Top Class Finish Podcast

Top Class Finish returns this week with special guest Will Rivard of Tottenham Hotspur World. We discuss Tottenham's season so far, their less-than-ideal Champions League start, what signings could improve their squad, and where Pochettino ranks among other big club managers in Europe. Will stays on to recap the Premier League action of the weekend with us, and chat Pogba's awful penalty, Mark Noble's continued cost to West Ham, predicting City vs Spurs, and more. We also give our updated Power Rankings and Will shares his as well.  Lastly, we discuss Barcelona's trashing of Real Madrid in El Clasico, and whether or not Real Madrid is a club in crisis. Even more controversial, are they a club without an identity now that Ronaldo is at Juventus?  Things are wrapped up with an Over/Under featuring squirrels, 4-4-2, and Starburst. 

After what seemed like a terribly long international break, the Premier League returns and the title race grows tighter. We recap the highlight matches of the weekend like Chelsea's late draw versus United, Cardiff's first win of the season against a continuously disappointing Fulham, and Arsenal's victory over Leicester gives them their 10th straight win of the season.  We also preview the big Champion's League matches this week, make some scoreline predictions, chat Henry's first CL match in charge of Monaco, and talk about the US youngsters that will be making an impact in some of the CL matches.  Also discussed is the US Women's National Team who just defeated Canada 2-0 to win the 2018 CONCACAF Championship and easily clinch a spot in the 2019 Women's World Cup taking place in France.  Also mentioned is the terrible death and murder of influential Mexican women's soccer coach Mar Ibarra.  We wrap up with a This or That featuring Vince Staples, Chips and Salsa, Lo Mein, and more. 

With the international break driving us mad and boring us to tears, the boys decide to get a little creative for this week's episode. We'd like to introduce to you...Space Jam: Soccer Edition. I'm sure ya'll remember the movie Space Jam very well from your younger years - we sure do. So we decided to revisit the movie but revamp everything about it to make it soccer related. Andy came up with the questions, and each of us provided our own answers. Gigi Buffon instead of Jordan, John Cena instead of Bill Murray, our own choices for the MonStars squad, which tunes feature in our 5-a-side, and much more.  We round out the episode discussing some of the international soccer news that happened, such as the US Women's National Team who are currently on fire, and the German men's team who are currently not.  Of course, it's all topped off with a This or That featuring Mario or Sonic, PlayStation or DreamCast, the original Star Wars trilogy vs the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and more. 

This is a massive episode. We run down the Premier League results from this past weekend and highlights the big matches: Arsenal waxed Fulham, Chelsea stomped Southampton, United somehow, someway, miraculously came back from 2 goals down to beat Newcastle 3-2 in the second half, and of course we take a look at the most hyped up match of the month that turned out to be a snoozefest...Liverpool vs City.  We also talk: -What the hell is going on at Manchester United? -Quinci's continued boycott of his own club (Arsenal) -Updated Power Rankings (what's up Bournemouth!?) -Champions League Recap and Previews (Messi doin' Messi things) -US players lighting up leagues abroad -The USWNT started the WC qualifiers with a bang  We also do a fall themed Over/Under where the scariest thing that's ever happened on the pod takes place during our picks for scary movies (go figure)

We cover a whole lot of ground this episode... First, we recap the big matches of the PL weekend which were Liverpool vs Chelsea and Manchester United vs West Ham. We talk about Chelsea and Hazard's impressive form, whether Salah is in a slump, and obviously chat about United's disappointing form and the future of the club under, and with or without, Jose Mourinho. We also talk a little bit about Spurs and Lamela whose praises Nate is singing despite him historically hating on the player.  Moving on from that there is some Champion's League previews, especially with the big matches like Spurs vs Barcelona, Napoli vs Liverpool, United vs Valencia, and Bayern vs Ajax.  Things get wrapped up with a This or That involving Gerrard or Lampard, boxers vs briefs, Icardi vs Immobile, zoos vs museums, and more. 

In this week's episode we run down the scores from the Premier League weekend and recap the two big matches of the weekend: Spurs vs Liverpool and United vs Watford.  We also break down Pep Guardiola's comments about the Premier League, in which he states that the league only seems as good as it is because of how it's broadcast. Spoiler alert: we all disagree.  Moving on from that, we discuss Liverpool's current dominance and their wholly impressive season thus far. We also talk Champions League and it's wonderful return. Tottenham fall to Inter Milan, Messi and Co. stomp PSV, and Liverpool continue to show their dominance with a win over PSG.  The gang also discusses Douglas Costa's spitting incident that occured during Juventus' 2-1 win over Sassuolo and the 4-match ban he earned. And finally things get wrapped with an Over/Under that includes Caesar Salad, cigars, Black Mirror, and Donkey Kong Country.  

After a long post-summer hiatus, the boys have returned to the pod to discuss the first month of the Premier League.  We talk the Premier League awards for the first month of the season, Amazon's new documentary about Manchester City's 2017-2018 season, preview Liverpool vs Tottenham and Watford vs United, Nate and Oliver make a bet, and everyone gets into a hilarious debate about the transitive property of footy...if club A beats club B, and then club C beats club A, does that mean club C should beat club B? All this and more in a fire episode you don't want to miss!

Matchweek 2 of the Premier League is over and we do a recap of the goals, moments, and talking points of the big matches from this past weekend's action. In addition, we give our individual and updated top 6 Power Rankings. Not much has changed among our picks, but you can be sure as the weeks progress that things could go in any direction. We also put Mourinho in the hot seat as we discuss some hypothetical scenarios regarding his tenure at the club, and answer whether he's been an overall failure or success while in charge, and if his recent string of club failures at United and Chelsea overshadow his club successes from before.   Lastly, we switch things up with our Over/Under and do a This or That instead. 

The Premier League has returned and so have we. In this episode, we recap the big matches from this past weekend and each of us gives our own top 6 Power Rankings. Some choices are no-brainers, while others are a bit left field (Lookin' at you, Crystal Palace). After that, we get into a hilarious Over/Under that sees topics brought up such as silent discos, Lupe Fiasco, and the Community Shield. 

The Premier League is nearly back and the Top Class Finish boys are eager to get through the remaining soccer-less days.  We kick the episode off with a unique EPL club preview; instead of covering each club in the league, we've broken all 20 clubs into groups: The Hunger Games (relegation zone clubs), Safeties, Pretenders, and Contenders. Each of us make individual picks about which clubs end up in which group. West Ham in the top 4?! Fulham in the top 6?! Hot takes galore here.  Moving on from our league preview we make our individual predictions for Player of the Year, Golden Boot, and Manager of the Year, and then round out the episode with an over/under that involves A$AP Rocky, smart watches, rosé, and more.

After a two-week hiatus, the boys are back to bring you an exciting and fast-paced recap of the World Cup Final between France and Croatia. We discuss whether the Perisic handball penalty was the right call or not, ask whether Griezmann dove or not, and debate whether it was a memorable final or not, despite it's entertainment value. Not only that, Nate...our resident Harry Kane mega-fan...shocks everyone when he claims the England striker did not deserve the Golden Boot.  And finally, a very special Over/Under is delivered to all the listeners out there. This Over/Under was recorded earlier this month in Chicago when the boys finally all met up for the first time ever. One room, one mic, our 4 hosts, and a handful of their friends. I'm sure you can imagine how this goes. 

The boys are back to recap one helluva wild World Cup thus far. With the group stage over, we host a short and sweet awards segment called the Groupies, where we give awards for best goals, worst dives, best saves, biggest surprises, and more. Then we roll right into the insanity of the knockout stage where Ronaldo and Messi were sent packing along with their teammates, as well as Denmark and in one helluva shocker, Spain.  We discuss Argentina's atrocious mismanagement, David De Gea's plummeting stock, Kasper Schmeichel's futile heroics, and a top-to-bottom deadly Uruguay. We also preview the upcoming knockout stage matches that have us foaming at the mouth.  Also in store is an Over/Under featuring John Wick, poutine, and tea. 

After a two-week hiatus, the Top Class Finish boys are back ready, fired up, and ready to drop some recaps, hot takes, and laughs.  The World Cup has reached the end of the Group Stage and we have some much-needed discussions on each group thus far, except with a 5-minute time limit of discussion given to each group. It's rapid fire, soccer fans! We talk our love affair with Mexico, admiration of Croatia, a Shaqiri conspiracy theory, and much much more. Each group is given just 5 minutes of discussion before the alarm goes off and we must move on. Hold tight, this one is fast and furious. 

With the World Cup now just 1 day away, the Top Class Finish boys wrap up their A - Z coverage of World Cup topics. In this week's episode, the boys start with 'M' and end with 'Z', covering a range of topics full of hot takes and spicy banter, such as: N: Newcomers...Iceland and Panama are the new kids on the block.​ P: Pissed Off...which country's fans are going to end up being the most pissed off? ​X: X-Factor...which player or players are going to be this World Cup's biggest X-Factor(s)? Y: You...Who should YOU root for? If you're a newcomer to the sport/competition, or your usual country didn't make it, this segment is for you. ​    

With the World Cup just two weeks away, the Top Class Finish boys are tackling this massive competition by covering the alphabet from 'A' to 'Z' with World Cup related items. In this week's episode, the boys start with 'A' and end with 'L', covering a range of topics full of hot takes and spicy banter, such as: ​ B: Breakout stars...which players are going to breakout and become stars after their performances at this year's World Cup? ​ C: Captain...which captain is under the most pressure this World Cup? Which captain will do the best?  ​ D: Dark horse or dark horses...which teams are this year's dark horses? What even constitutes a dark horse?    G: Golden Boot, Golden Gloves, and Golden Ball...the boys give their predictions for who will win these awards.   H: Group H...the boys get into a spicy debate about whether Group H is the Group of Death this year...or if there is no Group of Death at all.   L: Loser...predictions for which teams will make it to the final...only to lose. Their predictions for the w

This week's episode sees the Top Class Finish boys recapping the Champions League Final, but with a focus on what didn't make headlines. The pod was also granted press credentials for the USA vs Bolivia match on Monday night, including USMNT practices and pressers. Nate was able to get exclusive player interviews before the match with: Timothy Weah - 25:00 Eric Lichaj - 28:00 Keaton Parks - 32:00 Wes McKennie - 35:00 The boys wrap things up with an Over/Under that includes...fried mushrooms?

The boys are back this week and take a look at both league happenings and the impending World Cup. The FA Cup Final is discussed, Quinci argues that a Champions League Final win for Liverpool is a win for the entire Premier League, and did Gareth Southgate take enough risks with his World Cup squad? ​We answer that question as well as debate whether or not Jack Wilshire deserved a spot, watch Nate get high on Harry Kane, recap a lovely Carli Lloyd goal, and decide whether pineapple on pizza is overrated or underrated. 

Andy, Oliver, Quinci, and Nate recap the 2017/2018 Premier League season by assigning the top six EPL clubs letter grades, debating individual Premier League player awards, and discussing (arguing) what it takes to become a club legend (Is De Gea a club legend?) Other league winners like PSG and Barcelona are mentioned, Europa League final predictions are made, Oliver shares a Manchester City vs QPR Conspiracy, and Cardi B gets a mention in this week's Over/Under.  

Lamela, Lamela, Lamela...In Episode 7 of the Top Class Finish podcast, Nate goes off again about the Lamela and Pochettino allegiance, the boys discuss the top 4 race and the relegation battle, send well-wishes to Sir Alex Ferguson, and teach Quinci how to pronounce 'spinach'.

Episode 6 of the Top Class Finish Podcast sees a very intoxicated Nate reunited with Oliver, Andy, and Quinci after his vacation in the jungles of Central America. The boys talk FA Cup and the other big competitions, as well as trash Spurs, debate Will Ferrell's funniest movie, and talk about globe-trotting robots.