We Came to Win

At 1:04pm on November 25, 2020, the first paper published the news that Diego Maradona had died. A media frenzy ensued around the world. Immediately, people began to question the team that had taken care of Maradona, who would ultimately face criminal charges in relation to his death. In this episode, we return to that day, to learn how the news of Maradona’s death broke. We look at the impact that...

The World Cup is underway in Qatar and many storylines are being written on and off the pitch. In this very special bonus episode, The Journal's Joshua Robinson examines some of the controversies surrounding these games. From human rights violations to the banning of beer, this episode tells the story of how Qatar came to host this years tournament.

For this final episode of the season Matt & Steve look back at the mutiny that took place during the 2015 Women’s World Cup and the Spanish National team’s battle for supremacy on the pitch and equality off of it.

If there’s one thing in World Cup soccer that is a safe bet, it’s Scotland’s inability to qualify for world tournaments. Matt leads Steve on a painful tour through Scotland’s wilderness years and some of his most painful memories.

Today the English Premier League is one of the most popular and profitable sports leagues in the world but that wasn’t the case 30 years ago. This club saw troubling times in the 1980’s. From stadium tragedies to the rise of an unlikely hero in Paul Gascoigne, we tell the story of a few events that helped to forever change the trajectory of English soccer.

FIFA has promised that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will NOT be harmful to the environment and even went as far as to say it will be carbon neutral. This raised the eyebrows of many environmentalists all over the globe, so we went to the professionals to ask if this claim was true.

As the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, members of the country's women's soccer team - once symbols of a new Afghanistan - knew they needed to escape. This is the story of how the team's former captain, Khalida Popal, hatched a daring plan for their evacuation.

This is a story about a player that arguably put forward the best performance in the Irish National Team’s history during the ‘94 World Cup. Paul McGrath went head to head against Italy’s Baggio, Baresi and Maldini under the hot boiling sun in New Jersey and etched his name in history as one of the greatest defensive players the game ever saw. Ooh, Ah, Paul McGrath.

One of the most common and unfortunate traditions in professional sports is the championship trophy being stolen. This has happened to the World Cup trophy not just once but TWICE . This week, we learn about the capture of the Jules Rimet trophy and the very unlikely heroes involved. 

A few weeks shy of what would have been Diego Maradona’s 62nd birthday, we look back at some of the peaks and valleys of his career and dig into what makes him one of the most enigmatic and arguably most talented players in history. 

The World Cup is so much more than a sport. For many, particularly the players, it can be career altering. Life changing. This week, we revisit the story of the 1974 World Cup game, the Zaire team, and their president and dictator Mobutu. 

The World Cup is nearly 100 years old. And 100 years is enough time to develop some pretty serious rivalries. England vs. Scotland. Argentina vs. Brazil. This week we take you back to another great rivalry. US vs Mexico, also known as Dos A Cero.

Scotsman Matt Nelson and American Steve Ceruti spin it back to the mid-aughts when American soccer was in its infancy. Does this scrappy US team rise to the occasion or go out in flames?

When Atalanta defeated Valencia 4-1 in the Champions League, their fans celebrated the biggest result in the club’s history. But in the weeks after this match, the narrative quickly switched. The game that night appeared to be at the center of an outbreak of the coronavirus, an outbreak so severe that one scientist called the match a “biological bomb.” On this episode of We Came to Win we track how...