Show notes

On this episode of The Underdog Football Show , Chris Horwedel examines how club football has reclaimed the spotlight after the World Cup, with MLS momentum, a major WAFCON upset, a governance crisis at FIFA, a strange piece of English football history and a transfer market moving in several very different directions. The show opens with the MLS All-Star Game and Son Heung-min’s starring performance before turning to the league’s reported post-World Cup growth in ticket sales and television audiences. Chris also looks ahead to key MLS matchups involving Inter Miami, Columbus, Vancouver, LAFC, Cincinnati and San Jose through the latest markets from oddsmakers. At the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Malawi produce one of the tournament’s biggest shocks against defending champion Nigeria. Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga lead the breakthrough result, while host nation Morocco also makes a strong start. The largest off-field story is FIFA’s proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise. Chris explains why UEFA’s 55 associations, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation are opposing a plan that would allow private investors to buy into the commercial operation of the World Cup. The debate also expands to reports that FIFA has studied a 64-team tournament for 2030. This week’s English pyramid story visits Millmoor, Rotherham United’s abandoned former home. Chris traces its history, the club’s move to Sheffield and later New York Stadium, its brief revival for local football and the approved demolition that may finally erase one of England’s most haunting ghost grounds. The Premier League section reviews title, trophy and relegation expectations from oddsmakers before moving into transfers. Chelsea add Maxence Lacroix and move closer to signing Danny Welbeck, signaling a shift toward established experience as well as long-term potential. Elsewhere, Bologna and Roma make opposite striker bets through Artem Dovbyk and Santiago Castro. Vancouver, Colorado and Austin complete smart MLS additions involving Kwasi Poku, Youssef Maziz and Jorge Alastuey. Inter pursue Curtis Jones, Jack Grealish draws reported Saudi interest and Newcastle enter a period of uncertainty following Eddie Howe’s departure and continuing questions around Bruno Guimarães. The women’s transfer section focuses on Newcastle United Women’s coordinated WSL2 promotion push, including Leanne Kiernan, Katie Bradley, Kayla Rendell and Martha Thomas. The episode closes by connecting MLS growth, Malawi’s historic WAFCON result, FIFA’s ownership fight, Millmoor’s possible demolition and the increasingly unstable summer transfer market.