A Kick in the Grass

It was a truly epic World Cup Final. Argentina, off the back of an Angel Di Maria masterclass, was coasting to a 2-0 win but with 10 minutes left everything changed. France scored twice but we got a final dose of some Lionel Messi brilliance and then the script flipped again. What a final, what a tournament.  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Soccer fans around the world were still buzzing after two exhilarating quarterfinals at the World Cup when the news began to filter in. Grant Wahl, a pioneering soccer journalist from the United States, died while covering the Argentina vs. the Netherlands match. Dan Riccio, Jeff Blair, and Devang Desai pay tribute to Grant and his contributions to this sport before discussing the latest from Qatar, including Lionel Messi’s path to the World Cup title.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

On today’s show, Dan Riccio, Jeff Blair and Devang Desai are joined by The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke (9:44) from Qatar to discuss the road forward for the Canadian men’s program after three consecutive losses in Qatar. After that, the guys list their superlatives (35:14) for the tournament so far, including the biggest disappointments and best storylines.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Well, that’s that. Canada’s journey at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar came to an end with a 2-1 loss to Morocco to conclude play in Group F. On this edition of A Kick in the Grass, Dan Riccio, Jeff Blair, and Devang Desai react to the conclusion of Canada’s first World Cup in 36 years and welcome former Canadian National Team member Craig Forrest (18:38) to comb through the aftermath of three consecutive losses. Who stood out, who underperformed and where does Canada go from here? The guys talk about all that and plenty more. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

It started off so well. Alphonso Davies scored Canada’s first World Cup goal 68 seconds into the match, but it wasn’t enough. On the latest A Kick in the Grass, Dan Riccio, Jeff Blair, and Devang Desai react to Croatia’s 4-1 win at Khalifa International Stadium. How did it go wrong for John Herdman’s side, and where do they go from here with one group stage match remaining against Morocco? The guys discuss those topics and much more.  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates. 

Dan Riccio, Jeff Blair, and Devang Desai kick off the show by discussing John Herdman getting under the skin of Croatia, his mental tactics, and more. Next, the guy's welcome CBS Sports soccer analyst, Grant Wahl, to discuss how Canada and the U.S. are looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup, his experience covering the World Cup in Qatar, the pressure Brazil faces to win the tournament, and more (13:00). Then, the guys turn to Canada’s upcoming game against Croatia and discuss which players are expected to start for Canada, how they should approach the match offensively, and how important Johnathan David’s play will be. After that, Henry Standage of Painting the Pitch Red, joins the show to discuss the unknown history of Canadian Soccer, Junior Hoilett’s decision to play for Canada and what it meant for the future of the national team, what happened after the 1986 World Cup, and more (45:00).The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Dan Riccio, Jeff Blair, and Devang Desai react to Canada's 1-0 loss to Belgium in group play at the World Cup in Qatar. What were the emotions of seeing them play for the first time in over 30 years? They also get into the Alphonso Davies penalty kick, other missed penalties earlier in the game, and the long connection from Belgium to score the game's only goal. Plus, what can we expect from an aggressive Canadian team vs. Croatia on Sunday? The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

With the World Cup getting underway tomorrow, A Kick In The Grass returns! Hosted by Jeff Blair, Dan Riccio, and Devang Desai, they start the show by breaking down the injury updates of Alphonso Davies and Stephen Eustáquio, John Herdman’s goals for the team ahead of their first match against Belgium, and more. Next, James Sharman joins the show to discuss which underrated Canadian player can make an impact on the world stage, how important Steven Vitória is for Canada, and the new five-sub rule (18:50). Next, the guys discuss how good Belgium really is and what we can expect from them, who the best player in Group F is, and which notable players were left out of Canada’s 26-man roster. What has the response been regarding the banning of beer at World Cup stadiums? Who are the favorites to come out on top of each group? Who will score Canada’s first goal? The guys answer all of the biggest questions surrounding Team Canada and the World Cup!  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Dan Riccio and Jeff Blair are back with producer Devang Desai to discuss the Canada men's national soccer team and their journey to Qatar. Every Saturday, the guys will breakdown the biggest stories from the largest sporting event in the world with guests from around the globe. Plus, after each Canada game they'll have instant reaction as the Canucks take on Belgium, Croatia, and Morocco in the group stage.

A new documentary, ‘Pelé’, will debut on Netflix February 23rd. Dan & Jeff speak with the directors David Tryhorn and Ben Nicholas to discuss their film on the legendary footballer (34:33). Also, Canadian international and President of the PFA Canada, Marcel de Jong, joins the show as well to discuss the initiatives they will be pushing for in discussions with the CPL (48:55). The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Manchester City tighten their hold atop the Premier League standings. In Serie A, Inter Milan is in first thanks to Romelu Lukaku. Derek Rae, ESPN’s lead Bundesliga commentator, joins us to review the recent action in the German league. This episode is produced by Derrick Brandao and hosted by Dan Riccio and Jeff Blair. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Jeff discuss Manchester City finally winning at Anfield, and how it’s now their title to lose. The duo also look at Lille OSC’s red-hot Jonathan David. Toronto FC’s Liam Fraser joins the show to talk about growing up in MLS and the next step he hopes to take. This episode is produced by Derrick Brandao and hosted by Dan Riccio and Jeff Blair. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Jeff take a look into the MLS labour situation with Steven Goff of The Washington Post. Plus, we talk to Matthew Durrans, a Canadian who moved to Germany when he was 14 and now plays for 1860 Munich. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

Dan and Jeff react to the news of Chelsea sacking Frank Lampard. What led to this? Dominic Fifield of The Athletic gives a closer look at how the relationship with Lampard and the club had deteriorated. This episode is produced by Derrick Brandao and hosted by Dan Riccio and Jeff Blair. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Jeff welcome the men’s national team manager John Herdman for an update on how he is preparing for the big year ahead with World Cup Qualifying and a Gold Cup around the corner. They are also joined by new Toronto FC manager Chris Armas, who details his plans for keeping the club at the top of MLS, and what he’s looking for in a new designated player. The show closes with their thoughts on a goalless draw between Liverpool and Manchester United and how the race for the Premier League remains tight. This episode is produced by Derrick Brandao and hosted by Dan Riccio and Jeff Blair. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Jeff look at how the Premier League is shaping up as we approach the midway mark of the season. They discuss what lies ahead for some teams and what some contenders need to add to their roster. The guys also look around European soccer starting with an update on Ligue 1 and Jonathan David’s season with writer Robin Bairner. Later, they’re joined by Eurosport’s Siavoush Fallahi to break down the season in Serie A and discuss if there could be a new champion of the Italian league. Finally, they wrap the show with some news surrounding Canada Soccer and MLS. This episode is produced by Cam Barra and hosted by Dan Riccio and Jeff Blair. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Jeff are back with their first episode of 2021! They kickoff the year by looking at Manchester United’s recent success and if its sustainable. They’re joined by ESPN’s Samuel Marsden to discuss the latest surrounding Lionel Messi’s future with FC Barcelona and if a move to the MLS might be a possibility. They’re also joined by Rob Harris of the Associated Press to talk about how the Premier League has struggled to deal with pandemic protocol rule breakers and how that could affect the rest of the season. Finally, they touch on Alphonso Davies return to action as Bayern picked up another impressive win over the weekend.   This episode is produced by Cam Barra and hosted by Dan Riccio and Jeff Blair. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Jeff wrap up the year in soccer with a roundtable featuring Joshua Kloke of the Athletic and Manuel Veth of TransferMarkt. The four of them dive into the biggest topics from world football in 2020 including Alphonso Davies’ year to remember, how he fits into the national team and the challenges that Canada Soccer faces as they look to take another step forward toward a World Cup berth. They also look at how European soccer handled the pandemic and what comes next for them. Finally, they wrap-up the show discussing MLS and the future of the Canadian teams. This episode is produced by Cam Barra and hosted by Dan Riccio and Jeff Blair. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Dan and Jeff kickoff the show breaking down a couple of key matches from the weekend and compare the buy-in Jose Mourinho has from Spurs to how lost Mikel Arteta looks at Arsenal. They dive into Manchester United’s season and the troubles the club has had with both Paul Pogba and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the guys are joined by The Guardian’s Jamie Jackson. Closer to home, former MLSE President Tim Leiweke joins the show to discuss why he helped choose Greg Vanney to manage TFC and how integral Vanney was to building the proper environment for a championship squad in Toronto. This episode is produced by Cam Barra and hosted by Dan Riccio and Jeff Blair. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate

Dan and Jeff look back at the life, legacy and controversy of Diego Maradona. They discuss why he connected so much to the people or Argentina and how despite his troubles off the pitch, his greatness on the field was unmatched. They look back at the day in 1996 when Maradona played in Toronto and […]