Introducing Pitch and Power: How Soccer Shapes Everything
6/14/202644 min
Introducing Pitch and Power: How Soccer Shapes Everything, The Globe and Mail’s new soccer podcast for World Cup 2026. Every Thursday, throughout the tournament, host Eoin O’Callaghan will look at eight moments that changed soccer, the moments and stories that extend beyond the field and into politics, culture and the moral climate of their day.
In this episode, the focus is on Johan Cruyff, the Dutch master who took the 1974 World Cup by storm with a Total Football movement – but a team’s heartbreak turned genius into myth.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsCheryl Sutherland· Host0:00
[ding] Hey, it's Cheryl. The World Cup is officially here. A record 48 nations all playing in the largest soccer tournament in history. All tournament long, every Thursday, the Globe and Mail will take you behind soccer's biggest stories beyond the field. Our new podcast, Pitch and Power: How Soccer Shapes Everything, looks at eight moments that changed soccer and the world. This isn't just about the game. It's about what the sport means in politics, culture, and history. Owen O'Callaghan interviews writers, players, and witnesses to the World Cup about the triumph, joy, and sometimes devastation of the beautiful game. This episode kicks off with an orange revolution. It's the story of how a swaggering Dutch team, and its failures, signaled big shifts to come in the West. Every Thursday, a new episode of Pitch and Power is available wherever you listen to podcasts. Hope you enjoy.
David Winner· Guest1:05
[upbeat music] Every football conversation I've ever had in the Netherlands eventually will turn back to '74. July the 7th, 1974, in Munich.
Speaker 3· Soundbite1:21
Jack Taylor looks at his watch. We're off and running for the 1974 World Cup final.
David Winner· Guest1:27
Because it completely haunts them.