Latest / Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogert and Tab Ramos / USMNT Roster Reaction: Snubs, Surprises & 3 Things Tab Wants to See

Transcript

USMNT Roster Reaction: Snubs, Surprises & 3 Things Tab Wants to See · Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogert and Tab Ramos

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You know, eight months from the world cup.
• 0:01
  Speaker 2: And we were thinking at that time, I remember we
• 0:04
  Speaker 2: were talking about on this show, we were talking about, okay,
• 0:07
  Speaker 2: well now we clearly play three in the back with
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: the two wing backs. And then the next camp, it was,
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: I think we're three in the back, but it kind
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: of looks like four at times.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: We're really four.
• 0:21
  Speaker 3: What's going on everybody. Welcome back to inside American soccer.
• 0:24
  Speaker 3: I am USMNT insider Tom Bogan. I'm joined by one
• 0:27
  Speaker 3: of the greatest players in USMNT history. My good friend,
• 0:30
  Speaker 3: Tab Ramos, Tab, we've got a squad drop to react to,
• 0:34
  Speaker 3: a full roster for Nations League, the first competitive games
• 0:37
  Speaker 3: since the United States got throttled by Belgium to exit
• 0:40
  Speaker 3: the World Cup. The vibes are high after a very,
• 0:42
  Speaker 3: very strong early fall window. I'm happy to be talking
• 0:44
  Speaker 3: about the highest level of soccer, to be talking about
• 0:46
  Speaker 3: the U.S. national team and a lot of the best
• 0:48
  Speaker 3: players that are coming back, rather than the last time
• 0:50
  Speaker 3: I saw you around soccer was a very bad performance
• 0:54
  Speaker 3: from my men's league soccer team with your son on
• 0:56
  Speaker 3: it that I look over as we're down 3-0 10
• 0:58
  Speaker 3: minutes in. To see Tab standing on the sideline in
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: just disappointment. So I'm very glad that we're going to
• 1:03
  Speaker 3: be talking about Christian Pulisic and Kevin Sullivan and Ty
• 1:06
  Speaker 3: Adams and not whatever the hell you were subjected to
• 1:09
  Speaker 3: for 55 minutes last week.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: You know, it's interesting because I was on the sideline
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: there and my tendency was to try to make some
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: changes to your team right away. I wanted to throw
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: in a couple of guys that were waiting by their bags.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: I think drinking a beer, by the way.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: But I thought maybe I would throw him in because
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: he definitely needed a different right back.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: But anyway, yeah, no. You know, the roster for U.S.,
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: you know, I think is exciting.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: You know, we we start a new cycle, you know,
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: just obviously just finished a World Cup, just finished. you know,
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: four games in September where I think we got to
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: see a lot of young players. And really my first
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: thoughts about this camp is that, you know, I'm happy
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: to see that really our best players are there. And
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: we'll talk about maybe some omissions that we're surprised about.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: And maybe we talk about some guys that are maybe,
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: I think, a little bit of a push to bring
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: to this camp. But in general, our best players are there.
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: And that's sort of what we want to see.
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: Yeah, and so the U.S. plays Haiti on November 14th
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: in Miami. That is technically a Haiti home game because
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: of the civil unrest in that country. They cannot host games.
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: They were initially going to have it in Jamaica the
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: same day that Jamaica hosted Mexico. They end up moving
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: into Miami. I think that's sensible for everybody. And then
• 2:27
  Speaker 3: on the 17th, they play in Cincinnati for the United
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: States home. Like, this is official competition, the quarterfinals of
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: the Nations League, and Pochettino named a very strong squad.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: There was some key guys that you expected and thought
• 2:40
  Speaker 3: were coming back, some no-brainers, but There were a couple surprises.
• 2:43
  Speaker 3: So the big picture on the roster is Pulisic, Balgan,
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: and Weston McKinney. All three of those guys, they are
• 2:49
  Speaker 3: back for the first time since the World Cup. They
• 2:51
  Speaker 3: were given the first camp off for various reasons. Balgan,
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: injury plus a transfer saga that ended. Pulisic had his
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: injury and was getting back into training. Weston McKinney, I think,
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: was just given a little bit of a run without
• 3:02
  Speaker 3: having to be with the national team. Joining them, returning
• 3:06
  Speaker 3: after a very, very encouraging fall roster, are a number
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: of the debutantes. Eight of the debutantes are coming back.
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: That includes Kevin Sullivan, Julian Hall, Adrian Medi, Neil Pierre,
• 3:17
  Speaker 3: Justin Ellis, and others. A couple of newcomers will be
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: in this camp waiting for their first cap or hoping
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: for their first cap. National SC fullback, Reed Baker Whiting,
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: as well as Paderborn midfielder, Santiago Castaneda. He has made
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: a couple of caps for the youth national teams. Reed
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: Baker Whiting has been a key and a regular with
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: the youth national teams now getting his first senior call-up. So, Tab,
• 3:40
  Speaker 3: I can read off the roster in a minute, but
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: I'm droning on. You said you're very excited to see
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: the likes of Pulisic, Balgan, and McKinney back, and Adams,
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: of course, always here, and Richards, while being able to
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: see the likes of Kevin Sullivan, Matty Albert, Justin Ellis,
• 3:56
  Speaker 3: and the young guys, the ones who were made.
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: Yeah, you know, and this is good, because now you
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: start looking at the September camp, and really that camp
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: meant meant a lot, you know, starting with Diego Cochran
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: in goal. You know, I think he, you know, he
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: put himself in good position to be competing for the
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: number one spot moving forward.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: And that's a great place to be.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: And maybe for the coaching staff, obviously, you know, giving
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: them all the credit because they're the ones who have
• 4:22
  Speaker 2: to take a chance, you know, when they bring players in.
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: I think they took a chance on Diego and he
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: did a great job. He took advantage of the opportunity.
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: And I think you know, he's likely one of the
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: players that will move forward and play a significant role
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: on this team. At least, you know, that's really what
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: I'm hoping because that's, that's what I'm seeing, you know,
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: and then obviously you and I discussed in the past,
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: you know, that both Julian Hall and Kevin Sullivan had
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: also shown that, Hey, you know, we, it was our
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: first camp in September, but I, but I think They
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: have to feel good about the fact that they think
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: they can help this team beyond just getting called as, hey,
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: we have some new younger guys coming in. I think
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: it's nice to see Julian Hall and Kevin Sullivan. And
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: then there's some other younger players that came in. Let's
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: not forget that the roster is 25. So I think
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: because these are two games which we need to win,
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: it's likely a few players that won't get an opportunity
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: to play too much. And maybe some of the younger
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: guys won't because, you know, when you look at Matisse Albert,
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: for example, he hasn't played that much since the last camp. And,
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: you know, so for me, that's a little bit of
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: a surprise of him being here. You know, when I
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: look at Brian Reynolds, he hasn't been around in a while.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: He also hasn't played a lot in the last couple
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: of games with his team either. You know, um, And
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: then the other guys, you know, Justin Ellis, I think,
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: is a great player and I think he's done well.
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: But did he do enough really to get on this
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: roster in front of like Pepe, for example? You know, so,
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: you know, I do have some questions. Audrey Mimetti, I
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: watch him play every game. I love the way he plays.
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: I think he's got a lot to offer. But is
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: he ready for, you know, these type of games already? And,
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: you know, and I'm not sure about that. And I'm
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: not sure that in the last camp he did enough.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: to earn another call for this particular camp and there'll
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: be others. But yeah, so there's been, there's been a
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: few surprises for me on the, on the side of
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: getting selected. But within that, I have to say, you know, it's,
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: you know, we have a lot of good players and
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: it's not easy to get selected for these camps. And,
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: and when you look at the omissions without, without going
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: too far here, when you look at the omissions and
• 6:30
  Speaker 2: you see that, you know, Johnny Cardoso and, and way, and,
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: and Pepe and Arvsten and Moussa are not here, I
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: think that says a lot for the players who did
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: get called. Because we left out some players that could
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: really make a difference for this team.
• 6:46
  Speaker 3: Tab, when I was trying to compile the omissions or
• 6:50
  Speaker 3: the guys who maybe just missed the roster, I was like, hey,
• 6:53
  Speaker 3: you could put together a half-decent 11 here. And to
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: your point, that's a notch in the direction of the
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: pool being stronger than... I think 18 months ago, there
• 7:02
  Speaker 3: were some real fears of depth. And of course, at
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: the international level, you need your best players and the
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: omissions don't include the key players, the match winning players.
• 7:11
  Speaker 3: But there's a lot of depth and there's a lot
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: of guys that if they were on this roster, you
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: wouldn't be like, I have no idea how that happened.
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: And so for a couple of those points, so there's
• 7:21
  Speaker 3: 25 players in this camp. You can only dress 23
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: for a match day. And Pochettino was like, I wanted
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: to bring 25 because if there's an injury, I'd rather
• 7:29
  Speaker 3: just players be here than having to try to call
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: somebody in from the cold. And then the players understand
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: that two players won't be on the match day roster
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: and that's okay. And I think that's good communication on
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: Ricardo Pepe. Marisa Pochettino went out of his way to say, listen,
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: Flo Balogun and Ricardo Pepe, neither of these players are
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: a hundred percent. I did not want to bring both
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: because I didn't want to have two center forwards who
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: were injury concerns or minutes concerns or not totally fit.
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: And he said, I thought it was important to bring
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: Flo Balogun because of, the end of his summer and
• 7:58
  Speaker 3: the failed move to Everton and the controversy, both at
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: the world cup. And with that, he said, you know, I,
• 8:03
  Speaker 3: we wanted to have flow here. And with Ricardo, we
• 8:04
  Speaker 3: thought it was important for him to stay with PSV,
• 8:07
  Speaker 3: keep training, uh, keep getting back into the rhythm so
• 8:09
  Speaker 3: that he's 90 minutes fit and everything's good. So in
• 8:12
  Speaker 3: Ricardo Pepe's case, it just happened to do with both
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: his injury and the context there of the squad. Another
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: thing that, that you said that I wanted to drive
• 8:20
  Speaker 3: into as well about the, the surprise of Neil PR,
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: not too many for me. Um, I want to be
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: abundantly clear. I think Aji Mehmeti is maybe not quite
• 8:32
  Speaker 3: the Calvin Sullivan level prospect, but to me, Aji Mehmeti
• 8:35
  Speaker 3: is like a step below. I think that he is
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: somebody that if he fulfills his potential, if his athleticism
• 8:39
  Speaker 3: rounds out, his defensive reading of the game rounds out,
• 8:42
  Speaker 3: he is somebody who can be an 80 cap player
• 8:45
  Speaker 3: for this program. And I don't say that lightly. Neil
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: Pierre can be the long-term solution as a partner for
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: Chris Richards.
• 8:52
  Speaker 4: He.
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: I am expecting him to set a new MLS outbound
• 8:56
  Speaker 3: record for a center back. And that was just set
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: by Lucas Harrington. Seventeen million dollars plus add ons to
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: go to whole city. These are two players that I
• 9:03
  Speaker 3: would pencil in for the next World Cup starting level,
• 9:05
  Speaker 3: which is obviously silly. A billion things will change by then.
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: I say all that to say there's an Olympic camp
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: that's going to be happening right now. I thought for
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: sure Neil Pierre and Andre Medi were going to be
• 9:15
  Speaker 3: there rather than within the senior team. Because to your point,
• 9:17
  Speaker 3: like I thought Reigns outplayed Ajime Mehdi in the fall.
• 9:21
  Speaker 3: I thought Neil Pierre showed like, OK, like he needs
• 9:23
  Speaker 3: continues to have need more seasoning. Of course, he's an
• 9:25
  Speaker 3: 18 year old center back who's got, I think, 25
• 9:28
  Speaker 3: first team appearances. Like these are not knocks on those players.
• 9:32
  Speaker 3: And I think that these players will grow into crucial
• 9:35
  Speaker 3: players for the national team. But when we did our
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: projected squad, I didn't have either of them on it because, OK,
• 9:41
  Speaker 3: they showed that, you know, maybe they'll be ready in
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: the March or summer or whatever.
• 9:45
  Speaker 4: Who cares?
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: They probably would would benefit more from the Olympic camp
• 9:49
  Speaker 3: or there are going to be other guys that they
• 9:50
  Speaker 3: want to call to these spots. So I think it's
• 9:52
  Speaker 3: interesting that Pochettino and maybe they were absolutely killers in
• 9:57
  Speaker 3: training and maybe we just didn't see the best from
• 9:59
  Speaker 3: the game. but i think that this shows pochettino is
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: trying to juggle the short-term need for having the best
• 10:05
  Speaker 3: squad at every camp but also long-term hey we're trying
• 10:07
  Speaker 3: to build some of these guys and yeah i could
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: call a 26 year old central midfielder but like ajumma
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: medley i think is going to be a starter and
• 10:14
  Speaker 3: however long pochettino and the staff sees it so we'd
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: rather have him with us and bring.
• 10:17
  Speaker 2: Him a Yeah, you know, there's a lot there of
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: what you said. And I think, you know, there's not
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: many times where each one of us talks for a
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: long period of time where we both completely agree with
• 10:31
  Speaker 2: each other. But I have to say, you know, I
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: completely agree with your assessment because there's no question, you know,
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: that Audrey Mimetti and Pierre are both amazing prospects moving forward, right?
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: But at the end of the day, you know, the
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: number one priority of this camp, I think, for us
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: looking from the outside is to win these games. I mean,
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: I don't think we can be looking at it any
• 10:55
  Speaker 2: other way, right?
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: We have to.
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: This is the first camp where we have some expectations again, right?
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: And I know it's Haiti, but Haiti did go to
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: the World Cup and we expect to win these games.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: The other thing that I would say is, you know,
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: Mauricio Pochettino, when he was asked about this roster and
• 11:13
  Speaker 2: in particular about his contact with Chirondolo and the Olympic
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: team and the younger teams, because there's a U-20 camp
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: going on also, he did say that there's a collaboration
• 11:23
  Speaker 2: and that they're all working together. But at the end
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: of the day, what's most important is the first team,
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: which is this team. So he's going to call whatever
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: is best for this team to get the results that
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: he needs on this team.
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: And that's the way to do it. There's no other way.
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: And if that doesn't fit the Olympic team, well, the
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: Olympic team will fix itself as the time goes by.
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: with the guys that aren't going to be able to
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: help as much on this team. And, and I, you know, I,
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: I like that thought. I think that's the way it
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: should be done. And if I think, you know, if,
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: if Mauricio Pochettino is bringing Audrey Mimetti to this camp
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: to not play them at all, instead of sending them
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: to the Olympic team camp, where he would have played
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: two games, I actually, I'm okay with that because I'm,
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: I'm okay with Mauricio Pochettino, you know, doing whatever he
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: can to figure out his way, on how this team
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: is going to get better.
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: And that's the bottom line.
• 12:14
  Speaker 4: I love that view too.
• 12:16
  Speaker 3: And like, not for nothing, if Ajay Mehmeti, if Matisse Albert,
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: if Neil Pierre, if Julian Hall, if these Olympic age guys,
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: if they don't spend a minute at Olympic age camps
• 12:28
  Speaker 3: until the pre-tournament camp, I think they're all still going
• 12:31
  Speaker 3: to start and be okay in that tournament. Like if
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: they're released by their clubs, wherever they are in the
• 12:35
  Speaker 3: summer of 2028, if it makes sense for everybody. I
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: don't think that that would preclude any chemistry or any
• 12:43
  Speaker 3: worries just because in November of 2026, they're not there.
• 12:47
  Speaker 3: So I do think that's important too. So it's not
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: as if they're not going to be doing anything. They'll
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: be having high-level trainings. Though I will say Mameti and Hall,
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: their seasons end with the Red Bulls this weekend. Justin Ellis'
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: season will probably end after one more game for Orlando
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: City in the wildcard game. So Matt Freeze, his season
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: is already over. There will be a December camp for
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: mostly domestic-based guys, so they will play there. That's just
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: a random thought. That's for another day. A couple other
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: things around the squad. Talked about the omissions, snubs, whatever wordings.
• 13:18
  Speaker 3: There's Tim Weah, Ricardo Pepe, who we mentioned. Matt Turner,
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: who might win goalkeeper of the year. I think it's
• 13:24
  Speaker 3: between him and Brian Schrock. He was included in this group.
• 13:26
  Speaker 3: Aiden Morris, been one of the best players in the championship,
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: still can't get in. Johnny Cardoso, who has missed a
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: few games with Atletico Madrid. I don't know if he'll
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: be fit or not, but he definitely won't be 100% fit.
• 13:36
  Speaker 4: So he's not here.
• 13:37
  Speaker 3: Tanner Tesson, Max Arfson, Jack McGlynn, who's lighting it up
• 13:40
  Speaker 3: for Stoke City in the championship, and Yunus Musa, who
• 13:43
  Speaker 3: returned from a year-and-a-half absence from the national team in
• 13:47
  Speaker 3: the September window. So of any of those guys named,
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: is there anyone that you would have particularly wanted to
• 13:53
  Speaker 3: see in this camp?
• 13:55
  Speaker 2: Well, let me start by saying that Tim Weah obviously
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: has been captain for Marseille and is playing that right-back position,
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: and that's one position that we talked about on our
• 14:05
  Speaker 2: last podcast, and we said, you know what?
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: Tim is a great player. He just doesn't fit into
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: this team for some reason.
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: Right.
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: Because like we said, if you're playing a four, three, three,
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: I think Tim way, I can help you on either
• 14:18
  Speaker 2: side as a winger.
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: Um, I think we have better outside back.
• 14:21
  Speaker 2: So I don't think it would help as much as
• 14:23
  Speaker 2: outside backs, you know, like we'd take Freeman and we'd
• 14:26
  Speaker 2: take Robinson before, but.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: As a winger, I think Tim can help. Um, but
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: we don't play with wingers.
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: And so, and so I just don't think he's the
• 14:36
  Speaker 2: You know, we talked about Mauricio Pochettino playing in that
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: 4-2-3-1 and those three guys in that secondary line that
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: would fall behind Balogun will be interchanging positions at times.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: And if you look at the players that we have,
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: whether it's Solomon or Reina or Malik Tillman or Pulisic,
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: they all can do that.
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: They can play any position.
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: I just don't feel like Tim Weah is that type
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: of player. And so you'd have to take him to
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: a position that really doesn't exist for him other than
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: outside back.
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: And so I can see that one.
• 15:08
  Speaker 2: Now, when I look at the other players, let's say omissions,
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: am I surprised Cardozo's not here? Not really, because he
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: hasn't really been part of the picture for a while.
• 15:17
  Speaker 2: And maybe if he starts playing every game for Atletico Madrid,
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: you're going to have.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: To call him, right? Because that's a huge club.
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: You've played every game. You have to bring him. The
• 15:25
  Speaker 2: Moussa thing, you know, it's puzzling. He continues to play
• 15:27
  Speaker 2: for AC Milan. But when we bring him here, we
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: play him like a right winger type. That doesn't fit either.
• 15:33
  Speaker 2: Doesn't fit either. So I'm not totally surprised by that.
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: But I am surprised that Morris is not here, for example.
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: I really am.
• 15:41
  Speaker 2: And, you know, Tessman, you and I pushed for Tessman
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: going into the World Cup. Once he didn't even make
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: the roster, now it doesn't surprise me that he doesn't
• 15:48
  Speaker 2: get called. Maybe he's just not the type of player
• 15:51
  Speaker 2: that Pochettino is excited about. And by the way, he's
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: a great player. And I think Pochettino would likely agree
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: with that, right? He's playing for Lyon. But maybe he
• 16:00
  Speaker 2: doesn't fit into what he wants to do. If I
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: were to look at those type of players who was
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: left out, I have to say, I said those two guys,
• 16:09
  Speaker 2: the one that surprises.
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: Me maybe more not being here is Arfson.
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: Because I think we just really, and I know Whiting
• 16:17
  Speaker 2: is coming in and it's sort of we're trying a
• 16:19
  Speaker 2: new player. But although I'm supportive of bringing younger players up,
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: I think Arfson would have been a better substitute for
• 16:27
  Speaker 2: Robinson for this camp. And he showed us that he
• 16:31
  Speaker 2: could do well. leading into the world cup. And, and
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: I just think very highly of him.
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: And although I think he doesn't defend as well as
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: whiting likely, although we haven't seen whiting in, in this
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: particular type of game, I still think Arston would have been,
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: would have been better in that position.
• 16:50
  Speaker 3: That's just, and it's interesting because like Rebecca whiting, his qualities,
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: the reason why he's excelling for that's from the reason
• 16:57
  Speaker 3: why he's, he's made this camp. He's an attacking fullback.
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: Like it's, it's, He doesn't play in the same way
• 17:03
  Speaker 3: as Orfson. Orfson is a better dribbler. But Reed Baker Whiting,
• 17:07
  Speaker 3: he both underlaps and overlaps. And with Nashville, it works
• 17:10
  Speaker 3: very well because it helps with the unpredictability and they
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: dominate the games of the ball. All that is to
• 17:15
  Speaker 3: say is that, like, they are similar strengths when you
• 17:19
  Speaker 3: look at it in the macro sense. Like, it's not
• 17:21
  Speaker 3: as if, oh, like, he's got so much more pace or, oh,
• 17:24
  Speaker 3: he's a much better 1v1 defender. Like, the question marks
• 17:26
  Speaker 3: about Orfson are like the question marks about Baker Whiting. Orfson, like,
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: He put up really good numbers in terms of production
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: going forward for the national team in 2025. I'd be...
• 17:39
  Speaker 3: I was surprised at that. If this was who they
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: were going to bring, if it wasn't Peyton Miller being
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: with the senior team, and Peyton Miller probably will be
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: with the Olympic squad, with him not being with the
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: senior team, I figured, oh, that means Arfson would be there,
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: but it wasn't. And same thing without Aiden Morris. The
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: poor guy's got to be thinking, what do I need
• 17:57
  Speaker 3: to do to get a call-up?
• 18:00
  Speaker 4: So I feel for him.
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: I know that He was gutted like everybody else who
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: missed the World Cup squad for that. And he's just
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: been even better with Burrow this year. And it hasn't
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: gotten him into the picture. Like Castaneda, I haven't seen
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: a ton of him with Powderborn, but I know he's
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: a destroyer. Like that is his Aiden Morris, like his
• 18:19
  Speaker 3: best skill set and how he would fit in the
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: national team. Castaneda is who was preferred there. One quick
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: aside before we take a break.
• 18:27
  Speaker 4: Julian Hall.
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: If, and he will, if when he makes an appearance
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: against Haiti in the Nations League, he will be officially
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: capsized to the U.S. There was some dual national panic.
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: Poland have very publicly quoted him. Sources have told me
• 18:40
  Speaker 3: all along, this is not something to worry about really
• 18:43
  Speaker 3: at all. He is, he's a kid that wants to
• 18:45
  Speaker 3: be here at the United States. But publicly, and I
• 18:48
  Speaker 3: don't know the in-depth story, publicly Hall has been really
• 18:53
  Speaker 3: gracious towards Poland. He said things like, you know, hey,
• 18:56
  Speaker 3: like my future isn't totally settled, even after he got
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: the call up in the fall. For me, I'm just
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: assuming that's just a kid trying to be polite or maybe,
• 19:03
  Speaker 3: you know, trying not to burn bridges. He's somebody who
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: cares a lot about his Polish heritage. His Polish heritage
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: is through his mother. Him and his mother are very close.
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: He was raised by his mother. He wears Zagorski on
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: the back of his shirt. That's his middle name. It's
• 19:16
  Speaker 3: a variation of his.
• 19:17
  Speaker 4: Mom's last name.
• 19:19
  Speaker 3: So I think all of those things came together that
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: he was going to be very respectful of Poland. Torsz
• 19:24
  Speaker 3: has told me there was never anything to worry about.
• 19:25
  Speaker 3: And now when he plays tab He will be kept tight.
• 19:29
  Speaker 3: He cannot switch to Poland and we won't ever have
• 19:31
  Speaker 3: to talk about it again.
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: Yeah, no. And it's a good thing.
• 19:34
  Speaker 2: You know, I think he did the right thing by
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: being gracious to both countries. Obviously, you know, you want
• 19:40
  Speaker 2: to be gracious if somebody has that type of interest
• 19:42
  Speaker 2: in you. And in particular, you talk about Poland. You know,
• 19:44
  Speaker 2: this is a big soccer country over the years, a
• 19:46
  Speaker 2: lot of history there and.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: Not an easy decision. for him either. But this is
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: a decision he's made. And obviously anyone who's at this camp.
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: Who may have a double citizenship, you know, that once
• 19:57
  Speaker 2: you play a game in this camp, which is an
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: official game, you can't switch.
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: And so that's.
• 20:03
  Speaker 3: Where we are.
• 20:03
  Speaker 2: But, you know, and here's the thing. I think if
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: Julian Hall was our third or fourth forward And we're
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: trying to get him to come to camp and convince
• 20:14
  Speaker 2: him so that he can sort of pad our team
• 20:17
  Speaker 2: and reinforce the fact that we have so many forwards.
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: It would be one thing.
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: But I think Julian Hull, over the next couple of years,
• 20:25
  Speaker 2: I think the goal here is for Julian Hull to
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: be playing to be the starter on this team. And
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: so I have, I mean, if I'm Julian Hull now,
• 20:33
  Speaker 2: I'm feeling pretty good about being in this camp and
• 20:35
  Speaker 2: about fighting with Balogun for a spot over the next
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: couple of years.
• 20:40
  Speaker 4: Exactly.
• 20:41
  Speaker 3: And just analysis. He's got Uruguayan citizenship. Diego Forlan came
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: to Orlando to have dinner with him before the first
• 20:49
  Speaker 3: fall camp. The rules for teenagers are you have to
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: play more than three games. And one of those games
• 20:56
  Speaker 3: has to be an official competition. So Julian Hall played
• 20:58
  Speaker 3: four times in the fall. I think Ellis did too.
• 21:01
  Speaker 3: Ellis at least played three times. So when the both
• 21:03
  Speaker 3: of them play this, this window, if they do, they
• 21:05
  Speaker 3: will both be captied because for teenagers, it's different for, for, Castaneda,
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: who has Colombian heritage, and he's publicly said, whoever calls
• 21:12
  Speaker 3: me up first is where I'm going. I think if
• 21:14
  Speaker 3: he plays at all, because he turns 22 next week,
• 21:17
  Speaker 3: for players 21 and younger, there's more leniency. For players,
• 21:21
  Speaker 3: like senior players, 22 and over, I believe it's just
• 21:24
  Speaker 3: one competitive match. These are all things that are besides
• 21:27
  Speaker 3: the point, particularly with Hall. It's not something to worry about.
• 21:30
  Speaker 4: It's time for a break.
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: Up next, we're going to give you the three biggest
• 21:32
  Speaker 3: things we're looking forward to seeing for the USMNT against Haiti.
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: Please rate, review, and subscribe to Inside American Soccer. Tom Bogren,
• 21:38
  Speaker 3: Todd Ramos, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: Inside American Soccer. Let's dive into USMNT versus Haiti for
• 21:53
  Speaker 3: the Nations League coming up later this month. Tab, we
• 21:55
  Speaker 3: broke down the roster, the snubs, and all else. Let's
• 21:58
  Speaker 3: talk about these games in this window. What are the
• 22:00
  Speaker 3: three things that you're most looking forward to for this
• 22:03
  Speaker 3: November window?
• 22:04
  Speaker 4: Start with number one.
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: Okay, so three things I would have to say. Number one,
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: I will look for a result. You know, really important
• 22:12
  Speaker 2: for us to get a result and to develop, start developing,
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: you know... start seeing our our starting lineup uh that's
• 22:20
  Speaker 2: going to be moving forward so combining those the result
• 22:23
  Speaker 2: starting lineup seeing our strongest guys on the field for
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: for a long period of time without all of the
• 22:28
  Speaker 2: changes that that we've been seeing that would be number
• 22:31
  Speaker 2: one for me.
• 22:33
  Speaker 3: It will be nice to have a game where there's
• 22:35
  Speaker 3: not nine subs 11 subs or whatever like friendlies happen
• 22:37
  Speaker 3: and And listen, it's a Nations League quarterfinal.
• 22:40
  Speaker 4: It's not quite a do-or-die World Cup qualifier.
• 22:43
  Speaker 3: It's not quite a final for the Gold Cup or
• 22:46
  Speaker 3: a knockout game in the World Cup.
• 22:47
  Speaker 4: But it's not a friendly.
• 22:48
  Speaker 3: So I think that having all these combinations and patterns
• 22:53
  Speaker 3: and everything be tested where it truly does matter if
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: you don't pick up a result, I think that's big.
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: I think the next thing, Tom, is developing that center-back partnership.
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: You know, we've struggled there. We went through the World Cup.
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: We struggled in the World Cup. We struggled before the
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: World Cup. And I think we need to develop a
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: partnership there that's going to be solid. You know, over
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: the years, you know, you look at our teams that
• 23:18
  Speaker 2: have been successful. They always had good defensive players.
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: And we weren't maybe in the past. Now I'm not
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: talking about my teams. I'm talking about after also is
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: the fact that, you know, attacking wise, you could miss,
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: you could not be consistent, but defensively, you always stayed
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: in the game.
• 23:37
  Speaker 2: And I always feel like the center back positions here,
• 23:41
  Speaker 2: we're one long ball away from our center backs going
• 23:44
  Speaker 2: to fight for it and a rebound falling to someone
• 23:47
  Speaker 2: that's going to score a goal.
• 23:48
  Speaker 4: We really are.
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: And I think we have to work much harder in
• 23:52
  Speaker 2: that position, and I'm hoping to see that start to develop,
• 23:55
  Speaker 2: some sort of partnership between Richards and someone.
• 24:01
  Speaker 4: So who do you want?
• 24:02
  Speaker 3: So I will say George Campbell was removed at halftime
• 24:05
  Speaker 3: for West Brom over the weekend, and Pochettino was asked,
• 24:08
  Speaker 3: and he said, did the initial data that we have,
• 24:10
  Speaker 3: we expect him to be fit and ready, but if
• 24:12
  Speaker 3: he's not, we have a contingency plan. But let's just
• 24:15
  Speaker 3: assume that he's healthy. Who would you like to see
• 24:17
  Speaker 3: partnering Richards in these games?
• 24:19
  Speaker 2: If he's healthy, that would be my preferred partnership. I
• 24:23
  Speaker 2: think he has the experience. I like his demeanor on
• 24:26
  Speaker 2: the field.
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: I like his seriousness. I think he's a leader. Obviously,
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: he's captain with his team. You know, that tells you
• 24:34
  Speaker 1: a lot. But I think he would be the right
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: type of partner for Richards.
• 24:39
  Speaker 2: So I'd like to see that. I'd like to see
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: those guys sort of develop together over time.
• 24:44
  Speaker 4: I like that.
• 24:45
  Speaker 1: All right, number three.
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: And so if I have to go to number three,
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: I'm going to have to say to develop a style
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: of play. As much as we've seen, you know, and we've,
• 24:54
  Speaker 2: of course, talked about our team in the World Cup
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: doing as well as it did in particular games The
• 24:59
  Speaker 2: first game against Paraguay and maybe the first game in
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: the second round. And I think against Paraguay, we showed
• 25:05
  Speaker 2: likely to play the best soccer that we've ever played
• 25:09
  Speaker 2: in this country with the team. I think we have
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: not developed a way to play out of.
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: The back at all yet. And we find it difficult
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: anytime we're pressed high to be able to play out.
• 25:21
  Speaker 2: We had difficulty even in this past window when we
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: played Peru. We had difficulty the first 15, 20 minutes
• 25:28
  Speaker 2: against Mexico with Mexico presses hard.
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: We couldn't get out. And I'd like to see a
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: little bit more, although I'm not a big patterns guy,
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: I'd like to see a little bit more pattern type
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: play where we, where we can see that our team
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: is finding solutions that they're all on the same page with.
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: And having said that, then obviously the rest of the team, right?
• 25:49
  Speaker 2: Developing a style of play where you and I can
• 25:52
  Speaker 2: sit here, you know, week to week and we can
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: talk about, such and such player can fit into our
• 25:57
  Speaker 2: roster because we know that this is the way we play.
• 26:00
  Speaker 2: Sort of what we were saying about Weah before. We're like, okay, well,
• 26:05
  Speaker 2: we don't play with wingers, so maybe Weah is not
• 26:07
  Speaker 2: the right fit for us. I'd like for us to
• 26:09
  Speaker 2: be able to fit players into all the positions on
• 26:11
  Speaker 2: the field.
• 26:13
  Speaker 4: Right, and those will evolve over time.
• 26:15
  Speaker 3: But even to your point, the best soccer that they
• 26:19
  Speaker 3: played and had been playing at the World Cup, those
• 26:21
  Speaker 3: were the best moments. It was the 3-5-2, however you
• 26:25
  Speaker 3: want to phrase it. It was that midfield trio of McKinney, Adams,
• 26:29
  Speaker 3: and Tillman, particularly McKinney and Tillman. Their freedom of movement
• 26:33
  Speaker 3: and intelligence of movement, they were creating wide overloads on
• 26:37
  Speaker 3: both touchlines, and that was with the wingbacks getting forward
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: and interchanging because Dest is somebody that could overlap or underlap.
• 26:45
  Speaker 3: That was how they were overwhelming teams, and we hadn't
• 26:47
  Speaker 3: seen that from the team. Even when they looked good
• 26:49
  Speaker 3: in the back three, that specific kind of wrinkle. And
• 26:52
  Speaker 3: that felt like something that was repeatable. And then in
• 26:56
  Speaker 3: the fall, we didn't see that system. So we didn't
• 26:58
  Speaker 3: see that ability or that kind of look, which I
• 27:03
  Speaker 3: will say, I generally agreed with just given the talent
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: and the evolution. But if they change the system again
• 27:10
  Speaker 3: for this or a lack of system or change the
• 27:13
  Speaker 3: ideals and the principles and the formation, the way that
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: the team is set up, even the freedoms they're in,
• 27:20
  Speaker 3: it makes it difficult because they don't play with wingers,
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: but like they could this window, right? Like they've got Pulisic, Albert,
• 27:27
  Speaker 3: Cabin Sullivan, are guys that can be comfortable as natural wingers,
• 27:31
  Speaker 3: though all three of them, more so Sullivan and Pulisic,
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: are very comfortable kind of on the inside channels. But
• 27:36
  Speaker 3: like it is difficult when you're trying to project and
• 27:41
  Speaker 3: look out and build the repetitions and the knowledge that,
• 27:44
  Speaker 3: all right, this is how we play when we're with
• 27:46
  Speaker 3: the national team or these are how these combinations of
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: players play. Um, so I am very curious as to
• 27:50
  Speaker 3: how they'll set up it and what those principles will be.
• 27:54
  Speaker 2: And by the way, you don't always have to be
• 27:55
  Speaker 2: married to one system, right? You can change it according
• 27:58
  Speaker 2: to your opponent as well.
• 27:59
  Speaker 1: It's just that we haven't seen the consistency within a
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: system because no, if you, you know, if we remember back,
• 28:06
  Speaker 1: let's go back a year now, right? And we're, we're about,
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: you know, eight months from the world cup.
• 28:10
  Speaker 2: And we were thinking at that time, I remember we
• 28:13
  Speaker 2: were talking about on this show, we were talking about Okay, well,
• 28:16
  Speaker 2: now we clearly play three in the back with the
• 28:18
  Speaker 2: two wingbacks. And then the next camp, it was, I
• 28:22
  Speaker 2: think we're three in the back, but it kind of
• 28:24
  Speaker 2: looks like.
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: Four at times, or really four. So we're not sure.
• 28:28
  Speaker 1: So we went from, we're definitely playing three in the
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: back to... We're actually not sure if it's three or four.
• 28:33
  Speaker 4: We finally found something that, that is repeatable.
• 28:35
  Speaker 3: There was so much time of, of, all right, it's
• 28:37
  Speaker 3: a new coaching staff, new pool, so many different players,
• 28:40
  Speaker 3: so many.
• 28:40
  Speaker 4: Okay. Oh, they figured out what's optimal for this group.
• 28:43
  Speaker 4: That's awesome.
• 28:44
  Speaker 3: We'll think about it over the winter and then we'll
• 28:46
  Speaker 3: go into March when they play really good teams in Portugal, Belgium.
• 28:48
  Speaker 4: And then we get there and they don't play like that.
• 28:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 28:51
  Speaker 2: And then we took those two really bad results in
• 28:54
  Speaker 2: that March window and it seemed like everything changed and
• 28:56
  Speaker 2: we went back to four in the back, you know,
• 28:59
  Speaker 2: and it, you know, it turned out well, to be honest,
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: you know, we, cause we did have, we had a
• 29:03
  Speaker 2: good world cup and, and I think, I think more
• 29:06
  Speaker 2: important than that, I think, I think American people are
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: seeing that American players are good players and, you know, and,
• 29:13
  Speaker 2: you know, some, and I'm going to, I'm.
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: Going to go off subject a little bit.
• 29:18
  Speaker 2: But, but the, the bottom line is, you know, we
• 29:20
  Speaker 2: talk about youth development and we talk about how we're
• 29:22
  Speaker 2: going to get here and how we're going to improve
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: U12 and U13 and what league they're.
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: Going to play in. And, And to be fair, the
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: players that we're developing, they're good players. They're good players.
• 29:33
  Speaker 2: I think what we need is maybe a little bit
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: of a better soccer culture in the country, but we
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: have good players. When I look at the quality and
• 29:42
  Speaker 2: I look at what we did this World Cup, I
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: think that's what makes me more proud is to see
• 29:47
  Speaker 2: the quality of the players that we have on the field.
• 29:51
  Speaker 3: Me too, Tab, and particularly how exciting the next generation is.
• 29:54
  Speaker 3: The pool is in a, I believe, to be a
• 29:56
  Speaker 3: very good spot right now. Sure, some of it is
• 29:58
  Speaker 3: projecting what guys will be in the future. And that's
• 30:01
  Speaker 3: always a perilous route. And, you know, potential isn't always fulfilled.
• 30:06
  Speaker 3: But I'd be very confident betting on a lot of
• 30:09
  Speaker 3: these guys.
• 30:10
  Speaker 4: And so your three things are macro.
• 30:13
  Speaker 3: If I go on a micro side, it's the first
• 30:16
  Speaker 3: time that Pulisic and Gavin Sullivan are on the field together.
• 30:19
  Speaker 3: Pulisic was the youngest goal scorer in USMNT history. He
• 30:24
  Speaker 3: easily has the most caps of anybody in the group
• 30:26
  Speaker 3: at this camp. He is still viewed as the best
• 30:29
  Speaker 3: attacking player, the best player in this pool, though there
• 30:32
  Speaker 3: are a lot of other options now and emerging options,
• 30:34
  Speaker 3: and we'll see what it looks like in 2030.
• 30:35
  Speaker 4: But Pulisic will still be here then.
• 30:37
  Speaker 3: And for this camp, the first one after a World
• 30:40
  Speaker 3: Cup that started with great promise and ended with disappointment
• 30:43
  Speaker 3: personally for Pulisic and obviously with the team the way
• 30:45
  Speaker 3: that that last game went. But he had one of
• 30:48
  Speaker 3: his best, probably his best performance, his most high-profile performance,
• 30:51
  Speaker 3: 45 minutes against Paraguay. And then we didn't see him
• 30:54
  Speaker 3: for a few games because of injury. comes back and
• 30:56
  Speaker 3: then gets injured as well against Belgium. But that's the
• 31:00
  Speaker 3: present and the future of this group. This is Kevin
• 31:03
  Speaker 3: Sullivan is coming for, again, the youngest goal scorer record.
• 31:06
  Speaker 3: He's somebody that Pulisic won a Champions League at Dortmund.
• 31:09
  Speaker 3: Pulisic broke through with Dortmund in his teenage years. What
• 31:12
  Speaker 3: Sullivan is doing for the Philadelphia Union and MLS, obviously
• 31:14
  Speaker 3: the level is lesser than what Pulisic was doing at
• 31:17
  Speaker 3: Dortmund in the Bundesliga for Champions League club. But Sullivan
• 31:20
  Speaker 3: is rewriting the record books for teenagers in MLS. And
• 31:23
  Speaker 3: then he's going to try to break into Manchester City
• 31:25
  Speaker 3: or somewhere else high level in Europe when he gets
• 31:27
  Speaker 3: to Europe when he turns 18. So getting the first
• 31:29
  Speaker 3: glimpse of those two players on the field together in particular,
• 31:32
  Speaker 3: and Matisse Albert somewhere in there, and Julian Hall, and
• 31:35
  Speaker 3: Andre Medin, whoever. First and foremost, I hope to see
• 31:39
  Speaker 3: Pulisic and Sullivan share the field together.
• 31:41
  Speaker 2: No, and I can see that because they're similar in
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: a way, right, in the way they play.
• 31:45
  Speaker 1: They take people on. That's their top priority. They're not
• 31:48
  Speaker 1: afraid to take people on.
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: But I tell you what I like about Sullivan, and
• 31:52
  Speaker 2: I've said this in the past, is I like his
• 31:54
  Speaker 2: mentality because he has the type of mentality that the
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: American fan loves. And that's, I think, where likely the
• 32:02
  Speaker 2: difference is going to be because he's a player that
• 32:04
  Speaker 2: people will pull for. And sometimes he's going to play
• 32:07
  Speaker 2: great games, and sometimes he's not going to get it
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: all right. And I can guarantee you that the times
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: he doesn't get it all right with the national team,
• 32:14
  Speaker 2: he's going to walk off the field all pissed off,
• 32:16
  Speaker 2: and everyone's going to see it. And at the end,
• 32:18
  Speaker 2: that's what fans want to see. They want to see
• 32:20
  Speaker 2: that you feel your colors. And I'm willing to guarantee that,
• 32:24
  Speaker 2: you know, Kevin Sullivan feels the colors.
• 32:27
  Speaker 1: No doubt.
• 32:28
  Speaker 4: For sure, Tab. For sure, Tab.
• 32:31
  Speaker 3: Just following his youth career as breaking pro, like, I've
• 32:34
  Speaker 3: got a lot of people that are close to him,
• 32:38
  Speaker 3: that have worked with him, that have played with him,
• 32:39
  Speaker 3: played against him. Like, the one thing you'd hear from 13,
• 32:42
  Speaker 3: 14 on is just like, this dude is competitive as hell.
• 32:45
  Speaker 1: He cares.
• 32:46
  Speaker 3: And Yeah, sometimes he can play with too much flair.
• 32:50
  Speaker 3: Sometimes he can be too much of an asshole like anybody. Dude,
• 32:54
  Speaker 3: I couldn't possibly imagine what my mentality would be like
• 32:57
  Speaker 3: if I was as talented as he was at 14.
• 32:59
  Speaker 3: I think that the vast majority of people can understand
• 33:02
  Speaker 3: being a little confident. But even when things felt like
• 33:05
  Speaker 3: they went a little too far, you never, ever question
• 33:08
  Speaker 3: where this kid's head was. You never question whether he
• 33:11
  Speaker 3: cared about the team or himself. He was always desperate
• 33:14
  Speaker 3: to win. He was always, you know, in training. He
• 33:17
  Speaker 3: would never back down. There was a story when he was,
• 33:19
  Speaker 3: I think, 15, 14 or 15, the Philadelphia Union. He's
• 33:22
  Speaker 3: with first team, first team preseason. And they have a
• 33:25
  Speaker 3: friendly against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Tampa Bay Rowdies
• 33:27
  Speaker 3: are a very good USL championship team. That's second tier,
• 33:31
  Speaker 3: but that's not a U23 team. Those are grown ass
• 33:33
  Speaker 3: men fighting for putting food on the table for the families,
• 33:35
  Speaker 3: fighting for the next contract because nothing's going to be
• 33:37
  Speaker 3: in USL. And the game was getting chippy. And Sullivan
• 33:40
  Speaker 3: is not a big guy as it was. He was 14. And, like,
• 33:43
  Speaker 3: he's going forehead to chin probably, whatever the height difference
• 33:45
  Speaker 3: would be. But 28-year-old dudes who are kicking the shit
• 33:48
  Speaker 3: out of him in a game. And he's getting right up,
• 33:50
  Speaker 3: getting in their face. Like, I've heard that from so many.
• 33:52
  Speaker 3: And that's just indicative of who he is. So, Tab,
• 33:54
  Speaker 3: to your point, he feels the badge. He feels the colors. And, man, like,
• 33:57
  Speaker 3: that's a mentality you root for.
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah, without a doubt. And that part is exciting.
• 34:02
  Speaker 2: And as you mentioned earlier, You know, seeing him play
• 34:05
  Speaker 2: with Pulisic and potentially either Tillman or Reina is the
• 34:09
  Speaker 2: other complement. And then you have Balogun up front or
• 34:12
  Speaker 2: Julian Hall. And, you know, I mean, these are all
• 34:15
  Speaker 2: very good players, Tom. I mean, nothing but good soccer
• 34:18
  Speaker 2: can come out of that if these guys are tuned in.
• 34:22
  Speaker 4: It's an exciting time.
• 34:23
  Speaker 3: Haiti will be a good opponent, but one that the
• 34:24
  Speaker 3: United States will expect to be moving on from as
• 34:27
  Speaker 3: they've won this tournament plenty of times. And, you know,
• 34:30
  Speaker 3: the Final Four, the final is the bare minimum, but
• 34:32
  Speaker 3: we all want to win this tournament. And that's what
• 34:34
  Speaker 3: they'll be thinking inside the group. So we're very looking
• 34:35
  Speaker 3: forward to competitive matches for the USMNT. So that'll be
• 34:40
  Speaker 3: it for our show today. We will be back with
• 34:41
  Speaker 3: some more previews for USMNT versus Haiti in the November window.
• 34:45
  Speaker 3: We'll be back with game reactions, camp reactions, everything. So
• 34:48
  Speaker 3: please rate, review, subscribe to Inside American Soccer wherever you
• 34:50
  Speaker 3: get your podcasts.
• 34:51
  Speaker 4: We'll be back very, very soon.