The People’s Game Radio Show for Friday June 25, 2010

The entire People’s Game team joins in the roundtable as we preview the biggest game in the history of USA men’s soccer – funny how that’s happened three times in the past two weeks. Nick, Jennifer, Alan, Fernando, and Pablo assess the prospects for the resilient Yanks as they face Ghana, the last hope for the home continent. Then Spaniard Tony Presido addresses why Spain still seems stuck in second gear. Radio Korea’s David Choi tells of the thousands of Red Devils who will pack into a square in central Los Angeles for a public screening of South Korea v Uruguay. Then John James in the Ivory Coast explains what went wrong and right for the Elephants who exited the tournament on a winning note vs North Korea. In our featured interview, Jenna Pel of the website All White Kit talks about the WPS, America’s women’s professional league, which is in mid-season now. Finally, we put out a call for global football revolution – let’s build a movement of billions to demand (and achieve!) a two week international holiday during the first two weeks of the 2014 World Cup!!!

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The People’s Game Radio show for Thursday June 24, 2010

Italy, the defending champions, get knocked out of the tournament by Slovakia. Japan scores a historic victory over Denmark. Counterpunch’s Harry Browne joins Alan to discuss the tournament – and whether soccer, which not long ago was understood as a source of working class solidarity, can be reclaimed by the people from the forces of global capital that rule the sport today. Then Alan turns to the great analyst of contemporary Italy, Alexander Stille, to find out whether the pathetic performance of the Azzurri is related to culture of corruption that reigns in Berlusconi’s Italia.

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The People’s Game Radio interview with Alexander Stille
Journalist Alexander Stille discusses the place of calcio in contemporary Italian society – and how Coach Marcello Lippi’s terrible selections for the 2010 national side relates to the culture of corruption that dominates Berlusconi’s Italy.

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The People’s Game Radio – Harry Browne interview

Counterpunch’s Harry Browne analyzes the tournament so far, explains why Maradona’s Argentina is staking a claim as The People’s Team, and discusses whether soccer, once a source of working class solidarity, can be wrested back from the clutches of global capital.

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The People’s Game – Radio Show for June 23, 2010

There have been many days dramatic in the 2010 World Cup, but for fans of Team USA – long-term fans and all those people who discovered in the 92nd minute of today’s match that they too were Team USA fans – this was by far the most exciting day yet. Landon Donovan’s goal in added time saved the Americans from elimination and propelled them to the top of the Group C standings. The World Cup became the talk of the nation and just possibly – time will tell – catapulted soccer into the top tier of American sports. We’ll talk to Nick Green, who’s followed team USA as close as any journalist in the country, about this exhilerating moment of triumph. Then, Fernando Romero, a lifelong fan of Mexico and Holland confesses a new found allegiance to those damned Yankees! We then travel to foreign shores to talk with Grahame Beasley about the underdog of underdogs, New Zealand. Lars Eriksson in Copenhagen reports on Denmark’s enthusiasm in advance of their showdown with Japan. Sean Carroll, researching a book on Japanese soccer, lets us know how important tomorrow’s match is to the people of Japan and to the future of football in Japan. Gemeli Adzaho joins us from Ghana to talk both about the national soccer team and the Keta Sandlanders FC, a remarkable football club in Ghana. To the end the show, we play the entirety of the special broadcast we recorded earlier today immediately following the USA’s stunning victory.

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The People’s Game – special USA edition – June 23, 2010

Winning goal in the 92nd minute! Landon Donovan! Co-hosts Jennifer Doyle, Pablo Miralles, and Alan Minsky reflect on most dramatic moment in the history of U S Men’s Soccer! Analyze the game itself and reflect on the implications of the victory for soccer in the States. What the game can do for America – entry into a global community (the right’s worst fear) – and what America may be able to do for the game (higher profile for the women’s game!). Then Mark Torres joins the team for an extended discussion on the greatness of Landon Donovan.

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The People’s Game – Radio Show for Tuesday June 22, 2010

Perfecting the art of watching two TVs simultaneously – co-host Jennifer Doyle conveys what it means for Southern California to have Mexico and South Korea both advance. Lazar Treschan reports from cloud nine in La Celeste. Fernando Romero reflects on a less impressive Mexico side that will meet Argentina in a rematch of ’06.. Hamoud Salhi reports on the fervor gripping Algeria before their showdown with the USA. Kevin, a Germany supporter in Los Angeles, remains confident his side will prevail over Ghana – and lastly Ian Masters, who’s great uncle was the captain of the Australian team in the 1920s, expresses his nation’s frustration with the refereeing while remaining hopeful that the Socceroos can pull a miracle against Serbia tomorrow.

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The People’s Game – Radio Show for Monday June 21, 2010

Halfway through the tournament: 32 games played, 32 to go. The roundtable with Jennifer, Alan, Pablo, and Spanish partisan Tony Presido takes a critical look at the media coverage of Les Blues’ implosion and ponders the success of South America vs. the failings of Europe and Africa. We talk with Tom Dunmore of the blog Pitch Invasion, which expands the scope of soccer coverage. Then Jennifer speaks with three of the East Los Angeles contingent of Global Girl Media about the stories they’re covering related to the World Cup. Arturo Cifuentes, a Chilean “football intellectual,” relates the joy in Santiago as Chile notches its second win in this World Cup after a 48 year drought. Lastly, we broadcast the interview we did yesterday evening with Ancelmo Ramos of the Honduran Resistance of Los Angeles, calling on the Honduran team to make a show of solidarity with Hondurans who oppose last year’s coup.

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