Latest / Friends on Football / Ep. 1 - Premier League Title Race, A Relegation Dogfight, Real Madrid's Chaos, The Scottish Title Race, World Cup Overview and Americans Abroad

Transcript

Ep. 1 - Premier League Title Race, A Relegation Dogfight, Real Madrid's Chaos, The Scottish Title Race, World Cup Overview and Americans Abroad · Friends on Football

• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Hello, friends, and welcome in to the first episode of the Friends on Football Podcast.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: I am one of your hosts, Sean Boyle, and joining me is my right-hand man, my partner in crime in this new endeavor is Mr.
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_01: Brandon Johnson.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_01: B Johns, how are you?
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_02: Sean, I'm good.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_02: I'm thrilled.
• 0:40
  SPEAKER_02: I'm I'm ready to go.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, excited to do this with you.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, let's let's get into it.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's a passion project.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: This is going to be very football or soccer centric.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_01: We're going to give you our background in terms of how we became soccer fans, and then we're going to talk about a lot today.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_01: We'll get into the Premier League race at both the bottom and the top of the league.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: We will then get into some other exciting news from across Europe.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_01: We'll give you some games to watch for this upcoming weekend.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot on the calendar as the season winds down.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: Then we'll get into some World Cup chatter as that is quickly approaching.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_01: And then lastly, we'll give you an update on some Americans abroad.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: But the first question, the place we should start, is Brandon, give the listeners some background about yourself and about how you became a fan of the world's game.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_02: Sure, sure.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_02: So for me, it really didn't begin maybe in the traditional way that a lot of kids do.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_02: I did start playing soccer young, but I wasn't uh maybe five or six.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_02: I actually started when I was about 10.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, really just as a way to do something other than basketball.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_02: I'd I started playing basketball at a super young age and then wanted to do something different.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_02: Played a couple of years and then realized I was kind of okay at it.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_02: Got asked to join a club team.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_02: And from there I really kind of just dove in, learning the teams, learning the players, you know, just just learning everything I could about the game as quickly as I could.
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_02: So this is a super cool way to, you know, express my interest in the game.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_02: Uh also talking to you.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_02: I know we have similar fandoms, but uh just to just to learn more.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_02: I know I know you uh are a bunch a much bigger European soccer fan probably than I am.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um so I'll I'll be able to learn from you and hopefully I can instill a little bit of MLS knowledge on you on the other side.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_02: But um yeah, just just really excited to get into this.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_02: Really, really thankful and excited to do this with you.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's a pretty good way to put it.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: I am excited to learn more about the domestic game from you because you're certainly going to be our domestic expert.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: You are our MLS guy for sure.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_01: I'm very weak in that department.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: I have dove very deep into the European game.
• 2:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a little bit different from you.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_01: I did play soccer growing up, but it was more so I played from the ages of I want to say six to eleven, where it was kind of just a way for my parents to pawn me off and have me run around.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: Was I bagging goals and leading the back line?
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: Of course.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: Of course I was, but that stopped at a very young age, and I didn't really care about soccer for much of my life.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_01: I was always just a casual fan of the World Cup.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, I'd root for the US.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_01: That's the only time I really watched the sport.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_01: And then Clint Dempsey was my favorite U.S.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_03: player.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: And one day I was like, well, I wonder who Clint Dempsey like plays for.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I looked it up, and the one year he played at Tottenham, I believe it was 2011, was the year I looked it up, and I was like, well, that's gonna be my team.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just gonna be a Tottenham guy.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: And what a mistake that was.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: We'll get into more of that later, but that's brought me nothing but torture.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: And that's how the original podcast of Torture Fans started.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_01: So you could thank Clint Dempsey for all of this.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: But that is when I started to get a bit more into the game.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: I wouldn't say I became a diehard at that point.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_01: I was more so a casual for five or six years, just kind of looking at box scores, watch a game here or there.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_01: And then when I hit college, when I got to Temple, where I met you in Philadelphia, it was much more prevalent.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_01: You could go to the bar and watch games, and I just dove headfirst and became immersed in everything that had to do with not just the Premier League, but all the different parts of European soccer and what makes the game so beautiful and different in each country.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: And I took a great appreciation to it.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's become my favorite sport.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm very excited to do this podcast with you.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: I need some way to talk about this on a regular basis, and this is just the trick.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I think we've laid the groundwork.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_01: We have to jump right into probably the worst Premier League season of our lifetimes as Tottenham fans.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_01: Not only are we absolute shit, our arch rival, Arsenal, are likely to win the league.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: So, Brandon, I'm gonna lay the groundwork for you and then ask, do you think they'd get the job done?
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: But Arsenal are currently two points ahead of Manchester City with two games to play.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: They each have two games left.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: Arsenal play host to Burnley and then go to Crystal Palace.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_01: City have to go to Bournemouth and then host Aston Villa.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_01: Is this thing over or will Arsenal find another way to bottle it?
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_02: Uh Sean, Sean, Sean.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_02: Uh it's a it's a it's a great question.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's a fair question.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, the the Tottenham fan in me, of course, is gonna say they they're gonna bottle this.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_02: But the the the realist in me, I I I can't see them losing this.
• 5:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, to to host Burnley, that should be three points, no, no doubt.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um to go to Crystal Palace on the last day, maybe a bit of a trap game, but Crystal Palace, I don't think will have too much to play for themselves.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_02: They are always the you know 11 to 13 type of team that so they're they're probably not playing for too much.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um I I can't see them, I can't see them losing either of those two games.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_02: Uh City City at uh Aston Villa, that could that could be an interesting game uh as well.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_02: So it's not even guaranteed that if Arsenal does drop points that City will gain that ground.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um so so to be honest with you, Sean, I don't I don't I don't see Arsenal losing this one, unfortunately.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, if I were to speak with just my brain, I would echo what you just said.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's tough to envision a world where they don't win both their final two matches.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: It would have to be some serious mind games choke job type thing for Arsenal because they would have to seriously underperform to lose to either Burnley or Crystal Palace.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not saying it can't be done.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just kind of preparing for the worst.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: I will pose this question to you then.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Would you allow Arsenal to win the league for Tottenham to stay up?
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_01: Or would you rather they bottle it, Tottenham go down for a year, maybe two?
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_01: What would be your take on that?
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the hundred 100% they can win the league as long as we stay up.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_02: I I can't, I'm sorry, I just can't get behind seeing our team in the championship.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_02: The jokes have been flying for months.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_02: Like I've heard it all.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_02: Friends coming out of the woodwork to to you know drop drop some banter, but no, I I can't.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_02: They can have the league fine, but but we can't be in the championship.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_02: I'm sorry.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: It might be it might I've I've been talking to myself, this might be a coping mechanism, but I've been kind of talking myself into a year or two in the championship.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I just feel I just feel like I've embraced it because I've thought we were going down for so long now that I've kind of been like, you know what, it might be nice, it might be nice to win a league.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_01: We might be able to lift a trophy at the end of the now.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_01: Sure, that's the Mickey Mouse Cup.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: And also, knowing Tottenham, we would go down and we would struggle for years to come back up.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_01: We might go liquid as a club before ever getting back into the Premier League.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_01: So that I say that in jest.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: I really I would allow Arsenal to win the league if it means we could stay up.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: But what a gross champion they would be.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_01: They've won several games through brutal refereeing decisions.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: They only score goals from set pieces and just mugging people off in the box.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_01: And then you watch one of these Man City games, and they stumbled a lot early in the season, but they're absolutely flowing now under Pep, which we could get into this as well.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: It might be Pep's last season at Man City.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_01: There's been some rumors circulating that he might be leaving whether or not they win the league this year.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: He might be walking away in the summer.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: So it just seems like football justice needs to kick in and give Man City the league over these gross, gross gooners who play a disgusting brand of football.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's so bad to watch.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's so bad.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_02: I was following their game on uh last weekend and actually saw when it went one-one to West Ham.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, oddly enough, that was a weird game for us with us battling with West Ham for the legation fight.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like you're kind of not really cheering for either team, but you know, you see the you see the notification and then it goes one-one, and you get you're like, all right, a point a point, that's fine.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_02: And then, you know, three minutes later, all of a sudden it's back to one zero.
• 8:46
  SPEAKER_02: And then you go watch the highlight on YouTube and you're like, really?
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_02: This is what we're this is what we're reviewing and calling out, calling back.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_02: It's yeah, it's gross.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_02: Like you said, I don't think there's a better word.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_02: Just it's just gross.
• 8:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it it's perfectly sums it up.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_01: That was a tough spot for us to be in last weekend because we certainly didn't want West Ham to win, because get them getting three points and going ahead of us would have been a disaster as well.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_01: But also, I would have I would have been fine with a shared point between the two.
• 9:13
  SPEAKER_01: Take a little from Arsenal, keep City in that pole position to win the title.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: I was completely fine with that.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_01: I'll flirt with disaster a little bit longer, just to have a hope that Arsenal don't win the league.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_01: But those are the two most interesting storylines of the Premier League this season.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a bit boring in the middle, I would say, compared to other years.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: The race for Europe is not as exciting as it has been in years past.
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_01: Those spots have kind of been solidified, or at least close to, for the last several weeks or months.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_01: So let's talk about the bottom of the table where we sit.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: It is between Tottenham or West Ham.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_01: One of those two London clubs will go down.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_01: Tottenham currently have a two-point advantage.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_01: West Ham go to Newcastle this weekend.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: They play on Sunday.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: Tottenham go to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just gonna cut right to the chase.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_01: Do we go down or do we stay up?
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we stay up.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_02: We stay up.
• 10:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you're so much, you're so much more confident than me.
• 10:13
  SPEAKER_02: And only only because, Sean, the last few weeks I've seen something that I haven't seen all season.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_02: And the there is that little bit of fight, that little bit of extra determination.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_02: Granted, you know, last week we still make a mistake, give up a penalty kick late, and updrawing.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, going to Chelsea on on Tuesday will be tough, but uh, like we'll talk about later, Chelsea does play a cup final in the weekend, so you might see a little bit of a rotated squad.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_02: Um granted, Chelsea has like 40 players in their squad, so I'm sure they'll be fine.
• 10:47
  SPEAKER_02: But um, I think I think you can get I think you can get a point at Sanford Bridge.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: Uh hope that West Ham doesn't beat Newcastle, and then you're in pole position in the final game, uh, where we have uh who do we have in the last game?
• 11:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um we have Everton at home.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: Granted, we're at home, which we've struggled, so I don't know.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_02: We might be crawling, but I think we'll crawl just a little bit faster than West Ham.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you're right.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: I'm praying with everything I have that you're right.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_01: I've been walking around, existing with this pit in my stomach for about two months now, just knowing that my club's going down.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_01: I'm miserable every day, and I'm not exaggerating.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's it genuinely takes a toll on my well-being.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_01: So I hope to God you're right.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_01: I will say I do agree with the point you made since Roberto DeZerbi came in for Tottenham.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_01: They've been a much improved side.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_01: They're still shit because of the players they have available to them, but they're slightly less shit, and that's a big step, especially when the relegation's crap.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: So that's huge.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: Getting James Madison back on the pitch last weekend felt so nice.
• 11:54
  SPEAKER_01: He's been out for a year with an ACL.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: He came in for 15 minutes and he makes a difference, just having a little bit of composure on the ball.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_01: So we're really putting our faith in matters, being able to give us 60 minutes in one of these final two games and provide a bit of magic.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I am very nervous that West Ham, they they've been a better team than we have been.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: And that's what scares me.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_01: So uh, and I think their fixtures are honestly easier too.
• 12:16
  SPEAKER_01: We don't we don't get points at Stamford Bridge.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a rarity to walk away with anything.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I I do agree that FA Cup final might change that a little bit, but they're they're circ those Chelsea scum are circling that game, saying we could send Tottenham down.
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_01: And you know as well as I with this club, the whatever the worst case scenario is, Tottenham will flirt with it at a minimum.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I don't think it's gonna be this cakewalk.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, we can't see Tottenham going down.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's gonna be down to the 95th minute on the final match day.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna be on the edge of our seats.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, it's funny because, like you said, a couple months ago, I I was kind of like, all right, you know, a year in the championship, like you said, wouldn't be the worst thing, you know.
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I would love to go back to to Europe and um see them play.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_02: Tickets would be a lot cheaper because we're in the championship rather than the friends.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, at the same time, I'm like, a club this large with this payroll and this stadium and everything around this club, for them to go down, you know, especially with the clubs that they're going down with.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_02: Wolves, who have been completely irrelevant, and Burnley, who like probably shouldn't even have been in the Premier League this year, like it's it's it's bad.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_02: So to be in that category or even in the discussion is bad, but I I I do think there's a little bit left.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_02: And like you said, you know, you got a player like Matters returning, and you know, he's not a hundred percent.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I'm sure he'll tell you that behind the scenes, but just his quality, even at 75-80%, uh, for a half for 60 minutes, like you said, I think can really make a difference to to unlock some defenses, his set pieces are are classed.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and you you know, you you go to Chelsea and maybe you steal a point late and just walk away with that, fine.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then you know you gotta take care of business at home against Everton, which is not not gonna be an easy game whatsoever.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_02: But but definitely, you know, I think the guys will be up for it.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_02: You know, relegation or Charleston, they'll have a nice diving header or something ridiculous, and then get sent off.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_02: But um whatever it takes, you know, at this point it's just like as long as you're not one of the three worst teams, I'm fine.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_02: So it's gonna be a it's it's it's a dog fight, but I I think they're I think we'll I think we'll pull it out.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_01: And we promise, listeners, this is not just going to be a Tottenham show.
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_01: We just happen to be the biggest story in world football at the moment, so you're gonna get a heavy dose this episode, but moving forward, it'll be it'll be about all of the teams in the world.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's probably a good place to leave it.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_01: The final point I would make is just don't do this to me, football gods.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_01: I I I really, I really, I said I would, I wouldn't mind a season of the championship.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's complete bullshit.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: I would be absolutely crushed.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'd walk around, I'd walk around miserable for an entire year, and none of us deserve that.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: West Ham, they're awful as a club, they're poorly managed, and so are we, but we are champions of Europe still for another couple weeks.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: Give us that.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_01: Please just let us don't let us be champions of Europe to relegate it a year later.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: That just it's a story that won't ever die if that happens.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_01: So if West Ham go down, it's like a ship passing in the night.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_01: That's what they're destined to do.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: Tottenham go down, we get made fun of the rest of our lives.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_01: So send down James Corden, send down Olivia Dean, don't send down the Friends on Football Boys.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_01: Let's talk about some news from around Europe.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_01: Because one club who's even more interesting than Tottenham is, is Real Madrid.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: They have once again failed to win La Liga.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: Barcelona are champions yet again.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_01: And uh that's just the tip of the iceberg with this club.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: Uh during the season, they sh they sacked legendary player and really good manager, Javi Alonso, uh, to bring in an absolute doofus.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh uh basically a caretaker manager that his one goal was hey, just control the locker room because they're getting unruly.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: Vinny, Vinny's not running for Javi anymore.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_01: We just need you to come in and get us to the end of the season.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_01: Well, this guy, after dipping out of the Champions League and losing to Barcelona to hand Barcelona the league title, he allowed some infighting.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_01: We had Aureli and Chuameni and the Valverde just going at each other.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: Apparently, one of them ended up in the hospital.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_01: It was a real, real bad fight.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: And there's rumors that they are not willing to play in the same team ever again, so one of them might need to be sold this summer.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_01: But take me behind the scenes of Real Madrid.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: Just provide the listeners some context for just how big a club they are, and then also just what goes around them every year.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so so Real Madrid as a club are the equivalent of you know the New York Yankees, the the LA Dodgers, the Lakers in basketball.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, these you're talking the biggest, one of the biggest in the world.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so you know, a team like this can handpick their manager, they can get some of the best players in the world.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um, we didn't even mention Mbappe and how the whole city wants him to leave.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_02: And it's it's it's it's a mess.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_02: And um it's it's one of those things where one thing went wrong to the next to the next to the next, and here we are at the end of the season, and you know, we got guys sending each other to the hospital, um, guys who won't play with each other, guys, you know, it it they probably are just sitting around looking at each other like, hey, let's just get this 90 minutes done and you know, go home and count our count our money, and we'll figure it all out next year.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_02: So it's it's a shame.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you never want to see that, especially in a league where you really only have two or three dogs, uh to to to lose one, you know, Barcelona pretty much walked to the to the to the league final.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_02: So um yeah, it's it's it's shocking to see, but uh hopefully, depending on what happens with their managerial hire, the permanent managerial hire next year, uh maybe they can get this back together.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_01: And that's a good segue because the name that is rumored to be the favorite for them to bring in is none other than Jose Moreno.
• 18:23
  SPEAKER_01: And listeners, if you're not familiar with this cat, I think he is self-proclaimed as the special one as a manager, and he is a very special manager.
• 18:33
  SPEAKER_01: He is responsible for some of the most iconic moments in football history.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_01: He is a legend in every sense of the word.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_01: His story is crazy.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: He's won everywhere he's been, he's caused problems everywhere he's been, not only with just players, but the board above him.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: He's managed at Real Madrid before and had a very successful spell.
• 18:52
  SPEAKER_01: But then, as always with Jose, it ends in a dumpster fire at almost every club he's been.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_01: He he leaves behind a trail of disaster, he leaves the club in ruin usually.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_01: He's done it at Chelsea, he's done it at Tottenham, he's done it everywhere he's been.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: So he is the favorite to take over at Real Madrid, and I just can't, I can't get any more excited than the this absolute shit show to have Jose walk in and be like, all right, boys, here we go.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: Here we go for next season.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's must see TV.
• 19:23
  SPEAKER_01: We need the film crew, we need an Amazon behind the scenes or something.
• 19:27
  SPEAKER_01: Because if Mbappe does stay, which you mentioned, none none of the Galacticos want him around.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_01: If Vinny Jr.'s in the mix and they're not running for they're not running for any manager, really, for them to not run for Jose, that's going to end in spectacular fashion as well.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I really want to see that next season.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you you mentioned it with uh the Amazon cameras.
• 19:47
  SPEAKER_02: I I feel like if Amazon doesn't want to cover them, they can send us.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_02: We'll we'll cover them for the season.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_02: We'll go behind the scenes, we'll get the interviews, we'll find the dirt, we'll find the scapegoats, we'll we'll report back because this thing could be wild.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sign us up for Boots on the Ground.
• 20:04
  SPEAKER_01: We'll learn Spanish if we have to.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_03: Absolutely.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: I'll pick it up quick.
• 20:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, it would it would just be incredible.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we bring up Real Madrid because in terms of the European title races this year, there's just not a ton of excitement outside of the Premier League.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: And even the Premier League, we're we're really hoping it goes down to the last day.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_01: The Spanish race, as you mentioned, Barcelona walked to the finish.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: Germany, Bayern Munich walked to the finish.
• 20:29
  SPEAKER_01: PSG, as always, in the French Farmers League, they walked to the finish.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_01: Serie A has also been decided for a couple weeks with Inter on top.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_01: So really the title races have been a bit disappointing this year.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: And there's not a ton of really good relegation scraps either.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_01: So it's really, I think everybody has kind of one eye on the World Cup, and the players included.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: When you're not playing for something, I think there's a little bit of pulling out of tackles going on, trying to stay healthy, make sure that they're not over exerting themselves for a lost cause, knowing that the World Cup is just a few weeks away at this point.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_02: Unfortunately, this isn't the season of all the the great storylines across Europe.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_02: But um, you know, I I think I I I do think the Real Madrid story um is is obviously wild.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_02: The the English league, but we the Premier League we talked about.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then you, you know, I know I know you follow some of the other leagues.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um so the Scottish League, which if you want to let us in a little bit on that race, I know that's been kind of wild and and something that we haven't really seen before.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so that's perfect.
• 21:40
  SPEAKER_01: We'll get into some of the games we're going to be watching this weekend.
• 21:43
  SPEAKER_01: This will probably be a weekly segment on the show, especially ahead of next season.
• 21:48
  SPEAKER_01: All of the World Cup we'll be watching, so we won't need to point those out.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: But as the season comes to a close, we'll try to watch each weekend if you want to get into the game.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_01: And the one with a bullet for me, if I was to recommend any game.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: This weekend.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: It would be the biggest match in Scottish football in the last 41 years.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_01: Are playing Celtic for the Scottish title?
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_01: This game is in Glasgow.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's at Celtic.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's at 7 30 a.m.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_01: on Saturday.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_01: It's on Paramount.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_01: It might be on CBS Sports Network as well.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_01: Basically, the Scottish League is run by two teams.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_01: They're called the Old Firm.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_01: It is Celtic, it is Rangers.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_01: Celtic are the Catholics, Rangers are the Protestants.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: Those two clubs are both in Glasgow.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_01: I couldn't possibly express just how much they hate each other.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: But between those two clubs, they have way more money than all the other clubs in the league combined.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_01: And they have won the last 41 consecutive Scottish titles.
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_01: Hearts are currently one point ahead of Celtic with one game to play.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_01: So for the first time since 1984-85, there is a chance that someone other than Celtica Rangers win the Scottish League.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_01: Hearts have been the better team all season, but they've been leaking oil down the stretch.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_01: The last time a non-Celtic Arranger side won the Scottish League, it was Aberdeen, who was managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, who many of you will know as a Manchester United legend.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: So all eyes should be in Scotland.
• 23:11
  SPEAKER_01: Start your Saturday morning off with some crunching tackles in the birthplace, or they claim to be the birthplace of football.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: This one's going to be exciting.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: I can't wait for it.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_02: We need more of this.
• 23:25
  SPEAKER_02: This is in my mind, like, you know, for those that don't follow the game as much.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_02: This is essentially a Super Bowl because, you know, hearts are a point ahead, but if Celtic wins, they win.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_02: So yes, there could be a draw, and that would unfortunately be a little bit anticlimatic.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: But uh at the end of the day, this is a Hearts fan would kill somebody for a draw.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_01: They'd kill you in cold blood.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, and I don't and I don't blame them.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_02: I would I would be the same, feel the same way if I was in that boat.
• 23:53
  SPEAKER_02: But um, you know, to have two teams and they happen to just be playing each other because uh for those that don't know, a lot of these most actually I should say all all European leagues, the league season is just the 40 games or 38 games, however many games there are, and the winner is just the person the team that's at at the top at the end.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_02: So um yeah, you know, unlike the American way where we have a a playoff and a championship, it just happened to be that these two teams matched up for the last game.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_02: They could have been playing two other teams, so it it's it's something super rare, and and I know you said since 84 we haven't seen a different champion.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, it it'll be cool to watch.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I do have somewhat of a rooting interest for Celtic, but um at the same time, I I wouldn't mind seeing hearts hearts pull off a uh nice upset.
• 24:44
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's so gross.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_01: It's like root for a one seed to be to 16 when the game's tight at the end.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_02: That's that's awful.
• 24:51
  SPEAKER_02: No, no, no, no.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_02: I I have personal connection to a couple uh one of the players on the team.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_01: So well, yeah, there's a couple American guys on Celtic that we should probably mention, both of which could be in contention to make the World Cup roster.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: Austin Trustee and Cameron Carter Vickers are two of Scot uh not only the best players in Scotland, they're definitely two of Celtic's best players, and they are potential American World Cup candidates as well.
• 25:17
  SPEAKER_01: So Americans do have a bit of a reason.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_01: I think Austin Trusty is a local Philly lad as well, is he not?
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_02: That's how I know him, know him very well when uh he used to play for the Philadelphia Union in his hometown club.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_01: There we go.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: So Philly fans, you might have a connection with that as well.
• 25:33
  SPEAKER_01: I I will allow that, that makes sense.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_01: But from a from a non-biased footballing side, the story of Hart's winning would be the the way I would go.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_01: But we mentioned a couple of other big games this weekend.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: Why don't you talk about some of the big ones happening in England?
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_02: So first, I think the Manchester City Chelsea FA Cup final is on Saturday.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, so this is outside of the English Premier League race.
• 25:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, this is a separate winner-take-all, sort of like a playoff style in the Americans, uh American sports, where teams get matched up in a bracket and it's just one-on-one.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_02: You go all the way to the final, and this cup is it is a big cup, and both teams will definitely want to win it, but at the same time, both teams have other large games uh in the coming weeks as well.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_02: So it'll be interesting to see how they play.
• 26:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I'd imagine Chelsea goes all out and and really just tries to win it.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um because they're not playing for the Premier League title.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_02: City still has the Premier League title, uh, hopes in their hands, but at the same time, you know, a trophy is a trophy, and they're not easy to come by, as Tottenham fans know.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so if you have a chance to get one and you're in the final, you you know, you definitely want to put your best foot forward.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_02: So that's on Saturday.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 26:49
  SPEAKER_01: And I would just jump in to say, in terms of the FA Cup, this is actually one of my favorite competitions in all of world football.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: It is, it's awesome.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_01: You mentioned it's a knockout style tournament.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: Every team in the country is eligible to participate in it.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_01: So it starts off in the very early stages of non-league sides going at it with each other, just local games, until they get to about a 64 team field, which is comprised of mostly professional teams, if not all professional teams have made it to that point.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_01: And then it's truly anyone can win.
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: So you could have a team full of semi-professionals make a deep run in the FA Cup.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_01: You'll see sides like Manchester City going to two or three thousand-person stadiums for away matches in the cup.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a magic to the cup.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: There's a certain essence of that.
• 27:34
  SPEAKER_01: The fact that anybody could win it, it makes it really special.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's the oldest competition in England.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: It's existed long before the Premier League has.
• 27:41
  SPEAKER_01: So really, really cool the FA Cup is.
• 27:44
  SPEAKER_01: It does stink when you get a final that's two of the richest clubs in the world.
• 27:47
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't, like you said, it doesn't necessarily mean as much to either of those.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: But the the there is beauty in the FA Cup, even if the final might not be the best thing.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to ask you quickly, I think it would be better if Chelsea won this, correct?
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_01: Just for Tottenham.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: Like, hey, go out on the beers, lads, get pissed, enjoy the cup victory, because we play them Tuesday, and that'll turn that turnarounds pretty quick.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_01: So if we can get you guys all liquored up Saturday night after a big cup win, and it keeps City a little hungrier too.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: So make sure City doesn't slip up in those final two games.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they could catch Arsenal.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I think we might have to root for Chelsea in this one.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I agree with you.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um the the that turnaround is actually absurd when you really really break it down.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I I know these guys, they have sports science and all that stuff, and nutritionists and trainers and physiotherapists and every other thing.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_02: But to play 90 minutes and then have to play again on Tuesday, um, I don't know if that's possible for most guys.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_02: So you'll probably see a lot of different players from the weekend on Tuesday's game.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you're 100% right.
• 28:54
  SPEAKER_01: And and I the World Cup also, in a World Cup year, the amount of games these guys are playing is ridiculous, but we could do a whole podcast on that itself.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_01: So what what else are you keeping an eye on this weekend?
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh yeah, and then the other games, uh, I would say the other two Premier League games where City played Bournemouth, that's actually on Tuesday, and then Spurs played Chelsea on Tuesday, like like we mentioned, and West Ham Newcastle is on Sunday.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_02: So that's the other game uh in the relegation battle.
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_02: So definitely keep my eyes on those.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um and then Arsenal also plays on Monday.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_02: So it's good that the games are a little bit spread out, so we can keep our eyes, our eyes across multiple games.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_02: And then the beauty is next Sunday, I believe, all of the games are at the same time.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um so no team gets an advantage to see, oh, so-and-so won, so we only need a point.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um, everyone plays at the same time, uh, which is a great way to end the season.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_01: Correct.
• 29:51
  SPEAKER_01: There's no scoreboard watching.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody starts at a set time, the games all run just about the same exact length, so you have to put your best foot forward and let the chips fall where they may.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I do agree that the spacing of it's nice, that all of these games aren't on at the same time, so we could kind of enjoy each of them.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_01: It just creates more stress when I have to wait till Tuesday to see Tottenham now.
• 30:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's like I've been in this relegation hell for months, and this thing's drawing out till the very last day.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_01: And it also puts us at a disadvantage going into Sunday's match with a pretty relatively short turnaround compared to some other teams.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_01: West Ham are playing on Sunday, they get to play again next week on Sunday to wrap up the season.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_01: Tottenham don't play until Tuesday night.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: They play Sunday.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_01: I'll I'll be sure to file that in my letter if we do go down to the to the board for all of the egregious decisions that have gone against Tottenham this year, but I digress.
• 30:41
  SPEAKER_01: The only other game I wanted to shout out in Europe this weekend, there's an exciting one in the Bundesliga, which is the German top flight.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_01: If if listeners are looking for a league outside of the Premier League to get into, the Bundesliga isn't my favorite.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_01: Serie A would probably be my second favorite league.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_01: I have an affinity for Roma, but the Bundesliga would be one I recommend because the style of football is very entertaining.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's fast-paced.
• 31:07
  SPEAKER_01: There's Gigan pressing, which is all-out pressing from a lot of teams.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_01: It's a bit chaotic, which is fun.
• 31:13
  SPEAKER_01: There's typically a few more goals thrown in.
• 31:15
  SPEAKER_01: So there's a nice brand of football there, and they have great fans with an awesome ownership model.
• 31:22
  SPEAKER_01: So each club is they have a 50 plus one rule in place where each club has to maintain 50 plus 1% of ownership to fans or members of the club.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_01: So basically each fan pays a yearly membership, relatively cheap, like 50 bucks, and they are deemed a member of the club and they get to vote on important decisions that surround the club.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that's a unique aspect.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_01: This weekend, one of the most passionate fan base is St.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_01: Pauli.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_01: They host Wolfsburg, and this is just a relegation scrap.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's a bar fight.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_01: Both teams are level with Heidenheim at the bottom of the table.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_01: They all have 26 points.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_01: If you win this game, you get a chance to stay in the top flight.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_01: Where the Bundesliga is different than the Premier League is if you finish third to last, you're not guaranteed safe and you're not guaranteed to go down.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: You have to play a promotion relegation playoff.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: So the third place team in the Bundesliga two plays the third to last place team in the Bundesliga in a one-game playoff where you're fighting for your life even further there.
• 32:21
  SPEAKER_01: So this is a fight for your right to party in that last game.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_01: St.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_01: Polly's fans are absolutely wild.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_01: So if you want to see some videos about some raucous fans, give them give them a look.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_01: But that game will be exhilarating this weekend in Germany.
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I love that, Sean.
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I did not know that rule about the playoff.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um that's really, really exciting.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, no, another another fun game to tune into.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um and like you said, these teams are at the bottom, so they have everything to play for.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_02: So you're gonna see tackles flying, you're gonna see yellow cards, you're gonna see every every possible thing a team can do to try to win.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_02: And uh it's beautiful.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's much better than watching two two mid-table teams just kind of kicking about waiting for the season to end.
• 33:07
  SPEAKER_02: So I love that, Sean.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_01: So as the season winds down, we're starting the show at a time to try to capture you ahead of the World Cup.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_01: We're trying to direct your attention to some games that'll do football justice, in our opinion.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_01: So those are the ones I'd keep an eye on.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's where the intensity is going to be at its highest this weekend.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_01: We've been alluding to the World Cup all episode.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_01: We have to dive into it just a little bit.
• 33:29
  SPEAKER_01: What's our general vibe with the World Cup right now?
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: Has excitement kicked in for you yet?
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_01: Because I have to say it hit me like a ton of bricks this week.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_01: And now it's all I can think about.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited that the United States is hosting.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just all in.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_01: I will say it was building, but now I'm I'm I'm there.
• 33:43
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I think I I I I've definitely at the highest point I've been at.
• 33:47
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I was excited when the draws came out and um I was able to get some tickets.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_02: So so there was some excitement previously, but then you know, that was six months ago.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_02: So now now that we can see the date, um, we can see the games, the fixtures, the the teams are starting to get released.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's great.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I'm excited.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's gonna be a great summer.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be the summer of footy.
• 34:14
  SPEAKER_01: So I I'm pumped about that.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_01: We have to address, I guess, some of the negatives that do come with the World Cup.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_01: What's going on with this FIFA organization, man?
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, 48 teams, first of all, it's the first World Cup ever with 48 teams, so it's gonna be a grand spectacle.
• 34:31
  SPEAKER_01: But the ticket prices are absolutely outrageous.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_01: They're price gouging us every chance they get.
• 34:37
  SPEAKER_01: We had to pay for our right to buy a ticket.
• 34:40
  SPEAKER_01: What's going on with the folks at FIFA?
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, uh, at the end of the day, they're you know, they might say they're a you know, nonprofit business and this and that and the other.
• 34:49
  SPEAKER_02: They they're people who's pockets are getting lined.
• 34:52
  SPEAKER_02: And unfortunately, um unfortunately, they they see the American consumer as someone that can kind of pay.
• 34:59
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, thankfully, I will say the tickets that I got, we we hit the lottery in the first the first uh window.
• 35:06
  SPEAKER_02: So our tickets were face value essentially.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um but the price gouging, like you said, Sean, I mean, people are trying to make money, and I get it, we live in a free, free country, free economy, but you know, it it takes away a little bit because I would love to see, you know, the the 10-year-old kid who who maybe doesn't have a ton of money, who goes to their first game at the World Cup, and then you know, they go home and they're like, wow, this sport is incredible.
• 35:32
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, instead of the corporate business person who watches 40 minutes of the game and then is just you know drinking in the suite, who has no care about the game at all.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_02: So it definitely is a little frustrating from that standpoint.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_02: Um I I do I will say, Philadelphia specifically, they they they seem to be doing well with you know the fan zone and and getting people around the game.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe they can't get them tickets into the game, but they're gonna have a lot around it, which I think is great and needed because um with you know American football participation going down, there's probably a good segment of kids who would be willing to try soccer.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and and so we want to encourage that and and get them in the stadium.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_02: So unfortunately, like you said, FIFA definitely has their issues, but at the same time, I think there will be some positives that come out of this moving forward, and um, it'll be cool to see that wave of soccer fans, uh new soccer fans coming into our country.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's the biggest thing that I'm gonna be looking for this World Cup.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, starting a podcast or continuing a podcast, I guess, at this stage is a it's a planned decision because I expect there to be a large boom in interest in the sport in this country.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I think a lot of it will be for things like you mentioned.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_01: They need to do a good job of just making sure that when these countries come into your cities, that the city feel the impact of what football means to them, and they're going to bring their culture with them.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_01: So thousands of Brazilians will travel to Philadelphia and other parts of the country.
• 37:03
  SPEAKER_01: And the culture that comes with supporting a football club or country, it's contagious.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_01: And I think when people see that, they'll be drawn to it.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's unlike anything we have in American sports.
• 37:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I would hope that's my hope for this World Cup is that not only does it get young people in through various different mechanisms that we could talk about, but also that people that haven't really given football a proper chance give it a chance after this because they see what it does to people.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_01: And you look and you say, like, well, if they're that crazy about it, how bad can it be?
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: And next thing you know, you might end up really loving it.
• 37:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I hope that it takes off in this country.
• 37:39
  SPEAKER_01: I think it will to a certain extent.
• 37:41
  SPEAKER_01: Just how far it reaches will be the big question.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: But I'm so pumped about all of the host cities bring a little bit of something different too.
• 37:51
  SPEAKER_01: I thought it was interesting.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_01: The ones they picked, I believe there's 16 different host cities.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, 16 total.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_02: Uh I think it's 11 US, three Mexico, two Canada.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_01: Two Canada.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's Toronto and Vancouver, and then Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterey are the ones outside of the United States.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_01: All it's a North American World Cup, predominantly, every game from the round of 16 on will be played in the U.S.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_01: So as it comes to a conclusion, it will be predominantly focused in the United States.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_01: But overall, there's going to be a lot of people coming to the continent, and I think it's going to be a perfect summer for people to get into the sport.
• 38:30
  SPEAKER_01: For the Americans, which is where a lot of our listeners' focus will be.
• 38:34
  SPEAKER_01: What does success look like in this World Cup?
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_01: We've heard for years about how this is the golden generation.
• 38:40
  SPEAKER_01: We've got all these guys playing in Europe.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_01: This is supposed to be the best American team ever.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_01: We've got Mauricio Pachatino, this hotshot manager who's won in Europe.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_01: What does success look like?
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_01: What is something we could hold our hats on and be like, okay, that was a good World Cup?
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_02: I think uh true success is obviously getting out of the group, um, whether that be winning the group or finishing second.
• 39:06
  SPEAKER_02: I think you have to win that first round of 32 game.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_02: And, you know, that round of 16 game, I think if you can you can compete, uh, depending on who the draw ends up being against.
• 39:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, I think you can hold your head high.
• 39:21
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, you know, I I would love to say, you know, the final eight round of eight or final four or whatever, but I just don't think we have that in us right now.
• 39:32
  SPEAKER_02: I know this is definitely one of the better generations, like you said, of soccer that we've had in this country for sure.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_02: Um, I just don't know if we have that extra little oomph to get us over that hump.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I would agree.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_01: I think success, I'll go a little bit harsher than you did.
• 39:51
  SPEAKER_01: I would say success would be reaching the quarterfinal would be an undoubted success.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_01: So the final eight is what I'll say.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_01: I think you could hold your head high if you reach the round of 16.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think that would be a bad performance by any means.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's probably where our talent level mixed with hosting nets out is probably one of the final 16 teams.
• 40:10
  SPEAKER_01: Anything other than winning or second in the group and failing to win one knockout game is a complete abomination failure.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_01: So we need to avoid that.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_01: That's the first order business.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_01: Don't do that.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_01: Don't flame out early because what I want and what we just talked about, soccer catching in this country.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_01: So much of that could be tied to the Americans going on a run.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_01: When you have everyone talking about those knockout matches, and you win and you survive in advance, and then there's days in between, and all of a sudden people are making plans to go watch the next match somewhere, and that crescendo builds and builds, and I think that's how you have the perfect opportunity to really change the future of the sport in this country.
• 40:53
  SPEAKER_01: It requires making a deep run.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_01: Here's the issue our talent, while it might be the best generation of American soccer ever, it still does not stack up at all to some of these nations we're going to be competing against.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_01: So while we have a few players doing well in Europe, that's not enough.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_01: So we need to keep uh cultivating, growing our domestic talent and our domestic product, the MLS needs to continue to improving to improve, and I think it is.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: But I think this World Cup just has a chance to accelerate that whole process.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_01: And the way to do that, in my opinion, is to make a deep run.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_01: So a lot of pressure on these Americans.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not so sure I trust that they're gonna be able to do that.
• 41:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I think part of the reason why I think it's gonna serve as a good transition, the last thing we're gonna talk about today is we're just gonna give you a little status update on some air some Americans abroad.
• 41:42
  SPEAKER_01: Our captain, Captain America, it is Christian Pulisic.
• 41:46
  SPEAKER_01: He's the best player in the history of the United States, in my opinion.
• 41:49
  SPEAKER_01: I think he's definitely the most talented, and he's probably the most achieved at this point.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think he's done it at the highest level for longer than others have in the history of our country.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_01: But with that being said, he is not in the best of form for AC Milan.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_01: He went from being one of their best players to a guy who's kind of an afterthought the last couple of months.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_01: He's not getting his regular minutes, he's not scoring goals, he's not really contributing in the way of assists.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_01: Are you worried about Christian Pulisik as we are under a month from the beginning of this World Cup?
• 42:22
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, I am, I am.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_02: And unfortunately, you know, the talent, like you said, the talent's there.
• 42:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, no one can question that.
• 42:29
  SPEAKER_02: But in football, you know, form is so important.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_02: And then um it's it's something that really can't be explained, in my opinion.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_02: It's just, hey, you're in form or you're not in form.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, that can be him scoring a goal and seeing it go in the net one time, and all of a sudden he's back.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um maybe it's maybe it's not that.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_02: So I do worry, you know, you want to be playing your best soccer at the best moment.
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and we're just not doing that.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_02: And with him being our leader, our captain, and kind of the one that, you know, steers the ship, it's it's gonna be rough if he's not in form uh for the World Cup.
• 43:09
  SPEAKER_01: And like you said, form is a finicky thing.
• 43:12
  SPEAKER_01: It can come and go quickly, and maybe it's a good thing that he's in a bad stretch right now because there still is that month leading up to the World Cup, and maybe he clicks and it it it gets on at the right time.
• 43:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm holding out hope that that will be the case.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_01: And part of me does trust that the national team setting is just different than the club environment.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_01: And being back with those guys on home soil, something might click for Christian and he finds that form.
• 43:37
  SPEAKER_01: It's just worrisome because if you just told me all things equal, you could choose your best player coming off a great season or a one to forget about.
• 43:45
  SPEAKER_01: I would absolutely choose him coming off a great season every time.
• 43:48
  SPEAKER_01: So that's where I I net out on it.
• 43:51
  SPEAKER_01: I would really like to see just a glimmer of something in the last month from Christian because he really is the straw that stirs the drink for the United States team, at least in terms of the attack.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_01: He is the bona fide guy.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_02: I I think you make a good point though, where you you mentioned, you know, he's coming back to the US, he's on home soil, he's he's gonna be playing with guys he's played with since he's you know a teenager.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_02: So there is that familiarity there.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_02: Um he's on home soil.
• 44:15
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, while there is gonna be a lot of pressure because you know he's playing in America and he's an American, uh, there also is that comfort in knowing, like, hey, I've played with these guys for years.
• 44:27
  SPEAKER_02: He's probably played, I'm sure he's played more games with those guys than he has with any of his club teammates um just over the course of his life.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, you don't want to be too hard on one guy um because we know he's class.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_02: Like when it when it's on, like it's it's different from him.
• 44:43
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, you don't want to discredit that at all.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_02: But at the same time, you're gonna need him to to perform for us to to make that round of eight, that quarterfinal run that you mentioned earlier.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, for sure.
• 44:56
  SPEAKER_01: Another guy who is a cause for concern for the United States and through no fault of his own, it is Johnny Cardoso.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_01: He has picked up an injury that is going to keep him out of the World Cup.
• 45:06
  SPEAKER_01: He plays for Atletico Madrid, which is one of the biggest clubs in world football.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a top 20 side in terms of just revenue and size and scale.
• 45:16
  SPEAKER_01: So certainly nothing to scoff at.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_01: He's had a so-so season, I would say, there, but he's proven himself in La Liga at Real Betis, where he got a big money move ahead of this season to Atletico.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_01: So I think it's a big loss for the United States.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_01: I wanted to get your opinion on just how big of a loss it is.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_01: While he's been good at the club level for some time now, it's just never really fully clicked for Johnny wearing the US jersey.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_01: So is this a huge loss or is it something we could skate by?
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_02: I I think it's a huge loss because of uh yes, because of his skill, but also I think because I don't know who's gonna replace him.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, you have a guy like Tyler Adams who will who will play, but Johnny and Tyler could probably theoretically play together, um, depending on you know the the formation of the team that day.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_02: Um so so losing him, I'm not sure if we have a lock on who plays next to Tyler.
• 46:10
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's a huge spot.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, that position, in my opinion, um, and I'm sure we'll talk about this over the course of the podcast, but for me, like a six or an eight, those roles to me are two of the most important positions, positions on the whole field.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um, they they make everything tick, they they cover the defense, you know, they're building attacks, um, they have their foot on the ball a lot, and I just feel like they're such a huge piece of it of a team.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_02: And to not know who's gonna play that role for us, uh, you know, a month a month away from the World Cup is a little scary.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_02: So I I do think the injury is a big loss.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_01: And the other thing I would say, even if he wasn't the midfield partner for Tyler Adams, he is definitely the best depth choice to replace Tyler Adams, not only just within the context of a game to give Tyler a bit of a break if we could afford that luxury, or God forbid, Tyler gets hurt.
• 47:07
  SPEAKER_01: And that's a big point I wanted to bring up because while Christian Pulisic is the best US player, you can make an argument that Tyler Adams is the most important.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_01: And the United States national team look a completely different side when he's in it.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_01: He is the engine of the team.
• 47:22
  SPEAKER_01: While Pulisic provides the skill and the flair and the goals, Tyler Adams makes the team go.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_01: He has all the captain's traits about him.
• 47:31
  SPEAKER_01: He's vocal, he's verbal, he he's constantly pointing and shouting.
• 47:34
  SPEAKER_01: He breaks up play in the middle of the park, he stops counterattacks, he's good at pouncing on the ball and starting quick transitions.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_01: So he really is the most important guy.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_01: And the problem with Tyler is he's a great player when he's available, he's just not often available.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_01: So we have to kind of just hope that we get two good months from him starting now of clean health.
• 47:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm not so sure that we can bank on that.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_01: And losing Cardoso kind of makes that even more scary, in my opinion.
• 48:04
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, completely agree.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, they say the best the best ability is availability, and having Tyler on the pitch, um, you mentioned all of his attributes, but in the notes when we're we were talking about this, I just put next to him a picture of a dog.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like he's he's an absolute dog.
• 48:21
  SPEAKER_02: And I've seen him play, I actually saw him play when he was at Red Bull, Red Bull 2.
• 48:27
  SPEAKER_02: Um, so he was playing there as like a 14-year-old.
• 48:30
  SPEAKER_01: And young pup.
• 48:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 48:33
  SPEAKER_02: Young Pump.
• 48:34
  SPEAKER_02: But you could tell, like, this dude was gonna be a dog, and you know, seeing him compete on a national level and then playing with Bournemouth uh in the Premier League, like he's he, like you said, he's the engine.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_02: And and losing him, the team looks so different.
• 48:48
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and it's gonna be tough.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, but if he stays healthy and he can give us three great group stage games, you know, I I put us up against most teams and and we'll compete.
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_01: I like that.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_01: So let's put him in some bubble wrap until June.
• 49:02
  SPEAKER_01: We don't need to see anything else from him in the club season, please.
• 49:05
  SPEAKER_01: Bournemouth, you could do it.
• 49:06
  SPEAKER_01: And we need you to lose anyway, Bournemouth.
• 49:08
  SPEAKER_01: So please just roll over.
• 49:10
  SPEAKER_01: Get Tyler out of there.
• 49:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, let's talk about a little bit more positive things surrounding the United States team.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_01: Who are some guys that are playing in Europe that have had good seasons and it's something to build on and maybe some momentum that we can expect them to carry into the World Cup?
• 49:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I think Weston McKinney, he's a he's a consistent player.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_02: Um, he's playing at Juventus.
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_02: This is my guy.
• 49:31
  SPEAKER_01: I'm a I'm a West, a West guy through him.
• 49:34
  SPEAKER_02: I know you're a West guy.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_02: I know you're a West guy.
• 49:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and and as you should be.
• 49:38
  SPEAKER_02: Like he's the type of guy who, if you want to win, you just put him in.
• 49:42
  SPEAKER_02: Like he can play four or five different positions.
• 49:45
  SPEAKER_02: Like he will find a way to help your team be successful.
• 49:48
  SPEAKER_02: And he's done that um at Juventus and Serie A, which is you know, arguably top three league in the world, uh, and one of the biggest clubs in Italy as well.
• 49:57
  SPEAKER_02: So so he's he's on the list for me.
• 50:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um Haji Wright, Coventry City, uh scoring a lot of goals, and they're actually coming up to the Premier League next year.
• 50:06
  SPEAKER_02: They got promoted.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, you you got those two guys.
• 50:10
  SPEAKER_02: Um, Alex Alexander's and Dehas, um playing for Club America, probably not a household name to many, but I think he can definitely play a large, large impact in the World Cup.
• 50:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um scored a few goals at the weekend.
• 50:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um, he captained their side recently, so he's he's another player to definitely keep their eye your eyes on.
• 50:31
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and then Alex Freeman at Villarreal.
• 50:33
  SPEAKER_02: Uh to me, this is a really interesting one.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_02: Alex Freeman is the son of Antonio Freeman, uh NFL player for many years, uh, played for Orlando City in the MLS and then transferred to Villarreal, I believe about a year ago now, and has been sharp.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_02: Villarreal, another team in uh La Liga, one of the better leagues in or the best league in Spain, one of the better leagues in the world, and he's looked great there.
• 50:58
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, a year ago, Sean, I think if you said is Alex Riemann gonna be starting at the World Cup, I'd say you're absolutely insane, uh, barring injury.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_02: But with his performances, I could see them playing, you know, maybe a five or three or five back system, however you want to look at it, and having him playing as that sort of right center box center back spot.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, we talked about form earlier.
• 51:21
  SPEAKER_02: Form is super important, and these guys have been hitting their stride at the right time.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_02: So I I think there's um I definitely think there's gonna be some diamonds in the rough.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and and it'll be great to see these guys perform on the highest level.
• 51:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's exciting.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's just a huge opportunity for them.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_01: I'm sure on home soil it just amplifies that times a thousand.
• 51:40
  SPEAKER_01: So I can only imagine what's going through for them.
• 51:42
  SPEAKER_01: You touched on quite a few guys there.
• 51:44
  SPEAKER_01: I'll I'll mention some of them, just what my thoughts are on them quickly.
• 51:47
  SPEAKER_01: I said I'm a West guy.
• 51:49
  SPEAKER_01: Another great season where he went into it as maybe being considered surplus at Juventus, as a new manager will come in, and then they're like, Oh, we don't really see McKenny in our plans.
• 51:58
  SPEAKER_01: They float the idea of selling him, and then by the end of the season, he's one of their most important players.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_01: That's just who Wes is.
• 52:04
  SPEAKER_01: He'll pick up a play any position, like you mentioned.
• 52:06
  SPEAKER_01: He's kind of like an American football player in a soccer player's body.
• 52:09
  SPEAKER_01: He he's just he's another one.
• 52:11
  SPEAKER_01: He's a dog.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_01: The only problem with him, he is a little Jekyll and Hyde, which I like about him.
• 52:15
  SPEAKER_01: He's got a bit of the flair about him that Tyler Adams doesn't have.
• 52:18
  SPEAKER_01: Tyler Adams is really just a he's a nuts and bolts kind of midfielder.
• 52:24
  SPEAKER_01: He's not doing anything that's like, oh wow, look at that.
• 52:26
  SPEAKER_01: Where Wes has the ability for some flair, but Wes also has the ability to not track a runner in a crucial moment and point and be like, whose guy was that?
• 52:35
  SPEAKER_01: It's like, well, that was your dickhead.
• 52:36
  SPEAKER_01: Like, what are we doing?
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_01: So Wes Wesley atinum, but I love that.
• 52:42
  SPEAKER_01: It also helps that when he scores a goal, he does the Harry Pond or Harry Potter uh wave with the wand.
• 52:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm all in on West.
• 52:50
  SPEAKER_01: I haven't seen much as in Dehax, but he's an exciting guy in terms of his potential.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_01: I hope it finally has clicked for him.
• 52:57
  SPEAKER_01: Haji, you mentioned a country city, Haji right.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_01: He's gonna be a Premier League player next year, had a really good season for them, gives us a striking option that could play either on the wing or up top, like that.
• 53:06
  SPEAKER_01: And then I really like what you brought up with Alex Freeman.
• 53:09
  SPEAKER_01: I was not a big Alex Freeman fan when he first broke into the national team picture.
• 53:13
  SPEAKER_01: I just thought he was a bit undercooked, I would say.
• 53:16
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think he had the skill to play right back in attack with possession, but I thought he had physical traits.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_01: He was athletic, he was pretty good in 1v1 situations on defense, and I think he's grown so much on the ball now that he looks likely to start maybe at right back for the or right center back, like you mentioned, for the U.S.
• 53:33
  SPEAKER_01: So really good growth by him.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_01: He's still super young.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_01: That's exciting.
• 53:38
  SPEAKER_01: The guy he'll be in competition with is Serginho Dest, who actually just came back from long injury, which is another problem with him, one of our most talented players.
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_01: Technically speaking, he's he might even be more sound than Polisic.
• 53:49
  SPEAKER_01: He's an absolute wonder.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_01: The only problem with him is he's made of brittle.
• 53:53
  SPEAKER_01: So if we if we could somehow keep him healthy for the World Cup II, that would be a nice piece to have in Sergino.
• 54:00
  SPEAKER_01: And then his PSV partner, Ricardo Pepi, who is another guy, has a bad injury record.
• 54:05
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know what these team docs are doing, but Ricardo Pepe is a striking option for the United States, potentially our best striking option.
• 54:12
  SPEAKER_01: He's back from injury as well.
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_01: We need those two PSV boys firing this last month just to get some form ahead of the World Cup.
• 54:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I I agree with you.
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_02: I think um I think we do have some pieces, and you know it's gonna be it's gonna be gritty, it's gonna be scrappy, and we might not have the household names that some of these other countries have, but um, there's there's quality, there's quality in the team.
• 54:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, the goalkeeping situation I I feel like is one that I'm sure we'll touch on in the coming weeks.
• 54:41
  SPEAKER_02: Um it'll very likely be Matt Freeze.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_02: Um, in my opinion, he's probably the best we have.
• 54:48
  SPEAKER_01: Or he's the lesser of two evils and he's the better of two Matt's.
• 54:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's bleak, the goalkeeping situation.
• 54:54
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm seeing if Tim Howard's available.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, and and you know, it it's it's odd because I feel like USA in the past we've had eh, you know, average teams, but goalkeeping has always been solid.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_02: That's our thing.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_01: We we can't keep one of those guys.
• 55:10
  SPEAKER_01: We can we can throw a lump back there and net and keep a ball out.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know what I mean?
• 55:17
  SPEAKER_02: It's now that's gone.
• 55:19
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's crazy because that's a position that you know we've always been on lock.
• 55:24
  SPEAKER_02: And and to have a true goalkeeping battle, I think.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, maybe you see Turner start a game, maybe you see Freeze start, and then I don't know who the third goalie will be.
• 55:34
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, there's some young MLS guys, maybe you throw one of them a bone.
• 55:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um but yeah, throw a young guy a bone, please, for that third goalie spot because all they're really doing is shut stopping shots in practice anyway.
• 55:48
  SPEAKER_01: Give a guy who you believe to be the future of the position a chance to go and get that experience with the team.
• 55:54
  SPEAKER_01: If they use it on some veteran bum who's never gonna sniff another World Cup roster, I'm gonna be so upset.
• 56:00
  SPEAKER_01: We've already got enough cargo in in the way of Christian Roldan, who's gonna be just luggage on this trip.
• 56:07
  SPEAKER_01: We've got we've got enough guys that we're carrying around for vibes.
• 56:11
  SPEAKER_01: So please give that spot to a guy who's an up-and-comer.
• 56:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think you touched on something there.
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_01: We usually have good goalkeepers, and then the other thing we usually have is we usually have a tenacious spirit about the United States.
• 56:22
  SPEAKER_01: That's what if you talk to people from other countries and other parts of the world, they'll say, Yeah, they're a tough side to go against.
• 56:27
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they're gritty, will be the words that come to mind.
• 56:30
  SPEAKER_01: We've gotten a little more talented than maybe some of those teams past, but I I don't know if we're as gritty, and that's what I'm gonna be watching.
• 56:36
  SPEAKER_01: That's my that's where I have the magnifying glass.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_01: Who's showing up for a rock fight?
• 56:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I can count on a couple guys, but who's joining them is really what I'm looking for this next month or two.
• 56:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I will say, I don't know about you, I'm a potch guy.
• 56:52
  SPEAKER_01: I know he was he's a Tottenham legend for what he did at Spurs.
• 56:56
  SPEAKER_01: He it didn't start off great for the US.
• 56:59
  SPEAKER_01: I said some things in the past about hey, he might look cool as he might look like he just collected a paycheck.
• 57:04
  SPEAKER_01: I take it all back, Potch.
• 57:05
  SPEAKER_01: He's magic, you know.
• 57:07
  SPEAKER_01: Mauricio, Pajatino, I'm all in.
• 57:09
  SPEAKER_01: So, Potch, you have my heart now.
• 57:11
  SPEAKER_01: Let's let's go win one.
• 57:13
  SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm bought in.
• 57:14
  SPEAKER_01: We've talked or we just said how shit most of our players are.
• 57:16
  SPEAKER_01: I've somehow talked myself into a deep run.
• 57:18
  SPEAKER_02: No, I and I think you you touched on it.
• 57:21
  SPEAKER_02: I think Pagatino gets these guys up for it.
• 57:24
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, it's silly to say that you have to get a manager to get guys up for the World Cup, but you're right.
• 57:30
  SPEAKER_02: We've become talented.
• 57:31
  SPEAKER_02: We've we've lost some of that, you know.
• 57:33
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, I'm just gonna knock you out because I'm gonna knock you out.
• 57:36
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 57:36
  SPEAKER_02: That sort of clint, you know, where you have a guy like Clint Dempsey who score a beautiful goal, but then you know, two minutes later, like knock a guy out because he called him a name or something.
• 57:45
  SPEAKER_01: And you don't know where I'm from, dog.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
• 57:47
  SPEAKER_02: You and you need you literally need some of that.
• 57:50
  SPEAKER_02: Um, because that pretty still.
• 57:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, let me just say, I don't really want five seven, five, seven hundred and ten-pound Christian Pulisic being the guy doing that.
• 57:59
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 58:00
  SPEAKER_02: No, you need we need the enforcers.
• 58:01
  SPEAKER_02: We need to bring up bring back the hockey enforcer and just throw one of those on the soccer field because that's that you you gotta protect Christian, you gotta protect some of these guys, but um, you know, Tyler will do it, but I but I also need Tyler on the field, so it's that weird balance.
• 58:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's yeah.
• 58:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's like it's like in an NBA game, Eudonis Haslum was on the heat for 15 years just because of his presence.
• 58:24
  SPEAKER_01: They the other bench knew if you started messing with the heat, UD with Uncle Uncle Haslum was around the way, ready in case things got real.
• 58:35
  SPEAKER_01: The United States, I I'm looking around the locker room.
• 58:37
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know who's around the way.
• 58:39
  SPEAKER_01: I don't think there's any sort of like, oh my god, we can't do that because this guy's gonna come after us.
• 58:44
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know if we have that.
• 58:45
  SPEAKER_01: So we've lost that.
• 58:46
  SPEAKER_01: Somebody needs to step up.
• 58:48
  SPEAKER_01: We need to play not only good technical football that gets people invested in the sport, we also need to be tough.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_01: So the bars set really high for you, Potch.
• 58:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 58:57
  SPEAKER_02: But look, at this point, I I think he can do it.
• 59:01
  SPEAKER_02: I think he can pull it out of us.
• 59:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you mean we we saw the Champions League run at Spurs where you know we didn't think we had the the any any bits of a chance, and you know, we go make a Champions League final and um so so he has that in him.
• 59:18
  SPEAKER_02: He he's magic, you know, like you said.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_02: Um so so I do have belief.
• 59:22
  SPEAKER_02: Um it's gonna be fun.
• 59:24
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, we got the roster release in the coming weeks, so once we get that, I'm sure we'll we'll break that down and analyze every player that we choose and our third goalie and all that.
• 59:35
  SPEAKER_02: But um no, it's it's a good time to be a fan of soccer in America.
• 59:38
  SPEAKER_02: Um, it's a beautiful game, and I think this summer will be we'll be special here.
• 59:45
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's a perfect place to end this episode.
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_01: So, Brandon, appreciate you joining me on this adventure.
• 59:52
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited.
• 59:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm excited for the Friends on Football podcast.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's a perfect time to start one.
• 59:57
  SPEAKER_01: Please, listeners, we need some ratings, we need some reviews, we need some subscriptions out of you.
• 1:00:03
  SPEAKER_01: We'll we'll have our social media links in the episode description.
• 1:00:08
  SPEAKER_01: All of those things will be built out in the weeks to come, but we're excited to be with you.
• 1:00:12
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 1:00:12
  SPEAKER_02: Let's get it, Sean.
• 1:00:13
  SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be it's gonna be a fun summer.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_02: I'm excited to do this with you, buddy.
• 1:00:17
  SPEAKER_01: I appreciate it.
• 1:00:18
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you all for tuning in, and until next time, take care.