Latest / Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogert and Tab Ramos / Final USMNT World Cup Roster Projection

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Final USMNT World Cup Roster Projection · Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogert and Tab Ramos

0:00
Speaker 1: He deserves to go, but I'm gonna leave them off
0:02
Speaker 1: because I need to get goals. I need guys to
0:05
Speaker 1: get and Sindaez is one of those guys. That's the
0:08
Speaker 1: only reason I'm saying it. Not necessarily because Pochatino's thinking it,
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Speaker 1: but that's what that's that's where my thinking went.
0:17
Speaker 2: What's going on? Everybody?
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Speaker 3: Welcome back to Inside American Soccer. I am US M
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Speaker 3: and T insider Tom Boger, and I'm joined by one
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Speaker 3: of the greatest players in US soccer history, eder of
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Speaker 3: three World Cups, and my friend tab Ramos tab It's
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Speaker 3: a big show. We are one week away from the
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Speaker 3: official USMNT rosster, revealed by Mariso Pochettino in New York City.
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Speaker 3: But today we're gonna talk about who we think that
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Speaker 3: final twenty six man roster should be. Tab What was
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Speaker 3: it like putting together this group? How difficult was it?
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Speaker 3: Particularly on the bubble?
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Speaker 1: It was difficult. First of all, of course, you know,
0:51
Speaker 1: it's it's great that we finally got here, right because
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Speaker 1: all of this up and down of week to week
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Speaker 1: keeping track of our guys and seeing who could potentially
0:59
Speaker 1: make it, only to figure out that two weeks later, well, no,
1:02
Speaker 1: that one is out of the question. We got to
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Speaker 1: bring a new one in and then someone starts doing
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Speaker 1: really well that we didn't think about all of those
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Speaker 1: things going on for the last six months. I'm glad
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Speaker 1: that we're here, Tom, because it's uh, we're just a
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Speaker 1: few days away from actually the real roster coming on,
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Speaker 1: and I think we we put a roster together of
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Speaker 1: what we think Mauricio Pochettino is gonna do. I'll frame
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Speaker 1: it that way because.
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Speaker 2: That's an important to think.
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Speaker 1: Yes, so it's not necessarily what I would do had
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Speaker 1: I had the whole pool. Let's say, it would be
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Speaker 1: more what we think from what we know of Mauricio Postino,
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Speaker 1: what he will do with with the roster and what
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Speaker 1: you know and with the selections that we've seen so far,
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Speaker 1: which have been many of them.
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Speaker 3: That's the thing he throws you off the sad with
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Speaker 3: how many players have been called up and talking about
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Speaker 3: playing time. That is something that he is hammered home
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Speaker 3: is very very important. And then sometimes players aren't playing
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Speaker 3: and they're called in. Every case is different, every case
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Speaker 3: is new, and so I'm not even trying to be critical,
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Speaker 3: it's just there. You can't really read the tea leaves here,
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Speaker 3: because the tea leaves changed. But before we get into
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Speaker 3: the roster projection, and we're gonna have TAB, just do yours.
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Speaker 3: You are the stronger voice, I'll say, kind of my
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Speaker 3: own thoughts, but we're just gonna make it easier. We're
2:14
Speaker 3: just gonna go with TAB. But before we even start
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Speaker 3: with the roster, what I want to say is it
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Speaker 3: is important to note while every person on a World
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Speaker 3: Cup roster is going to be important to the team
2:26
Speaker 3: in terms of how far the United States last at
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Speaker 3: this World Cup, whether or not this is going to
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Speaker 3: be a successful run or not, it is going to
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Speaker 3: be dictated by the top players on the roster. Yes,
2:37
Speaker 3: that sounds very intuitive and not exactly a deep thought.
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Speaker 2: But for numbers.
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Speaker 3: Again, at the last World Cup twenty twenty two, the
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Speaker 3: first one with the expanded twenty six man roster, six
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Speaker 3: players did not see a minute and another five played
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Speaker 3: forty five minutes or less. So that's almost half of
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Speaker 3: the roster is playing less than a half of soccer.
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Speaker 3: At this World Cup, it being expanded, the group stage
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Speaker 3: games are a week apart, essentially, so you have less
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Speaker 3: of a need for a very large squad. A lot
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Speaker 3: of the debates that we're going to get into, and
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Speaker 3: a lot of the decisions that right now are going
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Speaker 3: to be about the last six or eight roster slots.
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Speaker 3: The likelihood of those six or eight players playing that
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Speaker 3: we're going to debate probably ferociously when we like we
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Speaker 3: do with friends, like we do in the medium shows.
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Speaker 3: They're not going to be the driving force as to
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Speaker 3: whether or not this is a successful work up for
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Speaker 3: the United States. So I just want to lay that out.
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Speaker 3: While all of this is very, very important, every rotter
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Speaker 3: spot matters. Who knows maybe that is going to be
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Speaker 3: the key to a moment in stoppage time, a moment
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Speaker 3: at the end of the game for one of these
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Speaker 3: players that are on the bubble. What is more important
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Speaker 3: are the guys that we're probably not going to spend
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Speaker 3: a ton of time on the locks, the polis Sis,
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Speaker 3: the Richards, the McKinney's, Matt Freeze, whoever, the guys that
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Speaker 3: we know are on the team. Those are going to
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Speaker 3: be the ones who dictate how far this team goes.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, there's no question about that, because ultimately, as you said,
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Speaker 1: and you read the numbers, you know we're relying on
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Speaker 1: our top fourteen fifteen players to make this happen. And
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Speaker 1: I think our top fourteen or fifteen are good enough
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Speaker 1: to make a very good run in this World Cup.
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Speaker 3: Really quickly, Tab, as a coach yourself, do you think
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Speaker 3: that the twenty six man team is necessary in modern soccer?
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Speaker 3: Or what's twenty three adequate?
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Speaker 1: I think personally that twenty six is too many players
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Speaker 1: to have on a roster. I think twenty three would
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Speaker 1: be a proper roster. You could even go down as
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Speaker 1: far as twenty two. Of course, you know now you're
4:30
Speaker 1: adding an extra game. So maybe if you headed down
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Speaker 1: to twenty two. There are a few countries that are
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Speaker 1: planning on being there for eight games now rather than seven.
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Speaker 1: Who would think, hey, maybe this is a little short
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Speaker 1: for us, right, But it's always hard to manage a
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Speaker 1: roster that big twenty six. It's even hard. It's even
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Speaker 1: hard putting the training session together with twenty six players
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Speaker 1: on a roster. So yeah, I think it's a little
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Speaker 1: bit much.
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Speaker 3: So, then, without further adode, Tab, let's get into it.
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Speaker 3: Who do you have is your goalkeepers for this World Cup?
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Speaker 1: Yeah? I mean I think that Matt Freeze and Matt
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Speaker 1: Turner at this point are not a mystery, right, These
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Speaker 1: are guys that everyone will pick. And whether the next
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Speaker 1: one is, you know, Chris Brady or or Pat Shelty
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Speaker 1: or Celentano, it depends. I I choose Chris Brady to
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Speaker 1: be the third. I think he's sort of been the
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Speaker 1: quiet one, consistent in the background, and I like that
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Speaker 1: he's consistent. And and by the way, you know, he's
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Speaker 1: obviously not gonna play in the World Cup, so I
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Speaker 1: think it'll be great for him to make it and
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Speaker 1: to have that under his belt. You know, it's nice,
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Speaker 1: you know, it's nice to be part of something like this.
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Speaker 1: But I think he'll be the third.
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Speaker 3: And I'm gonna do this with every positional group. We
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Speaker 3: are at three of twenty six with the goalies, like
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Speaker 3: you said, it's you know, they're not gonna bring two
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Speaker 3: and they're not gonna bring four, and the third spot
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Speaker 3: is I don't want to sound dismissive. It's inconsequential in
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Speaker 3: terms of how the cernament goes, but it is a
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Speaker 3: unbelievable career achievement to whoever it is. And whether they
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Speaker 3: want to use a spot, say Chris Brady is the
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Speaker 3: most deserving I think in terms of what he's done
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Speaker 3: on the field, or do they want to do they
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Speaker 3: did Sean Johnson in twenty twenty two, who was very deserving.
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Speaker 3: He was at the top of his game at the time,
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Speaker 3: but a really really strong locker room presence. Or would
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Speaker 3: you want to use the third spot on a guy
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Speaker 3: like Diego coachin, a young goalkeeper, somebody who is viewed
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Speaker 3: at in this program as the future. Those are a
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Speaker 3: lot of different ways to go, and I would agree
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Speaker 3: with you that I think it'll be great.
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Speaker 1: Okay, yeah, you know, good points you make about the impact,
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Speaker 1: because I did say how nice it would be for
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Speaker 1: him to go. But the impact of a World Cup
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Speaker 1: of representing your country. Sometimes if we forget about that,
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Speaker 1: we don't talk about the little things that are super important,
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Speaker 1: right like being on the field representing your country. You're
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Speaker 1: representing three hundred and fifty million people and you happen
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Speaker 1: to be one of eleven who you know, I mean,
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Speaker 1: it's just it's just human. It's such a huge honor
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Speaker 1: that you know, I feel I feel. I feel happy
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Speaker 1: for every player that gets an opportunity to make the roster.
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Speaker 3: Let's go to cet our back now. And the big
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Speaker 3: question is do you bring four or five or maybe
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Speaker 3: depends on the positional fluidy.
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Speaker 2: So Tab, what do you have for center backs?
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Speaker 1: Yeah, you know I'm gonna name four and only because
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Speaker 1: well I'll name the four. First, go with Chris Richards,
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Speaker 1: Mark McKenzie, Tim Reem and Austin Trusty. First, I'll say
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Speaker 1: Austin Trusty has has earned his way in because if
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Speaker 1: you listened to this show two months ago, I didn't
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Speaker 1: have him in the top six or seven center backs.
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Speaker 1: I just didn't think he could do it. But I
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Speaker 1: think he has proven that he he belongs, and in
7:34
Speaker 1: particular when we add that to Miles Robinson's form and
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Speaker 1: injuries and all of those things. And this is the
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Speaker 1: reason that I have to explain only four center backs
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Speaker 1: at this point. I'm just not all that confidence that
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Speaker 1: Miles Robinson is at at that point where you know
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Speaker 1: where he you know where he's at the top of
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Speaker 1: his game in order to be able to help us,
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Speaker 1: and I think he needs to be at top of
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Speaker 1: his game to be a national team player.
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Speaker 3: I believe what has been disappointing, and I'm certain it's
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Speaker 3: frustrating for him. He hasn't played ninety minutes since March eighth,
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Speaker 3: and I think he's played in like seven games since then.
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Speaker 3: He's been dealing with injuries, and head coach Pat Noonan
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Speaker 3: called it managing his load or whatever. Center Backs don't
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Speaker 3: have the luxury of being able to be substituted, and
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Speaker 3: as you said, Tap particularly, he's not somebody that was
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Speaker 3: nailed on starter. He needs every If it was Chris Richards, right,
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Speaker 3: and we should say Chris Richards last weekend came off
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Speaker 3: the field with a swollen ankle. Crystal Palace manager Oliver
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Speaker 3: Glassner said, should be fine. He hopes that he's able
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Speaker 3: to play this week in the Conference League final. But regardless,
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Speaker 3: this just looks like a knock rather than something to
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Speaker 3: be worried about. If if it was something that was
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Speaker 3: even more than a knock, Chris Richards is still on
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Speaker 3: this team because we've got almost a month until the
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Speaker 3: first group stage game. And by the way, if he's
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Speaker 3: able to play at all in the group stage, that's
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Speaker 3: a player who's played. Whereas if you're Miles Robinson, if
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Speaker 3: you're coming in with an injury, it's different than.
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Speaker 2: If you're Chris Richards.
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Speaker 1: If that makes sense, completely makes sense. And this is
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Speaker 1: the reason that I think we're spending so much time
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Speaker 1: talking about our center backs is because you're right, Chris
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Speaker 1: Richards will go no matter what. But let's think about this.
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Speaker 1: The roster is gonna get named soon. Chris Richards were
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Speaker 1: likely playing in the final, and his ankle there's a
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Speaker 1: possibility that his ankle is not going to be better
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Speaker 1: after that final. If anything, he's going to be worse.
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Speaker 1: And because of that, as we name the roster, I'll
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Speaker 1: name the other one player that I think will be
9:33
Speaker 1: for me, the question in terms of Puschettino trying to
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Speaker 1: decide whether he brings five center backs because of more
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Speaker 1: because of Chris Richard's situation than anything else.
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Speaker 3: Who else was in the mix at center back? Again
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Speaker 3: we've talked about Miles Robinson. Who else was left off?
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Speaker 1: I mean, for me, I don't really see, you know,
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Speaker 1: when I look at Walker Zimmerman, I look at guys
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Speaker 1: that have been a little bit away from the team.
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Speaker 1: I just you know, and of course you know Walker
10:00
Speaker 1: has had a great career. I don't think he's at
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Speaker 1: that point where he can help the national team. I think,
10:05
Speaker 1: for me, the only other one that could be considered
10:07
Speaker 1: is the Tristan Blackman because he's you know, he's been
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Speaker 1: a solid player for quite a few six seven years
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Speaker 1: now in the league where he's been at top level
10:16
Speaker 1: and and I think he's at top level now for
10:19
Speaker 1: the way he plays, and I think if if you
10:21
Speaker 1: had to have him as a backup, it's not such
10:23
Speaker 1: a bad backup to have. So that's the only other
10:26
Speaker 1: one that would he I would even consider at this point.
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Speaker 3: So for me again, so we've spoke about Miles Robinson
10:32
Speaker 3: and Tristan Spiken as well. The only other one no
10:34
Speaker 3: Kai Banks, for our sources. I know the US Soccer
10:37
Speaker 3: is still speaking to the people in his camp. But
10:40
Speaker 3: he hasn't played like at all. Like we talked about
10:43
Speaker 3: minutes for Giorreana, he's played less lesson Gille and I
10:46
Speaker 3: don't think it's very close to the moment. Malie Tillman
10:48
Speaker 3: will get to him later. He's somebody who until last
10:50
Speaker 3: weekend had played last minutes in the last month of Giorana.
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Speaker 3: So all that is to say, we we we focus
10:57
Speaker 3: on it for him, but he's not the only one
10:59
Speaker 3: that's been struggling for But regardless, no Kai Banks, young
11:02
Speaker 3: center back for Augsburg in the Bundesliga. He has options
11:05
Speaker 3: with Germany. With US, I believe he's eligible for one
11:07
Speaker 3: other nation, but regardless, he's somebody that they're continuing to
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Speaker 3: work on and hey, maybe he's in the mix for that.
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Speaker 3: So we have four center backs, three goalkeepers at seven
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Speaker 3: on the roster. Let's talk about the wing backs.
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Speaker 1: So wing backs, I think it's pretty easy at this point,
11:22
Speaker 1: although the Pochettino may be thinking a little different because
11:25
Speaker 1: he may be thinking of adding Way to this position
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Speaker 1: as a right outside back, which could eliminate someone from
11:32
Speaker 1: from the four that I have. So the four that
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Speaker 1: I have are obviously on the left side, Anthony Robinson
11:38
Speaker 1: and Max Arston. You know, Robinson seems like he's starting
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Speaker 1: to come around now, so I'm you know, I'm happy
11:45
Speaker 1: to see that because he's been our best player for
11:47
Speaker 1: years and over the last couple of months his level
11:49
Speaker 1: has not been as good as he got back from
11:51
Speaker 1: an injury, but I think he's going to be in
11:54
Speaker 1: good form during the World Cup. So I was happy
11:56
Speaker 1: to see that. Arston has been a great substitute. I mean,
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Speaker 1: he he did a great job over the last year
12:02
Speaker 1: year and a half in making us forget a little
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Speaker 1: bit about Anthony Robinson, so I like that, and I
12:07
Speaker 1: think he's deserving of a spot on the right side.
12:10
Speaker 1: It gets a little bit more difficult because we have
12:12
Speaker 1: Sergenio Desk who's coming back. Obviously that's his spot, but
12:15
Speaker 1: he's also been playing on the left side now partly
12:18
Speaker 1: in at PSV, so so we'll see where he is.
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Speaker 1: But I think in terms of if you had a
12:26
Speaker 1: profile a starter, this one, he likely would be the one.
12:28
Speaker 1: And and then you know, we also have Alex Freeman, who,
12:32
Speaker 1: although he didn't play last weekend, the weekend before he
12:35
Speaker 1: played and he really looked like a Lalliga player. I mean,
12:37
Speaker 1: he looked like he belonged and and I think he's
12:40
Speaker 1: in good form and in good form to start any games.
12:43
Speaker 1: I wouldn't be surprised if he started for us. So
12:45
Speaker 1: I'm I'm happy with what I see there. So I
12:49
Speaker 1: can't imagine that it would be different than these four guys.
12:52
Speaker 3: And the positional versatility within this group. Alex Streaman can
12:55
Speaker 3: play that right center back role in a back three
12:57
Speaker 3: that hybrid was right back Serginio Desk and play either flank,
13:01
Speaker 3: which is very rare for a fullback roll wingback to
13:03
Speaker 3: be able to play on either side, and also the differences,
13:06
Speaker 3: like Anthony Robinson end line to end line, relentless, really
13:10
Speaker 3: great with duels, but he's a straight line runner and
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Speaker 3: he's really really good at it. Max Arbsen does not
13:15
Speaker 3: have the same defensive ability as Anthony Robinson, but Anthony
13:18
Speaker 3: Robinson doesn't have the same creativity and unpredictability, particularly off
13:21
Speaker 3: the dribble that Max Arbison has. So it's it's a
13:24
Speaker 3: really nice balance and mix here at the wing back spot.
13:28
Speaker 3: A couple other guys, and again this is where we
13:30
Speaker 3: get into like the gray areas with positions, because if
13:33
Speaker 3: they're playing, if they're in possession, it's a three four
13:36
Speaker 3: two one or some variation they're in. Joe Scalley probably
13:40
Speaker 3: would be listed as an outside back, but I'd rather
13:42
Speaker 3: him in the wide center back role in that type
13:45
Speaker 3: of formation. But again, Joe scali is a guy that
13:48
Speaker 3: seems to always be on the fringes of this roster.
13:50
Speaker 3: He was at the last World Cup. He was one
13:51
Speaker 3: of the players who didn't play a minute.
13:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, And just as happy as I get
13:57
Speaker 1: for players who make it, you get disappointed for the
13:59
Speaker 1: guys who are on who are right on the edge right,
14:02
Speaker 1: because this is a it's a lifetime opportunity, even if
14:05
Speaker 1: he's played in one before. And to be fair time,
14:08
Speaker 1: I I feel like Joe Scally is deserving of a spot,
14:11
Speaker 1: you know, I just I just can't find my way
14:13
Speaker 1: into putting them in. Although Pochatino does have that ability
14:17
Speaker 1: with this and saying okay, Surge, Serginio Desk will be
14:20
Speaker 1: my backup for the left side, which allows me to
14:23
Speaker 1: bring Scally as another center back. But also since since
14:27
Speaker 1: Alex Freeman can also do that, I don't know if
14:29
Speaker 1: you're repeating yourself with that position. Also there's the added
14:34
Speaker 1: part that way I may be your other right back,
14:37
Speaker 1: in which case then you have too many right backs
14:40
Speaker 1: somebody can't go right, and then you put Alex Freeman
14:42
Speaker 1: as your fifth center back. You just have you know,
14:45
Speaker 1: Sergenio Desk in the way I be your two right backs.
14:47
Speaker 1: So there's a lot of opportunity there with the players
14:50
Speaker 1: that we have, and you're right. But but having said
14:54
Speaker 1: all of those things, I continue to say, I I
14:58
Speaker 1: don't think Joe Scally will make the team, and I
15:00
Speaker 1: feel bad that he probably won't because he's deserving he's
15:02
Speaker 1: had a great season in Germany. He's been consistent in
15:05
Speaker 1: Germany for a long time, and man, it's it's hard
15:08
Speaker 1: to see a player that plays all the time not
15:10
Speaker 1: make the team.
15:12
Speaker 3: Right and for a good Bundesliga team. It's somebody who
15:14
Speaker 3: this isn't new, this is what he's been doing for
15:16
Speaker 3: four or five years now. He's been the un question
15:17
Speaker 3: starter again the youngest non German to get one hundred
15:20
Speaker 3: and fifty Bundestiga appearances. That is probably the toughest O mission.
15:25
Speaker 3: I probably will be the toughest o mission, if not
15:27
Speaker 3: like the second toughest on this entire roster. So again,
15:30
Speaker 3: we are now at eleven players from goalkeeper, center backs,
15:33
Speaker 3: and wing backs. We'll be right back with the rest
15:36
Speaker 3: of our USMNT roster projector all right, welcome back to
15:48
Speaker 3: Inside American Soccer. We're gonna go with central midfielders. Tab,
15:52
Speaker 3: who do you think Punch is bringing there?
15:54
Speaker 1: So central midfielders, and let's call this a little bit
15:56
Speaker 1: more of a defensive role, central midfield like the like
15:59
Speaker 1: the almost like at six and eight, but almost like
16:01
Speaker 1: a double six. You know, the guys are going to
16:03
Speaker 1: hold a little bit more. I would say well, definitely
16:07
Speaker 1: we have Tyler Adams, we have Tenor Testament, We have
16:11
Speaker 1: Weston McKinney who could play the attacking role and be
16:14
Speaker 1: more of an attacker, and so those three are definitely locks,
16:18
Speaker 1: I think, on everyone's rosters, right, and then we have
16:21
Speaker 1: to get to a couple other guys that we have
16:24
Speaker 1: to add. And Christian roll Down has been a sort
16:26
Speaker 1: of a Mariso Pochettino favorite. I can't imagine he's not
16:30
Speaker 1: going to get picked. So if I had to predict,
16:32
Speaker 1: you know, Pochettino's roster, I think he will be on it,
16:35
Speaker 1: and then I think Sebastian and then after that Sebastian Burholter.
16:38
Speaker 1: I think with the injury in particular to Johnny Cardozo
16:42
Speaker 1: who's going to be out of the World Cup, I
16:44
Speaker 1: think I had Sebastian Burholter sort of the next one
16:47
Speaker 1: in and he's done well. He's having another great season
16:51
Speaker 1: in MLS, and I think another player that likely if
16:54
Speaker 1: you're going to pick an MLS players, who an MLS
16:56
Speaker 1: player who plays all the time and who's making a
16:59
Speaker 1: difference for his club, and we'll do whatever it takes
17:02
Speaker 1: when he gets on the field. I think Sebastian Burholter
17:05
Speaker 1: is that guy, and I'm I would be happy to
17:06
Speaker 1: see him.
17:07
Speaker 3: Go best bur Halter best eleven last season, and for me,
17:11
Speaker 3: he's been the best fence in midfielder number eight rather
17:14
Speaker 3: in MLS this year. He's being very productive with goals
17:18
Speaker 3: and assists at a time where the Vancouver white Caps
17:20
Speaker 3: need it. He's just been fantastic this year, so much
17:22
Speaker 3: so that like I would have him ahead of Christian
17:26
Speaker 3: Rodan kind of in this pecking order though all of
17:28
Speaker 3: your points of like Pochettino has like literally called him
17:31
Speaker 3: quote a perfect player, So maybe that is difficult to
17:33
Speaker 3: put bur Alter ahead of roll Don, but I thought that.
17:38
Speaker 3: So when when we talk about, you know, who would
17:41
Speaker 3: be the last cut here, like I think it would
17:43
Speaker 3: be rolled On versus Aiden Morris for the last.
17:45
Speaker 1: Pot, I would I would agree with you on that.
17:48
Speaker 1: You know, if again we we uh I think had
17:51
Speaker 1: the disclaimer when we started this listing what we think
17:54
Speaker 1: Podgettino is gonna do. If it was me, I certainly
17:57
Speaker 1: would put Aiden Morris in here. Aiden Morris has had
18:00
Speaker 1: an incredible season at at at Middlesbrough and I think
18:06
Speaker 1: deserving of an opportunity and by the way, it's not
18:08
Speaker 1: this is not just you know, given medals out. This
18:11
Speaker 1: is about who can help us, and I think Morris
18:13
Speaker 1: can definitely help us. So I would agree with you
18:16
Speaker 1: on that one.
18:19
Speaker 3: Tyler Adams do we think it's Tanner Testament starting the
18:22
Speaker 3: first game next to him, with Leson McKinney further forward.
18:26
Speaker 1: I think that that there's no question that that's what
18:30
Speaker 1: we'll see. I think we'll see Testament and Adams together.
18:33
Speaker 1: They're great, They compliment each other really well, and I
18:37
Speaker 1: think with what McKinney has done, he has certainly earned
18:40
Speaker 1: that role to be a little bit freer to go forward,
18:43
Speaker 1: to go forward more and help Polisic and Baligan get
18:47
Speaker 1: into the box.
18:49
Speaker 3: Just as a quick as side. Tannered Testament as a
18:51
Speaker 3: player to watch. In the summer transfer window, sources tell
18:54
Speaker 3: me that Leon are open to a departure if bids
18:57
Speaker 3: come in the region of twenty to twenty five million euro.
19:00
Speaker 3: There's an interest in England and there's always interest in Italy.
19:03
Speaker 3: When he first signed for Leon two years ago, he
19:06
Speaker 3: turned down a number of approaches from Syria like Inter
19:09
Speaker 3: Milan wanted him. They were going to loan him, which
19:11
Speaker 3: he obviously didn't want to sign somewhere just to be
19:12
Speaker 3: loaned out Atlanta Roma, you name, and he kind of
19:16
Speaker 3: top half Syria team they do like Tanner Tessman. So
19:19
Speaker 3: I'm told that Leon are open to selling as long
19:21
Speaker 3: as the bids come. Sources told me Atletico Madrid had
19:24
Speaker 3: a bid rejected for him in January. I don't know
19:26
Speaker 3: if they're gonna come back in from this summer, but
19:28
Speaker 3: that's somebody who could be on the move after the
19:30
Speaker 3: World Cup. I'm told he's very focused on the World
19:32
Speaker 3: Cup rather than his club future, so there's that elsewhere
19:35
Speaker 3: in the midfield. It's crazy. We haven't said unus Mussas.
19:40
Speaker 3: We haven't for a reason because I don't think that
19:42
Speaker 3: he's within a realistic shout. At the last World Cup,
19:45
Speaker 3: not only was he a key player, like he was awesome,
19:49
Speaker 3: like he was one of the better young players at
19:51
Speaker 3: the last World Cup. If you told me in twenty
19:54
Speaker 3: twenty two, what's more likely he has one hundred and
19:56
Speaker 3: forty caps or he's left off the next World Cup
19:59
Speaker 3: roster without an injury, I would have said it's much
20:02
Speaker 3: more likely as one hundred and forty caps, and now
20:03
Speaker 3: he's just an afterthought in this position under Pachatino.
20:07
Speaker 1: And I, you know, I can't believe you're saying this
20:09
Speaker 1: because I couldn't agree more with what you're saying here, Tom.
20:12
Speaker 1: I think I saw Musa in the in the last
20:16
Speaker 1: World Cup, thinking, man, this is this is a ten
20:18
Speaker 1: year national team player. You know, when I coached the
20:21
Speaker 1: under twenty team, I remember telling the players coming in
20:24
Speaker 1: when they were young, said, you know, that's great that
20:27
Speaker 1: you made the under twenty team. But here at you
20:29
Speaker 1: OS Soccer, we don't just care that you play for
20:31
Speaker 1: this team. We care that you become a ten year
20:33
Speaker 1: national team player. That's what this is about. And do
20:35
Speaker 1: you have the discipline, do you have the mentality? Do
20:38
Speaker 1: you have all of those things that I think you
20:40
Speaker 1: know will make you that ten year pro at the
20:43
Speaker 1: highest level. And I really believe that, by the way,
20:47
Speaker 1: not that I believed, I continue to believe that that
20:50
Speaker 1: Eunice Mussa can be a big, big player. Unfortunately, I
20:54
Speaker 1: think his transfers having worked out, Unfortunately he's been stuck
20:59
Speaker 1: with every coach thrown to the right side for whatever reason.
21:02
Speaker 1: And we've all said he's a he's not an outside player.
21:05
Speaker 1: I really believe that Moose can be a very very
21:08
Speaker 1: good number eight, and if it was likely my team,
21:12
Speaker 1: I would pick Moose on the team, to be honest.
21:16
Speaker 3: Yeah, so we're at sixteen players rostered after the centrimentters again, Tessaman, McKenny,
21:23
Speaker 3: Adams rolled on Bear Halter. So again sixteen of the
21:26
Speaker 3: twenty six roster spots that we have accounted for so far.
21:29
Speaker 3: And let's get to the attackers. And I think we're
21:31
Speaker 3: just gonna lump some wingers, tens everybody but the out
21:36
Speaker 3: and out center forwards for this group.
21:37
Speaker 1: But we have to because we don't know how we play,
21:40
Speaker 1: so we don't know, if you know, we definitely don't
21:42
Speaker 1: play with wingers, but if we wanted to, we have some.
21:46
Speaker 1: So we play with those sort of internal secondary forward
21:50
Speaker 1: type guys. So I'm not really sure. I wasn't really
21:53
Speaker 1: sure what we were picking either, so because you no, no,
21:55
Speaker 1: But but let's think about this. If we clearly think
21:58
Speaker 1: that we're starting with Adam, test Men and McKinney as
22:02
Speaker 1: those three, there's really only one or one spot for
22:06
Speaker 1: all of these guys. So but let's name them anyway, Okay,
22:10
Speaker 1: I I think that the guys that will go to
22:12
Speaker 1: the World Cup are going to be obviously Christian Polisic,
22:16
Speaker 1: Milie Tillman, Brandon Brandon Aronson, Tim Waia. I think Alex
22:22
Speaker 1: and Dajas and Gio Rena are definitely players that I
22:26
Speaker 1: think Mariso Bogettino will pick, That's my thought, and then
22:29
Speaker 1: Diego Luna is sort of I also have them in
22:33
Speaker 1: as a seventh player in this category. But this is
22:36
Speaker 1: where I thought that potentially Mariso Bochettino can afford to
22:40
Speaker 1: take one of these players off, and if one's gonna
22:43
Speaker 1: come off, it's likely going to be Luna to add
22:46
Speaker 1: an extra center back, in which case it would likely
22:49
Speaker 1: be Miles Robinson. So obviously completely different positions. But I
22:53
Speaker 1: think we almost have too many players. And as the
22:57
Speaker 1: attacking attacking players.
23:00
Speaker 3: Oh, there's a lot to go here, and I would
23:02
Speaker 3: echo my my opening comments that we should focus more
23:05
Speaker 3: on pool sic here and who makes sense to be
23:09
Speaker 3: playing with what again? Is it poolsick a McKinnie underneath
23:12
Speaker 3: bowigin right, let's I don't think I'm spoiling anything here.
23:14
Speaker 3: You're gonna have balcon on your roster. But as we
23:18
Speaker 3: look at this, Zendejas, so he's a player that you're
23:23
Speaker 3: a big fan of I am as well. As we're
23:26
Speaker 3: doing this exercise. As you said, it's about what you
23:29
Speaker 3: think Pochettino is gonna do well in the Pochettino era.
23:33
Speaker 3: He was called up in fall twenty twenty four. After that,
23:38
Speaker 3: I'm looking it up right now. One win, one, two, three, four, five,
23:44
Speaker 3: six seven. There have been seven windows he's been called
23:47
Speaker 3: up once. So what makes you believe that Pochettino will
23:51
Speaker 3: bring him to the World Cup. Wow, I think we
23:54
Speaker 3: both agree that that he would be there on merit Well.
23:57
Speaker 1: I think what makes me believe is after seeing our
24:00
Speaker 1: team in the March window and recognizing that, you know,
24:03
Speaker 1: attacking wise, we just don't have guys who can make
24:07
Speaker 1: a difference in the attacking third. You add that to
24:09
Speaker 1: the fact that Zindjez is having a great season for America,
24:13
Speaker 1: just scored two goals last week. I mean, he's in
24:16
Speaker 1: good form. And you know, the hardest position is to
24:20
Speaker 1: always find are the guys who are going to be
24:21
Speaker 1: around the box who can actually score goals and sin
24:24
Speaker 1: they can score goals. Because if the argument was, okay,
24:28
Speaker 1: let's not take maybe Brandon Aronson because he's just you know,
24:33
Speaker 1: he works so hard but he just, you know, a
24:35
Speaker 1: final product is not there a lot of time. By
24:37
Speaker 1: the way, he's well deserving of making it and he
24:40
Speaker 1: should be on. But let's say that's a little bit
24:43
Speaker 1: more of an argument to me to say, Okay, well
24:46
Speaker 1: he deserves to go, but I'm gonna leave them off
24:48
Speaker 1: because I need to get goals. I need guys to
24:51
Speaker 1: get and Sindaez is one of those guys. That's the
24:53
Speaker 1: only reason I'm saying it. Not necessarily because Pochatino's thinking it,
24:57
Speaker 1: but that's what that's that's where my thinking went.
25:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, And and he's like when we talk about profiles
25:05
Speaker 3: and things that are different, like I don't think that
25:07
Speaker 3: there's a player quite like him, and a lot of
25:09
Speaker 3: these players again, I don't think that there's a player
25:12
Speaker 3: like Girayana in the pool. Tim waia fro from what
25:14
Speaker 3: he can do with his intelligence is off the ball,
25:17
Speaker 3: running and obviously just his physical tools. And then I
25:20
Speaker 3: go to Brandon Ritson, I like, I can't imagine not
25:23
Speaker 3: having him on this roster. I think he's just so
25:26
Speaker 3: valuable in his you know what you're you know what
25:30
Speaker 3: you're getting, and and sometimes that can be negative if
25:32
Speaker 3: you're worried about goal contributions. He's coming off his best
25:33
Speaker 3: season ever. I spoke with him recently and he I
25:37
Speaker 3: think he's had He's had seasons with more goal involvements.
25:39
Speaker 3: He's played in the Champions League for Salzburg, he won,
25:42
Speaker 3: he won the championship with Leeds last year. He's like, yeah,
25:45
Speaker 3: this was my most rewarding year ever. He's like, I
25:47
Speaker 3: think this has been my best and I don't think
25:49
Speaker 3: it's a question of how he's played.
25:52
Speaker 1: Again.
25:53
Speaker 3: I just think that he's like a coach's dream, you
25:55
Speaker 3: know what you're gonna get. He's a great character and
25:58
Speaker 3: all of that. So even if he ends up not
25:59
Speaker 3: playing the world up that I think he should get
26:01
Speaker 3: on the field, you wouldn't have to worry there that
26:03
Speaker 3: you know he's going to be upset at playing time
26:05
Speaker 3: or whatever. Obviously he wants to get in the field,
26:06
Speaker 3: but he's a really, really good teammate. Diego Luna is
26:10
Speaker 3: another that I just think he's gonna get called up,
26:12
Speaker 3: and again I think he would be deserving. But Pochettino
26:14
Speaker 3: in twenty twenty five called him up and played him
26:17
Speaker 3: pretty much every single chance he had. And then the
26:20
Speaker 3: one person that's just off. This is his RSL teammate,
26:23
Speaker 3: Savir Gozo. He has not been called into a senior
26:25
Speaker 3: camp yet, but he has been on fire for Vial
26:28
Speaker 3: Salt Lake and he'd be a perfect fit for that
26:29
Speaker 3: winging back role or if they needed him to play.
26:31
Speaker 2: As a winger. So what if you made of Gozo?
26:35
Speaker 1: No? I agree. I think this is the first week
26:37
Speaker 1: where I've actually seriously considered the fact that he could
26:41
Speaker 1: potentially get called. I just think that we're so overloaded
26:45
Speaker 1: at this attacking role at this point that I just
26:49
Speaker 1: don't see Pochettino. You know, you you could potentially leave
26:52
Speaker 1: two three players out of the seven that I have name.
26:56
Speaker 1: You could leave three and not change the roster at all.
26:58
Speaker 1: Like WoT it wouldn't affect at all. It's about what
27:01
Speaker 1: happens if things aren't working. Who can I bring off
27:04
Speaker 1: the bench? That's really what we're talking about here, And
27:07
Speaker 1: could gooz will be one of those guys. He absolutely
27:09
Speaker 1: could be one of those guys. To be fair, when
27:11
Speaker 1: I look at extra guys that could do something off
27:15
Speaker 1: the bench, I'm actually thinking that for the team we have,
27:19
Speaker 1: I like Julian Hall, you know, yeah, And I said
27:23
Speaker 1: that before he's a scrapper. He gets every rebound you
27:25
Speaker 1: can get, and I know that's a different position, but
27:28
Speaker 1: you know what with bulls in the box, I mean,
27:30
Speaker 1: this kid has just the you know, he can sort
27:33
Speaker 1: of smell where the ball is going to be and
27:35
Speaker 1: he's there and I like that part. But but you know,
27:38
Speaker 1: either one of these new kids could be could be
27:40
Speaker 1: part of the team.
27:42
Speaker 3: Yeah, So I ultimately don't think either it's gonna get
27:45
Speaker 3: called up, but I it would be deserved to be
27:49
Speaker 3: the twenty fifth, twenty six guy in the roster. Again,
27:51
Speaker 3: whether they're gonna play or not, right like they are,
27:53
Speaker 3: and it's not just like, oh, we want to bring
27:55
Speaker 3: a young player for the sake of it. Like I
27:56
Speaker 3: think both of these guys have earned being in the conversation.
27:59
Speaker 3: Do their play. Hey, if this was a Winter World
28:02
Speaker 3: Cup like Qatar was, I kind of think both would
28:05
Speaker 3: make it. But there's not enough time, I think for
28:08
Speaker 3: them to get in, particularly because neither have been in
28:10
Speaker 3: a senior camp. Just a couple of other names. Jack McGlenn,
28:13
Speaker 3: I don't like he's just somebody without a position at
28:16
Speaker 3: the international level because he doesn't doesn't have the physical
28:19
Speaker 3: ability like maybe you could put him ex to Talyle
28:22
Speaker 3: radamscause Tar Radams covers that much ground, but he Puschino
28:25
Speaker 3: has played him further forward. He's just not dynamic enough,
28:27
Speaker 3: I think with his movement at this moment. But like man,
28:30
Speaker 3: his left foot is probably the best of the pool.
28:34
Speaker 1: Yeah, I like Jack. I mean, I think he does
28:36
Speaker 1: everything right. You could he could certainly, you know, go
28:40
Speaker 1: right into the team and the team wouldn't miss a beat.
28:42
Speaker 1: I really believe that. It's just that he's behind so
28:45
Speaker 1: many other guys at this point that I just I
28:48
Speaker 1: don't see him breaking through it all. I mean, and
28:50
Speaker 1: I and I and now I'll be fair. I mean
28:52
Speaker 1: I I just I wouldn't completely eliminate Jen Luca Bucio either.
28:55
Speaker 1: I mean, he's had a great season. You know, he
28:58
Speaker 1: can score goals as well. He you know, he's a
29:00
Speaker 1: past you know, for ninety minutes every game in the
29:03
Speaker 1: middle of midfield. He's always available, getting to the right
29:07
Speaker 1: spots at the right time. All of those things were
29:10
Speaker 1: just sort of overloaded in this position. And those are
29:12
Speaker 1: guys that we we learned to unfortunately forget about them
29:16
Speaker 1: a little bit.
29:18
Speaker 3: So that's twenty three of the twenty six spots covered.
29:22
Speaker 3: When we get to center forwards and tab you have
29:25
Speaker 3: three strikers.
29:27
Speaker 1: Yeah, I have three at this point, and I don't
29:28
Speaker 1: I don't really see that changing. Obviously, Flow Baligan is
29:31
Speaker 1: if not our hottest player, you know right up there.
29:36
Speaker 1: I mean, he's had a great season. I think he's
29:38
Speaker 1: he's a number nine that would play not just for
29:41
Speaker 1: our national team but for many national teams in this
29:43
Speaker 1: World Cup. And then I have you know, how'd you
29:47
Speaker 1: write and Ricardo Peppi as the other two? I just
29:51
Speaker 1: I don't think that that can at this point. I
29:54
Speaker 1: don't think that can really change that much.
29:57
Speaker 3: No, and particular, like I toyed with the idea like
30:00
Speaker 3: could he bring a fourth forward, because there's the possibility
30:03
Speaker 3: of playing with like two up top, But I don't
30:05
Speaker 3: think so, because it's more likely that it's like Balligan
30:10
Speaker 3: and Polis sic or Baligan and Way maybe right, like
30:13
Speaker 3: it's it's more likely that the second forward is if
30:16
Speaker 3: they that's how they set up, it'll come from one
30:18
Speaker 3: of the attacking midfield spots, rather than like Balagan and
30:22
Speaker 3: Peppy have looked good together and then you would still
30:24
Speaker 3: have Hawji right Anyway, if you needed to change the
30:26
Speaker 3: game like that.
30:26
Speaker 2: But I did.
30:27
Speaker 3: I did take that thought around the block at testrovi
30:30
Speaker 3: it and couldn't quite get there for Julian Hall at
30:33
Speaker 3: the fourth spot, or Brian White or Josh Sargent. But
30:35
Speaker 3: I do believe that if there was a fourth forward,
30:37
Speaker 3: it would be Julian Hall.
30:40
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, that's exactly right. There is no way to
30:43
Speaker 1: figure it. I even I even thought, Okay, Howgi right
30:46
Speaker 1: will play the left wing and where I'll play, you know,
30:48
Speaker 1: four three to three. Haji goes to the left way,
30:51
Speaker 1: I goes to the right side. And now you have
30:53
Speaker 1: a nine? Can you have an extra? I mean, it's
30:55
Speaker 1: still the numbers just don't add up, considering you have
30:58
Speaker 1: all these attacking guys, because in the end, you know,
31:01
Speaker 1: something's got to give. So is Tilman not going his
31:04
Speaker 1: Errans and not going his Rayna and not going That's
31:06
Speaker 1: basically what we're looking at.
31:08
Speaker 3: Yeah, and and yeah, I want to go backtrack a
31:11
Speaker 3: little bit now that we've named all twenty six Malie Tillman.
31:14
Speaker 3: Since the March window, there were six Bundesliga games for
31:18
Speaker 3: Labor CEUs and he did not start one of them.
31:20
Speaker 3: He started this weekend in their final game of the season.
31:23
Speaker 3: It was a dead rubber as the end of the
31:24
Speaker 3: season whatever. So that was his first start since starting
31:29
Speaker 3: for the United States in the March break, the March
31:31
Speaker 3: international window, so that's not ideal. Giorana came off the
31:34
Speaker 3: bench again, but he's looked better over the last month,
31:36
Speaker 3: and as we've covered numerous times, he was an unused
31:39
Speaker 3: sub in the three or four games leading into the
31:42
Speaker 3: March window, only got called in, So that is what
31:45
Speaker 3: we'd expect there. Again, there's a lot of talented attackers,
31:49
Speaker 3: and I guess for me, like if you're maybe even
31:54
Speaker 3: go all the way out tap, if you impromptu can
31:57
Speaker 3: do your starting eleven four the Paraguay game, the opener.
32:02
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I would. I would have to go with
32:05
Speaker 1: Sergenio Desk on the right side. I would go with
32:09
Speaker 1: h Richards and McKenzie in the in the middle, and
32:12
Speaker 1: I would go with Anthony Robinson on the left, uh,
32:15
Speaker 1: Tyler Adams and and Testament in front of those in
32:19
Speaker 1: front of those four uh. And then I'd have to
32:21
Speaker 1: say McKinney will play a little bit more of that
32:25
Speaker 1: that attacking role. And then potentially now you have an
32:29
Speaker 1: opportunity to put to put three guys in front right,
32:32
Speaker 1: so you could you could go with you know, you
32:36
Speaker 1: could go with Way I'm Polisic a little bit wider
32:39
Speaker 1: and Balogun up top. But it's likely that that's not
32:43
Speaker 1: going to happen. It's likely that we're going to go
32:44
Speaker 1: three center backs right, and if you go three center backs,
32:48
Speaker 1: you you just take one of the attackers off right,
32:51
Speaker 1: you know, way I would be off you could likely
32:53
Speaker 1: play if I had to do that again. Now with
32:55
Speaker 1: the three center backs, then you would go h. You
32:58
Speaker 1: could potentially go right side a Freeman center Richards, left
33:02
Speaker 1: side McKenzie out of the three, the three center backs,
33:07
Speaker 1: and then you can go you can go Way on
33:09
Speaker 1: the right, Anthony Robinson on the left, you know, and
33:12
Speaker 1: now you have Tyler Adams with tessaman and and and
33:15
Speaker 1: mckennie in front of him and not polistic and batting upfront.
33:18
Speaker 1: That's more like the most likely scenario, and I think
33:21
Speaker 1: that's where we could do best.
33:23
Speaker 2: And tab I agree with you.
33:25
Speaker 3: Man to man a freezing goal that back three the
33:28
Speaker 3: same way that everything situated, and I think that that's
33:31
Speaker 3: the more like I think that this team has looked
33:32
Speaker 3: best in that in that system. I think that there
33:35
Speaker 3: is at least the possibility like years of four to
33:38
Speaker 3: two three, one to four two three, however you want
33:40
Speaker 3: to call it, this team has just looked better in
33:43
Speaker 3: you know, building out of a back three, and again
33:46
Speaker 3: with the players that they have, like Freeman is a
33:48
Speaker 3: natural right back, so when you're defending out of a
33:50
Speaker 3: four to four to two shape, he's playing in that
33:52
Speaker 3: right back star when Miles Robinson was in the team
33:54
Speaker 3: where he's comfortable defending wide on the touch line because
33:59
Speaker 3: of his athletic and aggression while not having to get
34:02
Speaker 3: forward like he's a wingback right. So I think that
34:04
Speaker 3: the players, it makes sense, particularly in the defensive side
34:08
Speaker 3: of the game, because we haven't had that defensive stability
34:11
Speaker 3: without having a back three. And I think even in March,
34:14
Speaker 3: when Pochatino tried to tinker, unless that he saw some
34:17
Speaker 3: things that I didn't see or he came to different
34:19
Speaker 3: conclusions than I did, I think I'd be walking away
34:21
Speaker 3: from that saying, okay, the two pros for the World
34:24
Speaker 3: Cup it's a back three and the World Cup it's
34:26
Speaker 3: a back tw No.
34:27
Speaker 1: And here's what's interesting. I think if Paraguay is going
34:29
Speaker 1: to score on us, is likely going to be down
34:31
Speaker 1: the middle, so and Sizo's going to come inside. Al
34:34
Speaker 1: Maron doesn't really have that speed anymore to get all
34:36
Speaker 1: the way down the line. He doesn't do that right.
34:39
Speaker 1: He comes a little bit more inside. And I think
34:41
Speaker 1: if we played with center backs, we'd make If we
34:43
Speaker 1: played with three center backs, we'd make it really hard
34:46
Speaker 1: for Paraguay to uh to score. I think that would
34:49
Speaker 1: be you know, if if we're looking at the first
34:52
Speaker 1: game to start us off, I think that's probably the
34:55
Speaker 1: right lineup to have.
34:57
Speaker 2: I would too.
34:59
Speaker 3: Again, the the official roster is going to be announced
35:02
Speaker 3: on Tuesday, May twenty six. There will be an event
35:05
Speaker 3: in New York City. That was our US M and
35:08
Speaker 3: T roster projection for the World Cup. Folks, We're almost here.
35:11
Speaker 3: We are so very close. We're gonna take one quick
35:13
Speaker 3: break here. Next up, Tab's gonna tell the story of
35:16
Speaker 3: the week that changed the US national team. Thank you
35:18
Speaker 3: for listening to Inside American Soccer. Please rate, review, and
35:21
Speaker 3: subscribe where we get to your podcast. Welcome back to
35:33
Speaker 3: Inside American Soccer. Let's go inside the locker room with
35:36
Speaker 3: tab Ramos.
35:36
Speaker 1: Tab.
35:37
Speaker 3: We're gonna talk about a very pivotal time off the field.
35:40
Speaker 3: You've spoke of this period that we're getting to at
35:42
Speaker 3: the nineteen ninety World Cup on the field about wow,
35:47
Speaker 3: like we're just getting to the World Cup was such
35:49
Speaker 3: an achievement as it was, and then we got ran
35:53
Speaker 3: over in the first game, and we need a reaction
35:54
Speaker 3: for the second game. So tab, I want to know
35:56
Speaker 3: what were those days like between those two games? Four
36:00
Speaker 3: playing Italy and after playing that first one where you
36:02
Speaker 3: got knocked around.
36:04
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, I think you and I have laughed
36:06
Speaker 1: enough about our preparation going into the qualifying for the
36:10
Speaker 1: nineteen ninety World Cup because we had nothing, and obviously,
36:14
Speaker 1: as we've mentioned before, you know on the show that
36:17
Speaker 1: we you know, at times, you know, I was training
36:19
Speaker 1: in the park by myself or whatever, you know, and
36:21
Speaker 1: most of the players were living through a little bit
36:23
Speaker 1: of that, right. But then I started to think a
36:27
Speaker 1: little bit about there are certain moments that kind of
36:29
Speaker 1: define where you go, right, there are moments in life
36:32
Speaker 1: like sort of the forks on the road kind of thing,
36:35
Speaker 1: and I start to think about moments that only you know,
36:39
Speaker 1: you start thinking about moments, but when you get to
36:41
Speaker 1: lift certain moments, because there were other moments that allowed
36:44
Speaker 1: you right, allowed you to get to that time you
36:47
Speaker 1: where you have the big moment. And I would say this.
36:50
Speaker 1: You know, we were qualifying for the nineteen ninety World Cup.
36:54
Speaker 1: We had a game in Saint Louis against Costa Rica.
36:57
Speaker 1: We ended up winning the game one zero. I scored
37:00
Speaker 1: day one zero, the one zero. Not that that matters
37:04
Speaker 1: because I scored very few goals. But but you know,
37:07
Speaker 1: but but here's the moment in that game that was
37:10
Speaker 1: that was really important. You know. We we had lost
37:12
Speaker 1: to Costa Rica the away game, the first game of qualifying.
37:15
Speaker 1: We knew we couldn't lose any more games if we
37:18
Speaker 1: were going to qualify to the World Cup. So we
37:22
Speaker 1: we were winning one zero and with about five minutes
37:25
Speaker 1: in the in the game, Costa Rica gets a penalty
37:27
Speaker 1: kick and Dave Venola saves it, you know, and that's
37:31
Speaker 1: one moment. So we win that game. It becomes a
37:34
Speaker 1: big game because we stay like right behind Costa Rica
37:38
Speaker 1: in the fight for qualifying. So that's a little moment.
37:41
Speaker 1: Then you can move on to Okay, now you have
37:43
Speaker 1: to last game. This is you know, six months later,
37:46
Speaker 1: you have to go win and Trinidad and Tobago, you know,
37:48
Speaker 1: in front of their whole crowd. Many people I've heard
37:51
Speaker 1: already about this game, right that they only needed a
37:54
Speaker 1: tie to go through, and we needed to win the game.
37:56
Speaker 1: That was the only way we could go to the
37:58
Speaker 1: World Cup. They say him as full the whole everyone
38:01
Speaker 1: heard about that, right. But at the end of the day,
38:04
Speaker 1: it's also it was just Trinidad, you know. So even
38:08
Speaker 1: though you look back, you're like, okay, you know, but
38:10
Speaker 1: in the end, you know, obviously no disrepected Trinidad and Tobago,
38:14
Speaker 1: but it was Trinidad. It was just one more big
38:16
Speaker 1: moment that we had to get through. So we get
38:18
Speaker 1: that moment. And by the way, Trinidad had Dwight York's
38:21
Speaker 1: which you know obviously became a Manchester United legend, which
38:26
Speaker 1: you could say Dwight Yorks was equal or bigger to
38:30
Speaker 1: Christian Polisic. I mean that level lot, you know, So,
38:33
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't think I'm saying anything crazy here, right.
38:35
Speaker 1: So they had some players that were good players, Russell
38:40
Speaker 1: a lot of people who played at Benfica, like they
38:42
Speaker 1: had big players. But anyway, so so then you get
38:46
Speaker 1: to the World Cup and then every you know, for
38:48
Speaker 1: the most part, a lot of people know the story
38:50
Speaker 1: about how you know, we were just you know team
38:52
Speaker 1: amateur players, you know, like we weren't very good, and
38:55
Speaker 1: we we played the first game and we've all those
38:58
Speaker 1: great moments, gave us an opportunity to play our big moment,
39:01
Speaker 1: which was you know, the Czechslocke game. And when we
39:04
Speaker 1: play that game, we we got demolished. You know, we
39:08
Speaker 1: absolutely were outplayed and every possible way you can think of.
39:11
Speaker 1: When you look at a five to one result, you
39:14
Speaker 1: could say, Okay, I the result is five to one,
39:18
Speaker 1: and I think I just watched the seven one or
39:20
Speaker 1: eight one game, right, So that's sort of what it was.
39:24
Speaker 1: And that's okay, because you know, sometimes you have the
39:28
Speaker 1: little growing pains. But I think this is where the
39:30
Speaker 1: focus of my let's call it the story is going
39:33
Speaker 1: to be because it's the reaction that we had as
39:37
Speaker 1: players to that, to that loss. And I feel like
39:43
Speaker 1: over the next three or four days, all we had
39:46
Speaker 1: in training were fistfights, everyone hacking everyone else. There were fouls,
39:53
Speaker 1: there were every Our next four days were probably the
39:57
Speaker 1: most competitive training sessions that we've ever had with the
40:00
Speaker 1: national teams. And I believe if I had to go
40:04
Speaker 1: back And the reason I'm talking about this is because
40:07
Speaker 1: you know, obviously, after those four days, we had to
40:09
Speaker 1: go to Rome and play Italy, and Rome, Italy was
40:12
Speaker 1: one of the favorites to win the World Cup, and
40:14
Speaker 1: everybody thought they're going to beat us by ten and
40:16
Speaker 1: break all the scoring records. This is what the papers
40:19
Speaker 1: were saying. I'm not just making that up. That's what
40:22
Speaker 1: people were saying. And in those four days, I really
40:25
Speaker 1: believe that the true spirit and the mental toughness and
40:29
Speaker 1: aggressiveness of our current you know what happened over the
40:33
Speaker 1: next thirty years of our men's national team. I truly
40:37
Speaker 1: believe that that's the week when our national team was born.
40:42
Speaker 1: That's the moment when we had four or five guys
40:45
Speaker 1: and I can name whether it was Brian Blisz or
40:48
Speaker 1: John Harrik's or you know, Bruce Murray, Eric Heikman, Paul Kala, Juri,
40:53
Speaker 1: Marcello Balboa. I believe that there was a group of
40:56
Speaker 1: players that week that decided, hey just got hammered and
41:01
Speaker 1: we don't belong. But no one's running over us like that. Ever, again,
41:05
Speaker 1: that's not happening to us. And I think it's a
41:09
Speaker 1: key moment because I you know, as I mentioned all
41:11
Speaker 1: the other moments that were great because we won, we
41:14
Speaker 1: ended up losing Dataly one zero in a game that
41:16
Speaker 1: we almost tied at the end. But I do believe
41:19
Speaker 1: that that was the birth of our national team program.
41:22
Speaker 3: Top in in the locker room, in on the training grounds.
41:27
Speaker 3: Was it things that were being verbalized? Was it the
41:30
Speaker 3: coaching staff or was it leaders on the team saying like,
41:34
Speaker 3: we're getting fucking stuck in this has never happened, this
41:36
Speaker 3: isn't or was it more of just like everybody on
41:39
Speaker 3: the same page, quietly like steaming a little bit and okay,
41:42
Speaker 3: the first fifty to fifty challenging training were flying into
41:45
Speaker 3: the like was it verbalized or was it everybody like
41:48
Speaker 3: head down, let's let's go.
41:51
Speaker 1: Everybody reacted in a different way. But we we we
41:53
Speaker 1: come from a generation of times where no one kept quiet,
41:58
Speaker 1: like you said what had to be said. So when
42:00
Speaker 1: you came in the locker room, there's always things flying around,
42:03
Speaker 1: you know, because people are you know, people are upset,
42:07
Speaker 1: they're mad at the result, and they're not standing and
42:09
Speaker 1: they're not going you know what, you might want to
42:11
Speaker 1: go down, but I'm not going down with you. If
42:13
Speaker 1: that's the way it's going to happen. And by the way,
42:15
Speaker 1: you're not taking me down. So that's sort of that's
42:18
Speaker 1: sort of the feeling of what the locker room was
42:21
Speaker 1: like and what the week of training was like, and
42:24
Speaker 1: then so and so. What I love about that is
42:26
Speaker 1: that accountability because at that moment you you have to
42:30
Speaker 1: grow right there and you become like the guy that
42:33
Speaker 1: doesn't want to lose, or you become one of the
42:36
Speaker 1: other guys, and unfortunately one of the other guys is
42:39
Speaker 1: quickly forgotten.
42:41
Speaker 3: Yeah, And I think it's interesting too because I think
42:46
Speaker 3: I know how close you are with Cello, I know
42:47
Speaker 3: how close you are with a lot of the guys
42:49
Speaker 3: on that team. I'm certain that if Cello saw you
42:52
Speaker 3: coming into a fifty to fifty, he wasn't holding back
42:54
Speaker 3: on you because he loves you, right like. And it's
42:56
Speaker 3: just interesting to me that you guys could probably say
42:59
Speaker 3: f you two each other more than humans have and
43:02
Speaker 3: then immediately when the whistle's blown, arms around each other,
43:05
Speaker 3: right like?
43:05
Speaker 2: Is that is that? What kind of the vibe was
43:07
Speaker 2: there or was it still tense after training?
43:10
Speaker 1: Oh? No, it was it was tense always during training.
43:14
Speaker 1: After training, you leave it at training. But you know,
43:17
Speaker 1: I can't tell you how many times and arguments and
43:21
Speaker 1: pushing around I did with Arts for example, and Hearts
43:24
Speaker 1: was from my town, like we grew up together, but
43:27
Speaker 1: we were on the field kicking each other all the time,
43:30
Speaker 1: like this is you know, not that listen. I'm not
43:32
Speaker 1: encouraging anyone to kick anyone else. But the point here
43:36
Speaker 1: is you have to play hard, and you have to
43:38
Speaker 1: play hard against everybody, because this is you don't want
43:41
Speaker 1: to go down. If you want to be a better team,
43:43
Speaker 1: everyone has to be on the same page. And I
43:46
Speaker 1: do believe that that week. Although you know, unfortunately many
43:49
Speaker 1: of those players, you know, let's say like Eric Heikman
43:51
Speaker 1: never made it to the to the top of the game, right,
43:54
Speaker 1: although obviously he went to the World Cup. How much
43:56
Speaker 1: higher can you go? Right?
43:58
Speaker 2: Exactly?
43:58
Speaker 1: But but there are players that sort of fell off
44:01
Speaker 1: after that ninety World Cup. The team completely changed, but
44:05
Speaker 1: there was a group that stayed together, and that group
44:08
Speaker 1: sort of held it together to become better by nineteen
44:11
Speaker 1: ninety four.
44:12
Speaker 3: Honestly, again looking back at the mentality, and I love
44:16
Speaker 3: the finding those those tentacles of the American fighting spirit
44:21
Speaker 3: and something that defined the team long after you stopped playing.
44:25
Speaker 3: I think of the US M and T s that
44:28
Speaker 3: I grew up on, like particularly six and twenty ten,
44:32
Speaker 3: twenty fourteen. I believe I was in high school for that,
44:34
Speaker 3: but like that was my favorite thing about those teams.
44:38
Speaker 3: There was more talent elsewhere. Often was particularly around twenty
44:42
Speaker 3: ten when when they're going to Totel with Spain and
44:44
Speaker 3: Brazil in the Confederations Cup. In twenty fourteen, Germany and
44:47
Speaker 3: Portugal in the group stage, Yeah, you might be better
44:50
Speaker 3: than us, you ain't out working us, and if you're
44:53
Speaker 3: gonna beat us, it's gonna hurt. You're gonna have to
44:55
Speaker 3: earn every blade of grass that we give you. And
44:57
Speaker 3: I think that's something that maybe I took for granted
45:00
Speaker 3: as a kid, because you just assume when you're a kid,
45:02
Speaker 3: like if this is what it's like, this is what
45:04
Speaker 3: it must be like everywhere. And I think that's one
45:06
Speaker 3: thing that had to be rebuilt within the program. And
45:09
Speaker 3: I know that's what something Poschatino felt very very strongly about.
45:12
Speaker 3: Greg Barlter had other things with the culture, not that
45:14
Speaker 3: he wasn't competitive as hell, right, but it was more
45:17
Speaker 3: about he had to rebuild an entire locker room. Right,
45:21
Speaker 3: it was a complete changing of an error. And then
45:22
Speaker 3: Pochatino comes in and it's purposeful insecurity that he wants
45:26
Speaker 3: everybody to have to compete every single day.
45:28
Speaker 1: Yeah, and what happened after that? You started adding guys
45:31
Speaker 1: like you know, you know, well Eric Ruanala was in
45:34
Speaker 1: that World Cup, and then you started adding guys like
45:37
Speaker 1: Alexi Lalas, right, and you know, you started adding So
45:41
Speaker 1: the guys that added to what we already had were
45:45
Speaker 1: tough guys too, like they added to that person, you know.
45:48
Speaker 1: So it wouldn't be surprising if you walked into a
45:51
Speaker 1: locker room at halftime in a game we're losing two
45:53
Speaker 1: to one where Alexi had just thrown the gatorade jug
45:58
Speaker 1: up against a wall and there's it all over the place,
46:01
Speaker 1: I mean, or breaking a board or it was someone
46:04
Speaker 1: else that did it. But you know, these were not
46:06
Speaker 1: surprising things. Again, not saying that these things are okay,
46:10
Speaker 1: just saying that that's this is why sometimes as you're saying,
46:14
Speaker 1: because I can you know, it's sort of your feeling
46:17
Speaker 1: and I you know, I catch that that that's what
46:20
Speaker 1: we learned about the national national team was just now
46:22
Speaker 1: It wasn't just about you know, playing well all the time.
46:25
Speaker 1: It was about giving everything you had because you knew
46:29
Speaker 1: that the way the national team represented you was the
46:32
Speaker 1: way you want to be represented you. They give everything
46:34
Speaker 1: for you, and I would give everything to be on
46:37
Speaker 1: that team, and that's sort of the feeling. But I,
46:39
Speaker 1: you know, going back to the beginning of this, I
46:42
Speaker 1: believe that was that was born that week.
46:46
Speaker 3: All I can say is I hope like hell to
46:48
Speaker 3: see a lot of that here at the twenty twenty
46:50
Speaker 3: six wal Cup from this group. But TAB thank you
46:53
Speaker 3: as always for bringing us inside the locker room and
46:55
Speaker 3: to you all, thank you for listening to our roster
46:57
Speaker 3: prediction episode. Again, we're going to have a reaction so
47:00
Speaker 3: when the official roster is announced.
47:03
Speaker 2: On Tuesday, so stay tuned for that.
47:05
Speaker 3: You can subscribe and rate and review Inside American Soccer
47:09
Speaker 3: wherever you get your podcast.
47:10
Speaker 2: We'll be back in very us sear