
The Late Run
Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor-Parkes host a podcast dedicated to soccer, featuring conversations with prominent figures from sports and culture. The show focuses on the Beautiful Game and its intersection with wider cultural topics.
Episodes

Christian Vieri: What R9 Was REALLY Like, the World-Record €49M Fee & Watching Cristiano at 41
Christian "Bobo" Vieri - once the most expensive footballer on earth - pulls up to The Late Run and takes us inside the golden era of Serie A: training next to R9 and laughing out loud ("you can't stop him"), and the day he saw steel coming out of the Phenomenon's knee. He breaks down his world-record €49M transfer (about €335M in today's money), why all that money moved to the Premier League, an

Sol Campbell: Inside the Invincibles, Why No Striker Ever Owned Him & Arsenal's CR7 Near-Miss
Arsenal legend Sol Campbell pulls up to The Late Run and starts swinging: modern football is "too easy," the tough tackles are gone, and no striker on earth (not even prime R9) could ever say he had Sol's number. He takes us inside the Invincibles: training sessions that were "like matches," Pirès scoring 40-yarders with his instep, Henry and Bergkamp as a double act you had to out-think, and why

Zavier Didier Gozo Named After Drogba, Dreaming of the Champions League & Snubbed by the USMNT
He was named after Drogba, raised on a soccer ball, and now the phone won't stop ringing. US soccer's brightest prospect Zavier Gozo pulls up to The Late Run to talk Champions League dreams, the World Cup call-up he believes he deserved, and the credit-card sacrifices his mom made to get him through America's pay-to-play system.Plus: Ocho relives the day he trained with Real Madrid in his NFL prim

Ocho & Katie Nolan are on a MISSION to Convert American Sports Casuals to Soccer
Emmy-winning sports "talker" Katie Nolan pulls up to The Late Run and answers the GOAT question before Ocho can even finish asking it. She explains why she'll "defend soccer to the death," why being flippant about the world's most popular game is a huge negative to you as a person, and how meeting the US Women's National Team in 2015 turned her into a believer.Then it goes deeper: the $35-vs-$5,00

Chris Paul on Wemby Living ALONE at 15, Small Guards & Why Superteams Like Real Madrid FAIL
Chris Paul pulls up to The Late Run Show with Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor-Parkes, and the 12-time All-Star came with stories nobody else can tell: the trade to the Lakers that went through and got killed within hours, the league rules that blocked him from becoming a part-owner of LAFC, and the day Wembanyama pointed at the Paris apartment where he lived alone at 15.CP3 gets into why retireme

Trevor Noah: England BLEW It, Ocho CALLS OUT Harry Kane & Why American Sports All Feel the Same
Two days before the biggest World Cup Final of our lifetime, Trevor Noah pulls up to The Late Run. He tells the story behind the photo of Messi bathing baby Lamine Yamal nearly two decades before they meet in a World Cup Final, explains why the whole world is rooting for Spain on Sunday, and calls out England for playing scared.
Then it goes deeper: street football under apartheid, why your coun

Gronk: 'I Never Watched a Single Soccer Game' ... Now He's Comparing Himself to HAALAND
The Late Run goes LIVE for the first time ever, from House of Goal NYC in the middle of the World Cup, and Gronk pulls up a changed man. The guy who never watched a single soccer game in his life now has full World Cup fever: naming his comp (Erling Haaland, who else), breaking down how Serie A actually works, and arguing that America's best athletes playing football is exactly why the USMNT can't

Former USMNT Coach Gregg Berhalter: Why Failing is the BEST Thing for U.S.
Gregg Berhalter, a two-time World Cup player, former USMNT head coach, and current Chicago Fire manager, joins Ocho and Raheemovic on The Late Run. Gregg opens up on his tenure coaching the USMNT in Qatar, how failure can actually help American soccer, and the emotional reality of watching his own son play in the World Cup. He drops the line that sets the tone: “On any given day, we can beat any g

Landon Donovan Says Privilege is HURTING American Soccer + Playing Against Prime Messi & Ronaldo
In this week's episode of The Late Run, Landon Donovan—the most decorated American men's soccer player of all time—joins Ocho and Raheem. From the jump it's clear how different his road was from Chad's. While Ocho was a drafted NFL star with people lining up at his door, a 19-year-old Landon was being sent to a park to entertain 11 kids just to sell 30 tickets.
Landon gets into the culture shock

CM Punk on Match in Brazil Cut Short by Armed Guards + Messi vs Ronaldo GOAT Debate
CM Punk pulls up to The Late Run with the belt — and the WWE World Heavyweight Champion turns out to be a bigger football head than anyone expected. Ocho and Raheemovic get Punk talking Celtic loyalty (he's half Irish, and rival Drew McIntyre reps Rangers), why Celtic vs Rangers is "200 years of religious hatred," and why most Americans only wake up to soccer for the World Cup. Then it gets wild:

Ocho's Soccer TWIN: Mario Balotelli on Italy's Collapse & Why He REFUSED to Change for Any Club
In this episode of The Late Run, Premier League and Champions League winner Mario Balotelli joins Ocho and Raheem. From the opening bow, it's clear these two are cut from the same cloth: two of the most unapologetic showmen their sports have ever produced, in one room. Chad doesn't call himself "Balotelli Jr." for nothing.
Mario gets into why the Italy national team has fallen so far and how he'd

Rey Mysterio on Mexico vs USA World Cup Prediction + Who’s the Ronaldo & Messi of the WWE
Rey Mysterio Jr. walks into the Late Run and immediately makes it personal. The WWE Hall of Famer breaks down why the mask means everything to Mexican culture, what it'll feel like at Azteca for the World Cup opener, and how Maradona shaped his love for the beautiful game. Then it gets heavy: 14 ACL tears, the moment he almost tapped out for good, and how his son reignited his fire as they made hi

Canada's No. 1 on Being Messi's Teammate & Why Keepers Are the NEW Playmakers
Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor Parkes put the GOAT question to Inter Miami's Dayne St. Clair — the only man who trains next to Messi every day — and get a one-line answer that stops the tape. From NFL pressure vs. World Cup nerves to whether MLS finally gets its respect, this one lives in the crossover.
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USMNT 2026 Semifinal or BUST + His STOLEN World Cup Goal
Maurice Edu joins Chad Ochocinco and Raheemovic to break down what success actually looks like for the USMNT at the 2026 World Cup on home soil. Group D, the Paraguay opener at SoFi, the Belgium and Portugal wake-up calls, and whether a quarterfinal run is enough to shift soccer culture in America. Mo sets the bar at semifinal. Chad's not sure we get out of the group. Hit play and pick your side.P

Tyler Adams: Americans Don't Respect Soccer, World Cup Pressure & Europe's UNFAIR Politics
USMNT midfielder Tyler Adams joins Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Raheem Taylor-Parkes on The Late Run ahead of the 2026 World Cup. Tyler opens up about what a successful World Cup looks like for this generation, why some young Americans are moving to Europe too soon, and the politics of being an American player trying to earn respect abroad. He drops a powerful line: until America creates its own Mes

BWP Reflects on Playing With Thierry Henry & Tells Ocho MLS Was The Ghetto
Bradley Wright-Phillips pulls up to The Late Run and pulls no punches. The MLS legend and son of Arsenal icon Ian Wright sits down with Raheemovic and Ochocinco to talk about the pressure of growing up in his dad's shadow, why he believes Messi's child has no chance of being better than him, and what MLS in 2013 was really like - "the ghetto". Ocho shares the real story of his Sporting Kansas City

Rob Gronkowski PROVES Brady IS Messi & Got HUMBLED By Barcelona Players
Rob Gronkowski joins Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Raheem Taylor-Parkes on The Late Run for a MASSIVE crossover episode. Gronk tells the story of meeting Messi in Barcelona's owner's suite, playing goalie against Barca players, and explains why Tom Brady IS the Messi of football. He also drops a scorching take: the NFL RUINED American soccer by stealing the country's best athletes — and ranks Europea

Stephen A. Smith On Messi’s Genius, Knicks Fans, Latinas & His Soccer Roots
Stephen A. Smith pulls up to The Late Run with Ocho and Raheemovic and goes everywhere. He picks Messi as the soccer GOAT, doubles down on his "Messi in MLS is LeBron in the G League" line, and tells the wild story of how a 1991 Winston-Salem Journal assignment turned him into a Wake Forest soccer beat writer for two seasons before ESPN. Then he switches sports and delivers the full Jordan-over-Le

Sheamus: WWE Title HARDER Than World Cup, Maradona Over Messi & Starting a Riot in Manchester
Four-time WWE World Champion Sheamus joins Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor-Parkes on The Late Run during WrestleMania week. A lifelong Liverpool fan from Dublin, Sheamus tells the insane story of wearing a Liverpool kit on live TV in Manchester — bottles thrown, fans swinging, and he calls it the best moment of his career. He picks Maradona as the real GOAT over Messi and Ronaldo, explains why wi

Cam Little: Ronaldo Is The GOAT, Soccer Over Football & World Cup 2026
Cam Little, kicker for the Jacksonville Jaguars and former soccer academy player, joins Ocho and Raheemovic for a full crossover episode just weeks before the 2026 World Cup on American soil. Cam settles the GOAT debate immediately - Ronaldo, no hesitation - and breaks down exactly why Messi's World Cup win doesn't change anything when you look at the longevity, the fear factor, and what Ronaldo i

Deuce McBride: Knicks’ Secret Soccer Obsession, His NFL What-If & NY When They Win It ALL
In this episode of The Late Run, Knicks guard Miles “Deuce” McBride joins Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor-Parkes. A Cincinnati native who grew up idolizing Ocho, Deuce tells the story of getting denied an autograph by Chad as a kid. Now, twenty years later, they’re face to face. He opens up about the Knicks’ locker room soccer culture, his brother playing for Bayer Leverkusen, what would happen t

Jon Vlogs: Neymar Stories + Kings League Chaos + Ocho Wants to Stream
Jon Vlogs pulls up and it instantly turns into story time.
He breaks down what it’s really like being close to Neymar, the poker night that started it, Messi showing up to the birthday party, and Neymar’s rehab pain most people never see. “He was Crying.”
Then we get into Kings League Brazil, why Jon calls it “TikTok for soccer”, and Ocho goes full unhinged pitching a “life or death” streaming e

Don Garber Opens Up: Convincing Messi, the Beckham Clause & Who's Next (Mbappe? Vini?)
MLS Commissioner Don Garber sits down with Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor-Parkes for an all-time conversation about the past, present, and future of American soccer. Garber reveals how he convinced David Beckham to leave Real Madrid for MLS and the legendary clause that let Beckham negotiate team ownership. He settles the Messi vs Ronaldo GOAT debate without hesitation, breaks down how MLS went

Gerard Piqué: Playing With Messi AND Ronaldo, Man United & Football's Future
Gerard Piqué sits down with Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson and Raheemovic for an all-time episode of The Late Run. The 4x Champions League winner and World Cup champion gives his definitive answer on Messi vs Ronaldo after playing alongside BOTH, reveals the inside story of Sir Alex Ferguson selling him for just £5M (a move that changed football history), and breaks down what's gone wrong at Manchester

Rio Ferdinand: What Ronaldo Was REALLY Like at Man United & England's World Cup Starting XI
Rio Ferdinand joins Chad Ochocinco and Raheemovic for one of the most loaded episodes of The Late Run yet; going deep on what Cristiano Ronaldo was REALLY like in the Man United dressing room, why being called a "hard worker" is the one thing that offends him, and how Sir Alex Ferguson's psychological genius kept players motivated even when he dropped them. Rio tells the wild story of sitting in t

Midge Purce Played on a TORN ACL, Argues Messi Over Ronaldo, & EXPOSES NWSL's Pay Problem
Two-time NWSL Champion and USWNT star Midge Purce pulls up to The Late Run and doesn't hold back. From a fiery Messi vs Ronaldo debate where Ocho tries (and fails) to flip her answer, to a raw breakdown of the NWSL's controversial High Impact Player rule and why she thinks Trinity Rodman is still underpaid, Midge brings the heat on everything wrong with women's soccer pay.
But the real jaw-droppe

Rick Ross Goes ALL IN on World Cup 2026, Ronaldo vs Messi & Why the Hood NEEDS Soccer
Rick Ross pulls up to The Late Run and goes ALL IN on World Cup 2026, revealing he plans to streak if Haiti wins, comparing Messi's impact on Miami to nothing he's ever seen, and breaking down why soccer needs to take over the hood. The Boss also drops his Ronaldo vs. Messi take (spoiler: Dade County loyalty wins), names Biggie and Pac as hip hop's equivalent, and gets real about what it was like

Bert Kreischer Called Soccer 'Communist'… Then Ocho Converted Him
Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Raheemovic sit down with comedy legend Bert Kreischer for a conversation that goes everywhere: soccer culture in Florida, Messi mania in Miami, the World Cup 2026 “last dance” talk, and the comedy Mount Rushmore.
Bert retells *The Machine* origin story, breaks down what makes a great comedian, and somehow ends up pledging to become a real soccer fan.
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'The Late Run' Teaser
Chad Ochocinco and Raheem Taylor-Parks talk the Beautiful Game with the biggest names in sports and culture - COMING FEBRUARY 26 👀
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