Filibuster Podcast

It is Tuesday, so that means it is Filibuster day! Jason, Ben, and Adam are back to talk about all things soccer, and we kick off with the US Men’s National Team and the re-debut of Bruce Arena. We talk about the differences in the team from the Jurgen Klinsmann era as well as the fullback choices Bruce made. We hone in on his right side of the field, before ending with the fact that Jozy Altiodre needs support and and Jermaine Jones remains Jermaine Jones. In the second segment, we welcome back Alicia Rodriguez from the newly rebranded Angels on Parade (formerly The Goat Parade). We talk about LAFC, including their latest news and the starting moves the team has made. We ask if they will be more like Atlanta United or Minnesota United in their roster contruction as well as whether or not they will start an NWSL team. Finally, we talk about cup-winning D.C. United midfielder John Thorrington, the fans’ expectations for the team, their academy, and end with the fact that multiple former Chivas USA players just

The three horsemen of the Filibuster are back in action, and ready to bring you a (belated) episode this week. Adam, Jason, and Ben start off by catching you up on the week’s news, with the re-signing of Jared Jeffrey and the fact that Chris Durkin will spend most of the year with D.C. United first up. We talk about the signing of Sebastien Le Toux and the signing of Ian Harkes, plus the injury and surgery of Bill Hamid. Finally, we end the segment by talking about Sean Franklin at center back, Nick DeLeon at fullback, and the trialists who are in camp (who also happen to be fullbacks). In the second segment we bring on our old friend Sebastian Salazar. We talk about his move to ESPN, the happenings at MLS Media Day, and Tim Howard’s comments to USA Today. We ask him about the difference in the US men’s national team under Bruce Arena, Major League Soccer, and the new expansion teams. We end his time on the show by laughing at the LA Galaxy, talking about D.C. United and their defense, and asking him if he mi

Our friend Garrett Denney, of E Pluribus Loonum, was kind enough to record audio for us at the recent 2017 MLS SuperDraft. He talked to Chris Odoi-Atsem and Eric Klenofsky, D.C. United's first two draft picks, right after they had been selected by the team. Give it a listen!

You’ve waited for it, and now it is back! Jason and Adam are here to serenade your ears while Ben is off on assignment. We start with an Adam’s Fun Time News Roundup Time™️️, which kicks off with the news of Bill Hamid’s injury. We also talk about D.C. United’s full schedule, the potential Ian Harkes signing, and the preseason schedule (which convenes next week!) The second segment is our SuperDuperDraft SuperFun Supertacular! We talk about how the three picks fit into the team, whether or not the third and fourth rounds should be ended, and how the consensus top 2 players from last week quickly turned into a top 5. We also talk about the surprising new amount of transperancy with allocation money in trades, and the weirdness of assigning draft grades.

After a winter slowdown, Filibuster is here for you and ready for the long haul. Jason, Adam, and Ben are back to talk about the last two weeks of news, including the UMSNT camp and the United players who will be attending. We also talk about the trade of Collin Martin and the hire of a new Academy director, as well as the possible signing of Ian Harkes, the loss of Crystal Dunn to London, and the latest chapter in the USL/NASL lower division drama. We then bring back one of our favorite guests, Travis Clark of Top Drawer Soccer. We talk about the potential of Ian Harkes, the top two players in the MLS SuperDraft, D.C. United’s draft strategy, the deepest positions available in the draft, and another United Academy graduate who, unlike Harkes, is available for drafting. Give it a listen!

After a week off for the holiday, the Filibuster crew is back, rested, and ready to go. We start with a D.C. United news roundup, talking about the departure of Andrew Dykstra, the arrival of Jose Guillermo Ortiz, and the re-signing of Sean Franklin. We break down what each of these moves mean, and go on a meander about whether or not this team could use a 352 late in games. We then do the last two Cakes or Deaths of the year, for General Manager Dave Kasper and head coach Ben Olsen. You will not be surprised as to where we land. Finally, we bring you an interview Adam conducted with Ari Gejdenson, owner of the brand-new soccer bar Dock FC, located in Ivy City. Adam talks with Ari about his history, his career playing soccer, and his plans for this brand new venue. Give it a listen!

It is a very rare two Filibuster week, with so much happening that we just had to split it into two shows. This week Jason, Ben, and Adam talk to writers who cover the two newest teams in MLS: Atlanta United and Minnesota United. First off we talk to Rob Usry of Dirty South Soccer to get the low down on Atlanta. We talk about their strategy in the expansion draft, their defense, and the trades that they’ve made so far. We also discuss their wealth of attackers, the youth on the team, and possibly signing Brad Guzan. We end with a discussion of Hector Villalba, Junior Burgos, and their new digs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. We then welcome on Garrett Denney of E Pluribus Loonum to talk about our new friends in the frozen north. We ask him which team had a better expansion draft, before moving into a discussion of them bringing Christian Ramirez with them to MLS and their overall roster direction. We have to ask about the hiring of Adrian Heath too, before moving onto their NASL players, the trade for Johan Venegas

It is Tuesday, it is expansion draft day, and it is Filibuster day! Jason, Ben, and Adam start off the show by talking about the Richmond Kickers' new stadium deal before getting to MLS Cup and specifically how it wasn’t nearly as bad a game as people have been saying it was. We talk about the game itself and how Tosaint Ricketts completely changed it when he came on. We give cake or death to the last few players on D.C. United’s roster, including Marcelo Sarvas, Rob Vincent, and Travis Worra, before going into the expansion draft. We talk about the trades of Miguel Aguilar and Kennedy Igboananike, and what they meant for the 11 players that D.C. United was able to protect from Atlanta United and Minnesota United. Finally, we talk about the expansion draft writ large and who those two interlopers United might do. Give it a listen!

The Filibuster crew is back to talk about all things soccer. Jason, Adam, and Ben kick off the show talking about the MLS Cup Final this weekend, and we break down how Toronto FC got here after talking Seattle last week. We discuss each team’s defense, which will be facing imposing offenses, and we talk about who will be the difference maker for each team. We then get into talking about the re-signing of Steve Birnbaum, which evolves into a larger discussion about what we want to see done with targeted allocation money. In the second segment, we get into cake or death: We talk Kofi Opare, Jalen Robinson, Chris Rolfe, Alvaro Saborio, and Lloyd Sam and ask which of them we want back next year. And finally, we answer your questions! We talk about boats, D.C. United’s tactics, the expansion draft and Atlanta United’s signings, and Bill Hamid. Give it a listen!

No technical difficulties will keep us from you, dear listeners! Adam, Jason, and Ben are back to talk about bureaucracy in action!, with the D.C. Zoning Commission hearing a presentation from D.C. United last night. The big news is that the supporters’ section will be safe standing, but there are also still some complaints about the design of the stadium. We also talk about the US men’s national team and Bruce Arena, and what all of this means both for the USMNT and for the LA Galaxy. We also talk about what we would do if we were a three-man coaching triumvirate of the Galaxy (hint: nothing good). We then move into cake or death, talking Collin Martin, Luke Mishu, Patrick Mullins, Lamar Neagle, and Patrick Nyarko, all before talking MLS Cup playoffs as we get ever closer to the final. Give it a listen!

We have a super-sized episode of Filibuster for your Thanksgiving commutes, and that is our gift to you. We start the episode off with Jason’s misery about Maryland in the College Cup. We then dive straight into the news of Jurgen Klinsmann’s firing, which happened mere hours before we sat down to record. We all give our answers as to whether or not he should have been fired, talk about Sunil Gulati’s responsibility in all of this, and talk about the probably hiring of Bruce Arena and ask what will he do with the upcoming Camp Cupcake. We then move into the second segment with D.C. United news, including the great joy of Luciano Acosta’s re-signing. We then get into Goat or Fox, with Kennedy Igboananike, Jared Jeffrey, Alhaji Kamara, Taylor Kemp, and Chris Korb on the docket for this episode. We also ask how Klinsmann’s firing might affect the national team call-ups of D.C. United players. Finally, we get into tonight’s MLS Cup playoffs, previewing the all-Canadian Eastern Conference final between Toronto FC

It is a Tuesday, which means there is another Filibuster to delight and amaze your ears. We start off with a news roundup (Adam’s fun time news roundup time), in which we talk about the departure of Davy Arnaud, the seemingly confirmed departure of Alvaro Saborio, and the rumors about the status of Luciano Acosta’s negotiations. We then move into our player review series, and put Julian Buescher, Nick DeLeon, Andrew Dykstra, Sean Franklin, Bill Hamid, and Charlie Horton under the microscope. Finally, we gripe about the fact that there are no MLS Cup Playoffs this weekend (curse you, Toronto Argonauts!) and then talk about the disaster that is the US Men’s national team. We also find some good things to talk about, such as the partnership of Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood, before ending with our suggestions for Jurgen Klinsmann on how to gameplan Costa Rica tonight. Give it a listen!

This is the first week that we really don’t have any D.C. United games to talk about, but the Filibuster crew would never let you down, especially not on Election Day! We start out by talking about Steve Birnbaum’s call-up to the USMNT, and talk about whether or not he will start come Friday evening against Mexico. We also talk about the reported departure of assistant coach Amos Magee, before moving on to the Goat or Fox/Cake or Death series: Luciano Acosta, Miguel Aguilar, Steve Birnbaum, and Bobby Boswell are up this week. We were also going to talk about Julian Buescher, but we went on a long tangent about a D.C. United USL team in the middle that we ran out of time. In the second segment, we talk about the MLS Cup Playoffs (yes, they’re still happening!). We talk about each of the second legs, laughing especially at the LA Galaxy and both of the teams from New York. Give it a listen!

It is the end of D.C. United’s season, and the Filibuster crew have some grief to process. We talk about going through the five stages of grief through the course of D.C. United’s loss to the Montreal Impact, and how we felt more generally watching the game. We propose that Montreal created the game that they wanted, which was abetted by Jair Maruffo and his allowing of a Concacaf’ing of the game. Finally, we talk about United’s mental breakdown, and ask whether or not the team is better at this point this year than it was at this point last year. Then we preview what is going to happen on the site in the offseason, with the offseason schedule and our offseason player review, before going off the cuff and talking generally about what United’s priorities should be for the offseason. Finally, we talk about the rest of the MLS playoffs, now in the conference semi-finals, and discuss which of the higher seeds has the best chance to come back and win. Give it a listen!

D.C. United is hosting a game at RFK Stadium in the MLS Cup playoffs, and Filibuster is here to talk about it! First, though, Adam, Jason, and Ben talk about the D.C. United stadium and the potential problem that seems to have been avoided with their Zoning Commission hearing. After that, we move on to United’s 4-2 loss to Orlando City SC in the last game of the season and start by talking about the players that Ben Olsen chose to run out for this game. We talk about Travis Worra’s performance and whether or not D.C. United could have actually found a victory at any point during that game. Finally, we have some praise for Julian Buescher and wonder whether or not Kennedy Igboananike will be back next season. We then talk about D.C. United’s home playoff game this Thursday against the Montreal Impact. we talk about how they will be likely without Didier Drogba and how that affects their team, as well is their multiple bouts of streakiness this season. Finally, we mention Nacho Piatti, Dom Odoro, and how Montre

D.C. United is a team and a fanbase that respects its history, and so today is a very special day: It is the 20th Anniversary of the very first MLS Cup, which D.C. United won in dramatic fashion 3-2 over the LA Galaxy. Almost four years ago, the Filibuster crew got together to do a live un-commentary of the very first MLS Cup because Kick TV was kind enough to post the entire match on YouTube. Tonight, in honor of that anniversary, D.C. United will be broadcasting this match live on Facebook, starting at 7PM. Therefore, we decided to bring back our live un-commentary as well, so that you can match it up with the game and listen to our ramblings rather than listening to Phil Schoen, Ty Keough, and (especially) Bill McDermott. If you can’t make it to their stream as it is going on, you can still watch the game on Kick TV at your leisure; if you do that, you should also listen to our commentary! To match up our un-commentary with either broadcast, here are some timestamps (H:MM:SS) to help you out. Kickoff: 0:05

The Filibuster podcast, just like D.C. United, is on a rocket ride of success as we blast into the playoffs! We open with United’s 3-1 win over New York City FC, and ponder whether or not the first half was the best 45 minutes of the year for the team. We talk about the delicious ridiculousness of Bobby Boswell crossing the ball to Steve Birnbaum and break down the pressure that United applied on the Pigeons that led to the third goal. We also wax rhapsodic about the team-wide beauty that was the first goal, talk about the United players on the team of the week, and try to ask whether or not this is a new version of Bennyball. We then talk about United’s last game of the season, the rematch against Orlando City SC. We ponder whether they will be more threatening with nothing for which to play, and discuss the young players who have spots on next year’s team in mind. We discuss why Kevin Molino has become the odd man out, whether or not this game will look more like the win against Columbus Crew SC, and then l

Even though there wasn’t a D.C. United game this weekend, there is still a Filibuster for you to enjoy on Tuesday. Jason, Adam, and Ben talk about the change in ownership of D.C. United, with Jason Levien and Erick Thohir buying out long-time investor Will Chang. We then shift gears to talk about the national team, talking specifically about Steve Birnbaum and Bill Hamid and tearing our hair out at the comments Jurgen Klinsmann made about Hamid’s standing. We then shift to the NYCFC game this weekend, with D.C. United able to clinch a playoff spot with a win and controlling their own destiny for fourth place (and a home playoff game). We talk about what United need to do, how they should attack the Pigeons, and how important that fourth playoff spot is. We end by talking about what D.C. United has to do to stop New York, and who New York will target when they attack United. Give it a listen!

Jason Anderson welcomes on Steph Yang of The Bent Musket to talk about the Washington Spirit, the Western New York Flash, and all things NWSL Final in advance of the game on Sunday afternoon. The Spirit won a wild game over the Chicago Red Stars to get her (2-1 in extra time) and the Flash won and even wilder game over the Portland Thorns (4-3 in extra time) to set this matchup. A Washington area women’s team is back in the finals for the first time since 2003, when Jim Gabarra (current Spirit coach) led the Washington Freedom to the last WUSA championship. It is a big deal, so give it a listen!

The whole crew is back together again, as Jason, Adam, and Ben are all here to talk about D.C. United’s 2-1 victory over Toronto FC, their third win in seven days! We talk about the luxurious amount of wing depth that D.C. United has right now, and how there was less rotation than we thought there would be in this game. We talk specifically about Luke Mishu and his resurgence in this game, and then zoom out to talk about Ben Olsen’s coaching performance writ large. Finally, we talk about how underrated Lloyd Sam has been since coming to D.C. United, and spend some time dismissing Toronto’s complaints about the refereeing. In the second segment, we talk about the playoff run-in in the Eastern Conference, with four and a half teams competing for three spots in the playoffs. Columbus Crew SC are basically out, and the New England Revolution don’t control their own destiny, so we talk about the three teams who are battling desperately for fourth: the Montreal Impact, D.C. United, and the Philadelphia Union. We br