THE HERD – HOUR 1 – Jaylen Brown faces reality, Caitlin Clark disrespect continues

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 1 (July 3, 2026)

Episode Theme:
A spotlight on NBA shakeups—particularly the Jaylen Brown blockbuster trade and the shifting “supermax” landscape—along with ongoing World Cup drama, LeBron’s next team speculation, and persistent WNBA controversies around Caitlin Clark’s treatment.

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Main Discussion Topics

1. Jaylen Brown’s Trade: Celtics Reality and NBA Market Shifts

[03:41 – 16:54]

Overview: Colin Cowherd explores the motivations and implications behind the Boston Celtics trading Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers, highlighting the limits of superstar duos, the dominance of analytics in modern NBA front offices, and a changing market for “supermax” contracts.

Key Points & Insights:

• Celtics’ Ownership & Finances:

  • Boston is owned by an investment group, not a classic billionaire sports owner, and does not own its arena—limiting profitability and spending power.
  • “Brad Stevens is a general manager, not an owner. The Celtics are owned by an investment group that does not also own TD Garden. So they're not swimming in cash. It's not very profitable.” (Colin Cowherd, [04:37])

• Nine Years, One Title:

  • Tatum and Brown played together for nine years—longer than Shaq and Kobe—with only one title.
  • Cowherd: “When you get a great tandem and you're paying them top of the market...and it's all about chemistry. New owners are like, we're not profitable. Not very. We got two guys, nine years together, one starting to have durability issues. We got to move one.” ([06:52])

• Market for Brown Was Lukewarm:

  • “Trading supermax players in 2026, bro. It's hard. Cost control is everything…The Milwaukee Bucks were offered Jaylen Brown and two first round picks. The Milwaukee Bucks said, nah, we'll take Tyler Herro, rotational players and more picks.” (Colin, [05:31])

• Analytics-Driven NBA:

  • “Analytics run baseball and basketball, not football...You're a hack. You're a dinosaur if you don't go all in on analytics.” ([05:56])
  • Cowherd emphasizes how the Celtics and other teams evaluate player value, making sure contracts align with data.
  • On Brown: “Analytically, I'm sorry, Jaylen Brown's not a number one and he's a $57 million player annually…The Celtics, for his entire tenure with a team are better when he's off the floor. That's what they say.” ([07:16])

• True Valuations:

  • The Celtics see “Peyton Pritchard at 8 million” as more efficient versus “Jaylen Brown 57 million.”
  • Paul George’s advanced stats vs. Brown’s: “Paul George, by the way, analytically in his career, is up there with LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Jaylen Brown...is right next to Westbrook.” ([08:05])

• Jaylen Brown’s Perspective:

  • Brown’s response to the trade shows his disappointment and desire for transparency:

    “At one point, it was fine, and out of nowhere, it just went left...I just wish that they had the respect to just tell me what exactly what it was, and I would have understood...Man, they packed me up. Like, damn, they rolled me up, packed me up. Sayonara, buddy.”
    — Jaylen Brown, live stream ([09:40])

• Sixers’ "Too Many Number Ones" Problem:

  • The Sixers now boast Embiid, Maxey, Brown, and rookie BJ Edgecomb—all with “number one” mentalities.
  • Cowherd: “They got four ones. Do yourself a favor, send Nick Nurse a Christmas present. Because that is going to be, I mean, that is going to be wild…Who's closing games? Who's the number one? Hell, who's the number three? In the NBA that matters.” ([14:32])

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2. LeBron James’ Future: Business, Branding, and the Next Move

[10:08 – 14:05, 29:43 – 32:41]

Key Points & Insights:

• LeBron’s All-In Decision Matrix:

  • Rich Paul alludes to LeBron considering far more than basketball—ownership stakes, relationships, business factors—when choosing his next team.
  • “LeBron is considering everything...when you get up to the billionaire status...you're considering oil, golf, ownership, general manager, relationships.” (Colin, [11:17])

• Golden State and Cleveland as Top Fits:

  • “Golden State, Cleveland feel like one and two to me or maybe Cleveland one, Golden State two.” ([12:25])

• Rich Paul on GSW:

  “Steph and Dre...you get four time champions like you are, you get some of the highest IQ basketball. You get a guy in Joe Lacob who...wants to win.”
  — Rich Paul ([13:43])

• Why Not the Knicks?

  • Max Kellerman: “The last thing you want to do is mess up something like that, right? The Knicks has a good thing going...If the Knicks hadn't a won [the title], this wouldn't...there would be no board. He'd be going to the Knicks.” ([29:43])
  • Discussion on the brand risk for LeBron joining a reigning champion and being blamed for any subsequent regression.

• Practical Issues with Landing Spots:

  • On potential roles for LeBron:
    • “LeBron wouldn't go to a team to come off the bench. It would be negotiated before.” (Colin, [31:52])
    • Teams like San Antonio: “LeBron's going to make your teams better. Let's not out think the room here.” ([32:41])

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3. The World Cup: Ratings, Drama, and U.S. Soccer Storylines

[21:11 – 28:54, 40:09 – 51:06]

Key Points & Insights:

• Soccer’s Meteoric Growth:

  • Colin debunks the “nobody cares about soccer” narrative:
    • “The last USA game got 24 and a half million viewers. It is now beating NFL playoff games...Merch, economy, ratings, revenue...And, by the way, this may sting a little. Nobody cares about soccer guy. But...people making over a hundred thousand dollars...watch soccer.” (Colin, [21:53])

• VAR, Officiating, and Emotional Swings:

  • Recap of the Croatia-Portugal drama: VAR decision erases a crucial Croatian goal, leading to heartbreak.
  • “The replay doesn't guarantee you get it right. It increases the chances that you do. But, you know, this is another example...Replay proves you'll get it right? No, you'll have a higher percentage of getting it right. But it's not perfect.” ([25:33])

• Red Card Controversy:

  • Landon Donovan and Colin eviscerate a questionable red card that ruins Flo Baligan’s World Cup run for the U.S.

    “He just ruined Flo's World cup. Like one referee moron decision.”
    — Landon Donovan ([27:09])

    • Colin adds, “the stakes are bigger [in the knockout stage]…It's just egregious to me.” ([27:40])

• Home Field Advantage:

  • On playing at Seattle or Azteca:
    • “I think this gives the team more than the average home field advantage...Seattle was, I will say it here, they were by far and away the best of all of those environments.”
      — Stu Holden ([42:49])

• U.S. vs Belgium Outlook:

  • Holden: “I think Belgium is a better matchup for us than Senegal...if anything, I think the US Is potentially a little bit favored here.” ([44:33])
  • Laments the loss of Baligan, but expresses belief in U.S. depth and organization.

• Messi Praise:

  • Holden, on Messi: “That's how he feels playing against grown adults and not just adults, the best players in the world. The biggest thing I can give you when you watch Messi...He just sees the game on another level.” ([49:28])
  • “I want to enjoy him every moment that we have him because he's world class, man.”
    — Stu Holden ([50:27])

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4. Caitlin Clark and WNBA: Respect or Resentment?

[33:21 – 36:09]

Key Points & Insights:

• Player Disrespect:

  • Clark, despite her stats and impact, is ranked as only the 11th best guard by WNBA players (vs. 2nd by fans, 3rd by media).
  • “She's the number one shooter, distributor, play initiator, playmaker. ...The animosity toward Caitlin Clark, I'm not angry...it's so petty at this point.” (Colin, [33:40])

• League Management Critique:

  • Colin distinguishes between respecting the players and the league itself:
    • “I respect the players. I think the quality of play is excellent. ...But I can't respect the league. I think it's petty. I don't think management's very good.” ([34:32])
  • Points to the controversy over Clark’s exclusion from a commemorative poster as further evidence.

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Memorable Quotes

• On Jaylen Brown’s trade market:
  “The Milwaukee Bucks were offered Jaylen Brown and two first round picks. The Milwaukee Bucks said, nah, we'll take Tyler Herro, rotational players and more picks. The hell? That's the new NBA.”
  — Colin Cowherd ([05:31])

• Jaylen Brown’s reaction:
  “I just wish that they had the respect to just tell me what exactly what it was, and I would have understood and I would have respected that. Man, they packed me up. Like, damn, they rolled me up, packed me up. Sayonara, buddy.”
  — Jaylen Brown ([09:40])

• On LeBron’s “fit” criteria:
  “When you get up to the billionaire status and you're as entrepreneurial as Rich Paul and LeBron James, you're considering oil, golf, ownership, general manager, relationships.”
  — Colin Cowherd ([11:17])

• On the “nobody cares about soccer” myth:
  “The last USA game got 24 and a half million viewers. It is now beating NFL playoff games...It's here. It's not going anywhere.”
  — Colin Cowherd ([21:53])

• On Caitlin Clark’s WNBA ranking:
  “I mean, come on now, 11th best guard. I mean, I'm looking…Sometimes you just have to kind of laugh at stuff because people online, I stay offline. Mostly people online are. They don't like it.”
  — Colin Cowherd ([35:19])

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Notable Segment Timestamps

| Segment / Topic | Timestamp Range | Speaker(s) | |------------------------------------------------|------------------|-----------------------------| | Jaylen Brown trade & Celtics analysis | 03:41 - 10:08 | Colin Cowherd, Jaylen Brown | | LeBron James future speculation | 10:08 - 14:05 | Colin, Rich Paul, Max Kellerman | | Sixers’ “four number ones” challenge | 14:05 - 16:54 | Colin Cowherd | | Soccer’s ratings & cultural impact | 21:11 - 23:59 | Colin Cowherd | | Croatia vs Portugal VAR controversy | 24:39 - 26:11 | Daniel Alarcon, Colin Cowherd | | Baligan’s red card debate | 27:09 - 28:54 | Landon Donovan, Colin | | LeBron/Knicks/Brand analysis | 29:43 - 32:41 | Max Kellerman, Colin | | Caitlin Clark/ WNBA ranking controversy | 33:21 - 36:09 | Colin Cowherd | | U.S. Soccer home advantage, Belgium analysis | 40:09 - 46:02 | Colin Cowherd, Stu Holden | | Messi SZN: Stu on Messi’s singular greatness | 49:28 - 51:06 | Colin, Stu Holden |

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Tone & Style

• Direct, analytical, sometimes biting (especially on NBA/WNBA topics)
• Conversational and collaborative during guest segments, e.g., with Stu Holden
• Pop-cultural references and industry insider info
• Emotional but not overly reactive—Colin advocates for “taking a deep breath” before reacting to hot-button issues

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This hour of The Herd delivers a blend of breaking NBA news, soccer’s surging cultural moment, and the undercurrents of jealousy and respect in women’s sports. Colin provides not just analysis but context—whether unpacking why superstar trades are fraught, why the Sixers’ new “core four” is both exciting and unstable, or why LeBron’s decisions hinge as much on business as basketball.
Soccer fans get both vindication (in viewership numbers) and outrage (in refereeing decisions), while Caitlin Clark’s ongoing WNBA saga is framed as emblematic of persistent league-level dysfunction rather than on-court limitations. The banter, interviews, and direct quotes keep the show lively, relevant, and accessible even to casual observers.

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Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast.

[Stu Holden]

It's Friday.

[Colin Cowherd]

Great show. World cup rolls on with all sorts of drama. Celtics aren't done dealing. Sixers have a lot of guys who think they're number ones. How's that going to work? Welcome in. It's great to see you. We're live in Chicago on a Friday. It is a summer version of the Herd. Great show. Ahead the six, the Super Six in one hour from now. The top six World cup goals from this week. JMAC has Herd line today. Headlines today. So we got a. We got a pack show on a Friday. So Jaylen Brown traded to the Sixers. Shocking. What is going on. That is historic. Take a deep breath. Four things to remember. Number one, everybody has a boss. Even Elon Musk. It's called the irs. And about a year ago, Trump. Everybody's got a boss. Brad Stevens is a general manager, not an owner. The Celtics are owned by an investment group that does not also own TD Garden. So they're not swimming in cash. It's not very profitable. They've got two guys, Tatum and Brown playing together for nine years. That's longer than Chaq and Kobe. Nine years, one title and they're clearly falling behind San Antonio and Oklahoma City. So the investment group, yeah, that's who owns the Celtics. The investment group that doesn't own the arena said, we're going to move off one of these guys. We couldn't beat the good teams last year. We're falling behind. Brad Stevens has a boss and I think he also realized it. Number two is trading supermax players in 2026, bro. It's hard. Cost control is everything. It's not stacking rosters. It's not the 80 Lakers. Think about this. The Milwaukee Bucks were offered Jaylen Brown and two first round picks. Jalen Brown, all NBA, two first round picks. The Milwaukee Bucks said, nah, we'll take Tyler Herro, rotational players and more picks. The hell? That's the new NBA Number three. Analytics run baseball and basketball, not football. They run it. You're a hack. You're a dinosaur. You're Jurassic. If you're in a front office in the NBA and baseball and you don't go all in on analytics. The first thing the new Laker owners did, build an analytics department. Why are the Dodgers the best run team in sports analytics department? Analytically. I'm sorry, Jaylen Brown's not a number one and he's a $57 million player annually. There's a great article today by Sam Amick. Excellent reporting. In the athletic, the Celtics are unbeatable when Tatum has 33% usage rate. Jaylen Brown got to be a number one last year. He didn't want to go back to being a number two. It's in the story. And Tatum can't get to that usage rate because Jaylen Brown wants shots. Jaylen Brown got a taste of it. He likes it. I don't blame him. But with Jaylen Brown as a one, they weren't beating good teams last year. So number three is analytics run this sport analytically. The Celtics believe Derrick White was a better player last year and that was leaked. Peyton Pritchard, 8 million. Jaylen Brown 57 million. Is Jalen. Is he seven times better than Peyton Pritchard? He's better, but the way the Celtics look at it is Peyton Pritchard at 8 million fits our formula. I'm looking at it this morning. Jaylen Brown's career. I'm sorry, Analytics. Don't blame the messenger. The Celtics, for his entire tenure with a team are better when he's off the floor. That's what they say. So he's making 57 million a year. He doesn't want to move back to a number two according to the athletic. And guess what? The market for him wasn't very big. They wanted Milwaukee. No, it wasn't very big. Hell, for Giannis, it wasn't even huge. And he's a better player. And number four is of every NBA team, nobody is more formula driven and analytic driven than the Celtics. We've been talking about this for years. They have a formula. The Knicks don't. You could say they're too driven by formula and analytics. But to them, they look at Peyton pritchard and think 8 million to 57 million. Paul George, by the way, analytically in his career, is up there with LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard. Jaylen Brown, analytically, in his career is right up next to Westbrook. Okay, so just take a deep breath. Four things are true. Brad Stevens saw the future okc, San Antonio pulling away. And Brad Stevens has a boss. Number two, there wasn't that big of a market. Supermax players are hard to trade. Number three, analytically say what you want. Jaylen Brown is not a one. He's a two. I don't care about all NBA analytics. Number four, nobody's more analytically driven than the Celtics. And by the way, nine years is a long time together. Nine years, one title. Kobe, Shaq, eight years, three. Like, when you get a great tandem and you're paying them top of the market in a league now where you can't stack it. And it's all about chemistry. New owners are like, we don't own the. We don't own the TD Garden. We're not. We're not profitable. Not very. We got two guys, nine years together, one starting to have durability issues. We got to move one. Here's Jaylen Brown last night, live streaming. He does that. On the trade.

[Jaylen Brown]

At one point, it was fine, and out of nowhere, it just went left. I definitely think it's more to. Definitely is more to it. I know Brad is getting a lot of the criticism, but, you know, I just wish the more to it could have been explained. I just wish that they had the respect to just tell me what. Exactly what it was, and I would have understood and I would have respected that. Man, they packed me up. Like, damn, they rolled me up, packed me up. Sayonara, buddy.

[Colin Cowherd]

Read the Athletic. The Sam Amick article says a lot. Okay, so this was interesting. LeBron James, who, according to Rich Paul, would be willing to play now for the veteran minimum 3.9 million. He now has the greatest value in the history of American sports. If that's what he's willing to pay for, I mean, that's like walking into a car lot, seeing a little older Bentley. It's a used Bentley, but you're like, it's a Bentley. We'll give it away for $1,200. I'll take it. I don't need it. I don't even have a garage space. I'll take it. But behind Rich Paul, and I think he's talking to Max Kellerman, there's a. There's a board, and on the board are all the teams Listed. And for the radio audience, I'll try to explain this clearly. LeBron is, is considering everything. Under the Dallas Mavericks, you see the world, the word oil, golf and a GM's name. Under the Denver Nuggets, you see Stan Kroenke's name, owner of the team. Under the Celtics, Jayson Tatum, Brad Stevens. Under Cleveland, it's relationships. Kobe Altman, Dan Gilbert, 76ers, Miami, it's just players, but there's players and owners. A GM, lifestyle investments, oil. LeBron is considering everything. And I've said this before, I've moved cross country now when I moved to Chicago five times. Taxes, airports, location, family, weather, you consider everything. And LeBron James is. I come back to two things. Two teams. Golden State, Draymond, Steph play a high IQ, high functioning basketball. I mean, Draymond and Curry are in just a symmetry that is historically special. I think LeBron fits. I think LeBron also has always appreciated veteran players who are really, really smart. And Stephen Draymond are going a thousand miles an hour. That ecosystem is not for young players. It's close to la. He's got a great coach who he respects and it's a winning culture. Number two is Cleveland. He's got a house there. It's almost a museum. He's got relationships. He's been there twice. He. I do think he would be embraced. They didn't. They didn't. They weren't hard on LeBron when he left Cleveland the second time, they said, thank you, we got him a title. They weren't harsh. So Golden State in Cleveland worked for me. But it does show you that LeBron is a businessman. And when Tom Brady, remember when we broke the story, Tom Brady going to Tampa on an anonymous source, by the way, when I broke that, would not have broken it without it. When I broke that story, one of the things Tom thought about, he wanted to go to Miami first, right? Like no state tax, weather division. There was a lot of things. Tom wanted to face the Patriots again. He didn't get that, but he chose Tampa. But a lot of what he chose in Tampa was Bruce Arians and wide receivers. Because in New England they couldn't draft wide receivers. So guys like LeBron and Brady, they consider everything. I mean, Messi chose the MLS in Miami. Why didn't he choose? He had many options. You know, when you get up to the billionaire status and you're as entrepreneurial as rich Paul and LeBron James, you're considering oil, golf, ownership, general manager, relationships. Golden State, Cleveland feel like one and two to me or maybe Cleveland one, Golden State two. Here's Rich Paul and why the warriors would be attractive to LeBron.

[Max Kellerman]

The Golf would be tremendous with those guys.

[Colin Cowherd]

What about playing basketball with those guys?

[Max Kellerman]

Oh, I mean, come on, Max, you talking about? What are you talking about? It's Steph and Dre. What I will say to you is Steph and Dre, obviously you get four time champions like you are, you get some of the highest IQ basketball. You get a guy in Joe Lacob who I've told you this the whole time, wants to win. He's not. He wants to win. And a great business mind at that.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think it makes sense. And I'll adjacent one hour at 3.9 million. Call me crazy, but could he go back to the Lakers? I'm serious. I mean, could he. Great play initiator now that they got rim protection. I mean it sounds crazy, but I mean Kevin Durant went to the warriors at one point. You know, Jalen Brown just Got traded for 35 year old Paul George in division against the rival. That, that is fascinating. By the way, the whole part of the Jaylen Brown trade that's not being discussed. I'm going to talk about it around the corner. I cannot believe it's not being discussed. There are four players for the Sixers who view themselves as number one. Embiid Maxi Brown. And if you don't think BJ Edgecomb doesn't. He averaged 15 shots as a rookie, first game in the NBA, 36 points, 24 shots. You think he's now going to go to a four? Hey, go ahead guys, I'll shoot nine times. VGA Edgecomb is a stud. They got four ones. Do yourself a favor, everybody, send Nick Nurse a Christmas present. Because that is going to be, I mean that is going to be wild. J. Mac brought this up at the end of yesterday's show and it's a great point. Who's closing games? Who's the number one? Hell, who's the number three in the NBA that matters. It's just like NFL wide receivers like, hey guys, I don't mind being a number two. I don't want to be a number three. Like it matters. These guys and I've always backed NBA players on this. Your careers are short. I can do this forever. A lawyer can do it forever. A nurse can do it forever. You know, if you're a great athlete, you're like, bro, I got about eight years of prime wide receiver, prime guy. Philadelphia now has four guys who view themselves as one. And I think three of them have a great argument.

Yeah, it's going to be tough. Listen, they're going to win 50 plus games. We know that. There's too much talent to not win 50. But when it comes to the playoffs, a tough series against the Knicks. The Knicks have defined roles, right? It's Brunson's team. He's the son. They operate around him. I don't know how that works for Nick Nurse. By the way, I will say I saw a report that the Celtics did ask for Edgecomb initially in the trade and Philly was like, not happening guys.

[Stu Holden]

Okay, sorry.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's a great point. It's not like Brad Stevens made two calls. He called the league, they couldn't move. They couldn't move Jaylen Brown because again, analytics run the sport and everybody in the league's like 57 million. Yeah, for that player. The league views Jalen as a two analytically. And the league is run by analytics.

Don't you think Ime Udoka in Houston who coached Brown to a title would have been interested?

He.

I mean he knows Jaylen Brown as well as anybody. He was with the Celtics and the Rockets showed zero interest in Jaylen Brown. To me, that's a little surprising. Colin. I don't think the market was as robust as he thought.

Okay, there. There's a saying that went around forever and you can no longer say it. That's next. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd. Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. FS1 and the iHeartradio.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Ben Maller]

hey, it's Ben, host of the Fifth Hour with Ben Maller. Would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour? I'll tell you. It's a spin off of the Ben Mashaw cult hit overnights on fsr. Why should you listen? Picture if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry in media, sports and more Every week, explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Ma on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oftentimes, there'll be a theory or a belief. People get stubborn. They don't want it to be proven that it's untrue. But it happens all the time. All the time. Galileo. People thought the Earth was the center of the universe. Galileo said, talk to the hand. It's not. More recently, concussions. There was a belief with concussions keep people awake, wake them, check on their brain. Science proved the opposite is true. Let people sleep. That's when an injured brain heals. In sports, there's always been that guy, you know, he's the life of the party. Nobody cares about soccer. Nobody cares about you. Merch, Attendance ratings. The numbers are in. And we haven't gotten to the biggest games yet. The last USA game got 24 and a half million viewers. It is now beating NFL playoff games. Cone. Nothing else is on. Yeah, except for the heart of the baseball season with the All Star game two weeks out in the trade deadline. Also, it's the summer. You wouldn't choose to put anything on in the summer because having been in television for 35 years, the summer's Death Valley. People are on the water. They're on a golf course. They don't watch television in the summer. I mean, my summer viewing plummets. And yet in the summer, the World cup overlapped the NBA finals, it overlapped the Stanley cup finals. The Wimbledon's on, US Open is on. The baseball season's on and it is now beating NFL playoff games. Nobody cares about soccer. It's over. And we don't need Galileo. We don't need a telescope. Be loud, be proud. Put your chest out. It's 2026. Merch, economy, ratings, revenue. And oh, by the way, this may sting a little. Nobody cares about soccer guy. But according to our research at Fox, Michael Mulvihill. You know who watches soccer? Cool kids and people that make money for people making over a hundred thousand dollars. They watch soccer. And I can tell you, to advertisers, that's really attractive. So it's not that the United States men's national team has viewers. They have the right viewers. Lettuce, money, buy things. It's here. It's not going anywhere. Mauricio Pochettino on the locker room after the win on Wednesday.

[Mauricio Pochettino]

We have everything. We have unity. That is most important because who was inside, who played, played from the bench. They didn't play the staff, everything, that we are a real family. And that is true. It's not an empty world to say we are a family. Everything is possible, guys. Everything is possible. We were talking from the beginning. We are a little bit more close. Okay. We were talking about to touch the moon. Touch the moon, guys.

[Colin Cowherd]

Take me home. Take me home.

[Mauricio Pochettino]

Take me home.

[Colin Cowherd]

How good is that? J. Mac with the news.

[Daniel Alarcon]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Tony Ayo]

Heard on the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is the Herdline news. All right, let's dive right into the World Cup. Yesterday, an absolute thriller between Croatia and Portugal. Colin. One of the wildest second halves I've ever seen. I mean, this was total bonkers. So Portugal takes the lead very late in the game. Feels like it's over. Colin. Croatia scores an unbelievable goal. Massive celebration. Everybody goes crazy. And then VAR steps in and rules. Hey, there's a chip in the ball and a sensor went off that there was contact. Thus the Croatian player was offsides. I'm just. I'm just going to say, I know you watch this and you have a lot of thoughts. There is a cottage industry right now of people going online criticizing this and saying FIFA still got it wrong. I don't know. I'm dubious. There's a lot of Ronaldo's conspiracy theories.

Listen, Denver Broncos, Buffalo bills, I watched 30 replays. I still think the replay got it wrong. The replay doesn't guarantee you get it right. It increases the chances that you do. But, you know, this is another example. Did they get it right? You go back, watch Brandon Cooks and that interception. I've seen 100 angles. I still think it's a catch. Yeah, I still think it's a catch. So Saints Rams pass interference, you know, so they overhauled our entire replay. It says to replay. I think sometimes fans think replay proves you'll get it right. No, you'll have a higher percentage of getting it right. But it's not perfect.

Yeah, it was. Listen, Ronaldo converted PK and he will advance. But if you're Croatia, you're just gutted. I mean, Luca Modric, his World cup, magical World cup career comes to an end. There he is, the legend. I don't know. Portugal. Spain is a potential matchup down the road. Portugal's a dangerous team, Colin. You know, they got some dudes. And of course, Ronaldo got subbed off. Did you see his reaction when he got subbed off the game? He was not thrilled to be going to the sideline, but obviously quite a scene there, celebrating the Portugal victory. All right, let's stick with Team usa, Colin. And we're going to go to a Landon Donovan take here on Flo Baligan. That's just amazing. First of all, I saw Landon Donovan here in the building today. He's what a great guy. One of the great USA ambassadors.

He's a wonderful guy.

But if you're the referee for the Bosnia US Game, you don't want to listen to his podcast. He shredded this guy for a brutal red card. Here it is, Colin.

[N]

And my first thought, Tim, was yeah, okay, obviously what it means for the game. Yeah. If we advance what it means. But he just ruined Flo's World cup. Like one referee moron decision.

[Colin Cowherd]

He ruined my World Cup.

[N]

Yeah, yeah, maybe like that might tip the scales between winning or not versus Belgium. And I'm just like, this poor guy just got his World cup ruined by this idiot who has no business being in this game. So you don't freeing this game. No, it's. It's a ridiculous red card.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I know. There's, you know, we, we talked about this. You have to consider stakes. Like when you're a parent, birthdays between 8 years old, 9, 10, 11, 12, they're really meaningful for kids. Make your kids feel special. If you're a guy that still celebrates your birthday at 35, you probably need to grow up. Okay. Red cards that are inappropriate are fine. And friendlies. And I would argue even in a group stage, you get to a knockout stage at a World cup every four years, you better have a swing. I mean, somebody. It has got to be so outrage. And not only it has to be called immediately. This wasn't even given a yellow and it then pivoted to a suspension. This stage matters. There are just some things. You go into a church on Sunday. You could say them outside the church in the parking lot. You don't say them in the church. There are things at the World cup knockout stage, group staged and even knockout stage, that's two different levels of World cup play. And I mean, we talk about the penalty kicks. You can have a draw in the group stage. You can't in the knockout stage. The stakes are bigger. So it's just egregious to me.

So you remember the Zidane headbutt in the World cup final? Listen, that's egregious. Okay? Everybody who's watching this sport agrees. Holy cow. You can't headbutt somebody in the chest. I don't care what he said about your mom. We got that. This. I mean, Colin, I haven't seen one person who said, you Gotta toss him for that. It makes sense. It's just, it's brutal. And you know Landon, you know we could use Landon Donovan up front against Belgium. I still think we are going to win that game. I'll just hold out hopefully and we face Spain at Sofi. I think that that would be in the quarterfinals. That would be amazing. But. All right, Colin, let's go to the final story here. Back to Rich Paul talking about LeBron, interesting take on the Knicks. So the Knicks of course just won the title. Colin, you think that impacts LeBron's decision? Here's Rich Paul on the Knicks and LeBron.

[Max Kellerman]

The last thing you want to do is mess up something like that, right? The Knicks has a good thing going, you know, that'll be. If the Knicks hadn't a won, he. This wouldn't. There would be no board.

[Colin Cowherd]

He'd be going to the Knicks.

[Max Kellerman]

He'd be going to the Knicks. When LeBron comes onto your team, I don't care if you just won a championship. I don't care if you've been the best player. It's different man. His enterprise value and what he just carries is different. And I respect Mike Brown knows that.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's very interesting. Years ago David Falk, a super agent, thought to himself hey, what if Michael and Magic played a one on one game? And I don't remember all the per particulars to it, but my and David Falk was a brilliant guy and Michael Jordan said no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I'm seen as the great individual player. Magic is the great team guy. If by chance I lost a Magic, he'd have both. And so my point is this is perfect. LeBron gets the situation if the Knicks don't win. Perfect. But if LeBron goes to the Knicks, even if they're a better team and they lose, it's terrible for LeBron's brand. It's.

[N]

Whoa, whoa.

[Colin Cowherd]

What you screwed up the chemistry on the. Because the truth is the Knicks probably aren't going to win because they lose Mitchell Robinson now, boy, you better have Kat be healthy. You lose Kat, you are small. Oh geez, you're big. Josh Hart is playing key roles with physicality. So this is a classic brand play which I think once you become an icon, you have to consider that which is I'm not going to a team that just won a title even if I made them better. If we don't lose, it's like LeBron screwed that up. Remember his last year in the NBA? So I think Rich Paul nailed it. If they hadn't won. It's perfect.

But let me ask you, LeBron going to the Knicks. Colin. He would come off the bench. I'm sorry, you're not bench. You're not putting Josh Hart on the bench for him. Here's why. Josh Hart's a low usage guy. All of a sudden if you put LeBron in for say Bridges or Hart, you lose a plus defender, you lose your energy. Rebounder. I see you scoffing. He would be soaking up the ball a lot of time. That's not what you want.

Deep breath. LeBron wouldn't go to a team to come off the bench. It would be negotiated before.

I mean some of these, some of these landing spots people are talking about, again, it's. I don't think it's going to work in Colin. I'll ask you what I asked you yesterday. Does LeBron put any of those teams in this circle over the top? I don't, I just don't know that he does.

I, I will tell you. He put San Antonio over the top. No question. Guy. LeBron's one of the top 10 players in the league and he's also, I mean he's also one of the smartest players of all time. LeBron always has made the right basketball player.

So does spurs are built with Wemby and four shooters, right? Four guards. If you pull off one of those shooters, LeBron is what, the point forward. You have to totally rejigger your offense. I don't know that you want to do that.

If you're the spurs, they're not going to do that. But LeBron's going to make your teams better. Let's not out think the room here. The Lakers would be better if he was on it. Yes, that's why.

Because we have proof of concept. If you're just thrusting LeBron into a potential contender with a bunch of. I don't know that it's going to be that seamless. Detroit.

Absolutely. LeBron's going to make them better.

I could see that because they don't have any dudes. They got Cade Cunningham.

And the reason the spurs lost in the finals, they couldn't organize their half court offense in the fourth. And I think LeBron would solve that.

Yeah.

J. Maclean News. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by the Herd lie.

Okay, this gets a laugh emoji. I'm not mad about this. I'm not bitter about this at this point. I think it's funny, you know, some things you can get frustrated with and after a While you're like, okay, I just gotta take a deep breath and laugh. Okay. Caitlin Clark, on a vote by WNBA players, was voted the 11th best guard in the sport. Fans ranked her second, media ranked her third. WNBA players voted her as the 11th best guard. Indiana scoring 94 a game. It's the highest in 16 years. She's the number one shooter, distributor, play initiator, playmaker. She's 11th, she's fourth in the league in scoring, second in assists, and she's the 11th best guard. I don't know, shooting, playmaking and assists feel big for a guard. The team is the highest scoring average in 16 years. I mean, the animosity toward Caitlin Clark, I'm not angry. I mean, a lot of people getting very angry on the Internet. It's just, it's so petty at this point. You just have to. I mean, the officiating, they, they bring out a 30 year anniversary poster knowing apparently they can't put Caitlin on it because of some contractual deal. And they still go with it knowing they're gonna get crucified for doing it. Like, don't put the poster out. If you knew going in you couldn't use her likeness. Like, don't do it. I mean, it's, it's. I respect, you know, people are saying, you know, you guys in the media don't respect the league. No, no, I respect the players. I think the quality of play is excellent. I respect the women. I respect the work ethic, I respect the coaching. I think the officiating is bad, but I can't respect the league. I think it's petty. I don't think management's very good. I can respect the players. I can respect your work ethic. I can respect. I mean, these goals play hard. It's a physical sport. But I mean, come on now, 11th best guard. I mean, I'm looking, I'm looking. This season, 21 a game, eight assists, three three pointers made top three in the league. 94 a game for the team and she's the 11th best guard again. Sometimes you just have to kind of laugh at stuff because people online, I stay offline. Mostly people online are. They don't like it.

[Tony Ayo]

There is.

[Colin Cowherd]

Some people get worked up. They are getting really worked up. Stu Holden's around the corner. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd.

Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Sunday on Fox. It's the round of 16 from the historic Azteca Stadium for a massive clash between Mexico and England at 8 Eastern. Then Monday, following the United States win over Bosnia, they head to Seattle to take on Belgium at 8 Eastern. Catch all the action on Fox.

You know, you have to be very delicate. You can be up upset with the red card given to Flo Baligan, but you don't want to. I was told this years ago by a football coach, you never want one loss to become two. You've seen this in college football. You know, a team will get a bowl bid years ago and they're not happy with the bowl bid and all of their coach does is complain about it. And they get to the bowl game and they get run out of the arena by a lesser team. Let's bring on Stu Holden, lead match analyst, FOX Sports. He's called everybody in Miami, Argentina game with Cape Verde tonight. Listen, you can be simultaneously infuriated by the red card and then you can also not let it go. I, I feel like, guys, it happened. We have depth at the 9. Let's get over it. That's what worries me is that it becomes, you get paralyzed by it. You, you start talking about it. It's every discussion at lunch, at practice. Does that worry you?

[Stu Holden]

Hey, you've been hanging out with Mauricio Pochettino or what? Con I look, that's, I think that's the perfect attitude. And I would imagine that's the way this team is going to approach this game. You can't ever in a competitive situation dwell on something that you can't change. Now you focus on the four. Does it suck? Absolutely. Has he been one of our best players? Absolutely. Has he been the best striker, one of the best strikers in the tournament? For sure. And I think that's why everybody's upset, because it's like, wow, we have a number nine that has been scoring goals and not just the goals. He's been looking physically dominant. But I take you back a year's time, people were saying around this team, including me, who's going to start up front? Is it going to be Pepe? Is it going to be Baligan. Is it going to be Haji Wright? Baligan has performed and exceeded expectations. He's shown he's a different level. But let's not act like the replacements that we have aren't guys that aren't capable of producing moments. And then the other thing I'll kick back to. How much did we talk about Christian Pulisic coming into this tournament? How big a tournament did he need to have? Before the last match, he'd only played 77 minutes. It has been the team, and yet he hasn't even really had a signature moment or game. Well, now's your time if you're Christian Pulisic. Baligan's out. Everyone's going to be talking about the fact that we're missing him. Well, let's hope we get a game from our superstar player that is worthy of a superstar because all the other stars in the tournament have really turned up. For me, that's over to you, Christian Pulisic.

[Colin Cowherd]

I said, of all the sports in the NFL now, because of advancements in technology in the helmet, home field advantage is maybe a point and a half. I feel like watching Mexico at Azteca and the United States in Seattle. I honestly think it's worth a goal. I really do. I think the environment, the aggressiveness, how does it land for you?

[Stu Holden]

So we have been in l. A for two games for the U.S. the opening game, the atmosphere was absolutely incredible. We were in San Francisco the other night and then Seattle was game two. Seattle was, I will say it here, they were by far and away the best of all of those environments. This, this is a sports town that has supported their soccer team in the Seattle Sounders. They've got the women's team in the rain. They love and breathe and live for soccer. That national anthem was the loudest I heard. The country roads after the game was just incredible. They are going to bring it in such a big way that I'm with you. I think this gives the team more than the average home field advantage. And I've heard some English friends of mine talking about, yeah, we're going to Mexico and Azteca Stadium and no big deal. Yeah, right. That place is a fortress. Altitude, heat, environment. That Mexican team, you see the way they run for the shirt in that home environment is another level. So I'm absolutely with you. And that the crowd and the environment can influence the play on the field.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, they haven't lost it Azteca since 2013. That's the last. I mean, that's just insane. It looks different.

[Stu Holden]

Insane.

[Colin Cowherd]

The air Quality, the environment, the fans, the passion. So Belgium's interesting. So back in 2018 or 2014, when all their star players were either right before their prime or in it, it's different. I tend to believe the longer this tournament goes, it benefits teams with more players in their athletic prime. The United States, I think it's tougher as it goes for a Belgium. I do think Ricardo Pepe, if he plays the number nine, I do think we match up still well with Belgium even without Baligan.

[Halion/MGM Rewards Sponsor Voice]

Do you?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Stu Holden]

The biggest thing we lose with not having Baligan has been his ability to create opportunities by himself and by physically being strong, running in behind, he's constantly a threat. He makes defenders tired to. Then when he gets that one moment, boom, he buries the chance like he did against Bosnia Herzegovina. So the thing with Belgium is, you alluded to it. They had this golden generation of players, and Lukaku, De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, they made this wonderful Cinderella run to third place in 2018. Then they go to 22. They go out in the group stage. Now, this is a team that is still going through this identical change of where some of their stars, De Bruyne and Lukaku, are still there, but they're not the same versions of themselves. I actually said by Belgium beating Senegal, this is a better matchup for us than playing against Senegal. Senegal are an incredibly dangerous team. They have such a. A strong physical capacity that could match our athleticism. We have a better athleticism than Belgium. That has been the strength of our team. So I think your analysis is astute in that we can overpower and we can run with Belgium, technically, I think they have some players that are, from man to man, probably a little bit superior to the US But I think in terms of our spirit, our identity, our togetherness, but more importantly, I think our athletic ability just to run teams down, that I give us the edge. And that's why I think Belgium is a better matchup for us than Senegal. And absolutely. I go into this matchup thinking, if anything, I think the US Is potentially a little bit favored here.

[Colin Cowherd]

So, you know, I've known you for 10 years. I've always been a supporter of you, obviously, and United States men's national team soccer. I grew up, my. My mom was British. I went there as a kid. I grew up in the Northwest. I've had friends who like soccer. Manhattan beach likes it. Soccer, LA does. I'm for it. But I will say, you know, people will say, if I have an opinion on soccer, you're not an Expert. And to that I say I'm not an expert, but I can go to a restaurant. I don't know, I don't know the culinary industry, but I know when a meal's overcooked, I don't have to be an expert. Here's what bothers me about the Baligan red card. You go from no yellow to a suspension. Okay? Soccer has stages, friendlies, you don't even play, you know, at half, you substitute, you're using reserves. Then there's, then there's Euro Championship, then there's the World cup. Even in the group stage where you can end in a draw, okay, now we're in the knockout stage. The stage is too big to go from no yellow card to you're out now and for the next game, that is my problem. I'm not a soccer expert, but as a sports observer, that feels like too grand a leap in that moment. Do I sound like, you know, delusional American?

[Stu Holden]

I don't think you do. Because if you're considering the time in which the game, the red car came in that game, the US played down a man for 30 plus minutes. I think it was 36 minutes by the end. That's a pretty substantial punishment for a player that gets a red card. And then now all of a sudden your team is down an entire man for the rest of that game. So it's interesting though, because you do have to have some version of a punishment for the different degrees of red card. And once you start to, then if you're grading a red card and you're saying, well, that's even worse of a red card, that's where they have the multiple match suspensions and they'll re review something maybe, you know, maybe you're on to something and that you could say, look, that was a red card. That was just, just enough of a red card. Maybe it's an orange card in a way where they've missed enough time in that game. And then now that player doesn't have to miss the next game. They've been really good. In fact, FIFA in re reviewing the processes around yellow cards, thank goodness for this tournament before previous editions of this tournament, if you picked up one yellow card at any point in any tournament, let's say first minute of the first game, any yellow card you picked up at any point for the rest of the tournament, then you would miss the next game based on a suspension. So you had players in the past that would miss finals, semifinals, quarterfinals, and in many cases, sometimes these were the best players. To me that takes away from the product on the field. We want to see stars, we want to see as often as we can the best players against the best players. That's what people pay money for. That's why people tune in to the tv. And I just feel so bad for Flo Baligun. Again, I know it's a very. It's still subjective. Some people still feel that's a red card. I think absolutely, if you've played the game, you know that's not a play that should ever warrant a red card.

[Max Kellerman]

Okay.

[Stu Holden]

And even if you haven't played the game, I think your opinion is as valid as anybody's when it comes to this stuff. And so I love when we think outside the box a little bit about these suspensions. But the unfortunate part and what we have to continue to come back to is he's out for the next game. The US realizes that we've all got to move on. And the focus I think really becomes about Ricardo Pepe.

[Colin Cowherd]

Now Miami's where you're at. Argentina against Cape Verde. As a former United States men's national team player. When you watch Messi, how does it make you feel? What do you think you know, Colin,

[Stu Holden]

I felt like Messi before when I played against my daughter's 10 year old soccer team. That's how, that's when I feel like Messi because I can move around players, I can do what I want. I'm so much more gifted physically, tactically, everything. That's how he feels playing against grown adults and not just adults, the best players in the world. The biggest thing I can give you when you watch Messi tonight against a Cape Verde team who has been one of the surprise and Cinderella teams at the tournament. This team is their first ever appearance in the World cup. One of four debutant's, the third lowest ever qualifying in terms of GDP and the size of the country. Half a million people. This is a Cinderella story and you come up against Messi, he's ready to finish off the Cinderella story and he's done that many times. But he just sees the game on another level. I can talk to you about his technique. You can see that in these clips here. His free kicks, his balance, his way to run past players. But just watch how he every team comes up with a game plan against Lionel Messi and yet he finds ways to score. He moves players into a position to then move into the space. He's anticipating plays before they come. He has seen this story a million times. I say this so often, he's from Another planet. Because there will never be another Messi. I want to enjoy him every moment that we have him because he's world class, man. And the players that will come behind him, there's some great ones. There's Lamina Mall, there's Erling Haaland, there's Mbappe. And Bobby will probably break Lionel Messi's scoring record. But he's. He's so fun to watch, man. He's one of a kind.

[Colin Cowherd]

Stu Holden, Argentina, Cape Verde. What a pleasure. Congratulations. You are crushing it. John Strong, you, our entire team. Thanks, bud.

[Stu Holden]

Hey, Monday night's coming con. It's going to be one of the greatest nights in U.S. soccer history against Belgium. We can't wait for that one, man. It's going to be awesome.

[Colin Cowherd]

Awesome. Thanks, man.

[Stu Holden]

Great to talk to you, man. Speak soon.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think what Stu said is, athletically, we're better than Belgium. And it's funny, in the history of the United States men's national team, there has been a feeling. Athletics and athleticism has never been our problem. We've always had great goalies. We've got. We've had speed, we've been. We've had tough guys. We haven't had the skill, the requisite open play skill, the fluidity, you know, when you watch a Messi or a Harry Kane, we haven't had that. I think Pulisic is the first time Landon Donovan did. I think Pulisic does. Baligan, Weston McKinney, Ricardo Pepe. I think we have depth at midfield, our attacking players, but it's never been. We're not athletic. And I think that is what he said. Senegal is athletic. We're athletic. You know, you're playing yourself to a large degree. Belgium's different. Belgium's different. They're older, we're younger. Anytime. It's like the Seattle Seahawks. If you get a team where overwhelmingly your top seven to eight players are all in their prime. New England Patriots, a lot of their best players. Drake May going into their prime in about a year. And that's what you saw. All right. Incredible World Cup. Jason Timp hoops tonight. Walker Kessler to the Lakers. Do they get hosed third? All right. You know what deserves more attention? The assists. Everybody talks about the goal. A big moment that gets replayed on the highlight reels. But too often we overlook all the contributions and collabs that happen along the way. That's true in soccer and honestly, true in life. Halion is shining a light on the assists. As official partner of U.S. soccer. They got a whole lineup of brands ready to deliver for you. So here they are. Sensodyne Dentist Recommended Defense of your sensitive teeth Centrum Fueling your day with science backed nutrients. Advil of course Powerful inflammation fighting pain relief Voltaren Arthritis Gel helps penetrate deep, keeps the joints moving and Tums ready to counterattack with fast heartburn relief. These are brands that are ready to deliver your essential wellness. Assists because every goal starts with an assist, learn how Halion can assist your game day [e-mail] con make your game

[Halion/MGM Rewards Sponsor Voice]

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[Tony Ayo]

This is Tony Ayo from the Real Report with Tony Ayo and Uncle Murder. You ever notice how everything keeps going up? Rent, streaming, even extra Sosa at your favorite burrito spot? But with Boost Mobile, you don't have to play the Willis Go up soon game. Boost Mobile offers an unlimited talk, text and data plan at a price that'll never go up. It's the same price you'll pay for Life. Switch now for unlimited wireless at a price that'll never go up. Only at boost mobile after 30 gigabytes, customers may experience slower speeds. Customers will pay $25 a month as long as they remain active on the Boost Unlimited plan.

[Daniel Alarcon]

The World cup is underway and it's been incredible. On our podcast the Away End with Daniel Alarcon and John Green, we're talking about the games that have delighted us, the teams that have inspired us, what we're loving and what surprised us all through the lens of being massive fans of the world's most beautiful game.

[Colin Cowherd]

Daniel this tournament has been magical so far.

[Stu Holden]

There's so much to love and I

[Colin Cowherd]

can hardly believe the drama that the

[Daniel Alarcon]

group stage brought us.

[Colin Cowherd]

And now it's time for us to

talk about the teams that are left as the field is whittled down to

[Daniel Alarcon]

one World cup champion on July 19. Listen to the Away End with Daniel Alarcon and John green on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.