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Mac & Bone Show - Ashley Westwood Interview · Mac & Bone Podcast

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Welcome back in Mac and Bone Show, another Mackless addition
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: of the radio program. But just because we don't have
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: macall week he's on his cruise doesn't mean we don't
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: need a captain to lead us, and not only a captain,
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: but an All Star at that, and that is Ashley
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: Westwood of FC Ashley. Congratulations man on being named an
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: MLS All Star yesterday.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: Thank you very much mate. Good morning, good.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Morning, good morning to you. How much does that mean
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: to not only be an All Star but the fact
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: that it's going to be here in front of your
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: home fans.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, listen, it's different for an Englishman for the All Star,
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: but it's a privilege and the fact that it's in
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: Charlotte just makes it even better. I mean, hopefully the time,
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: hopefully the fans can turn out for it and it
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: should be a good night. It should be a good night.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: We're looking forward to that coming up here in a
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: couple of weeks. What we did not like was the
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: US performance against Belgium on Monday. How surprised were you
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: by the result and where do you think it went
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: most wrong for the US and really getting dominated by Belgium.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, listen, they take nothing away from Belgium. They're a
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: good side. They're a real good side on the top side.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: But I think the way obviously, the way the first
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: few games went, it's it was disappointing. I thought the
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: yeah it was. It was hard to watch. Uh yeah,
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: it was. To go out like that was It's disappointing.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: But I think they've what the lads have done, they've
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: shown everyone what soccer can bring to the to the US.
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: So I still think they've done an.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Incredible job tactically. What do you think Belgium did to
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: sort of throw the US off their game, especially early
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: when you could kind of tell right away, oh this
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: this might not be going well for the US side.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: I think it's the first time someone's come out and
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: gone heads ahead with the US. I mean, the first
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: few games were listen, they were, they were, they were
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: they were the better team. So they've come up against
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: a nation that's probably on paper better than him, and
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: I think that's what that's the team come out and
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: pressed them and listen, belgiuma belgiuma top team, So it's
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: they shouldn't be too down on themselves. But it's it
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: was disappointed about with the four one loss, that's for sure.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: I'm sure as you've seen, Christian Polistic is getting a
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: ton of heat came out of the game, but not
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: only from fans, but Landon Donovan just uhuh tore him
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: apart yesterday. Carly wode on TV and on social media
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: has gone after him. How do you look at that
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: situation with Pelissa? Do you think that it just comes
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: with the territory? Is it? Is it too harsh? What
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: do you make of all that's gone on surrounding the
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: US's best player.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and listen, this is if you're if you're the
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: main guy for for your team, you sort of expected.
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: I do think it's a bit harsh. Listen. He can't
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: he can't change the result of the whole of the
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: whole team. But I know, I know London. I've met London,
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: and I think if if he was getting the same
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: same stick, he wouldn't like Listen, it's it's hard for
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: it's hard for these ex players to come out and
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: and it's it's it's hard. It's I feel for Stick.
• 3:28
  Speaker 2: He's a he's a top player. But and then but
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: this is this is what happens when you're when you're
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: the main boy. You you you you expect the criticism,
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: but it's not just down to him.
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: We're talking to Charlotte FC captain Ashley Westwood here on
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: the MAC and bone Joe FC gets going again. I
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: know you guys are training, uh a couple of weeks
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: from now, less than two weeks in the season restart.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: As far as I want to ask you about your perspective,
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: not being from here, about the US soccer as a whole, well,
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: do you do you think there's a ceiling really in
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: how far they can always go or do you think
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: they can eventually break through? And how do they get
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: to that next level of not just getting to the
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: knockout stage but going on consistently cup in cup out.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, listen, my boys, my boys grew up
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: here in the I would class when I was American
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: and he grew up in the in the in the
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: soccer system, I think there's a there's a lot that
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: needs to change. It needs to be more accessible. That
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: is my biggest That is my biggest problem here how
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: expensive soccer is, whereas in England it's or the rest
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: of Europe, it's so it's so cheap for anyone to
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: play so that, I think, but I think it comes
• 4:43
  Speaker 2: from the top. I think the US Soccer just should
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: look down. I know there's been a lot of talk
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: about it, but people need to start taking actions now
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: because it's listen to what the US has done in
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: the World Cup has shown that it can. It can
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: rather the rest of the world, but it needs to
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: be more accessed for young kids and parents and that
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: that's the only way it's going to get bigger and
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: you're going to get better players.
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Maybe having the World Cup here this year will maybe
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: open up some doors that weren't open before, because certainly
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: this has been an all time event. It feels like
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: every day there's a great game that surpasses what we
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: thought was the game with the tournament previously. One of
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: those games that we just couldn't stop talking about was
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: England Mexico last weekend. How impressed were you with with
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: the resolve of the England side to have to go
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: in that environment down a man and come away with
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: a win against that team and that heated environment. That's
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: going to be one of the more oppressive results that
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: we've seen so far.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: Right, and this whole thing, I was worried, mate, I
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: was I was. I was really worried. I was really worried.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: I was going to the Azteca at the altitude that
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: there's a lot, there's a lot said about it, but
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: the way, the way the lads performed, and I think
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: me the whole time I've watched England, that was probably
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: the best performance I've ever seen in an England team.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: It was the way we went, we went head to
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: head with them, we matched them, and then like you said,
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: we went down to went down to ten men, the
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: way they the way they fought for the the way
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: they fought for the win. It was honestly, that's probably
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: the biggest performance I've seen in England an England team
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: put on in years. And we talk about the Golden Generation,
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: I think this this performance was by father. It could
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: be the catalyst of us winning the World Cup. That's
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: that's that's how big it was.
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: In this next round, it's England and Norway this weekend.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: Do you do you see any upsets here in this
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: round coming up?
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: You've got the big one up top, the big cowboy.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: I'm so jealous of him, the way he's wearing his
• 6:48
  Speaker 2: hat and his cowboy boots.
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: Very American man.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: That's you.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: That's your that's your day.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: And I'm glad people, I'm glad the rest of the
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: world have seen it. That's that's how I That's how
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: I feel when I when I moved here. But no,
• 7:01
  Speaker 2: it's for him to for him to for him to
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: come here and show the rest of the world how
• 7:06
  Speaker 2: good it is. But I think it's different in Miami.
• 7:10
  Speaker 2: I must admiss for me as in the MLS. I
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: think that's the hardest place to play with the humidity
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: that it just actual leg So luckily we're playing another
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: team from Europe, so it should giving them an advantage
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: we have on paper we have better, we have better players.
• 7:25
  Speaker 2: But listen, you've when you've got when you've got a
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: goal score like him up when you never.
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: Know, I know, you were traveling yesterday and you're busy,
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: uh training getting ready for your season. Got named an
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: All Star yesterday? Did you see our guy the voice
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: of the Voice of sc Willie p and the Goalie
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: Wards competition yesterday?
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: So it flashed up on my Yeah, did slash up?
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: He got beat and he got beat?
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: Fitty what was the final record for will he he beat?
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: He beat?
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: Uh?
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: Danielle Stein from NBC start. He was Was he one,
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: one and two? I think that's correct. I gotta tell you, Cat,
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: we thought he may not win any of them, so
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: we were uh.
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: He surprised me as well. He surprised me.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: I describe him as as agile, but I think he
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: was a presence in the net. He did his things.
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: He's tall, he's a big lad. So i'm I'm I'm
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: Willie p I'm his biggest critics, so he should have
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: gone further.
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: No, he's got you have to get in line of
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: his critics there. Actually, there are certainly plenty of those.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: We're not a critic of yours. We appreciate you always
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: coming on uh Wednesdays with westy as as a staple
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: now on the program. Can't wait to watch you get
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: back on the pitch and we'd have see the victory.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for joining us, man Thank you, Mane.
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: And I hope everyone's supporting them, though I hope everyon's
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: supporting him.
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: We'll take a poll here and see what's going on
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: with that.
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: You too,