Futbol Americas: USMNT World Cup Preview Show - 100 Days Away!

0:00. . Hello, everyone. Welcome. Happy Monday to a fresh edition of Football Americas. I'm Alexis Eunice alongside the Hercules Gomez who put on a blazer for us today. And Jeff Carlyle is joining us live and in the flesh. So that means this is an attire. You don't have attire, though. Jeff had to get suited and booted. That's why I also put on address for this because it's a special edition of football Americas. Now that we are about 100 days away from the FIFA World Cup right here in the USA, Canada and Mexico. And our squad would not be complete without our favorite goalkeeper alongside checker. But Casey Keller is joining us because we do have a lot to talk about. We've got five main groups of things to talk about indeed. And we're going to get to them right now because we know that

1:01of course the USA, that's going to be our first area of focus right now. The US men's national team. A lot of eyes on them. A lot of eyes will be on them. And we want to know exactly what their success bar should be for this World Cup. Because we know that the USA has famously made the quarter finals of a World Cup before. That kind of set the bar. Now this is a different format and expanded World Cup. It is on home soil. We talk about how this should be the most talented squad of US players that we have seen more and more playing over Europe. So is it quarter finals or bust for the USA? Herk? Can we, for a second, talk about the expectations and how one gets there, how thin the margins are, how fine the lines are? Let's see. The two most recent that I could think of, the 2002 World Cup in case he was part of this group, a historical quarter final appearance, where they were a blown hand ball towards the rings on the goal line, you know, Greg Berhalter corner, away from being in a semi-final

2:02in our modern era. Case will tell you, that World Cup, they went one in one in group play, the last game of group play lost by multiple goals to Poland or on their way home until South Korea back toward the US men's national team to the next round with the goal versus Portugal out of nowhere. They did what they did. Then you go to South Africa, Confederation Scup, Bob Bradley's 2-0 half-time lead that ends up going the other way, 3-2 finalists versus Brazil in the Confederation Scup, they lost the first two games, and were backdoored through the format. They did what they needed to do, but the margins are so, so smaller, so thin. Two scenarios to very likely scenarios, and if the US wants the best scenario, they have to win the group. What I think is a highly contested group. A group or any one of those participants, and Turkey, if it is the playoff winner, will feel like they can win the group. If you win the group, most likely scenario, if everything goes to plan, is a third-place team

3:02that you should most likely get by, and in the round of 16, Belgium. And after you beat this version of Belgium, if you can do that, a quarter-final appearance versus Spain. And that's the end of the road. That is really what it is. If all goes to plan, that would be a beautiful scenario. If all goes to plan for the US, and then you take your chance against Spain. Money to budgetina wants its miracle on ice moment for the US, and that would be it versus Spain. But if you come second in this group, it's Argentina in the next round. So people realize how difficult things will be this world cup. Look at Morocco last world cup. They had the concaf winner in Canada, a golden generation in Belgium, and a world cup finalist in Croatia. After that, you had the likes of Portugal, Spain, France. And let's say they would have beaten France. You have to add another game to it, because now there's another round. Another world cup, probably winning contender, or a team that can contend to win the world cup.

4:02Quarter finals, if they're lucky, is the end of the road, and that's got to be the bar. Jeff, do you agree? For the most part, I agree with her. It's going to depend so much on who they face in those knockout rounds. Obviously, they have to get there first. Because this is a tricky group, especially if Turkey is the team that comes through the playoff from Europe. So I do think the minimum expectation, absolute minimum, is getting out of the group and then getting to the round of 16. I mean, I think that's very doable. Actually, I think that they only, if they get knocked out in the round of 32, then it's going to be a disappointment, a blown opportunity, because this is just an amazing moment for US soccer. And for this team, because they have the opportunity to really captivate the nation and really drive the sport forward in a way that we haven't seen very many times. I mean, we were used to seeing it most every world cup and then 2018 came around and the US obviously didn't get there. But, you know, it's a huge chance to really

5:05have these guys go down in US soccer history as legends. And so you don't want to let that pass you by. And I think if they can get to the round of 16, again, if they end up facing a Belgium or an Argentina, there's not going to be any disgrace in that if they lose. So, you know, I think, again, I think round of 16 is probably the most likely end point for them. But it's tournament football, so we'll have to see what happens. It's tournament football, indeed. Before I just go to Casey on this one, of course, Herk just said, Jeff, that realistically, the USA could set themselves up best by winning the group. Anything else? And you're already entering Marquis Water. So, is winning the group when you look at the opponents now and we will see, of course, who the next one will be? Is that a realistic ask for this current crop of players? It's a realistic ask, but it's one of those groups where on any given day, any team in that group can win. And the US could win all three games.

6:05They could lose all three games. I mean, it's really that final line that they're having to walk. But, yes, winning that group, that is going to make their lives so much easier and allow them to achieve their dream of really going deep in the tournament. But, again, we'll have to see what happens. All right. Well, as Herk said, Casey was part of that US team that now has set that quarter final bar. We keep hearing about it. So, Casey, as you would know, it has to be quarter finals or bus for this squad, right? I still feel that a lot of it just depends on who you play in the next round. I mean, first and foremost, when your games get out of the group stage, that's first and foremost. That's what you have to do. Particularly with the expanded field with eight third place finishers going through. But, obviously, Herk made the point. If you finish lower in that, then it gets more complicated. The higher you can finish, the easier your next round opponent's going to be. But, um, let's go back to Qatar.

7:08We ended up playing the Dutch to 32. Do you honestly think that the US should have beat the Dutch in the round of 32? And I think that's the question. Mark is, is that realistic? Who's the opponent and is it realistic that we beat them? Do we want to have some great miracle and ice moment? Of course we do. We want to beat the Dutch. We want to beat the Spanish. We want to beat Argentina. Of course. But you still have to look at it from a realistic standpoint. Considering the USA has already made it to the quarterfinals, Herk. And this is a thing because of course, every way. The USA. Yeah. Well, we're talking about the modern era when all of us were at least born, Herk. Unless I don't know if anyone was born in the 1930s. So we're not going to count that one. Maybe our Stevie Niko. Success. That is the word that we have up there on the topic bar. The US has already had a quarterfinal birth. So would it still feel like a success if they just repeat that this time around?

8:09It would not. You like it? No. By no means. No. It would actually feel like that. Seppi Final would make it a success. Well, Seppi Final would make it a miracle to be honest. Let's just call a spade a spade here. Morocco had one of the craziest schedules you could ever imagine and made it to a semifinal. With this current format, throw another World Cup contender into that. Throw another team that could be a semifinalist in any other format into that. It gets that much more difficult. But I am of the train of thought that if the US men's national team was ever going to do anything of worth in a World Cup, certainly at home. In a World Cup with what many presume is the pool with the most talented players you've ever had with a coach of a European pedigree and an investment made in this program. Certainly this would be the moment. But what about this team in its past? It makes us feel that come Spain.

9:10They can deal with the Spain. This version of Spain. This Spain right now with their individual players Aluminiuma, who's going to wreak havoc on anyone, let alone this back line, which is shown trouble. Let alone these centerbacks, which have shown how long and the tooth they are. We may be asking too much. Is it a failure in terms of what we expected in this World Cup heading into it? Yes. But realistically, that could be the bar. Now, Jeff, you know when we talk about teams and squads and the makeup of it, you know, you always say that sometimes you can have the perfect squad that can run, have up in a league and win. But then sometimes you just need a good old tournament team. You just need a team that has that fight, has that great, has that tooth, which, you know, her and Casey have spoken about a lot, have questioned if they saw it in this current crop of U.S. men's national team players. You look at that 2002 team or even the 2010 team. You know, they're the ones that kind of has set the bar

10:11of what success looks like for the U.S. at a World Cup. How would you compare this current crop of players to those two teams? Well, I would say if you go individual by individual, yes, they are more talented. But that doesn't always make a great team or a successful team. And, you know, you look at those 2002 teams and the 2010 team, those teams were battle tested. Yeah. I mean, they had to go through qualifying. And not only that, but they had signature wins. I mean, I think about, you know, the Confederations Cup team that Herk alluded to earlier, they beat a Spain team that was unbeaten in 35 matches. Yes. And, you know, that's a result that will make you sit up and take them. With three major trophies behind them. Right. And it's going to make everybody sit up and take notice. And so, you know, I haven't seen that kind of result from this group yet. I was certainly encouraged by some of the last few friendlies that they played.

11:13Paraguay, Uruguay especially. You know, certainly I was not expecting a five-one scoreline. But, again, those are friendlies. As much as Marisa Pochettino likes to say, well, we're not treating them as friendlies, we're treating them as competitive matches, understood. But, you know, there wasn't really anything on the line in terms of progressing in a tournament, or not progressing in a tournament. So, I think that's one thing that those 2002 team had and the 2010 team had is they kind of had those signature wins. And, you know, they came in very confident and not afraid of anyone. Not that I think that this team is going to be afraid of anyone, but it's just when you watch them, it's just kind of nagging in the back of your mind that, okay, what result can they point to you to say, yes, we belong in the same stage as these guys. And you can't find one. So, you know, I think that's a question mark, you know, heading into this particular World Cup is, you know, are these guys tested enough? And do they, you know, they have the ability, but when you get them together, do they have the cohesion, do they have the teamwork to be able to get a result

12:14that's really going to surprise the world? The last U.S. men's national team that had signature wins that weren't the worst Mexican team that I've seen in my lifetime was the 2014 cycle. Casey was part of that. I was part of that talking about wins against Italy, wins against the Netherlands, wins in the Aztec against the Mexican national team. You know, in Europe being quality teams, those are signature wins. You have to go back that far into the program to find them. Not talking about a made up tournament in Colorado or in Dallas against the worst Mexican national team that I've seen in my lifetime. I'm talking about really doing something of worth turning heads, as Jeff just mentioned here. That's how far you have to go back into the program. Now, this current pool, it's not their fault that nation's league ultimately killed the ability to find those opponents. It's not their fault, but it is what it is. Casey, what about you? Because nobody knows that team, especially in 2002, better than you and it's something that you've spoken about on this show

13:15time and time again, that you wanted to see more of that fight, more of that grit, which was something that was really synonymous to U.S. men's national team players. So how would you support, how would you compare that team, your team, with the one that we see now? Well, I agree with Jeff that I think if you look at where the players are playing, I think individually, you've got to look at this current team and just kind of go, okay, I expect good things from that group. But there's also a case, a very fine case, and I think Kirk and Jeff made really good points that they're not playing. They haven't had to play two years of competitive matches. If you've ever played like a Honduras or an El Salvador or a Trinidad, you play him in a friendly and then you play him in a World Cup qualifier in their country where if they win the match, you know their president's going to declare a national holiday. It is a completely different level of pressure and of commitment.

14:16And I think that is one of the worrying things I have. And I think that's why there will be maybe a safety valve of relying on more players that have had World Cup experience that have had maybe some World Cup qualifying experience and have had maybe more competitive European experience because you haven't had these groups with the opportunity to go through and play 16 really difficult qualifying matches. Can we just really quickly talk about the individual players that are into this World Cup? If you look at World Cup experience, World Cup moments, Christian Policik is going to go down as the best US-Mismas National Team player of all time. Talent accolades at the club level, but he doesn't have the national team pedigree. And I say this respectfully, World Cup moments of a land in Donovan, a Clint Dempsey, a Casey Keller Tim Howard. I mean this group lacks really that type of moment

15:20at the biggest of stages. This group's biggest moment right now is a one-one draw versus England. That's their biggest moment. That is this group's biggest moment. So some of these players, like a Christian Policik, that it all hinges on the individual brilliance he can have because that's what you're hoping for, isn't in the best moment individually right now, which makes you question what this team could look like come tournament time. Jeff, you see it like that too? Absolutely. You know, you think about what these guys have done and you can't always pick your path. I mean, you can only beat the team that's in front of you as the old saying goes. But, you know, I do think that this group of players still has something to prove. I mean, granted that game against Iran, the final group stage match, you know, they did come through in the clutch. Christian Policik came through in a big way and paid for it, if I remember right. Right, the testicle. But, you know, so they have a moment where they did stare down some pretty intense pressure.

16:22Yeah. You know, it's, I'm wanting more. I'm sure a lot of people are wanting more. And they want to see that big moment. They want to see almost that Algeria moment, not so much thinking of the opponent, but just the moment and the pressure and the stakes involved. And, you know, I still think this group has more to give. And I think I along with a lot of other people would like to see them come through and be able to provide that. They have an opportunity to go down as national heroes. Um, cases are going to let me lie. We have colleagues who still live off the 1994 World Cup. Oh, yeah. They're still making a name off the 1994 World Cup. Social media wasn't around back then. If Weston McKinney, at Juventus, if Christian Policik, at Milan, if Sergio Desta was played at Barcelona, if some of these players can put together around, the country is going to get behind them, and they're going to experience a type of fame like they've never experienced before. They will be household names.

17:23They will live off this for the next 30 years. They will change the way the sport is viewed in this country. The same way that the 1994 crop changed the way that we view the sport in this country. Before that, there was no domestic league. Because of that, the investment was there and it stayed there. This has monumental value not only for the country, for the sport, but for them as well. The thirst is there indeed. And the thirst for our other show is there as well. Until ESPN FC, we are on 7 days a week. A new episode dropped today as the boys were reacting to Real Madrid's shock loss to Hitate in La Liga. Check it out on ESPN Plus. Kayak gets my flight, hotel, and rental car right. So I can tune out travel advice that's just plain wrong. Bro, Skycoin, way better than points. Never fly during a Scorpio full moon. Just tell the manager you'll sue instant room upgrade. Stop taking bad travel advice. Start comparing hundreds of sites with Kayak. And get your trip right. Bad advice.

18:23You're talking to me. Kayak got that right. You've been there, settling in for an evening of TV only to waste half a night scrolling. Enter Fire TV. Entertainment with zero effort required. Fire TV serves up personalized recommendations from across all your apps. Not sure what to watch. Just tell Alexa Plus what you're in the mood for and she'll pull up the perfect recommendation. Problem solved. Stop the scroll. Start the show. Find what you're looking for with Fire TV. Subscriptions may be required. All right, now we're about to get into our second block for this one and this has to do with Mauricio Pochettino and the pressure that the USman's national team definitely will face as hosts of a World Cup. Now we're going to start out with Pochettino because this was the big name signing. This was the big name coach that so many people felt the USA needed and deserved.

19:26And one of the conversations we've had over years now is what is the identity of this US team. So now a hundred days out. Kayak is laughing because I think I think everyone's still searching for the answer. But let me try to get the answer from you guys. I'll start with you on this one again. What is the identity now of this USman's national team under Mauricio Pochettino? A hundred days out from a World Cup? I think they have found an identity. If I'm being quite honest. Happy birthday to Mauricio Pochettino. This is birthday today. Please come play. Nice to meet you. This team before, during Mauricio Pochettino, before Mauricio Pochettino was soft. It was a team that if you got in their face, they backed down. It was a team that when the moment got great, they buckled. And somewhere along the lines, and I do feel it was the last five or six friendlies, that changed. The message changed. The culture changed. Somewhere along that summer, where Christian Policic, Eunice Musa don't show up, where the group is divided between the gold cup, club world cup,

20:28and those who aren't there, a line was drawn in the sand. And that line was, you're with this program or you're not. I don't care who you are. If you think you're a household name or not, you got to show up. You got to put in the work. You got to be here for the group. And that was established. And out of that, some names emerged. A Sebastian Berhalter. A Christian Roldon re-emerged. Patrick Agimant for a bit. Max Arvstein. Matt Freese. And because of that, some big names went out. A Matt Turner. A Eunice Musa. And so on. And so on. And so forth. The line has been drawn. Here, you fight. Here, you claw. Here, it doesn't matter who you are, you have to put in the work. And then tactically, little by little, we started seeing them find their form. They like throwing the back, the three center backs, the outside backs providing the width, the two playmakers underneath the nine. And you started seeing a little bit of maybe what you could expect come summertime. And you feel a bit more comfortable about the identity, the cultural shift,

21:30and tactically how this team is going. It may have been very late. A lot more than I would have liked. A lot more than Casey would have liked. Or Jeff would have liked for somebody who's making $6 million a year. But it came. Now, we saw the friendlies. We want to see it in a real game. We want to see it against real opposition. And quite frankly, I think the only thing I can complain about in these last six friendlies is I think there are still some doubts in Putritino's mind, at least by his lack of consistency of who that starting 11 is. And Jeff, now you've covered the USman's national team for some time now. And even before this show, you have been speaking to ex players, ex coaches as well. For you, do you agree with Herk with what that change has come? We know Mauricio Puchotino spoke so much about wanting to change the culture of the sport here. And as it relates to his players, what do you feel has been the biggest change that you've noticed or other people are noticing since Puchotino's appointment? There is a competitive tension now within the group. When you go back to Copa America, you could pick the line up with your eyes closed.

22:35I mean, it's like, okay, we're going to have, you know, way on the wing. And we're going to have that in the middle. And, you know, Balagan was arriving on the scene. He was going to be up top. And people were too secure. Players were too secure in their role in where they stood in the team. And I think Mauricio Puchotino recognized that. I think he wanted to be sure that he was actually seeing what he was seeing. But then you saw players being left out of camps. West and McKinney, a couple times, was left out. You saw, you know, other players not getting the playing time that you would normally expect. I mean, you think about that Uruguay game. There was no politic. There was no McKinney. I found that mistaken. There was no Chris Richards. I mean, the list goes on. And so what that did was it gave some players who didn't think they had a chance before. It gave them a real opportunity to impress the staff. Really stick their claim to a spot. You look at guys like Sebastian Burhalter.

23:36Malik Tillman is another one who I think really took his chance. Alex Freeman. Alex Freeman. That started at the gold cup. I mean, I was certainly questioning some of the selections then. And if really going with almost a youth movement was the right move. It turned out to be a masterstroke, at least at this stage. So I go back to that competitive tension. Guys didn't know if they were going to play or not. And so I think that has kind of helped compensate for the fact that there was no World Cup qualifying. Because usually that tension is created by qualifying. And you know, guys, they're on the outside looking in. Okay, how do I get good with the coach? How do I figure out what he wants? How do I keep that position? And so that's usually there. But because there was no World Cup qualifying, again, guys got comfortable. And now I think that's gone. I think it's a real meritocracy now that Riso Puchotino has created. And I think it's benefited the whole squad because it's a much deeper squad than what it was.

24:36I mean, obviously we'll find out if the World Cup just how deep it actually is and how guys perform. But certainly that competitive tension, I keep going back to that. That is really the big difference for me. Competitive tension. I love that phrase, man. Nothing like some healthy competition. And Casey, that's what you want. You want to keep them guessing. That's something that we've talked about a lot. Has that been the biggest change you've noticed under Puchotino? Or what do you think the identity under Puch is now? Well, it was the biggest change that had to happen because players took their foot off the gas. And that's inexcusable. I mean, every good team in the world, you should be able to pick the starting 11. Because those players and the best players in the squad are the best players that are fighting for every. The best players all the way around. And instead, we had this situation where he had to build competition because the guys that should have been competing weren't. And that worries me a little bit.

25:36Because Jeff, I like the idea that we have this big squad, but we do not have a big squad. We have a group of players that are, if we want to go deep in this tournament, we need our stars to show up and give everything they can and have great tournaments. Then you need a couple of little surprise packages. And then you need some other guys just to have good, steady games. But the fact that we had to go through all this, the fact that we had no competitive matches, but it had somehow lost this competitive edge. Frightened me. And yes, I'm relieved that it's emerged in the last couple of friendlies. And we've seen this little bit of an edge. Now it has to continue. Well, it's going to be a home world cup. And we know that that invites a different kind of pressure that a lot of these players are not going to be familiar with. I don't care how big of a club game they have been involved in. This is obviously going to be the biggest stage for a lot of these players.

26:37And we don't know the roster yet. But who would you like to see really embrace this type of a moment, tournament? I'm going to answer, but I'm going to piggyback on what Casey said. I'm going to echo that. I think it's crucial that you know who you can count on. It's crucial that those players you think are going to be your 11 get as many reps together as they can. And you're going to head into the world cup. Maybe they get two, three games together. If Mount Isoportritino come March, says, this is my team, this is my 11. You get two, three games together. And you're hoping that the players you think you can count on are fit, are healthy and informed. And can be that fit, healthy and informed together. I think that's a dangerous thing to rely on. And I'm with Casey there. Listen, we can talk about the feel good stories about Diego Luna. We can talk about the feel good stories about Sebastian Burhulture, the ex-U.S.M.M.S.S.M. coaches son or Alex Freeman or Max Arvstein or whoever you want to insert here.

27:38But if Christian Policic isn't at his optimum level, if Christian Policic isn't healthy because I don't believe he's healthy right now. If he's not geared and ready to go, I don't care what you think you're doing in this world cup, it's not happening. He is the different one in the program. He's the difference maker. He has the ability because you're going to be defending a lot I presume. To change a game in transition. To change a game on a set piece. To change a game with creativity and the finishing product. If he's not ready for you, it's over. Jeff, just talk to me about the pressure that they're going to feel. I know you haven't suited up for the U.S.M.M.S. national team like Casey or Herk. But you are parts of the pressure because we are parts of the media. He applies the pressure. He applies the pressure. He applies the pressure indeed. We know that you're a parts of it. We know that the media is going to be on them. The entire country is going to be on them. Absolutely. I mean, it's going to be nothing like they've ever experienced before.

28:38Certainly, guys like Christian Policic and Tyler Adams have been in the Champions League. They're familiar with that kind of intensity, that kind of attention. But a home world cup is something that a player gets to experience once in their lives. If they're lucky. I mean, not every player, even some of the great players get to experience that. And so, you know, it's really going to be important, I think, for the leaders on this team to kind of help keep the group on an even keel. I mean, that's the coaching staff's job too. But, you know, within the locker room, I think it's, you know, I'm looking at guys like a Tim Ream, like a Tyler Adams. I mean, I think Tyler Adams is kind of the emotional center of this team. Not only because of his role as captain, I mean, you know, I can remember the press conference before the Iran match in 2022. And he was magnificent. I mean, he completely diffused so many tense situations, so many like aggressive questions that were being fired at him.

29:40And I just think that it was almost inspirational to watch that. And I think the group is teammates fed off that. And so, I'm looking at a guy like Tyler Adams, who has been to a roll cup, who has played at the highest level. He's doing it, you know, week and week out on the Premier League right now. You know, I look at him and Tim Ream, just because he's another guy with a lot of experience. I look at those two guys as being critical to kind of just keeping this team on an even emotional keel, and being able to deal with all that attention, with all that pressure that's going to come. Casey, just Jeff brings up that point, of course, about Tyler Adams, who definitely has been a captain in so many ways for the USman's national team. We, of course, interviewed him not just a couple of weeks ago. And he spoke about the fact that he feels that this current crop of players, even with the new additions, almost don't have an excuse to fail at this World Cup because there's enough of them that have already played at a World Cup that have experienced overseas. So do you feel this current squad is mature enough to handle the pressure that's going to be thrown at them?

30:44I would have loved a series of qualifying games. I would have loved a series of matches that mattered. That's the only thing that really kind of worries me is that they're going into this with only playing a series of friendly. And that, that scares me. And that's why I think if I was going to, you know, pick the squad, pick the starting lineup, it would lean heavily on players that have more of that pressured situation because we weren't able to introduce players into that level of pressure during qualifying. So I agree, yes, there are players in our squad that have played in a lot of very pressure games. Now, Jeff brings up Champions League, Champions League, the piece of it, but also that pressure of being in a relegation fight is another combination of, of gets you prepared for these types of big matches. Well, a simple way of putting things is that goals win games, Herk. And that's your area of the page. For the attackers now, we know that ultimately all it takes is that goal and their name goes down in history.

31:52So for these attackers that we've been talking about, would this home pressure help them or can it hurt them? Can we be honest for a second? Of course. What pressure are we talking about? The pressure of scoring on home soil at a World Cup. Sure. I guess. Now, let me explain myself. How difficult it is to score in a World Cup that Hadji Wright was the last nine, the last nine to score in a World Cup since Brian McBride. We're talking about 2002 World Cup. Yeah. It's not easy to score games at the international level, much less at the World Cup level. Not everybody's an Embape, not everybody's an Amesee. Hell, Cristiano Ronaldo has found it very difficult in the knockout round. It's a very difficult thing to do. There is no pressure in the United States like other countries. The reality is whether people like this or not is that the US can crash out at this home World Cup and maybe it's in the new cycle for three, four, five, six days national.

33:02And after that, we will still be talking about it, but that's it. These guys are going to go out on the streets. They may get recognized. They're not going to get tomatoes throw at them. Hopefully not. They're not going to have threats made to them. They won't feel like they're in an uncomfortable setting. Whereas if you're in another country, if England bombs out of this World Cup, those guys aren't going to go outside. Those guys are going to read about it, hear about it, see it for the next two, three, four, five months. And in the next international tournament, it's going to be brought up again. It's going to be one of the biggest failures in their lives, not sporting just in their lives. But because of this group, you can play a little carefree. When you look at who's in the crowd in the stands, could you imagine playing Brazil and it's overwhelmingly Brazilian. Playing Argentina overwhelmingly Argentine, playing against the Portuguese, playing against Mexico. You are in a group where Paraguay is not going to be the dominant team in the stands.

34:04Australia is not going to be the dominant team in the stands. And Turkey most likely, that's a wildcard, but I don't feel will be the most dominant team in the stands that they qualify. You may have a real home field advantage that could make you play carefree. And for these players, I think that'll be important. And Jeff, Herk just brings up a good point too, because in terms of the crowds that we're expecting, you of course are going to be out there for the group stages, for the games in LA, as well as Seattle. Is there any way that the US can turn Seattle and LA into a home game and make it feel like a home game? Absolutely. I mean, I think Seattle is one of the best soccer cities in the country. I mean, you go back, you know, they haven't had an opportunity to host many games just because of where they are in the country. I'm going to get to that. Just because of where they are in the country. So it's not easy for guys who are playing overseas in Europe to come over. I mean, they want to get guys off the plane as quickly as possible. So, you know, I think that rules Seattle out a lot of times. But, you know, I remember back to a World Cup qualifier in 2013 against Panama.

35:09The city, the fans showed out incredibly well. As Hark mentioned, the Copa America 2016 against Ecuador. It was another great evening, a great event. Seattle turned out for the US men's national team in an absolutely huge way. And so, Seattle, I have no doubt about it. I mean, LA is a little bit different. But, you know, I think back to the 1994 World Cup and the way that that team, the way the US team was supported at the Rose Bowl. And so, LA loves big events. They love stars. They love watching teams rise or fall, but especially rise. And so, I think once again, they're going to surprise some people. I think they're going to turn out and really support this US team. Again, it helps that they're playing Paraguay. Yeah. You know, there will be Paraguay and fans understands. No doubt about it. But, you know, I think LA senses the big occasion.

36:13I think the sports bands know a big event when they see it. And so, I don't have much doubt in my mind that LA is going to support the team in a big way and really provide that critical home field advantage. I mean, Turkey economy, we know that the Turkish do travel. Yeah, that's the world. That is going to be the wild card one indeed. Well, we're going to push on as well because we want to talk about a couple more things. But let me remind you about the Gavin Jules podcast. A fresh edition drop today as Gavin Jules are discussing all things from the weekend of the Premier League and more. You can get it wherever you get your podcasts. Score more with the college branded Venmo debit card and earn up to 5% cash back with Venmo stash. Got paid back with the Venmo debit card. You can instantly access your balance and spend on what you want like game day snacks, gear, tickets and more. The more you do, the more cash back you can earn. Plus, there's no monthly fear minimum balance. Sign up now at Venmo.com slash college card. The Venmo master card is issued by the bank court bank NA select schools available. Venmo stash terms and exclusions apply at Venmo.me slash stash terms max $100 cash back per month.

37:15My day kicks off with the refreshing Celsius energy drink then straight to the gym. Pre-get pick up back home to meal prep. Time for my fire session shift. One more Celsius got to keep the lights on. When the three alarm hits, I'm ready. Celsius live fit go grab a cold refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now at Celsius.com. All right, let's talk about the spine now. The spine of the team straight from the back right to the midfield. And case you know, I'm coming straight to you because the goalkeeping position. That is one that the US has had locked down for many a generation. But now there has been more questions than answers. So plain and simple is Matt frees. Pretty much the number one and how much comfort do you have and trust you have in him being the number one? Well, this is the tricky part. I mean, I think throughout that whole process, you know.

38:15Pochettino kept a lot of things open gave a lot of guys opportunities. But the one thing he didn't do was change the goalkeeping. Now, I would have been okay with that if Matt frees would have been just playing brilliantly. That particularly wasn't the case. You know, Matt did fine, but it wasn't a case of where I looked at Matt frees and went, wow, that was a great. That was a great performance and look at it the way he did this and look at that. No, he was fine. So that's why it surprised me that he didn't give more opportunities to maybe Matt. Maybe, you know, maybe Zac Stefan, maybe somebody else. So that just kind of surprised me a little bit with that. And so, yeah, there's no question. This guy's never played in a game that really mattered. And I think that scares me a little bit with Matt frees. And I just want to make one quick point on what Jeff said about Seattle and the Pacific Northwest. The biggest problem is artificial pitches.

39:18That's the main reason why the U.S. doesn't play there because they have to lay a grass pitch on top of it. And we all know what the hit or miss is of that. So I think if, if, if movement field or important, if they had a grass pitch, you'd see a lot of matches in the Northwest for the men's national team. And, Herc, I know it's not your area of the pitch, but let's talk about that back. Oh, I don't know. Can you please send it back? You have a bit of sentiment. Oh, send it back. Yeah. You have a back line now because you did allude to it earlier on when you said that there were questions defensively about that back line. But in terms of the best sense of back pairing, what are you saying? Well, it's not a pairing anymore. It's three, right? That's the one position or line that I'm most worried for the U.S. Miss national team. It's Chris Richards and everybody else. CB1 and everybody else. And in that everybody else, you have an aging Tim Rehm.

40:18And Tim Rehm is your best defender with the ball. He sees things. He can play these long balls in between lines, progressive passes. He's composed. He won't get nervous. But if Tim Rehm is forced to defend, God help you. God help you. He doesn't have the legs anymore. And I say this respectfully, but he should have been phased out a while ago. And the fact that he's not phased out forces you to play Tim Rehm right now. And if Major League soccer is any indication of Tim Rehm where he's at, the first two games versus St. Louis, he plays for Charlotte. And versus the LA Galaxy. If you face Tim Rehm one on one, it's a direct path to goal. It's a weakness for your team defensively. But given the pool, he's so good on the ball. He's almost a necessary evil for Mauricio Pochettino right now.

41:19But that's certainly that back line. You're one injury away from being sixes and sevens there and just praying that you can buckle down and get some out of a game. And Jeff, just to follow up on that back line and the concerns about that back line. If we talk about the full backs as well. Of course, on their day, you would absolutely always trust the Jedi Robinson. But that's point is he has been dealing with injuries. So has a Serginio deaths as well. So how concerned are you about that? And what is the biggest concern there? Well, I do want to get back to one point about the center backs. I think the reason you saw Mauricio Pochettino go to a three-man back line is to limit the number of times that a Tim Rehm is going to be isolated against an opposition attacker. And so, I mean, there are lots of ways, I think, in that alignment that you can cover for Tim Rehm. You know, a wingback can come back. You know, guys can slide over and provide cover in behind. So, yes. The two defensive midfielders. Yep. A Tyler Ams or a Tanner Testman can come back and provide support.

42:20So, I mean, I think there are ways that they can camouflage that weakness. And then try to accentuate the positives that her talked about. Yes, I'm worried about the wingbacks. I mean, I'm worried and I'm not worried because the U.S. seems to have a lot of them. A lot of guys are playing wingback right now. I mean, even West McKenny is playing wingback Tim Wea. Serginio deaths has played wingback, although he's usually an outside back in a back line. I'm worried about how they play or who it's going to be. Both. I mean, when I'm thinking of Serginio deaths. When I'm thinking of Serginio deaths, yes, defending is not his strong side. I mean, the reason that I like him in that role is that he's able to go forward and again, you're camouflaging weaknesses. I'm very worried about Anthony Robinson and just what the future holds for him. It's funny. When he first came back, he played those six matches 90 minutes every time in a row. On the one hand, I was happy that he was healthy enough, but then I'm thinking,

43:23okay, long term, is this too much too soon? Not even for the knee, but other things cropping up. He just picked up an ankle injury. He's got an ankle injury. The good news is he was back in the 18th, at least this past weekend. I think the weekend before he was not in the 18th at all. Yes, I think as good a job as Max Arfton has done coming in, I just think that left side is much more solid with an Anthony Robinson there, just given the pedigree of player that he goes up against every week. What he can do on both sides of the ball, he's incredibly adept at getting forward, delivering quality crosses, but defensively he's also solid as well. When he's at his best, I mean, I think part of the reason that you're seeing Cess and Jan get all those minutes for full him is that Anthony Robinson is just not quite right. I think that was the case even before he picked up this injury. So, yeah, I think it's a huge concern. We'll see if a Serginio desk can slide over to the left,

44:24because I've seen him play there for PSV Eindhoven, so I think that could be an option as well, and then you're able to get maybe an Alex Freeman or a Tim Wei on the other side. Again, you're trying to put your best players on the field somehow some way, so we'll see what decisions Marisa Putchettino makes, but yes, it's a concern for him. The other problem here, Jeff, is that we're not playing the man, which is Marisa Putchettino, and I'm going to be at fault in this, and you'll see why, but he's never played Anthony Robinson there, either because Anthony's been hurt, not available, or because he sees Max Arft, and that's who's gotten the lion's share of the minutes in that position. So, while I agree with Jeff, and you're going to see why I agree with Jeff, I don't know if Marisa Putchettino agrees with us. Mark, I want to stick with you just on the midfield now, because if we're talking single-six, double pivot, when you look at this player pool for the U.S. men's national team, what would the best set up be? Well, I'm going to play the man here, because our logic has told us that Western McKinney needs to be in the center of the pitch

45:24with Tyler Adams. But I don't think Marisa Putchettino feels that way. I don't think Marisa Putchettino trusts Western McKinney tactically to have that discipline, and then there's the emergence of Tanner Testman, which cannot be ignored. If we speak of the importance of Tyler Adams, he's not going anywhere, and you can see right there number one on the list. Yeah. Number one on the call sheet. Okay. Youngest captain, 2022 World Cup. He has the pedigree, he has the leadership, he's bought into your message. I think the obvious emergence of Tanner Testman leads me to believe that the duality of box-to-box mythylers, excuse me, and available to play a pivot role with Tyler Adams, but provides something going forward with passing, with vision, and a physical presence, he would be the guy I slot next to Tyler Adams. It'd be Tyler Adams, Tanner Testman. That is what I would go with and not move. And that's what I think Marisa Putchettino's going to go with. Jeff, do you agree?

46:24I agree, because I think it was in the Australia game that you saw Western McKinney deployed a little further upfield. He was almost one of those twin number tens, he was on the field with Malik Tome in that night. And he looked fantastic. And so, if you listen to Western McKinney's words as well, when he talks about playing alongside Tyler Adams, he's like, well, I like it because Tyler does all the running, defensively behind him, and I can go forward. So, you know, I think it's just, it makes a little bit more sense for Western McKinney to kind of slide further upfield. He can still make those late runs into the box. He can still, you know, crash the six-yard box on set pieces. And so, defensively, I think you've got a guy in Tanner Testman that's a little bit more conscientious about playing defense and providing that kind of shield in front of a back line that, as we've been talking about, needs a little bit of support. So, and if it isn't Tanner Testman, it can be an aid Morris, who's also kind of another pit bull

47:24and has been doing great things for Middlesbrough. You know, Johnny Cardoso, too. I mean, he's a guy that, I'll raise my hand and say, I was guilty of kind of riding him off a little bit, just because all the injury problems. Rightfully so. If he can't be available on the field, we can't, you know? Even the times that he's played for the U.S. men's national team, as you know, he has not exactly torn it up. So, you know, but he's starting to find his form. You know, he scores that huge goal in the Champions League for Atlético Madrid. And so, I think you're seeing him approach the best form that he's been in for me in over a year. And so, you know, I think that's another option. But I agree, there doesn't need to be a double pivot. I think it just, it leaves the U.S. a little bit more defensively sound. And, you know, they can let guys, like a mechanic, like a politic, like a dust or an entity Robinson in the outside, able to bomb forward and contribute to the attack in that way. I mean, I think dust is kind of an attacking wildcard.

48:27And so, I think putting him as a wingback, I think that kind of accentuates his ability in that regard. I think he will absolutely love that. Well, Jeff, you mentioned Johnny Cardoso, and he will be hoping to put in a big performance as Atlético de Madrid are in action in the Copa del Rey, the second leg of the semi-final. They are up four nil on aggregate over Barcelona, Can Barça de Ula Ramonza. That's right. We will see if they can. Tuesday, 3 p.m. Eastern Time, on ESP. Um, are you stuck staring at your W2? Our tax refund worry is holding you back. You probably have FOMO. The fear of messing up. The fix? Using turbo tax on into a credit karma. They find every credit and deduction to help you get every refund dollar you deserve. Or your money back. It's time to overcome your fear of messing up and get your taxes done right. Start filing today in the Credit Karma app.

49:27So good, so good, so good. Spring styles are at Nordstrom Rack stores now, and they're up to 60% off. Stock up and save on Ragnbonne made well. Vince, All Saints, and more of your favorites. I didn't allow no rack as a deedus. Why do we rack for the hottest still? There's so many good brands. Join the Nordy Club to unlock exclusive discounts, shop new arrivals first, and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. All right, let's run it back. Shall we? Eunice Musa. Remember him, guys? Come on. Well, he only went and scored his first city-at-goal for Atlanta. Unfortunately, for him, it came in Sunday's loss to Sasuolo. I read it was his first club goal in four years. Good for him. Good for him. Still not in the running. You don't have a better ball progression in the pool than Eunice Musa. The problem is, it's in between the boxes, always.

50:29Well, what about Haji Wright? We have been talking about him a lot lately. His fifth goal in four games, 15 overall this season for Coventry Jeff. Tell you what, six weeks ago, I was about ready to write Haji Wright off. I really liked what Patrick Agimang was doing. You know, slow and steady, you're chipping in the goals in a consistent rate. I mean, I think Haji Wright went, like, 18 games of just three goals. And now it's like seven in his last nine. So it's just, you know, he's getting hot at the right time. You're right before the March International window. Yeah. Putchitino is obviously watching or his, someone on his staff, at least, is watching. So fantastic for him. And here right here is Flo Balagun, who, guess what? He scored again. He must have heard that everyone was getting some hype about Haji Wright. He scored in a two-one win for Monaco over Anger. That's his sixth league goal of this season. So now this brings us to the debate that we consistently have year in, year out when it comes to the USman's national team.

51:32Who starts for the win? You want a reliable number nine up there who's going to rack in the goals. You know, you just have to give them a chance at goal. And it is going in right now. Flo Balagun seems to be the favorite. Casey, is he for you? Yeah, he is for me. I mean, he's playing at the highest level right now right now. I'm not going to let anybody else. I love the compliments that the other guys give. I think Ricardo Pepe is recovered well from the arm injuries or the goal of the day. So that's great to see. Nice. Like, I agree with Jeff. Haji Wright, getting hot at the right time, doesn't hurt. And Ajaman is a good option. If somebody slips up on the other side. So. But I think the way that Poachatino plays. I think Balagun is probably your starter. And then if you need to play more direct. You have options to come off the bench. So I kind of like. I like the options. But I just want to see them do it at that highest level.

52:32If you're looking to win a World Cup game, Herc. At the rate, all of them are going now. Is Balagun your pick now? Maybe this is what I have to choose with. Yes, absolutely. Right now, he's the guy who's. Showing a consistency and a pension for linking up with your best players. We saw him link up with Christian Policic in the last. Set of friends, he's at Christian Policic was available for. We saw him link up with a Giovanni Reina. We see the ability to. Open space. Set yourself up. Work for yourself and create for yourself. That maybe as. Case was alluding to some of the other. Players don't have that profile or a different skill set. So. You're going to be defending a lot. And you're going to need a nine that is mobile. You're going to need a nine that is good in transition. You're going to need a nine that can create his own space. You're going to need a nine that's opportunistic. And at times, when you do have the ball, knows how to link up. He's the one player that has that package. The closest one to him would probably be Ricardo Peppie.

53:32And I don't want to be unfair to Haji Wright. But Haji's in a profile more like Patrick Ghajiman. And Haji has the ability to get on this roster because you could also play multiple positions for you. He was scoring goals for Frank Lampard as a left-winger. He knows what it's like and where to be. And let's not forget. Haji has some big goals in this program with Greg Berhalter. I'm sorry. Well, there wasn't even Greg Berhalter. It was a BJ Callahan years. But. But. If there's one player right now that's proven at the national team level and is somewhat consistent at the club level, it's fallen in Balagin. Jeff Lasig on the show are Alain Moreno spoke about Ricardo Peppie's versatility. And just the fact that he's come into so much confidence as well to the fact that he could break his forearm, miss the couple games, come back on straight off the bench and he's scoring even with his arm wrapped up. So what will it take for Ricardo Peppie to leave frog of flow Balagin in this number nine race? Or is it just set for flow? Well, I think it's just set for flow. But if Peppie is going to do it, he's got to stay healthy. I mean, I, you know, it's the old saying.

54:34The best ability is availability. And I think too often over the last year, Peppie has not been as available as his manager would want, as his teammates would want, as he, I'm sure he wants. And so, you know, I think if he's going to make any kind of headway in that race, he's got to have an extended run in the side. It seems like every time he wins the starting spot, then he starts to get a little bit of momentum, he gets hurt again. So, you know, last year, I think it was the knee injury. You know, he had some issues earlier in the year in this campaign and then the broken arm, which was just a fluke, I mean, but still, you know, he's got to be able to stay healthy and get his minutes in on the field and really build up his fitness and his sharpness. Well, that's pretty usual. I put these guys to work. They've already given you who they're picked for the number nine starting position is, but we're going to find out the rest of their elevenths. All of you have given me your starting elevenths for the U.S.M. national team, if you could have it your way and be Mauricio Pochettino and get his salary for the World Cup.

55:35Jeff, we're going to start with you. Okay, I've got Freezing Goal. I've got, you know, a back three of Reem, Richards, and Mark McKenzie. I agree with her. I think in the center of midfield, you've got Testament and Adams. Wingbacks, you've got Anthony Robinson, and Serginio Dest. And I do like McKinney in that advanced kind of dual number ten roll right beside Christian Pulisic. I think they compliment each other really well. I think, you know, obviously, Pulisic's the slasher. He's going to run it guys. I think McKinney is plenty crafty on the ball. And again, he makes those great late runs into the box to get on the end of things. And then Baligan, for me, hands down. He's the guy that really should be on the line up. I will come to the defense of Patrick Asherming a little bit. He has played on the left wing a little bit this year for Derby County. So he hasn't always been a central striker. Sometimes Derby mixes it up a little bit.

56:35But that's my starting 11 for you. All right. Well, I hope you guys weren't comparing notes because we're going to see how much he's starting 11. That's a terrible 11. This is Casey's 11. Casey's walking through your 11. Yeah, I just think we're strongest in midfield. So my idea, I like it back for, I think it's a lot more simple than the back three with wingbacks. So I, and I think Richard and Reame, Reame showing the experience. But the one thing that you talked about the center back that if you're going to play Tim Reame, you can't play a high line. So that play a little bit further back. Have more players in midfield that can hold the ball up and get the ball into advanced positions. And then you have talented players who can, who can score goals and make things happen. So I like Pulisic wider and not getting a wingback in his way and let him do things. Obviously, I want to see the creativity of G.

57:39He can't get good men back coming in the end of the season and really being good form. So Gino Dess, I put in there against an opponent that he's not going to have to defend a ton against. If it's an opponent that has to then he has to defend, I would probably put Joe Scali in that position. And then not worry about my outside right back getting into advanced positions. And then I think Tillman is deserved to be there. So I think there could be a case where you could see in that kind of triangle on the right. Just a little fluidity of McKinney goes forward. Tillman or Reyna realizes that they need to cover for him. But I think you put your best players on the pitch to give yourself the best opportunity to get results. Can I just say that I want someone to have my back like Casey has Matt Turner's back. Because that is the pipe. Well, with that, I'm just thinking that I'm going with experience. And I'm going with somebody that is who's who's.

58:40Self at the world has proved himself in qualifying. Yes, it's been difficult. But that's why I'm what I'm saying. I would have loved to have seen Matt have about half of the last. Tremlies with the national team and really given it. A love love competition. Which Pochettino didn't look. Do I think Matt Turner is going to start? No, I think Matt Freese is going to start. But I just think if you had done something different in that situation, I think Matt Turner has proved himself with that level more than Matt Freese. All right, well, Herk's been rolling his eyes at everybody. Let's see yours. Very easy. Nobody's moving Matt Freese. Let's play the man here. Buddy, Pochettino, as Casey mentioned, gave him what 11, 12, 13 games without interruption for a reason. He wants to get his goalkeeper with no international experience. Some experience. You're going to have Chris Richards. Nobody's moving Chris Richards at his CB1. Tim Rehm. Why he may be a liability, he is the best player you have on the ball in that back line.

59:42And can play progressive balls going forward. They will protect him. He will be there. I think Freeman is going to be the third center back. He provides athleticism. He's good in the ball. He gives you something on set pieces. I think he really earned the trust that Marty supported. And I like him and Desk working together during those friendly, the last couple of games. I like what I saw from him at the center back position. I think he will ultimately play there. Serginio Desk down the right hand side. You don't have anybody in the final third with the ability of a Serginio Desk. He's there for his offensive ability. He can unlock defenses like why that is stingy. Naturally playing the first game. They're going to go 10 or 10. We've already mentioned 10 or 10. How he's proven himself at the highest levels at Leon. How he proven himself next to a Tyler Adams. How he's proven himself to be a good box to box. Vision, progressive passing, physicality, defensive structure and discipline. He will be there. Tyler Adams, nobody's moving Tyler Adams. That is the captain, the rock, the heartbeat of this team. He's going to be there in the midfield. This is where I am taking a chance.

1:00:44Logic tells us Marisa Pochettino will put Max Arfton there. My head tells me that Marisa Pochettino is going to bring in Antony Robinson for an extended period of time and see how good Antony Robinson is. And healthy he is and is going to have no other option besides to play him because talent will come out on top. Antony Robinson gives you defense stability. He gives you a powerful, powerful player driving down the left-hand side. He has productivity when he is healthy. He will be there. Christian Policic. That is your best player at marquee player. He will be there as the number 10 behind your nine, which is going to be following Balaghan. Nobody's moving flow. And then I could have gone Malik Tillman. I could have gone Alejandro Sendeja. I could have maybe gone out on a whim and said Giovanni Reina, even though for many people that is still a question mark to make the roster, but I went Weston McKinney. I didn't think Weston had a part in this 11 based on the formation because defensively he had his issues being disciplined next to Tyler Adams.

1:01:45That wasn't going to happen. I didn't think that he would have the chops to play in that number 10 position. But he's proved everybody wrong. Sendeja, Champions League, he has a unique ability to arrive late into the box to play as a forward, as a false nine, to play as a 10, which he's played before for open minors, to play on the right, to play on the left, to play any position needed. He will get the job done. I'm putting him next to his buddy Christian Policic. That is the ideal 11 that I believe Money Supporter Tino will deploy for far away. Wow, everybody, even their ideal 11's there. I'm sorry, I was just checking my phone because I think I just got a message from a certain team way of wondering what's he got to do to get in anybody's 11. Not one of you mentioned team way. And I've mentioned time and time again that because of this formation, a few players that I had Western McKinney as one of those players maybe being out. But the other one was Timothy Weyer. This program, this pool doesn't have wingers. So what did Money Supporter Tino do? He adjusted to that. So there are two tens in that nine. And the only way that Timothy Weyer is getting on here realistically is in that right wingback role.

1:02:46How this is, if you go by the traits because they don't play with wingers. All right. We'll leave it at that. We'll just take Herc's word for it. I'm sorry, Tim. I was trying for you there, bud. All right. Next one now. I want to look at him trying to come back. Rationships broken. All right. So one strength, one worry and one X factor for the USman's national team. Jeff, let me start with you. For strength, I think it's the, at least what I see as being the attacking Trident. I think it's the classic Baligan McKenny. I think there's diversity in that attack. I think when you add the wingbacks, they have different ways that they can hurt you as well, especially with Serginio Dest. Again, he's the wild card. He's going to do something crazy off the dribble. He's going to do something unexpected. And so I think he's, as a, you know, if you're one of the opponents, he's very difficult to game plan against. In terms of a worry, health. Yeah. Because you look at the injury history of some of these key guys.

1:03:50I'm thinking Christian Policic. Georena. Tyler Adams. Tyler Adams. Anthony Robinson. Those are all, could be critical players, you know, for the USman's national team. And so you, you just, there's a lot of time between now and, you know, the training camp in May when all these guys are going to get together and, you know, really start trying to form a team. And so you hope that they're able to get through the remainder of their club seasons without having to worry about recovering from an injury. Because I mean, I can't even imagine the amount of anxiety that they must be going through, you know, when they're sidelined, you know, they know the clock is ticking and, you know, they're trying their hardest to get food again. But again, there's just not that much time. In terms of next factor, I've talked about them a bunch of times already tonight, but I'm going to go search in your desk because he just, again, he's a guy that really just adds a little something extra to the US attack.

1:04:53And it's just a unique player. I mean, it's one thing to be able to, you know, to get to the byline and put in crosses. But, you know, he's able to cut inside, combine with guys, and even unleash a heavy shot, which we've seen him do in the past, especially in World Cup qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. So, you know, he's my ex-factor, right? I think he's a guy that, you know, again, if he's healthy, you know, he's out his issues too. You know, he's a guy that could really be a game changer for the US. Casey? The strength for me is kind of the depth in midfield. I think there's options there. Worry? Yes. I got to go more than one worry. I agree with fitness, I think, is there, but also my big worry is this team is in the ability to keep a clean sheet, because I think you might need to keep a clean sheet or two to have a good tournament. And I just haven't seen it. Ex-factor, for me, is playing on home soil.

1:05:54And does that give this team an energy and an edge that we saw from, you know, plenty of other host countries that have been able to overachieve because they're hosting the tournament? Eric? Well, I think one strength of this team that was a major weakness was set pieces, whether it was delivery by Christian Policic or the lack of in-product on your set pieces. Now, that is a strength in their money. So, put your dinner, whether it's a basketball halter, whether it's whoever the case is taking those set pieces. And you've really found that you have players with stature who are very good in the air, who make teams play off of set pieces in tournament play that it's going to be vital. One worry? Yeah, Casey's right. This backline is a major worry. The ability to protect themselves and not to be accident prone, which they've proven time and time again to shoot themselves in the foot. That is a major concern for any national team, more so this US men's national team, this world cup. And the ex-factor, for good or bad, better or worse, it's going to be Matt Freese. You have an inexperienced goalkeeper who's never been at a major international tournament

1:06:56in the biggest moment of this federation's history. It's what it is. So, he rises to the occasion as Matt Turner with little international experience did. In the 2020 World Cup, 2022, excuse me, World Cup, or you could have Blunders, which cost your team. But regardless, you're going to be that ex-factor. All right. Well, another American will be in action in the Copa del Rey semi-finals. But this time, as manager of Pellegrino Matarazzo, as rail sociadad manager will be going up against a athletic club, the Bilbao, in a bathed, darby sociadad. Have the slight lead on aggregate 1-0. The game picks up at 3pm on Wednesday, but join us 13 minutes before for the pre-show. All right. Well, now that we are 100 days out from the FIFA World Cup on home soil for the US leg of it, I would say that we feel like we have more concerns than ever before, given what's going on, just around the world, really, and truly.

1:07:56Is there any area of concern that you guys have of the USA being capable of hosting this smoothly? Jeff, I'll start with you. Well, where to begin? I mean, the first bit is, are the host cities going to get the money that they have been promised by the US government? I mean, there are a lot of excuses, frankly, at this stage, whether it's the government shutdown or what have you, but the clock is ticking, not just for the players, but for the host cities. I mean, there are logistics that need to be planned, police and fire need to be prepped, to make sure that they're on the same page and can handle these events. And then, obviously, what's going on with Iran at the moment, just to be clear, certainly the country has much bigger things to worry about than whether their national team plays in the World Cup. But, you know, just looking within the context of the World Cup, certainly whether they're going to participate or not,

1:08:58or be able to participate, is an issue that FIFA needs to begin sorting out now, and really trying to sort through what some of their Plan B, C, D, might be, if Iran are not able to participate. Yeah, we'll stick up in in the Iran discussion. Jeff, because we'll definitely come back to you on that one. But, Casey, what about you, any concerns? I might think there's always concerns, but I mean, it's not as if we haven't seen World Cups and major tournaments have to deal with security issues, with wars going on, with countries. I mean, you have a Denmark that won a European Championship because Yugoslavia exited the week before the tournament, and they won the tournament. So, look, I mean, FIFA has gone through this before, it happens, it goes on, you know, over and over and over again. So, and when it comes to security, don't get me wrong, the U.S. will be prepared. Yes, I agree with everything Jeff said. There is some drama going on,

1:09:59but the U.S. State Department is not going to let that be an issue. They'll step in and make sure that this tournament is secure. And then just going back to the Iran discussion, Jeff, when you brought it up as well, because now the Iranian Federation has expressed its own concerns and uncertainties about them participating in the World Cup, if things continue at the rate that they are going, what happens if they don't play? How can FIFA come in? Well, I mean, the most obvious solution is to find another team, you know, to take Iran's place. Now, that could happen one of several ways. You could have Iraq, if they lose the playoff, they could immediately slot in, you know, as a replacement for Iran. If they happen to win the Intercontinental playoff, it looks like the United Arab Emirates is the team that we next on the list. So, I mean, there are some options there. I mean, there's been some talk of going to a three team group, but I think that really, that would mean less games.

1:11:02I don't think FIFA wants anything remotely like that. I mean, they want to try to bank as much money as they can from this tournament. So, you know, that seems to be the most logical way of going about this, if Iran is not able to play or decide not to play. But certainly, that's ultimately going to be the Iranian Football Association's decision and the Iranian government's decision about, you know, whether they want their team to come to this tournament. Well, you also have to keep in mind that FIFA can force a force major here. It's in the clause in the bylines and do whatever they want, whatever makes sense for the tournament. I mean, while as unfair as it could be to Iran and the good people Iran had to have their own issues to worry about, and certainly, you know, it's not a footballing matter that they're concentrated on right now, it would be unfair to whatever team you wanted to say, you have an opportunity because there are contracts to be signed.

1:12:03There are logistics to be involved. It's not as just cutting dry as this team comes in, you slot here. It's not that easy. This isn't the first time SK said that something like this has happened. I don't expect the USA, the Canadian Federation or the Mexican Federation, the countries to have any issues when hosting a work-up. I've seen how beautiful a work-up can be as a player. And on this side, as a pundit and fan, will you really enjoy it? I expect this work-up to be even more successful than 1994 work-up, which to date is still the most successful work-up in FIFA's history. Casey, you wanted to chime in? Well, yeah. You have seen over the days is an unbelievable support from the Persian-Iranian communities living in America. So from LA to Seattle across America, we've seen that. So I think if things are able to stabilize in Iran, I think they will have unbelievable support in America from at least what we've seen over the last couple days.

1:13:08Yeah, that's true. The World Cup definitely has a beautiful way of bringing nations together. As we have seen, Hark, you alluded to it. You have experienced it as a player. You have experienced it as we were both in Doha in Qatar. You have experienced it as a pundit and going around and just seeing what it brought. And there's always a World Cup vibe. There's always a World Cup buzz as well. You don't get it as a player, though. Are you feeling it now for this one? Well, here's the thing. When you're a player, you go airport, hotel, stadium, back. When you get to experience it with the fans, when you go to the fan fest, when you walk around, when you see the flags, when you see the characters, the bald eagles, you see the Mexican fans dressed up as chowel, the lucha, dressed up as astic, warriors dressed up in the red, the green, the white. When you see the yellow Brazil, when you see Peru come back to the World Cup, 30-something years after and you see the red stripe, it really is a sight to be seen. That's when you really understand the magnitude of the sport. You really understand what this should be, a celebration.

1:14:08Jeff, you feel in the vibe as well? A little bit, but I think there's a lot more vibe to be injected into the veins of soccer fans in this country. Do you feel a little calm? That the fans will get what they're expecting from a World Cup? I think they will. But, you know, again, I want to see more hype. I want to see more signs, more visible signs, that the tournament is coming. And so I'm not exactly seeing a lot of that at the moment, but it is still... Well, it's not February anymore. It's March now, but, you know, there's still the ways to go. So, I mean, I still think FIFA and the U.S. Soccer Federation and the fans of this country have time to really let that excitement and emotion and enthusiasm show as the tournament gets closer. I love that, Jeff says he wants all the vibes, man. He said, give me the vibes. Casey, you're a vibes king. Are you feeling the vibe? Well, I think the problem with America is the fact that we have tons of vibes going on

1:15:08for what's the next thing. And the World Cup is not here yet. So, everybody's... Look, I'm a Seahawks fan, baby. The vibe was... Oh, now you're a Seahawks fan, all right. So, look, Super Bowl is over. Then it's, you know, obviously hockey and all the stuff goes on. When the time comes, the vibe will be full on. And then when the foreign fans come into America and bring their energy, yeah, there's no question. This is going to be incredible. Is that the Super Bowl? Waiting for Casey to come over, have some dinner. Maybe he just left me. He never came. Was Casey at the Super Bowl? Because I was at the Super Bowl as well. I didn't get it. Casey has friends in high places at Nobu, but we never get the invite. Okay, okay. I thought you were the vibes king. All right, well speaking of vibes, Arsenal Arby, having all the vibes in the Premier League, but they're in action, a way to Mansfield town, little cheeky trip up north in the fifth round of the FA Cup.

1:16:10Saturday, 7.15 a.m., it's an early one for kickoff, but please join us 13 minutes before on ESPN Plus. Set pieces incoming. Set pieces incoming indeed. All right, well, it's been a long show, but like we said, it's been a lot to talk about. We are building the vibe, Jeff wants to vibe 100 days out from the FIFA World Cup right here. We're going to try and give Jeff some more vibes in Jackson with maybe some Sasson. I don't even know yet. But that's it for the edition of Football America. Thank you so much for hanging out with all of us. Thanks to Casey Keller as well for joining us from Seattle, I believe, where he's still celebrating. Oh, no, he's from, he's in Idaho. Right. But he's still celebrating the Seahawks when we hope that you will celebrate with us on the next edition of Football America. Oh, from 30 for 30 podcasts.

1:17:16Brian Pada, senior defensive lineman for Miami. Gunned down. The key to this case, it's Brian. Before he died, he was on the phone arguing what's about. This might be a hit. You want the truth. They just want a conviction in place of your rest. We had to kill our monsters murder at the U. Listen now.