In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West get right to it and talk about Austin FC parting ways with head coach Nico Estévez and sporting director Rodolfo Borrell, how Saturday night's press conference question about this feeling like an inflection point turned out to be prescient, what it was like to interact with them, what they think went wrong, some concerning numbers at this stage of the season, and what they hope for the future, including a prediction of a sporting director and coach pairing that would make them both very happy. 

On Tuesday, we talked to Matt Doyle (of Soccerwise and Tactics Free Zone and formerly of MLSSoccer.com) to get his thoughts on Austin FC at that (not this) point in the season, as well as discussing this year's surprises so far and his World Cup coverage plans. Note that this interview — which we are sharing here on Sunday morning — happened before Verde's back-to-back losses; context is important. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss Diego Fagúndez's welcome video joining the Revs, the upcoming match against RSL, the disaster that was the match against Charlotte FC (and some concerns about MLS refereeing), as well as the manifesting narratives early into the 2026 season (including how Nico Estévez is like a guy trying to get a shower at just the right temperature), how Austin FC is being buffeted by the Gulf of Mexico (metaphorically, of course), and where you might watch the match if you like people, fun, and green chile queso, a movie you should see if you like 'Merica, and other artistic recommendations to round out the week. 

In a special bonus mailbag edition, Phil West and Moisés Chiullán cover the Bukari and Desler signings in some detail, revisit the fun Miguel Borja rumors from this past January, predict how Rodolfo Borrell will celebrate once the roster's been scrubbed of Claudio Reyna contracts, and get into the feelings of being a soccer fan. (Note: This was recorded on Monday afternoon, and finally polished to a fine podcast gem on Wednesday morning.) 

In an international break in which you may have already forgotten about the heady rush of the official green smoke-aided Mikkel Desler announcement (which you already all knew about), Phil West is joined by Zac Graham of the North End Podcast to talk about how to execute a "three-beer half," Jock Jams, the Austin FC season so far, and the 9+2 theory that could lead you to some spirited starter vs. bench depth debates to keep you sated until the next episode of Denverde restarts the season on June 15. (Somehow, they didn't bring up their mutual love for Victor Wembenyama, but they did manage a bit of Best Ball talk.) 

Phil West is joined by Michelle Sanchez for an Andrew Wiebe fashion report, thoughts on Austin FC's signing of Osman Bukari, the current woes of Sebastián Driussi (with three distinctly bummer-making words, "chronic groin injury"), further thoughts on Emiliano Rigoni's departure, and what Owen Wolff should do at this phase of his career. 

This week, Phil West and Moisés Chiullán discuss the sudden departure of designated player Emiliano Rigoni, the differing accounts of how said departure unfolded, the transfer rumors involving Osman Bukari and (hold on, let me cut and paste for these accents; there's no way I'm finding these on my keyboard otherwise) Marius Ștefănescu, and the actual emergency of just 16 healthy field players shortly before three matches in eight days. 

This week, Moises Chiullan joins Phil West to talk about Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff brightening at the mere mention of Speedbump (the Austin FC armadillo), the forthcoming 2025 MLS All-Star Game in Austin, the upcoming match against Sporting Kansas City on absurdly short rest, some of what we learned about the squad after 2024's first MLSPA Christmas, and our thoughts about a really nice open letter than Austin FC sporting director Rodolfo Borrell shared with fans. 

Thomas Rongen of MLS coaching and broadcasting fame (and the namesake for the newly-coined Thomas Rongen Line) sits down with Phil West and Moises Chiullan to talk about Austin FC (from a national pundit's POV), Inter Miami, the one time he went to Q2 Stadium (which wasn't for a game), some insights on coaching at a 1.32 PPG clip, and some insights about Josh Wolff. 

Eric Goodman from the Austin Chronicle joins Phil West to talk about the three things that bring Austin FC head coach Josh Wolff joy in press conferences, the new outlook on the season that beating the Galaxy has brought, thoughts on whether the media was really "slaughtering" Verde in the early part of the season, and a tangent where we talk about the upcoming Olympics in Paris for a very good reason. 

Jessica Luther joins Phil West to talk about Brendan Hines-Ike's new appellation, the elusive MLS truth that designated players can transform a team, an update on the kit leak emergency the two of them experienced on a podcast several months prior, and Luther's excellent forthcoming dissertation on women's basketball (and a new exciting player named Caitlin Clark you may have heard about). 

In this first-ever Emergency Podcast, Colby Gordon joins Phil West to talk about soccer dreams, Austin's worrisome scoring form away from Q2, the weirdest media moment to ever come out of a match with the Dynamo, and the one time the press box openly cheered for a player. There's also some fretting about the current and future roster. 

You're clamoring for another Austin FC podcast, are you not? Phil West talks briefly about what this latest podcast in the not-at-all-overstuffed Austin FC podcast universe will be (without giving too many clues). 

Special thanks to Wammo for the theme song (derived from the goofy theme song Phil came up with when the most recent podcast emergency was declared). 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss the upcoming match against Charlotte FC, the pending USL players' strike and guesses as to what the strike might lead to, the goals added differential metric and what it tells us about Austin FC two matches in, delicious details from Rodolfo Borrell himself about getting Christian Ramírez off waivers, and a temperature check on how the two of them feel about the 2026 season 1/17 of the way complete, with Phil doing this entirely from his childhood bedroom in suburban Seattle. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss the new local beer celebrating the Year of the Fire Horse, recap the Christian Ramírez signing and analyze what that means for Austin FC and some specific players on the team, explore MLS' apparent decision to have Canadian players count as domestic players, preview the Sunday afternoon match against D.C. United, get into the start of the VerDos season, and fret openly about the pending USL players' strike. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss how Phil's daughter was like Brad Stuver playing goalkeeper in a goal way too big for her, get into Verde Week festivities and tifo talk, before moving into specifics about the first Austin FC match of 2026, including how good Facundo Torres and Jayden Nelson looked, why Guilherme Biro and Besard Šabović didn't play, which body part Myrto Uzuni scored with, and what it means that multiple players were upset by a 2-2 draw. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss the 12 seasons of Texas and Austin's new K-Pop store inside an H-E-B plus, ruminate on Verde's last preseason match against Sporting Kansas City at Coachella, muse on the beginning of the season and float some observations about Minnesota United, then segue to an interview with John Muller about the Futi app, discussing how certain advanced stats help us understand more about Austin FC. They then round out the episode with some revelations about Verde Week, the opening day tifo, and some Verde All Day updates. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss giving up and going to Popeyes as a lead-in to discussing the annual food and beverage unveiling at Q2 Stadium that Moisés got to attend, including food items that will debut in the concourse this season. They also discuss the new Rooted Kit (not to be confused with the New York Red Bulls' new Rooted Kit), which might be better in person than what you've seen in photos, in part because of its "luxurious" feel. They then discuss why Austin FC II doesn't have kits for sale, and close with some musing on the upcoming Valentine's Day preseason match against Sporting Kansas City. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West celebrate curling, discuss Myrto Uzuni's reported near-move to Turkey, express some differences about Austin FC's 1-0 loss to St. Louis City SC in the team's 2026 Coachella Valley Invitational opener, wonder about Joseph Rosales at left wing, reason that you can't have mutiny if your entire crew is captains, ponder James as a Minnesota United player, look ahead to Austin's upcoming preseason matches against Chicago and SKC, and briefly muse on the new jerseys officially dropping on Tuesday morning. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West say goodbye to a beloved colleague who helped us understand Guilherme Biro a little bit better, discuss the 2-0 preseason match loss to NYCFC and Jorge Alastuey's main character role in the match, relay the most intriguing parts of the post-match press conference (including where Joseph Rosales and Facundo Torres might play), and look ahead to Coachella and the season opener. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss their sleet-pocalypse prepping, the Facundo Torres signing going official and what that means for Austin FC, what we might learn from what little we got about Verde's first preseason match of 2026, why you should think of 2026 as two seasons in one, and what it means for Verde All Day that FBref won't be operating in the way it was. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss the new Austin FC kit leak on what appears to be a white kit with faint green vertical stripes and black shoulder stripes and a Yeti logo interfering with that. They muse on when and where it will initially roll out and whether it will appear in the big April 4 match with Miami, or if Austin will opt for the Heartbeat Kit to Miami's pink to get "the full Elphaba vs. Glinda Wicked action." 

They also discussed the Facundo Torres rumor that is currently exciting (but also maybe confounding) the Verde fan base, including glimpses at some recent Verde All Day analysis and consideration of the "good problem to have" that Nico Estévez could be facing. 

They also talk about Owen Wolff's recent sports hernia surgery, the role that Jorge Alastuey might have on the first team in 2026 and beyond, and Phil might have promised to drive Girl Scout cookies to you if you buy them from his daughter (and you live in Austin). 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss an unusual summer job that Fox is offering in connection with the World Cup, get into Verde's painful 5-0 loss to San Diego FC and what we learned from it, discuss the upcoming match against Sporting Kansas City, and applaud Brad Stuver's online campaign to lobby for All-Star votes using advanced metrics. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss the new Owen Wolff and Dani Pereira contracts and what that means for the Austin FC midfield. They also discuss the preseason schedule, the state of the full-but-probably-not-yet-final Verde roster, contemplate the enticing star player who just became available (and the pros and cons of Rodolfo Borrell bringing him in), reveal that they are open to any 2026 Verde kit leaks that might come their way, and prepare for what could be a very weird World Cup year. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss the state of the Austin FC roster at this point in the offseason, including the Osman Bukari exit and the Joseph Rosales, Jayden Nelson, and Jon Bell arrivals. They also contemplate the Tadeo Allende rumors, the wishcasting for Diego Luna to come to Austin FC as a U22 player, the fate of Owen Wolff, and do so while giant Pop-Tart mascots were being sacrificed in a football stadium to satiate the hunger of BYU players and coaches. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss the 1997 movie about a movie Anaconda, starring Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Eric Stoltz, and a small assemblage of others, including a giant snake, and the 2025 movie about a movie about a movie Anaconda, starring Jack Black and Paul Rudd. They explore the multitudes contained in the original movie, celebrate Voight's performance, ponder the so-bad-it's-goodness of it all, and also include the perspectives of an eight-year-old inadvertently partially responsible for this particular Emergency Tangent episode. 

In this episode, Phil West is joined by Zac Graham of The North End Podcast to nerd out on the recent Jayden Nelson acquisition, the two MLS SuperDraft picks, and the Osman Bukari transfer to Widzew Łódź. They also get into the differences between the three Designated Player plus three U22 Initiative player roster build and the two DP, four U22 plus $2 million in GAM roster build, and predict that Austin FC sporting director Rodolfo Borrell is leaning toward the latter. Phil also breaks the fourth wall to talk about the Joseph Rosales trade report and how that's even more of an indication that this 2/4/$2 million shift is happening. 

In this episode, Phil West is joined by special guest Hernán González of We Are Austin TV to talk about We Are Austin TV's dominance in the Austin FC Media Cup game, the long-awaited roster decisions that see Julio Cascante and Diego Rubio departing the club, speculation about other roster moves happening during the season, Brandon Vázquez's physical rehab, and Myrto Uzuni's confidence rehab. They also share their love for Paul Rothrock and muse on whether Cristian Espinoza would fit on Austin FC if available. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss the earlier-than-usual MLS schedule drop for 2026, including Phil's three best and three worst things about the schedule for Austin FC, with the best including a special focus on Verde coming April 4, and the worst including some disappointing news about the East away trips and the San Diego away trip. They also get into how the 2026 schedule gives us clues as to how the schedule shift in 2027-28 might go, try to figure out how Leagues Cup and the playoffs will fit into a year that has a two-month break for the World Cup in the middle of it, and muse on the fortunes on northern teams and how the schedule changes might actually benefit them. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West start with a very Emergency Tangent-esque contemplation of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter bringing us the most famous of Beckett plays, then they dive into all the MLS news that broke on Thursday, including the schedule change and the reported move from conferences to divisions and a single league table, and they muse on the future of the Apple TV deal, a possible players' strike, and why expanding the playoffs to 20 teams could be a lot of fun. 

In this episode, Phil West is joined by special guest Lincoln Rose again to talk about Lincoln's 85-year-old woman alter ego, what it's like to call four LAFC goals on a radio broadcast documenting the end of the 2025 Austin FC season, predictions for the five Game 3 matchups in the playoffs, how to manage Verde's option-year decisions, what to do about Myrto Uzuni and his recent PK woes, and reasons to be optimistic about the 2026 season. 

Also, take the MLS fan survey with some Austin FC questions that Phil asked. 

In this episode, Phil West talks to Justin Ruderman about how lucky LAFC fans are to have gotten the two most likable Tottenham Hotspur players, how Game 1 of the playoff series between Austin FC and LAFC went from their Verde-centric and LAFC-centric perspectives, what to expect in Game 2, if they think it will go to a third game, and should LAFC advance, how far they'll go and might that be an MLS Cup final against Inter Miami. They then speculate on new LAFC coaching candidates and muse on which sports team has the City of Angels' attention right now. 

In this Emergency Tangent episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West talk about baseball fandom, their baseball origin stories, enduring games that go well past nine innings, enduring games inside a stadium with a dome Phil likened to a "gray grapefruit squeezer," and the time that Moisés got Stan Lee to hold a Blue Jays hat for a photo that ended up in a Toronto newspaper. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss Damian Las and Dani Pereira's time inspiring Catholic students (and inspiring one with a really cynical take on Austin FC), go into Verde's recent wins and the likelihood of keeping that up through the World Cup break, muse on Jayden Nelson's recurring injuries (and Canada World Cup squad chances), visit the upcoming match against Minnesota (and James' rumored unspellable condition), and then close out with an update on their moms. 

In this episode, Phil West is joined by special guest Lincoln Rose to play a word association game with all 16 remaining playoff teams, rate the watchability for all eight first-round best-of-three series, talk about the players they're most excited to see, and make some MLS Cup projections. There's also a tangent about playoff baseball, John Candy, and how some '80s movies just don't age well, as well as lore about Minnesota's iron skillet. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West record while keeping an eye on their opposing teams in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series (which Phil would influence after recording by employing an eighth-inning rally cap), discuss the upcoming matchup with San Jose and why Austin FC will be getting the best that San Jose can muster, touch on the 81 different possibilities that will lead to Verde getting their first-round opponent, celebrate Ilie Sánchez and Diego Rubio, and ponder the East playoff picture, which could provide us a Nashville vs. Columbus play-in game. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West talk about a great game that was not a great soccer game, touch on a horrible week that was capped off by Austin FC head coach Nico Estévez saying, "It was a horrible week for us," look ahead to Sunday night's matchup against LAFC, do some playoff math and Wooden Spoon math (with Moisés making a musical reference that cracks Phil up), and finish off talking about ACL (the music festival) and Hozier hoziering.

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West discuss what we should learn from Wednesday night's Open Cup final, preview Saturday night's match against St. Louis City SC, review the playoff-making scenarios for Austin FC this weekend, register a record number of Emergency Podcast bleeps while being happy about the culture being created by the club, look briefly ahead to what the first round of the playoffs might bring, and touch on the new Taylor Swift album (as podcasters are contractually obligated to this week). 

In this episode, Phil West and 615 Soccer's Ben Wright preview Wednesday night's U.S. Open Cup final, which includes talk about his hour in Austin (at that point in his travels), how Nashville SC got to the final, how the regular season is going, the dynamic duo that Sam Surridge and Hany Mukhtar have been this season, who Nashville SC's unsung heroes have been, and how the teams' mascots match up. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West share that, sometimes, Zoom does weird things, before getting into the win over the Sounders that defied Phil's 60th-minute expectations, a preview of Real Salt Lake (and their summer signings that haven't yet hit), a preview of the U.S. Open Cup and why Hany Mukhtar could loom large, some playoff place discussions, a reminder about a watch party way down south, and a celebration of the Brad Stuver contract extension. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West revel in Austin FC's semifinal U.S. Open Cup win (but not as much as Nico Estévez reveled in it), share audio from Brendan Hines-Ike after the loss against Dallas (to show Verde's focus in that finals-deciding match), provide an early preview on that final against Nashville, touch on the matchup against Seattle, and then go through some legitimately fascinating playoff math, coming to a conclusion about the playoffs that may or may not excite you. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West share thoughts on the U.S. Open Cup semifinal match between Verde and Minnesota United FC just hours before it starts, including looking at what national pundits have said, the 18 players social media showed going and who might start, why the Loons' win over St. Louis wasn't as good as the 3-1 scoreline made it look, and keys to Austin FC winning, 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West talk about Moisés' workout with Jon Gallagher, Austin FC's win over Sporting Kansas City, whether the team is reversing its post-July swoon trend from past seasons, preview the matchup with FC Dallas in Frisco, and bring in a special guest to help determine which teams we'd most and least like to see Verde face in the playoffs. 

In this first-of-its-kind episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West sidestep soccer for an Emergency Tangent on the 1984 mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap and the sequel debuting on Wednesday. They talk about Phil's heavy metal past and the goth band he was once part of, how they both came to know the movie, its influence on Seattle's music scene and various TV shows and movies, and the characters, lines, and songs that stood out to them. (There are several passing mentions to soccer, but they're buried deep in the episode.) 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West compare cool childhood school spelling bee triumphs, revel in Austin FC's win over Houston (and theorize about Austin FC players actually listening to this show), muse on the Przemysław Płacheta signing rumors and what that might mean for Verde's post-World Cup roster build, discuss the upcoming match against St. Louis City SC, and what's possible before the World Cup break. They also implore listeners to Save the Caps and consider What Rita Taught Me. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West celebrate a special milestone with a nod to the stars of the upcoming Broadway production of Waiting for Godot, discuss the recent admiration of Owen Wolff via Verde All Day, break down elements of the Rodolfo Borrell press conference, discuss the upcoming match against Sporting Kansas City in which Nico Estévez will need to replace half his starting lineup thanks to international callups and injuries, and reveal a little lagniappe for you all coming soon.

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West use selective sampling to say things are going decently well (15 points in their last nine matches) or concerningly off the rails (two points in their last three matches), explore the history of Austin FC post-July performances, look at the upcoming San Jose match as well as an SKC away match with five first-team players out on international duty, evaluate Mateja Đorđević's media debut, and wrap up with discussion of a Leagues Cup that has become League Cup. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West talk about Leagues Cup turning into League Cup, ponder Nicky Beloko's sudden departure from Austin FC, discuss the rest of the summer transfer window, debut another play about GAM, grouse about recent Copa Tejas results, ponder the possibilities of a win in Montréal on Saturday, and discuss a special Austin FC collector's item on sale. 

In this episode, Moisés Chiullán and Phil West share their thoughts on Leagues Cup, unveil Phil's new short one-act play to illustrate how Austin FC turned $50,000 GAM into $225,000 GAM by laundering an international roster spot, provide some Nicky Beloko updates and share some of Diego Rubio's recent thoughts, preview the upcoming Copa Tejas matches, and explain goals added (G+). 

In our final installment from the Monday Night Live event we did at Hopsquad 11 days ago — it seems like it was farther back in the past than that — Phil West interviews Zac Graham from The North End Podcast and Paul Fletes from The Verdependent about the work they're doing to cover Austin FC, their takes on the season so far, and then their hot takes, with the winner taking on Eli Lesser for (one of the) Hot Take Challenge Cup titles. 

(We'll resume our regular schedule ahead of the Copa Tejas match Aug. 9 against Houston. Go enjoy some Leagues Cup matches! They've actually been enjoyable so far ...)