can look to an open sky once more. Never again will we take a trip to a new ground or to see the players we love, for granted. With all that in mind, we thought we'd talk about our post-lockdown football dreams and what they might be like - and there's a lot going on here. From VAR decisions we don't understand to train journeys around the country; from trips abroad to stadiums we're gasping to experience to shared moments with our mates; seeing unique players in the flesh and enjoying a sense of community wherever you're watching the game. These are what we can't wait for, but we hope they'll inspire your own dreams about the beautiful game as well. In a particularly harmonious episode, Things We Love covers the Fantasy PL leak that has wound up Aston Villa, Bayern-conquering Eintracht Frankfurt's march into the top four, and the record of Villarreal's Gerard Moreno, who NEEDS to be on the plane in Spain's squad for EURO 2020 (2021). There's a Melon of the Week too, and Sam ranks things that should be easy, but are actually hard - ending in a lesson on how not to whistle. It's Ranks! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

24 Feb 20211h 4min

You didn't think we were going to miss this opportunity, did you? The return of the Champions League means the return of the Champions League's cooler little brother - because the Europa League, like the UEFA Cup before it, is where the cool kids hang out. Europe's most exciting club competition, back with a Round of 32 that contains some explosive match-ups and some players to watch. We take a look at some of the tournament favourites - AC Milan, Manchester United, Napoli and Leicester City; some dark horses - Lille OSC, PSV Eindhoven, Shakhtar Donetsk, Villarreal; and the most exciting teams to watch - Real Sociedad, RB Salzburg, Bayer Leverkusen and SC Braga; as well as a bit of a deeper dive on some of our players to keep an eye on, namely Yusuf Yazıcı and Wenderson Galeno. In place of Things We Love, there's a whole opening segment dedicated to the appointment of Marco Rose as the next Dortmund boss, why German clubs have a habit of announcing deals like this and Dayot Upamecano's move to Bayern before the window in which they happen, and what the former Salzburg man will have to do to turn things around at the Westfalenstadion. There's also, of course, a Melon of the Week (for an entire fanbase, no less), some love for Pancake Day, and a Gibberish Rankings where Sam talks about everyday scenarios that make him happy. It's Ranks! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

17 Feb 20211h 10min

That time of year is getting closer, Rank Squad. Oh yes, it's time for European nights, under the lights - as next week the Champions League takes flight again for its knockout stages. It might be a tad premature, but who's asking - we're taking a deep dive on the Round of 16. From the teams who are in the best form, to the best chances of an upset, to the most entertaining fixtures - we've got the mini-rankings that will guide you through the return to the European stage - because a lot has changed since this draw was made! Dive in for the Champions League preview you need before we go again. As ever, we start with Things We Love though, and this week Sam and Dean are waxing lyrical about Raphinha and Phil Foden respectively, whilst Jack shows some love to the title race in Turkey, with a three-team split at the top of the Süper Lig meaning that once again, it looks like it's going all the way in Istanbul to decide a winner between Beşiktaş, Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe. And, to finish, Dean has four contenders for Melon of the Week, including a belated one for an Arsenal goalkeeper, a certain Premier League ref, a Southampton defender with the worst single game points total in Fantasy PL history and a club who have had one of the worst weeks of all time; before Sam ranks his favourite times of day in lockdown Britain to round things off. It's Ranks! If one pod a week isn't cutting the mustard any more, and you want two extra episodes and a newsletter weekly for the price of just a pint a month, why not come join us on our Patreon? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

10 Feb 20211h 5min

This January might have seen deals more scarce than usual, but there was still plenty going on as the transfer window raged across the first month of 2021. We're here to pick up what was hot (and a little of what was not) as Sam ranks the best five deals that have happened in the month just gone. With Liverpool finally signing some centre-back cover (for one of which we sought expert advice from our friend, NTT20's Ali Maxwell), Atléti bringing in a top marksman, Brighton bolstering the Latin cohort down on the South Coast, Gladbach-ing up their midfield options and the Cobham Cannavaro switching Chelsea for Milan, there's plenty to discuss - and we go around the grounds to look at a few deals that perhaps slipped under your radar too. There's also, of course, a Melon of the Week (and it's a huge shock choice from Dean) and we try to rank every Bean in the Gibberish Rankings. It's Ranks! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

3 Feb 20211h

He's back, ladies and gentlemen! The Rank Squad were joined once again by Harry Brooks, head coach at Round World Royals, to discuss five more players who could do with a change of position or system to up their game. This time it's Tanguy Ndombele, Jadon Sancho, Gareth Bale, Mo Salah and Marco Asensio in the spotlight, as we move them around to find their sweet spot. There's also a discussion, fuelled by Jack mostly, about whether Harvey Barnes could function as a No.9 for Leicester. Before we get into that though, there was the little matter of Thomas Tuchel becoming Chelsea boss today, replacing the departing Frank Lampard. We dive into what we can expect from a Tuchel team at Stamford Bridge - and the pros and cons of what the German will bring as a coach. There's also room for a Melon of the Week, and Sam ranks the 'things he's most upset about missing because of COVID' in today's Gibberish Rankings. It's Ranks! If you love the pod and once a week isn't enough for you, why not come and join our Ranks FC Ultras over at Patreon, where you get two extra podcasts and our Torcida Newsletter every week, for just a couple of quid a month? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

27 Jan 20211h 8min

Across Europe we're seeing a season where the title races are more open than ever before - in England five points separate the top six, in Italy there's at least four sides with a shot at the Scudetto, in France top spot is currently decided on goal difference, in Spain it's a new challenger sitting pretty at the summit, and in Germany the recent wobble from the Champions has contenders getting excited. We take a look at them to see where the drama is most likely to go down (and Jack talks a bit about the Primeira, whilst we're at it). In Things We Love, Dean gives us the latest on some transfer news including Dele Alli's proposed channel hop to PSG and David Alaba's future; Sam pours some love on Inter's centre-back sensation Alessandro Bastoni, who was exceptional against Juventus on Sunday; and Jack gives some props to Iñaki Williams and Athletic Club, after their Supercopa win over Barcelona, which will be celebrated long into the future in Bilbao. There is of course, a Melon of the Week - handed out to a certain Roma Centre-Back after his self-destructive performance against arch-rivals Lazio in the Derby della Capitale last weekend - and Dean takes over to do a Gibberish Ranking of the Subscriptions he made during a year mostly spent indoors. Talking of subscriptions, if once a week isn't enough to scratch your Rank Squad itch, why not come and join us over at Patreon for eight extra podcasts a month? It's loads of fun, we promise! It's Ranks! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

20 Jan 20211h 4min

As we look forward to a new calendar year stuffed with football, it's worth looking back at 2020, and the Rank Squad teamed up with EA Sports FIFA 21 to take a look at the contenders for 2020's pantheon - a year unlike any other. We talk some of the biggest names from across Europe, including a couple from Champions of the Continent, Bayern Munich, from the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and a couple of attackers from Barcelona and Juventus who you might have heard of. There's plenty of debate across the board, especially in the problem positions of right-back and centre-midfield, but in the end, we settled on an XI we were *mostly* happy with. There's time, as ever, for a Melon of the Week - which this week has a personal tinge for both Dean and Jack, and Sam's Gibberish Rankings, which focus on some of the weirdest jobs to be found across the globe. It's Ranks! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

13 Jan 202157min