Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag

Summary

Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Episode: Antonee Robinson Gets Honored, Manchester United Get a Point at Anfield, and Brandon Vázquez Gets His Bag
Release Date: January 7, 2025

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1. Opening Remarks and Personal Reflections

Timestamp: [00:00] – [02:33]

Landon Donovan and Tim Howard kick off the episode with light-hearted banter about their New Year's celebrations. Landon shares his preference for early bedtimes over the typical New Year's Eve festivities, while Tim recounts his less-than-exciting champagne toast experience. They humorously discuss the challenges of parenting, emphasizing the relief that comes when kids return to school. This segment sets a personable tone, connecting with listeners through relatable anecdotes.

2. Premier League Showdown: Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Timestamp: [02:33] – [08:44]

The hosts delve into the recent Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United. Landon describes the game as "a little boring" in the first half but "so fun" in the second, highlighting United's unexpected resilience despite their struggles under manager Ralf Rangnick.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Howard: “Liverpool did everything I expected them to do because they're just a well-oiled machine.” ([02:48])
• Landon Donovan: “The only thing I love more than my kids is the Monday morning after a break when they go back to school.” ([01:29])

They express surprise at Manchester United's performance, appreciating their determination to fight back despite a generally weak roster. Both hosts agree that while United's overall team quality may be lacking, their effort in this particular match was commendable.

3. VAR Controversies and Referee Decisions

Timestamp: [04:38] – [08:44]

A significant portion of the discussion centers on contentious VAR (Video Assistant Referee) decisions that influenced the game's outcome. They specifically examine Joel Linton’s apparent handball leading to Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon goal and the contentious penalty awarded to Spurs involving William Saliba and João Pedro.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Howard: “By letter of the law, if the arm’s in a natural position, it’s not a handball.” ([06:15])
• Landon Donovan: “There’s too much subjectivity. I personally hate that about sports.” ([08:44])

Tim provides a detailed analysis of the handball rules, arguing that the incidents in question did not meet the criteria for a penalty. Landon echoes his frustration with the subjective nature of refereeing decisions, drawing parallels to other sports where officiating can be inconsistent.

4. Mid-Season Premier League Review: Disappointments and Surprises

Timestamp: [13:17] – [16:31]

Landon and Tim evaluate the Premier League’s mid-season standings, identifying the biggest disappointments and unexpected successes.

Disappointments:

• Manchester United and Manchester City: Both clubs have underperformed relative to expectations.
• Tottenham Hotspur: Continues to struggle despite high expenditures.

Surprises:

• Nottingham Forest: Astonishingly performing well, exceeding expectations and climbing the table.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Howard: “I think they'll possibly come good City because they're just one of the most talented teams in the world.” ([13:30])
• Landon Donovan: “Biggest positive surprise for me, Forest. I think that's a pretty obvious one.” ([14:14])

The hosts discuss the potential future trajectories of these teams, with Tim expressing hope for Manchester City’s resurgence and Landon emphasizing Forest’s impressive merit-based rise.

5. MLS Coaching Carousel and Team Changes

Timestamp: [20:49] – [28:47]

The conversation shifts to Major League Soccer (MLS), focusing on the recent coaching changes and the perceived inefficiencies in the hiring process.

Key Points:

• New Appointments:

  • Bradley Carnell hired by Philadelphia Union.
  • Other teams like Toronto FC, New York City FC, and Vancouver Whitecaps are currently without head coaches.

• Critique of MLS Hiring Practices:
  Both hosts criticize MLS clubs for overcomplicating the hiring process, often prioritizing interview performance over actual coaching competence. They advocate for a more pragmatic approach, emphasizing references and proven track records over flashy presentations.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Howard: “The person who can be lights out in an interview is the one that gets the job.” ([23:15])
• Landon Donovan: “If I'm a Philly fan, I'm thinking to myself, why the hell are they bringing Red Bull people?” ([27:31])

Landon shares personal experiences of interviewing and witnessing poor hiring decisions, reinforcing their stance that MLS can improve by focusing on substantive evaluations rather than superficial interviews.

6. Anthony Robinson Honored as US Soccer Male Player of the Year

Timestamp: [29:23] – [34:25]

Landon and Tim celebrate Anthony Robinson’s achievement as the US Soccer Male Player of the Year. They discuss his pivotal role at Fulham and his potential impact on the US Men’s National Team (USMNT).

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Howard: “Anthony Robinson can be world-class, is starting to get himself in that conversation.” ([30:56])
• Landon Donovan: “He just does his business, shows up, does his job every day.” ([31:32])

The hosts laude Robinson’s consistency and leadership, comparing him to other renowned defenders and predicting his rise to being one of the top left-backs in US soccer history.

7. Player Transfer Spotlight: Brandon Vázquez to Austin FC

Timestamp: [37:28] – [40:52]

The episode covers the significant transfer of USMNT striker Brandon Vázquez from Monterey to Austin FC for a substantial fee, making him the highest-paid American in MLS.

Key Points:

• Performance at Monterey: Scored 14 goals in 49 appearances.
• Expectations at Austin FC: High pressure due to his new status and hefty transfer fee.
• Impact on USMNT: Increased competition for striker positions, potentially elevating overall team performance.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Howard: “He gets himself in the shop window week in, week out in MLS.” ([38:50])
• Landon Donovan: “He will be the highest paid American in MLS, so congrats to him.” ([38:38])

Both hosts express optimism about Vázquez’s move, anticipating that regular playing time will showcase his talents and benefit both Austin FC and the national team.

8. Mailbag: Listener Questions and Insights

Timestamp: [41:16] – [54:17]

In the Mailbag segment, listeners submit questions covering a range of topics from player rankings to managerial responsibilities.

Highlighted Questions:

1. Anthony Robinson’s Future and Legacy:

   • Question: Will Robinson sign with a big club in the summer? Is he among the top three US left-backs of all time?
   • Response: Both Landon and Tim believe Robinson has the potential to move to a bigger club and rank him among the elite US left-backs, citing his current form and leadership qualities. (Tim Howard: “I would put him at the top.” [45:14])

2. Determining Responsibility During a Team’s Slump:

   • Question: How to identify if a bad run is due to players, managers, or ownership?
   • Response: Landon emphasizes the importance of ownership decisions in the long term, while Tim highlights the pervasive issue of managerial influence and player morale. (Landon Donovan: “It always starts with the owner.” [46:00])

3. David Moyes Coaching in MLS:

   • Question: If David Moyes were to coach in the US, which MLS team would suit him best?
   • Response: Tim speculates that a club like Houston might be ideal, while Landon humorously dismisses the idea, expressing his desire to move away from the coaching scene. (Tim Howard: “He is the most brilliant soccer mind in the entire football club.” [50:21])

4. Everton’s Marketing to the US Market:

   • Question: With new ownership, will Everton revisit their US marketing strategy?
   • Response: Both hosts acknowledge the challenges of effectively marketing to the US without significant investment, suggesting that sustained on-field success is the most viable strategy. (Landon Donovan: “Years of success on the field” [52:31])

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Howard: “Anthony Robinson can be world-class.” ([33:03])
• Landon Donovan: “There has to be a coming together point where everyone says okay, it's not exactly what we want, but it's good enough.” ([19:24])

9. Brief Discussion on College Football Playoffs

Timestamp: [54:26] – [59:56]

The hosts briefly touch upon the evolving landscape of college football playoffs, expressing fatigue and skepticism about the current format.

Key Points:

• Playoff Fatigue: Tim expresses exhaustion with the numerous games, likening the playoff structure to professional sports rather than traditional college athletics.
• Impact on Players: Concerns about amateur athletes struggling with the demands of constant high-stakes games and the commercialization of college sports.
• Future Outlook: While Tim remains a traditionalist, acknowledging that college football is likely to continue evolving in its current direction.

Notable Quotes:

• Tim Howard: “College athletics is no longer college athletics.” ([58:51])
• Landon Donovan: “They have to put it in their contract, get an agent.” ([57:14])

The segment concludes with Landon urging schools to formalize NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) agreements to protect players' rights and ensure clarity in compensation.

Conclusion

Timestamp: [59:56]

Landon and Tim wrap up the episode by encouraging listeners to subscribe and engage with their content across various platforms. They express gratitude to their audience and hint at exciting discussions in upcoming episodes, maintaining a friendly and engaging rapport.

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Key Takeaways:

• Premier League Insights: Mixed performances with significant VAR controversies highlight ongoing challenges in officiating.
• Player Achievements and Transfers: Anthony Robinson’s recognition and Brandon Vázquez’s high-profile move signify growing talents in US soccer.
• MLS Dynamics: Coaching changes reflect broader issues in hiring practices, emphasizing the need for more strategic and informed decisions.
• Soccer Marketing: Effective engagement with the US market remains complex, requiring sustained success and strategic investment.
• College Football Concerns: The commercialization and structural changes in college sports raise questions about its future authenticity and impact on athletes.

This episode of Unfiltered Soccer offers a comprehensive analysis of current soccer events, blending expert opinions with relatable discussions, making it an invaluable resource for fans seeking in-depth insights into the sport's latest developments.

Transcript

[Landon Donovan]

You know what? My Kids play the FC 25 game, and they can unpack these, like, legend cards and whatever, and they'll be like, God, look at this old legend. I'm like, I played against them. Slate. Shut up, dude. Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim. Presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. soccer for the past five years.

[Tim Howard]

Yes. LD, we are back. What's up? We are, brother. It's been a while to seeing you.

[Landon Donovan]

Good to see you, man. Good to see you. Happy New Year.

[Tim Howard]

Thank. Happy New Year. How was you? How was your New Year's Eve? Are you a New Year's Eve guy?

[Landon Donovan]

I was a little bit sick, a little under the weather. The family was too. So I went to bed. I. I mean, I always go to bed at 9 on New Year's. I'm boring. We watch. I didn't even watch the. The New York ball drop.

[Tim Howard]

Listen, I think. I think the holidays end on Christmas. Like, they're. They're like, who wants to go out for New Year's Eve? I ended up. I ended up being forced to go out on New Year's Eve. And my plan was really nice. Restaurant plan was to get home before the ball dropped. Anyway, dinner went long, so I had a champagne toast at midnight. And I was in the Uber at 12:03 because I was like, this is boring and dumb. But anyway, I.

[Landon Donovan]

But New Year's scares me too. Like, I don't like to be out, man. And you're in New York. Yeah, I don't like to be out in New York. It would scare me. Like, it just. It would say, I got to say, I love my kids. I love my kids here.

[Tim Howard]

It goes here, because I'm ready for it.

[Landon Donovan]

But the only thing I love more than my kids is the Monday morning after a break when they go back to school. I'm like, get out of here, bro. Anybody who has kids and young kids, like, God, they drove me absolutely crazy.

[Tim Howard]

This is what. This is what Unfiltered is all about. It's okay to love your kids and yet at the same time, want them to be out of the house.

[Landon Donovan]

Whoever invented school in the beginning, like, now you know why it wasn't like, oh, let's make our kids smart. It's like, get the hell out of my house.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Thank God they're back to school today. Thank God. Reminder, guys. Follow us on social media. Unfiltered soccer. Subscribe to the show on YouTube. Make sure you follow on Apple podcast, Spotify. If you like what we're doing, please leave a comment. What were you going to say? I cut you off?

[Tim Howard]

No, it's fine. It's totally fine. It just, it's, you know, unfortunately for our children, they have privileged parents that, that they get to drive crazy. Because my mom, when she was out working two jobs, it was like, bro, there's some soup in the pantry. Have at it. I'll see you at 5.

[Landon Donovan]

See you later. Yeah, that's true.

[Tim Howard]

Anyway.

[Landon Donovan]

All right, Timmy. Well, you, you were working this weekend League. Let's start with Liverpool United. First half a little boring, but second half, God, it was so fun. It was just. I love watching that. When you're a fan and you're just sitting back watching. What were your thoughts?

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, it was also, I mean, I think the game was slow to boil. Coming into the game, you, me and everybody else was kind of like, how bad is this going to be, right? Liverpool flying high on merit and United just sinking like a stone and can't seem to get things right under Amarim. And then you're also like, this is a derby. The biggest Darby in, in British football, one of the biggest in the world. And it's kind of like, like, when are they going to show up? They haven't had any leadership. They don't have any continuity on the field. You know, the least they can do is head it and kick it. They didn't do that against Newcastle. So you're just like, whoa. Big worry that, you know, there was some back and forth in the first half. A little bit boring, a little slow to boil and then just fireworks in the second half. And I'll be honest with you, like, Liverpool did everything I expected them to do because they're just well oiled machine going really well under slot. But United impressed me and maybe the bar is low, it is low for United, but they impressed me in the sense that they rolled their sleeves up. They give. They gave as good as they got. They had chances to win the game. They didn't crumble. When the, when the moment seemed to get too big. Some good performances and even Reuben Amram came out in, in the end and said, like, the bad news for these players is I now know they can do it right. Like you and I have been on teams where it's like, oh boy, we just set the standard. So our training standard needs to be higher, our match standards need to be higher. Because you know what? Before this game, I wasn't sure you could do it. Now I know you can so yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

So then that begs the question like what is the issue, right? Why. Why are you getting smacked by Newcastle? And then you go away to Anfield and do that and look, I know soccer is a unique sport, right? Like in a league where there's a decent amount of parity, anybody can win and anybody can compete on a day. But you. It just doesn't make sense to me sometimes. Like that should be the minimum standard that they compete that way. And if you look at their roster team again, they're just not very good. They're just not.

[Tim Howard]

That's right.

[Landon Donovan]

I mean they're just not compared to other teams. Like they're just ultimately.

[Tim Howard]

Ultimately in two years time, right? I do believe Amram's right guy. I think he'll get plenty of time in 2 years time. 18 months time. Guess what? Most of these players won't be there. This team will be unrecognizable. I mean the. The issue at hand. And you. You mentioned that you hit the nail on the head against Newcastle. Look, we got the perform. They got the performance against Liverpool. Against Newcastle. Ball got played in the box. They didn't stop the cross and the ball got headed. We talk about like formations. You're a central defender. Check your shoulder, grab a hold of someone's shirt and head the ball. That's got nothing to do with formations and four three threes and has nothing to do with that. So like you. You. You wondered all the time about who was going to step up for this Manchester United team. And they didn't give you any real hope. But on the day. Very good.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah, they were good. All right. Let's move on. So there are a couple controversial VAR decisions. And this is starting, not starting. Some people just can't stand this stuff. And I'm confused, to be honest. Tim. I'm confused. I've been out of the game a while, but just watching. So the Joel Linton apparent handball that leads to. To the attack for Newcastle. That leads to the Anthony Gordon goal. Ange was not happy after the game. Tottenham manager. He said he's really angry. Angriest I think I've ever been in my career. That they were denied the right rewards for a fantastic performance. Don't keep. Don't keep asking me about the decisions. If you guys have no opinion about it, that's fine. I know you just want me to say something, but I'm not going to. And he went on and on and on. So he didn't think it was a handball.

[Tim Howard]

Your thoughts is the anguish we've seen, we've seen Anu. I thought, you know, we obviously ran the interview on NBC. I thought he was out of order when he, the way he spoke to the journalist, you know, his team, his team is playing poorly at the minute. They're on a poor run. And you know, my, my, my big thing was, hey, listen, Ange, if you're going to have a pop at the referee, go on and be a big man and be, and have a pop at the referee. He wanted to kind of mask his words a little bit. And then, and then the interviewer came back at him and he masked his words like, just say it, say it, it's no problem. But anyway, it wasn't a handball for me. But look, by letter of the law, I think, Landon, to give some, some clarity to this world football is governed by ifab, right? But each individual league has their own governing body, their own, their own lawmakers. And the PGMOL in the Premier League is the, is the governing law body. And the way that the handball rule is written is if the arm's in a natural position. And this is what I have been begging for. And my counterpart, Robbie Musto, says it all the time, you don't run with your arms tied by your side. You're athletic, you jump, you sprint. Your hands are all over the place. So you have to be allowed to go into a tackle or make a movement and have your arms be in what is considered a natural position. And so, and so spurs lose the ball playing out of the back. Berg Vol sprints to the ball. Joelington sprints into the ball. Bergwall gets there first and toes it because he wants to try and clear it out of the way. And, and Joelington sees that and breaks down and gets in a, gets in a defensive position to get ready to block, you know, to, to go into a challenge. And his arms down by his side, he's long and lanky and gangly, his arms down by his side. The ball hits the back of his hand. It's not a handball. It's not a handball any day of the week. So there was another, and there was another one in the game too, which is again, close proximity, where Jacob Murphy smashes the ball off Livermento's hand. But he knows nothing about it. He's in a natural position. So I don't think, look, we know, and you've probably done it as a coach. There's, there's a lot to complain about and you mask your own team's performances by complaining about the referees, but not for me. It wasn't penalty.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah. My biggest issue, Tim, is I still don't know. And I've been in the game my whole life. Right. And so there's still too much subjectivity, because a hundred percent that has been called a handball in the Premier League at some point this year.

[Tim Howard]

Sure.

[Landon Donovan]

And probably multiple. Multiple times. And so that's what pisses off coaches, players, fans, whatever, is when is it and when isn't it? And ultimately it is subjective. And I personally, I hate that about sports and refereeing is. There's too much subjective. I watch the NFL. You could call holding on every play offensive. Holding, of course. And sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. And you're like, whatever, maybe I need to get over it. Maybe it's part of the game, but the other, you know, I'd be curious to hear what the fans think. Obviously, if you're a Spurs fan, you're going to be on one side of it. Xiao Pedro and. And William Saliba with. They clashed in the box. It was a really interesting play. And Xiao Pedro gets the ball, gets a slight head on it there. They then get. They come together. Their heads come together. Saliba trying to head the ball as a second late and heads him. Penalties awarded. Mikel Arteta, again on the wrong side of it, said to the BBC, we're really disappointed with the decision that leads to the goal because I have never seen something like this in my life. He touches the ball as well. So what was your take on that one?

[Tim Howard]

Well, it's. It's an interesting play because I think what Mikel Arteta is kind of saying, which I. Which. Which I agree with, is it's a. It's a strange play. Like, I don't know if we're going to see this again for a while. Right. Like, it's, you know, you know, we'll have to find a link to it. But basically, Xiao Pedro's going away from goal, still in the penalty area. He's getting surrounded by Arsenal players. So he's a clever player, right. So as the ball's rolling to him, he flicks it up on. You know, he basically flicks it up off the ground onto his head and does this kind of like little juggling routine where he now wants to turn the corner and he heads it up in the air to go around the defender, which is Saliba, and at the same time, Saliba tries to head the ball, but he's a second late and he ends up smashing Joe Pedro in the head. Now, the argument is as Joe Pedro Flicks it. It barely takes a little nick off of Saliba's head. The argument which I agree with the referee and var, is Saliba didn't head the ball, the ball touched him. But in. In the action, Joao Pedro played the ball around Saliba and it just happened to take a nick off of him. He didn't defend it per se. And the force in which he headed him also gets brought into account. So I think it's a penalty. I think if the ball's on the floor, it's the same thing. If you nick it around a defender and he gets a piece of it, that doesn't necessarily mean that he's defended the ball. If he takes off, takes out the player.

[Landon Donovan]

There was a. There was an interesting play in the Euros last summer with England. And in the game, ball I think bounced across, I think it was Harry Kane. And he goes to strike it and forget who it was against. But they slide or slide or extend their leg to block it. So Harry Kane gets the shot away, but as he does, the defender then follows through, doesn't block it, and just smashes Harry Kane. Yeah, and our. What we're used to as players is that that's just given as a goal kick. Like, you know, sometimes you're on a break and a guy comes sliding in and you shoot it and miss it and he, in the follow through of his slide just wipes you out.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

My point at that, in that one, and it was. It went to Var and there was a penalty ended up given, is you don't have free reign as a defender to just go flying into someone smash. Right? So. And this was the same thing with Saliba. Like, you have to time your challenges, right. If you're in the box, like, it's hard being a defender. I get it, it's hard being a goalkeeper, but you have to time it, right? And this one, he was a split second late. And so, you know, when I first watch, I'm like, yeah, I don't know if that should be given. But also defenders and anybody in the box needs to know, you cannot just go smash someone after the play.

[Tim Howard]

No, for you. And you make a great point. I mean, for the audience, you articulated that well. I think what you have to bear in mind when you're watching football now is it is exactly that defenders don't have free reign. So referees are now taking into account the force, the angle of the tackle. Right. Because you can get a piece of the ball. And before defenders would get up from their slide and point to the Ball. I got the ball. Right. That's no longer the case. You got to get a lot of the ball in order for it to not be a foul. Like, if you get a piece of the ball and you take all of the player, it's likely a foul. That's just the way it is now.

[Landon Donovan]

Well, I think the. The reason is too, is they don't want people getting hurt, they don't want attacking players getting hurt, and they want attacking play happening. Right. And that's the same in. In any sport you want. That's what people are paying to come watch. So. All right, we're at the midway point of the season. Ish.

[Tim Howard]

Ish.

[Landon Donovan]

Biggest disappointments this far, I think are pretty clear. United, City, all of Manchester. Disappointing for me. Any. Any other ones for you? Yeah, I mean, spurs have been disappointing too.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, I would say City. I mean, I just think the. I do think they'll, you know, they'll possibly come good City because they're just one of the most talented teams in the world. But I think what. I think the reason it's the biggest surprise is, and you and I talked about this a little bit, so I'm repeating myself, but had you told me at the midway point that, like, City were neck and neck at the top of the table, but they were second or third couple points off, I'd say, okay, I'll take that bet. But like, for them to have fallen and not performed and it's mind blowing, like, they've fallen so far. Now, having said that, I do think they're talented enough to make a. To make a run back half of the season. But it shocks me, shocks me.

[Landon Donovan]

Biggest positive surprise for me, Forest. I think that's a pretty obvious one. Anyone else?

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, I agree with you on Forest, again, would have never taken that bet that they're this high on merit because they're playing well at the midway point. Up until about 10 days ago, I would have said Chelsea. I would have said, like, yeah, they.

[Landon Donovan]

Fell off a bit.

[Tim Howard]

Wow. Yeah, Maresca, like, what a job you've done. But fair, fair play to him, but still not the biggest. Yeah, I think Forest for me.

[Landon Donovan]

All right, let's do a. These are real quick. Just answer your gut. Don't need to explain. Okay, what is more likely. This is going to be interesting. What's more likely? City finish top four or our beloved Everton get relegated?

[Tim Howard]

City finishing top four for me.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah, you know, Everton only a point ahead of the drop now.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, no, I know that, I know that. I get it. But I Know, I say that with, with all honesty, I don't think Everton, I get relegated and I do think that Manchester City will make a run at some point and be in the conversation.

[Landon Donovan]

Okay, I think I agree with you and I think it's more about the other teams falling off than City will make a run. But other teams will, Forest will struggle at some point, et cetera. Okay. Ange Postecoglou gets the sack or Tottenham win a trophy, I think.

[Tim Howard]

No, well, I don't think either of those things are happening, but more like that's not the game. What's more likely? Huh. And Tottenham won a trophy, I guess. I mean our Premier League insider, David Ornstein at NBC said emphatically that, that the board has 100% backed him and he's in absolutely zero danger. Like, I know that sometimes that's a kiss of death, but it didn't sound like that.

[Landon Donovan]

It's almost always the kiss of death.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, but this seemed, this, they do it publicly. This sounded different. Like it was. Yeah, it was, it was, it was through back channels.

[Landon Donovan]

Okay. But at some point, at some point, how long can this go on where they're just a mid table team with the way they spend.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, I mean I, I, I, it doesn't, it doesn't feel great. They have, you know, they have, they have one way of playing and it's, and it's plan, Plan A and do plan A better? So. Yeah, I don't know.

[Landon Donovan]

All right. Manchester United get relegated or Forest win the Premier League is more likely.

[Tim Howard]

These are amazing questions. You, you go.

[Landon Donovan]

I think it's more likely United get relegated.

[Tim Howard]

In history or this season?

[Landon Donovan]

No, no, this season. Not in history. United are, their roster's just not that good. And if it continues to go south, I mean they fought the other day. They really did. But if they had lost that game somehow, unluckily, I mean, things can get bad fast, you know. You know?

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, yeah. I think there's no way in the world Manchester United gets relegated. So Forest are going to have to pull a lester for me in this one. Yeah. Not for us to win the league.

[Landon Donovan]

Happening.

[Tim Howard]

Well, United getting relegated. Happening and no chance.

[Landon Donovan]

All right, two more to go.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Liverpool have a, actually trio of contract negotiations I think going on. So what happens first, they extend Mo Salah. They extend Virgil Van Djk or they extend Trent Alexander Arnold.

[Tim Howard]

What's more likely? Mo Salah. This thing's funny.

[Landon Donovan]

Mo Salah is so funny.

[Tim Howard]

One of the greatest of the greats. Look, Trent Alexander Arnold's going to Real Madrid when I don't know. He's going around Madrid most solid. It's, you know, he spoke for the, in the media for like the, in the mix zone for the first time in like forever a couple weeks ago, you know, and talked about his contract. And then yesterday he scores the goal and he does that celebration. Then he prays and then he lays down and salutes. It was, it was all this weird like this is my last kind of hurrah thing. And then he said, got interviewed this week and said what, you know, what's more important, the Champions League or the Premier League? And he said the Premier League because you know, like kind of like this is, this is the last, this is the last time I'll do it. Like so he was emphatically saying it feels like he's negotiating in the media. Van Dyke is, is, is tried and tested. He's a brilliant captain. He's exactly what you, how you want your contract negotiations to go. Because we know nothing about Virgil Van. Not from Liverpool, not from his side. I think the answer is Liverpool extends Virgil Van Dyke's contract.

[Landon Donovan]

I think I agree with you. I'm just. The Mo Salah thing is really disturbing to me and because there are, this is how there are two people. It's either. I don't know if it's Mo Salah, I don't know if it's his agent. I don't know who it is at Liverpool. I don't know if it's Arna Slot. I don't know. There are two people, one on each side whose ego are getting in the way and on. And, and it may. It could be on one side that's really pissing off the other. Maybe Mo Sal's agent saying we need a million dollar, a million pounds a week or he's not staying and being outlandish. Or maybe Liverpool saying no, we'll give him 100 grand a week and that's it.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

And somebody somewhere is just their ego's getting in the way and it's preventing this from happening.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

And this is crazy. Like they, There has to be a coming together point where everyone says okay, it's not exactly what we want, but it's good enough.

[Tim Howard]

Right? Totally.

[Landon Donovan]

Like we're both.

[Tim Howard]

That's a negotiation. That's what negotiations.

[Landon Donovan]

Of course it is, but this should not be happening. He's having the best Premier League start to a season ever. This is happening.

[Tim Howard]

Let me throw this wrinkle in just to add on to what you're saying. I think in Certain moments there are outliers. Right. And I think this is a situation where there's an outlier. And I think ultimately if there's a. If there's a negotiation, if there's a solution, I think, think Liverpool budge here's why. Because you have a player you Liverpool, which like a lot of clubs but Liverpool do it really well in terms of recruitment. There's a certain age where no matter how good you are. Yeah, you're. We don't give you ex. Extra contracts, we don't give you extensions, we don't give you extra years. That's how a lot of clubs do it. Like it's. And that. And they're right because the numbers tell you at a certain age people tail off. Right. Now you look at Mo Salah now can he. Because because the. The end happens fast. So can he fall off in the next 18 months?

[Landon Donovan]

Should.

[Tim Howard]

Sure. But he's looking at it. His body's perfect, his lifestyle is perfect. He's scoring goals at an unbelievable clip which is consistent with what he's done before. He's looking at it and going, forget I should get a raise and I should get more money because look how well I'm doing. So I agree with him. But I also agree with Liverpool saying, hey, we have a wage structure, we have a way of doing things and we don't really want to break that and set that precedent where. But they might have to.

[Landon Donovan]

I think there's room for creativity in there somewhere. Right. Incentivize it like crazy. That needs to happen. Right. Let's move on mls, Tim.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Just coaching carousel going on. Bradley Carnell was appointed at Philly.

[Tim Howard]

Yep.

[Landon Donovan]

The current teams without a head coach are Toronto fc, New York City FC and the White Caps. Vancouver White Caps. Some recycled coaches in mls. And I want to hear your thoughts. And then I got some, some opinion.

[Tim Howard]

I want to hear your thoughts. I know you're hot about this. I know you're hot. Hot.

[Landon Donovan]

So Ronnie Dea went to Atlanta United. He was at NYCFC before Nico Estes. This one's bizarre. Now at Austin FC after getting fired by FC Dallas. Worst season last year was so bizarre. Greg Burholto now at Chicago Fire was at Columbus before of course. And our old coach, Bruce arena at the San Jose Earthquakes. He coached Red Bull Galaxy and New England Revolution. So thoughts on all that?

[Tim Howard]

In a lot of ways I think MLS can do better. You know, I've, I've, I've seen, I've heard, I've been a part of head coaching hiring. I know you have as well from a front office ownership standpoint in various roles. And I, I just think a lot of the things I hear ld in terms of how clubs go about the hiring process, I think they're overcooking it. I think they're overthinking it. I know for a fact and you know, in some of my playing days, it's like trying to reinvent the wheel. Every, every gm, every president, every owner wants to unearth the next best gem or they, or it's the process, the hard process for me is so often, and we've, we see this with the name, with the names that we've just read, it's about how you interview. And that to me is a shame. That to me is a shame because it should be about how you, how you as a, as a hiring group can reference and back reference people who have worked with this coach, good and bad, have enough wherewithal and intel to decipher some of that information. Because if you talk to enough players are gonna go, I hate this guy, okay? That doesn't mean he's not good. And you have to have enough layers. Now I don't think a lot of ownership groups and executives have enough layers in the game to back channel. And so then it becomes all about the interview process. And the person who can be lights out in an interview is the one that gets the job. And I think that that's, that's a scary thing. And I think we're seeing that.

[Landon Donovan]

I listen, I've lived this, I lived it three times. And you know, maybe at some point we'll get into this more. But I, I three times interviewed for roles that I at the time really wanted. And in the end, other people were hired and I was, I, I remember coming out of it thinking to myself, how the did they hire that person? I'm thinking about like that guy's been, you know, failed in MLS or never had never coached before or never this or that. And I had to go look in the mirror and say, you know, these people must have just interviewed really well. And I must interviewed really poorly. And you just start to realize in all walks of life. I remember a story, a club early in the 2000s was looking for a new GM and I was sitting with the owner and he said to me, you know, this Guy presented a 300 page presentation on how he was going to turn our club around crazy. And I was thinking to myself, there's no way this guy's going to be a good gm. Dude, I know him. We Talk to anybody in the game. Right, Right. It's not going to work out. And he was going on and on and I didn't know the guy well enough to say that to him. Sinking in my head. Next thing you know, they hire him. It's a total disaster for a year or two and they end up firing him. And I'm just thinking, why didn't you just call some people and ask around? It's not the only thing. But it could be a thing.

[Tim Howard]

It's a. Listen, hang on real quick. There's you're. Sadly, I'm looking at my window. It's snowing, which is amazing. It's like a winter wonderland in New York. You are not east coast guy. So Toronto and NYFC are out. Why. Why don't you put your name in the hat for Vancouver White Caps? Why, why, why? Why are we not going down that route?

[Landon Donovan]

No, I'm. I'm good, dude.

[Tim Howard]

I think you'd be a great hire.

[Landon Donovan]

I'm done playing the game. I'm done playing the game, dude. I'm done playing.

[Tim Howard]

So. So.

[Landon Donovan]

Because I don't want it, Tim. I don't want to do that and I don't want to. I don't want to go into some interview and bullshit and do all. I just. I would just say, guys, talk to people. Here's what I'm about. Here's what we're about. Go look at our record.

[Tim Howard]

You bet.

[Landon Donovan]

You're a bad interview. I am. I'm a terrible interview. I just had to figure it out. Okay. I want to read this. I did my research over the weekend.

[Tim Howard]

Okay. Awesome. Great.

[Landon Donovan]

All right, so these are the clubs that, that hired. So. So Ronnie Dea going to Atlanta. So I just. I was curious. So I looked up his all time winning percentage. 50% winning percentage. Now that doesn't seem like a lot. That's a really high number. Yeah. As a manager, to win half of your games is a really big deal. So kudos to Garth Logerway and Atlanta for hiring someone who was adequate and good. Now you move to Nico Estevez. His. Now he's young and he's less experienced.39 winning percentage. That's below average. Not great. Okay. He didn't have a great roster. Great team. We'll see how he does. I'm kind of on the fence on that one. Burlter to Chicago. He has a 43% all time win percentage.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Which is about average. Probably a little. Right? About average win.

[Tim Howard]

I like Greg, but I like the way Greg sets his team. How he coaches and all that stuff.

[Landon Donovan]

Bruce arena, you know, people are, oh, why would you hire Bruce to you know how many times he's won 49 of the games he's coached in his career?

[Tim Howard]

His career?

[Landon Donovan]

I mean, yeah, everywhere. Yeah, everywhere. I mean he's, he's going to win half the games he's proven. Right. So this is the one that just. This is so bizarre to me. The Bradney Carnell one, right? So he's at Charlotte, he took over NYC for a while or sorry, New York Red Bull for a while, goes to Charlotte and now they hire him at Philly. Guess what? His all time 1 percentage is over Jim Curtain, who was incredibly successful at Phil. Yes, correct. 37%. And I'm thinking to myself, Philip, why the hell are you hiring this guy and why are you getting rid of Jim Curtain? And by the way, I don't know Jim. Well, I have no skin in the game here. I'm just saying, this is so dumb to me. What do you think? And by the way, so now Aaron Stanner and Bradley Carnell are both New York Red Bull guys, the GM and the head coach taking the Red Bull style to Philly. Who's your arch rival? If I'm a Philly fan, I'm thinking to myself, why the hell are they bringing Red Bull people? We don't want the Red Bull way, we want the Philly way. Right. And, and Jim Curtin was a Philly guy. Just, just none of this makes sense to me.

[Tim Howard]

Well, I think you hit the nail on the head. It's going to be, I reckon that the Philadelphia fans will, who are notoriously passionate. I think they'll probably give this experiment some time because they want a winner. And obviously it will probably lead to some exciting football. But to your point, they are Red Bull people. The GM and the coach are Red Bull people. And if that doesn't start well, there'll be a lot of discontent. I think those numbers as, as you.

[Landon Donovan]

Just mentioned, it might work out, Tim. It might work out. I'm just think like if I'm. Can you imagine Manchester United saying, you know what, Reuben Amram's not working. Let's bring pep over people, be like, no, no, no, no, no. We'll take, even if we're going to win forever, we'll take anyone else but that, you know, it just. That was such a bizarre, such a bizarre hire to me. Yeah, but what do I know? Anyway, let's go to break. When we come back, we got us LNT on us mnt. We got an American striker on the move. Big time American striker. We'll tell you who it is and where he is going next right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim. Presented by Volkswagen.

[Tim Howard]

The Unfiltered Soccer podcast is brought to you by Volkswagen, the presenting partner of U.S. soccer.

[Landon Donovan]

Since 2019, Volkswagen has been on a mission to drive the future of the sport we all love. And VW is committed to making it more diverse, inclusive and accessible for everyone.

[Tim Howard]

They're not just talking about it, they're out there doing it. VW's partnerships, programs and soccer clinics are unlocking opportunities for the next generation of players and fans.

[Landon Donovan]

As a longtime friend of Volkswagen, I've seen firsthand how VW are connecting with fans and driving the sport forward. From working with them on clinics to being part of their incredible campaigns, it's clear U.S. soccer is truly powered by the people.

[Tim Howard]

Thank you to VW for being our presenting partner. Learn more about how VW are supporting U.S. [e-mail] the last thing you want to hear when you need your auto insurance most is a robot with countless irrelevant menu options. Which is why with USAA auto insurance, you'll get great service that is easy and reliable, all at the touch of a button. Get a quote today. Restrictions apply. Okay. Okay, it is time for us LNT on usmnt. Anthony Robinson, a Fulham and US Men's national team, takes home the US Soccer Male Player of the Year honors.

[Landon Donovan]

Well done.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, I had a chance to interview him on behalf of U.S. soccer and NBC. We, we ran the interview. Just a delight, an absolute delight to talk to. By the way, it was Fulham's player of the year last season. Just so awesome to, to hear him speak and the joy on his face when he won the award. And you know, it's, it's an interesting one because he, he talked about and mentioned that like now sometimes wears a cotton's armband for Fulham that like so much of the play goes down his side. And it's, it's like when you're that good and you become that dominant the, the team naturally and also tactically, they want to go down your side. They want to play down your side because they trust you. And we, you and I have talked about with the U.S. men's National Team, leadership, trust, accountability, like, you know, when you can start having multiple players like that. Pretty awesome. Pretty awesome. What'd you think about it?

[Landon Donovan]

He just, you put his name on, as I said the other week, he's probably the first name on the team sheet right now. At Fulham, you put him there. When you're walking, I'm getting goosebumps because honestly, this is how I used to feel about you. When we were walking down the tunnel, you look back or you look forward and you see that guy and you're like, yep, we got it. Like, no problem. He's dialed in. Don't have to worry about him. And he has been phenomenal. I'm so happy for him. Under the radar. For everyone else we talk about under the radar, he just does his business, shows up, does his job every day. So happy for him. Congrats to you, Jedi. Anthony, congrats. Fully, Fully deserved. And really happy for him.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah. You know the cool thing, Landon is like, it's fun. And I know people always ask, right, but we've been getting asked since the beginning of time, when's the US going to produce another world class player or a world class player and when, when is the US going to win a World Cup? Like when you. When you're out and you're in the airports or you're shopping people, that's what people talk to you about, right? And we always get that question. And it's funny because your natural thought is like, world class, world class, world class, okay. It's got to be a number 10 or it's got to be a striker, right? I think what we're starting to see, and I mentioned this on air, like, he may be like, I think Kristen Pulisic is in that conversation, right? We talk about Giorna in terms of generational talent, but Anthony Robinson can be world class, is starting to get himself in that conversation. And for people, anybody, I don't think anybody is, but maybe people who are scoffing at that, like, he's doing the business week in, week out for Fulham and by the way, rumors about City wanting him, rumors about Liverpool wanting him. But by the way, if he goes to Liverpool and plays left back every week for Liverpool, he's a world class left back. Like so, so, so he's in that conversation. And as an American, as a former US Men's national team player, it's awesome. It's awesome that we can have one of our players mentioned in the same breath as world class players.

[Landon Donovan]

If you took out Andy Robertson at Liverpool and put him in, they're at worst the exact same team.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, at worst.

[Landon Donovan]

And I think they're probably better.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, I think he does well. I think he does well.

[Landon Donovan]

I think so too.

[Tim Howard]

In a big team.

[Landon Donovan]

You could see him in City no problem. Like, no problem.

[Tim Howard]

So I think when you look across the Premier League, it's always about players who are at those mid table clubs. And the question is, can they make the jump? If they make the jump, how will they do? He's a player. For me. If Anthony Robinson makes the jump to a big six team, I think he, I think he flies. I think he soars. Trivia question for you. Based on the U.S. soccer male player of the year, who was the last defender to win this award? And then you get bonus points if you get the year.

[Landon Donovan]

Oh, last defender. The defender ever won it?

[Tim Howard]

It was a while ago. It was a while ago.

[Landon Donovan]

Wow. Do goalkeepers count?

[Tim Howard]

No, I don't think so.

[Landon Donovan]

This is, I'm probably way off, but I'm gonna say Alexi in like 96.

[Tim Howard]

Way off.

[Landon Donovan]

Okay.

[Tim Howard]

He's is, it's our era. Defender, central. Central defender. 2006. Is the hint.

[Landon Donovan]

Gooch.

[Tim Howard]

Yep.

[Landon Donovan]

2006, one player of the year.

[Tim Howard]

Wow. I mean, Gooch, Gooch. My, My phone.

[Landon Donovan]

I love Gooch.

[Tim Howard]

My phone's gonna go off soon when Gooch hears that. I mean, the surprise on your face.

[Landon Donovan]

I mean, I love Gooch, dude. I love. I've known him since I was 16, but I was not expecting that.

[Tim Howard]

I, I, I, I, I, I don't know when that was. If that was in like the Milan days, I don't know where it was. He might have been at standard. He might have.

[Landon Donovan]

Standard liaison, to be fair, he was.

[Tim Howard]

Really, they had a really good run.

[Landon Donovan]

He must have been great for the national team. And he was scoring a bunch of goals. Every set piece, you were like, yeah, he's gonna score.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah. Good. Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Our guy Christian's back, thank God, from injury. He scored the penalty, which was good one. Not just scoring the penalty, but he took the penalty. Very happy that he took the penalty. 71st minute. Four minutes later, Eunice Moussa had a deflected cross that went in. And Milan now into the Super Copa final. It is today, actually, incidentally. In a few hours here, we'll watch against Inter Milan, the Milan derby. So it's great to have him back. Curious for you, Tim, coaching change you just had. He's had a bunch of coaches, man. I saw a stat on it. I didn't write it down, but like in his career, he's had at least 10, I think maybe a dozen or 15 coaches in his career. And just curious, what do you think now? It's hard to know what exactly it means, but is this good, bad? I don't know. He's playing at the best he's ever played. So I don't know if it's great.

[Tim Howard]

Well, I mean, look, the, the good news is there was. I was reading all sorts of wild reports about his injury and like how he was like he was going to be out like months and I was thinking this is not good. But the fact that he's recovered and playing is, is fantastic. So obviously scoring, taking a penalty, brilliant from Christian, look, the coaching chain. I think it's hard for a player like Christian Pulisic because coaching changes are one thing. If you're a middle of the road guy, the coach comes in, you're like, let me just work hard and you know, I'll get my name on a team sheet. Like he's been, he's been a star or a star in the making most everywhere he's gone. Right. Like he's either been the prodigy or up and coming star or actually these star. So like when a new coach comes in, there's so much pressure on you to perform and live up to that and have to like impress the coach because your reputation precedes you. So. And look, he's done that and he's lived up. In fact, I even said that at Chelsea, with all the coaching changes, he kept getting the shorter and stick. I thought his performances were fantastic. And yet new coach after new coach after new coach. So yeah, it's a difficult one. I mean, I'd be curious, you know, his own thoughts. Is it like old hat at this point or is it getting frustrating?

[Landon Donovan]

I was just thinking, like, I hope, I really hope he doesn't, you know, he doesn't take it personally, but like, he's playing out of his mind, so it has nothing to do with him. Like he can't play any better. So I, I guess just systematically, what does it look like? Sergio consists. How's the new. The coach? And now with Paulo Fonseca out, training wise, everything they like, everything changes.

[Tim Howard]

Everything changes.

[Landon Donovan]

Right. So whatever's happening. Yeah, whatever was happening before was working well for him. Maybe not the team, but for him, for him. So how does that change? Is that good, bad? I guess, you know, time.

[Tim Howard]

Well, I, I also think, I also think, you know, as you grow and mature, right. Like that's.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Tim Howard]

There's a chance it's a new challenge. Like, hey, you know, because, you know, as an older player, when a new manager comes in, the responsibility is like, sit down with the gaffer, figure out like, what is it you need from me? How can I continue to convey your message to the team? And so it might be a new challenge. Wild little stat. I'm certain I played against Sergio Consecao when he was at Porto, which is tells you how old I am.

[Landon Donovan]

But you know what? My kids watch videos. And a little aside here, they'll watch like soccer videos in the morning and they'll be like, they play the FC 2425 game and they can unpack these like legend cards and whatever, and they'll be like, God, look at this old legend. I'm like, I played against him. Shut up, dude. Like this morning he was like Michael Bullock. I'm like, yeah, I played him. He's like, you played against him. Anyway, all right, so U.S. men's National Team striker Brandon Vasquez, finally, after weeks of rumors on the move, leaving Monterey after just one season and going to Austin FC.

[Tim Howard]

I had big fee.

[Landon Donovan]

Big fee. I think 10 million.

[Tim Howard]

10 million, something like that.

[Landon Donovan]

He will now be the highest paid American in mls, so congrats to him for you, Tim. Where does he rank right now on the pecking order? Strikers.

[Tim Howard]

He had 14 goals in, in 49 appearances for Monterey. Look, I, I, I think it's, in terms of the pecking order, it's slightly, I was going to say up for grabs. Not it's not slightly up for grabs, but I think he gets himself in the shop window week in, week out in mls and again, big price tag, big fee. I think there's a ton of, there's a ton of pressure and spotlight on him, which is great. I think that's a good thing. It's a hard question to answer because flow, we, we don't know Flo Baligan. Like, I think he'll get, he'll get back fit. I think he'll be just as strong. But it, that rust takes a little bit of time. And does he hit the ground running? Does it, does it take him longer to find his form? I don't know. I don't know that well.

[Landon Donovan]

Also, new coach, right? Request of as an Austin a new. Yeah, yeah, just a lot of new to.

[Tim Howard]

But it's good. Yeah, I mean, I think it's good. I think it's good to look for, for the US Men's national team. It's good to have competition for places and the best possible thing is to have a bunch of strikers who are hungry, who are arrogant, who want more time because you know what, at their clubs are scoring. So why not me? That would be a good thing. If he can do that this season.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah, this, look, this, this goes back to what we've been talking about you got to go somewhere where you're going to play. And he wasn't playing a lot at Monterey. There's now 18 months, Tim. 18 months till the World cup, which means every time you step on the field, it is an audition. Like you said, you're in the shop window. And so he is going to play every week. You don't pay $10 million and make him the highest paid American in the league to not play. So whether it was MLS or anywhere, another Mexican league team, anywhere he needed to go where he was playing, it was the smart thing to do. Now, if you think Pepe is number one on the list, maybe flow healthy, and then if he's playing well and scoring well, he might be number three, you know, like he might be. And so we'll see. Time will tell. But he's coming into his prime, so I think this is a great move for him. And excited to watch him go.

[Tim Howard]

Absolutely.

[Landon Donovan]

All right, let's take another break. When we get back, mailbag. We've had a few weeks now of Mailbag time for you guys to submit lots and lots of questions. I've seen a lot of them on YouTube as well, so stick around. We'll be right back on unfiltered soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen.

[Tim Howard]

Oh, yeah. You know what time it is? It's mailbag time. And that means JR's favorite time of the week. Jordan, get on in here, please.

[C]

What's up, guys?

[Landon Donovan]

Howdy. Happy New Year.

[Tim Howard]

Happy New Year.

[C]

Happy New Year.

[Tim Howard]

What are you wearing? A Milan jersey?

[C]

I'm wearing the 125th anniversary shirt. Santa brought it for Christmas swag.

[Tim Howard]

Are you. Are you like. Are you like a Milan fan? Are you a pulisic fan?

[C]

Well, I'm a fan of really sweet looking shirts.

[Tim Howard]

It's a dope shirt. The crest is wild. How was your New year?

[Landon Donovan]

It was good.

[C]

It was nice and quiet. So other than actually not quiet, I don't know, Tim, how you felt about this, but we had the craziest thunder and lightning storm for New Year's Eve.

[Tim Howard]

Oh, it was.

[Landon Donovan]

It was.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We had.

[C]

At first I thought it was fireworks, but then I was like, oh, no, the sky's fall.

[Landon Donovan]

Was that during.

[Tim Howard]

That's a bottle of champagne.

[Landon Donovan]

During the whole celebration, it was thunder and light.

[C]

Like at midnight.

[Tim Howard]

It was. The whole evening was terrible.

[Landon Donovan]

That's ominous.

[Tim Howard]

Imagine sitting in Time Square with no bathrooms, no umbrellas.

[Landon Donovan]

Tim, you could not pay me enough. Like I see when they open the gate and I'M like, are you crazy? You could.

[C]

And New York people don't go there.

[Tim Howard]

No, I'm sure we think those people are people from like, San Diego and stuff. Jordan, what do you got for us?

[C]

Okay, I got a couple of different questions for you. Let's start with one that references something you were talking about earlier. So we've got a question From Evan via YouTube. He said, do you guys think Anthony Robinson will sign for a big club in the summer? And do you guys rank him in the top three U.S. left backs of all time?

[Landon Donovan]

Oh, wow. Okay, I'm going to. I'll start. Tim. I. I think there's every chance he goes, this is like the classic Premier League type of player, type of club that is going to move to a bigger club, right? This, you know, he's, he's not up and coming, but he's in his prime doing well. Someone wants to get him for three or four years to be a top, top left back. I think there's every chance he moves now, should he? I'm torn, right, because he's the man. He's playing every week. He's the captain at times. He's leading. Does he go somewhere where he's battling and fighting it out every week? Let's just use Liverpool as an example. Andy Robertson ain't gonna lay down the red carpet and say, go ahead, pal. You know, you can take my spot, no problem. So I don't know if he should, but I think he will probably end up doing it. You.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, go, go, go. He's earned it. He's. He's a young, young kid from, from Liverpool. He and I played together when he was a youngster at Everton. He then put in his time, put in his work at Wigan and I think Bolton, you know, on loan when they were, they were in, I think championship or league one at that time. And then he goes to Fulham. Fulham's a brilliant football club, right? And so at this point, you don't move from Fulham to go sideways. You only move to go up. And if, if Liverpool or City or any of those rumors are true, you absolutely go because. Because you deserve it. And I think he. Look, I think the way they play, as you mentioned, the way City play in terms of how he play, you know, because he's playing that inverted fullback now. If you watch with, with Fulham, you know, Obobi will, will pull wide and he'll go underneath. And so he understands that role, which is what the, how the big teams are playing. I think he moves. I would be shocked if he doesn't move.

[Landon Donovan]

Know where he should go is United. I mean he, like as a wing back, he'd be absolutely perfect. Is he in the top three of all time? I'm trying to think of.

[Tim Howard]

Give me some of the.

[Landon Donovan]

I don't know.

[Tim Howard]

I think he's at the top. I think he's at the top. Give me some of the best.

[Landon Donovan]

Well, Fabian Johnson, when he was at his best was really good.

[Tim Howard]

Really good. But very short lived.

[Landon Donovan]

Very short lived.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Vanny was there a long time. Was very good.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Frankie played left. Yeah. When Bees played left back. Yeah.

[Tim Howard]

The problem with Bees is he was like, he was at one point like a world class winger. You know, he's like, you know, you guys came up together and then he transitioned to be a, a brilliant left back. Yeah. But it, but if you look at Anthony Robinson, he's is a left back. He's a left wing back. I mean that's who he is and he is prototypical of what you want. I would put him, I would put him as the best left back. I know. It's so, it's so hard because he's, you know, he's, he's, he's youngish, but nah, I would put him up at the top. You like that answer, Jordan? Is that Evan?

[C]

I thought that was great.

[Tim Howard]

Thanks, Evan.

[C]

Yes.

[Landon Donovan]

Great question.

[C]

How about a question from Paul via email? When a team is in a bad run of form, how do you know when it's the fault of the players, the manager or the ownership?

[Landon Donovan]

Oh, that's such a great question.

[Tim Howard]

When a team, Yeah, a team has a bad one.

[Landon Donovan]

Well, you need, you need his. I say historical, but you need many years of context to know it's the ownership. Right. So the jets are a prime example in the NFL right now. United are a decent example of it. Manchester United. But they're starting, it seems like they're starting to get it right. But it starts with the owner. It always starts with the owner because they make the biggest hires. They do. The Cowboys. Right now Jerry Jones is, you have to say he's the issue because he's has too much control and he's micromanaging everything. So if there's multiple years, in my opinion, that's the owner within the run of a season. My, my, always my biggest, my biggest red flag for when it's a manager is when you go through long stretches of being bad because very good managers after two or three losses. Everybody's in the room. Sit down. We're sorting this out now. We're not leaving until we get it sorted. And when it's a bad manager, it'll go four losses, five without winning, seven without winning, eight losses, 10 without winning. And that's when, you know it's really bad. And that's also then when you know there's bad leadership on the team. And so generally, it's a mix, because a good leader will go to the coach also and say, this ain't working. We got to figure this out now.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah. So often it's on the coach, unfortunately, you know, and a good manager. A good manager can galvanize a team. And look, there's not a perfect science. It's such a difficult question, because I think everybody's at fault. I think ownership, I think coach, I think players. Ultimately, managers get fired, right? Like, managers get fired more than. Players get turned over more than. Owners sell a club and managers get fired when, you know, they talk about the term losing the dressing room. And that's a real thing. It's. It's kind of a blanket statement, but it's a real thing. Losing the dress room is basically. Basically, you get a bunch of. Get a bunch of human beings who sit in meeting rooms and locker rooms and buses and hotels, and they hear the same voice, and that voice no longer excites them. It no longer jolts them. It no longer scares them. Forget excitement.

[Landon Donovan]

And they don't respect it.

[Tim Howard]

No, we don't respect it. Fear and respect is what I played for, for my manager. Most of my managers I feared, and the other ones I feared and respected. And that's why. And then all of a sudden, you can see it. I. I'm going to guess Landon. You've been on teams. I've been on teams where I could see it, and I'm just like, rock bottom has a trapdoor, because I'm looking at these guys and they're soulless. Manager speaks, it walks out. And I'm looking around, I'm going. And as a senior leader, you try and do your best and you hope. You hope that that's not. You're not one of them, but, oh, it's ugly. And so it's the manager, unfortunately.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[C]

Speaking of managers, here is a question from Leonard via email. David Moyes has been out of a job since leaving West Ham last May. If he were to come work in the US where would be the best place for him?

[Tim Howard]

Moise?

[Landon Donovan]

Huh? Good question.

[Tim Howard]

It's a good question that goes back to what I would say. Houston. But we've got a great coach in Ben Olson, so he's not going anywhere. I think David Moyes at some point will end up in mls. The problem is David Moyes is a brilliant football manager. Right. Going back to the conversation LD and I just had at the beginning of this episode, there will be so many GMs and presidents and owners in the MLS. When his name comes up, they'll go, he doesn't play an expansive brand of football. We want to go younger. Listen, if you want to hire somebody to win you football matches, hire David Moyes. He'd be, honestly, he'd be a good fit. But he also, like Bruce arena, like Greg Borhalter, he's going to need power. He's going to need power because there's a likelihood that when he enters your football club, he is the most brilliant, intelligent soccer mind in the entire football club. So you're going to have to give him.

[Landon Donovan]

Oh, there's no question he is.

[Tim Howard]

You're going to have to give him more power as a GM player selection, recruitment.

[Landon Donovan]

So yeah, I think the important thing for him is a club and more important a city and a culture that fits who he is. Right. He is a blue collar working man. Like going to LA or New York isn't going to work for Moyes. Going to Philly works, going to Salt Lake works, going somewhere tough and rugged and that's what works for him. So he, because the town would be galvanized by that because that's who he is as a human being.

[C]

Okay, one last question for you. This one is from Ben via email. And Ben is thinking about the fact that he thinks Everton missed a big opportunity by never properly marketing the club to the US market. And so he wants to know if you guys think TFG will revisit this market with any real strategy now that they have bought the club or has the opportunity been missed?

[Tim Howard]

Ben, great question, Ben, love it. Gonna let you tackle it. I got my own thoughts on.

[Landon Donovan]

I struggle with, with clubs marketing to America and how they do it effectively and I'll tell you what I mean. So I've been a part of a few different ownership groups in Europe. I was also part of Everton. Right. And so how do you. Without just saying we want to expand ourselves into the US market, how do you actually put that into effect? It's hard. I don't know that there are that many. Like I'm not sure winning one season does it. I don't know that there's that many Leicester City fans now in America. Tim, you go to the fan fest and you see it's still Liverpool, United, Arsenal, Spurs. I don't know how you do it effectively without spending tens and tens of millions of dollars marketing and just pushing it that hard. And in the end, I don't know if it's worth it then to a club to do that. So you have to, I guess it's all part of the calculation but I guess the best way is just years of success on the field. Not one year. Years and years and years. And seeing them in Champions League or Europa League, at the top of the Premier League every week, I guess that's, that's the, that's the only answer. It seems like.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah, I mean, I mean to kind of, kind of piggyback off that it's. Do the dollars make sense and love the American soccer fan? I do. I'm one of them. I see him every week. We speak to him every week. You know, so many of our listeners are the U.S. soccer fans. It. If you look at Everton's a good example, I think with the TFG group, I think there's a possibility of that. You know, I think they're, you know, they're certainly, I believe they're Texas based and I would imagine those conversations are being had. The way to do it would be most likely having a plan to every single preseason year in America.

[Landon Donovan]

Right.

[Tim Howard]

But look, the fact of the matter is these teams get boatloads of money to go to Australia and to Asia and to different parts of Africa like they do. Right. So. So you know, if someone, if someone drops a load of money on Everton's plate and says hey, we want to fly to Australia and play three games and the other option is to go to America, but it's for like half the money, you know, in psr profit and sustainability era that we're in, these things matter, but the fans matter. And so do you. Do you identify one or two US Men's national team players that you think can play for Everton and that brings more eyeballs? Possibly. But as you said, Landon, so much of that is strategic and manufactured. But to your point, ultimately they're an American based group and they might have American ideas and they want to sell the club as much in England and Europe and globally as they do in America. So that's a possibility. I certainly hope that that's the case.

[C]

Awesome. Thanks guys.

[Tim Howard]

Thanks J.R. you're leaving us? You're leaving?

[C]

That's all you got?

[Landon Donovan]

Thank you. All right, Timmy. Anything but soccer.

[Tim Howard]

I'm excited for this one.

[Landon Donovan]

This, Me too.

[Tim Howard]

I'm going to take some. I, I'M going to take hell for this, I'm certain. But that's what the comments are for.

[Landon Donovan]

All right. College Football Playoff don't even have anything too specific. I just. Let's just talk about it writ large. It was, you know, we were watching it last week. We were watching it the week before. Thoughts?

[Tim Howard]

I can be specific. You want me to do more diving?

[Landon Donovan]

Well, we can talk about the format. We can talk about the games. We can talk about. I just. I watched so much of it over the last two weeks, consumed a lot. So go ahead.

[Tim Howard]

Okay, here's the headline. I'm going to get slaughtered for, but great, I think. And I'm roping you in because I don't think you love it, but I don't think you hate my take. My take is college football playoffs. I have college football playoff fatigue.

[Landon Donovan]

I said it.

[Tim Howard]

Here's what. Hear me out. Hear me out. There's so many games. There's. So now it's the first year. So maybe, maybe I'll. I'll know where to find the games. I know they've all been on my TV and all that, and I've watched a bunch of them. There's so many games that the glosses kind of come off for me. And I just look at bowls in general, right? And I watched these bowl games go away from the playoff for a second. There's nobody. Any. Anything outside. Anything outside of the bowl playoff series. There's nobody at the games. I watched a bowl game the other day. There was nobody there. This is the culmination of your career as a player, of your season. There was. I might get this wrong. There was a player from Louisville who didn't get paid his nil money that he was promised in September, and he didn't go to the bowl game as, like, a protest. It's. It's become a farce. And look, it's become. It's become professional football, too, basically. And, you know, I also. I'm a traditionalist. When I look at, like, the Sugar bowl, the Rose Bowl Festival, Cotton Bowl, Orange bowl, they don't mean anything anymore. Like, I watched. Who was it that won a Rose Bowl? Was it. I can't remember.

[Landon Donovan]

Ohio State? Oregon. Right.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah.

[Landon Donovan]

Yeah.

[Tim Howard]

So Ohio State wins a Rose bowl, and it's like, they didn't really win the Rose bowl. They just won a quarterfinal. And I'm like, winning the Rose. There's some people who literally spend their whole life saying, I won the Rose bowl. And they'll be. That it's going to get lost Yeah, I mean, look, I love college football, and I probably will get reinvigorated at some point, you know, watching the semifinals or finals, but it just seems like there's a lot of games I prefer. I think I prefer four teams, but that's just me.

[Landon Donovan]

But you're comparing it to what you're used to, so it's not that many games. It's a few extra games. Now, if you say the bull season as a whole, like, yeah, okay. It's good for me because my son wants to sit on the couch and watch it so I don't have to do anything and just, like, say, hey, babe, he wants to watch. He wants to watch.

[Tim Howard]

You're passing the game. They go back to school.

[Landon Donovan]

He's watching Texas State against Texas. North Texas. Yes. What the hell are we doing? So I get that the bowl games have nobody there. It's so sad. The other thing to your point, Tim, with nil now, lot of these guys are. If they're going pro, they just don't play, like. They just don't play the game. They don't want to play the game.

[Tim Howard]

I know.

[Landon Donovan]

Now, a few other things. When we were watching the Rose bowl, my boys were like, oh, look at that, they get roses. And I said, yeah, do you know why? And they said, it's the Rose Bowl. And then my boy goes, ha. What do they get when they win the Sugar Bowl? I was like, oh, they just love sugar. So I think here's the problem with the format. Here's the problem. It is a big deal for, I'm going to say, amateur athletes, even though they're getting paid now. Yeah, it is a big deal for amateur athletes to know how to stay ready to play for three weeks. Every team that played the week prior in the first round beat the team that had been off for three weeks, and they slaughtered them in most circumstances. So that is a big, big advantage. And for pros, we would struggle with that if we had a week off or two weeks off. But for amateurs, they have no clue. So they have to figure out how to fix that. I'm confident. Tim, after next week, when you watch the semis, you're going to be reinvigorated. You're going to college football again.

[Tim Howard]

Look, I'm just a traditionalist, but. But I have the foresight enough to know that college athletics is no longer college athletics.

[Landon Donovan]

No, I know. It's sad.

[Tim Howard]

It's professional. It is in every way. The money's too big. They're never going back to four teams. This is only going to get bigger and better, and I'm okay with it. Like, you know, I've jumped ship. I used to hate the fact that athletes were getting paid. That's for another. That's for another time. College athletes. But this, the train has left the station and it ain't coming back. So I'll get reinvigorated. We'll talk more about it. But I have a little bit of fatigue at the moment.

[Landon Donovan]

All right, here's one thing. I want all the schools stop promising nil deals without a contract. If you want those players there for the ball games or whatever, you put it in their contract, right? These are professionals now. They're professional contracts I don't want to hear about. I'm suing him because he promised me a million dollars. Well, guess what, dude? If he promised you a million dollars, get it in a contract, get an agent. Stop complaining. All right. Great to be back to me. Happy new year. Happy 2025. Going to be an amazing year, bud. Appreciate all of you here today. Leave us comments. As always, remember to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your pods. Follow all our social media for bonus content at Unfiltered Soccer.

[Tim Howard]

Yeah. Thank you, everybody. Always a pleasure to spend our hour or so with you. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, bw. Have a great week. You know exactly where to find us. We will see you next Tuesday on another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.