Today’s edition of the Playing For 90 Soccer Show features a new guest! Mr. Simon Provan. Simon joins the show to help keep me sane, so I do not go crazy from talking to myself all show.
Simon hails from Wisconsin but is a huge Portland Timbers fan and even follows Everton, for one very good reason, Tim Howard. Not only does he remember the first ever goal scored in MLS, but he has been a true follower of the league since day one.
We get the show started by talking about Cristiano Ronaldo and his outlandish price tag, $450 million dollars, of yes, you did read that right. It is very difficult for any team to really think about paying that much for Ronaldo. Rumors of Ronaldo coming back to the EPL or even heading over to MLS when his contract runs out in 2018 are big possibilities, but still very much up in the air.
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- Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
- Barcelona put five past Real Betis
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
The USMNT fell to Chile 3-2 last week during an international friendly and it really did not surprise neither Simon or I. We talk about the ever-changing formation from a 3-5-2 to a 4-4-2. What about Jermaine Jones playing center back? Does he really belong there?
Things are starting to heat up in the EPL, especially after a surprising 1-1 draw between league title front-runners, Chelsea and Manchester City. The Blues seem to hold a solid grasp of first place, but can City make a come back? Do not be too quick to think that Manchester United could also make a run at the title, although that is very unlikely.
Heading back over to the United States, Simon and I chat about the latest signings in MLS. The New England Revolution re-signed Juan Agudelo, while Toronto FC signed Sebastian Giovinco. Simon believes that TFC can make the playoffs this season, but if the club find’s a way to miss them yet again, there will be fire raining down in Canada.
What of the Collective Bargaining Agreements? Well MLS is hard at talking with the Players Association and really is trying to find a middle ground of some of the hot issues, those being Free Agency and the addition of a 4th Designated Player spot on each team.
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- Lionel Messi: The Greatest of All Time
We finish up the show by playing “Simon Says!” This is the part of the show where Simon gets to talk about anything he wants that is going on in the soccer world for 40 seconds, with no interruptions from myself. Once he finishes off with that segment, we close the show by each offering one of our favorite soccer memories.
Another great show is in the books and it was a pleasure to have Simon on the show with me today. Did you enjoy having him on the show? Let me know in the comment section below or on Twitter.
See you all again next week for another edition of The Playing For 90 Soccer Show!