We Came to Win

We Came to Win

What can we say? Soccer… is life. Just in time for the 2022 World Cup, soccer fans and hosts Matt Nelson and Steve Ceruti share some of their favorite soccer episodes from Gimlet, Parcast and Spotify. Like how a scrappy US team leveled up to compete with Mexico and create a fierce rivalry. Or how the Spanish women's team fought for equal opportunities at the 2015 World Cup. And the story of the 1974 Zaire team who saw soccer as a way to climb out from under a dictator's rule. New episodes of We Came to Win publish each Tuesday.

Episodes

The News (The Last Days of Maradona)

November 25, 2022 • 38 mins
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 his death had on the world, how i...
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Bonus Episode: A Controversial World Cup Begins

November 22, 2022 • 17 mins
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Women’s Game

November 15, 2022 • 49 mins
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Wilderness Years

November 8, 2022 • 31 mins
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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Gazza: The Mercurial Midfielder

November 8, 2022 • 55 mins
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Carbon Neutral?

November 1, 2022 • 45 mins
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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Escape

November 1, 2022 • 22 mins
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Against All Odds

October 25, 2022 • 31 mins
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.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...
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The World Cup Caper

October 25, 2022 • 59 mins
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.  The original episode, “Jules Rimet Trophy ”, was published by Parcast’s GONE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The GOAT

October 18, 2022 • 46 mins
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 original episode, “The Rise And Fall of Diego Maradona ”, was published by Gimlet Media’s We Came To Win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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The Infamous Free Kick

October 18, 2022 • 49 mins
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 original episode, “Zaire: The Most Misunderstood team in History ”, was published by Gimlet Media’s We Came To Win. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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A Century Long Rivalry

October 11, 2022 • 34 mins
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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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From Mullets to Glory?

October 11, 2022 • 43 mins
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? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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Introducing We Came to Win

October 4, 2022 • 2 mins
What can we say? Soccer… is life. Just in time for the 2022 World Cup, soccer fans and hosts Matt Nelson and Steve Ceruti share some of their favorite soccer episodes from Gimlet, Parcast and Spotify. Like how a scrappy US team leveled up to compete with Mexico and create a fierce rivalry. Or how the Spanish women's team fought for equal opportunities at the 2015 World Cup. And the story of the 1974 Zaire team who saw soccer as a w...
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The Biological Bomb

May 28, 2020 • 46 mins
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 the virus spread through the stad...
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It's a Red Card for David Beckham!

June 13, 2018 • 16 mins
The year is 1998. 12 years have passed since archrivals Argentina and England last met in a World Cup, but the grudges that defined that last match—most notably, the legendary Maradona’s “Hand of God” goal—are still fresh. On June 30, 1998, a young Iain MacIntosh, future football journalist, watched the two teams face off. In this Extra Time episode, he recounts the drama that unfolded during and after the game, one of his favorite...
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This Is Hope Solo

June 13, 2018 • 38 mins
In soccer, the glory usually goes to the attacking players like Maradona, Pele, and George Best. These legends of the sport created endless highlight reels with their powerhouse performances and game-winning goals. But every so often a goalkeeper comes along that’s so good that the saves they make, and the goals they stop, become the highlight of the game. One such goalkeeper is Hope Solo. On this episode of We Came to Win, we talk...
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The Underdog

June 13, 2018 • 22 mins
Making it to the World Cup had long been a dream of American defender Jimmy Conrad’s, and at the age of 29, he finally got his chance. U.S. coach Bruce Arena named Jimmy to the 2006 World Cup squad. Unfortunately, he spent the first game watching from the bench. It wasn’t until deep into the second game, when the U.S. was down a man and fighting for survival against the powerful Italians, that Jimmy was called in. Hear how he went ...
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The World’s Most Hated Referee

June 13, 2018 • 45 mins
Say the name Byron Moreno to any fan of Italian soccer and you’re likely to get the same response: that guy is the worst. It all stems from one game at the 2002 World Cup where Moreno was the referee. It was a match between Italy and South Korea that resulted in an unlikely upset for South Korea. Italian fans have never gotten over it, insisting Moreno was part of a huge scandal to fix the results of the World Cup. But a look into ...
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