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The official home for audio programming from Villarreal USA, SB Nation's community for fans of Villarreal CF.
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21 feb 2023
VUSA Pod #100: Four Losses in A Row....
Not a pleasant few weeks for fans of the Yellow Submarine. Remember how we said getting 12 of 15 points was our goal? Well.....3 out of 15 with four losses in a row, injuries all over the place, and a squad weakened by selling Rulli and loaning Danjuma (weaker on the pitch, anyhow) with no replacements.
How much is Quique Setién to blame for recent results, and how much is the fault of a front office that decided to wait for the summer to make things happen? Sidarth and Allen discuss all of this, our recurring injury problems, ask what might lead the club to cut Setién loose, etc etc etc.
And, the Conference League takes on new importance--win it, and we would get into the Europa league next year. Otherwise, qualifying for Europe might be difficult. Certainly this losing streak has put pay to any Champions League dreams.
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2 feb 2023
VUSA Pod #99: Allen and Robin assess Villarreal's January transfer window
Robin and Allen discuss our transfer happenings, or lack thereof. It's a wide-ranging discussion, replete with references to our favorite players over the years, why some of Villarreal's current squad just can't fit into Setien's 4-3-3, how much we will miss Danjuma, etc etc.
And we even feel sorry for Valencia at the end. Have a listen.
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30 ene 2023
VUSA Pod #98: Allen and Sid catch up after a month of Setien
Allen and Sidarth discuss the transfer market this January, Quique Setien's impact on Villarreal, and for some reason (maybe we still have memories of Villarreal's relegation in 2012 we need to expunge?) we talk a lot about the bottom half of the La Liga table and teams that might be a little....worried?
Enjoy, and Endavant Villarreal!
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12 ene 2023
VUSA Pod #97: Jamie and Allen catch up after the World Cup
Allen is joined by Jamie Kemble to talk Villarreal---what's going on in the transfer market, who might leave, where might we (or should we) look to reinforce ourselves in January or the summer? Also, we briefly celebrate our recent results.
And we also talk about the stadium rebuild, not all positively given what we've seen in social media about the away end becoming even more unwelcoming. Enjoy and Endavant Villarreal.
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2 nov 2022
VUSA Pod #96: Sid and Allen talk Setien and Emery
Allen is joined by Sidarth to review recent happenings at Villarreal. We are pretty upbeat, though we still await our first victory under Quique Setien. This was recorded prior to the Athletic Club match, and prior to all these rumors about Aston Villa moving for Nicolas Jackson.....
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27 oct 2022
VUSA Pod #95: Change Might Be Good
It's been quite a week--I spend a month in Spain and come home to this! Apologies for not having a pod for a while, but hopefully this helps to make up for it. The main topic is of course Unai Emery's departure--why now, why Aston Villa, and then the replacement. Quiqui Setien has been out of football for a couple of years but a lot of the panel remember his Betis teams fondly.
Julian, Robin and Rahul are pretty mellow about it all...though the real worry will come in the next transfer windows, we think.
Endavant Villarreal, and fond memories of Sr. Llaneza as well.
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21 ago 2022
VUSA Pod #94: Villarreal and Atleti Perspectives on Today's Win!
I was a guest on Jeremy's 'Colchonero Chat' podcast previewing the match, and now he returns the favor on a postgame pod. We were expecting this to be a tight, exciting match, and so it was, though for the first hour of a 0-0 we thought we might have jinxed it. But then things happened!
We talk about Cholo Simeone's decision to let Villarreal have most of the possession in the first 30 minutes or so--a sign of respect for Nico Jackson's speed, or hoping we would turn the ball over in midfield? Whatever, it didn't work as Villarreal dominated the first half and were unlucky not to go in with a lead.
Second half we knew Atleti would change things up,and they did, dominating the third quarter of the match and pushing the Yellow Submarine back. But strangely enough, Villarreal's first goal came from the sort of counter--indirectly, at least--Cholo had feared. A Jackson shot off a pass from Gerard produced a corner, and Atleti's Molina miskicked an attempted clearance, the ball fell to Yeremy Pino who arrowed a shot across Oblak into the corner.
Gero Rulli channeled his inner Iker Casillas to claw a Carrasco header back--just--and then the luckless Molina was sent off in injury time for a fist to the neck of Alex Baena, who had incurred his wrath by wasting time giving the ball back. Gerard Moreno scored on the last kick of the match from another counter. Cue the Atleti 'faithful' in the Fondo Sur screaming and throwing insults and water bottles in his direction, and apparently after the match a small group of 'fans' insulted Griezmann and Mario Hermoso as they were running on the pitch after the match.
Anyway,Unai Emery's first win over Diego Simeone, ever. Enjoy our discussion!
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17 ago 2022
VUSA Pod #93: Allen and Sid Love Villarreal But Hate Modern Football
I am joined by Sidarth to talk about things Villarreal. Two episodes in one week!!
We'd like to focus on victories for the first and second teams in week one, but the looming cloud of transfers requires our attention too. Which is sad really--why can't the transfer window end BEFORE the season starts? And why do we have to focus so much on how much money everyone is making--can't we just enjoy the Beautiful Game? Well, obviously not.
And that was before we heard of Barcelona trying to buy Juan Foyth for some made-up price that they can't pay except in Monopoly money anyway and we have indeed sold Pervis Estupiñan, who is now a Brighton Seagull (my mother's favorite English team, for reasons I won't go into here!!)
Anyhow, do enjoy this. We managed to keep it pretty short, for us.
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12 ago 2022
VUSA Pod #92: Robin, Julian and Allen look ahead to the season, talk transfers, etc
Safe to say the summer has been hotter than the Villarreal transfer market, so we figured it was time to do a podcast to get the action going. Seems to be working, with Lo Celso deal apparently agreed.
Anyhow, Robin, Julian and I had a good time chatting about the prospects for the upcoming season, which players might still leave, who we might still get, etc etc. Enjoy
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28 jun 2022
VUSA Pod #90: Robin and Julian create some controversy!
We jokingly called this the "Grumpy European" episode. Robin from the UK and Julian from Norway join me to discuss some controversial talking points.....sure, Unai Emery, you won the Europa League, but what have you done for me lately? 7th in the league is pretty disappointing. (Of course, when you barely got a full season out of the trio of Gerard, Danjuma, and Paco combined, maybe the medical staff bears some responsiblity.....)
Anyhow, we discuss this, whether Gio Lo Celso was really that good, where we really need to reinforce the squad, who might leave......and Allen and Robin are respective fanboys for Manu Trigueros and Alfonso Pedrasa, of course. Enjoy!!!
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21 jun 2022
VUSA Pod #90: Sidarth gives his take on summer transfers
Allen is joined by Sidarth to discuss Villarreal's needs in the transfer market--specifically, what we might try to do to give Geronimo Rulli some competition as goalkeeper. Enjoy!
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3 jun 2022
VUSA Pod #89: Allen and Jamie look ahead to the summer
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15 abr 2022
VUSA Pod #88: Sid and Allen are celebrating as we make it to the CL semis
Allen and Sidarth get together to talk about the victory over Bayern (of course) and look ahead a bit to Liverpool. After the break, we get into how various ex-Villarreal players and coaches are doing now, the B team, Villarreal Feminina....
Enjoy and Endavant Villarreal!
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22 mar 2022
VUSA Pod #87: Sid gives the long perspective on the CL Quarters
Allen is joined by Sidarth to discuss Villarreal's first qualification for the Champions League quarterfinals since 2009, when Villarreal USA was a Word Press blog and Sid was one of the writers. (I hadn't found them yet!).
Our 2009 team had some nice names in it, but two (Giuseppe Rossi and Diego Godín) were young, not what they would become later--Marcos Senna and Joan Capdevila were at the top of their game, and we had some good team players of which the best was Gonzalo and Cani, probably
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19 mar 2022
VUSA Pod #86: We're in the Champions League Quarterfinals!
Three goals in the last 20 minutes dispatched a frustrated Juventus--Allen and Jamie discuss what turned out to be a perfect night in Turin. And what will Unai Emery plan for our quarterfinal matchup against Bayern Munich?
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2 mar 2022
VUSA Pod #85: Jamie, Zach and Allen have big site news (and much more besides)
So we have an official changing of the guard to announce. Zach is handing over the VUSA site manager job to Jamie Kemble this week. Zach will still be around, look for his byline on articles and definitely he'll still be tweeting from the VUSA account, blue check and all.
Jamie brings a lot of football writing experience, he's actually living in Spain so can see our matches in person most of the time. Plus, he's young and energetic. All good.
Of course we talk Yeremy Pino. How could we not? And there's praise for Unai Emery, and also for maybe the best under-the-radar signing of all time, Etienne Capoue. And Sergio Asenjo's contract expires at the end of this year--what will Villarreal do there? What moves might we see in the summer?
After the break (Jamie had to go at that point) Zach and I discuss this season in La Liga. Could be you have to finish 5th to get into the Europa League, 6th only gets you the Conference League. A juicy battle for Europe over the last three months of the s…
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19 feb 2022
VUSA Pod #84: Allen and Zach on Juventus, stadium developments, and Sr. Llaneza
Allen and Zach catch up with Villarreal news--mostly looking ahead to the Juventus match on Tuesday but also we cover the planned redevelopment of Villarreal's stadium this summer and the news about Sr. Llaneza.
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11 ene 2022
VUSA Pod #83: Robin, Zach and Allen discuss Villarreal
Allen is joined by Robin and Zach. We talk about recent Villarreal performances first and who has really impressed us....then we move into a discussion of Geronimo Rulli and his strengths and weaknesses, possible reinforcements in winter (a brief discussion of Cedric Bakambu) and how we're feeling about the remainder of the season. Endavant!
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4 ene 2022
VUSA Pod #82: Allen and Sid welcome 2022
Allen and Sid chat about Villarreal's first half of the season, and the current La Liga standings. Which teams ahead of us look likely to falter? Which look strong? (we recorded this before last weekend's matches btw)
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28 oct 2021
VUSA Pod #81: The Second Return of the Villarreal USA Podcast!
Allen has returned, managed to see a bit of Villarreal's matches but Robin and Julian have seen more, and we're all concerned. So we talk about tactics, squad composition, squad selection, formations, all that stuff. How can Villarreal get out of this funk? In the best social media tradition, we give Unai Emery our advice. We want to win!!!
And at the end we give our predictions for the Valencia and Young Boys matches.
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8 sept 2021
VUSA Pod #80: Allen chats with Robin and Jamie Kemble
Allen welcomes Jamie Kemble to the podcast for the first time. Robin joins us as well. Jamie introduces himself, and then we discuss the draw against Atleti (I mean, we had to, right?), and then we analyze Villarreal's transfer window and how best to use all the players we have.
And we have questions.
For instance, Paco Alcácer.....is he going to return to scoring form on the pitch?
We're amazed we've kept three left backs--which one might end up being the odd man out in January?
With all these wing-type players we have, do we play a 4-4-2, or a 4-3-3 in attack?
How do we get Gerard untracked?
And finally, Robin asks Jamie and me for our favorite Villarreal players and then tells us what that says about us. Well, he got me right, that's for sure!
Enjoy. I will be on a hiatus for a few weeks so not sure if we'll have any new podcasts until I get back. Meanwhile, ENDAVANT VILLARREAL, let's get some wins !
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4 sept 2021
VUSA Pod #79: Charlie Tuley explains the La Liga Predictions Model
Every week, Villarreal USA is featuring the predictions of an expected goals-based model developed by Mitchel Green and adapted by Charlie Tuley for La Liga. Today Charlie joins me and Zach Hicks for an explanation of how the model works.
We also discuss how we should interpret the predictions, what sort of tweaks could one make to the model to (perhaps) improve it, etc. and of course also understand what its limitations are.
Zach and I really enjoyed this discussion and I'm sure we'll have Charlie back on another podcast in a couple of months to discuss a lot of these issues with the benefit of more matches behind us (and hopefully Villarreal will be winning rather than drawing every match!!!)
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28 ago 2021
VUSA Pod #78: Champions League Draw, Formations, etc.
Allen and Sidarth discuss the Champions League draw and fixture list. And after the break we muse about what formation Unai Emery would like to play, which works best for us right now, and we predict the inevitable low-scoring draw against Atletico Madrid.
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16 ago 2021
VUSA Pod #77: Allen and Sid preview the season
Allen and Sid get together to discuss Villarreal's bloated roster--what moves are still to come? And after the break, we move on to the league. Where will Villarreal finish? Who do we pick to do well, and who might fall back this season?
We give our predictions for Monday, also.
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9 ago 2021
VUSA Pod #76: The Supercup Preview, and we rag on Barcelona....
Allen is joined by Robin, Sid and Rahul. First part is our not-terribly-optimistic outlook for the Supercup, given all our injuries, Covid doubts, and everything else, but hey. We can do this!
After the break we talk about the implications of Messi leaving Barcelona, both for that team and for the league. If they end up being able to register their new signings, they won't be so bad, but the extent of their financial mismanagement is truly staggering.
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17 jun 2021
VUSA Pod #75: Welcome to "Austrian Groguet" Constantin!
Allen is joined by twitter's "Austrian Groguet", Constantin. We talk about how he became a Villarreal fan (now there's quite a story), and what it was like for him watching the EL final on TV.
Constantin will be doing an internship with Villarreal this summer, so we hope to keep in good communciation!
Enjoy and Endavant.
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9 jun 2021
VUSA Pod #74: Allen talks with Thomas from Villarreal's media department
Allen catches up with longtime friend Thomas McIlroy--Thomas first came to Vila-real to teach English in 2011-12 and, after returning to his native UK for awhile, joined Villarreal CF's English-language communication department in 2018. He was at the Europa League Final, but not in the stands--working in the pressbox! Which didn't stop him from being as emotional about the moment as the rest of us.
It's a really exciting time for him, heading up Villarreal's English-language communications department, as we face yet another English team in the Supercopa and get ready for a Champions League group stage where we could well face Manchester United or Liverpool (there's a 40% chance we are matched with one of those two in our group). Plus, the women's first team is playing in the Primera next season, the 13 year-olds won the La Liga Promises tournament...it's quite a time to be working for Villarreal. Enjoy.
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27 may 2021
VUSA Pod #73: Allen and Sid celebrate
Allen and Sidarth relive an epic final and an amazing day in Vilarreal CF history, not to mention in the history of the town of Vila-real. What an end to the season!
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27 may 2021
VUSA Pod #72: Villarreal, Europa League Winners!!!
What is there to say, really? Enjoy!!!
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25 may 2021
VUSA Podcast #71: Allen and Sid and the Europa League Final
Allen and Sidarth, longtime Villarreal supporters, talk about the end of the league season, but after the break we address what it means to make a Europa League Final, how achieving it has changes the narrative about Villarreal, and how we think our team might line up if some of our injured players can be available. Endavant!
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21 may 2021
VUSA Podcast #70: Allen, Zach and Robin look ahead to the Final
That's right, we are not even going to talk about Saturday's match. Instead, it's all about the Europa League Final. (well, we do review the Sevilla match as far as whether that might tell us anything, but we pretty much figure we're finishng 7th in the league)
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19 may 2021
VUSA Pod #69: Allen and Sid reflect on Arsenal, look ahead to Man United
This is the second part of the pod we recorded (this time just Sid and me) after the semifinal victory. We started out talking about the Arsenal match but then got onto a bit of a final preview. We'll have another one later now we have had the benefit of the Celta (hah!), Valladolid and Sevilla matches.
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7 may 2021
VUSA Pod #68: Allen, Sid, Maddi and Ravi have a happy reunion!!
The founder of Villarreal USA, maddi, joins us for this special occasion; so too does Ravi, longtime Villarreal fan who was a site writer once upon a time, before working for the Seattle Sounders took priority (!), and Sid. All four of us just revel in the moment and try to explain to the rest of you why it is such a moment. Enjoy.
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5 may 2021
VUSA Pod #67: Allen and Sid preview the match at Arsenal
Not much need to beat around the bush here--there's one topic and one topic only, the upcoming second leg at Arsenal. (Well, we do rubbish the penalty decision in the first leg and VAR's non-use in what it was designed for, fair enough).
How will Unai Emery set up his squad? Do we go defensive early, or try to get away goals first to put the tie away? And who replaces Juan Foyth and Etienne Capoue in the lineup?
Endavant Villarreal!
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26 abr 2021
VUSA Pod #66: We Preview the Europa League Semi versus Arsenal
The main part of this podcast is--of course--our preview of the first leg tie with Arsenal at the Ceramica. Will it be a wide-open slugfest, a tactical chess match, or.... And who will Emery play in goal? We all give our predictions for the first leg, too.
After the break we remember Robin Harris, "Mr. Villarreal" who passed away recently and was a friend to many of us who visited Vila-real, and we also salute the Villarreal Women who have been promoted to the Primera!
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20 abr 2021
VUSA Pod #65: The European Super League Mess
In light of the bombshell news that 12 clubs were going ahead with forming a "European Super League", Allen and Sidarth discuss the chaos and how it might be resolved.
On the one hand, the 12 are trying to position themselves outside UEFA (maybe understandable given their reputation for probity), on the other, the 12 are creating a perpetual, locked-in revenue stream of their own (which is totally against the concept of competition to earn European places).
We recorded this while Florentino Perez was giving an interview on Spanish TV, so we missed the opportunity to weigh in on trickle-down economics. Suffice it to say we're not impressed.....
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16 abr 2021
VUSA Pod #64: A sense of the inevitable
And lo, it has come to pass. It was inevitable, wasn't it? Villarreal and Arsenal face each other in a Europa League semifinal. Not only do these clubs match up for the third time in a European semifinal, but it's also a contest between Unai Emery's current club and his former one. Allen and Sidarth enjoy the moment, reminisce about our prior semifinals, etc. (plus, we do get some brief discussion of Javi Calleja joining Alaves and the Juan Cala incident after our break)
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2 abr 2021
VUSA Pod #63: Allen and Robin Talk Villarreal
Spring has sprung in the midst of an international break. Allen and Robin reflect on this long season, whether the break is coming at a good time or not, whether Paco Alcacer can get untracked, what to do about our logjam in midfield, and more....!
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29 mar 2021
VUSA Podcast #62: Looking ahead to Dinamo Zagreb
Villarreal dispatched Dinamo Kyiv and now face a tougher task, we expect, in Dinamo Zagreb. Yes, we're still interested in the league, and we start there, but with the draw at least giving us a fighting chance to get to the final, we can't resist looking ahead to Zagreb...
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6 mar 2021
VUSA Podcast #61: Europa League and .... the Conference League?
This was recorded before the Valencia debacle, but I had problems uploading it--if you want to skip our ruminations on how we thought that match would play out, skip to about 18 minutes in!! Allen and Sid mostly talk about the Europa League this season and how we might end up in something called the Conference League next season. Or, maybe not.
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16 feb 2021
VUSA Podcast #60: Villarreal continue to struggle in key matches
Allen is joined by Zach and Sid in the aftermath of the Betis debacle -- the result was bad enough, but Unai Emery's formation and choice of midfielders comes in for some criticism.
Is it time to bench Sergio Asenjo? He's clearly not been on his best form (and Zach has some statistics to support that) but that could be risky.
And while our injury list has been long, we just seem to be in something of a funk, not helped by last minute goals against us and goals of our own chalked off, etc.
After the break we look at our Europa League opponents, Red Bull Salzburg, coached by Wisconsin native Jesse Marsch--and with a young American midfielder, Brenden Aaronson. Until our recent lack of form you'd have expected us to be favorites--Zach still thinks we are.
Enjoy and Endavant!!
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12 feb 2021
VUSA Podcast #59: Villarreal men may be struggling, but the ladies clinch first place!
A special pod here as Allen is joined by Raúl and Robin to talk Villarreal. First, the men's first team....are there tweaks we could make to improve things, given all the injuries? And after the break, we talk about Villarreal's ladies' team. Coach Sara Monforte has her charges at the top of their group, they've clinched a spot in the next promotion round, and they look awfully good candidates to go up. Raúl has been watching them in action and gives us his thoughts on their progress and the ladies' game in Spain. Endavant!!
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7 feb 2021
VUSA Podcast #58: Draws, draws, and more damned draws!!
Is it the injuries? Or is the recent "bad luck" (read, inability to close out matches and/or score when we've got the chances) evidence of something more than that? Allen and Sid don't really know either, but misery loves company, and after our 2-2 draw with Elche they get together to try to figure it out.
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25 ene 2021
VUSA Podcast #57: A European Feel
Allen, Robin and Julian discuss Unai Emery's tactics, formations, and how it's worked out over the last couple of weeks as our injury list continues to grow.
Plus, a tribute to the soon-to-be-departed Santy Caseres, we walk down memory lane as ex-coaches Garrido and Marcelino find new employment, and more! (yep, Julian de Guzmán even gets a passing mention). We hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed our chat. Endavant.
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13 ene 2021
VUSA Podcast #56: Allen and Sid discuss the state of the league
Part two of our discussion, we were just beginning to talk about Sevilla....our main topic here is our competition in the league, but we also reflect on the January transfer window. We don't expect anything else after Capoue's arrival, but you never know.
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11 ene 2021
VUSA Podcast #55: Allen and Sidarth catch up after a fine win
Allen and Sid discuss Villarreal's victory over Celta, the departure of Kubo, and how the league looks so far (this discussion gets cut off by a technical glitch, so part two, which I will post separately, resumes with this discussion)
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20 dic 2020
VUSA Podcast #54: Allen and Zach on Iborra and much else
We go from Iborra, to Santy Caseres, to Kubo, to the B team.....
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18 dic 2020
VUSA Podcast #53: Allen and Sidarth catch up on a newsy week
Allen and Sidarth catch up after a difficult Monday for Villarreal. Sr. Roig in the papers for the wrong reasons, Vicente Iborra out for the remainder of the season, and we get handed a tough Europa League draw.
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10 dic 2020
VUSA Podcast #52 (continued): Allen, Zach and Robin reflect on the season so far
So here is part 2. Zach, Robin and I talk about the failure to score of late and whether we should be overly concerned....and Robin admits we miss Moi more than he ever thought we would :)
We're optimistic, but realistic, we think. Looking forward to the Europa League round of 32 draw!
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10 dic 2020
VUSA Podcast #52: Allen and Sid reflect on Elche, injuries and La Liga
This is part one of a two-part pod after Elche. Originally I was going to do this one by itself, but then the Europa League match got postponed. So Part I is me with Sid, and part II is me with Robin and Zach covering much of the same stuff (time zones didn't work to get us all together at the same time).
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19 nov 2020
VUSA Podcast #51: Allen and Sid chat about things so far
Allen and Sidarth get together to talk Villarreal. This was a followup to the last pod with Zach and Robin, and Sid had some interesting takes on the January market, where the league is headed (the salary caps came out this week, and they're interesting compared to last season), etc
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13 nov 2020
VUSA Podcast #50: Villarreal....and VAR
Allen is joined by Rahul, Zach and Robin for this one. How is the team looking? Who has particularly impressed of late? That takes up the first half. Second half is which other clubs have impressed us...and then we get into a discussion of VAR, which is..fun.
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9 oct 2020
VUSA Podcast #49: A Roundtable about transfers, Kubo, and results so far
Two major topics: (1) we recap the transfer window, and (2) assess our performance so far.
No surprises, (1) involves a lot of Kubo discussion and (2) a lot of Gerard. Enjoy and Endavant!
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1 oct 2020
VUSA Podcast #48: Allen and Zach review the Alaves match
Allen is joined by Zach to quickly review the Alavés match. Formation change, player changes, all seemed to work well enough against an outmanned opponent.
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27 sept 2020
VUSA Podcast #47: Allen and Sid react to Villarreal's (latest) Barca debacle
Allen and Sid urge calm after a supremely uncompetitive performance that saw Barcelona pick apart the same week links we had last time we played them.
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24 sept 2020
VUSA Podcast #46: Allen welcomes Robin, Rahul and Zach
Welcome to Rahul, who joins us from London to talk Villarreal. Robin joins from York as well, and Zach comes in about 20 minutes in (right before the break).
Allen and his guests discuss the first two matches of the season--what has surprised us? Are there any players who we feel are off to a slow start? What about our new signings? How are we going to do against Barcelona? (spoiler--people are optimistic). And don't miss our first ever product review as Robin comments on the newly available masks from the team store :)
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15 sept 2020
VUSA Podcast #45: The Season Begins--Allen and Sid's Predictions
So, a confession: Sid and I got together before the weekend and recorded a podcast covering most of the same material, but.....there was a technical glitch and the recording didn't work. So we've done it again, but this time with the benefit of actually seeing Villarreal's first match.
We both predicted we'd win it, but Allen is doggedly insisting the glass was at least half-full; Sid is maybe more the half-empty kind of guy here?
Anyway--the first part of the podcast (about 35 mins) is a review of the match, Estupiñan arriving and what that means, etc.; after the break, we talk more about the league as a whole--who we expect to do well, who we don't. Enjoy!
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31 ago 2020
VUSA Podcast #44: Allen and Sid talk Villarreal
Obviously there are a lot of personnel moves still to come, but Allen and Sid review the preseason so far and prospects for the season ahead.
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12 ago 2020
VUSA Podcast #43: A New Villarreal Takes Shape
Allen is joined by Zach and Sidarth (after the break) to talk about first, the arrival of Kubo. Where will we play him? What does his arrival mean for Samu Chukwueze? How do we get both Grard and Paco on the pitch?
The second part is more philosophical.....we all feel there has been a change in emphasis at the club. with Unai Emery brought in to try to get us a trophy (or at least to a final) and a real push for the Champions League. Is this a changing of the guard in the front office, a well-managed club seeking to take advantage of financial weaknesses elsewhere, or something else?
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28 jul 2020
VUSA Podcast #42: Unai Emery Arrives, and Vila-real native Cristian joins us to talk Villarreal
Two parts here: in the first, Allen chats with Cristian Sirera, a vilarealenc (native of Vila-real) who is now in Chicago. They're joined after the break by Sidarth to talk about Unai Emery's hiring--Cristian's comments on Emery's style of play is an interesting one--and who might be coming, who might be leaving, what will happen to all those returning loanees, etc. etc.
A lot of interesting ideas and insights in this podcast, for sure. Thanks to Cristian for joining us!
Enjoy!!
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21 jul 2020
VUSA Podcast #41: Villarreal bid farewell to Javi Calleja
Javi Calleja has been dismissed, and expectations are Unai Emery will be announced as his replacement shortly. Allen, Zach and Robin try to make sense of it all!
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19 jul 2020
VUSA Pod 40B: Calleja...and Santi and Bruno appreciation
This is part two of Sid and Allen's discussion....we finish up on the Calleja topic and find some time to reminisce about Bruno and Santi. End of an era, indeed.
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19 jul 2020
VUSA Podcast #40: End of an Era: Santi, Bruno depart....and Calleja too?
Allen is joined by Sidarth to discuss today's happenings. We do talk about the upcoming match, but mostly we delve into the whole Unai Emery to Villarreal story, whether it might happen, what we would think if it did, etc etc.
And we do have time for an appreciation of Bruno Soriano and Santi Cazorla as well, though to be fair we could spend an entire podcast on just that....and maybe we will later. Enjoy.
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8 jul 2020
VUSA Podcast #39: Our Two-Match Push for Europe Begins
Allen is joined by Sidarth to rue the Barcelona result and look ahead to the two upcoming matches that could define our season. Win them both, and Villarreal will likely qualify for the Europa league group stage; 4 points from 6 might get us there; anything less probably means we have to defeat Eibar last matchday to have any chance.
And since finishing 7th is a lot worse than finishing 5th or 6th, let's just win two in a row, shall we?
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3 jul 2020
VUSA Podcast #38: Allen and Robin Are Feeling Good!
2-0 wins against both Valencia and Betis, the 4-4-2 clicking, Gil Marzano treating us fairly for once, and harmony and happiness breaking out on the VUSA comment section....Allen and Robin celebrate our success and what's behind it.
We also delve into some of the big questions for the off-season. What will happen with Santi Cazorla--he says he's decided on his future, will he stay with Villarreal? What about Bruno? And then the club has to make a decision about Zambo--will we sign him? Should we sign him?
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26 jun 2020
VUSA Podcast #37: 10 points from 12 puts us in European contention
Allen, Raúl, Robin and Zach discuss our start to the resumed season. 10 points in 12 is pretty good...how are we playing, what lies ahead, how many points do we need to get into Europe?
All sorts of stuff here. Couple of notes--the podcast is linger than usual; also, there were a couple of brief recording glitches--not sure why--but they don't last long, so just power through them! Endavant Villarreal!
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31 may 2020
VUSA Podcast #36: La Liga begins again soon!
We've all missed football, that's for sure. Robin, Raul, Sid and Allen talk about La Liga's plans to resume play soon, how Villarreal might fare when we do, and spend a lot of time discussing Bruno Soriano's possible return. A swan song before retirement, or something more?
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18 may 2020
VUSA Podcast #35: Operation Oikos, and Football without Fans
Two main topics today: (1) Yeah, we know the last couple of matchdays in Spain can feature gifts, shall we say, to encourage an unmotivated team (the suitcases full of ham, brandy and cigars) but it's different when money is involved and the goal is to un-motivate players. However, the leaked transcripts in Operation Oikos raise more questions than answers.
(2) The Budesliga began again this weekend behind closed doors. Does it make sense from a public health standpoint to restart the league? How will fans react to matches being played without them? And for that matter, how will Allen and Sid react?
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4 may 2020
VUSA Podcast #34: We welcome Villarreal fan Raúl to the show!
Allen is joined by Sidarth and by Raúl ( Alayrach is his user name on the VUSA site) to talk about if and how La Liga might start up again, which of course gets us discussing Tebas and Rubiales.
What about the departure of Ortells? Could he be replaced by a loyalist with little experience who can grow into the job, or would we like someone with a higher profile?
And we also get a local's insight into Villarreal the team--what do fans see as realistic goals, and is there the divide we often perceive between generations of fans?
Enjoy. There's a little technical issue at the beginning but it got ironed out!!
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21 abr 2020
VUSA Podcast #33--Sid and Zach debate their favorite USA players
Following on from the roundtable question about national stars who were your favorites, Sidarth makes his case for Michael Bradley, Zach--incredulous--supports his dream fishing partner Clint Dempsey. Allen just tries to keep order, interject some comments now and then, and not laugh too much the rest of the time!
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19 abr 2020
VUSA Podcast #32: Allen, Sid, Zach, Part 3.
Allen is joined by Sidarth and Zach to compare our roster to that of Sevilla and Valencia (mostly) but also give thoughts on the season and when it might start again, with the Spanish government announcing they want to extend the lockdown to May 9th but ease things a bit. There will be a second part of this part (if you follow that) later this week, on an unrelated topic. We had so much fun talking football/soccer!!
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5 abr 2020
VUSA Podcast #31: Allen, Sid, Zach, part II
Following on from podcast #30, Allen moderates as Sid and Zach get into the nitty-gritty of Villarreal transfers as business decisions, what objectives the team should realistically have, and more. We're all missing football, but it's therapeutic to talk about it--and hopefully for you to listen to us talk about it.
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31 mar 2020
VUSA Podcast #30: We're all frustrated....
Allen, Zach and Sid get together to talk about Villarreal. Who knows when we'll get to see another match, but we found plenty to talk about looking back at the season so far. What happens if we don't get into Europe? Whatever happened to the idea of hiring a Director of Football? And how successful have we really been in developing young players? We talk about all these topics, and more.
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20 mar 2020
VUSA Podcast #29--We chat with Ian Morris of Celta USA
Allen and Zach chat with Ian Morris of Celta USA. Topics include TV money in la Liga (with particular attention to the Segunda) and what it's been like supporting Celta the last couple of years. And of course, what it's like with everything on hold in the sporting world these days.
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12 mar 2020
VUSA Podcast #28--Whither Calleja? (Not to mention our season)
The loss to Leganés has put pressure on Villarreal coach Javi Calleja--again. Allen, Zach and Robin give their views on Calleja's job and whether he'll have it next year.
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4 mar 2020
VUSA Podcast #27: VAR and Villarreal's Funk
Allen and Zach discuss VAR, in the light of last week's curious refereeing decisions, but there is a wider question: what is wrong with Villarreal? We need to turn things around, and quickly
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20 feb 2020
VUSA Podcast #26--Formations and Personnel
In part two of our tactical focus, today Allen, Zach and Robin discuss Javi Calleja's attempts to move Villarreal away from the standard 4-4-2, which gets into a discussion of what players are best suited for particular styles of play and who has to sit.
After the break we get into the question of Zambo Anguissa--will we try to sign him permanently, what about our other needs, etc.
And don't miss Zach mentioning Sergio Ramos and Ramiro Funes Mori in the same sentence. It's a good sentence, too :)
Enjoy, and Endavant!
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14 feb 2020
VUSA Podcast #25: A Statistical Analysis of Villarreal
This is actually Part I of a two-part discussion--the second part will be a podcast next week. In this one, Allen talks to Zach about what we can learn from a statistical analysis of our season so far. We'll talk formations and personnel in more detail next week.
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6 feb 2020
VUSA Podcast #24--Introducing Zach Hicks, new VUSA site manager!
Allen welcomes new Villarreal USA site manager Zach Hicks, who made an appearance on last week's pod. But this time, we focus on Zach's background and his plans for the site, what he feels is so special about Villarreal, and more.
(Yeah, we don't focus much on the Mirandés debacle--that sucked).
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30 ene 2020
VUSA Podcast #23--Paco Alcacer Arrives!!
*Almost* everybody is excited to see Paco Alcacer sign for us. Robin? Well, sort of, but he really wanted a left back. Actually the main problem is where do we play everyone? And what does this mean for signing Zambo in the summer for midfield, or for Bacca and Unal? And Fer Niño?
Somehow by the end of this we've told Calleja who we'd bench, and we moan about Brexit. Really. Well, it is a Villarreal USA podcast--we've run off the rails before!
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12 ene 2020
VUSA Podcast #22--The Villarreal USA Roundtable!
Allen, Sidarth, Joseph, and Julian are all here, discussing Villarreal's recent performance, predicting how many points we'll end up with....and then get into the current transfer window. Will any Villarreal players leave, and if so, who might they be? It's one of our longer podcasts, but one of our better ones! (apart from the occasional barking dog and cat walking across the computer keyboard......)
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3 ene 2020
VUSA Podcast #21: Allen and Sid review the Decade That Was
In January 2010, Villarreal were a mid-table team under Ernesto Valverde. 10 years later, we're mid-table again, under Javi Calleja. But the intervening years have been full of ups and downs. Sidarth, who was one of the Villarreal USA site managers/writers ten years ago, joins me to reminisce and also pick a Villarreal XI of the decade.
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31 dic 2019
VUSA Podcast #20: Vicky Yarnold talks about coaching youngsters in the Villarreal program
Vicky Yarnold is in Vila-real on a coaching training course, working with young kids from around the area. She talks about what the experience is like (and also who her favorite Villarreal player is). (This was recorded before we played Sevilla; various circumstances delayed my posting it).
Enjoy .
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5 dic 2019
VUSA Podcast#19: Jeremy Beren (Into the Calderón) joins me to talk Atleti and La Liga
I'm joined today by Jeremy Beren of fellow SBN blog Into the Calderón. In the first part of the podcast we talk about Diego Simeone's rebuilding process and how that's going, and give our predictions for the match (which agree, strangely enough).
After the break we talk about the league so far--who has impressed, who hasn't, etc.--and predict where our respective teams will finish. We mostly agree there, too....
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29 nov 2019
VUSA Podcast #18: Robin and Julian join Allen to debate Calleja's future
A three-way discussion this time, between Allen in California, Julian in Norway, and Robin in England. The topic, of course, is Javi Calleja. We assess the team's performance under him and--with four matches left in 2019--give our predictions for how the team will do and what that might mean for Calleja's future.
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22 nov 2019
VUSA Podcast #17: With the international break done, we look ahead to Celta
Allen and Joseph reflect (briefly) on the Miami game that isn't happening, and the successful international break for our guys--but with Luis Enrique replacing Robert Moreno, who might lose out? And we also talk about the upcoming Celta match, and more.
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9 nov 2019
VUSA Podcast #16: Allen catches up with Joseph in Valencia
Joseph will be heading back to the US soon, but he's full of enthusiasm about his internship with Villarreal CF and his time in Valencia. Plus, he gives a fan's eye view of the Athletic Bilbao match and talks about some of the players he;'s seen in training.
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26 oct 2019
VUSA Pod #15: Allen and Robin celebrate two wins
Allen catches up with Robin Stacey, and the two of them are in a good mood after the Espanyol and Alavés wins. Plus, we talk about the potential Miami game a bit, Giuseppe Rossi in training, and look ahead to Eibar. But generally, we're just feeling pretty good :)
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18 oct 2019
VUSA Podcast 14: The American Game
Allen and Sidarth are joined (about 20 minutes in) by Jeremy Beren from Into the Calderón for a discussion of the issues surrounding the announcement that Villarreal and Atlético Madrid want to play their early-December match, scheduled for the Cerámica, in Miami.
It's exciting, but also troubling, and we explore some of our conflicted feelings about whether this is a good idea, whether it means anything, and what it might lead to. And of course, since the Spanish FA put the kibosh on a regular-season match in the US last year, whether we should expect the match to happen at all.
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8 oct 2019
VUSA podcast #13: Special guest Robin Stacey
Allen chats with Robin Stacey from the UK. Robin explains how he became interested in Villarreal (it's worth hearing, much different from many of us) and we talk about the current team and our most recent results. Endavant!
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30 sept 2019
VUSA Podcast #12: A fine win over Betis, and we meet Villarreal USA member Julian from Norway!
Allen welcomes Julian Pedersen from Norway as his guest--Julian explains how he got interested in Villarreal and the two of them review the win over Betis and also how the team is doing so far this season compared to last year. And much besides. Enjoy!
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24 sept 2019
VUSA Podcast #11: Valladolid, Barcelona, and Joseph, off to Spain!
Allen and Joseph review the Valladolid win (that was great!), look ahead to Barcelona tomorrow, and talk briefly about Joseph's internship with Villarreal CF that's coming up right away! Enjoy.
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19 sept 2019
VUSA Podcast #10: Success at Leganés, now it's time for Valladolid
Allen and Joseph revel in the 3-0 win last weekend but warn this week will be tougher. Valladolid are a tough nut to crack, but after three games against them without scoring, we're thinking the Yellow Submarine will be on target this Saturday.
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12 sept 2019
VUSA Podcast #9: We need a win!
Allen and Joseph review the upcoming Leganes match--who we would like to see start for us, and even predict the score (yes, we are optimists). And we also discuss Villarreal's upcoming youth tournament in Miami and disseminating the club's methodology for youth coaching in the US.
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3 sept 2019
VUSA Podcast #8: Assessing the Madrid match, mostly
Allen and Joseph review the Real Madrid game--who particularly impressed, who didn't. Plus we review the end of the transfer window, cantera action (B and C teams) and...which teams have impressed us in La Liga so far?
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30 ago 2019
VUSA Podcast #7: Thomas and Lucy join me from Villarreal
Thomas McIlroy and Lucy Goffe are Villarreal's English-language department; they are pumping out lots of content on the official site and via the "Villarreal Soccer Chats" mini-podcasts. And, they are involved with our international academy project. We talk about all of this--give it a listen!!
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26 ago 2019
VUSA Podcast #6: Levante, and Real Madrid
Allen and Joseph briefly review the Levante debacle--what can you say?? and then look ahead to Real Madrid at the Ceramica.
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15 ago 2019
Villarreal USA Podcast #5: Granada on Saturday
Allen and Joseph predict the scoreline, and discuss some of the players who have impressed, and those who we are hoping will!!
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5 ago 2019
Villarreal USA Podcast #4: Looking Ahead
Allen and Joseph discuss our loss to Schalke a bit, and focus also on our opponents this season--who is looking good, who might be in trouble?
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2 ago 2019
Villarreal USA Podcast #3: Return of the Optimist
Allen chats with Sid, one of the Villarreal USA 'old guard'. They cover last year's season and get into predictions for this year. Optimism reigns!!
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18 jul 2019
Transfers In, Transfers out, and more to come: Villarreal USA Podcast #2
Allen and Joseph briefly discuss our first friendly, then get into the fun stuff--departures and arrivals, and potential targets we may (or may not) really be after.
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3 jul 2019
The Return Of....the Villarreal USA Podcast!
Allen and Joseph introduce themselves and reassure everyone that the new Villarreal USA podcast will contain all the charm and off-the-wallness of past years--it'll be a fun recap of how the team is doing, we hope to have some special guests, etc. etc.
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