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 10: World Cup Playoffs, France Deep Dive, and the AFC Wimbledon Origin Story
On Episode 10, John and Daniel break down the World Cup Playoffs and discuss which teams have the best chance to advance. Daniel does a deep dive into the French National Team, and John regales us with the origin story of AFC Wimbledon, a team close to his heart. Plus, John and Daniel read listene…
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Episode 9: Iran, Netherlands Deep Dive, and the Story of Carlos Caszely and the Phantom Team
On Episode 9, Daniel and John break down the latest news with Iran's national team, Daniel points and laughs gleefully at the misery of Arsenal’s crosstown rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, John does a deep dive into the Netherlands, and Daniel tells the powerful story of Chilean legend Carlos Caszely, wh…
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Episode 8: Creators of Golden Goal Magazine join The Away End, Daniel talks Japan, and Storytime with John
On Episode 8 of The Away End, we have our first guests! Miguel Salazar and Alex Shephard are the creators and founders of a new print magazine about football called Golden Goal, and they join John and Daniel to talk about their new journalistic venture and how it ties into the World Cup. Daniel tak…
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Episode 7: John and Daniel's Hierarchy of Loyalties, a USMNT Deep Dive, and the Allure of Purple Sneakers
John's back! We're less than 100 days out from kick off in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and on today's episode, John and Daniel start things off by breaking down their hierarchy of loyalties with the teams in this year's World Cup. Then, John leads the way on a deep dive of the USMNT. Cou…
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Episode 6: Listener Mailbag!
Daniel and producer Sean go through the listener mailbag while John is away this week. We'd love to hear from you. Email us at awayendpod@gmail.com
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Episode 5: The White Wolves of Uzbekistan and The Wild Story of Carlos Kaiser
On Episode 5, we have a hot take alert! Daniel poses the question: should there be term limits for national team coaches? Daniel and John dive into the White Wolves of Uzbekistan, the team's history in past World Cups, and how they might fare in this year's group stage. Finally, John tells the insa…
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Episode 4: James Rodriguez, Cote D'Ivoire, and The Self-Destructive Intensity of Fandom
On the 4th episode of The Away End, Daniel and John kick things off discussing Colombian star James Rodríguez and the curse of effortless talent. John dives into one of this year's potential sleeper teams who could create some intrigue, the Elephants of Cote D'Ivoire. And Daniel tells a story about…
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Episode 3: Uruguay, Potential World Cup Boycott, and The 1994 Caribbean Cup
On the third episode of The Away End, Daniel and John highlight Uruguay and their coach, Marcelo “El Loco” Bielsa while exploring Uruguay's chances of advancing to the knockout round and beyond. They also discuss the possibility of a World Cup boycott, and John recounts the unbelievable events of t…
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Episode 2: The Power of Hope, AFCON Aftermath, and the Story of Jimmy Glass
John and Daniel are back with the second episode of The Away End. They dive into the aftermath of the AFCON Final and its repercussions for the World Cup and talk about the importance of hope, both in life and football. John also regales us with the extraordinary story of Jimmy Glass and Carlisle U…
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Episode 1: The 2026 World Cup Draw
On the premiere episode of The Away End, Daniel and John reminisce on over 30 years of friendship, discuss some of their favorite World Cup memories, and dissect the 2026 World Cup Draw. Will the USMNT get out of the Group Stage? Which of the World Cup debutantes will do the best? Which team is poi…
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