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USMNT’s Breakthrough World Cup Run · North Florida Sports Network Podcast

0:00
SPEAKER_00: Let me ask you one question the North Florida sport Florida sports Florida North Florida sporting sports net you gotta give us a shot you know what you're about to do your job the North Florida sports sports sports I do understand that we're back we're doing our job and we're talking about the World Cup.
0:32
SPEAKER_02: I got soccer aficionado Mr.
0:34
SPEAKER_02: Jason back with us and we are in the midst of what is an incredible World Cup.
0:43
SPEAKER_02: I'm blown, I've been blown away.
0:46
SPEAKER_02: I mean, not only because the U.S.
0:47
SPEAKER_02: has its best team I can ever remember, but just the whole experience seeing the people come over here in the different countries and all it's been just great.
1:00
SPEAKER_02: Absolutely great.
1:01
SPEAKER_02: Which what's up, man?
1:03
SPEAKER_02: How are you?
1:04
SPEAKER_01: What's happening, North Florida?
1:07
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: Yes, it's um it's it's round of 32 time for the first time ever.
1:14
SPEAKER_02: The knockout stage will have 32 teams.
1:18
SPEAKER_02: And it's it's gonna be Bosnia for for the US team who was in the group with Canada, uh, played them to a draw, and then was able to beat Qatar.
1:33
SPEAKER_02: Um but US should be favored here.
1:37
SPEAKER_01: We are for the first time ever in a knockout round.
1:40
SPEAKER_02: How about that?
1:41
SPEAKER_02: And just the United States, they won the group.
1:47
SPEAKER_02: And what are your impressions of the you saw three games and like what did you think expected?
1:56
SPEAKER_01: Or was uh yeah, yeah, I expected to win the group, but we look really good.
2:02
SPEAKER_01: That right that Paraguay game was the best USA soccer game I've ever seen in my life.
2:08
SPEAKER_01: Like it was incredible.
2:10
SPEAKER_02: I agree.
2:11
SPEAKER_02: And and uh Pulisic, he he was out at the half, and I it was precautionary, but you could tell he made things happen right away in that first half, and he didn't score the goal, but he was involved on the first two goals.
2:28
SPEAKER_01: He's the best player we've ever had.
2:30
SPEAKER_01: I'm just gonna say it.
2:31
SPEAKER_01: Best American soccer player I've ever seen put on that jersey.
2:35
SPEAKER_02: And this is uh so you lose him though in the second half of that first game, and then he does not play against Australia, and you still come out with the two-nil win.
2:49
SPEAKER_02: And that's something that that's really showed the depth on the front line for the U.S.
2:56
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we're deep, man.
2:58
SPEAKER_01: You know, I really thought we were gonna get the win against Turkey with our subs, but uh, we lost in the last seconds.
3:05
SPEAKER_02: I think you saw, I mean, they are deep, but they're not as deep on the back end.
3:12
SPEAKER_02: Your boy Chris Richards, that that's a guy you can't afford to lose.
3:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's where you really noticed it was on the dude.
3:20
SPEAKER_02: That's probably our thinnest, that's probably our thinnest point.
3:23
SPEAKER_01: So And some of our guys just looked off too.
3:25
SPEAKER_01: Like Weya and Aronson are amazing players, and they just they never found rhythm.
3:31
SPEAKER_01: They looked out of it, and that group of 11 had never once taken the field together.
3:37
SPEAKER_01: So, and it just showed.
3:38
SPEAKER_01: And we still almost tied to a really good Turkey team.
3:43
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
3:43
SPEAKER_02: And Turkey was playing for their ride home pretty much.
3:48
SPEAKER_02: As you saw, as Uruguay had to take commercial flights as they the country was like, you know what, we're not chartering the playing back.
3:56
SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, you're Uruguay has a deep, oh, yeah deep soccer history.
4:00
SPEAKER_01: It's where the very first World Cup ever they have two, you know, they were playing Spain, and I was like, this is pretty crazy.
4:07
SPEAKER_01: Uruguay has more World Cup titles than Spain.
4:11
SPEAKER_01: Uruguay has two, and Spain only has one.
4:13
SPEAKER_01: Like soccer is it's big down in South America.
4:17
SPEAKER_02: It is.
4:18
SPEAKER_02: It is.
4:19
SPEAKER_02: Um as we move on to the to the round of 32.
4:24
SPEAKER_02: What what is uh I know the you we talked about the U.S.
4:27
SPEAKER_02: Um I don't think there's anything to worry about, you know, with that loss.
4:33
SPEAKER_02: In fact, it's anything it's just gonna tighten them up.
4:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, if anything, it helps in the round of 32.
4:39
SPEAKER_01: I don't I'm not big on that momentum thing.
4:41
SPEAKER_01: I think you learn from it and you get better.
4:43
SPEAKER_02: Germany lost, you know, they they didn't need the game.
4:47
SPEAKER_02: You had play like team Norway didn't have a few.
4:50
SPEAKER_02: Norway didn't even start Poland.
4:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
4:53
SPEAKER_02: So it the group stage is about making it first, it's about making it through, and then second, win the group.
5:01
SPEAKER_02: And they did both of those things and it's an unprecedented it's but they have now it's win or go home.
5:11
SPEAKER_01: You know, the interesting thing about that Norway France game was Norway d hadn't already won the group.
5:17
SPEAKER_02: No, they had a chance.
5:18
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's what I couldn't really figure out.
5:21
SPEAKER_02: Well, I think it was a dude, and a lot of that maybe the way they had it matched up is you could see the opponent would actually be easier if they lost that game.
5:33
SPEAKER_02: So they went ahead and were like, you know what, we're gonna go ahead and not gonna try on this one.
5:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm not sure I'm a fan of that.
5:42
SPEAKER_02: Oh, not at all.
5:43
SPEAKER_01: It's one thing like us in Argentina when you have the first place already locked up.
5:51
SPEAKER_01: What'd he say?
5:52
SPEAKER_02: Oh, he was killing them.
5:54
SPEAKER_02: He said, I'm I'm I couldn't be more French fan today.
5:57
SPEAKER_02: I hope they beat him by six.
5:58
SPEAKER_01: Well, I'll never be a French fan, but I agree with it.
6:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's just like they just don't disrespect the cup like that.
6:05
SPEAKER_02: And if you are gonna sit out, just don't say it.
6:07
SPEAKER_02: Don't say that.
6:09
SPEAKER_01: Well, think about all the fans who traveled from Norway and paid all that money and they didn't get to see Molly.
6:17
SPEAKER_01: That's ridiculous.
6:18
SPEAKER_01: Maybe that was the only game they got to go to.
6:20
SPEAKER_02: By the way, what a cool celebration.
6:22
SPEAKER_01: Or the row the row is oh, it's it's the best celebration in all sports, probably awesome.
6:30
SPEAKER_02: Besides the seminal children, and seeing seeing uh Fox correspondent Jameis out there that has been like whoever gave him that job raise.
6:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I saw that.
6:41
SPEAKER_02: But duh, uh he's just one man of the people, and it's fun to see him out there with all the other cultures.
6:50
SPEAKER_02: Blockman.
6:51
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's been wonderful.
6:53
SPEAKER_01: What uh what games stand out to you in the round of 32?
6:56
SPEAKER_02: Oh man, I was just about to ask you that, but uh a lot of them, but I'm interested in what Belgium's gonna do.
7:07
SPEAKER_02: Um, obviously, because that would be the next matchup.
7:10
SPEAKER_02: And they just beat us five to two in Atlanta.
7:12
SPEAKER_02: So I'm looking for an upset there.
7:14
SPEAKER_01: And they knocked us out of the was it 2018?
7:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, one of the World Cups.
7:19
SPEAKER_02: I remember losing.
7:20
SPEAKER_01: No, Brazil, 2014.
7:21
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
7:23
SPEAKER_01: We didn't make the 2018, we didn't qualify.
7:27
SPEAKER_02: What about you?
7:28
SPEAKER_02: What's the what's your biggest?
7:29
SPEAKER_01: Uh Brazil and Japan.
7:31
SPEAKER_01: Oh, that's gonna be a good one.
7:32
SPEAKER_01: They're two of my favorite countries to watch already, and man, if I was Brazil, I'd be pretty upset that I drew Japan in the round of 32.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: Uh, Netherlands, Morocco.
7:46
SPEAKER_02: Oh man, no, that's another Netherlands have looked good.
7:50
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they have they knocked us out of the last World Cup.
7:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
7:54
SPEAKER_01: I've always kind of liked them.
7:55
SPEAKER_01: You know, I don't like a lot of European teams.
7:57
SPEAKER_02: I'm more of an Americas guy, but if outside of the U.S., man, they've been close so many times.
8:04
SPEAKER_02: They probably deserve it more than any other country.
8:06
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
8:07
SPEAKER_02: If you look if you just looked at the history of it.
8:09
SPEAKER_01: Well, they lost in that finals to Spain, right?
8:11
SPEAKER_01: Was that 2010?
8:12
SPEAKER_02: I mean, they've been there and just what they've contributed to the game, too.
8:17
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Belgium, Portugal, and the Netherlands have all been knocking on that door to be the ninth country to win the World Cup.
8:25
SPEAKER_01: I would love to see it this year.
8:27
SPEAKER_01: How about a team from Africa?
8:29
SPEAKER_01: There's nine teams from Africa.
8:32
SPEAKER_02: They're matched up against the Senegal in the round of 32.
8:35
SPEAKER_02: So Bosnia and Senegal are the two upset mining, but if both team both favorites win, you're looking at a Belgium, United States round.
8:44
SPEAKER_01: Bosnia is actually the last European team we beat.
8:48
SPEAKER_01: We're on like a 10 or 11 game losing streak to European.
8:55
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'd like to really sold on Portugal.
8:58
SPEAKER_01: That Portugal Columbia game last night in Miami.
9:01
SPEAKER_01: Wow, what an atmosphere.
9:03
SPEAKER_02: It was.
9:04
SPEAKER_02: Matt Damon was there.
9:06
SPEAKER_01: That place was rocking.
9:08
SPEAKER_01: That would have been the one to go to if you uh well just uh one of the pick just a random, random group.
9:15
SPEAKER_02: Just seeing Ecuador win that game at the end, upset fashion over Germany, and and to see because they had to get the win to qual to move on.
9:26
SPEAKER_02: And it was down to the end, and nobody thought they had a chance, and they did it.
9:30
SPEAKER_02: And to see the reaction just from the players, the coach running into the fan running into the stands, and the fans just getting emotional, crying, crying like gotta love that.
9:40
SPEAKER_02: I oh my god, it it it is you see why this is the number one sport, and you're like, Yeah, this is the biggest thing.
9:50
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and you're right, all those years.
9:53
SPEAKER_02: This it this would be the greatest sporting achievement from any team I can root for is US winning this.
10:00
SPEAKER_02: I gotta give it up on that one.
10:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's just I mean, it's so much bigger than sports at this point.
10:05
SPEAKER_01: Just watching all these countries come here and celebrate our wonderful culture of Buckies and Waffle House, and it's just been great, man.
10:15
SPEAKER_01: It really is so much bigger than sports at this point.
10:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it is.
10:19
SPEAKER_02: Um just want to get by that that round in 32.
10:23
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be Wednesday night, 8 o'clock.
10:25
SPEAKER_02: It's in Santa Clara.
10:28
SPEAKER_01: Um 49ers Stadium.
10:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
10:31
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
10:32
SPEAKER_02: And then Canada's playing right now in California.
10:36
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they would have had home field, but they didn't win the group.
10:39
SPEAKER_02: Nope, nope.
10:42
SPEAKER_01: Those uh those Mexican home games have been pretty amazing, huh?
10:46
SPEAKER_02: Oh man, it's just been incredible.
10:48
SPEAKER_02: Everything.
10:48
SPEAKER_02: Just everything's been incredible.
10:50
SPEAKER_02: Mexico's off, they look really good, nine points in the group.
10:54
SPEAKER_02: Um great.
10:56
SPEAKER_02: But they, you know, they're gonna have that Ecuador team, so you never know.
11:02
SPEAKER_01: You know, well, you know, Mexico and make history too, because there's never been a North American team win it.
11:07
SPEAKER_01: North America, Asia, or Africa has never won it.
11:10
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, only South America or Europe.
11:13
SPEAKER_02: France is gonna play Sweden, Mexico, Ecuador, England, Dominican, uh, the Congo, Belgium, Senegal, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Croatia, Switzerland, Algeria, Australia versus Egypt.
11:27
SPEAKER_02: That's an interesting matchup.
11:28
SPEAKER_02: Um, Argentina gets uh Cape Verde.
11:32
SPEAKER_01: How about Cape Verde?
11:34
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that what a what a fun story that's been.
11:37
SPEAKER_02: I know to make it this far is incredible.
11:43
SPEAKER_02: Incredible.
11:44
SPEAKER_01: And a 40-year-old goalkeeper.
11:46
SPEAKER_01: What an inspiration for us, old guys, huh?
11:48
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
11:50
SPEAKER_02: Well, if there was one probably upset.
11:58
SPEAKER_02: I don't see.
11:58
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
12:00
SPEAKER_02: Maybe Algeria.
12:01
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Paraguay, maybe over Germany.
12:03
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
12:05
SPEAKER_02: Switzerland might be able to be bad.
12:08
SPEAKER_01: But Morocco over the Netherlands, perhaps.
12:11
SPEAKER_02: Man, it's gonna get it's gonna get good.
12:14
SPEAKER_02: And this is where the extra time, and then you get overtime, and then Well, we're gonna start to see the most exciting thing of all sports, PKs.
12:26
SPEAKER_02: Oh boy, the drama.
12:27
SPEAKER_02: And it doesn't get any more drama than it did the last World Cup, but yeah, but how good has France looked.
12:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
12:36
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the hat trick by the other guy, not even Mbappe, in the first 30 minutes.
12:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they're that last year.
12:42
SPEAKER_01: They're so deep, too.
12:43
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, they really are.
12:44
SPEAKER_02: It they look almost like a U.S.
12:47
SPEAKER_02: basketball team kind of.
12:48
SPEAKER_01: What about uh your boy Messi?
12:51
SPEAKER_01: I mean, how incredible is that guy?
12:54
SPEAKER_02: He's putting his stamp on who the best player is in the generation.
13:01
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's just incredible.
13:03
SPEAKER_01: By far.
13:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, he's incredible.
13:06
SPEAKER_02: You know he's gonna go left.
13:08
SPEAKER_02: It doesn't matter.
13:10
SPEAKER_01: He he he what he what he does, the way he can see it, is just well, you know, there are a lot of people saying since he moved to the MLS a couple years ago that he wouldn't be able to do this in the World Cup.
13:22
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I can see that.
13:23
SPEAKER_01: And now look, he's having the best World Cup he's ever had to start.
13:26
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's it's a good look for uh the MLS.
13:31
SPEAKER_01: It is for them, it really is.
13:33
SPEAKER_01: So it's MLS is getting better, they're getting stronger, it's what we need.
13:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
13:38
SPEAKER_02: I I think they'll hopefully have a tick after this World Cup.
13:42
SPEAKER_02: But man, it I can't wait for this elimination round.
13:45
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna get we're gonna watch it all.
13:47
SPEAKER_02: It's gonna get so much drama.
13:50
SPEAKER_01: Oh well, you know, this is the first World Cup I've got to watch with my sons, too.
13:55
SPEAKER_01: And it's just it's been special.
13:56
SPEAKER_01: Wow.
13:57
SPEAKER_01: Like they're so into it.
13:58
SPEAKER_01: I'm so into it.
13:59
SPEAKER_01: Like it's just it's cool.
14:01
SPEAKER_01: Something about it being on your home turf just brings it out in you.
14:05
SPEAKER_02: Oh man, it really does.
14:08
SPEAKER_04: We had to go.
14:09
SPEAKER_04: Our rod was here.
14:11
SPEAKER_01: We gotta what's your prediction for um Bosnia?
14:16
SPEAKER_01: Oh.
14:18
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I'm nervous, which is a good thing.
14:21
SPEAKER_02: I always knockout rounds, you should be nervous.
14:24
SPEAKER_02: But I I like the energy.
14:26
SPEAKER_02: I like I like Potch.
14:27
SPEAKER_02: I like the coach.
14:28
SPEAKER_02: I think this is exactly what the doctor ordered.
14:31
SPEAKER_02: I think they're gonna play free, I think they're gonna play loose, and they're gonna get after it.
14:36
SPEAKER_02: They'll probably give up a goal, but I think they're gonna score probably like three or three-one.
14:41
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, once you're to a spot where it's one game and it's over, it's just so cool.
14:47
SPEAKER_01: You know, like March Madness.
14:48
SPEAKER_01: You know, you have one bad half and that's your entire season.
14:52
SPEAKER_02: Well, you see a difference in the aggressiveness, knowing that we'll I mean that's something to watch for.
14:59
SPEAKER_02: If there will there be any complacency or will they try to play more defense?
15:05
SPEAKER_02: I hope not.
15:06
SPEAKER_01: No, Bosnia is gonna be the one playing defense.
15:08
SPEAKER_01: That's what they do.
15:09
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna have possession, we're gonna get to play the way we want to play.
15:13
SPEAKER_01: One is in our favor.
15:14
SPEAKER_01: One in our favor.
15:16
SPEAKER_02: One really get that first goal then.
15:17
SPEAKER_01: Which we have in every game so far.
15:19
SPEAKER_02: And that's that's gonna be huge.
15:22
SPEAKER_02: Just to that, especially with the way they play.
15:25
SPEAKER_02: They play that defense, and you've already got them off their track, and they have to play from behind, kind of.
15:31
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm thinking three-one USA.
15:34
SPEAKER_02: Like a running team in football, you know.
15:36
SPEAKER_02: Force them to have to throw.
15:38
SPEAKER_02: You know, that's not what they want to do, so.
15:41
SPEAKER_02: What'd you say?
15:42
SPEAKER_02: Four three-one.
15:43
SPEAKER_01: 3-1, that's what I yeah, I like it.
15:44
SPEAKER_01: What have you felt about a possession?
15:47
SPEAKER_01: Oh, it's insane.
15:49
SPEAKER_01: I've never seen a USA team with this type of possession.
15:52
SPEAKER_02: No, you put you could put a like one of the dominant countries' jerseys on our team, and it would look it would be like, oh yeah, that looks normal.
16:02
SPEAKER_02: So it's it's it's fun to see.
16:04
SPEAKER_02: We're sending our talent over there to the best leagues.
16:08
SPEAKER_02: That's where you gotta do it.
16:09
SPEAKER_02: You gotta cut your teeth where the best players play.
16:11
SPEAKER_01: Well, you know, Jurgen Klinsman said that, and he got crushed for it back then, but it's true.
16:17
SPEAKER_02: It is.
16:17
SPEAKER_01: I mean, you gotta get them playing at the highest levels.
16:20
SPEAKER_02: It's like what would it's like France having Wimby not go to the NBA.
16:25
SPEAKER_02: I mean the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
16:28
SPEAKER_02: I mean, go play in China.
16:30
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's been great to watch.
16:32
SPEAKER_02: Uh I think it's really gonna catch on even further.
16:37
SPEAKER_02: I'm anxious to see how it plays out.
16:41
SPEAKER_02: We got a round of 32.
16:43
SPEAKER_02: It started today and all throughout the week.
16:45
SPEAKER_02: We'll watch it, we'll react to it, and we'll talk to you next time, right here on the North Florida Sports Network.
17:01
SPEAKER_03: You gotta give us a shot.
17:02
SPEAKER_03: You know what?