Filibuster Podcast

Adam is off celebrating the birth of his second child, so you’re stuck with Jason and Ben for this episode. There has been so much soccer in these past six days that the US Open Cup match against Christos FC feels like years ago, and not just a week. We talk about that game, about the class that Lloyd Sam and Ian Harkes brought when they subbed on, and how Julian Buescher’s game looked great on paper, but was different in real life. We also have to talk about United 2-0 loss to Toronto FC, and how Steve Birnbaum had a bad game on both sides of the ball. We talk about this result in the context of the team’s season so far, and what performances can be salvaged out of a loss like this. Finally, we have to talk about the rumors swirling around Alhaji Kamara and Jose Ortiz; and that’s just the first segment! In the second segment we talk about the upcoming game against Atlanta United, and how this team is a very bad matchup for United right now. Their defense can be had, especially with Carlos Carmona out, but Un

Despite there being no D.C. United game this past weekend, we have plenty to talk about. We bring on Sebastian Salazar, formerly of Comcast SportsNet and now of ESPN and ESPN FC, to talk about the USA’s 1-1 draw with Mexico. We talk about the goals of Michael Bradely and Carlos Vela, the difference between the 5-4-1s of Jurgen Klinsmann and Bruce Arena, and Bruce’s use of Christian Pulisic. We discuss the fact that the USA and Mexico have reasserted their dominance after having floundered in this cycle and the previous cycle, respectively. We end by talk about future qualification runs as the World Cup expands, and the choice made by Jesse Gonzalez to represent the USA. In the second segment we get back to D.C. United and talk about their two games coming up this week. We start with the US Open Cup and their matchup tonight against Christos FC. Christos are the last amateur team left in the Open Cup, and Ben Olsen will likely be running out a ton of reserves in this game. We then get into United’s weekend gam

With our first meetup of the year behind and two games to review, Filibuster is back to talk into your ears. Adam, Jason, and Ben talk about D.C. United’s loss to Orlando City SC and their draw with the LA Galaxy together, and start by asking where the goals are. We talk about the defensive breakdowns in the Orlando game, as well as the chances D.C. United did actually have against the Galaxy, before pondering why the team isn’t clicking. We look forward to the next set of games that United will play by wondering if they should play all of their starters in the US Open Cup game against Christos FC to try and get them clicking, and close by picking the forward we want to see against Toronto FC in two weeks time. In the second segment, we talk about the US men’s national team and their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Having started to dig themselves out of a hole, these games are still massively important to ensure qualification. We start by talking about the Trinidad and Tobago game and ask whether Bruce Arena

With D.C. United’s first midweek game of the season coming up this week, we have a jam-packed episode; we also have to do it without the services of Adam, who is off on assignment. In his stead, Jason and Ben break down D.C. United’s 1-0 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps, including starting off by talking about Jose Ortiz’s embellishment and Kendall Waston’s role in all of it. We also talk about Bill Hamid’s penalty and how bad the Whitecaps were in front of goal. We end this segment by breaking down how good Bill Hamid was and how good Ian Harkes was. We then move on to talk about tomorrow’s game against Orlando City SC, including how poor they’ve looked since their great start. We talk about how Cyle Larin and Carlos Rivas run the show, how much rotation they may have to do, and who might start up top for United. For the final segment, we bring back one of our favorite guests, Josie Becker, to talk LA Galaxy. We get into how much better the team is without Jermaine Jones, whether or not Curt Onalfo can k

We like doing a podcast more than we dislike reliving D.C. United’s poor performance this week, so we are here for you. We open the show talking about the meetup that we are having on June 3rd, and you should definitely come to it. It’s gonna be fun! Less fun was D.C. United’s performance this weekend, and we open with the same position we’ve been opening with for awhile: the central midfield. Jason has some particularly bad stats about Marcelo Sarvas and Jared Jeffrey’s performance in this game. We talk about David Accam’s goal, the fact that, surprisingly, D.C. United did have a couple of chances, and the play of Steve Binrbaum and Bobby Boswell. We end by commemorating the return of Chris Korb, talk about the young players who could be making an impression, and wonder if new ideas or formations might help anything. In the second segment, we make the major announcement that we have been teasing: We’re starting a Patreon! The link will be up soon, and we would appreciate it if those who could threw in a coup

Unfortunately, we have to talk about this game. Adam, Jason, and Ben are back to pick up the pieces after D.C. United’s demolition at the hands of the Philadelphia Union. We talk about the disaster and try and figure out what happened to United. We ask if teams can use the blueprint that the Montreal Impact and the Union have used, fouling the crap out of United, to keep beating them. And we have to talk about Philadelphia’s goals, the play of Jared Jeffrey and Marcelo Sarvas, and the play of Bobby Boswell and Kofi Opare. We can get through this together. When we finally reach the second segment, we bring on Sean Spence of Hot Time in Old Town to talk about the resurgent Chicago Fire. We talk about them spending money on things like Bastian Schweinsteiger, the play of Nemanja Nikolic, and the status of their right backs. Since its the Fire, we also have to ask about their goalkeeper situation, before asking what rotation we might see because of their midweek game. Finally, we ask Sean how he would gameplan ag

Well, that sucked but we have to talk about it. Adam, Jason, and Ben are back to talk about D.C. United’s 1-0 loss to the Montreal Impact, in a performance that disappointed everyone. We talk about the goal and the entire flaccid performance, as well as how the team deflated after a decent first eight minutes. We bring up how Sebastien LeToux may not have been suited for the forward role in this match, the up and down play of Taylor Kemp, and the poor all-around performance of Jared Jeffrey. We end by talking about who may need to step up and step into the lineup to try and right the ship. In the second segment we bring on Eugene Rupinski of The Brotherly Game to talk about the Philadelphia Union. We talk about their game against the LA Galaxy and ask whether they are figuring things out. We have to talk about the play of CJ Sapong, Alejandro Bedoya, and Chris Pontius, before diving into their defense and the benching of Keegan Rosenberry. Finally, we try to assign some blame for the winless streak before get

Even though we are a day late we are always here for you: it is Filibuster time! Jason, Adam, and Ben are here and we go deep on D.C. United’s 3-1 win over Atlanta United. We talk about the first ten minutes and what a scramble it was, the D.C. United goals that changed the game, and the injuries to Luciano Acosta and Bill Hamid. We also break down the formation shift that happened early in the game, the expected goals for both teams throughout, and the play of Sebastien LeToux. In the second segment we preview the upcoming game against the Montreal Impact. We talk about their play on the counter and how important Ignacio Piatti is to that, as well as what the injury to Matteo Mancosu might mean for United’s chances. We also talk formations, gameplans, and even some about magnets, so give it a listen!

After falling prey to the ravages of time yesterday, Filibuster has conquered its oppressors and is here for you. We talk about D.C. United 2-2 draw with the New England Revolution and how they were able to do it depleted from a slew of injuries that the team could not anticipate. We talk about the goals, especially Lee Nguyen’s goal, as well has the team’s troubling tendency to give up goals early in each half. We have to praise Ian Harkes and his play, before talking about the role of Jared Jeffrey and who we want to see start in defensive midfield against Atlanta United. Speaking of Atlanta United, we bring back Rob Usry in the second segment to talk about the interlopers United. We ask him about the status of the team, the injury to Josef Martinez, and the centrality of Miguel Almiron. We wonder whether or not we will see Andrew Carleton in MLS this year, and ask how annoyed Atlanta fans are that their soccer team won’t be the ones opening the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. We end by inquiring about their def

Despite the poor performances around all of the DMV’s soccer teams, the Filibuster podcast is ready to go the full 90. Adam, Jason, and Ben have to talk about D.C. United’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of the New York Red Bulls. We discuss the injury to Steve Birnbaum, the goals by Bradley Wright-Phillips and Alex Muyl, and then go from back to front dissecting the poor play: the defense, midfield, and attack all get a turn. We then welcome on Jake Catanese of The Bent Musket to talk about United’s weekend game against the New England Revolution. We talk about their schedule so far, their hot and cold play, and the switch of positions of Lee Nguyen and Juan Agudelo. We also discuss the shape that Jay Heaps is in, Scott Caldwell and their midfield, their defense, Diego Fagundez, all before ending with asking Jake how he would gameplan against the Revs. Give it a listen!

Filibuster is back with another electric episode, so hold onto your hats! Jason, Adam, and Ben talk about what a difference a month makes against New York City FC and what D.C. United changes forced the Pigeons to do. We discuss how poor their crossing ways and how much Bobby Boswell had to do with that, plus the fact that goals are starting to go in. To close out the segment we embrace the ugly, talk about our preferred defensive midfielder for the game against the New York Red Bulls, and shower some praise on Nick DeLeon. In the second segment we welcome on Jason Iapicco of Once A Metro to talk about the Harrison energy drink concern. We talk about their 4-2-2-2 and whether it has come down from on high in Austria as well as the departure of Dax McCarty. We ask (evil) Jason about set piece goals, their right back, and the play of Bradley Wright-Phillips so far, before getting into their USL graduates and the enigma that is Gonzalo Veron. We end by asking Jason how he would break down the Red Bulls if he wer

We discuss D.C. United's first win of the season against the Philadelphia Union as well as their upcoming game against New York City FC. Pluse, we have to talk about the USMNT.

It is a Tuesday and that means it is time for a Filibuster! We live up to our title today, going long talking about the USMNT, the MLS Western Conference, plus D.C. United’s upcoming game. We first break down the USMNT’s 6-0 destruction of Honduras. We have to praise Clint Dempsey, Christian Pulisic, and Jozy Altidore, before talking about Michael Bradley’s game. We also talk about the left side of this team, before wondering what they’re going to do against Panama tonight. In the second segment we welcome on our good friend Josie Becker to preview the MLS Western Conference. We bounce around piecemeal and have things to say about Curt Onalfo, poor Minnesota United, and Syamsir Alam even makes an appearance. In the last segment, we welcome on Eugene Rupinski to preview D.C. United’s weekend game against the Philadelphia Union. We discuss Chris Pontius, their central midfield, and the status of Maurice Edu, plus how to gameplan them and if the direct play shown by Orlando City SC can break them down. Give it a

D.C. United is off this weekend, but Filibuster is not! Jason, Ben, and Adam are here to talk about (another) depressing game. We talk about the penalty kicks in the recent loss to Columbus Crew SC and wonder why D.C. United is so bad in March throughout their history. We also discuss why the high pressure that worked so well at the end of last year is failing this year, what is wrong with them in open play, and what is going on inside the box. In the second segment we bring on Matt Doyle to talk about the USMNT and their upcoming World Cup qualifiers. We ask him what Bruce Arena will be forced to do with this roster, what he’s going to do in central midfield, and if Bill Hamid will make the Gold Cup roster. We sneak a question about D.C. United in at the end, before asking Matt about the gameplan for the first game on Friday. Give it a listen!

Well that was another poor performance from D.C. United, but the guys from Filibuster are here to talk you through it. We talk about the game against New York City FC and start with some praise for Ian Harkes before diving into everything that went wrong. We talk about the midfield, the goals, and Steve Birnbaum and Sean Franklin. We also have to talk about the defensive midfield position, and the attack for good measure. We then bring on Kris Landis of Massive Report to give us the update on Columbus Crew SC. We talk about what has been missing from Gregg Berhalter’s cookbook so far this season and the issues with Wil Trapp that reflect the issues with their gameplan. We talk about Zack Steffen and whether Federico Higuain’s frustrations are a problem, Harrison Afful get subbed out at halftime, and his opposite number at fullback. Finally, we talk about their central midfield, the utility of Adam Jahn, and how to gameplan the Crew. Give it a listen!

It is an extra-special Monday edition of the Filibuster podcast! Jason, Ben, and Adam are here to break down D.C. United’s first game of the season, including talking about why the goalkeepers were the men of the match for both teams in that opener. We also talk about the two right back conversion projects on display during this game, as well as United’s (lack of) passing, before diving deep into Marcelo’s penalty. We also talk about the problems D.C. United had with Luciano Acosta being out, how Sporting Kansas City succeeded in their gameplan, before ending with Sean Franklin’s role in this game and the scramble that should have led to a goal. In the second segment we welcome on Raf Noboa y Rivera onto the show to preview the upcoming match against New York City FC. We talk about how they couldn’t break through against Orlando City and how Patrick Viera is having the team line up this season. We talk about Andrea Pirlo and their center backs, Alexander Ring and Rodney Wallace, and ask whether or not Raf is

D.C. United finally broke ground on Audi Field yesterday and Filibuster has a lot of feelings about that fact. Jason, Adam, and Ben are here to go in depth about the groundbreaking and talk about how United are finally going to have a real stadium in reality. We talk about the trials and tribulations that it took to get here and just how happy we all are. We then have a real game in the MLS regular season about which to talk! D.C. United has wrapped up their preseason and is opening their regular season against Sporting Kansas City this Saturday. We talk about United’s transition to an attack-based team while also trying to put together a defense that can make that work. We also talk about the new faces on the team and if we’re worried about their age, the biggest question on the team, and our wishlist for a future designated player. Finally, we welcome back Cody Bradley from The Blue Testament to give his view on the Sporks. We talk about Peter Vermes’ style overhaul and the results from their preseason, as

We are 10 days away from D.C. United’s season opener, so we have to bring you a Filibuster to keep you up to date! Jason, Ben, and Adam kick off the show by talking about the new name of the stadium at Buzzard Point: Audi Field. We also discuss D.C. United re-signing Patrick Mullins to a multi-year deal before diving into the first preseason game against the Montreal Impact. We discuss the best players on the field, the not so good from this game, and what needs to change. In the second segment we give you our wide-ranging and complete Eastern Conference preview. We go through the top of the conference, the clear bottom of the conference, and the mushy middle. Give it a listen! Thank you for taking the time to listen. If you have any responses, questions, criticisms, etc., please leave them in the comments or send them to filibusterpodcast@gmail.com. You can also reach us on Twitter, @FilibusterDCU.

It is a Tuesday Filibuster for your earholes! Jason, Adam, and Ben are back to talk about D.C. United’s preseas on (5:33), including the friendly against J-Sodra, Ben Olsen’s lineup choices, Sean Franklin at center back, and the crop of trialists. Something happened to Ben’s audio, so we had to chop out some parts; believe me, he made very smart and insightful comments. Ben’s audio recovered for the second segment, in which we discuss the new crop of MLS jerseys! They range from the boring (RSL and Montreal) to the good looking (Portland Timbers) to the definitely not boring (D.C. United). Finally, we crack open the Twitterbox and answer your questions. Give it a listen!

It is Wednesday, and so that means it is Filibuster day! Jason, Ben, and Adam are back to talk about all things soccer, and we start off with D.C. United’s preseason. We discuss the fact that Jalen Robinson has been with the first team more often than Kofi Opare, the return of Steve Birnbaum, whether or not Ian Harkes can grab a starting spot, and the good play of Jose Guillermo Ortiz so far. It being Filibuster, we also have to talk about the fullback situation and whether or not we can have Nick DeLeon play all spots on the field at once. For the second segment we welcome on Cody Bradley from Stars and Stripes FC to talk about the US men’s national team’s recent friendlies. We talk about whether or not the January camp was success this year, Benny Feilhaber’s performance, and the worst thing that came out of the camp. We also glow over Jorge Villanfana, talk about the central midfield, and discuss Darlington Nagbe’s return to the USMNT fold. Finally, we ask whether or not Graham Zusi is the answer at right