The Away End with Daniel Alarcón and John Green
The Away End with Daniel Alarcón and John Green
Two novelists, Daniel Alarcón and John Green, friends since they were teenagers, tackle questions big and small around the World Cup and international football more generally. The only soccer podcast that regularly name checks Toni Morrison, The Away End is about much more than sport: it's about politics, literature and culture, with an eye toward those moments and spaces where our collective love…Social links:
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Episode 25: The Guts and Glory of Cape Verde, Those Who Must Tip the Scales and Other Revelations of Truth and Consequence
On Episode 25 of The Away End, the full spectrum of the World Cup is on display. We begin with everyone’s favorite Cape Verdean, Janine de Novais as she joins Daniel and John to talk about how a small country stole the spotlight during this World Cup with their stirring performance in the Round of …
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Episode 24: We Were Wrong About Everything Part 2, USMNT Outlook and the Vozinha Rule
On Episode 24 of The Away End, Daniel and John recap what we’ve seen so far and preview what’s to come including the USMNT’s prospects of making it to the Round of 16. They talk about surprises like the South American teams’ performances, Europe looking less dominant than usual, and how the African…
53:51
Episode 23: Even When You’re Wrong, You Can Still Be Right, Americana Culture with an Achy Breaky Heart Vibe, and Unforgettable Moments
On Episode 23 of The Away End, Daniel and John begin with a discussion of the differences between Messi and Ronaldo, "The Peru Rule", and the things that have made this Tournament brilliant so far. They reveal the wonders of watching teams that are lacking something competing against each other, ol…
45:52
Episode 22: Pochettino's Redemption, Alarcón vs. Jordan and the First Days of the World Cup
On Episode 22 of The Away End, The World Cup brings people together, and that includes Daniel, John and Sean who, after many years or maybe just a year apart, find themselves reunited together again! John was watching the USMNT from Norway at 3 AM. Daniel was in Philadelphia's Fan Zone for Cape Ver…
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Episode 21: World Cup Brackets, Predictions, and an Enigmatic, Beautiful Man
On Episode 21 of The Away End podcast, the road to the long-awaited bracket reveal has come to an end! But first, Daniel and John have a disagreement over what John facetiously dubbed, “one of the greatest moments in World Cup history” that Daniel surmises began with a schoolyard promise between Di…
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Episode 20: Pochettino's Folly, Spain Deep Dive and Sweet Sweet Music
On Episode 20 of The Away End podcast, Daniel is recovering from a whirlwind weekend that included watching vignettes of the UEFA Champions League final between PSG and Arsenal on his phone's screen as he was being called to make an important speech. A discussion about the USMNT's win over Senegal …
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Episode 19: Super-Sized Listener Mailbag Edition
After Daniel takes a victory lap for his (Arsenal's) finish atop the Premiere League and talks about sharing the joy with his son Eliseo, albeit for different reasons, John, Daniel, and Sean read and discuss several listener questions. Plus a most excellent listener story about being an American in…
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Episode 18: The Sadness of A One-Sided Rivalry, Brazil Deep Dive and Becoming a Football Legend in Just Three Months
On Episode 18 of The Away End, Daniel’s story about watching the Arsenal v. West Ham game and the aftermath leads John to zero in on a major problem with human behavior. In his Brazil deep dive, Daniel introduces us to jogo bonito (The Beautiful Game), talks about his hero Ronaldinho and wonders if…
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Episode 17: Seeking Beauty with Author Simon Kuper
Author of the new book, World Cup Fever: A Soccer Journey in Nine Tournaments, Simon Kuper joins The Away End for a discussion about football and the complexity of national identity, the globalization of style at the top of the game and the lower quality of football that expansion of the World Cup …
48:37
Episode 16: TV for Chickens for Humans, Haiti Deep Dive, and Daniel's Honduran Fixer
On Episode 16 of The Away End, John has returned from England with something on his heart. After letting it out, he deep dives into the Haitian National Team. And Daniel tells the story of Jorge, his Honduran fixer who created an unexpected, impenetrable forcefield around him that revealed its real…
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