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Tim Howard
Nwsl, as you rightfully mentioned, has to get away from that stigma of, like, I don't like it here, so I'm off. Teams are starting to build and move away from that, but it can still get better.
Landon Donovan
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
LD what's happening, bud? We're back. How are you?
Landon Donovan
Back where? How are you? I'm a little tired, bud.
Tim Howard
Why? Where you been?
Landon Donovan
I had a belated birthday weekend in. In Vegas.
Tim Howard
It's good for some.
Landon Donovan
Yeah, man, it was. I did. I tried to catch up on sleep last night, but the time change, and we're recording this a little earlier today. Sorry, I'm kind of mad at you guys.
Tim Howard
I apologize. Where do you. What do you stay?
Landon Donovan
We stayed at Encore this time, which was fun. Did gambling, nice dinner. That was it, actually. But it was a. It was a fun trip. It was just a long, long, long night. Saturday night.
Tim Howard
How, How. How many days is. Is like, what's, what's. What's the sweet spot for you in Vegas? I know you're close now.
Landon Donovan
It's one. No doubt. It's 1:36 hours, one day. Yeah.
Tim Howard
What's your. What's your. What's your go to game? What do you. What do you like?
Landon Donovan
You know what? I like to play now, it's kind of a weird game, is Pai Gow poker. You ever played that?
Tim Howard
No, I'm not a poker guy.
Landon Donovan
All right, so it's weird because in one of the casinos, they literally don't play it anymore because the odds are so tiny for the casino.
Tim Howard
Right?
Landon Donovan
So it's, It's. I won't explain it because people are probably already tuning out. You play a hand, the dealer plays a hand, and there's. There's two parts to your hand, so if you win both, you win the money. If they win both, they win the money. Or if you each win one, you push. And so you can sit there for like 45 minutes and just keep pushing because the odds are you're gonna push. So it's really fun. But it lasts a long time, so it's nice.
Tim Howard
That's my thing about Vegas. LD I like to play craps because I can play craps till like, four in the morning. And I like games that, like, if I went to play blackjack, my night's over in like 20 minutes because I. I'm just getting housed. So, yeah, I'm not a gambler either. On a slightly serious note, ld I wanted to say hello to our friend and a friend of the show, Tony Miola. Very. I spoke to him this morning. Recently, he had a massive heart attack and it was scary for all involved. And I know he means so much to soccer in America and U.S. soccer fans, and they've wished him well and he's just been. He's been amazing through this process, but he's strong. He just had a checkup. Doctor gave him the all clear. Just not too much running in the next month. So we, as a show, want to make sure we send our love to Tony Miola and so glad you're doing well, bud.
Landon Donovan
Funny. Real quick story about Tony Miola. The first time I went to national team camp was after the Earthquakes won with him in 2001. It was my first year and I was like, dude, Tony, I was 18. I was such an idiot. I go, tony, I don't see why we wouldn't just win the MLS cup every year. We're so good. And he looked at me and he goes, landon, you have no clue what you're talking about, dude. He's like, just give it a few years. You're not winning MLS cup every year.
Tim Howard
Was that a serious comment from you as well? We're so good, bro.
Landon Donovan
We're so good.
Tim Howard
We won the O.
Landon Donovan
He's like, shut up. Evil.
Tim Howard
Oh, my God.
Landon Donovan
Follow us as always on social media at unfiltered soccer. Subscribe YouTube. You can watch on YouTube. Subscribe anywhere. You get your podcast, Apple, Spotify, etc. If you like what we're doing, rate the show, review it. We got some feedback that some people are not happy about. Some comments we made, particularly about New England Revolution. That's okay. If you want to review that and say that. No problem, guys. Email us feedback@unfiltered soccer.com. we can take all of it. Tim likes the heat. It's good.
Tim Howard
No problem. Good balance.
Landon Donovan
All right. MLS weekend, Timmy. So in Vegas, I did actually watch the Sounders LAFC game. It's fun to watch when you're just sitting around and there's a bunch of people who probably presumably have bet a ton of money on it and they have no idea what they're watching, but they're excited about or mad about the game. So Seattle look great? Yeah, really good.
Tim Howard
I love that. I love how much you pay attention to that, like, west coast corridor. It's like Seattle.
Landon Donovan
Late night.
Tim Howard
Seattle look great. I was surprised. LAFC was have been really good defensively And I watched it and I just thought something's. I hope it's not a theme. I think it is a theme through the season. There's some bad defending in mls, like really bad defending. And you, and you're one of the greatest attackers in the league in the history. But like there's just sometimes we're like defenders. I'm thinking, I'm certain on your paycheck somewhere it says I am paid to defend. And they just don't do it. But okay, I'm digressing. Seattle was very good. I love, I love the atmosphere in Seattle. Like the game kicked off and I was just like, I remember playing there with just come back from Europe and I was playing there with Colorado and I remember saying to a couple of young guys in the dressroom, like, if you never get to the world stage, this is as good as it gets. Like this place is awesome. And they were great. I thought they were really, really good. Big credit to Jordan Morris. He's a former teammate of ours. 87th goal for the club. Become Seattle's all time leading goal scorer. Couldn't happen to a better guy, better player. I'm buzzing for him, number one and he's got that. But then I think he's also in touching distance of 100 goals. Right. So you hope over the next two seasons he's able to kind of eclipse that mark, which would be huge for him.
Landon Donovan
You're seeing Tim. And I know Seattle's in it too. But these teams that are in the Champions cup too, they're playing these midweek games and then LAFC had to travel whatever two and a half hours up to Seattle afternoon game which just hard like emotionally to get up for that Again. They had, LAFC had, has some injuries in the, in their defense and then they had an injury during the game and they, you know, their options were go from a back three to a back four and play with two center backs or bring on, you know, a rookie who's never played a minute against, against Seattle away and they chose not to do that and they, they, I mean they got battered, but they'll be fine. But Seattle, Seattle, look, good question for you.
Tim Howard
How many. I should know this. How many goals did you score in MLS?
Landon Donovan
I don't know exact. I think in the 1:30 range, 140 range.
Tim Howard
Is that you. Is that the all time leading?
Landon Donovan
Is that Wando?
Tim Howard
How many times.
Landon Donovan
Wait, I think it's Wanda now. Or did Kai Kamara pass him?
Tim Howard
Oh, Kai, Kai passed him.
Landon Donovan
Did Kai pass for first all time I don't know.
Tim Howard
Someone. Someone in our chat will tell us.
Landon Donovan
Someone will tell us. But, Jordan, I mean, look, Seattle started late, right? In the league. You know, they came in. I forget what year they came in, but it's been a while. But to score 87 goals, dude is. It's a lot of goals.
Tim Howard
A lot of goals. He'll get. He'll get 100 minutes. Awesome.
Landon Donovan
Yeah, he'll get 100. He'll get.
Tim Howard
LD is a leader on 144 goals.
Landon Donovan
Wow. Leader. Yeah.
Tim Howard
All right.
Landon Donovan
Tell everyone I'm the leader.
Tim Howard
We say what we want on this. On this.
Landon Donovan
Okay. That's right. We say it so people believe it. All right. Miami. Yeah, I did see, they were down. Miami was down a man for a long time.
Tim Howard
Keeper got sent off, didn't he?
Landon Donovan
Yeah. And when. I'm just always impressed with teams when they're able. Well, the best is when you go down a man and then you score and then you're able to win a game. That tells me a lot about a team. But Miami, down a long time, but one at home in a. In a rivalry match against Charlotte Wolow. It's becoming a rivalry match in that southern corridor. Another. Another important win for Miami without Messi. He was on the bench. Do you think he was going to play?
Tim Howard
No, no, I think. No, not for.
Landon Donovan
I think they succumb to social media pressure and just throw him on the bench.
Tim Howard
Yeah, I mean, I'm sure there's going to be lots of. Of that. I couldn't imagine there was a scenario where he was going to play, but it's just. It's a rest. It's a rest thing. Look, what I would say for, you know, we. We are. We are at the end of this thing, right? Like. Like, how many more times is Messi going to lace up his boots and.
Landon Donovan
Cross the white line?
Tim Howard
You're looking at less than 18 months. That's. I have no inside information on that, but I'm just looking at it from the vantage point of, like, the World cup and his contract and all that. Like, they're trying and we're. I have a feeling, LD this might be a weekly segment. Miami. Miami won a Supporter Shield last year. They got knocked out in the first round. Messi missed 14 games, all competitions. They are going to try and win the MLS Cup. Simply put, I don't even know if they care about the Supporter Shield this year. You know, they've done that, boxed it away. They're going to try and keep pace, perform well and keep Messi as healthy as humanly possible to play the best possible minutes from September to November. They are. They are. And I know that's hard for people to think about and balance and yes, there's a responsibility to the league and to the fans, but I would imagine David Beckham is thinking if we. If number one goal is to lift that cup.
Landon Donovan
Yeah. I mean, fans hate it, right? Because even if you're in Miami and you get 17 or 20 times chances a year to see him, you spend all the money, you do all the things, you prepare, you go to the game and then you sit on the bench for 90 minutes and you're like, this sucks. And for away teams, we've talked about it, like, it's an absolute disaster. So. But their job as a team and their job as. As a front office is to try to win. I mean, right? I mean, on the soccer side is to try to win. And they're trying to win MLS Cup.
Tim Howard
So, yeah, quick, quick segue. We lied. We don't often lie, but when we do, we make sure we tell you. Landon Donovan is not the leader. All time. Leading goal.
Landon Donovan
I thought we confirmed I was the leader.
Tim Howard
So. Number one all time, Chris Wanna Lowski. The greediest striker. Most amazing striker. Love Wando.
Landon Donovan
You love Wanda.
Tim Howard
171 goals. Kai Kamara, who I really impressed with. I mean, he's had some staying power. 147 goals and our own Landon Donovan.
Landon Donovan
Think about this for a minute. 45 with Wando. You know, what people don't know about Wando is he started, like, really started his career like. Like 23 or 24 years old.
Tim Howard
Oh, yeah.
Landon Donovan
I was playing at 18.
Tim Howard
Yeah. Yeah.
Landon Donovan
And Wando scored. I'm just doing the math right now. 30. He scored 26 more goals and he played so many less games.
Tim Howard
Yeah. I mean, incredible.
Landon Donovan
Guy's probably the most underrated MLS striker ever.
Tim Howard
I'll give you that.
Landon Donovan
Yeah, I'll give you that. A team that could use a striker right now, Tim. My LA Galaxy.
Tim Howard
What's going on?
Landon Donovan
Oh, this is tough, dude. This is getting tough to watch. I told you last week.
Tim Howard
Yeah.
Landon Donovan
Don't be surprised if it continues. Yeah, I think people are just going to start waking up to the fact that this is going to be a common struggle for the Galaxy and you just cannot. The part of MLS that's hard is when you succeed, you get punished. And what I mean by that is when you win, you can't keep players. Right. So Jovalich, they couldn't make him a DP because they don't have a DP spot, but he deserves, you know, based on performance, to probably be a dp. Kansas City could. So you've got to move him. He's not going to, he's not going to turn down doubling his salary. So it's, it, it's just part of the game. But the Galaxy are struggling, man, and without Ricky, it's, it's. The struggle's very real. They lost Marquis, Delgado too. They've, they've lost some big pieces that, that were really important and they're struggling and, And I think it's going to continue. I wish there was a. I wish there was an easy way out, but I think it's going to continue.
Tim Howard
I mean, what they, what they just need to be careful of is, you know, know it's three games in, so they almost kind of need a reset. And what they need to be careful of is like, not, you know, getting too far off the pace. Right? Like, it's okay to not be great. And we all, we understand the, the subtractions that they've had and not a ton of additions, but I still, I don't know, I was going to say there's, there's an onus on the players to kind of, you know, these are champions. Like, yes, there's one or two missing, but, like, this is a championship level squad and so feel, I feel as if they need to be giving more. I'm not questioning their effort, but there's, you know, there's that, like, championship hangover. You've probably had that more than, more than most, right, where you just exhale and you're like, this has been. It is, it is so much easier. And it's not easy, but it's so much easier to chase a title than to actually be chased. And now, now, now everybody's hunting for them. And that's so much harder, you know, meant from a psychological standpoint.
Landon Donovan
Yeah, this is human psychology, Tim. And that's when, when we repeated from 2011, in 2011 and 2012, in my mind, that was the best, the biggest feat ever for us as a team, because there is a natural human psychology from everybody, by the way, from ownership to go, ah, we won. We can relax. From front office to coaches to players, it's natural, it happens. And it's hard to, like, go again and go again and go again, especially in a league where in, like in the Premier League, which we'll get to in a second. You're fighting the table, right? There's no playoffs. So for the Galaxy, it's like, oh, we can chill. We've, you know, halfway through the season we can turn it on and get into the playoffs. But to your point, that could be gone fast. And the problem is now is two losses at home to two teams. They really should have beat San Diego and St. Louis and it's not a knock on those two teams, but it's not like you lost to Darby to LAFC or you lost to Miami coming in or a good Philly team or they're losing games, they should win and you don't get a chance to get those points back. So it's going to be a slog, man.
Tim Howard
Yeah, it is. We're not touching on Philly, but you mentioned Philly Baribo, Jesus, he has six goals, starts, his keys on fire. And by the way, Philly are incredible at the moment. They've got some pieces.
Landon Donovan
Well, just like I said, Tim, Philly's going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Tim Howard
People, people got some receipts, bro.
Landon Donovan
Can we go back and can we refilm that? And I'll just say I'm. What a great hire Bradley Carnell was and this is going to be a great team.
Tim Howard
Amazing. They are incredible. By the way.
Landon Donovan
By the way, Sandy, real quick, San Diego fc, also unbeaten, still went into Salt Lake and they won late. They, it was, it was a 11 game, but they won a couple late goals when Salt Lake were pushing the game. So big credit there. If they stay healthy, they can. And they, you know, they lost Chukilizano, but if they stay healthy, they're chant they got a chance to make the playoffs and do some things.
Tim Howard
So, yeah, for sure.
Landon Donovan
Keep your eye on that. All right, Premier League, I'm going to let you lead this dude, because I was in Vegas and flying and I didn't watch live any of the games. I saw the results. But what did you see this weekend?
Tim Howard
You were throwing all your chips into the middle of the table.
Landon Donovan
It's fine.
Tim Howard
I was, I was working. Probably the best game of the weekend actually was forest. Manchester City 1 nil. Forest at home. I, I personally have never been to the city ground, which is an incredible, incredible stadium with like rich in history. I mean, you know, in the 70s, forests were. I know people think that was a million years ago, but forests were a European force. I mean, they had, they, they were incredible. And my, my goalkeeper coach, Chris woods, who, you know from Everton, he was, he was the goalkeeper behind Peter Schilman all those, all those years. So, I mean, I've heard stories about Those amazing Nottingham Forest teams. At any rate, it's an, it's an incredible place to play. It's one of those old school. You know you talk about Goodison, Everton leaving Goodison for, for a new home. But this is one of those old school proper football grounds and they're really real home field advantage and they play on that. And look, I think, you know, is new is Nuno Espirito Santo the front runner for managing season. He has to.
Landon Donovan
Oh, he has to.
Tim Howard
He has to be him and slot of course at Liverpool. But the way that he. What it is is we haven't seen this from Nuno which makes it even more special at Wolves again. Wolves are probably where, where they are there, there, about to the bottom of the table. They had a few good seasons certainly under Nuno, but it was a more pragmatic style. He had a few match winners and then he went to Tottenham. It just didn't work and very quickly was sacked. And so we hadn't really seen like, what is. Who is Nuno Espirito Santo? Very stern kind of stone face. We're starting to see a smile and an exuberance about him. And his team is fantastic. He sets them up well. They've got, I mean, front to back they have real staying power in terms of staying in top four because you got a fantastic goalkeeper. Matt Sells, they got the most clean sheets in the league. Real good partnership in the back with Murillo and Milankovic as the two center backs. And then what he does is it's kind of that like Portuguese way of like we're going to create this base at the back, be really solid and then there's going to be like four or five players. You go win us the game. Like, just go win us the game. I need a massive engine from you. Gibbs White is brilliant in the middle of the field on one side, Hudson Odoi on the other. And this is the key. He wants them to break, break quickly and. And the second they get their head up, put the ball in the box. Because they put their ball in the box. Chris was getting on the end of it. He's having a fantastic career season. So, yeah, Forrest has been really, really good this year.
Landon Donovan
He's had a renaissance, huh? Chris Wood, the big Kiwi. It's like you watch that team and you're thinking, okay, does he. Does the other pieces really fit with him? But they know put it in the box. And he's proven he can score goals. Obviously very good in the air, but he's just banging in goals for fun.
Tim Howard
I mean.
Landon Donovan
Yeah, they've been fun to watch.
Tim Howard
Yeah, it's a testament to. To what a proper striker is. Get. Get between the post. That's where the goals are scored and put the ball in. Yeah, he's been fantastic.
Landon Donovan
Yeah. You know, I was checking the scores in Vegas and I looked at halftime of the Liverpool Southampton game and Southampton were up one now at halftime and I was like, whoa.
Tim Howard
Yeah.
Landon Donovan
What was going on? So I mean I can imagine what the game looked like. But in the end all was set, right. But I was shocked. That was a shocking.
Tim Howard
Yeah, I think it was. I think it was kind of short lived. It was off of Southampton throw in small bone ends up like kind of challenging Van Dyke from. From behind. And Van Dyke's trying to hold him off. And once Allison the goalkeeper to come. It's one of those really slow balls where the defender should just clear it. And it was massive coming together. The ball falls and small bone swivels on it. Scores and bedlam. Right. But it's kind of like we've seen this enough in the world. In the world of football where you're like, okay, that's all Liverpool needed because now I can tell you how this is going to go. And they ran out three one winners. And it was in the end pretty comfortable. And I get the sense that there's going to be a few teams toward the back of the season that are going to have to give Liverpool a guard of honor because I do think they're going to win it pretty comfortably at this point.
Landon Donovan
So 15 points clear now, right?
Tim Howard
Yeah. 15 points clear. Five wins in a draw. What they need from the remaining nine games. And obviously that doesn't take into account any more drop points from the likes of Arsenal. So it seems to be a formality and just for people listening in England what a guard of honor is. If you win it on the last day and the last kick of the ball, you don't get a guard of honor. But you know, when I was at Manchester United, Chelsea, it was the Mourinho teams and Chelsea had won a league and they won it comfortably. Which meant if they're. If. If a team mathematically has already clinched the title, then any subsequent games that they play, let's say they have three games left. Every time the teams walk out of the tunnel in the procession, the respectful thing to do is for. Is for the opponent to form a guard of honor so that the team walks through. Yeah, it's just very. It's a very English thing. A Little bit demoralizing.
Landon Donovan
You know when you're like, I'm going to go look at the fixture list and see who they're playing. Who has to do that? Somebody else. Brutal.
Tim Howard
Crazy.
Landon Donovan
That's cool. They. They can focus now on Champions League, right? For the most part. And their game last week at PSG was insane. They had no business, no business getting anything out of the game. And they end up winning the game. So now they come back home and they've got a one nothing cushion, but they got battered by psg. PSG looked really good. Really somehow lost the game. So that's. It's probably too bad because I don't. It's hard to imagine PSG goes to Anfield and wins that game.
Tim Howard
No. And they got, you know, they didn't. They got played off the park against psg. But for Allison, the goalkeeper, who again, world class, kept them really in. Not even in the game, but in this tie, you know, you go back to Anfield at 1 nil. This is the crazy thing about Champions League and how you feel. They will have walked away from that game going, oh, that's good. Really good result. Now we get them back at our place. And Anfield under the lights is formidable. It's special. What I always say about Anfield is. And the cop. They recognize moments and you and I have been a part of that rivalry because they've had so many big moments, big European moments. They recognize them. Like Anfield against PSG is going to be like, PSG is not going to want to walk out of that tunnel. It's going to be so daunting because they understand it's not like, oh, it's just another knockout. Yeah, we won this trophy before. No, they know that on that night they can create an atmosphere that will live throughout the test, throughout time. So, yeah, it's a special. It's a special place. Anfield under lights. And I think I have a feeling Liverpool turn this result over.
Landon Donovan
It's going to be fun to watch. Champions League this week will be fun to watch. Now these second legs with everything at stake. United, Arsenal, we don't spend a lot of time there. I am as disappointed as I am in United. Arsenal too, they've just kind of petered out. Never really made a run at it. And so it's, you know, it's. The game didn't mean much, right? It didn't mean much. It just didn't.
Tim Howard
It was. The crazy thing is, Landon, like, ever since I, you know, Premier League has gone through phases and it was it was always about Manchester United, Liverpool, and then Arsenal under Wenger came through really heavy. And that Arsenal, Arsenal, Man United rivalry became everything for, you know, late 90s, early 2000s. I. I was actually a part of some of those games, some of those big games and it was, it was the Premier fixture. And like we did the build up to the game this weekend, it was just like, United stink. Don't know how they're going to play. Arsenal are very good, but they're at the time 16 points back of the title. So that's gone. Just really, really, really interesting. Kind of where the two teams are.
Landon Donovan
And it's not good for the league. Right. The league's way better when. No, when both those teams are both those teams.
Tim Howard
Yeah. I mean, the. Probably the biggest talking point was there's this massive, you know, couple thousand people protest outside Old Trafford, protesting the Glazers once again, you know. But, you know, I think about even in the other side of ownership, when I look at, When I look at Arsenal, they've, They've said we need to buy a striker in the last two windows and they haven't done it for different reasons, whether that be price or whatever. And Isak is a name on everybody's lips and he's going to cost some money. What I would say is I'm really interested to see what Arsenal does this year because they have a window. You know this. As you build teams, you have a window and they're a really good team. They have really great pieces. Ethan Winery is coming through on the one side he's been. Is a generational talent. They have so many great pieces. They need to strike her. So I'm actually thinking don't really. And I don't really like to overpay, or I wouldn't be in the camp of saying, let's go overpay for somebody. But if Isaac's going to cost the money that he's going to cost, he's nailed on to get you 20 goals in the Premier League. He could win you the title. And the idea is to win the title. It's not really getting a Champions League anymore. They're going to do that. Right. They've won domestic cups. It's to win the Premier League. I think they have to go buy a big top goal score. Yeah.
Landon Donovan
And there's no. I mean, look, you can take risks with, with players who don't play in the League currently.
Tim Howard
Sure.
Landon Donovan
Or you get a guy who you absolutely know, if he's healthy, is going to score you. You said 20 I think he scored 30 with Arsenal.
Tim Howard
Yeah.
Landon Donovan
Right. So I think it's a must. Chelsea, Lester. Chelsea back into the top four. They've kind of. They've had a weird season, huh? Really good early, really poor through mid stretch. They're starting to find a little bit of form back in the top four, but good for. Good for the league again when. When Chelsea are strong.
Tim Howard
Yeah. Just a quick note. I mean, look, Chelsea, I think are. I actually am really happy with Chelsea. You got. You have a first year Premier League manager, right? You, you. What went on at Chelsea was like, let's buy all the best young players. And now he's kind of streamlined the squad and they've had a blip. Absolutely. But you know what happened with that blip? They won this week and they went into the top four. So I'm not really sure, like, they're still ahead of schedule for me. Right. Cole Palmer had a brilliant start to the season. He's got no goal involvements in like six or seven games. But, like, that happens, you know, that happens. There's a bunch of injuries. So, yeah, I'm good with Chelsea where they are. I think they're, you know, I think next year's a big, big year for them.
Landon Donovan
All right, dude, good week, good weekend in the Premier League Champions League fixtures. When this comes out, be Tuesday. So Champions League and lots to watch this week. We're going to take a break. When we come back, talking U.S. men's National Team. We're only a few weeks now, Tim from Nations League, so keep an eye on. We're keeping an eye on everybody. And we'll be back to talk about it right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Stay right there.
Tim Howard
Foreign 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. soccer@vw.com There's a lot in life that feels like it should be guaranteed that just isn't your team winning the championship, the weather being good on game day, your friends remembering who has the tickets. Some days you're just a goal scoring machine.
Landon Donovan
Yeah. And some days the ball just passes you by Right here on Unfiltered soccer, we know that no matter how much you love the beautiful game, nothing on the field is guaranteed. Thankfully, AT and T is introducing a brand new guarantee, the AT and T Guarantee.
Tim Howard
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Landon Donovan
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Tim Howard
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Landon Donovan
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Tim Howard
Everyone'S favorite time of the Week USLNT on usmnt where we talk about the US Men's national team. They're not in camp, so we'll talk about what they're doing in their domestic seasons. Most importantly, headlining this week is Sergino Dest.
Landon Donovan
Yes sir.
Tim Howard
He's back. Back.
Landon Donovan
Welcome back, Sergino. Eleven months, by the way, Tim. They took their time. I'm. I'm actually really happy to hear that.
Tim Howard
Yeah. Yeah.
Landon Donovan
And you never know if it was the player who needed a few more months or whatever, but everyone's in such a rush, they want eight months, nine months. And I don't know the data on this, but the longer you take to come back, the more chances you have of staying healthy.
Tim Howard
Yeah.
Landon Donovan
And so 11, if it needs another month, just take the month. I know it sucks in the short term, but he's 24. Take your time, get back. So hopefully knock on wood stays healthy. But great to have him back.
Tim Howard
Well, I mean, well played to his physio staff and himself. You know, as well as I, I was, I was the world's worst. Like if I had an injury and the second I sat and I wasn't injured a lot, thank God and you know, played through a lot. But if I sat down with, with my physio or the doctors or the surgeon and they're like you're gonna be out four weeks. In my head, I was going, right, so two and a half weeks. I can be back for sure.
Landon Donovan
Right.
Tim Howard
Like, I didn't even cross my mind. And, and you know, when you're out so long, you, you're. You feel like you're missing out on everything. You're missing out on a career. You're like, well, I have to get back. And as you said, the, the way that rehabilitation and physiotherapy is now implemented in teams, you're going to, more than likely, if something gets repaired, you're going to come back stronger. Yeah, it's getting. It's like getting something new put in your body and then you rehab it to become stronger. And you see that. But you have to be able to take your time with it. And yeah, really happy for the men's national team. But also Des, that took his time because that's, I mean, you start to. As we start to break this down, ld like the US has got a really strong solid back line all of a sudden. All of a sudden. But these guys, you know, if you think on the left side, Anthony Robinson, Chris Richards, left side, center back, Georgina Deaths, right back. And then who's it who Partners Chris Richard, maybe CCV trustee. It looks really strong to me.
Landon Donovan
Yeah, it was a. When we talked earlier in past episodes, it was a position of weakness, right. The back line. And with Sergino back, nobody really threatened to take that role permanently. So if you, if he's back and he's playing well and he's healthy now, you have two very, very, very good. I was, you know, you could argue at points of their career, world class outside backs. And now you say, okay, that's good. Starting point. Chris Richards now starting to solidify himself. So really good to have him back on the other side of the field. Another guy who needed a boost, and that was Christian Pulisic. Two goals, they were down. I believe they were down two nil. Came back in the second half. He scored twice. They won three, two. Big win for the club. They just needed some relief.
Tim Howard
Yeah.
Landon Donovan
And for him personally, really good to see him back in scoring. He really needed that.
Tim Howard
Yeah. I mean, I just think the club, the club's just not in a great way right now and.
Landon Donovan
No, they're not.
Tim Howard
I think when, when things are trending and ebbing, low players feel that, you know, supporters feel that. So, you know, I just, I love the, I love the, the fire and the vigor that he plays with. It always means something for him to score. You can see that by his reaction. So yeah, obviously scoring a brace is a big moment.
Landon Donovan
We're leading in, in a couple weeks here to Nations League Tyler Adams, we continue to talk about. It's going to get to a point where we don't even need to talk about him because he's just in the team doing well, playing well. So as long as he stays healthy, as always, that's the caveat. Stay healthy. He was named Bournemouth player of the month this month, which is incredible honor to think about an American going into a Premier League club, ingratiating themselves with the fans, their teammates, the coaches, and then becoming a player of the month when he just got back.
Tim Howard
Can't give Tyler Adams enough credit for his attitude, his endeavor, the performances he puts in, the amount of emotion he cares about every single game. Think about what that means. It's so difficult, by the way, to be a Premier League club player of the month. I mean, your consistency over the course of four or five performances is incredible. It's. We showed a watch party this weekend on NBC in his hometown, upstate New York. They did a, some bar, they did a Bournemouth supporters club watch party and it was crazy. Like, it's just. It's amazing that, that the, the amount of attention this kid is getting and all very warranted.
Landon Donovan
All right, let's move into. NWSL officially opened last weekend with a Challenge Cup. Orlando lost in penalties at home to Washington. But the real season starts this weekend. I want to start Tim with a player that I coached last year, Naomi Girma moved to Chelsea in the off season for a record $1 million. Incredible fee. Actually I think it was over million dollar. I think it was 1.1 transfer from San Diego wave to Chelsea. I have a lot of thoughts on all of this. Candidly for Naomi, I know she wanted to go. I don't love it for nwsl, but your best, probably the best center back in the world is leaving and wants to leave now. I understand all the reasons, but in my opinion having I watched a lot of the games now and coached in it, the nwsl, top to bottom is the best league in the world. Some of the top clubs in the world play in Europe, but their leagues are not great. You know, Chelsea can walk through four or five of those teams without breaking a sweat. So I get, I get disappointed when they, when a player of Naomi's quality doesn't want to stay here. But I understand it. The sad part for Naomi, and she's dealt with some injuries in the past is in her. In her opening match she waited a long time to come back to play her first game for Chelsea. They played her 60 minutes. At the 60th minute she got injured again, so she hurt her calf. So now she's out again. So it's TBD to see how that goes. She's going to be fine. She's still a top player. But there's been a number. I think the number one talking point for me for NWSL over the off season is they've had. There's so much change in the league and the league still feels a little unstable in that way. And what I mean is very few players get signed to three, four, five year deals. So most players from year to year have the freedom to move.
Tim Howard
Yeah.
Landon Donovan
And historically in the league, and I'm just going to put this out there, historically in the league, players have crazy power that if they're not happy, they can leave. And it reminded me a little bit of MLS in the early days. It's like if someone wasn't happy with something, whatever, you just call your agent and be like, get me out of here. And that doesn't happen in mature leagues around the world. So I do want to see that change. But you know, we'll walk through some of these, I'll get your opinion first but.
Tim Howard
Well, no, NWSL has to. You make a good point. We've both been in USL at the ownership level, first and foremost. And you know, USL and I had always said is a mercenary league, right? And it was a mercenary league because we were signing players in USL to 1 and 1, right? So one year contract, club option for the second year. And of course we looked after ourselves, right? So now this kid, and we had it a bunch of times, kid bangs in 15, 20 goals and we're like, we're picking up his option because we ain't got to pay him a whole lot. And Indy or New Mexico or Oakland comes in and offers them double the salary. Well, you know what you have to do? Like a good businessman would tell me, tim, you're an idiot. But I'm like, you gotta go.
Landon Donovan
Yeah. Or you gotta pay. You gotta pay.
Tim Howard
Right? And so it becomes a mercenary league. So players are changing and nwsl, as you rightfully mentioned, has to get away from. And I think they are get away from that stigma of like, I don't like you here. So I'm off. Right. Like teams are, teams are starting to build and move away from that. But. Right. It can still get better. No doubt.
Landon Donovan
All right, so we'll walk through a few of these. So Bay FC actually had a great first season last year, made the playoffs. They signed one of our players, Abby Dalcomper, middle of the year where we traded her there and she was fantastic. Unfortunately for them, they're going through some turmoil now. Their head coach, Albertine Montoya, currently under. Under investigation by the NWSL after players from 2024 lodged formal complaints against the coaching staff and Tim, I'm just. I'll be quick. Like this has become and has been commonplace in this league. I do want to say we don't know what happened here and so let's be careful. Let's see what happened. Don't jump to conclusions. I've learned in life there are multiple sides to. I'm not saying it did or didn't happen or anything did or didn't happen, but let's just, let's be cautious and see how this unfolds.
Tim Howard
Yeah, I mean watch, watch that space. I think the people over at Bay are some really good people, certainly the ownership group and you know, you hope for everybody involved that, that, that this gets cleared and there is no issues. But something has to be taken seriously. So we will, we watch that space and we'll continue to kind of stay across it as, as things develop down.
Landon Donovan
The i5, up the i5 for me. Angel City, strangely, still no permanent head coach. They got rid of Becky Tweed at the end of last year. Larry Earnshaw is serving as the interim. This is, this feels, Tim, this. When they came into the league, it was such a massive deal, right? And you know, the sister club to LAFC and everything going on with the beautiful state and whatever. And they've just kind of been. It's been tumultuous forever and they need to figure out a path forward that makes sense, that is sustainable. And this is back to what I was saying earlier. This club is a really big club for the league and they've just felt like kind of an afterthought because there's so much change.
Tim Howard
Let me ask you something. And so Mark, the new sporting director that recently named Mark Parsons, I quite like him. I think he'll come in and settle some things down and to your point, create that pathway and that not they don't need to rebrand or re. Identify themselves, but just kind of settle things down and streamline it. I, I asked you the question that did they get out over their skis A little bit because there was so much hype. There were so many celebrity investors. They had everything that you dream about having in terms of starting a club. And I Just wonder because I've seen this, I've seen this with ownership groups that I've been a part of. I've seen this in general from the outside. When you, when you buy a club, start a club, invest in a club, it is like you're, you're so excited. You wear the scarf and you take the p. It's amazing. And then you got to get down to the nitty gritty in the day to day and that's mundane and it's tiresome and it's not fun.
Landon Donovan
Well, yeah.
Tim Howard
So losing's not fun?
Landon Donovan
No, here's what happens. So it's a great question and a great point. So the challenge is, is all the excitement, all the bluster, everything going on, whatever. What makes a club great. And you know this with Everton and clubs, you boom me with the Galaxy and Everton. What you do every day is what makes your club right. It's not about a press conference or announcement or a slogan or a mission statement or whatever. It's what you do every day that makes your club great. And a lot of clubs. I'll just talk, you know, I can't speak exactly, specifically 100% sure with every club in an obviousl. But a lot of clubs get a lot of the promoting and the marketing and stuff, right? And they do a great job and whatever, but they're still struggling with just people, boots on the ground, people who know what they're doing and are competent to get things done. And it's getting better. And it's part of the problem, Tim, is in our country we're still immature in soccer in general. So you had for a long time MLS sort of leading the way with quality people, quality workers, quality executives, whatever. USL then struggles because there's only so many NWSL struggles because there's only so many NASL when it was going to struggle. There's only so many people who know what they're doing and it's getting better. It's going to take time. But you have to start by hiring the right people at the top who then can start the process. That's what it takes. And speaking of right people at the top at your club, Houston Dash Fabrice Gautraut, new head coach. They were bottom of the league last year. I saw just with my own eyes. Things start to change at the end of the year, Tim. So I will be definitely keeping my eyes on Houston, as I know you will for sure.
Tim Howard
Yeah. And obviously bringing in Fabrice was, was the second hiring and hiring Angela Mangano. She's I Think she's special? I do. I don't say that often, but I've had a chance to really sit down with Angela, see her process. You know, we've given her a lot of autonomy in terms of, like, you know, what you're doing. You've been. You've been around. You understand what it's going to take to kind of reshape things for this club. And she has hit the ground running, and Fabrice was a fantastic hire also. Some of the, you know, some of the deals caught a lot of eyes that we. That. That she made in the off season. You know, Yasmine Ryan was a big, big one. A big one.
Landon Donovan
Good player, by the way.
Tim Howard
Good player, big money, good player. Opened a lot of eyes. And, you know, one of the things that she knows. And look, we finished bottom of the league. So it's very easy to say, you know what, the only one way to go is up. But it's not just about results. Results are the most important. Right? But like building a culture and a foundation. I hate using the word culture because everyone just throws a blanket over it. But creating what you're talking about, real sustainability, like a real core. The. Every day. You just said it. You know, she has an ability and a workflow that is second to none. So, yeah, really excited about. About that. And I think the other thing she did was the. We needed a roster overhaul. She knew that we had to get younger, more dynamic, and she brought in players and she targeted players who had lifted a trophy. And when you look at the players we brought in, they'd either won the shield or the. Or the NWC cup, like these were. This wasn't by accident. Right. And talk about how do you change culture that everyone saw about. You bring in people who understand, who are going to question and make sure things are done the right way. So, yeah, you know, looking good, high hopes, but got to get it done on the grass.
Landon Donovan
So excited up in Portland. Congrats to Sophia Smith Wilson. She and her husband, Michael Wilson just announced that they are pregnant, which is awesome. So very happy for her. She's a top, top, top player. It'd be interesting to see how she gets back. I'm always amazed, Tim, that these women are able to be pregnant and continue their careers and then stop and then come back. And having lived in a household or my wife was pregnant three times, like, the last thing on your mind would be like, you can go play at the top level professionally soccer. It's incredible. So to see when she gets back, how she gets back but really excited for she and Michael. It's. It's an awesome moment.
Tim Howard
Yeah, Congr, congratulations to them as a couple. But I will say, I mean I watched Portland last year and it's so hard for me to put my finger on what I think about Sophia Smith. The way that she moves across the grass, her ideas, her vision. Like you can see this. I mean to say that she's special would be. Would be probably doing her a disservice. I mean she is an incredible striker. Like just watching her movements in and around goal, I mean she is. Yeah, just incredible. She's really fun to watch. So hopefully everything is incredible great with their family and then she gets back and we can see the best of her.
Landon Donovan
I mean, sadly I had to deal with it in person watching her so I did not enjoy it as much as you in those moments. But she, yeah, she is special. Lastly, Gotham fc, they lost Lynn Williams Bindolo to the rain. Jenna Nicewonger went to Arsenal. Yasmine, as you just talked about, Yasmine Ryan went to Houston. Crystal Dunn left. So they've got. They are a well run club and their roster is really good but they lost a lot of pieces. And so now how do you reshape that? Revamp that. That'll be interesting to follow. So NWSL starts this weekend. It'll be a lot of fun to follow. Lots of new player movement. San Diego wave here, right in my backyard. Lots and lots of change. Felt like a reset for them. So interesting to follow. All right, let's dig into one last thing before we take a break. World cup expansion for 2030. I can feel people getting pissed off.
Tim Howard
You knew it was coming.
Landon Donovan
You knew. All right, so FIFA doesn't have enough money. So that was my comment. A proposal to analyze a 64 team. Yes, you heard that right. 64 team. FIFA World cup to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World cup in 2030. The first one was in 1930. Was spontaneously raised by a FIFA council member. I'm sure nobody talked about.
Tim Howard
You're not having this. I can already.
Landon Donovan
In the miscellaneous agenda item near the end of the FIFA Council meeting held on March 5, 2025, a FIFA spokesperson said the idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyze any proposal from one of its council members. I'm sure this was spontaneous. I'm sure nobody talked about this or thought about this before this moment. Yeah, but let's get past all that.
Tim Howard
Yeah.
Landon Donovan
I'm going to say this and I think people are going to hate this. I actually love the idea of having 64 teams. Love it.
Tim Howard
Why is that?
Landon Donovan
Love it? Because this is why, Tim. I've been to a World cup as a player three times and I've been as a fan and I've been as a commentator. And the greatest thing about a World cup, the greatest thing, forget about the. What happens on the field couldn't. I mean, it's amazing. Whatever is sitting at a bar or sitting in a square or sitting outside with people, someone from Ireland hanging out with someone from Zimbabwe, hanging out with someone from Peru, hanging out with someone from Iceland, and they're all drinking beer. None of them understand a damn word they're all saying, but they're drinking a beer, they're hanging out, they're watching the game, they're celebrating their teams and they're all doing it together. And they're brought together because of this tournament. And so right now, if it's 32 countries being represented, give me 64. I want 64 fan bases, 40,000 people traveling wherever it is, Uruguay, Morocco, whatever it is, and I want them there celebrating. I love it.
Tim Howard
You're in the more the merrier camp. I look what. From a competitive standpoint, and they'll obviously work out the logistics. What I would say is when you get to a World cup, you get to 32 teams just based on how, how qualification works around. Around the rest of the world. I don't, I don't always think the best teams are in the World cup, by the way, right? Like, not like, like if you look at Europe and how many slots they get, right? Some, sometimes the best. Couple of best teams in the world aren't there?
Landon Donovan
Well, South America too, right? There's teams in South America, same Asia.
Tim Howard
So, so, so if you expand the field, you then, I think, get the best of Europe, the best of Asia, the best of South America, the best of Africa, North America, certain teams don't miss out. Now, one might say you have to, you know, too bad if you miss out. You didn't, you didn't reach the, you know, proper qualification. But what I would say is there are. There are always some teams that I'm like, I wish they were in the World Cup. And I think if you expand, then you get the best of the best.
Landon Donovan
I guess the real question would be because, look, I don't want to be too cynical here, but the fact that someone spontaneously brought it up and the fact that they have said this to the press, they let the press know, obviously, it's a bit of a trial balloon to see how people react. My guess is there's a good chance this happens and they're not just putting it out there for fun.
Tim Howard
You're a very smart man.
Landon Donovan
Well, they just don't want to. They're not going to create controversy just to do it. So. So my guess is they're trying to get people used to it. So the question then becomes, how do you actually make this happen? Right. You can't have. My math is terrible, but you can't have 16 groups of four, can you? And then maybe the top two. And then you have a round of 32. Round of 16. Quarterfinals, semifinals, maybe. Or do you make it a. Not. You can't make it a knockout tournament. That would go against everything that the World cup is. Right?
Tim Howard
Yeah.
Landon Donovan
Because group play is so important. So I don't know logistically what that means. And by the way, Tim, if they do it once and it's successful, they're doing it again. They're doing it again in 2034 and 38 and forever. Right. So I don't think it's a, you know, they said to. As a one time team, a one time thing. I don't think it's that.
Tim Howard
That I agree with. No. That I agree with. They're not.
Landon Donovan
So I'm sure people are going to have opinions on this. Guys, let us know. Do you want a 6014 World Cup? Do you want to keep it 32? Would you go to 48 like it is this time? Or would you cut it down? I don't know, 24 like the Olympics. And let us know. Let us know your thoughts. All right, let's take a pause. When we're back, we will get into your Questions on the AT&T fan connection. We'll talk anything but soccer right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. We'll be right back.
Tim Howard
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Landon Donovan
Some people just know they could save hundreds on car insurance by checking Allstate first. Like, you know to check the Jumbotron first before attempting to eat a stack of Supreme Nachos in one bite. Now you're just a meme that everyone shares on game day. Checking first is smart. So check Allstate first for a quote.
Tim Howard
That could save you hundreds.
Landon Donovan
You're in good hands with Allstate. Savings vary subject to terms, conditions and availability. Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois.
Tim Howard
Um, I think I just won my Taxes? Yeah. I just switched to H and R Block in about one minute.
Landon Donovan
All I had to do was drag.
Tim Howard
And drop last year's return into H and R Block and bam. My information is automatically there so I don't have to go digging around for all my old papers to switch. Nope.
C
Sounds like we just leveled up our tax game.
Landon Donovan
Switching to H and R Block is easy. Just drag and drop your last return.
Tim Howard
It's better with block. It's time for the Fan connection presented by AT&T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions. The best way to grow the game of soccer in the US Is to keep asking questions and keep talking about this sport. We all love at, AT and T. Connecting changes everything. And on uslnt, our connections with you will help grow the game that time of the week. We love our AT T fan connection. Thank you to AT&T and thank you to our fans. You guys are always bringing the heat, bringing the love. Jordan, welcome this week. How are you?
Landon Donovan
Good morning. Great.
Tim Howard
What shirt is that? Give me what kit you have on.
C
Today, Dublin Bohemians. Their partnership with the band Fontaine's DC Amazing.
Tim Howard
Such. He has no idea.
C
There's a band, Landon, called Fontaine D.C. yes.
Landon Donovan
This. It's called what?
C
Fontaine's DC.
Landon Donovan
Okay.
C
And they did a crossover with. With Bohemians.
Tim Howard
Bohemians do great, great class.
Landon Donovan
So confused. Yeah, it's not your wheelhouse cool jersey.
C
What do you got offline about it?
Tim Howard
How are you doing this week? Good.
C
Yeah, I'm great. Fantastic.
Tim Howard
You're gonna bring. You gonna bring some. Some thunder to us today. What's going on?
C
Yeah, so you guys were spending a little bit of time last week talking about the empty stadium in New England, and some fans had some very hot takes.
Landon Donovan
Well, at least someone's talking about New England.
Tim Howard
Let's. Let's go. What do you got?
Landon Donovan
We're talking about them.
C
Chris via email said. Just wanted to fact check you. On Rev's opening night, there were a ton of fans there. It was 40 mile per hour winds with a low reaching 13 degrees. We spent the majority of the game in the warming areas, so 23, 000 seems accurate to me. Stop hating bros.
Landon Donovan
Listen, is that a question, bro? All right, go ahead, Tim.
Tim Howard
No, I, I, I. It's. It's in the similar neck of the woods, bro. Is Chris. Is it Chris? Buffalo Bill's mafia spends zero time in warming areas.
Landon Donovan
They don't even have a warming area.
Tim Howard
They don't have a warming area. They go, oh, it's 14 degrees. I'm gonna bring a hat and gloves. And they pile into that stadium. I'm not having it. I'm. I'm not have. I know it's cold. I spent my life. Sleep, rain, gale force winds. Get out. Getting out there. Just show up. Honestly, just show up. It's. Your team has nothing. There's no support.
Landon Donovan
Well, he did. To be fair, he showed up.
Tim Howard
He showed up. Yeah. So fair play. But. But none of his mates did because there was nobody there. Well, maybe they were in the warming section, but I was watching television. I know what I saw. You just turn up.
C
This one's from David via YouTube. Pretty unfair slash lazy take on New England. Top 5 in attendance last year, averaging 30k, even with low early season attendance, which isn't new and is a factor league wide. They also spent 14 mil in the last two windows. Do your research.
Landon Donovan
All right, David, Let me give you a history lesson, bud.
C
Here we go.
Landon Donovan
I've been in many mls, usl, NWSL meetings, and people in these meetings after the game. Sometimes it's right after the game, we're sitting around and they'll say, hey, Michael the janitor who's cleaning up? Pick a number between 22 and 27,000 and just give me a random number. And he'll go, 24,612. And they go, okay, that's the announced attendance tonight. And they put it out there. So whatever the announced attendance is, you can just throw that out the door and don't worry about it. You can see what you see. We can see what we see on tv. I'm not saying that New England didn't have a decent amount of fans. That is a bigger problem is why are they spreading it out that way? There's lots of stadiums that put fans on one side of the field only. And the side of the field that should be on is where the camera is facing, Right? So whoever's in charge of that, sort that out New England. I'm not saying that's your fault as fans, but sort that out. Or just put all the fans together, put them in the lower bowl. You don't have to open the whole stadium. I know it's a massive stadium. Nobody's saying you're Atlanta and you need to sell out 70,000 every week. But there's lots of issues there, dude. So you can be proud of your team, and we want you to be proud of your team. But there are problems, and if you don't acknowledge them, it's going to get worse. And the team is bad and they need to sort it out. And I, I care about it because New England's one of the originals when I was in the league. And you want them to be good. It's not, it's not fun for anybody when it's bad. So don't protect it. Try to help solve it.
Tim Howard
Well, very well said. I mean, look, David here, it's David, right? I mean, here's the thing. We do our research more than you can even imagine. The fact of the matter is if you, if you're fighting this stance that there's, that there's 30,000 people there, fine, fine. It looks horrific on television. There's no denying that in stadium, because I've played there. It's not, it's not a great place to play. So maybe we're having a bigger conversation as Landon touched on the stadium, how you shoot the stadium, how you kind of either tarp the upper bowl and push everyone to the lower bowl. It's been done before. Right? Landon, also, you've spent a lot of money. If you've ever heard of Everton Football Club in the last decade, they have also spent a lot of money. It means nothing. It's how you spend it. So hats off to you guys for loving your club and repping. So keep it coming. We like to smoke.
C
How about some questions?
Tim Howard
Let's do it.
C
This one came to us via email from Ryan, who is identifying himself as a West Ham fan who enjoys Moy's ball. Is that a, Is that a thing?
Tim Howard
I mean, I bet, I bet he enjoys winning.
C
Do you feel that European fans have too much influence in club decisions, especially coaching changes? In US Sports, the first year for a new coach is usually a freebie, with improvement expected in year two and things needing to click in year three. In European football, the leash is much shorter.
Landon Donovan
Great question. You go first, bud.
Tim Howard
Well, yeah, I think by nature of the dynamic of global football, European football, yeah, the fans have a much greater say. It's hard for me to say they're more passionate, but they do. They, they do things like I, I lived in, you know, I was born and raised in New Jersey. The Jets, New York jets haven't been good for a very long time. And I don't really know that they fly planes and banners over the stadium. I don't know if they burn things outside of the stadium, whether on that we're not condoning that, or have sit ins. And this is what European football clubs do. These fans, they, they have a voice and a say and it's loud and it's Proud and it's passionate. So that naturally is going to influence people's decisions. Is it too much? Yeah, probably, probably. But we, and we see, we see the bad of that, Jordan. Oftentimes with people wanting the manager out and saying and doing all the wrong things, we see the good of it. Remember the Super League that teams wanted to break away. You know what stopped the Super League fans. Fans said, over my dead body will this ever happen. And they literally protest in droves and they single handedly. The fan single handedly stops something from happening in world football. So there's a lot of influence.
Landon Donovan
There's. Yeah. Is there too much influence? I don't know. You don't want to stop people from being passionate, speaking their mind. Right. The key here is the decision maker at the club because that's the person who either allows the influence to impact them or just says, I don't care. Let's use Arsenal as an example. You know who they wanted fired after the first season? Mikel Arteta. Right. And the fans were going crazy. Correct. Few years later, they're top of the league, near the top of the league, fighting for championships. And now it's like, wow, what a great hire. But in the beginning, the person influences had, had crumbled. We might have been fired. Right. So the person who makes the decision is the person that, that either gets influenced or doesn't. And you got to be real careful because that's a slippery slope.
Tim Howard
Well, let's, I mean, look, we're bringing this back to the beginning. West Ham and I, and I witnessed this because cover the Premier League every week and, and David Moyes, who's a, who's a mentor and a friend of ours, I, I had a, a vested interest. All you kept, and we've said this before, all you kept hearing from West Ham is, we want to play the West Ham way. The West Hamway ain't been played since 1966. But David Moyes came in and won football games. So let's get him out. Let's get Lopeteguian. Right. We're going to demand that we get Lopetegui in or someone who's going to play the West Ham way. That lasted like four months. He couldn't wait, couldn't win a football game. So, you know, sometimes like Landon said about Arteta, like just pump the brakes a little bit. A little bit, right. And it's good to have, it's good to have some power and some passion, but not always.
C
I also think it's interesting because you guys are talking specifically about the Premier League, but in this question, he's talking about European fans in general. And in some cases, like in the Bundesliga, they actually have a say in how their club is run because of the 50 plus one rule.
Tim Howard
Yeah, yeah, it's true.
Landon Donovan
Look, but to that point, Jordan, that's great. But you need then responsible people who are even keel not reacting emotionally because then you can make decisions that really hurt you long term. So, you know, people who are hired to do this as a job and paid money take it very seriously, as do the fans. I get it. But then you need to have a representative for the fans that really, really understands the big picture.
Tim Howard
Totally. LD Let me give you another one. Nuno Espirito Santo sacked. Sacked from Tottenham. Wasn't good enough. Wow. Guess what? Yeah, that's good enough. Yeah.
C
Um, here's another Everton related question. This is from Steve via email. As a toffee fan, believer in the tradition and concerned follower, is there a future for Goodison park as a home to Everton women and other underage teams? Might recruits from Japan and elsewhere overseas for the women's game not justify a business plan to keep Goodison open?
Landon Donovan
It probably, it's. You probably can't justify it from a business standpoint unless you can find other ways to create revenue. But as it just as a fan, I love it. I think it'd be incredible. Love it.
Tim Howard
Same, same. I mean, you know what I would say is that. That is. I've heard that. That tossed around. Love the idea of it. As you said, it's still. It's still a building that needs work, it needs revenue, it will need some investors because ultimately there are going to be people who want to come in and maybe, maybe a car park is more lucrative or maybe a high rise apartment is more lucrative. We saw that with Hybrid and Arsenal. Right. I think they're apartments now, which is crazy to think about, but that's the world of business. So would Landon and I like to see it stay and be the home to Everton women and possibly some of the younger teams?
Landon Donovan
Absolutely.
Tim Howard
That'd be amazing. Yeah.
C
Do you want to see? I know something that's happened over the past couple of years is the women's Super League teams who are playing things like Darbies and stuff are playing them in the men's stadium. Would you like to see that, that tradition kind of carry over into the new stadium with like Liverpool women and Everton women playing each other in the new stadium?
Tim Howard
Yeah. I mean, look, the other thing about it is, like, we love Goodison I mean, you're not going to get two people who love it more. We absolutely adore it. But the game does move on. Goodison is always going to have a place in Liverpool in people's hearts and homes. It's it that'll never be taken away. But sometimes it is okay to move on, you know, so there's that side of it too. But yeah, obviously the big. The big women's derbies, you know, you want them in big stadiums because they've shown that they can sell them out. You know, certainly you look at Arsenal. So why. Yeah, absolutely. Why not put them in the biggest stadium as possible to give them the atmosphere they deserve.
Landon Donovan
And it's trending this way, but eventually you want them having their own stadiums and that are special. So regardless of if 12,000, 15,000, 20,000, you want it in that stadium because of the history that's been created.
Tim Howard
And that's a really good point. Ld, like, you think about. You think about where we are in American soccer on NWSL and like specific stadiums just to the women's league, like England can do that because by the way, they got pub teams who have their own stadiums. Serious, Serious. Like. Yeah, yeah. There should be some investment.
Landon Donovan
Well, I'll tell you what, Tim. Kansas City does it here in America and that stadium is great. Phenomenal.
Tim Howard
Absolutely.
Landon Donovan
And the thing is 11,000, the fan base totally sold out. It's phenomenal.
Tim Howard
Yeah.
Landon Donovan
So that. That should be the gold standard.
Tim Howard
Absolutely.
Landon Donovan
It's incredible.
Tim Howard
Totally.
C
One more question. This one is from Mimi via email. It's common knowledge that professional soccer players are the hottest and coolest men in all. I'm so sorry. In all of men's sports. Probably smartest and funniest too. But I'm not sure I can scientifically prov. So why isn't there an organized way for them to show off their fashionista side? Those random articles and Instagram posts don't count. I'd love to see a whole team walking down the catwalk and showing their fans their inner peacock.
Tim Howard
What's.
Landon Donovan
Who's that?
Tim Howard
Who's that?
C
Someone called Mimi via email.
Tim Howard
I think Mimi is completely accurate. It's 100 true and scientifically proven as well. Yeah, I mean, I think the fact. So many teams are doing that now, aren't they? The. The fashion side of. I think the NBA started and I think there's so many teams around Europe who have continued that trend. Certainly, some in MLS where you have that like, catwalk Runway entrance to the. You know, get your wash bag and.
Landon Donovan
You think that should be an entrance out the stadium onto the field.
Tim Howard
Maybe it's a bit wild, but yeah.
C
I think people take those photos really seriously of the way guys walk into the. And the women too, right? Like what they're wearing and stuff.
Landon Donovan
Of course they do. By the. It blew my mind when I was with with Loyal at the beginning. The like first opening day. There's all the, like all of our team photographers or whatever are standing at the top of the stairs before we walk down. It's like, it's like 4:30. The game's at 7:30. I said, what the hell are you guys doing here? So the guys are coming in soon. I said. So they said, well, we got to photograph what they're wearing. What they're wearing. What the hell are you talking about? We have a game in three hours.
Tim Howard
You're not. You're not the most fashion forward guy, so you don't.
Landon Donovan
Well, I mean, that's the understatement of the year, but all right, let's do it. I have sneaking suspicion I might know who this Mimi is. So I think. I'm gonna. Think I'm gonna be quiet now.
Tim Howard
Is it a friend of yours? Family member?
Landon Donovan
I don't know what to say, but that's amazing.
C
They didn't self identify to me, so I can't confirm or deny anything. All right, that's it.
Tim Howard
Thanks, Jordan.
Landon Donovan
Thank you, Mimi.
Tim Howard
Appreciate you.
Landon Donovan
All right, Timmy.
Tim Howard
Yep.
Landon Donovan
Abs. Anything but soccer. Soccer. All right. This was interesting. I did not see this live, so I had to go back and look. This Stephen A. Smith, LeBron James thing. And for people who don't know, Stephen A. Smith, big commentator on espn, just signed a new, massively lucrative deal to stay with ESPN. He's been talking a lot about the LeBron James and Bronny James, LeBron's son deal. @ one point he said, I believe his quote was, lebron, can you just make this stop With Bronny James playing in the NBA and everything going on. So LeBron confronted Stephen A. Smith. Stephen A. Smith was at the Lakers, Knicks game the other night. And I. I'm sure somewhere somebody has audio or lip read or something. But LeBron was not happy with Stephen A. Smith. Stephen A. Smith's comment on first take after that was, that was LeBron James coming up to me unexpectedly. Yeah, right. I might add, to confront me about making sure I mind what I say about his son. I can't repeat the words because they aren't suited for FCC airwaves, but that's what he was doing. That wasn't a basketball player confronting me. That was a parent. That was a father. Your thoughts?
Tim Howard
I got no issue on either side. Look, here's the thing. LD LeBron James came into the league as the most highly touted basketball player in the history of basketball, right. As a high schooler. And he's taken every criticism on the chin and become successful. He knows what that landscape looks and feels like. He knows that he selfishly, and by the way, selfishly, I do mean in a good way, deserved to push Bronnie through, to get the golden moment where he gets to play with his son. That happens once every freaking 10 generations. I got no issue with that. What I do have issue with is when you push him through, right? And Rich Paul allegedly goes basically to every team and says, don't, don't draft him. If you draft him, I will send him to Australia to play. Right. So that the Lakers pick him and he's not good enough to play in the NBA certainly right now. Right. But he gets fast tracked onto the NBA court because of his dad. No other player, by the way, in the history of basketball gets that luxury. If you're at the level of Bronny James, you do not get to step on an NBA court. So he got to step on NBA court because of his father. I got no issue with that. That'd be amazing to play. To play with your son. But don't then ask Stephen A. Smith whose job it is, by the way. The best in the world at it. His job is to critique and analyze, have opinions on it and have opinions on it and. Yeah. And by the way, you ever seen his salary? He's earned that. He's earned the fact that he's going to have the hottest take on what is on everybody's mind. So do I have a problem with LeBron James being a father and saying, hey, cut the crap about my son? Sure. But I don't have a problem. I have no problem with what Stephen A. Smith has said and done.
Landon Donovan
We have this tendency in our, in our world to take sides on things, right. And we forget that there's all kinds of nuance. And you can, you can be on. You can understand both sides, right. Like and truly appreciate both sides. If I'm a dad and anybody talks about my son that way, they're gonna hear from me.
Tim Howard
Yeah, right.
Landon Donovan
Anybody. I don't care who it is, and they're gonna hear from me. So I get that from LeBron. I get that. Stephen A. Smith knows what he's doing, dude, he's not stupid. The reason he just signed 100 plus million dollar deal is because he does things like this, right? So he knows when he shows up@Crypto.com arena, whatever it is, LeBron's gonna see him.
Tim Howard
Yeah, right.
Landon Donovan
He knows.
Tim Howard
He knows.
Landon Donovan
So he knows what's going on. He. And fair enough, he took it. He. You know, they probably had a brief conversation, whatever. So you know what this reminds me of? This reminds me of the. The Chris Rock and Will Smith thing. It's like, you know what's gonna happen if you're Chris Rock and Will Smith sitting right there in the front row and you're talking about his wife? Something's probably gonna happen, right? And they're both not dumb, and they both know they get attention also. It's one of those things, like, they get it, and I understand all the sides of it. It is what it is. Like, it's probably. It's probably done now, I hope, but just interesting. It was interesting to see. And I get it. From a dad standpoint, like, that ain't okay.
Tim Howard
The bottom.
Landon Donovan
I get it.
Tim Howard
Bottom line is LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith both are well aware of where the cameras are at all times.
Landon Donovan
Oh, yeah, for sure. For sure. All right, Another good week. Another good show in the books. Thank you guys all for being with us today. Thanks for the great questions, comments. You don't like what we say, that's okay. No problem. We can handle it. And we'll have conversation with you. Happ. Drink a beer with you, you New England fans. If we see in Boston one day, let's. We can talk about it. Remember, always subscribe on YouTube, Apple, Podcast, Spotify, wherever you get your pods. Follow us across all of our social media at Unfiltered Soccer for lots more content.
Tim Howard
I'm getting no love in Boston with my Yankee hat. That's for. That's for sure. So we got to be careful up there. Look, thank you so much, everybody. And thank you to our presenting sponsor, VW, and our Fan Connection sponsor, AT&T. Have an amazing week. Miss you all. We'll be back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered software.
Landon Donovan
Have a good week, guys.
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard: Detailed Episode Summary
Episode Title: Galaxy's 4th Straight Loss, Forest Upset City, Sergino Dest is Back, and the 2025 NWSL Preview
Hosts: Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Release Date: March 11, 2025
Presented by: Volkswagen
The episode begins with a casual exchange between hosts Tim Howard and Landon Donovan. Tim opens with thoughts on the NWSL's reputation, emphasizing the need to shed negative stigmas surrounding the league. Landon shares personal anecdotes about his recent trip to Las Vegas, highlighting the fatigue from jet lag and a late-night celebration.
Notable Quote:
Tim expresses concern and sends well-wishes to Tony Miola, a close friend and respected figure in U.S. soccer, who recently suffered a massive heart attack. The hosts reflect on Tony's resilience and share fond memories of their early days in national team camps.
Notable Quote:
The hosts discuss the LA Galaxy's ongoing difficulties, marking their fourth straight loss. They delve into the challenges the team faces, including the departure of key players like Jovalich and Ricky, and the impact of losing Marquis Delgado. The conversation highlights the complexities of maintaining team performance amidst roster changes.
Notable Quote:
Tim praises the Seattle Sounders' performance against LAFC, commending Jordan Morris for becoming Seattle's all-time leading goal scorer with 87 goals and nearing the 100-goal milestone. The discussion underscores Seattle's strong atmosphere and strategic gameplay under Jordan’s leadership.
Notable Quote:
A light-hearted debate arises over MLS top scorers, with Landon humorously contending that he isn't the all-time leading scorer, despite having over 140 goals. The conversation transitions to commend Jordan Morris's impressive scoring record and consistency.
Notable Quote:
The hosts analyze Miami FC’s recent performance, noting their resilience despite being without Lionel Messi, who was benched for the game against Charlotte. They speculate on Messi’s future with the team, considering his contract and upcoming World Cup preparations.
Notable Quote:
Tim discusses Nottingham Forest's surprising 1-0 victory over Manchester City at home, praising the historic City Ground and the tactical prowess of Forest's manager, Nuno Espirito Santo. The victory is highlighted as a testament to Forest's resurgence in European football.
Notable Quote:
The conversation shifts to Nuno Espirito Santo’s positive impact on Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves), highlighting his strategic approach and the team's defensive solidity. Tim commends the goalkeeper Matt Sells and the defensive partnership of Murillo and Milankovic.
Notable Quote:
Landon and Tim reflect on Liverpool's dominant performance in the Champions League, particularly their narrow win against PSG. They express confidence in Liverpool's ability to maintain their lead and emphasize the significance of their home advantage at Anfield.
Notable Quote:
The hosts discuss the current standings and performances of top Premier League teams. Tim expresses disappointment with Manchester United and Arsenal’s waning influence, while Landon commends Chelsea’s progression under their new manager despite mid-season struggles.
Notable Quote:
Landon provides insights on Naomi Girma's record $1.1 million transfer from San Diego Wave to Chelsea. Despite admiration for Girma’s talents, he expresses disappointment over her departure, underscoring the impact on the NWSL's competitiveness.
Notable Quote:
The discussion moves to the NWSL's volatile contract structures, where short-term deals lead to frequent player movements. Both hosts agree on the necessity for the league to adopt more stable, long-term contracts to enhance sustainability and talent retention.
Notable Quote:
Landon addresses recent controversies surrounding Bay FC, including the investigation of head coach Albertine Montoya following formal complaints from players. He emphasizes the importance of withholding judgment until all facts emerge.
Notable Quote:
The hosts analyze Angel City's ongoing struggles with coaching stability, highlighting the absence of a permanent head coach since Becky Tweed's departure. They stress the need for sustainable leadership to guide the club forward.
Notable Quote:
Tim shares optimism about Houston Dash’s recent performance turnaround under new head coach Fabrice Gautraut and sporting director Angela Mangano. Their strategic player acquisitions are credited with rebuilding the team's foundation and fostering a winning culture.
Notable Quote:
Landon congratulates Sophia Smith Wilson on her pregnancy, acknowledging her phenomenal career and the challenges of balancing motherhood with professional athletics. The hosts express excitement for her anticipated return to the field.
Notable Quote:
The conversation touches on Gotham FC’s significant player departures, including Lynn Williams and Crystal Dunn, and their subsequent transfers to European clubs. The hosts ponder the implications for Gotham FC's strategy and future performance.
Notable Quote:
One of the most engaging discussions revolves around FIFA's proposal to expand the World Cup to 64 teams to celebrate its centenary in 2030. Landon expresses strong support for the expansion, highlighting the cultural and global unity the tournament fosters. Tim weighs in with considerations about competitive balance and logistical challenges, ultimately acknowledging the potential benefits of greater representation.
Notable Quotes:
Listeners voiced concerns about New England Revolution’s reported attendance figures. Landon defends the team's fan base, addressing discrepancies between reported numbers and televised views. Tim echoes the need for better stadium management to enhance fan experience.
Notable Quote:
A question from Ryan addresses the significant influence European fans have on club decisions, particularly in coaching changes. Landon and Tim discuss the passionate nature of European supporters and the delicate balance club management must maintain between fan expectations and long-term strategy.
Notable Quote:
Steve inquires about the future of Goodison Park as a home for Everton Women and their underage teams. The hosts express support for maintaining historical stadiums while acknowledging the financial and logistical challenges involved.
Notable Quote:
Mimi asks why there's no organized platform for soccer players to showcase their fashion sense beyond individual social media posts. The hosts humorously discuss the growing trend of players embracing fashion, likening it to practices in other sports leagues like the NBA.
Notable Quote:
Landon and Tim wrap up the episode by reflecting on the diverse topics discussed, from MLS struggles and Premier League highlights to NWSL developments and World Cup expansions. They encourage listeners to engage through social media and subscribe across various platforms. The hosts emphasize the importance of passion, resilience, and strategic management in advancing soccer in the United States and globally.
Final Remarks:
This comprehensive summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the episode, providing a coherent narrative for both regular listeners and newcomers alike.