Latest / Friends on Football / Ep. 40 - USMNT's New Era, Captain Adams, Tres a Cero, International Break Musings, Dele Alli the Streamer & Manchester City's Portuguese Hacker

Transcript

Ep. 40 - USMNT's New Era, Captain Adams, Tres a Cero, International Break Musings, Dele Alli the Streamer & Manchester City's Portuguese Hacker · Friends on Football

• 0:22
  SPEAKER_03: Hello, friends, and welcome to episode 40 of the Friends on Football Podcast.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_03: I'm one of your co-hosts, Brandon Johnson, and joined with me as always is my good friend, Mr.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_03: Sean Boyle.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_03: Sean, how are you doing?
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_03: Brandon, I'm thrilled to be back with you.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_03: Things are going well on my end.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_03: How are things for you?
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_03: Good, good.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_03: No, things are good.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like the boys were also on a little bit of an international break, but we're getting back into the thick of things.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_03: We're back in the training sessions, and the boys will be back to our twice a week, twice a week episodes now moving forward.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_03: So enjoyed the little break, Sean, but of course, still full of football.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_03: Today we will do a quick number journey, episode 40.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_03: I'll go over that.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_03: We'll discuss the US men's national team, the last couple of games during this window.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_03: And then the final section, Sean, is just sort of other things we saw.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_03: So we'll take you around the world.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_03: I know you have some things.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_03: I have some things I wanted to talk about during this international break.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_03: We probably won't mention Manchester City this episode.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_03: I know we mentioned them a lot in the last episode, but that is still all in the works.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe there will probably be a Manchester City mention, let's be honest.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I actually I actually have another trick up my sleeve too.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: I think I'm going to talk about them a little bit and some of the things I saw, Brandon.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_01: So we're not going to quite escape them, but I did bury the lead on you a little bit there.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_01: So it's all it's all good.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_03: It's all good.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_03: I will start, and actually, this is, I guess, adjacent to Manchester City with my number journey.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_03: Because the player I chose to highlight was Jack Grealish.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_03: Jack Grealish wore the number 40 when he came through the Aston Villa Academy.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_03: And then when he made his breakout at Villa, he also wore 40 for the first, I believe, two seasons, and then he got the number 10 shirt.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, for those that don't know, Jack Grealish.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_03: On his day, Sean, one of the best wingers in the world.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_03: I read some stats, and of course, I guess not saying we're not going to talk about Manchester City, and here we go right now.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_03: He had, I believe, like the largest transfer for an English player at one point when he went from villa to city, but as we know, that may have been a little tarnished.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, but he was incredible on his day, incredible winger.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_03: And it just seems like some injuries and things really kind of plagued a lot of his career.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_03: He's he's kind of making a second little resurgence now with Everton, and it's great to see that.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_03: Jamie Tart from Ted Lasso is thought to be Jack Grealish's Yeah.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_03: They refer to each other kind of loosely based on him.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_03: But but I just wanted to highlight Jack Realish because I think nowadays a lot it's it's about his partying and his antics outside the pitch.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_03: But a few years ago, when he was on the field, I mean, this guy was unstoppable.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_03: So wanted to throw him on to start our episode, and of course, already had the Manchester City reference, but fun to bring that to the table, Sean.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_01: I like that one, Brandon.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_01: Jack Realish, a lot of things are made about, like you said, kind of the extracurriculars, the off-the-field, the partying, and things like that.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_01: And then the Jamie Tart inspiration obviously isn't the most flattering at times, but Jack Realish is a guy who, like you said, on his day was a terrific footballer, still is capable of it from time to time if he could stay fit.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: The loan to Everton last season started really well, and then the injury came in and ruined his season.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: He's back at Everton.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: I think fans are really excited to get him through the door again.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's one of those things, too, where the more you read about Jack Realish, he really does have a good heart, too.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a lot of good and kind of complex things to him that don't come across when you hear him talk sometimes because he plays into that kind of silly, stupid role well.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_01: But I think there's a lot more that meets the eye with Jack.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm glad you brought him.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, no, thank you.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_03: Sean, but but to get going here, US men's national team, we've had two more games since our last discussion.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, USA beat Chile 4-2, and then USA beat Mexico 3-0.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: Sean, we don't we won't go goal by goal, highlight by highlight, but just give me your overall thoughts so far.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_03: We have one more game against Canada on Tuesday.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_03: But right now, where's your head at with this team?
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_03: How are you feeling?
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_03: What are your thoughts around them?
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_03: My thoughts, Brandon.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, my thoughts are we're we're back.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_01: We're actually not back because we're to a place we haven't been before.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: I think optimism is at an all-time high.
• 4:34
  SPEAKER_01: I'm fully behind Mauricio Pacetino and what he seems to be trying to do with this group.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: I think the start of the new cycle has gone just about perfectly if you're looking at who we've brought into camp and how we're trying to make things fresh and implement not only necessarily new styles of play, but just a new culture and continuing to build off of some of the bright spots we saw in the previous run-up to the World Cup, because there was some good, but ultimately we fell a bit short of what we ultimately want the goal to be.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: I think you can be nothing but encouraged by what we've seen so far, building towards this next cycle.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think the bar should be raised and continuously raised and set higher and higher.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_01: You reach for the stars and fall on the clouds, would be how I would frame this.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: I have been nothing but pleased with what I've seen.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: There's obviously little knits to pick here and there with some performances and things that we still need to get better at.
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: But overall, I said I wasn't gonna care too much about wins during this window, Brandon.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_01: But when you win the first three, I think you can't help but be excited, right?
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: You want to get that four for four and a match against Canada arrival.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_03: It's a great opportunity to finish the window.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_03: But I I agree with you, Sean.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_03: I like you, I think wins and losses weren't the biggest focal point for me.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_03: It was definitely individual performances, but also just sort of the energy around the team, and I've been blown away by that.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_03: I think that for me has been the biggest standout.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_03: The energy and the support and the passion these players are playing with, it's something you don't typically see in friendly matches.
• 6:11
  SPEAKER_03: These games truly, truly mean nothing.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_03: Other teams in CONCACAF are playing Nations League, and there are some cups going on around the world with some other confederations, but these games truly mean nothing for the US.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_03: And to see the passion they're playing with is fantastic.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_03: And I and I think it's something that you've mentioned before with your affection towards Pastatino, is he instills that culture.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_03: And it's hey, I'll put my arm around you and support you when I need to, but when you're in between those lines, you have to be a dog.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_03: And we've seen it, we've seen skirmishes in these games, and of course, we don't want to be getting in fights every game, Sean.
• 6:45
  SPEAKER_03: But if a guy's gonna go put his hands to one of our guys' face, like, yeah, there's gonna be 10 guys that stand up for him and have his back, and you see the bench as well coming off.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I think those little things are moments that they can look back on in a few years or in a few cycles that they're like, yeah, like that's when we knew we're we're moving forward, we're we're we're progressing.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_03: And I think, Sean, this leads me to my next question to you.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_03: Tyler Adams gets named captain, and for me at first, it was like a duh, like kind of like, of course it's gonna be Tyler Adams, but let's sit and think, Sean.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_03: There are some names that are not at this camp.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_03: Is that is Pachatino sending a message?
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_03: What did you make of that?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_03: Tyler Adams being named the captain of the US men's national team.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: I think it was the most logical, easiest option.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think Pach had to really extend his search too far or try to get creative with anything.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: I thought Tyler was by far the most natural, just in terms of the leadership qualities he possesses, the role he plays on the pitch, but also in the locker room, it's sort of that feisty, but also level-headed competitor, that warrior mentality that he has, the way he disrupts play.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's natural for a defender or a central defender to be a captain of a club and a country, because it's just the role they play within the team.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then Tyler has always transcended that into the locker room as well.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it brings me to a larger point, and it's kind of piggybacking off of what you were just talking about with the culture of the group now.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: I think Tyler has been instrumental in sort of that older wave of players, the guys in their late 20s that have been around for a cycle or two, welcoming in the this new wave.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_01: And we've made a lot of noise about how exciting these young prospects are and how talented they are and how they're unlike anything we've ever seen.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_01: And all of that can be true, but if they're not welcomed into an environment with open arms and made to feel comfortable, then they might have some struggles.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: And we've seen the exact opposite.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_01: We've seen them flourish.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of that credit is going to fall on their shoulders because of how good and talented they are in their own competitive spirit.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: But I also think it's a credit to Tyler Adams and the culture he's created where those guys that have been around the block a time or two are just as close with these new guys as the new guys are with each other.
• 9:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's really cool to see the way the group embraces each other and stands up for each other and fights and has the back of Sebastian Berehalter when he gets smacked against Mexico.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: And you talk about how, yeah, we don't want to see fights every game, but against Mexico, you will.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_01: Every time the US plays Mexico, there's gonna be some sort of skirmish.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_01: Probably gonna be the same against Canada.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_01: And I think Tyler has the right head on his shoulders to kind of handle the group's direction in all of those difficult moments.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_01: I like it.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's also important to name somebody who, if healthy, will definitely be part of the team.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that Tyler Adams definitely checks that box as well.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that Captain Announcement was good.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_01: I think it was the easy choice, but I also think it was the correct choice.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: I'd be interested to hear if you think the same.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I do.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_03: I do think the same, Sean.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_03: I think for all of the reasons that you mentioned, it had to be Tyler.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_03: I just wonder what now goes through what Christian Polisic's head, where maybe Christian is more of quote unquote the face of the team, just because he's the name and he's playing in Italy, and he's kind of been that that guy for us, versus actually being the one that is the leader in the locker room.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_03: Because you're talking about two different things.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_03: You're you're the superstar versus the guy who's who's actually behind the scenes pulling everybody together, we're all rowing the same boat.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_03: And I wonder if Christian thinks he should be that guy as well as being the superstar.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_03: So that would be the only other name that I would say maybe feels a little bit weary about it, but I can't, besides him, I really can't pick out anybody else who I would say, oh, that guy should be a nailed-on captain.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_03: Weston, I guess you throw him in, but he's hurt a lot.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_03: He's maybe doesn't have the I don't know the exact word, but he doesn't maybe have that persona that Tyler has.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_03: I think Weston is more of a fun, free-spirited guy, and you need that.
• 11:00
  SPEAKER_03: You absolutely need that, Sean.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_03: But I don't know if he's the guy that's gonna pull a guy aside and say, Hey, you fucked up here.
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_03: I need you to be better.
• 11:09
  SPEAKER_03: Whereas Tyler has that and can command that from day one.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, Tyler certainly has more of the adult in the room vibe.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: Listen, I don't know these guys personally, but if I were to liken it too, when you're kids hanging out with your boys, maybe you have a sleepover, Tyler's more likely to say, Hey, that's not a good idea, let's not do that, and maybe go get a parent.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: Whereas Wes is more likely to, yeah, let's ding dong ditch.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: Wes is down for it.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: And Wes has a role.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: He's chief vibes officer.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: Vibes fall on Weston McKenney's shoulders.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's a good way to look at it.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: He's gonna get along with everybody.
• 11:44
  SPEAKER_01: He's never gonna be a stick in the mud, always gonna be a lot of fun.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: I love Wes.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think that role is almost equally as important.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: But when there's times to hold people's feet to the fire, I'd rather a guy like Tyler doing it.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I think Pulisic, I think it's good to bring him up because a lot of fans, especially casual fans, will be like, oh, well, he was nicknamed Captain America.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_01: Why isn't he the captain?
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_01: And he's the most talented player and all that sort of thing.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: But I think if you listen to Christian talk, he's very comfortable not talking a ton.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_01: He likes to kind of do by example and sit in the shadows, and he's not the most overly vocal.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: And also, he's a guy who kind of like all these people we're talking about, they do battle injuries a ton.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: Tyler Adams has dealt with fair his fair share of injuries as well, so that's always a kind of a concern.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: And that's why you kind of need a leadership group and a culture in place so that it doesn't fall squarely on one guy's shoulders.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: But with Christian, it's more of he's kind of that dynamic attacker who has a bit of flash and skill about him.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: He doesn't remind me, like when I think Captain, I think Roy Keane, you know, which again to reference Ted Lasso's more of that Roy Kent type.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: That's where the inspiration for him came from.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_01: And it's that rough, tumble, hard-nosed, gritty sort of leader who maybe isn't for flash and pomp and circumstance, but is he's there to put in a tackle and then shout across the line saying, Hey, that's your job, you know, be better next time.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_01: I don't see Christian Pulisic doing that sort of thing.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_01: So yes, on the surface, I could see see why people might be like, Oh, that's weird that Pulisic has never been captain.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_01: I think Tyler Adams has much more of those leadership qualities that you're looking for.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, fair.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_03: Now I I think we're on the same page here.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_03: Something you mentioned, Sean, earlier was about Tyler.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_03: You said he welcomed the young guys to the group.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_03: He welcomes them, he embraces their being at camp.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_03: I wanted to ask you about the young guys.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_03: What are your thoughts on these young guys?
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_03: And you don't have to go name by name, you can name drop if you'd like, but just give me the overall report or what you saw from this camp from the young players.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: Well, Brandon, we both touched on it when we were previewing what to expect in this camp.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_01: We we said what we were hopeful for, and that was the young guys getting a chance.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_01: And they've got their chances in the first two matches, especially.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_01: They all got their debut, except for Cole Campbell, who I believe is battling an injury, but they all got to make their national team appearance.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_01: They all got to get in the mix a little bit.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: Some got starts, some got second starts.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_01: And overall, I think both of our reactions were oh, this is great.
• 14:11
  SPEAKER_01: We're seeing what we wanted.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: The next step in that is okay, let's start to uh put a name and say, make let's make that position ours as a young guy.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: Let's say, you know what?
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_01: No, there is no one better than me outside this camp.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_01: That position's mine now.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I think not to jump too far ahead, Brandon, but we against Mexico, uh, we see a lineup where I think everybody's going into that game, like, okay, we're gonna get our best group in this camp, uh, we're gonna get Pach's best 11 for this match, is what I think we all were expecting.
• 14:41
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's Mexico, you know?
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a match on Tuesday, of course, but that one has a short lead up back into uh back into the club games on the weekend.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: So you I don't know if you might rotate that one a bit more, but the game everybody had circled was Mexico.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: Saturday night.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Let's see what we can do.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: And Pachatino decides to start three of those young guys in key positions.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: And that says to me that he thinks they're at the level not only to compete for positions in the future, they're at the level to play and represent this national team now in a really hostile competitive environment.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: And Kavin Sullivan specifically, he talked about how he matched his warrior mentality with the quality that he has.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: And Brandon, Kavan's goal, he breaks Matisse Albrecht's record of youngest goalscorer just a few days after he sets it through just sheer determination and a bit of smart defending, and then quality with his finish.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_01: But it's kind of combining all those things we're talking about the the skill level, the work ethic, the mentality.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's been nothing but promising signs overall with this young group of players.
• 15:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I think Kavan is probably the most direct representative example of that.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's been great.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_03: And you mentioned Kavan, so I won't go too much on him, but Julian Hall, three goals in three games.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_03: And Albert, you can see that the wheels are spinning for him, and he's another guy, he's gonna come along.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_03: And it's really great to see that again.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_03: This goes back to Tyler, this goes back to Pachettino.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_03: These guys are getting their chance, and it's not the five-minute cameo when the game's done and dusted.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_03: These guys are starting and playing 65 from the start.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_03: So I think that, Sean, for me, is showing, like you said, the transition from that older guard to this new generation and these new generation guys saying, Hey, thanks for the opportunity, coach, but I'm gonna go take it now and say, Hey, this is my spot.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_03: I want to be here when the games really matter, not just these friendlies.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I love what you just said there.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: And I think the best example we saw of that, I mentioned Kevin Sullivan.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's one of them.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think Diego Coaching getting the start in goal against Mexico, which was something I was not expecting.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_01: I was talking with a couple buddies and we were talking about what the lineup would look like.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, I think we're gonna get two or three of the youngsters out there that Poch really believes in.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't think he would do it at keeper.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_01: I thought he would still roll freeze back out there and we'd do that whole song and dance again.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_01: But to me, it signals that Potch knows we need to improve at that position, and he was willing to early in the cycle give a guy an opportunity.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_01: And the fact that Coach was able to keep a clean sheet, make a couple of nice saves, and really stand out, I think that's a huge, huge step for the US MNT.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's also, in my opinion, something where, okay, hey, now you have four years, Diego.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: Job's yours.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: I that might be going early and saying, hey, it's yours, but I think he's the most talented.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: I think he is by far the most talented in the pool.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: Is he ready yet?
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe not, but hey, we have time now to get you up to speed.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: I think him starting and playing that whole Mexico match was a great step in the right direction at goalkeeper.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_03: I'm very glad you brought him up because he was in my notes and I was going to bring him up to you.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_03: Do you think that?
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_03: And you sort of hinted at it right there like, is it his job to lose now?
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_03: And again, we're four years out, Sean.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_03: I don't want to be crazy, but you don't just throw anybody a net when you're playing Mexico, friendly, World Cup, CONCACAF, Nations League, whatever, USA, Mexico.
• 18:09
  SPEAKER_03: We know what this game means.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_03: Throwing coaching in is that saying, hey, freeze, get your game up.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_03: Like, what what is yeah, do you think that that is really like where we're headed?
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's tough to say because is it his job to lose?
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's one friendly start, and maybe we're reading too much into it, or I'm reading too much into it.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_01: But for me, I think it was the most important game to see where you stood in Potts' mind.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_01: I think the Mexico game was the most important, like I talked about.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: I thought we were gonna see his version of his best 11 at this camp in this game, and I think we did.
• 18:46
  SPEAKER_01: When you look directly ahead in the back line is Richards and Trusty and Freeman and Robinson, I think that's that's clearly our best back four, you know.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_01: I think Potts sees the best midfield pivot right now as Adams and Bearhalter, which we can maybe get into because I do have some questions about that.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_01: But I think Potch looked at it and said, Hey, I'm gonna give you my best 11.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: And Diego Coaching getting that start in that position is a great sign for me that he thinks uh coaching is the guy.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_01: Now, uh, is that permanent?
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_01: Or can uh is the job his, even if he strings together five bad performances?
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: No, I don't think we're there yet.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: I still think he needs to keep proving it, but I think he has an inch of a head start, which is really important for me because sometimes you keep running out the guy who was trustworthy enough to start the last World Cup.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_01: And then next thing you know, it's a year later and Freeze is still kind of the guy, and coaching's still trying to break through.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_01: I thought it was really promising that we saw coaching get the start in this one and perform well and really start to assert himself as the guy for this cycle because Brandon, he's he's come up through La Mesilla at Barcelona.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: I know that's youth football, but that's at academy level that none of these other guys have sniffed in their careers.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_01: And he hasn't broken through yet at Barcelona, but they haven't sold him either.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 20:03
  SPEAKER_01: They they see a talented player there that they're still continuing to loan and try to develop.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: That shows me that his talent level is way higher than the rest of the guys in that goalkeeper room.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_01: So if it were up to me, yes, it's his job to lose, let's run with it.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_01: I still think let's start or let's keep putting in good shifts, Diego, but we're off to a good start, you'd have to say.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_03: And I like you bringing this that point up because something I saw Sean over the weekend was England starting James Trafford over Jordan Pickford.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_03: And there were some people saying, Oh my gosh, is it the end of Pickford?
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_03: Is it the end?
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_03: What's going on?
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_03: And I saw somebody say, and I think this was fair, and maybe we can apply to the US as well.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_03: Jordan Pickford for England, he's gonna give you a six or seven out of ten every game.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_03: You know exactly what you're gonna get from him.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_03: He's never terrible, and let's be honest, at this point in his career, he's never perfect.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_03: James Trafford, he might give you an eight, nine, or ten.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_03: He also may put in a stinker because he's a yacht and have a four or five.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_03: And it's like if you're too cool, or in this case Pachasina for the US, do you want sixes and sevens?
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_03: Or do you are you willing to take the risk and say, hey, I'll take an eight, nine, or ten, knowing that you may only get a four or five on a specific night.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_03: And I think these are the games and the playgrounds where you can say, sure, Diego, go out there and if you throw a four or five out of ten, fine.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's gonna suck and it's gonna look bad on a score line because of course you're the goalie, so usually when you mess up, it results to goals for the other team.
• 21:36
  SPEAKER_03: But look at Mexico.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_03: Look at Mexico, exactly.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_03: But we can we can swallow that because it's it's a friendly, and at the end of the day, we we go back to our club teams, and this game really meant nothing.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_03: So I I think the US are maybe in a similar situation, and I'm excited to see it, both with us and with England, because I do think James Trafford can really be great, but there has to be a little bit of like Jordan Pickford saying, all right, I'll I'll stay, you know, I'll move into the background.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_03: I'll be okay with being that number two guy when it comes to it.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_03: And right now they're both probably fighting.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_03: Same thing with Freeze and Coaching, and even some of the guys that maybe aren't even in this camp.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_03: But once we get maybe two years from now, the Olympics after that, it's like, all right, we need to decide.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_03: This is how it's supposed to look.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_03: Of course, injuries and things can, you know, shuffle that up a bit.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_03: But those guys may have to take a secondary role that are so used to being that guy.
• 22:33
  SPEAKER_03: And maybe we're just going through this transition early.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm okay with that.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_03: I think I'm okay with it.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I want as much competition for places as possible.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: Competition makes people better.
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_01: It you see who withers under pressure.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: You see who takes their opportunities and stands out and puts in good performances, and you see who takes their opportunities and kind of wastes them or doesn't live up to what we're hoping for and expecting.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I like your example that you gave.
• 22:59
  SPEAKER_01: I I do think there is a difference between what Pickford has given England and what Freeze has given the US.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: But I think if you get down to the scale, you're still correct because Trafford is starting in the Premier League each week.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: So his replacement is at a higher level, and Coachin is playing in Denmark.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: So there is still certainly some parallels to that situation where there's an established guy who has started in major tournaments or has started recently as the nailed on number one, and there's a guy trying to push him and that might have more potential and more upside.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's a good sign, like I said, that we're getting to see that guy with the potential and the upside in a big game early in the cycle.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because that shows me that Poch is open-minded.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_01: He knows the area can be improved upon, and he thinks the guy who might have the answers to those questions is Diego Cochen.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's all good news for the US.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_01: More competition for places.
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_01: We might raise our floor.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_03: A few, a few other ones I got to throw at you, Sean.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_03: You mentioned his name and I wanted to discuss him just a bit, but Sebastian Berhalter, what have we learned about him in these last three games?
• 24:04
  SPEAKER_01: Brandon, I'm glad you brought him up because I do think he's super interesting.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_01: He's a fascinating player now for the US.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: And it's weird.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: We talked about how much he's improved, and he has improved tremendously.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think his athleticism, I saw a video of him working with a trainer since I want to say four or five years ago, his dad got him in touch with a trainer and he elevated his physical condition to a level that allowed him to be a better player all around, which I think is huge.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_01: And no one can doubt the level of work and effort that Sebastian has put into his game.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: And we've sung his praises recently about how good he's been.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_01: He's gotten on the end of goals and he's assisting.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: And he has a lot of quality when he has time on the ball.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: What I worry about with Sebastian Barahalter, and this is not to say I don't want him in the squad.
• 24:48
  SPEAKER_01: I want him in the squad for this next cycle.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_01: What he offers is unique and important.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_01: So that's the first thing.
• 24:54
  SPEAKER_01: Let's get that cleared away.
• 24:56
  SPEAKER_01: I worry about him playing in a midfield pivot next to some next to Tyler Adams.
• 25:00
  SPEAKER_01: We saw some of this against Mexico.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_01: Those two trying to play out in tight spaces and pass progressively, it's kind of a nightmare.
• 25:09
  SPEAKER_01: Neither one is capable of doing it, quite frankly, or capable of doing it consistently.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_01: And there's things that both of them do that you don't want both of your midfielders doing, which is receiving the ball under pressure and only passing backwards.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they're they're passing backwards or sideways.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: They're not turning and facing and playing in those tight spaces and breaking down defenses.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's fine for one midfielder to do that, but then what you're doing is you're putting the pressure on all of your other teammates.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: And you're saying, hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, hot grenade, grenade, whoa, I'm gonna pass the grenade.
• 25:44
  SPEAKER_01: Not my problem.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, thank God I got rid of it.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: Well, your job's not done because we're our team's still in trouble, you know?
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I think those two share a lot of those kind of qualities and possession that one of those is fine, two of those guys playing in the midfield together can be a problem against teams that really know how to pressure you.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we saw some shades of that against Mexico.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't think it's Sebastian's fault necessarily.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: I think Tyler could be guilty of it as well.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: It's just that combination for me.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: I still think we're looking for an eight next to Tyler Adams, is what I would say.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_03: What about I don't disagree?
• 26:17
  SPEAKER_03: I think his performances have definitely warranted these call-ups, these minutes that he's getting.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_03: And like you said, he's his trajectory has gone through the roof in the last year, year and a half.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_03: And it's it's great to see, but I I do agree.
• 26:32
  SPEAKER_03: I I do think they do play similar positions, but I guess my challenge to you, Sean, is who is that eight?
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_03: Is it is it Weston?
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_03: Like maybe, probably.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, it's tough because Weston's not exactly the peg you want to fit into that hole either.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_01: He's a little bit square peg round hole as well.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_01: He's Weston's so interesting because he's developed that part of his game at Juventus because he's had to play in that position sometimes.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: But then you see managers put Weston in different positions that he's able to shine in sometimes because he's a little bit rough around the edges in buildup too, you know?
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_01: So there's some things for West that you don't love.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_01: I think Yunus Musa could be that guy.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: I think some of the flashes and the good you see from Yunus Musa, the turning on the ball, the dribbling through defensive lines, I think the upside for Eunice is there, but Eunice also has that ability to, oh, that's a boo-boo.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_01: You can't make that turn over there and put the team in trouble in that fashion.
• 27:29
  SPEAKER_01: So there's different ways where I personally would rather see a guy be aggressive and try to do it and fail and turn the ball over trying to make an inventive pass or to try to square a defender and dribble past him.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_01: I don't like seeing a guy who never tries those things, where sometimes Tyler's really guilty of this.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_01: He'll get the ball and he's pressured in tight space and he just passes back to the center bank.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, well, guess what, Tyler?
• 27:55
  SPEAKER_01: We still have that problem in front of us.
• 27:57
  SPEAKER_01: We didn't do anything to fix that problem.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_01: At least for me, if Eunice gets the ball and tries something and fails, it showed courage and tried something.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's another thing we really need to focus on as a group is having courage and ability in possession.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's what you see with world-class countries and clubs.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_01: They have guys in the midfield that are capable of doing that.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: And they almost welcome the pressure.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, come closer.
• 28:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna put I'm gonna play through you.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we don't have those guys with that skill level in those positions yet.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of these guys we're talking about, these young, exciting players that are coming through.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_01: They're out wide up top, they're center backs.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_01: We don't have that midfield generational prospect coming through, to my knowledge, in that eight role that I really want to see.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know who the answer is to answer your question.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's a long-winded way of saying I don't know, but I don't think the pairing of Adams Bear halter is gonna excite me much against teams that are gonna come at us.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: I think against the team that's gonna sit and not really pressure the midfield or create those tight spaces, they'll be they'll be fine.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: We might have some trouble breaking down a low block in those instances with those two, but it's a different problem than playing through a press.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_03: No, that's a it's a good, it's an interesting point and and thought.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_03: I think Mimedi maybe shows it at times, but he's probably a little bit more of a six than an eight.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yes, I almost I almost I think our best combination to answer you, Brandon, for me, it's early again.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'm going early with the young guys, but it would be Adams and Mamedi.
• 29:24
  SPEAKER_01: I think Mamedi is truly a different type of prospect that has upside to do these things.
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_01: The only thing for me would be he almost I would almost rather him play again in Adams' role, yeah, and then you know, and then have a yeah, a different profile in the eight.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_01: But I think to answer your question, if I were to pick right now who's gonna start in the pivot for the next World Cup, I would say Mamedi Adams.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, okay.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_03: The New York boys, the Jersey boys.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_03: Sure, sure.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_03: No, hey, uh that's look, if that's our pivot, I'm not yeah, I'm not too mad at it.
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not too mad at it.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not too mad because they're pretty structured defensively, you trust them, the break play up and be in the right spots, and then Memedi shows quality on the ball in tight spaces and passing, and I think that would work.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's not a perfect midfield, but it would work.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think Spain are gonna try it out of midfield like that.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_01: So with there's there's levels, you know.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_03: But the US could, yeah.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_03: I Sean, I gotta I gotta call you out on something, and I want to know your opinion on it still.
• 30:24
  SPEAKER_03: I believe it was either last episode or two episodes ago.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_03: We were talking about Marisa Pacetino and how he's trying to instill his culture and and do all these things with the US, but you said, hey, if Tottenham comes calling, he needs to answer the phone and go back.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_03: Do you still feel that way two weeks later?
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_01: Unfortunately, Brandon, yeah, for sure.
• 30:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm a Tottenham guy third through first.
• 30:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's where I got the love of this game.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I liked the game because of the US originally.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, oh, I'll show some nationalism, I'll show Clint Dempsey's my guy.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_01: But push comes to shove.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'm living and dying with these guys every week.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_01: I it's it's eaten me up at night that we're sitting 20th for this three-week gap.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_01: I can't I can't do this much longer.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_01: If it came to it, I would immediately take potch.
• 31:08
  SPEAKER_01: And I would say sorry, I'd be apologetic.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'd be like, I want a world-class manager to replace him, but we need him back home and home is Northland.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, all right.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_03: You heard it here again, listeners.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_03: He he doubled down, which is fine.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_03: I hear you, Sean.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_03: Now, one final question before we transition out of the US men's national team game.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_03: Men's national team camp, sorry.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_03: USA Canada on Tuesday, final game of the of this break.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_03: What are you trying to get out of this game?
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_03: And maybe just give me your overall thoughts on just how this camp has gone and how it can end, maybe with a little bit of a cherry on top for you.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Brian, I'm interested to hear what you have to say as well because I feel like I might be alone in this, but I want to.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_01: Do you know the scene from Step Brothers where the little kids at recess make the two grown adults lick the dog poop?
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: That's what I want to do to Jesse Marsh.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: I want to shove his face into shit.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_01: I just don't like the guy listeners will know that.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's always about Jesse.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_01: He's once again talking, and last time I posted something online, the Canadians came in full force, all 10 of them, and they they chirped me and they said, Oh, this guy doesn't know anything about it.
• 32:14
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe I don't.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: I do know this.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_01: I can't stand Jesse Marsh.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I know it's a friendly, it doesn't count for anything.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: I want to shove his face in shit.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_01: I want to beat them four or five nil.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think that'll happen, but I want to see a win now.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: I went from not caring at all about results to right before that Mexico game being like we better win.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_01: And now, sitting here day of this game, I'm like, we better win.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know that we've we're even gonna see the best possible United States 11 in this one.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think there will be some rotation, but I want to beat Canada any chance we get to beat Canada.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I think we're gonna end on a strong note.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_01: I think we're gonna go four wins from four, and I think we're gonna play well, but I think it might even be a new group of guys doing it.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, what do you think?
• 32:57
  SPEAKER_01: Are you looking forward to this?
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_01: Do you think it's gonna be good for the US?
• 33:00
  SPEAKER_01: Do you want to win as bad as I do?
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_03: As competitive as I am, and I love to win and hate to lose.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think I'm nearly as competitive as you are for this one against Canada.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_03: It's a personal vendetta, yeah.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_03: Sorry.
• 33:13
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I could I could sense it.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_03: Uh no, no, no.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_03: Of course, anytime you put on that jersey, you want to go out and win.
• 33:18
  SPEAKER_03: Period.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_03: Point blank.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_03: I do think it will be a different squad, and I think it'll be good to see those guys that didn't play against Mexico because this almost becomes their Mexico game.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_03: And I get it, Canada and Mexico not the same on paper.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_03: But I think the teams have been trending in opposite directions.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_03: Mexico has not been nearly as good the last five-ish years, and Canada's kind of come out of nowhere and really put up good results over the last five years.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_03: So this may be a bit of the I don't want to say changing of the guard completely because I think Mexico, when the lights are on, Mexico will be there.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_03: But I do think Canada is like, hey, we're not just a little brother anymore.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_03: You lose to Mexico, then you come beat us 5-0.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_03: It's not gonna be that easy.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_03: So I'm interested in seeing how the 11 guys he decides to put out, which are probably, like you said, rotated from the Mexico game, attack it.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_03: Because to them, they might feel upset at Pachatino, like, hey, I wanted to play Mexico.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_03: So it's like, all right, go play Canada and show me that you deserve to play against Mexico.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_03: If Pachatino has the thought that we had where Mexico was the game, yes, and this is almost a second-tier game, which I do I don't disagree.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_03: I think that is how he's thinking, and so I want to see the 11 guys he puts out there being like, you know what, coach, like you kind of screwed me over, but like I'll perform for you against Canada to show you that I can also play Mexico.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_03: So I would love to see 5-0.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_03: That would be incredible.
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think that's the reality.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_03: I think it'll be a tighter game, maybe a two to one or a three to two.
• 34:51
  SPEAKER_03: But I'm more interested in seeing how the players respond to maybe not getting the quote unquote call-up that they thought they would have gotten to play against Mexico.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_01: I like that, Brandon.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: I like that mentality that you kind of spoke on there.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_01: Like, hey, you didn't get your chance in that game, but here it is.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_01: We're still part of the same team.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_01: This is the same window.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_01: You have every chance to make an impression.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_01: We're both assuming that they'll rotate the squad a bit.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's just because it's kind of a short turnaround.
• 35:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like you played late, late Saturday night, and then to play Tuesday.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's not the longest of turnarounds.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I I don't I would be shocked if we saw the same 11.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_01: I I feel comfortable.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, coaching, you can go start again.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: You didn't move around that much, a keeper.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_01: But it it'll be an opportunity for some new guys to once again make a name for themselves, but also just keep that positive momentum going, go unbeaten in this camp and just keep all good vibes until the next time they get together.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, which will be in November, I believe.
• 35:50
  SPEAKER_03: We have Concaffe Nations League in November.
• 35:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we're we're right back to it.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_03: Just a few a few weeks back with the the club teams, and then they'll be back.
• 35:58
  SPEAKER_03: I believe they actually play in Cincinnati.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_03: Uh they play a a Concaffein Nations League game in Cincinnati during the next window.
• 36:05
  SPEAKER_03: So yeah, Sean, I I'm glad we broke down the the US men's national team and got to chat about that because I do think it's very important, and I think this window has really shown us a lot.
• 36:16
  SPEAKER_03: It's really been an optimistic opportunity for us to say, hey, maybe we can make some noise in this thing.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_03: I'm not saying we're gonna go win the World Cup in four years, but a round of eight could be a quarterfinal, like you could dance around, you know, and maybe it's a shootout.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_03: We sneak by somebody in a shootout to get to the round of eight, the quarterfinals.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_03: And then when you're in the quarterfinals, hey, you're the one of the last eight at the dance.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_03: Go have some fun, make some magic.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_03: So it's an exciting, exciting time, especially coming off of the World Cup, where we probably a little bit disappointed, Sean.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_03: So it's a good time to be a US men's national team fan.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, I want to brand uh just to tie a bow on it.
• 36:56
  SPEAKER_01: The one last thing, and this is a parting message.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_01: If Julian Hall, unbelievable performances, three goals in your first three games, great stuff.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_01: If we could just drop the Polish bit that you're doing, that would be great.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_01: I know, I know, Brandon.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: He you're listening you're Mr.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, you we want guys that want to be here.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_01: Well, he's kind of twerking a little bit for Poland still, and I don't love that.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_01: We've got some guys like Matisse Albert can represent a few different countries.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_01: He says no, only United States.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_01: Memeti, been pretty bullish.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'm only trying to play for the United States.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_01: Julian Hall, the last name switch on the back of the jersey.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_01: I've been hearing a lot of Polish talk out of them.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: Just please, Julian, you're we love you here, we want you here.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_01: Let's drop the bit.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_01: You could still be proudly Polish, but you're a United States men's national team player now.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_03: I like the I like the parting message, and I don't disagree with you there, Sean.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_03: Sean, obviously this was a big period for the US, but plenty of other games and things going on around the world.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_03: And we have some news from some arguably the two biggest players in the world.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_03: So, Sean, you want to break those down?
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_03: Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, things that happened to them during this international window.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Brandon, I might toss it to you for an update on your guy, Cristiano Ronaldo.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the always Messi guy.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_01: Here we go.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_01: You're gonna have to eat some shit for this one.
• 38:16
  SPEAKER_01: But just two different ways to go about the ending of your career with your national team.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: We have the graceful goat, Lionel Messi, having a farewell match on Tuesday night, his last time putting on the Argentinian shirt, a tremendous occasion.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_01: People are flying in from all around the world.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_01: Paolo Dybala asks permission to leave Roma to go to the match.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_01: He was actually told no.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_01: They said we can't risk the wear and tear on your body, Paolo, but he wanted to be there for the goat.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's going to be a beautiful occasion, just riding off into the sunset for one of the greatest players to ever play the game, if not the greatest.
• 38:49
  SPEAKER_01: On the flip side, Brandon's guy, Cristiano, he's 41.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_01: He's kicking up a fuss in the Portugal camp, and he has left the camp.
• 38:58
  SPEAKER_01: We can confirm he has left, the train has left the station.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_01: He was an unused sub in Jorge Jejus' team, and you know what he said?
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_01: He said, I'm it's beneath me.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not sticking around for that any longer.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_01: He made it about him, storm down the tunnel, never to be seen again.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's just so sad at this point, Cristiano.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying you have to retire, but you do have to stop acting like a child.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't know what that entails or how you were wronged on this occasion, but it's one too many times where you're watching Portugal and all the story is is oh, look at Cristiano on the bench.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_01: Look at his temperament.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, he's moody again.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_01: And now you're 41 doing things that we see teenagers act more responsible in situations like this.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_01: So just not for me, he's never been my cup of tea.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_01: I respect his greatness, but personally, I could just take the Ronaldo dish and say, waiter, I'll take the check, please.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: I know, Brandon.
• 39:54
  SPEAKER_01: Do you have any defense of your guy on this topic?
• 39:56
  SPEAKER_03: All right, let's start with first of all, he's not my guy.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_03: He's your boy.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_03: You've seen me wearing a messy jersey on this podcast.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_03: I've never worn a Ronaldo jersey on this podcast.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_03: He is greatness.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_03: I'll give him that.
• 40:07
  SPEAKER_03: And there is a there is a Ronaldo Lego set.
• 40:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, there is right behind me.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_03: Next to the messy one, though.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_03: So I did see the messy one.
• 40:15
  SPEAKER_03: I played both sides.
• 40:16
  SPEAKER_03: But my uh let's let's rewind.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sorry, we can get into this, but let's rewind.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_03: Why is Cristiano Ronaldo being called into camp at 41 years old?
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_03: I understand that Portugal's playing in the Nations League, and this is supposedly this fake trophy thing that they're trying to build up in in Europe, but we want to look at the next window.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_03: Look at the US.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_03: They had a send-off game for Tim Ream.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_03: And fun fact, they interviewed Tim Reim before the game.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know if you saw this, and it's just, you know, the the classic announcers at the table, and he's interviewing, chatting them up.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_03: Of course, some of those guys are his old teammates, whatever.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_03: And they asked him, Tim Reim, why why now?
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_03: Like, why are you hanging up the boots now?
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_03: Tim Reim goes, Well, I turned 39 next week, and we have a 17-year-old out there.
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_03: So I think my time was up.
• 41:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 41:03
  SPEAKER_01: He could have said, Did you watch the Belgium match?
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_01: That could have been his answer, too.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, yeah, Brandon, that's a reasonable, yeah, that's a reasonable conversation there.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, but but why, why, why did Noencette Ronaldo down and have the same conversation?
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's because of the power struggle, Brandon.
• 41:19
  SPEAKER_01: Ronaldo runs the Portuguese team.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's what you have to understand.
• 41:22
  SPEAKER_01: And if he doesn't, what does he do?
• 41:24
  SPEAKER_01: He kicks up a fuss.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what we're seeing here.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_01: Now, did you see the messaging from the manager?
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, he's welcome back anytime.
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_01: He's still part of our plans.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_01: Shut up.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_01: Shut up.
• 41:33
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care who the striking options are.
• 41:35
  SPEAKER_01: Force, force a retirement.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it's like when the computer was invented and all the olds at the time were aged out.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it's a bit ageist.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_01: They didn't learn how to use email, so they had to go.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_01: Unfortunately, times change, Cristiano.
• 41:50
  SPEAKER_01: Now AI is in the picture.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_01: I know Portugal doesn't have a ton of great striking options.
• 41:55
  SPEAKER_01: It has to be better than this saga every time he's invited into a camp.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_01: It it's it's grim.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_01: I am letting my bias creep into this as I talk about it, but it's it's gotta be frustrating, right?
• 42:07
  SPEAKER_01: If you're a Portuguese supporter, it's like he's not gonna be around for the next World Cup.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_01: Can we just move on?
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like I'm I'm sure a similar thought went through Messi said, I'm sure he wasn't thrilled to retire, but he kind of read the room, you know?
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, well, okay, now it's time for the next generation.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that message would indicate it would mean that it was not about Cristiano anymore, and I think he's having a hard time swallowing that.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's it's tough to see, and I'm not a Portugal fan.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_03: And I labeled me as a Ronaldo fan as well.
• 42:37
  SPEAKER_03: I really don't follow them or or love them all that much.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_03: But the honestly, the last eight years, I feel like it's not even it's not even like this has happened once, it's happened twice.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_03: I feel like the last two cycles, but between the world the 2021 World Cup, or 2020, no, I'm sorry, 2022 World Cup, and then this past World Cup, he's always been the center of attention.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_03: It's been oh he got subbed off and he storms down the tunnel because he's he should have played 90 minutes and instead they bring in bring in somebody else who maybe's younger and has legs and can score a goal.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_03: It's always been the same story.
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_03: So I just don't understand, and and you're right, he does run Portuguese football, but is there not a is there not a point where we're like, all right, the Federation and the country of Portugal is bigger than one man?
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_03: Or are we just not yeah, is that you're 100% right?
• 43:27
  SPEAKER_01: You're 100% right.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's how it should be.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_01: But also, Brandon, I think we would both be sitting here not talking about this whatsoever if he just behaved like a good teammate.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 43:36
  SPEAKER_01: If he's in this camp, I'm not throwing, I'm I'm not gonna be sitting here complaining about him being in the camp.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_01: No, Ronaldo got invited back at 41.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_01: He might still be their best striking option.
• 43:47
  SPEAKER_01: That's how sad it is.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_01: But here's what you can't do you can't not play because the coach is trying something or doing something different, and then kick up a fuss as a 41 year old and head down the tunnel and leave the camp because you didn't get your way.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: That is insane behavior to me.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's always been like this these last few years, like you mentioned.
• 44:05
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just an isolated incident.
• 44:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's so frustrating.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like, if he were to come in and be a good teammate, he could be a valuable asset to Portugal.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_01: In other statesmen, they might even have him on the squad four years from now and say, you know what?
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_01: Just mentor these guys.
• 44:18
  SPEAKER_01: Come in for 10 minutes if you still have legs.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_01: There could be a role for Cristiano to play.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_01: He's not comfortable accepting that.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_01: And that's where all of these problems kick off from.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, and that's sad.
• 44:28
  SPEAKER_03: And I like that point you make because he really could be.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_03: If he I don't know, again, I don't know him as a guy.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know him off the field.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_03: We just see what we see.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_03: And it doesn't sound like he's the kind of guy that'll pull the 22-year-old guy, young striker that they have touted as the future in Portugal and pull him along and say, Hey, I want you to be great like I was.
• 44:49
  SPEAKER_03: It doesn't seem like that's there.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_03: Instead, it's why are you playing that 22-year-old when I should still be playing, even though you have no legs and this kid has the whole future?
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_03: So it's unfortunate, Sean.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's it's tough.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_03: And it's something that they're gonna have to figure out and quickly because this team's not getting younger.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_03: Other guys are not gonna want to come to camp if they have to deal with that.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_03: Imagine you are the next guy and you're supposed to be playing and getting this opportunity, and you're like, I gotta not only fight to get my spot in the squad, I have to fight Ronaldo because he doesn't want to he can't accept that I'm better than him, or I'm you know, moving further along than he is at this point.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_01: And these guys idolize him.
• 45:29
  SPEAKER_01: Like they grew up idolizing him.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_01: Do you see how Argentina plays for Messi?
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_01: To a man, everybody on the Argentinian roster said we play for Leo.
• 45:37
  SPEAKER_01: We'll run extra yards so he doesn't have to.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_01: The same could be true of Cristiano in Portugal.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_01: Every guy would run through a wall for him, and then what does he do?
• 45:47
  SPEAKER_01: I'll spit in your face.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's about me.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_03: Oh my god.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_01: It boils me up.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_01: It gets me going.
• 45:56
  SPEAKER_01: I know this is supposed to be a peaceful break, Brandon.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, we're here to go again.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_01: I know.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm thinking about now, I'm thinking about Tottenham and 20th.
• 46:03
  SPEAKER_03: This is all on you.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_03: I I saw something that'll also probably make you a little angry, or at least maybe make your blood boil a little bit.
• 46:11
  SPEAKER_03: We had a game between Libya and Tunisia.
• 46:14
  SPEAKER_03: And I know you highlighted the African countries in the last episode, so this happened to come across my desk, and I was like, oh, African countries.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_03: This will this will be a cool, cool thing to highlight.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_03: So essentially, the the crux of the story is Libya and Tunisia are tied one-to-one at the end of the game.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_03: Libya needs to score.
• 46:35
  SPEAKER_03: I believe that it's some sort of cup they're in.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_03: Libya needs goals to advance to the next round.
• 46:39
  SPEAKER_03: They need to win this game.
• 46:40
  SPEAKER_03: So Libya gets a corner kick, they send their goalkeeper up.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_03: Classic, end of game.
• 46:45
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe the goalie will head it 98.9% of the time.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_03: He doesn't, but whatever.
• 46:51
  SPEAKER_03: Let's shoot for it.
• 46:52
  SPEAKER_03: They do it.
• 46:53
  SPEAKER_03: The goalie does not head it.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_03: And instead, Tunisia starts a counter-attack.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_03: And on this counterattack, Libya has one player in the back.
• 47:01
  SPEAKER_03: And now it's just the defender, it's not the goalkeeper because the goalie was up.
• 47:04
  SPEAKER_03: And that player is basically standing as far back as he can, not in the goal, but on the other side of the line, on the halfway line, like defending.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_03: And Tunisia brings the ball down and they pass the ball progressively over the midfield line to a striker who is waiting to then theoretically just get it and dribble it in the net because he only has one defender to beat.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_03: However, Sean, if you know the rules of the game of soccer, that's offside.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_03: And the referee, the AR, does his job, puts the flag up, referee stops the game, head says, Hey, that's offside.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_03: Tunisia revolt.
• 47:40
  SPEAKER_03: Sean, I've never seen players flock to the assistant referee and the referee faster than they did.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_03: It was insane.
• 47:49
  SPEAKER_03: They all just assumed because the goalie was not in the picture, that offside doesn't matter, the rule doesn't count.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_03: But by the laws of the game, Sean, offside is when you the offensive player is beyond the second to last uh opposing player, which is typically the last defender, and then you still have a goalkeeper.
• 48:07
  SPEAKER_03: However, the goalkeeper not in the picture, that second to last defender is that now basically playing in the goalkeeper spot.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_03: And so the call was correct, the game ends up tying one to one, the referee blows the game over shortly after, and it's just scenes.
• 48:22
  SPEAKER_03: And I think Tunisia, I don't know if it was just we lost our minds because we are upset, but everybody just forgot the rules of soccer.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_03: And the poor referees, and it's not even a subjective, he could have called it it was a handball, maybe, maybe not.
• 48:37
  SPEAKER_03: No, Sean, these are the rules of the game.
• 48:39
  SPEAKER_03: This is offside when you're 10, is the same as offside when you're 30 and playing in a World Cup or these big cups.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_03: And unfortunately, it turned out very bad for them.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, I'm sure there will be lengthy, lengthy subs suspensions and fines and all that to the Tunisian Federation, but I wanted to bring that up because you mentioned the craziness in African football.
• 49:00
  SPEAKER_03: And while this is a little bit different, just still absolutely insane.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_01: Brandon, I'm glad you brought it up because this did not make its way across my desk.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_01: I first am hearing of it now.
• 49:11
  SPEAKER_01: I do have to say it's a sad day, bad day situation for Tunisia.
• 49:15
  SPEAKER_01: If there are two gringos, two Americans sitting here breaking down what offside is to these people, then I don't I don't have much hope for you as a footballing nation.
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 49:27
  SPEAKER_01: You gotta know that one.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_01: That's something we would be we would be made a mockery of online if we were sitting here complaining about an offside rule and we were just wrong not knowing the rule.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_01: So you can't have that.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_01: I hate to see the poor refs get inundated when they were in the right.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_01: There's a time and place to flood the referee, but when you're dead in the wrong, it's tough.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's tough.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_01: You're gonna have to walk that one back.
• 49:50
  SPEAKER_01: There's gonna be some apologies, some hand-ups in order.
• 49:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, yes.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_03: The other game and highlight I wanted to bring to you comes from the Middle East.
• 49:59
  SPEAKER_03: We had Oman and Iraq.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_03: Uh this they were playing in what is called the Gulf Cup.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_03: They were not actually playing each other in this game, but both teams at the end of their group stage ended with the same uh points, goal differential, head-to-head, all the other metrics to say like this team advances, this team goes home.
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_03: And so the final metric that the Federation was going off of was yellow cards.
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_03: And Oman would have had fewer yellow cards, Sean, than Iraq, until one of their players scored their third goal in their previous game and takes his shirt off.
• 50:38
  SPEAKER_03: So that's taking his shirt off in football, automatic yellow cards.
• 50:43
  SPEAKER_03: So now these teams come in after the game, and the Federation's like, what are we gonna do?
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_03: Classic.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_03: Just a draw.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_03: Two balls in a cup.
• 50:54
  SPEAKER_03: We're gonna pick one out.
• 50:55
  SPEAKER_03: That team goes through, the other team goes home.
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_03: Sean, guess who got picked to go through?
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_03: Oman.
• 51:03
  SPEAKER_03: Oman did.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_03: Oman actually saved themselves.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_03: And the player, I'm sure, was absolutely freaking out.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_03: They ended up saving themselves.
• 51:13
  SPEAKER_03: They did win the draw.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_03: They go through to the next round.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_03: However, they ended up losing to the United Arab Emirates in the next round, 1-0, and they will play Saudi Arabia in the final on Tuesday.
• 51:25
  SPEAKER_03: So didn't end up hurting them, but a good old classic, unnecessary yellow card almost sending your team home from a cuff competition.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_01: Brandon, that's an excellent story.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_01: What a situation that developed in the Middle East there.
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_01: That's crazy.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_01: I I can't remember the last time.
• 51:43
  SPEAKER_01: A good old-fashioned draw.
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_01: That's good stuff.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_01: I think we need to do that more often.
• 51:48
  SPEAKER_01: Make the tiebreakers less extensive.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_01: You know, let's get a good old-fashioned draw of the mix.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_01: I love that.
• 51:54
  SPEAKER_01: Just names in a hat, lottery ball machine, whatever you want.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_01: I'm all for it.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_03: Play, play tic-tac-toe.
• 52:03
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's good stuff.
• 52:05
  SPEAKER_01: I have a couple things, Brandon, that are nowhere near as interesting as that.
• 52:08
  SPEAKER_01: But I did want to bring up as well.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_01: I think one of the things we should talk about, the man on the scarf behind me, Deli Alley, he's making some head waves, Brandon, but it's not because of his football.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_01: We talked about how comeback could be on the cards in the last couple episodes.
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_01: He's now becoming a streamer.
• 52:27
  SPEAKER_01: He's on the Twitch.
• 52:29
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, listen, I'm all for Deli Alley content.
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_01: Any way I could get it.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't know if his first stream that I saw anyway was maybe the most thought out and planned.
• 52:40
  SPEAKER_01: It seems like he was just kind of calling old friends.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 52:43
  SPEAKER_01: Old calling, if you will.
• 52:45
  SPEAKER_01: And he was catching them all by surprise.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_01: Harry came and was like, hey, how you doing?
• 52:49
  SPEAKER_01: You living in London?
• 52:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was like Harry was like almost concerned.
• 52:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think Delhi, if we want to work on some streaming, listen, I don't know what I'm doing, but I think maybe just give him a heads up.
• 53:00
  SPEAKER_01: They will be calling, shoot him a text, you know, and maybe they'll have some content prepared.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_01: He was just cold calling, he's bringing friends in the mix.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_01: Kyle Walker Peters showed up.
• 53:07
  SPEAKER_01: I was like, what's going on?
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely unbelievable.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_01: So he's entering the content creator space.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_01: We love to see it, Delhi.
• 53:14
  SPEAKER_01: Come on the show.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, you'll be you're a white whale guest for the boys.
• 53:18
  SPEAKER_01: So we'd love to have you on anytime.
• 53:20
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's noteworthy.
• 53:22
  SPEAKER_01: I also think something that's noteworthy, we'll probably touch on it more in the second episode this week, but there were some injuries in this international window.
• 53:30
  SPEAKER_01: The the Dutch defenders for Tottenham, both of them left the Netherlands camp early.
• 53:34
  SPEAKER_01: Van Heka van de Ven, of course, their doubts for the weekend now at Manchester United.
• 53:40
  SPEAKER_01: That'll be interesting.
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_01: Erling Holland limped off for Norway.
• 53:43
  SPEAKER_01: That'll be interesting because they play Liverpool, I believe, as we come back from this break.
• 53:48
  SPEAKER_01: That's a big one.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_01: That's something to monitor.
• 53:50
  SPEAKER_01: They also said Cody Gakpo on the Liverpool side get injured.
• 53:53
  SPEAKER_01: The Dutch are getting just wiped out this camp.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_01: Unbelievable.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_01: Also, Alex Scott, young English midfielder, really getting a chance to break through the English team.
• 54:02
  SPEAKER_01: I believe he had a quad injury, and David Ornstein said he could miss up to two months, which that's a real bummer.
• 54:09
  SPEAKER_01: That that sucks because he's an exciting young player who he, I mean, we're all a fan of him, and he's a joy to have in the Premier League.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_01: So that does stink that he's out for a while.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_01: So the international break is known to kind of, I don't want to say ruin a few players' seasons, but certainly derail a few.
• 54:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of just it's wear and tear, it's traveling a long way to get to some of these games, and there's injuries that happen.
• 54:34
  SPEAKER_01: So that's the downside of the international break.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_01: It's not all sunshine and rainbows like we have in the US camp.
• 54:39
  SPEAKER_03: No, it's not.
• 54:41
  SPEAKER_03: And I think we maybe mentioned it in the last episode when Mbappe got hurt.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_03: He's out of France's camp.
• 54:47
  SPEAKER_03: And it's tough because we we we've talked about it with the World Cup and how there was really no break.
• 54:53
  SPEAKER_03: And those guys did have a mandatory break after the World Cup Sean, but then went right into a club season, which these guys are playing at the biggest clubs in the world against guys who maybe didn't make a World Cup team or didn't play much at a World Cup.
• 55:06
  SPEAKER_03: So they have legs, they're fresh, and they want to get get after it, and these guys are just trudging along.
• 55:11
  SPEAKER_03: And maybe this needs to be a bigger conversation.
• 55:14
  SPEAKER_03: I know it's been talked about before where it's like, do we need to have just a true pie?
• 55:18
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, look, for us, it it puts us out of a out of some content for a few weeks, but maybe we just need to have a worldwide shutdown where everybody just goes and sits at home for a few weeks.
• 55:30
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe we get some more more Deli Alli streams.
• 55:33
  SPEAKER_03: He he calls guys and they actually answer.
• 55:35
  SPEAKER_03: I saw he called a bunch of guys that just didn't answer the phone.
• 55:37
  SPEAKER_03: And yeah, we gotta try to get out of here.
• 55:38
  SPEAKER_01: We gotta figure that out, Deli.
• 55:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we gotta plan ahead, Deli.
• 55:41
  SPEAKER_01: I'll be your booker.
• 55:42
  SPEAKER_01: Just I'll get some, yeah, we'll we'll get some we'll get a proper schedule.
• 55:46
  SPEAKER_01: So take care of it.
• 55:47
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 55:47
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, yeah, I don't know what the answer is, but it's something different than this.
• 55:52
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we have we gotta figure that out, Sean, because these guys are now playing 50, 60, 70 games in a year, and it's can't be healthy.
• 56:00
  SPEAKER_03: I'm no sports scientist by any means, but the the that's there's no way that that's good on the body, and you can't expect the guys to perform at the top level when they have to do this twice a week every week for probably, I don't know, 48 out of the 52 weeks in a year.
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's it's ridiculous.
• 56:18
  SPEAKER_03: Basically in perpetuity.
• 56:19
  SPEAKER_01: You're just gonna play two games a week every week.
• 56:22
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you'll wear a different jersey each time, might be here, might be there, but you probably have two games every week.
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_03: I don't know.
• 56:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, we gotta fix that.
• 56:31
  SPEAKER_03: We gotta fix that.
• 56:32
  SPEAKER_03: The the last thing I wanted to bring up to you, Sean, uh, just a quick, quick MLS minute here.
• 56:37
  SPEAKER_03: Nashville, again, they're flying.
• 56:40
  SPEAKER_03: I think they'll win the East.
• 56:41
  SPEAKER_03: They should definitely win the East, they should probably also win the supporters shield.
• 56:45
  SPEAKER_03: I believe they're 10 points ahead of the next highest team.
• 56:48
  SPEAKER_03: In the West, the West is a little bit juicier.
• 56:51
  SPEAKER_03: We have Dallas, St.
• 56:52
  SPEAKER_03: Louis, and San Jose.
• 56:54
  SPEAKER_03: They've been red hot.
• 56:55
  SPEAKER_03: And unfortunately, Vancouver has not been great lately.
• 56:59
  SPEAKER_03: And all three of those teams are within, I believe, five, five or less points of Vancouver.
• 57:05
  SPEAKER_03: So the West, the Western Conference race will be one to really follow as we finish here.
• 57:09
  SPEAKER_03: And then uh just a sneaky game tonight.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_03: I believe this was a rescheduled game due to those storms we had a few weeks ago.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_03: We have Chicago and Vancouver, actually.
• 57:19
  SPEAKER_03: Huge playoff implications.
• 57:20
  SPEAKER_03: Obviously, Vancouver in the West trying to maintain that lead.
• 57:23
  SPEAKER_03: But Chicago's right in the mix for in the East for a home playoff game, uh, which I believe in MLS home field advantages means a lot, a little bit more than maybe some other leagues.
• 57:32
  SPEAKER_03: Chicago's right in the mix for a home playoff game.
• 57:34
  SPEAKER_03: Would have been a Burrhalt or Derby, Greg against Sebastian, but Sebastian's obviously not there anymore.
• 57:39
  SPEAKER_03: Is this a uh Brendan?
• 57:40
  SPEAKER_03: Is this a Lewandowski Mueller reunion?
• 57:43
  SPEAKER_03: It is.
• 57:43
  SPEAKER_03: There we go.
• 57:44
  SPEAKER_03: See, there's there's always some underlying stories.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you, Sean.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, good, good shout there from you.
• 57:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was I was like, I'm pretty sure those are the those are the squads for those two.
• 57:53
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, that's some old Byron friends kicking it off again in the MLS.
• 57:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, they they they look at each other from across the field during kickoff and they're like, who would have thought we'd be here in Chicago on a Tuesday night?
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, playing an MLS.
• 58:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 58:07
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's an interesting it's an interesting way to look at it.
• 58:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 58:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's look how far we've come or look how the mighty have fallen.
• 58:15
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever you want to yeah.
• 58:17
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, but that that's all I wanted to bring up from the MLS.
• 58:20
  SPEAKER_03: We are down to the last six or seven games, so teams are really starting to hone in for the playoffs.
• 58:26
  SPEAKER_03: Uh that race in the East and West is really tight.
• 58:29
  SPEAKER_03: The East one is a little bit, it's Nashville, and then New England and Miami are kind of fighting for two and three.
• 58:36
  SPEAKER_03: And then there's a big group of teams, including Philadelphia, in that four to eight range.
• 58:39
  SPEAKER_03: So that'll that'll matter a lot.
• 58:41
  SPEAKER_03: The West, I couldn't tell you today who's gonna win the West.
• 58:43
  SPEAKER_03: I think St.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_03: Louis, surprisingly, might win it.
• 58:46
  SPEAKER_03: They've kind of come out of nowhere.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_03: Just some great, great performances over the last last few weeks here.
• 58:53
  SPEAKER_03: And I think they could sneak in.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_03: Dallas is sneakily good as well.
• 58:57
  SPEAKER_03: Uh San Jose, I'm personally just not as high on.
• 58:59
  SPEAKER_03: And then Vancouver, who has the lead and Thomas Mueller.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_03: Uh, it's it's hard to vote against them as well.
• 59:05
  SPEAKER_03: So definitely some some some uh good races to watch here as we finish up the MLS season.
• 59:11
  SPEAKER_01: Brandon, I always appreciate the MLS minute.
• 59:13
  SPEAKER_01: Keeps me and listeners up to date.
• 59:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's necessary for me.
• 59:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm still working my way towards becoming a bigger MLS fan.
• 59:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I I do I do have a team.
• 59:24
  SPEAKER_01: I said I would announce it before the playoffs.
• 59:25
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if I'm gonna do it on this episode, but I have my.
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh my gosh.
• 59:28
  SPEAKER_01: The clip hanger.
• 59:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's we call it tease in the business, Brandon.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll we'll we'll bring the listeners back for a future episode, and there will be an official announcement.
• 59:37
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe I'll have a couple of kits in front of me when I select one like a high school prospect.
• 59:41
  SPEAKER_01: But the only thing, the only thing I want to bring up a final parting thought.
• 59:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's really just something I was unaware of, but the Athletic and David Ornstein did a phenomenal job reporting on the Manchester City case.
• 59:54
  SPEAKER_01: We talked about that extensively in the last episode.
• 59:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's been the talk of this international break from a club perspective.
• 1:00:00
  SPEAKER_01: Brandon, does the name Rui Pinto mean anything to you?
• 1:00:04
  SPEAKER_03: I'll play along because I think you were trying to get me, but I do know this story.
• 1:00:09
  SPEAKER_03: But I I would love for you to explain it.
• 1:00:12
  SPEAKER_01: I I didn't know.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_03: I didn't no, no, I did not know before any of this.
• 1:00:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'm not I'm not like some kind of free.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, no, I found out because of this story, yes.
• 1:00:22
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, okay.
• 1:00:22
  SPEAKER_01: So Rui Pinto is a Portuguese activist and most importantly, hacker.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_01: And all of this Manchester City drama came to be because of an email he sent in 2017.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_01: So I was completely unaware of this, but the reporting they did on this was incredible.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_01: Basically, Rui Pinto sent an email to the higher-ups at Manchester City in 2017 that had a downloadable asset or component to it.
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_01: It was a financial report that they were to be they they had to fill out, basically.
• 1:00:51
  SPEAKER_01: It was a request for them to fill out this financial report, only it was a phishing scam.
• 1:00:56
  SPEAKER_01: And the executive of Manchester City clicked that download button.
• 1:00:59
  SPEAKER_01: And the moment he did that, Rui Pinto had access to all of Manchester City's data, which then led to all of these charges.
• 1:01:06
  SPEAKER_01: Unbelievable work from Rui.
• 1:01:09
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know anything about this guy.
• 1:01:10
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna give him a job well done, a hat tip football justice.
• 1:01:13
  SPEAKER_01: He said, I want to keep the game clean.
• 1:01:16
  SPEAKER_01: He could be a bad guy.
• 1:01:17
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 1:01:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just I'm talking about it.
• 1:01:19
  SPEAKER_01: This incident in particular, Rui, we don't condone uh fishing and cyber scamming and things of that nature.
• 1:01:27
  SPEAKER_01: If it's to get Manchester City in trouble, I don't hate it.
• 1:01:29
  SPEAKER_01: I think it could be used for a lot worse.
• 1:01:32
  SPEAKER_01: So that's interesting to me, Brandon.
• 1:01:34
  SPEAKER_01: Uh this whole Manchester City thing is continuing to be fascinating because they are just saying uh we didn't do any of it.
• 1:01:40
  SPEAKER_01: They're flatly denying all of it.
• 1:01:42
  SPEAKER_01: They said we're gonna be innocent on all 114 we were found guilty.
• 1:01:46
  SPEAKER_01: Like, whoa, what do you have up your sleeve?
• 1:01:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right.
• 1:01:50
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's crazy, Sean.
• 1:01:52
  SPEAKER_03: And I appreciate you bringing up the Ruby Pinto story because that's was that's an insane way to find figure this out.
• 1:01:59
  SPEAKER_03: You also have to think about that.
• 1:02:00
  SPEAKER_03: Like, if he didn't hack the system, we're just business as normal, right?
• 1:02:04
  SPEAKER_03: Like, none of this ever comes out, nothing ever is is an issue.
• 1:02:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's absolutely stunning.
• 1:02:11
  SPEAKER_01: This guy, I I don't know how easy it is to get a Nobel Peace Prize around here, but well, he's gotta be in the mix.
• 1:02:19
  SPEAKER_01: That's he's doing the ward's work, Brandon.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that is he's keeping the game honest.
• 1:02:24
  SPEAKER_01: He said 114 charges.
• 1:02:26
  SPEAKER_01: My work, I'll get I'll get you guilty of all of them.
• 1:02:28
  SPEAKER_01: Unbelievable.
• 1:02:29
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's it's no, it's in it's actually incredible.
• 1:02:32
  SPEAKER_03: And we've obviously seen everyone posting their takes, and we've posted our takes on it.
• 1:02:38
  SPEAKER_03: But I think the biggest thing for me at this point is like we just have to get it sorted out as quickly as possible because now City goes to Liverpool this weekend, like the the jokes, the the banter from the fans, it's gonna be so it's gonna be even more hostile than it would have been as two top teams in the league are playing now.
• 1:03:00
  SPEAKER_03: You have this storyline on top of it, and then the question is what are the players thinking?
• 1:03:05
  SPEAKER_03: You know, they're they're on break, this all goes down, and now they're reporting back.
• 1:03:10
  SPEAKER_03: I'm sure they're back now as we're in the week of their next game.
• 1:03:14
  SPEAKER_03: What's the conversation at the training ground?
• 1:03:17
  SPEAKER_03: Are hey, where are you going when this all blows up?
• 1:03:19
  SPEAKER_03: If this blows up, or hey, are you gonna stay?
• 1:03:21
  SPEAKER_03: What's like what's the energy around that?
• 1:03:24
  SPEAKER_03: Your guy, Mareska, how does he pull the team together?
• 1:03:27
  SPEAKER_03: Like it's he'll be on the first train out.
• 1:03:29
  SPEAKER_03: He'll be like, I've seen enough here.
• 1:03:31
  SPEAKER_03: It's it I I think I think we have to come up with a solution soon just because there's so many question marks that are gonna come from this that it's almost like we just need to rip the band-aid.
• 1:03:41
  SPEAKER_03: Hey, it's a diss deduction or fine or whatever, and we have to then move because if this lingers, it's not gonna be pretty.
• 1:03:50
  SPEAKER_01: I agree with you for just the equation of how this league shakes out this year.
• 1:03:55
  SPEAKER_01: It does need to be handled quickly.
• 1:03:56
  SPEAKER_01: On the flip side, as a person who does not want to see Arsenal win the league, I don't want the point seduction to occur this year.
• 1:04:04
  SPEAKER_01: Let's give us a year to get Liverpool up and running and some of these other contenders let Jobby settling at Chelsea before we start stripping points away from Manchester City.
• 1:04:12
  SPEAKER_01: I want this year to play out, but no, you're 100% right, Brandon.
• 1:04:17
  SPEAKER_01: This has already gone on far too long.
• 1:04:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 1:04:20
  SPEAKER_01: We need a resolution.
• 1:04:21
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think we're gonna be that close because this is all gonna be under appeal now.
• 1:04:25
  SPEAKER_01: And then once the appeal goes, then they need to do sentencing and there'll probably be another appeal, and who the hell knows what how long this will actually go on, but it seems like forever.
• 1:04:35
  SPEAKER_03: So, my question to you, Sean, is and this is maybe a little tongue-in-cheek because I know obviously you don't want Arsenal to to win the league this year.
• 1:04:44
  SPEAKER_03: If City go and win the league this year before the penalties come out, is there an asterisk next to it?
• 1:04:50
  SPEAKER_03: There's obviously probably gonna have to be asterisk to the the last three titles because that is when the actual quote unquote cheating occurred.
• 1:04:59
  SPEAKER_03: There's not necessarily accusations against this current team, but it's a you know treat as a uh chicken and chicken and egg situation because you're talking four years ago, yeah, they were maybe documented cheating, but that also leads to them getting Erling Holland and some of these bigger players now, Ryan Cherky and and affording these salaries.
• 1:05:23
  SPEAKER_03: So if they win this year, is there an asterisk?
• 1:05:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think there has to be.
• 1:05:28
  SPEAKER_01: I think that, like you said, there isn't gonna be an asterisk over that whole period for Manchester City.
• 1:05:32
  SPEAKER_01: They will probably be stripped a lot by of a lot of those titles.
• 1:05:36
  SPEAKER_01: I I bet on paper, they're not actually champions, and I don't think they'll award it to somebody.
• 1:05:40
  SPEAKER_01: I think they'll just say those years were void.
• 1:05:43
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 1:05:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:05:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because you can't really retroactively celebrate a title you didn't win.
• 1:05:47
  SPEAKER_01: The players still went on the pitch and did it.
• 1:05:48
  SPEAKER_01: There's been great teams that have been assembled on paper before that haven't won or lived up to the hype.
• 1:05:53
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't think it's really taking away too much from what happened on the field with Pep Guardiola's brilliance and that.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_01: run of play that they had and dominance.
• 1:06:02
  SPEAKER_01: I still think that existed.
• 1:06:03
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we can't debate that.
• 1:06:05
  SPEAKER_01: They were the best team.
• 1:06:07
  SPEAKER_01: You can't award the title to somebody else, but you can certainly put an asterisk on it.
• 1:06:10
  SPEAKER_01: I just think if I'm a Manchester City fan, I don't care about the asterisk.
• 1:06:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'll take a league title and an asterisk asterisk any day as a Tottenham fan.
• 1:06:18
  SPEAKER_01: Sign sign me up.
• 1:06:20
  SPEAKER_01: Slap the biggest asterisk in the world if I'm a champion.
• 1:06:22
  SPEAKER_01: I don't care.
• 1:06:23
  SPEAKER_01: Well if Rui, Rui, if if you're not busy, start sending out some emails to Arsenal.
• 1:06:30
  SPEAKER_01: Get some people I know they've got skeletons in the closet.
• 1:06:34
  SPEAKER_01: Send some links over Arsenal's way.
• 1:06:37
  SPEAKER_01: Get them to, please.
• 1:06:39
  SPEAKER_03: I was waiting for that PSA.
• 1:06:41
  SPEAKER_03: Rui, come on Rui.
• 1:06:43
  SPEAKER_03: I was going to just say this could benefit Spurs.
• 1:06:47
  SPEAKER_03: Well, it it doesn't actually on the field because Spurs always beat City, which of course the one team we always beat is the team that is now potentially not going to be in the league next year.
• 1:06:56
  SPEAKER_03: But we could probably play them in the championship the way we're going, so who knows?
• 1:07:00
  SPEAKER_03: I was going to say I was going to say Spurs may be able to steal some of their players because they're all going to be out of discount.
• 1:07:08
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 1:07:09
  SPEAKER_01: I've I've got my eye on a few Brandon.
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_01: I've been making notes.
• 1:07:12
  SPEAKER_01: I'll take a few of those.
• 1:07:14
  SPEAKER_01: We pay high wages now too.
• 1:07:16
  SPEAKER_01: We I love a bit of Cherokee.
• 1:07:19
  SPEAKER_01: Love a bit of Cherokee here.
• 1:07:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah no there's several I mean I'd take the whole squad if I could.
• 1:07:23
  SPEAKER_03: I was going to say yeah who wouldn't it's probably a shorter list who you wouldn't take than who you would take.
• 1:07:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:07:28
  SPEAKER_01: No seriously yeah oh my God I take basically anybody I take the ball boys.
• 1:07:32
  SPEAKER_01: But I think I think first order business Rui sends some emails Arsenal's way second order business let's figure out a punishment for City that doesn't impact their ability to win the league this season.
• 1:07:46
  SPEAKER_01: Because the team is absolutely flying so I I don't know what the right answer is but I if I had to guess Brandon I would say this at least gets into 2027 before we have a resolution.
• 1:07:56
  SPEAKER_03: I doubt it's wrapped up before Christmas don't you think probably yeah probably it's already beginning of October so yeah you're talking two and a half months yeah it probably will unfortunately yeah it's sad but that's the world we're living in now so yep well listeners uh I do apologize because in the first two minutes I said we weren't going to talk about Manchester City and we just talked about them for the last 10.
• 1:08:18
  SPEAKER_03: So it happens.
• 1:08:19
  SPEAKER_03: It's the biggest story hey it's the biggest story in in soccer right now it's people that don't even watch soccer are like what's this Manchester City stuff going on I was at a thing with my family this weekend.
• 1:08:30
  SPEAKER_03: I'm getting pulled aside by my cousins and they're like what's going on with Manchester City I'm like Yeah you want to talk about it let's talk but and and Brandon also on the on this on this topic as we wrap up Kevin Sullivan.
• 1:08:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah I I heard I heard he loves Tottenham I heard he loves him loves him could you imagine?
• 1:08:49
  SPEAKER_03: I heard I also heard Madrid and Barcelona love him too so well yeah sure I'm sure you can't play there I mean a lot of a lot of competition in those squads Kavan none none on the wings at Tottenham slot right in it's it's it's a bold shout by you but it's when you really break it down it's not that crazy and we're still a year away from him leaving so he still has another year to develop and who knows I mean we have Matias Tell playing so I'll take that's what I mean start Saturday.
• 1:09:21
  SPEAKER_01: Give him Tell's number be wear 11 start Saturday.
• 1:09:24
  SPEAKER_01: It's a firm offer I know you can't move to Europe till he's 18 but we'll I mean City broke all the rules we'll find a way to break the rules that's what you're gonna kill us for is playing a city forge a birth certificate.
• 1:09:37
  SPEAKER_03: That's not that crazy.
• 1:09:38
  SPEAKER_03: There's ways around that we'll get your passport oh my gosh well listeners this one derailed a bit at the end here but in all seriousness we are excited because Premier League is coming back this weekend we have one more US men's national team game tonight but then we're back to our originally scheduled programs where we will have two episodes we'll have an episode later this week and then an episode at the end of the weekend to recap the games we appreciate your support thank you for listening subscribe tell a friend to tell a friend send us your questions send us your thoughts send us your reactions we want we want to hear what you think about these things too because we're just two guys chatting but we don't have all the answers we think we have all the answers but I don't I don't think we do no I we like to pretend I like to pretend no no I do I do too I do too especially with my predictions game predictions which we'll be making a comeback in the next episode so get ready to fade out all of my picks but listeners thank you as always we we we love the support and until next time take care