Jonathan Zaslow's World Cup Update | Hour 1

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show – Episode Summary

“Jonathan Zaslow’s World Cup Update | Hour 1”

Date: July 8, 2026
Location: Live from the Elser Hotel, Downtown Miami
Host: Dan Le Batard
Panel: Mike Ryan, Tony, Jeremy, Zas (Jonathan Zaslow), Craig, special mention Greg Cody

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Overview

This energetic episode finds Dan Le Batard and the crew at the peak of World Cup fever, dissecting U.S. Soccer, memorable tournament moments, and American sporting culture. Alongside the beautiful game, the show weaves in pop culture, wrestling returns, a notorious podcast “cuck” debate, grilling mishaps, and local South Florida flavor. The conversation is witty, passionate, and critical—the trio delivers hard takes on the fate and future of the U.S. Men’s National Team, with Christian Pulisic as a central focus.

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Key Segments & Discussion Points

1. World Cup Fixation, Controversy & Highlights

(01:19–04:03)

• Goal Controversies: The show opens with Egypt’s Mustafa Ziko claiming, "It's clear that this tournament has been fixed." (01:19, Mike Ryan)
• Impartiality Issues: Dan and Mike critique how questionable officiating and tournament decisions (like Inter Miami's path) erode fans’ trust (01:42, Dan).
• Tournament Classics: Dan marvels at the “electric” and all-time classic games, particularly highlighting Argentina and Cabo Verde's dramatic run—"That's how you end the movie, folks." (03:48, Dan)

2. Zaslow's (Comedic) "World Cuck Update"

(02:32–06:05)

• Bit of a Running Gag: Mike “punishes” Zaslow by making him deliver a World Cup (or “World Cuck”) segment, ribbing him for slipping up earlier (02:27, Mike Ryan).
• Wrestling Sidebar: Zaslow pivots to CM Punk’s WWE return in Chicago—a big fanfare moment, joking about mixing up Daft Punk and CM Punk (04:14, Dan).
• Pop Culture Parallels: Zaslow references Billy Corben’s “God Forbid” documentary with a wild story on Liberty University’s Falwell family scandal, connecting the World Cup “cuck” wordplay (05:02–06:05).

3. Adam22, Cuckoldry in Pop Culture, and Podcast Infinity

(06:05–08:19)

• Who's Adam22? The crew banters about Adam22, labeled “America’s most famous cuck,” jesting at Zaslow's feigned ignorance and how these stories outpace even the Falwell scandal (07:07, Mike Ryan).
• Podcast Industry Risks: Dan reflects: "Adam doesn't make waves. He makes tsunamis." (08:06, feedback received from a producer on Adam22).

4. U.S. Soccer: Disappointment & Systemic Critique

(08:24–18:51 & 19:28–36:45)

• Was the World Cup a Success for USA?
  • Mike alone argues advancing to the round of 16 is a success, drawing college football analogies ("Louisville, Memphis...Cincinnati—thrilled to be 19th," 09:44).
  • Craig counters: "I didn't get a sense this is an American team that thinks it can win...The goal that Matt Freese gave up was just diabolically embarrassing." (09:44–10:00)
  • Mike insists U.S. soccer is "new" on the world stage: "Best American soccer players have to do what WNBA players were doing recently: you have to go somewhere else to get the big money." (10:53)
• Pay-to-Play Woes: Dan and Zas detail America’s structural barriers—youth systems centered on money and exclusion versus Europe’s club-funded player development:
  • "We are the only developed western country that does not fund its Olympic sports." (16:03, Dan)
  • “It is the money—people cannot afford in this country to play the world's most accessible game.” (36:10, Dan)
• How Europe Does It: Scouting children as young as three based on “one elite skill," reflecting deep investment in youth by parent clubs (18:04, Dan).
• Cultural Cachet Problem: Mike points out soccer's low status among young athletes in the U.S. compared to football, basketball, baseball, and even hockey (34:58, Mike Ryan).

5. Christian Pulisic: Rise, Fall & National Frustration

(18:51–26:40)

• Heated Critique:
  • Carly Lloyd, Landon Donovan, and Sydney LeRoux (via X/social) and the entire panel lambaste Pulisic for subbing off and saying post-loss, "Now it’s time to get rest. So it'll be okay." (21:12, Dan)
  • Dan: "For him to still talk about like it's a pre2026 issue… you were saving your body for this. The moment came and went. You were especially bad. And then you have that quote afterwards, brother, get out of here. That's it. Enjoy Austin FC, right?" (24:19, Dan)
  • Mike: "He's really getting crushed because...when you take American entitlement and wrap it with American expectation...what you get is really rabid sports opinions that people have not had on soccer in the last four years." (25:27)
• Transition Moment: They discuss whether Pulisic can remain USMNT’s face or if it's time to turn the page, referencing the pressure American stars like Zion Williamson have faced before fans turn on them (26:40, Dan).

6. Systemic Solutions: What’s Next?

(33:03–36:45)

• Long Road Ahead:
  • U.S soccer is still "toddlers" compared to the 100+ year legacies of others—Dan and Mike urge patience and major investments in youth and club systems.
  • To replicate women’s side dominance (fueled by Title IX), men’s youth development needs similar cultural urgency and support (34:25, Dan).

7. Miami & July 4th Anecdotes, Listener Stories & Local Vibes

(38:03–41:54)

• Tony’s Cookout Catastrophe: After a retelling of his July 4th cookout, Tony admits to stabbing himself with a spatula while prepping burgers, sparking laughs and informal Twitter poll ideas (39:32, Tony; 40:47, Mike Ryan).
• Listener Interactions: Tony shares a funny encounter with a fan at the grill.

8. Miscellaneous Sports Bits

(41:54–43:19)

• Marlins, Wimbledon, and News Cycles:
  • Light catch-up on baseball (Marlins, “the big dumper”), tennis (Coco Gauff at Wimbledon), and anticipation over LeBron James possibly making his next career announcement on the show’s anniversary ("He’s effing with everyone. I think we’re still weeks away." 42:55, Zaslow).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s clear that this tournament has been fixed.”
  — Mustafa Ziko (quoted by Mike Ryan, 01:19)

• “All the load management, all the coddling…This nation has suffered because of how we have treated him [Pulisic] with kid gloves…For that to be the tone-deaf response after you just got eliminated…we’re done.”
  — Dan Le Batard (21:54)

• “[US Soccer] is the only developed western country that does not fund its Olympic sports. We have a pay-to-play system in soccer especially…”
  — Dan Le Batard (16:03)

• On Adam22:

  • “He makes tsunamis.” (08:06, Dan)
  • “I don’t know who would finish second right now in terms of famous cuck.” (07:29, Mike Ryan)

• “Living up to expectations is not success. To me, the round of 16 is the United States’ purgatory.”
  — Craig (31:42)

• “Soccer’s low on the list [for cultural cachet]...You have to have cultural cachet—like, it’s got to be important to a kid to be popular…”
  — Mike Ryan (34:58)

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• 01:19: Egypt’s Ziko accuses World Cup of being “fixed”
• 03:13–03:48: Argentina and Cabo Verde games praised as all-time classics
• 04:14–04:54: CM Punk’s WWE return, compared to Messi’s late-career resurgence
• 05:02–06:05: Billy Corben's "God Forbid" doc and "World Cuck Update" jokes
• 08:24–10:53: Debate on whether USMNT’s performance is a success
• 16:03–18:51: Problems and solutions for U.S. soccer’s pay-to-play model
• 19:28–24:19: Pulisic’s fitness, leadership, and national disappointment
• 31:42–33:14: Defining "success" for U.S. men's soccer and American impatience
• 38:03–40:51: Tony’s July 4th cookout disaster and listener encounter

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Final Thoughts / Takeaways

The episode delivers a passionate, sometimes comedic, and always opinionated take on the current state of American soccer, placing the World Cup in a broader context of systemic, cultural, and individual shortcomings. The hosts are unsparing in their critique of the USMNT—with particular focus and frustration directed toward Christian Pulisic—and urge fundamental changes to youth development and culture if the U.S. is ever to matter in global soccer. Light moments involving wrestling, pop culture, and family traditions provide that signature Le Batard blend of sports and irreverence.

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For Future Listening

• When it comes to US sports, be ready for equal parts humor, hard truth, and grand analogies.
• Don't mess up grilling around Tony—he'll turn it into both comedy and trauma.
• If you’re ever called onto Zaslow’s “World Cuck Update”…brace yourself.

Transcript

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Craig]

This episode of the Dan LeBatard show is presented by DraftKings Sports. DraftKings the Crown is yours.

[Mike Ryan]

A couple of those Egypt goals, including the one that was disallowed. Zico was the goal scorer, Egypt's Mustafa Ziko. And his quote is the following quote it's clear that this tournament has been fixed. End quote. It's clear you just don't see that very much. Like it's just it's not that plainly stated.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's what they wrote. It's what they brought on with the Baligan thing. I'm telling you, that's why optics matter. In a sport that is supposed to aspire to objectivity, they famously have officials that have zero ties to to either of the countries because there's supposed to be impartiality here and growing suspicions. Things that you can point to. Yeah, Inter Miami making the club World cup is a little weird, but whatever. They just made it up. But it just adds fuel. And when you have the Baligan thing burst through the dam now you've allowed for everything to have credence.

[Zas]

The goalie can't be the one who says that because if he stopped the shots they would win.

[Dan Le Batard]

But it wasn't the goalie, it was the goal scorer. Who is the goal scorer?

[Jeremy]

Oh, you're such a professional.

[Mike Ryan]

Big difference.

[Jeremy]

Quite the opposite actually.

[Mike Ryan]

I'm gonna punish you by making you do a World cup segment. I'm going to.

[Zas]

I got lots of say on World cup.

[Mike Ryan]

Okay? I'm going to punish you and you deserve it for that mistake.

[Craig]

Hey, make sure you're not late.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's time for Zaslo's world cuck update.

[Zas]

I mean, I don't know what that was. Trying to do a World cup update. The hell you doing there? I do have a few more things I want to say, Dan, as far as the World cup is concerned now, because yesterday was the final round of 16 game. You know what comes next. You know what's next after round of 16.

[Dan Le Batard]

I cannot believe how electric this World cup has been.

[Jeremy]

It really has been so good.

[Dan Le Batard]

All the. We finally have the good matches that. That give life to this being one of the greatest tournaments of all time. We were missing those bangers in Argentina and back to back matches give us instant classic after instant class. The Cabo Verda game was insane against all time African underdogs. They run up against the greatest player at the tail end of his career. Still having enough for one last shot.

[Tony]

Let me tell you what that 13 on Cabo.

[Dan Le Batard]

What a shot.

[Tony]

Shot of the tournament.

[Dan Le Batard]

Did you see a bent and how about those pants? Did you see a bent Dan? Literal movies.

[Tony]

It was crazy.

[Dan Le Batard]

He runs into the sand, gets over, finds his lady.

[Craig]

Boom.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's. That's how you end the movie, folks. That. That is looking.

[Craig]

And.

[Tony]

And the security was like, no, no, go back.

[Dan Le Batard]

And he said, no, where is she? That's love right there.

[Tony]

She's got to know also to come down the stairs. What are you doing?

[Zas]

I'm the one who.

[Mike Ryan]

This your second topic, Zaz. Do you have another world cuck topic?

[Zas]

Well, I'll tell you what. I. All right. I don't know why you're saying it like that, but anyway, I have other things that I want to talk about. You know what? You can't take this away from me. I don't know if you saw Monday night.

[Dan Le Batard]

This past Monday night, CM Punk returns to WWE after months away and all sorts of rumor and innuendo. He's not on the on the right side with tko, comes back in his hometown of Chicago and beats Sami Zayn whose title reign lasts about a week. Much fanfare in Chicago.

[Jeremy]

CM Punk related to Daft Punk at all?

[Dan Le Batard]

No, not at all.

[Craig]

Oh really?

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, but see, Daft Punk's good. Not unlike Messi later in his career finding top form. His body looking incredible. You know what? This might set up Cody Rhodes versus CM Punk at SummerSlam.

[Zas]

Greg Cody Rhodes, SummerSlam.

[Craig]

I want to talk about this. Well done, Jeremy.

[Mike Ryan]

Your third topic of this World Cuck Update.

[Zas]

You know what? Actually, I'll allow you to call it that here, because there's a movie that just came out that I want to watch. It's by our pal Billy Corbin. It's called God, that's not just coming out.

[Mike Ryan]

Five years documentary in the history of Hulu came out.

[Dan Le Batard]

You saw the movie. What did you think?

[Mike Ryan]

It was excellent.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yes. Why don't you have a turn here?

[Mike Ryan]

It went pre screening. It went deeper into religious power and cookery than I've ever seen a documentary. I didn't get an advanced screen cliche.

[Dan Le Batard]

A pool boy.

[Mike Ryan]

This movie. Yes. And. And distinctly Cuban pool boy. Like, just not actually. A poor man. A very poor boy. A Cuban kid who's not fully grown up who was having sex with the wife of Jerry Falwell Sons. The President of Liberty. His wife. And he liked to watch it in a corner of the room while he was wearing. While he was wearing very little clothing.

[Zas]

This is why it's called World Cup.

[Mike Ryan]

All right, get back in this seat here. That. Get back in the seat here. That is a prominently featured seat. That concludes our first ever World Cuck Update. Excellent work by you. The end of the last hour, I thought, ended with perfect words and numbers together. When Mike Ryan ended the segment with just the words and numbers, Adam 22. But Greg and Zas were just staring at each other wildly confused. And I don't know how much of our audience. I really. I feel like I know our audience pretty well, generally. Just generally speaking, what our audience knows about and doesn't know about. But on this one, I'm not totally sure. So when the segment ended and Greg asked me, who's Adam22? I didn't get that. I was then in the awkward position of trying to explain to him he's probably America's most famous cuck at the moment. Even more famous than Falwell's kid, even though Billy Corbin did the God forbid documentary on Jerry Falwell.

[Tony]

So you just left it at world's biggest cuck at the moment. That's what you.

[Mike Ryan]

Well, I think. Well, what else would you like me to say, Podcaster?

[Dan Le Batard]

It's worked out for Adam 22.

[Tony]

Very much so.

[Mike Ryan]

Yeah. But he is famous. Not for being a podcast.

[Dan Le Batard]

It was cute that Zaz was pretending he didn't know who he was.

[Zas]

I have no idea who that is.

[Dan Le Batard]

Sure. I think you see that guy and you're like goals.

[Zas]

I'm a look him up now.

[Dan Le Batard]

I. Yeah, Google him.

[Mike Ryan]

I don't know who would finish second place right now in terms of famous cuck doesn't likes to watch his wife have sex with others. For those of you not familiar, I've

[Zas]

seen this guy before.

[Mike Ryan]

So that was. Are you going to do the show, Mike? Do you think you will? Indeed, I have to.

[Dan Le Batard]

I have to do a little bit more research because I don't want to make waves for the company. I don't know the full history there. Admittedly, there's only a couple of things I know about it. Adam, 22 and I expressed this. Let me check and research and make sure I don't make waves here for metal arc. And the response from the producer was, Adam doesn't make waves. He makes tsunamis. So good bar by that guy. Give me a little. That guy knows what he's doing. He works with a lot of great talents. Afroman one of them and Killer Mike another one of them. So I'd like to be in that family, but I also gotta do some research.

[Tony]

Just be careful what show you get booked for. You never know. All of a sudden you got a lot of explaining to do to your wife.

[Mike Ryan]

I want to have the conversation Scooby Doo with Greg Cody about the United States soccer team because Christian Pulisic is getting crushed by everyone. It is loud. And yesterday on the show we were having the conversation about whether or not the World cup was a success for the United States. I maintain, and I'm the only one here who maintains it because the volume has gotten really loud around this team, that the United States met very middling expectations and therefore advancing to games that matter. And the ground of 16, I believe is a success. And I think of them, I don't know what would they be if they were a college football program? Louisville, Memphis. Like the United States would be somebody who's always around 16, around 17, around 20 others receiving votes. Like, what would. What would be the program that would best represent in college football what the United States actually is on merit? Not what you expected because they were a host country and all of a sudden they were favorites in five games and you expected them to beat Belgium and they end up disappointing you. Would it have been a failure if the last game they lose in penalty kicks or they lose one, nothing. Would you guys view this all as a failure? No, you. So it was the way the last game specifically went.

[Zas]

Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

Yes.

[Craig]

They embarrassed themselves. I didn't from the beginning, I didn't get a sense of this is an American team that thinks it can win. The goal that Matt Fries gave up was just diabolically embarrassing. Like unfathomably embarrassing.

[Mike Ryan]

The worst of the tournament, right?

[Craig]

The worst of the tournament. Tim Ream could have stopped a goal and didn't. He got Moss, he spent and Pulisic. Look, he's done being the face of this team. This team is not going to move forward if he's the best player. It's as simple as that. I don't expect them to have an Mbappe or somebody like that or Lamin Yamal. They got to come up with, with new talent. It's just not good enough. To your analogy college football, there's Cincinnati. They're the team that's thrilled to be 19th and 0. People think they're going to win the world Championship. You know, it's. It was very disappointing. It's not a successful tournament. They had an easy run. They had an easy run right up against Belgium and they should have won. Now, if they reach the quarterfinals, everybody says it's a successful tournament. Everybody.

[Mike Ryan]

Here's my perspective on this and I just, I really think that we don't have quite an appreciation for how the sport gets passed down in other countries where the sport is 100 years old. What's MLS? Is it even 30 years old? Like basically the best American soccer players have to do what WNBA players were doing recently. You have to go somewhere else to get the big money. You can't get it in this country. We are, whether you like to think so or not, new to this. I know it doesn't feel like it, cuz we've been talking about it for 40 years. But we do not have the pedigree of Belgium or any of these countries that have been playing soccer for 100 years.

[Dan Le Batard]

And when on the men's side.

[Mike Ryan]

On the men's side. When Zsas talks about yesterday, he says that he believes that American athletes, if they all went into soccer, that we would have the best team. And I understand how it is that he arrives at that appraisal. I would also say I'd frame the question differently. Go ahead and give all the other countries America's means and see if you don't find that the best athletes are also there who don't have access to some of the things our athletes are able to have access to. And so therefore they get into situations where they can play all of the other sports as well. You've seen when I, when I make the comparison of 30 or 40 years new to this You've seen the world catch up to the NBA and basketball, right? You've seen it happen since the NBA went global, and all of a sudden it became a thing everywhere where the cultural cachet of being great at that sport matters so much that everyone's fighting over the money. You've seen that happen in basketball. The world has caught up to the United States. It's going to take us about that long to start developing the same kind of soccer stars that will merit top 10 in this tournament instead of top 20.

[Dan Le Batard]

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[Mike Ryan]

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[Dan Le Batard]

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[Jeremy]

So my schedule gets a little chaotic this time of year. Most days I'm here at the Metal Arc studios and then I'm heading straight to another broadcasting or hosting gig. And especially in this Miami heat. It's insane. And not the Miami heat, but the Miami summer heat. I've been trying to keep at least one healthy habit consistent, and that's why I've been bringing Cachava's new travel packs with me. It's one less thing I have to worry about, which is great because I'm already spending enough mental energy figuring out what shirt is acceptable to wear on camera or hosting or on the show that I'm not going to get made fun of for. So I just throw one in my backpack and I've got an all in one nutrition shake ready whenever I need it. It's packed with plant based protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, greens, probiotics, electrolytes and more. So even when my schedule is all over the place, I know I'm getting something good in it. Tastes great, it's easy to take anywhere and there are no fillers. No nonsense. Take your daily ritual with you. Go to kachava.com and use code DAN for 15% off your first order. That's 15% off your first order. That's Cachava. K A C H A V A

[Zas]

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[Dan Le Batard]

Dan Levitar, the Packers winner.

[Zas]

The Bear lose. Bears lose.

[Dan Le Batard]

Jonathan Saslow.

[Zas]

Shitty. You want to know how that.

[Dan Le Batard]

What were the kids doing? This is the Dan Levitar show. Okay, so a lot to chew on there. I haven't had an opportunity to even speak about what happened there. But I do agree they found a way to burn up all the goodwill. That was the only way that they could do it. Get destroyed, look pathetic, be as bad as you were, while also having all the nightmares. Is freeze good enough? Is Tim Ream too old? Is he going to get caught in a bad spot? Is Pulisic too fragile? Is this team whose maturity has been questioned for an entire World cup cycle because of the backroom fighting and calling daddy to help bail you out of a situation? Is that all gonna play out? And in one singular match, it did. And by the way, politics got involved too. They reached out and took the World Cup. And I've spoken to some people around us, Soccer, they wish that stuff had never happened.

[Zas]

You happen to know.

[Dan Le Batard]

I happen to know. Like that put them in a. In a bad spot. So I would love to touch on Pulisic, but let's talk about, like, why we're where we're at.

[Zas]

So wise.

[Dan Le Batard]

We are the only developed western country that does not fund its Olympic sports. There are carve outs the world over for Olympic sports. We don't do that. We have a pay to play system in soccer especially, and the rest of the world. These clubs are incentivized.

[Zas]

I was reading about this yesterday. It's really interesting.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's like precious resources. You go into the favelas of Brazil, you find the next prodigy and you sell him for millions and millions of dollars to the next feeder club until it obviously ends up somewhere in Barcelona, Real Madrid territory. But that's the business model. You go out, you find, you scout, you develop, and you sell the player. And that's your business model. Here it's inverted.

[Zas]

I mean, I went through it here. My son played years of travel.

[Mike Ryan]

Soccer.

[Dan Le Batard]

Now it's like that. For basketball it's become that way. For basketball it's become that way. Especially for baseball. And by the way, on the international level, the US does not have the success that other countries have shown. So it's already caught up in some of the sports. But until this is changed, until you have local MLS clubs and this private model can see that, okay, maybe the coaches behind the scenes and these little travel teams don't make the money have it, people are going to make money off of this. If you change the system, just it's going to take time to template. It's going to take time for the clubs actually see a return on their investment. And nobody wants to stop the money train right now. They don't. You need to go out, you need to find a seven year old, you need to invest in their education, pay for their schooling, pay for their development and sell that player for millions of dollars. That takes time. You're telling me I won't get an ROI on this for maybe five to eight years, 10 years? No, thank you. Let's just keep it going. So that is the fundamental issue with U.S. soccer presently. And it's got to come to all the sports. It's only a matter of time. The reason why Europe is like this is not because they're socialist commies. They did this because they had 100 years heads up and found a system that worked.

[Zas]

So it wasn't always like this from the start.

[Dan Le Batard]

No. They had to find their way. I spoke to, when I worked with Chelsea, I spoke to a person that developed that was ahead of their academy. Like how do you even scout a 3 year old? How do you even do that? How do you scout a 3 year old for a parent club that is looking to either develop that player into a star for their, for themselves or sell that player later on. You find one thing that they are elite at 1, 1, 1 skill that flashes and you work with everything else. I'm like, I'm just astonished at how you can look at a three year old and make this investment. But it's happening. You see college athlete, college athleticism is going to make its way to this. When Link Kiffin offers, you know, a seven year old a scholarship, it's going to be that way. We are going to eventually find our way over to a European model. We're just playing 100 year catch up.

[Mike Ryan]

Greg, which of these do you find more interesting as subject matter? Men in blazers pointing out that the World cup quarterfinals will feature none of the 20 most populous nations on Earth, none of the top 20. Or Carli Lloyd saying on X about Pulisic, you rest when your playing career is over. Period. Every star American voice I have heard male or female. Landon Donovan as well, is just crushing Pulisic for taking himself out of a game where he lost possession 11 times in 45 minutes, more than anyone else on either team.

[Craig]

I think he merits all the criticism he's getting. He's the only star of this team. He's the only player we saw on TV commercials in the buildup to and during the World Cup. He's the star. He was supposed to be the leader and he did the opposite of lead. You can't blame him. He wasn't totally healthy in the World Cup.

[Mike Ryan]

Everyone's blaming him. What do you mean you can't blame him? You either blame him or don't, because everyone's blaming him.

[Craig]

Okay, let me finish. You can't blame him because he wasn't totally healthy in the cup during the cup run, but he was healthy enough to play and he was healthy enough to succeed when he plays. And he didn't. He didn't do that. He's worthy of all the criticism.

[Mike Ryan]

How do you know he was healthy enough to succeed when he plays if he played and didn't succeed?

[Craig]

Because he wouldn't have played if he wasn't able to play.

[Dan Le Batard]

Craig, let me help you out here, because over the course of his very charge career, I might add, a career that is decorated, a career that for my money is the single best career of a U.S. men's soccer player ever. He won a Champions League with Chelsea. In that run to the Champions League, he was the best player on the pitch, in my opinion. Against Real Madrid, for stretches on end, he was the best player in Syria.

[Craig]

Ah.

[Dan Le Batard]

The thing about the consensus is he's

[Mike Ryan]

the best American player there's ever been.

[Dan Le Batard]

Correct men's side easily. But throughout his entire career, we've been coddling him and he's been on a load management plan. He is obviously very fragile. He's small. He is prone to soft tissue injuries. We get that. The problem that everybody had outside of being dispossessed 11 times. And by the way, the one goal that the US did score was because Christian Pulisic had an involvement in the buildup. They just had nothing going. Nobody was good.

[Craig]

Good.

[Dan Le Batard]

I also am a fan of Bill Simmons's view on things, which is like that looked like a player that just realized he was no longer the most popular player, no longer the best player. He didn't get any of the headlines. It was all about. We, we. We moved on to Baligan. So his comments were after the match, now it's time to get rest. So it'll be okay. And Sydney LaRue was right in saying he rested the entire World Cup. Carly Lloyd, you rest when at the

[Mike Ryan]

end the of here's Landon Donovan's quote on this on the matter. The quote. The reality is he came out of a World cup knockout game at home with his legs still intact. You would have had to bleep and drag me off the field and I would have punched the doctor in the face and said, you're not taking me off the field. Put whatever you need to put in me, I'm staying on the field.

[Dan Le Batard]

I agree with that. It's a World cup because all the load management, all the coddling, the okay, you don't play in the, in the last Gold cup to help because we need your body ready for when you're in the prime of your career at 27 years old. This nation has suffered because of how we have treated him with kid gloves. For that to be the tone deaf response after you just got eliminated in a game that you kind of asked out of, it's over. There is no more time to rest. It was about being a Host Nation At 27 years old, you tone deaf fool. To have that quote after the match, buddy, we're done. Enjoy the Home Depot ribbon cutting ceremony. Enjoy being featured in the commercials four years from now. Enjoy being on the Fox broadcast. You are now yesterday's news.

[Craig]

Yeah, I don't think he'll play again for the usmnt. And remember when he elected to skip the Gold cup, he's taken showing Instagram photos of him on a beach in Hawaii or something. The optics were bad.

[Dan Le Batard]

The optics were bad and all this thing, this mess had happened at US Soccer with the Reynas and the Burhalters, all the questioning of maturity. He's been captain before. A lot of that stuff happened on his watch and we saw an immature nightmare play out on the field in which he was one of the main attractions for and everything played out. Are you going to be that dog? Are you going to be healthy? Are you going to tell your body? Not today. Sorry. We've turned the page. Christian Pulisic, Enjoy mls. You are no longer the face of this organization. We are moving past you.

[Mike Ryan]

Put it on the poll please. Pulisic. Tone deaf fool. Yes or no At Lebatard show he's getting hammered because he played poorly but he's also getting hammered by the dual criticisms. And this one stings is we have to have someone to blame when that's the result because the blame is going to go everywhere and he's our most famous player, so the expectations go to die with him. But also he was the biggest problem. You can blame everyone else, but you don't even know the names of some of those people. Most of the casual fans, most of the people. I can't tell you how many of my friends are reaching out with. Oh, good soccer friends. I can go back to hating soccer now. Not soccer friends. I can go back anti soccer, fugazi soccer friends. My anti soccer friends, because they perform like that.

[Dan Le Batard]

That's what they gave people. That's what they armed people with. And out of all the players, he couldn't have said that. I'm telling you, it's been a decade plus where we're like, be careful. Christian's our best shot. He has to be our best player in 2027. And for him to still talk about like it's a pre 2020, a pre2026 issue. I'll save my body. Save your body for what, pal? You were saving your body for this. You didn't play in the Gold cup for this, right? Yeah, we were constantly calling in favors to the clubs that you're at. Please be careful with Christian for this moment. The moment came and went. You were especially bad. And. And then you have that quote afterwards, brother, get out of here. That's it. Enjoy. Austin fc, right?

[Craig]

I think his entire career, his entire future really deflated in the game against Belgium. Now you can't oversell how crushing it was. It's a two to one game and freeze makes that awful play, coming out of goal and then having the ball turned around and put in the net while he's staring at it. You can't overplay how crushing that was. But I blame Pulisic for a lot of what happened the other night. Just awful.

[Mike Ryan]

He's really getting crushed because what has happened here that has caught me a little off guard in terms of the volume around this. When you take American entitlement and wrap it with American expectation, what you get is really rabid sports opinions that people have not had on soccer in the last four years because they wanted to go and feel good about their country. Look, it's harder than it's been for a minute to feel good about the country given everything that's going on with it. And so the amount of expectation I thought wrapped around this team was unreasonable, given what I've seen the last 40 years and given what I saw over the course of this tournament where you. The volume has gotten so loud that I feel like I'm on an island saying, look, they performed to about what their expectations are.

[Craig]

Are.

[Mike Ryan]

It's who they are. They were favored against Belgium, but a small favorite, and it was based on home country. And I was surprised that they were small favorites just because. Does anyone not pay attention to what this team has been, not just the last 40 years, recently as well. You should not expect them to win a round of 16 game against anybody. Really. Like, that's not a. That's not a reasonable expectation in my lifetime.

[Dan Le Batard]

You know what's been going on with Zion his entire career, where it's taken forever for Pelicans fans to finally crush the guy because we can't have him be the sour superstar. If he's ever healthy, we need him to resign with us. If he's ever healthy, we got a shot. And then it eventually gets to a place where you're like, man, get this guy out of here. That's where we are. With Christian, this was people biting their tongues for years because of how we all understood he was our best chance. I maintain that as disappointing as he was, I maintain our only shot in that game was creating space for Christian. Having him take on people. That was the only way we were ever getting back in that game. He is the most talented men's player we have ever had. But I've been biting my tongue for years on his attitude. I've been biting my tongue for years on his fragility. I've been biting my tongue for years on his mindset. And for that to be the quote after that performance, a performance that burnt up so much goodwill for U.S. soccer, something that we were talking about, we are going to feel this impact for generations to come. For him to be the one to say that shows you how weird and corroded his world became with all this babying. We're not babying you anymore, man. You're. You're a fully finished product. You are 27 years old. We're done with you now. We're done with that. You want back into this team, you're gonna have to stay healthy. You want back in this team, you're gonna have to grow from this. You want. You want all the commercials and adulation? Fine. Let that be your legacy. But this is going to be the first thing people think about now unless you change. For 22 years on this show, we've debated the greatest athletes of all time. Who's the goat in football? Who's the goat in soccer? Who's the goat in hoops? One thing that we all know is Dan's the goat of finding the worst possible take. But there's another kind of MVP goat that doesn't get enough credit. The friend who knows to show up with enough Miller Lights plus extra ice because they just know the one who already has seats at the bar when you walk up up. That is a Miller Time nvp. I've been on this show long enough to know that Dan is going to make everything about his feelings and Jeremy is going to push back on whatever I just said. But here's something nobody on this show will argue with. Miller Light is the summer beer, the original light beer since 1975. This summer, recognize your MVPs. We all have that one friend who makes every game better. Now it's time to give them their moment. Head over to Miller Lite's social media pages to learn more about being a Miller Time mvp. You can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller Time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces. Tony, you know that moment at a party or at a tailgate where everything just sort of clicks?

[Tony]

I know it well. It's usually when I show up, everybody goes crazy.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, you usually take all the credit for it. But. But it's because Tony usually walks in with Cuervo. Walk in like this. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cuervo is a thing that turns hanging out into this is the night.

[Tony]

It has that effect on people.

[Dan Le Batard]

It does. You usually take the credit for it, but again, it's the Cuervo effect. It's like that moment in a big game where everyone in the crowd just starts standing up, hootin and hollering. Keep it Cuervo.

[Craig]

Keep it Cuervo, baby.

[Tony]

The cup knockout round is here, and DraftKings Sports has you covered for every single match. The DraftKings app is now available in all 50 states. That means yours and includes all markets, bringing the action straight to your fingertips wherever you are. New DraftKings customers sign up with code DAN. Spend five bucks and get $200 in rewards within 21 days. That's code DAN. DAN in partnership with DraftKings. The crown is yours.

[Dan Le Batard]

Bet with DK Sportsbook.

[Mike Ryan]

Gambling problem call 1-800-Gambler 1-800-Myret Connecticut call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org on behalf of Boothill Casino in Kansas. Bet tax pass through.

[Zas]

May apply in Illinois.

[Mike Ryan]

21 and over void in Canada. Event contract trading predictions involves risk of loss availability varies. Bet to get bonus bets that expire in seven days. Trade to get $50 in predictions dollars that expire in one year issued every seven days via click to claim for 21 days. One non withdrawable reward redeemable predictions offer void in New York ends July 19th [e-mail] audio Dan Levatar.

[Craig]

I want to address Tony and all men who would wear that shirt in public.

[Zas]

Great.

[Craig]

Cody, don't do it.

[Dan Le Batard]

This is the Dan Levatar show.

[Mike Ryan]

It's not just a quote because he's a notoriously terrible quote. It's that he asked out of the game, that he subbed himself out. Like, I don't, I don't know that there are a set of circumstances that I can put in front of everyone in the hypothetical that would have made people louder in their anger at a single player than the things that happened in his career and in that game and in the quote after the game. It's just an avalanche of stuff where you're like, how does it, how do you give us the appearance that you don't care?

[Craig]

Yeah, I totally agree with that. But team wise, living up to expectations is not success. To me, the round of 16 is the United States team's purgatory. It's where they always are, are. It's where the guy. And then it's failed.

[Mike Ryan]

But it's who they are though. It's not, that's not an accident.

[Craig]

But sooner or later you have to outgrow that. Sooner or later you have to move forward. It's been 32 years since the US previously hosted a World cup.

[Mike Ryan]

But they're, they are, they're toddlers here like the world has. These are franchise. These are countries that have played for 100 years, more than, more than 100 years. Like we are still new to this. I know America is impatient. Okay, I get, and, and I get that 30 and 40 years sounds like a long time. But when you're talking about feeder systems, imagine if right now I decided, you know what I'm going to do. I'm going to go right now to China and I'm going to put in the baseball Dominican feeder system on baseball. Let's see if in baseball China can be as good what it's taken Japan. Japan Ohtani is the best player in baseball because of how long they've been playing baseball in Japan. But I remember at the beginning, which was about 40 or 45 years ago, we'd go to exhibitions in Japan and the Japanese teams would get crushed by the American players every time.

[Dan Le Batard]

And then Dan, sometimes you just don't have the juice. China commits tons of resources according to Pablo Torre finds out they're sealing Jannik Sinner's brainwaves to create the perfect athlete and they never make the World Cup.

[Mike Ryan]

This doesn't mean anything to you guys in terms of of the fact that MLS, is it even 30 years old yet? Is MLS 30 years old?

[Craig]

It's about 30.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah. Just about 30.

[Craig]

Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

So we have what in terms of world leagues? Where does MLS rank in just soccer. In soccer is it. It would be low, top 10? Low top. It's not in the top five. Right.

[Zas]

Why would it be on the pyramid?

[Dan Le Batard]

It's all subjective. There's a big Saudi league is better thing. But they're Oli. No doubt. They're not among the global elite until next season. They have this wonky calendar. It's still in its infancy, no doubt. But I do think the federation needs to systematically change how they approach things. Look, we're good on the women's side. Not just because we have these incredible God given athletes. These incredibly talented women were for that gender. That's the sport. That's the sport if you wanna make money. That or women's basketball. There isn't American football to compete with. But why were we so successful? Yeah, we have these incredible athletes, but we also have programs like Title IX that legislate this, that force the development. And I think that's where you have to be with the men's side too. You need to replicate what the rest of the world is doing.

[Craig]

I couldn't agree more. Inter Miami has a very great youth academy that has seen young players grow up and make the big team. And all of a sudden they're playing with Leo Messi. And there's no reason the United States cannot do that and grow their own players. The North American Soccer League has been was around in the late 60s. My argument is that soccer is not a new sport to this country. At some point we have to stop making excuse.

[Zas]

Greg.

[Mike Ryan]

I'm not saying it's a new sport. I'm saying when it comes to cultural cachet, young people, what do they want to be in this country? They want to be football players, they want to be basketball players, they want to be baseball players. It's not even hockey. Even though we're pretty damn good at hockey. Americans have gotten pretty damn good at hockey. But in terms of cultural cachet, I don't know where you put it. Soccer's low on the list and you have to have cultural cache. Like, it's got to be important to a kid to be popular the way rock stars want to be popular. They don't want to get into business because of the music. They want to get the women. They want to.

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah, yeah, I saw that tweet like. Well, growing up in this country, the soccer players don't get the girls. I don't know if you know about the reputation of soccer players abroad, but once you get to a certain level, trust me, you get the girls. And you have to keep in mind, soccer has as big a leg up, no pun intended, on the competition as anybody. It's the number one youth sport. Why does participation in this. In this youth sport die down? It craters at a certain age. Yeah, it could be because there are other sports, but Lord knows we have enough people in this country that they can share the wealth combination

[Mike Ryan]

and money.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's the money both people cannot afford in this country to play the world's most accessible game. They come out and find you in other places. They come out and pay you. If you are worth your salt, they come out and find you, and they fund your education. It is something. It is. Is a way. Much like in. In parts of this country where you groom a kid in Pop Warner football, you're going to get to the league one day. That is not the way that we view soccer. That's a cultural difference. But also, since it is, we need to incentivize it. The rest of the rest of the world does.

[Mike Ryan]

I've seen a couple of faces being made during these segments that I want to check in on. Chris, what were you and Zaz laughing about while we were not laughing matters? Dan. Well, what were you. But what were you laughing? It was a laughing matter. But what was the matter? What was happening? Do you know?

[Zas]

You know, when. When you're in the middle doing a show, you know, do you need bodily noises, you know, intervening?

[Jeremy]

His breathing's on one today.

[Mike Ryan]

Was it the breathing?

[Jeremy]

I mean, I've heard some breathing. I've heard some noises. There's speculation here that it could be Dan or. Or Greg with the noises from the throat.

[Dan Le Batard]

I'm like, I let that shit play on. But whenever that stuff comes out of

[Jeremy]

D Def, there's definitely heavy breathing going on from you. I had to turn your mic down, like, in the middle of a take. It's

[Mike Ryan]

what.

[Craig]

When you slow it down like, that is for emphasis.

[Mike Ryan]

You are the champion. Everyone who comes at you with this, you're undefeated. Everyone.

[Tony]

I'm like, Zaz's Kid I'm trying to, like, get him, and he's like, ah, pins me down.

[Mike Ryan]

So while Mike was telling his story about meeting show fans and meeting Adam22's producer. Producer the Atlanta airport. Tony, I saw a flash of something on your face that I wanted to go back to. What were you thinking of while Mike

[Tony]

was talking about that slight embarrassment on my part? I love July 4th, Dan. I'm a big July 4th guy. It's my favorite holiday that we have on the calendar. And me and my family, we go down to the Keys. We stay at a nice little resort that has a pool and has a couple barbecues and a jacuzzi. The Marina.

[Mike Ryan]

Cubans love doing that.

[Tony]

I'm telling you, I love July 4th. There's nothing like.

[Mike Ryan]

It's your family.

[Tony]

There's nothing like it, right?

[Mike Ryan]

Keys. Cuban keys. Family stuff is so good.

[Craig]

So good.

[Tony]

Hit Rodriguez key for a little bit. You park the boat out into the sand. It's great. So July 4th happens. We do the parade. They have a beautiful, nice little parade in Key Largo. So we're there at the parade. We get back, we're like, all right, we're gonna hit the pool. We're gonna do burgers and dogs. I'm the guy that hits the grill. So bring all the stuff down from the condo. I've got, you know, the. The Costco, like, cardboard box that they give you to, like, carry all your stuff. So I've got burger frozen, I've got dogs. I've got this, I've got that. You throw the frozen burgers right on the grill. It's got a Blackstone. Everything's fired up, everything's greased up, ready to go. Guys using it before me, obviously. Community situation. He's roasting some corn, Looks pretty good. I'm looking over, I'm like, all right, this guy knows what he's doing. He's handled a Blackstone before. Turns around, he looks at me, goes, Tony. Big fan of the show, man. I'm like, dude, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Appreciate the support. In the meantime, I've got the spatula from upstairs. I've got the burgers that I got to separate because they're frozen. Frozen. As I'm separating the burgers, he's kind of finished. Like, hey, do you need a little bit more, like, oil on the grill? Like, yeah, throw me a little bit of oil. So I'm separating them. Boom. My brother in law's helped me put them on the grill. All of a sudden, I look over there's one that's a little bit harder to get with the spatula.

[Mike Ryan]

You gotta be careful separating the burgers.

[Tony]

As I separate the burger with the spatula, it slips, and the end of the spatula goes right into the center of my hand. This is obviously, you know, because I

[Jeremy]

had aguasala, the smallest cut I've ever seen.

[Mike Ryan]

Wait, that's not a. That's not a cut. It's swelling like you're looking at the cut. But how about the.

[Dan Le Batard]

You'd have to drag me away from that gr.

[Tony]

Then that's what they had to do. They had to drag me away from the grill, but it was much deeper. Awasala, Dan. You know how it is, Sanatolo. You have a cut, you have a scrape, you have some sort of sickness. You put your body in the. In the. In the ocean, and it. And it heals it. I don't know what happens. Zaz, did you know that that's true.

[Dan Le Batard]

You know that's assault.

[Tony]

Yeah, Greg, you knew that, right?

[Jeremy]

Embarrassed yourself in front of a listener.

[Tony]

So I don't know if he saw me stab my own hand with a spatula or not. So I'm gonna call. I'm not gonna reveal his real name. I'm gonna call him Ray. Ray. Ray. The one guy you saw me. If you did see me, please write to the. To the Levitard show. Hey, I saw him stab his hand or not. But Dan, it hurt. My. My hand was bleeding. I had to wrap it up, finish the hot dogs, finish the burgers. I had to go upstairs. In the meantime, my brother. My brother in law overcooked the burgers a little bit. I'm not gonna say that too loud.

[Mike Ryan]

You just said it. You just said it.

[Jeremy]

I mean, it's frozen.

[Dan Le Batard]

You get to go home and rest.

[Jeremy]

Expect more than that from you, Tony.

[Zas]

You get that blood on the burger?

[Tony]

No, no, I didn't get the blood. That one I had to throw away because it fell in the sand after I stabbed my hand, put it on

[Mike Ryan]

the poll at Lebatard show. Have you ever heard of someone cutting themselves with a spatula?

[Tony]

See, Ed, Yeah.

[Mike Ryan]

Also. I've just never heard of that happening. Also, put on the poll. Do you have to be careful separating the frozen burgers? Yes or no? And while we're at it and just cleaning some things up around here, Chris Cody, have you heard from Scott McCullough, the family friend, Marlins manager? No, that's a mistake Greg made yesterday where he was Talking about Clay McCullough pulling Uri Perez out of a game, perfect game with seven innings. And he mentioned Scott McCullough. We tried to reach Scott McCullough, a family friend for many years. Chris Cody had not tried to reach him in 15 years and suddenly called him yesterday. Did you hear back? Are you gonna.

[Jeremy]

I got a text back yesterday saying, hey, hey.

[Dan Le Batard]

I didn't know what I was receiving today. Oh, good to hear from you.

[Jeremy]

I was really busy and I was like, hey, we'd love to hear from you. And he's like, I got my more. My 10 o' clock hour should be free tomorrow, so I'll try to call in.

[Craig]

So.

[Mike Ryan]

So there's.

[Craig]

I'm.

[Mike Ryan]

I'm hopeful that we will hear from

[Jeremy]

Scott McCullough on the Marlins family perfect game situation. Can we also ask him about Ed Bertro Hernandez?

[Mike Ryan]

That was a big home run last night.

[Jeremy]

Oh my God, that guy. You know he has the fourth best OPS of right handed hitters in the last two months. It's like Junior Caminero and he's like 30 points behind him. It's unbelievable.

[Dan Le Batard]

I don't know that. Well, now you do. Did you guys know that Wimbledon's going on? I just learned that today.

[Craig]

I heard that. How about that, Coco Golf, huh?

[Mike Ryan]

I got one for you, Mike. Do you know that the big dumper now stinks?

[Dan Le Batard]

Yeah. I'm in a Mariners group chat. I haven't been able to watch a game all summer because, you know, the World Cup. But he's bad now.

[Jeremy]

He's been awful.

[Dan Le Batard]

Just dreadful.

[Jeremy]

This is our first non World cup Day since June 11th.

[Dan Le Batard]

And you know what that means.

[Jeremy]

I am like, what is so much has changed.

[Dan Le Batard]

You know what that means? Guess who has the news cycle all to themselves today if they want it.

[Mike Ryan]

Oh boy.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's happening today.

[Mike Ryan]

You think LeBron's gonna be today?

[Dan Le Batard]

It's gotta be today.

[Jeremy]

16 year anniversary.

[Dan Le Batard]

It's gotta be.

[Jeremy]

I feel like I've just been in a FIFA coma and I don't like know anything that's happened. Since June 11, Marlins have been the best team in baseball.

[Zas]

Pablo met Oprah.

[Mike Ryan]

Is that going to happen today? Zaslow, are you willing to predict or guess or hypothesize whether LeBron will make his decision today?

[Zas]

I mean, it is 16 years to the day. So that would be funny. If he then went and once again announced he's going to take his talents to South Beach. That would be really funny. But I think he's effing with everyone. I think we're still weeks away.

[Mike Ryan]

Really. Weeks away. Well, he's in Akron, though, right? Like, he's spending time right now. I know it's his hometown, but wouldn't that indicate that that's probably what's gonna happen there?

[Dan Le Batard]

There was a Shams report that many on the Internet have cited saying. Wow. Shams is now reporting on playdates he and Draymond Green are planning to, quote, hang out. The Knicks won a championship.