First Touch Weekly | Can Rafa Márquez Succeed With Mexico?

PSG and Liverpool bring in far more money than PSV, so the Dutch club has to compete differently. Earnie Stewart, former USMNT international who was the sporting director at U.S. Soccer and is now director of football affairs at PSV, chats with David Gass about what that looks like from the inside.He pulls from his time with the Philadelphia Union and U.S. Soccer to break down what needs to change in American soccer, from pay-to-play to organizing higher-level games. He also shares how clubs in the Netherlands and throughout Europe see MLS and American players today, plus what makes Malik Tillman special and where he fits on the field best.0:00 Intro: His U.S. Years0:52 Buying, Selling, Shaping PSV’s Style2:11 Identity Dives Fans and Signings5:15 Winning While Developing Youth9:30 FIFA’s Age Limit for Recruits10:54 UCL Aims Against Far Bigger Budgets15:48 Holland vs. the Top-Five Leagues17:59 MLS Player Prices and Academy Talent22:26 Philadelphia’s Youth Pipeline24:25 Dutch and American Development 26:03 Pay-to-Play vs. Merit31:25 Rising Reputation of Americans35:57 Malik Tillman’s CeilingFirst Touch is your home for the global game. Keep up-to-date on the latest news or deep dive into the stories that make soccer special across the world.Listen, watch and follow us everywhere: https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksm Follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

It’s been more than 8,000 days since Greece’s triumph at Euro 2004, so why do fans believe it’s finally their time again? Susannah Fuller talks with Alec McQuarrie of the Hellas Football Podcast about a team that missed a decade of tournaments, the young players now carrying it, and a Greek Super League that’s thriving too. But will Greece achieve true glory, or fade into the history books?Listen to the Hellas Football Podcast: https://linktr.ee/hellasfooty 
0:00 Headlines: Brady, Nigeria U-17s, Dedic 3:52 European Champs to Greek Tragedy6:47 Nations League Results Nobody Expected
8:12 The Next Wave of Stars10:37 Ambition: Qualifying or a Trophy?12:07 Greek Super League’s Big Four BattleFirst Touch is your home for the global game. Keep up-to-date on the latest news or deep dive into the stories that make soccer special across the world.Listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksm Follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

Manchester United would reportedly have to pay Mauricio’s Pochettino’s $10 million U.S. Soccer buyout to hire him. Plus, Barcelona’s win at Atlético Madrid and the Gold Cup’s new format next summer.0:00 Pochettino, Barca, Gold Cup Headlines0:30 Michael Carrick on the Hot Seat2:24 Palace Coach Pierre Sage Back to Lens?3:42 Raúl González named Real Oviedo Boss4:40 Egypt Fires Hassan After Best World Cup5:46 Fermín López Scores Twice for Barca7:00 Titles for Boca and Colo-Colo
8:20 Chengdu Blow 14-Point Lead9:14 A Closer Look: A New Gold Cup
11:25 One For the Road: Adeus, RonaldoFirst Touch is your home for the global game. Keep up-to-date on the latest news or deep dive into the stories that make soccer special across the world.Listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksm Follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

When results defy explanation, fans look for something to blame, and Benfica have had Béla Guttmann’s parting words since he left after back-to-back European Cups. Susannah Fuller finds the same instinct in a shirt number for Manchester United, under Racing Club’s pitch and in South Korea’s fake gold medals. Are the results preordained, or just coincidence?

0:00 Benfica Heartbreak and a Spooky Intro0:43 Headlines: Derbies, Milner, West Ham3:15 Guttmann’s 100-Year Curse8:51 Man United’s No. 7: Jinxed?10:56 Racing Club, a Witch and Seven Cats17:22 South Korea’s Knockoff MedalsFirst Touch is your home for the global game. Keep up-to-date on the latest news or deep dive into the stories that make soccer special across the world.Listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksm Follow us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

Kai Havertz and Arsenal visit Liverpool with the top spot in the Premier League at stake. CD Tenerife mourn striker Jesus de Miguel. Plus, the La Liga title race and AC Milan vs. Inter in the Derby della Madonnina.0:00 Headlines: Arsenal, Milan and ten Hag0:30 Tragedy Strikes Tenerife1:16 Spain’s Big Three All Keep Pace2:18 Arsenal Win at Anfield3:40 Milan Beat Inter, Rivals’ $700M+ Deal5:20 Bayern-Dortmund Der Klassiker Stalemate6:55 Manchester United’s Roma Test8:40 Erik ten Hag Takes Aim at Ronaldo Again9:45 One for the Road: MLS Record in SightFirst Touch is your home for the global game. Keep up-to-date on the latest news or deep dive into the stories that make soccer special across the world.Watch, listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksmSubscribe on YouTube and comment, or follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

How did Brian Clough turn Nottingham Forest, 13th in the second division when he arrived in January 1975, into two-time European Champions in five years? Susannah Fuller opens our Forgotten Giants series with a how a club one of its own committee members called the last progressive in the country reached the 1980 final against Kevin Keegan’s Hamburg, and why it didn’t last. As the game becomes an elite, data-driven, money-hungry machine, could a story like theirs ever happen again?0:00 Nottingham Forest: Forgotten Giants0:37 Ballon d’Or, Manchester, El Clásico3:54 Brian Clough Was Told He’d Fail9:55 European Nights: Malmö and Hamburg13:03 Decline, Then Evangelos Marinakis16:16 Forest’s Legacy and Modern FootballFirst Touch is your home for the global game. Keep up-to-date on the latest news or deep dive into the stories that make soccer special across the world.Watch, listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksmSubscribe on YouTube and comment, or follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

Harry Kane ends England’s 25-year wait for a Ballon d’Or winner, and Alexia Putellas takes her third. Plus, José Mourinho’s return to Camp Nou for the first El Clásico of the season, Kylian Mbappé’s backlash in China, Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany’s recovery, the Copa Libertadores final, Michael Carrick’s Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund’s new Fan Mode. 0:00 Intro0:35 2026 Ballon d’Or Winners3:02 El Clásico: Mourinho’s Return5:22 Mbappé in Hot Water in China6:48 Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahçe Derby9:49 Kompany Update Ahead of Der Klassiker10:35 Copa Libertadores Final Is Set12:30 A Closer Look: Can Carrick Save His Job?15:41 One for the Road: BVB Fan ModeThe American home for the global game. Follow the conversation:https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksm

Jen Beattie was diagnosed with breast cancer on a Thursday and scored for Arsenal that weekend. She and host Susannah Fuller, both survivors, talk about how little she knew going in, early detection, and what she would tell someone newly diagnosed.Beattie, a former Scotland international and now CBS analyst, remembers being diagnosed alone in Covid, then the lumpectomy and radio therapy that followed. Between two women in a club neither chose to join, the talks turns to whether the survivor label firsts and whether the fear around follow-up scans ever fades.October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and early detection is the message both women come back to. Jen partners with Breast Cancer now and Novartis UK on self-checks and getting to know your body, and you can find them on Instagram.Breast Cancer Now: https://www.instagram.com/breastcancernow/ Novartis UK:https://www.instagram.com/novartisuk/ 0:00 Jen Beattie and the Survivor Label6:31 Diagnosis at Arsenal During COVID11:49 What Surprised Jen About Breast Cancer?14:19 Self-Checks and Why She Speaks Up16:41 Her Team Hears the News and Shows Up19:36 Finding Joy During Treatment23:29 Guilt and Avoidance With Loved Ones25:59 Therapy for Spiraling Thoughts31:14 How Much Football Did She Miss?33:17 Scanxiety and Trusting Your Body Again40:00 Life After Cancer44:25 From Playing to Broadcasting at CBS47:31 Advice for Someone Facing Breast Cancer49:38 Early Detection and Her PartnershipsFirst Touch is your home for the global game. Keep up-to-date on the latest news or deep dive into the stories that make soccer special across the world.Watch, listen and follow everywhere: https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksmSubscribe on YouTube and comment, or follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and leave a rating or review. It helps more fans find the show.

Musa Okwonga of the Stadio podcast joins Susannah Fuller to dig into football’s most notorious scandals and the people behind them. The discussion examines Manchester City’s financial charges, Juventus’ fall from grace after Calciopoli, and why the teams with the talent to win can still feel compelled to cheat. But when a club’s success becomes tied to scandal, what happens to everything it has achieved?0:00 Manchester City Charges Lead the Week’s Headlines4:18 Why We Love a Football Scandal7:27 Will City’s Charges Tarnish the Club’s Legacy?16:30 Calciopoli Stains the Juventus Aura22:06 Marseille 1993: The Cost of a European Crown25:43 Gijón 1982 Brings World Cup Injustice for Algeria29:10 Wagatha Christie - Rooney Traps VardyFor the sharpest coverage of American soccer, we’ve got you covered:https://linktr.ee/soccerwisehq

Cristiano Ronaldo is fined after his Portugal walkout, while Manchester City faces reports of potential points deductions. Plus, Ligue 1’s five-way title race, Serie A’s unbeaten contenders, Barcelona Femení’s streak ends, and our PSG vs. Barcelona Champions League preview.0:00 Intro0:35 Ronaldo Fined After Portugal Walkout1:23 Manchester City Faces Reported Deductions2:32 Premier League: Brighton Rises, United Struggles4:20 Serie A’s Four Unbeaten Teams7:14 Ligue 1’s Five-Way Title Race09:48 Barcelona Femení’s Unbeaten Run Ends10:57 Champions League: PSG vs. Barcelona12:07 One for the Road: Americans Abroad The American home for the global game. Follow the conversation:https://linktr.ee/firsttouchksm