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- [00:00]
A
Foreign.
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B
Hello, and welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. As you know, I've made this plain. I am still very much in the grips of World cup fever. Alexi Lawless joins me now. The greatest living American soccer player.
- [00:24]
A
Oh, wow.
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B
Alexi. Welcome back to Kennedy Saves the World.
- [00:27]
A
That's good. You wrote it or read it? I guess. Like, I wrote it. I love it. That's good. You look wonderful. You sound wonderful. I know you are like a lot of people in the throes of this incredible summer relative to soccer. So appreciate so many people coming into the soccer tent this summer.
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B
So let's talk about the most important issue. Landon Donovan's hair. Great hair transplant.
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A
Yeah. It's a topic of conversation both on air and off air. Lengthy conversation. Yeah. Landon, to his credit, he owns it. He laughs as much at himself as others laugh at it. And look, if it makes him feel better, I told him, I said, dude, you're a good looking guy. You don't. You just shave it.
- [01:12]
B
It's fantastic, right? And he should absolutely lean into it because there's so many guys out there who, like, I really want to go to Turkey and get a hair transplant. It's like you could have shown an IMAX movie on his forehead before, and now he looks like a handsome elder statesman GQ model.
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A
Well, there you go. I'm going to tell him you said that so he'll. He'll appreciate that. So whatever, you know, whatever, whatever you need to get by, I'm cool with it. And again, he's. He is very, very cool with it. So it gives us something to talk about.
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B
What an emotional roller coaster it has been for fans of soccer, new fans of soccer, for the US Men's national team, because they gave us so much belief and so much hope from that. That very first game with four goals, everyone watching was like, holy hot dogs, this is it. This is the World cup where the Americans have gelled. They're good, they're competitive, they can attack, they've got set pieces. I don't really. I kind of know what set pieces are, but I just wanted to say that to sound.
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A
I love that you threw that out there. You sound so sophisticated when you say that. Yeah.
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B
So. And then, like, they crushed the vibe, losing to Belgium 4 to 1. Like, first game they win 4 to 1. Last game, they lose 4 to 1. What happened in between?
- [02:31]
A
Yeah. So it's the hope that kills you, right? And you start off and, oh, my goodness, this is something special. I think it's justified and fair for all of us, including myself, to feel like this was going to be something special. And in many points it was. And so we're in this situation where the. The last game, you picked your worst day to play your worst game, and that's what's going to leave a taste in everybody's mouth, especially after all the good stuff. And I can scream and yell and talk about in totality and all the wonderful things that happened, but the reality is that they ultimately didn't end up doing anything more than any other team has done from a competitive standpoint. Now, the way that they inspired and brought people into the tent and excited people, that's important and that is part of the bigger picture. But, you know, the time for moral victories when it comes to our men's soccer team are done. So I was disappointed. I know a lot of people disappointed. I was at times angry. I know a lot of people were angry in the. It's not that they lost, it's the way in which they lost. They completely capitulated against this Belgium team in this moment where this was supposed to be the game, the round of 16, to send us into some. Some rarefied air. And so that's what's disappointing because all of that goodwill that had been amassed through the tournament with what you with was some really good performances and this personality and everything like that. It wasn't all squandered, but it just looks very, very different now when we're talking about it. And the narrative would have been completely different had they gotten through against Belgium. Now you're, like I said, you're in some rarefied area. You're playing against Spain and you take your chances against Spain. But still, all in all, I still say it's a successful campaign, but it could have been a whole lot more. And that's what's a little bit. No, that's a lot disappointing.
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B
So was this men's team was the point of paying Pacetti so much money and the culmination of the youth soccer push, was it supposed to peak for the US team in 2026? Because we're hosting the World cup because of that.
- [04:37]
A
You know, there's nothing better than World cup except for a home World Cup. And there is a magic that you have to harness. Also, keep in mind, back in 2022, the US was the second youngest team at. So, I mean, almost part of that is. All right, well, we're going to extrapolate it out and we're going to evolve and we're going to grow and progress and therefore we'll be much more mature. And a lot of the players that we saw in 22 did matriculate and become players that we saw in 2026. So you're hoping that they are now seasoned and not losing this game in the way that they did. And it was, you know, and you could tell right from the first whistle in that Belgium game that it was not going to be a good day for the US they were off individually, they were off collect. It was a weird vibe in the stage.
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B
What have you heard about that? So. So what have you heard about the team being off?
- [05:27]
A
You know, I mean, look, there's. There's all of the talk relative to Baligan, who was a huge, huge star through the tournament and obviously was not scheduled to play. But in all of the. All of that noise when it comes to it, I think that's a weak argument, and I think that's a weak excuse that it was too much for the players to handle. No, I don't think that's right at all. As a matter of fact, I love the fact that the United States Soccer Federation and the leadership when it comes to soccer, and let's be honest, the leadership when it comes to America had the back of this player who we all felt received an injustice in that moment, didn't mean that anything was going to happen. But you want people to stand up and fight for what they believe is right and fight on your behalf. I love that that happened.
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B
And if that, I agree completely. But my worry is, and I saw this with Coco Gauff last weekend when, you know, she lost the semifinal by one tiebreak point because she had, you know, a mental glitch. And that was it. It was like one glitch. She's out of the final. And I was looking that, and I was like, American athletes are very tough. They, you know, this. This American fortitude and this spirit, like, I can conquer, I can do anything, is totally real. But I also think there's a side of that. I think there is a side of American athletes, not just soccer, where American younger athletes are soft. And I think when they fall apart a little bit, they fall apart completely.
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A
Yeah. So grumpy old Kennedy is my favorite Kennedy. It's wonderful. And look, I've been there before you, and I try so hard not to. Grumpy old man. These types of things.
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B
See it in the Olympics, too.
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A
All right, that's fine. Well, you know, then it's on us, because we're the ones that have raised this generation to be weak and lack Fortitude. When it comes to the mental.
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B
The mental capacity, it's not weakness, it's not lack of fortitude. It's when a little bit of weakness creeps in, it's like the whole house kind of falls down.
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A
Yeah. So, I mean, I don't. So how do you. How do you. How do you rectify that situation?
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B
How do you send them to Siberia and let them train in the snow and ice and drag logs around?
- [07:41]
A
Right. I mean, it's, It's. It was written and it was up on the screen. We saw it. Right. That's the way. That's, that's the way back. Right. To get the eye of the tiger back, if you will. So, I mean, you know, I don't. Again, I don't. I don't want to call out other generations as weak. They went through very different times both on and off the field that I did. But, yeah, you hope that at some point, especially where, as you know, when we get to this point, the margins are so small. And so that mental ability to withstand pressure from the outside, to stand pressure even, that you're putting on yourself, certainly pressure on the inside, the competition within a competition, that happens of a team, that's ultimately what makes good athletes and successful athletes.
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B
But, okay, but just let's compare the last US Men's game with the last US Cape Verde game. Because Cape Verde, they were fighting to the very end. And I was watching the Americans thinking, like, if. Because Cape Verde has to fight like that, they have no choice. Americans, it's like, yeah, well, you know, if we go soft for a day, we got plenty of choices. You know, we're going to be influencers and social media stars. We'll still have sponsors and, and maybe. Maybe that's it. Maybe they have too many choices. And I'm not saying take the choices away from them. I'm saying look at a program like Cape Verde and look at what those players did and the fight they had in them. And it's like as a soccer fan trying to convince people who now hate soccer, maybe they did before this World cup because they felt burned because they bought in and their fandom went unrewarded.
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A
Yeah, but hold on a second. Hold on.
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B
How do you get American players to fight?
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A
Hold on a second. You're comparing Cape Verde to the United States. I have seen you time and time again, I love watching you on television. I've seen you time and time again go on television and talk about how wonderful this country is and the opportunity that provides and the millions of people that want to come to experience that wealth and that opportunity. So you can't have it both ways. All right, if it is this wonderful, and I do believe Americans, we can
- [09:46]
B
have it both ways.
- [09:48]
A
What do you mean? Because we ultimately, in this moment, are taking it for granted. Now, we may lament the fact that we are taking it for granted, but this is what we have created, and that's why so many people do want to come to our country. So when our athletes have other options and other opportunities and other pathways, and the consequences and the ramifications of losing or not doing well are not as dire as other nations and countries, there's nothing that you can do other than say, all right, well, let's just get rid of all the wealth, get rid of all the opportunities.
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B
That's not what I'm saying.
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A
What are you saying?
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B
Absolutely not. I'm saying there has to be a way. Like, if it is something mental. And you said this, you said that Chetty was hired for the mental aspect of it. He was hired to get them over whatever. Whatever collective slump they found themselves in. And I do think that is mental. And once, and it's not just this soccer team, once American athletes can figure that out and tap into it, there's no stopping the US like, every moment will be a Jack Hughes moment, scoring that gold medal goal.
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A
Okay, I will say this. When you're bringing up Cape Verde, all right, Cape Verde reason why they were able to do what they did is because absolutely, they were mentally strong. They were physically strong. They were a lot better than people gave them credit for. And they were in that incredibly comfortable role that the US at times from the men's side has always occupied. Where we were kind of underdogs in this World cup for the first time, we were favored. We were favored to come out of our group. We were favored to win our group. We were favored in that new round of 32 game against Bosnia. And then maybe we weren't favored, but we were on par. At least the belief was that we were on par with this Belgium team that kind of came out. And maybe that's. Maybe that's the final hurdle for this team to cross is to make that transition from the comfortableness that we have as underdogs. This is, in a soccer sense, obviously, into an elite where people expect you to win. And that is a very different type of existence.
- [11:59]
B
If you were the coach of the men's team, and I think you would
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A
be a phenomenon, they got enough problems.
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B
How would you cultivate that? How do you inspire yeah.
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A
So you start it early on. I don't want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. But there is an element of you have to start it very, very young, and you cultivate a, you know, a ethos, philosophy, whatever it. Whatever it is, you know. But again, I'm like a proud parent. Okay. We all want more and better for our children. We don't want them to have to go through what we went through in different areas. This is human nature, right? So when I see this U.S. men's National Team, and I see the 70 staff that they have and the facilities that they have and every single thing they want, they are catered for. And whether it's food or whether it's travel, all these different things, I can look at it and I can say, oh, they don't. They don't appreciate it and they don't like it, but this is what we fought for. This is what we've kind of created. So it is. It is on us. And what am I going to do? I might take away all that and to your point, try to get back to the eye of the tiger. Maybe you do, and maybe you do get back down and get raw and take. Take away some of the opportunity in order to have them fully appreciate it and go beyond what that opportunity sometimes can limit you.
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B
Or maybe we Luke Skywalker them, you're Yoda, you blindfold them and send them onto the field.
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A
Beautiful.
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B
Be like play now.
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A
Beautiful. Just have them sense the ball.
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B
Exactly. Don't go anywhere more. Kennedy saves the world right after this.
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A
And we're live on match day as Doug reaches for a buffalo wing. He's got it. Oh, and he's gone for a can of Pepsi, too. What a finish. There's no doubt about it. It just tastes. Match days deserve Pepsi. Cheers to America's 250th birthday. Get 20 off your first purchase at foxnewswineshop.com with code FNRADIO 2020. Discount excludes wine club offers and cannot be combined with any other promotion. Expires July 31, 2026. Must be 21. Order to order. Please drink responsibly.
- [14:12]
B
All right, so now we've got Argentina, Spain, which is kind of a cool matchup, except for the Argentina part. I really wanted England to win because I wanted a team. Like, it was obvious these. These final four teams have all won the World cup, but I wanted someone to win who hasn't won in the last two World Cups to be in the final, and I felt for England, but now we have Argentina, Spain. So for Americans who still have this love and we have, you know, this displaced enthusiasm, where should we place it?
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A
Okay, so first, who should we be rooting for? So first off, can I just, first off, to speak to those Americans that are watching and listening to your show that I know come into the tent. All right. And I said, I've said this before to you, don't ever apologize for what we are as a soccer playing nation. All right? We should lean into it. We should be proud. Also, never apologize for how much or little you know about the sport. One of the things, the worst things that we do in American soccer is kind of gatekeep and we're kind of snobby and elitist when it comes to people.
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B
You can't stand that in any sport.
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A
Well, you know, but you know, I mean, you were heavily involved and still are when it comes to music. You know, it's like a band that you see in a little club and it's yours and you saw them with nobody there and then they get big and you kind of have to share it with the world and you're like, well, you don't know what, you know, their, you know, their, their first album that came out that only sold 10 copies or something. So that there's a part of being willing to give it away. All right. When it comes to this, this fight anyway. So all of that is to say is everybody's opinion. I love the fact that there are so many pinges that so many people are talking about soccer both on and off the field because of this World Cup. It's a wonderful byproduct. World Cup. When it comes to this final, we have two very distinct and different types of teams. On the one hand, you have this incredibly refined, white collar, elite type of team that is Spain, that doesn't let the opposition even have the ball. They won back in 2010, they're back at the World cup final here. On the other hand, you have this Argentina team that while they are the defending champions, they love the knife fight. They will cut you. And there is a ruthlessness and a rawness and a blue collar type of mentality. They have gone to the well time, time, time and time again this World Cup. We'll see if there's still any water when it comes to this Spanish team, but it's just a contrasting of styles in this final. It's going to be fun.
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B
So a lot of people are making a big deal that Messi gave and I can't remember the kid's Name.
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A
It's like Lamine, your mom.
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B
Yeah, man, exactly right. That he bathed him when he was a baby.
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A
Right.
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B
And now here they are facing off in the World Cup. What do you make of those photos?
- [16:55]
A
It's incredible. I will say this. When it comes to Messi, he's once again proving that he is not even human in this tournament. The messy worship, and I will use it, worship, there is something spiritual, there is something religious in the way that Argentinians look at him and normal people look at him too, out there. So this type of baptismal image of him is actually fitting for the godlike status that he. That he has.
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B
Oh, he has. Like, I was in Buenos Aires in May there, you know, and there are statues in saintly images of him pretty much everywhere. It is. It is hysterical. And people like, you know, this is before the World cup in messy jerseys all the time under business suits like they. They love. And he means so much to their country.
- [17:50]
A
It's, it's. And. And we are seeing him still at the top of his game. I think the conversation and the debate about who's the greatest of all time, if he were to win this game on Sunday and again back to back, hasn't been done since 58 and 62 with Brazil, it gets harder and harder to argue anybody else in terms of the goat. If he were to do that without winning this Sunday. It's just an amazing thing to see. And to your point, the reverence that people have, and not just Argentinians, by the way, but certainly Argentinians for who this player is. He's unassuming. If he was, I'm here in New York City, and if you saw him walking down the streets of New York and you didn't know anything about soccer, you wouldn't say, hey, there goes the greatest of all time. Because, you know, he's not very tall, he's not necessarily very fast, but he has a sense for what happens on the field. He understands the mathematics of the game and the geometry of the game, and it's just amazing thing to see.
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B
Stu did a great job. He was my favorite color person watching when I was watching the games, calling the game.
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A
Oh, Stu Holden. I love him. I'll tell him he said so.
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B
Yeah, he's a superstar. I appreciate that. That Carly Lloyd was really fiery. Not a huge Zlatan fan, whatever. Like, great, you know, welcome aboard. Super fun. But you are amazing. You are the best to ever do it. And I cannot wait to watch the final. I know you're going to be there at MetLife and just embrace the moment. And thank you for continuing to keep us believing in the beautiful game.
- [19:22]
A
Alexa oh, that's, that's so nice of you to say. Can I just say one thing before we go to your listeners? I love the fact that we have gotten to view our country through the lens of this World Cup. It has given us perspective, I think needed perspective when people have come over from outside and seen our country and the, the way that they appreciate it, maybe more so than even we do. Been wonderful to see. It's a wonderful byproduct of this again, of this, this World cup that has been, as you said, the most successful World cup in history, both on and off the field. We're going to finish strong this week, keep people safe, have people have a good time. And the legacies when it comes to everything that we've seen on and off the field are going to continue to be found as we get further and further away from it. So thank you so much.
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B
Beautifully said, Alexi. I'm so glad you pointed that out. This has been Kennedy Saves the World. Go save soccer. Along with Alexi Lawless. I'm Kennedy Listen ad free With a Fox News Podcast plus subscription on Apple Podcasts and Amazon prime. Members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News Podcast Network.