MLS’ First Coaching Casualty, Spurs STILL Winless in ‘26 & Agyemang's Injury | Unfiltered Soccer

Summary

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Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan & Tim Howard

Episode: MLS’ First Coaching Casualty, Spurs STILL Winless in ‘26 & Agyemang's Injury

Date: April 14, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard dive deep into the biggest stories in soccer from the past week. They discuss the devastating injury to rising USMNT striker Patrick Agyemang and what it means for the World Cup squad; MLS’s first coaching casualty of the season in Montreal—prompting bigger questions about dysfunction in club management; and the ongoing crisis at Spurs, still winless in 2026 amidst a dramatic Premier League relegation battle. The hosts also unpack club development issues in American soccer, highlight standout performances (like Folarin Balogun's red-hot form in Ligue 1), and tackle fan-submitted questions about squad selections and club ownership. The tone is candid, sometimes humorous, and always deeply insightful.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Patrick Agyemang's Injury and World Cup Roster Impact

[02:26-06:58]

• Agyemang's Achilles Injury: Donovan and Howard express heartbreak over Patrick Agyemang's non-contact Achilles injury that ends his World Cup hopes.
• Brutal Timing: They empathize with players injured close to major tournaments, referencing past USMNT examples (Miles Robinson 2022; Chris Armas 2002).
• Isolation After National Team Injury:

  “When you get injured with the national team...it’s kind of like, ‘Bro, I’m so sad for you, man. Sorry it happened.’ And then that’s it. You literally don’t even think about the guy anymore because you can’t. From a competitive standpoint, you cannot.” – Tim Howard [05:07]

• Advice to Stay Connected: Donovan shares a story about checking in on injured players months later, not just immediately after, as their hardship lingers while teams move on.
• Roster Implications: In-depth breakdown of the USMNT striker pool post-Agyemang. Questions about coach’s confidence in Ricardo Pepi, Haji Wright, and others. Debate whether an extra striker will be taken or an extra midfielder/utility player could get the World Cup nod.
• Quote:

  “I wasn’t convinced to begin with if all four of our top strikers were healthy that he took all four of them...” – Tim Howard [10:01]

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2. Youth Pathways & Player Development

[12:11-13:24; 26:35-27:44]

• Red Bull’s Model: Praise for Red Bull giving young Americans real pathways—credit to Michael Bradley as coach.
• Developmental Critique:

  “Development in our country sucks. If there’s anybody listening and they want to tell me I’m wrong, they can’t. But it sucks. We’re so far behind.” – Tim Howard [26:35]

• Cultural Contrasts: Discuss differences in how young players are treated in MLS vs. Premier League/Germany, both in media exposure and development philosophy.

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3. Unfiltered Refresh – Folarin Balogun’s Scoring Streak

[13:43-15:27]

• Balogun makes history: Scored in seven consecutive Ligue 1 matches—the first since Neymar in 2022—now up to 20 goals on the year.
• Quote:

  “For any striker in a season, 20 goals is the benchmark. And he’s there and he’s doing it...” – Tim Howard [15:00]

• Importance for the US: Both hosts stress how crucial it is to have a striker in form with the World Cup approaching.

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4. MLS News – Montreal Coaching Chaos & Club Management Dysfunction

[18:03-22:44]

• Montreal’s Firing Spree:
  • First club ever in MLS to fire the head coach within 10 matches in two consecutive seasons (12 coaches in 14 years).
  • Donovan: “You cannot, Landon, you cannot...have the team exist for 14 years and have 12 managers. That’s an impossibility.”
  • Critical discussion of club leadership and mismanagement; compare to best-practice clubs like Toronto.
• Quote:

  “You can’t be terrible and have that many coaches. Can’t.” – Tim Howard [20:31]

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5. MLS Updates – Big Results, Youth Impact & Contract Dilemmas

[22:44-31:47]

• Portland’s Win Over LAFC: Importance of fixture timing and squad rotation.
• Criticism of Over-Focusing on Goal Tallies:

  “Who cares if he [Sonny]’s…got seven assists. If you’re winning…who cares?” – Tim Howard [24:40]

• Red Bull’s Youth Revolution:
  • Shout-out to young players Jude Terry, Julian Hall, and Audrey Memeti.
• Contract/Valuation Debates:
  • Frustration over Vancouver risking losing Sebastian Berhalter for free.
  • Problem of undervaluing American players vs. overspending on foreign imports.

  “We’re our own worst enemy because the powers that be … don’t even value their own.” – Tim Howard [29:37]

• MLS Mechanisms: Brief critique of league roster rules that hinder retention of talent.

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6. Premier League – Title Chase, Spurs’ Plight & Survival Drama

[31:54-36:58]

• Title Race:
  • City beat Chelsea, Arsenal lose—City can go top if they win next two.
  • Excitement for upcoming fixtures and “all-timer” fan fest.
  • Predictions:

    “I still have Arsenal winning the League and I still have Spurs staying up. Which is, by the hour, getting harder to say...” – Tim Howard [33:46]

• Spurs’ Winless Year:
  • Spirited debate: Will Spurs stay up? Tim is confident, Landon less so, with running “Walgreens receipt” reference for their predictions.
  • Speculation on how few points could determine relegation.
  • [Notable Quote:]

    “They haven’t won a game in…this calendar year.” – Landon Donovan [35:09]

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7. Stoppage Time – Match Predictions & Parlay

[36:14-36:58]

• Parlay prediction: City to win against Arsenal, Haaland to score or assist, 0-0 at half, both teams not to score.
• Emphasize how tight the title race is.

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Fan Connection – Listener Q&A

[40:43-60:11]

1. Lincoln City Promotion (Landon’s Ownership Insight)

• Landon reflects on Lincoln City’s miraculous promotion to the Championship despite modest spending; credits continuity in leadership and coaching.
• Quote:

  “They spent the 17th most out of 24 teams this year and finished first by a mile. That is a miracle.” – Landon Donovan [44:34]

2. Spurs as Relegation Candidates

• Listener MW asks what to look forward to if Spurs go down and who is to blame.
• Howard: In the end, it’s on the players—"They’re a freaking talented bunch of players that should be able to [survive]."
• Andrew (producer, Spurs fan): Points to poor past transfer windows, injuries, bad luck, but agrees the group should be capable.
• Insight: Survival may come down to a single result or clutch moment.

3. USMNT “B-Squad” vs. Stars

• Listener William argues the US are more cohesive with less-heralded “B-squad” players.
• Howard and Donovan respectfully disagree: For wins at the highest level, you need top talent, but acknowledge there’s a lack of continuity and cohesion in recent cycles.
• Discussion of previous USMNT cycles (“8 of 11 guys nailed down”) vs. current unpredictability.
• Howard:

  “We have no idea who the best group are.” [55:57]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Brutal Honesty on American Player Development:

  “Development in our country sucks. If there’s anybody listening and they want to tell me I’m wrong, they can’t. But it sucks. We’re so far behind.” – Tim Howard [26:35]

• On Contract Value and Domestic Talent:

  “…the powers that be, the people that sign the checks, don’t even value their own.” – Tim Howard [29:37]

• On Club Dysfunction (Montreal):

  “You can’t be terrible and have that many coaches. Can’t.” – Tim Howard [20:31]

• Fan Engagement: Humorous grilling of new producer Andrew replacing Jordan for Q&A, poking fun at anxious “Olympic moment.”

  "You know when you watch the Olympics and...for four years these people have been preparing for this one moment...Is that sort of how you’ve been approaching this week?" – Landon Donovan [41:15]

• On the Heartbreak of Missing Out:

  "It's hard for him...He knows. He’s out for four months and he's gonna miss the World Cup. It's tears of, like, fear and anguish. And we saw that with Agyemang..." – Landon Donovan [03:42]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:26] — Agyemang Injury & Roster Fallout
• [10:01] — Debate: Who’s the Next Striker?
• [13:43] — Unfiltered Refresh: Flo Balogun’s Scoring Record
• [18:03] — MLS: Montreal's Coaching Chaos
• [23:35] — Sonny’s Role & Goal Contribution
• [26:35] — Player Development in the US (Red Bull Model)
• [29:37] — Berhalter Contract Situation & MLS Talent Valuation
• [31:54] — Premier League Title Race & Spurs’ Survival
• [35:09] — Spurs Winless Streak
• [40:43] — Fan Connection: Q&A (Lincoln, Spurs, USMNT lineup)
• [55:57] — USMNT Lineup Uncertainty

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Episode Tone & Style

Casual, frank, sometimes self-deprecating but deeply knowledgeable; banter is sharp but always soccer-first. Both hosts are unafraid to call out issues in US soccer culture, MLS management, and even themselves. The show mixes humor with high-level analysis—perfect for fans who want the real story behind the headlines.

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For more analysis, subscribe to Unfiltered Soccer and follow @UnfilteredSoccer on all platforms. To submit questions, email [e-mail].

Transcript

[A]

Development in our country sucks. If there's anybody listening and they want to tell me I'm wrong, they can't. But it sucks. We're so far behind. And Red Bull have sort of created a system to develop. And some of that's not like, hey, just put some cones out for some kids and teach them. It's a pathway.

[B]

Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and is proudly been a partner of U.S. soccer for over five years.

[A]

Welcome in to another edition of Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. This could also be called. This is why they're actually not really friends. Cuz Listen up, everybody. You see where I am? See where he is? We're in the same city once again, and I haven't seen him, but I have invited him to a really nice dinner and he's basically told me no. So this is where we're at. How are you, Landon?

[B]

To be fair, the menu didn't look great.

[A]

It's a lie.

[B]

No, it had, like, fried chicken and french fries, and I didn't want that.

[A]

It's the corner store, bro. Come on.

[B]

I don't know what that means. Nobody wants to go to a store for dinner.

[A]

That's so la of you.

[B]

It's just the truth.

[A]

What are you doing in town?

[B]

Actually, I'm just here with my. My wife for. Well, I'm not just here with my wife. And then I'm doing some work with our bosses this week and.

[A]

Tell me about that. That shirt looks great.

[B]

Yeah. So I went to an event last week. I was in New York again, and I went to a place called Newberg. You know where that is?

[A]

Yeah, Upstate.

[B]

So, yeah, I had no idea. Like, we were driving and driving and driving, and I'm like, where's this place? It was in the Hudson river valley.

[A]

How beautiful, by the way. How beautiful.

[B]

Beautiful. Oh, my God.

[A]

It's a gem.

[B]

If I lived here, I would live somewhere there because it was stunning the whole drive. You got the river down the side and there's green and trees and it was beautiful.

[A]

You want to know what the crazy thing just geographically speaking, there are people in this area ld that don't know how beautiful Hudson Valley is. Like, they just don't. When you live here, you're so fast paced and you don't even, like, take the time to, like, look up, but you just drive like, an hour outside the city.

[B]

That's what I'm saying is I would live there. And just drive in or train in or whatever if you had to. Yeah. All right, guys, Happy Tuesday as you listen to this, as always, please follow us on social media at Unfiltered Soccer. Subscribe to the show on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your pods. You can email [e-mail] as always. All right, Timmy. USMNT on USLNT so the first news is some horrific news. Last week, Patrick Agamong goes down in the game, non contact, and we're watching it. And you and I know, like we're always told when we're doing broadcasts and stuff, don't speculate, don't speculate. You don't know what's going to, what the injury was, but when you watched it, you went, oh, my God, I hope that's not his Achilles. Unfortunately, it was his Achilles, so he is now out. Any chances he had of going to the World cup are done. And it's just. I hate it, man. It's just devastating because the kid had, he done everything right. He really had.

[A]

Yeah, it's sad. It's. It's hard for him, you know, when you. It's really interesting because I've seen a couple of these now, ld so we're like within the, like within a couple of months from the World cup. And I've seen these injuries, his for, for us being the most important, but I've seen players get injured and the camera, camera zooms in and there's this look of anguish and they're crying and

[B]

I'm going, oh, they know.

[A]

He knows. He's out for four months and he's gonna miss the World Cup. It's, it's, it's, it's tears of, like, fear and anguish. And we saw that with Aja Mang and I, I just, I feel for him because he's. The good thing is he's young, which is not much of a consolation, but he's done everything right. He's done everything right. He's. He's gone the right route, he's developed. He went to mls. He did the business well enough that someone wanted to come and buy him. They bought him. And when, you know, when European clubs buy you, they play you, because that's how that works. And he's done the business. He's really, he done well with 10 goals and 38 appearances. And the next step is to be on the, the World cup squad, and it's not going to happen for him. So it's, it's tough, man. It's really devastating.

[B]

We saw it too, with Rodrigo and like, you just. Anytime someone gets injured this time before, it's devastating. So I just. A few memories and we weren't there. Miles Robinson In May of 2022, he was probably going to be a starter. He tore his Achilles and got out. Was out for the World Cup. The one I remember was in 02 armas. He was. He was probably. He was probably our. Well, definitely he was in the mix to start for us with Claudio, John o', Brien, those guys, and he tore his knee during our friendly against Uruguay, and that was a few weeks before we were. We were gone for the World Cup. So it was just like, it was devastating to see.

[A]

Like, this is the hard part that people don't quite understand. Like, you know when. You know, when you, like, you play for the Galaxy or Everton or whatever club you play for, right, you get injured, which sucks, by the way. You're still. You're still not as bad as injuries are. Ld. You're in your. You're with your family every day. So you go in your family being the team. So you go into training. I still have breakfast with you. I then go see the physios. I'm still around the boys for the banter. I'm still, you know, in the gym sessions or at least I'm, you know, I'm hanging around, I'm having lunch. Like, my world hasn't changed other than the fact that I got injured. When you get injured with the national team, you talk about Chris Armis or. Or any player, or Patrick Ajameng. It's kind of like, bro, I'm so sad for you, man. Sorry to happen. And then that's it. Like. Like, you literally don't even think about the guy anymore because you can't. You. You. From a competitive standpoint, you cannot. It's done. He can't help you. It's over until he can come back. And that's sort of hard for. For him. That'll be hard for him. You know what I mean?

[B]

My old assistant coach and then head coach Nate Miller, who's at AC Boise now, he would say when. When someone got injured, like the first week or two, everybody's, you know, texting and reaching out, whatever, and then everyone just kind, you know, goes back to their life because they have to and they have their job to do and whatever. And he was like, make sure when someone gets hurt, you reach out two months later and three months later and check in because they're. They're going through it still, you know, and. And we're moving on with our life, but for them, it still sucks. And also over the summer, it's going to be brutal for him because he's going to be home, walk, watching, have nothing. He's not going to be around his team. He's going to be on vacation somewhere,

[A]

and he might not even watch, by the way. There's a good chance of that. Really? Maybe not.

[B]

Yeah. I don't know. Yeah, it's. It's just. It's tough.

[A]

Let me pick you right on this. We talked a little bit, but let's dig more into it. I'm thinking, like, roster construction, right? So, like, the injury part of this, and I'm just talking about strikers, right? So you and I know traditionally and. And depending on whether. Whether they expand or shrink the roster on a given year, but, like, traditionally, we would. We would say, like, you take four strikers, right? Like, you have an allotted amount per position to get to whatever, 23, 26, whatever it is. So oftentimes when we look back, like, oh, we took four strikers, right? So flows the number.

[B]

The.

[A]

The number nine out and out. He's. He's the guy. Flo Baligan. And then after that, you have some semblance of ajaeng. Ricardo Pepe Haji, Right?

[B]

Some.

[A]

Some semblance of those three. I. I could. Prior to the injury. Okay, prior to this ajimeng injury, I could argue with you that one of those guys might have missed out. Anyway, here's why. Here's why. In. In the last. I. I'm trying. I'm losing track of dates. So, like, March and then we go back to November. There's something up with Ricardo Pepe. Like the times in a camp where you're like, okay, he's going to get a game or he's going to start. He doesn't, right? Or. Or Flo plays the first game against. Who do we play? Belgium. And you're like, oh, okay, well, Flo's not going to play the next game, so one of the other guys will play. Nope. He plays. Plays Christian as the number false nine. So I'm like, I'm looking at him going, how much faith does he actually have in these guys? Because here's why. If one, if he had faith in him, he'd play him. Two, if he didn't know what he had, he'd go, go play yourself on or off the roster. Like, go, go, go. Have at it, kid. He's not even giving these guys minutes, right?

[B]

So, yeah, I mean, when. When it was Time to choose another nine. Pochettino went with Christian.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And going back to November, I think the second game, was it where you thought Pepe was going to play? He ended up coming on as a sub late on.

[B]

Right.

[A]

There was something that was awkward about that as well. Anyway.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So go ahead. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

So the, the question then is, I think most people's minds went to, okay, then who next is on the team as a striker?

[A]

That's my point. That's my point. I don't know.

[B]

Yeah, I, I think you're right, actually. I mean, because he's proven with Josh Sargent doesn't trust, like, whatever doesn't race Brian White. He hasn't. You know that. And really, those are the only two that I can. I mean, there's been a lot of talk lately about Xavier Gozo from Salt Lake. And, you know, I don't, I don't.

[A]

I don't think that's gonna happen.

[B]

Yeah, I don't think there's anything. I mean, but so good young player, but it's not gonna happen.

[A]

Right. So. So where I started the conversation, sort of where people are ending the conversation, it's like, okay, well then what striker does he take next? And I'm saying to you, I don't think he takes another striker because I wasn't convinced to begin with if all four of our top strikers were healthy, that he took all four of them,

[B]

especially given the last game where he played Christian there. Because I think in a pinch, if something happened to Flo, knock on, win the World cup, his next choice might be Christian instead of Haji Wright or Pepe, it might be. Or Weston or who. Or whoever.

[A]

That's what I'm saying.

[B]

So I, So I don't.

[A]

So I. That's kind of where I'm at with the strikers, which.

[B]

Okay, so then who, then who, who. The options are sort of on the bubble. People Zenday has maybe gets to know Diego Luna, who wasn't in because he was injured. Johnny Cardoza. It's a weird one. Maybe he's already locked in. Is it an extra defender? You know, maybe there's an extra defender. Because I. There's a lot of ways to go.

[A]

Yeah. With this team. I would take a. I mean, I think Diego Luna's on. He's on the plane. He's going, you know, like, I. Yeah, but I'm just not. I think you probably take either like another potential wing back or someone who can play like in, you know, in the forward position or in the winger. Not Forward, striker, but like winger, wide area. But you. But ultimately that, that's still technically classed as a midfielder to me. Like, I think, I think, I think an extra midfielder gets on this roster. Not another striker.

[B]

Not a central midfielder, though.

[A]

No, it doesn't have to be. No, no, no.

[B]

Or maybe he does. Maybe he brings like a culture guy. Could be like maybe that allows Sebastian Berhalter or Ron to get on.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, for sure.

[B]

Or maybe both. Yeah. I'd be curious what you guys think. Let us know. Do we miss anybody there? I'm curious everyone's thoughts on Xavier Gozo too, because there's been a lot of chatter about him and I, I can't imagine a scenario where a guy who's never been in camp is now being named to the team at the last minute and you know, you never know, but it happens. Seems weird.

[A]

A good question for you about, about goo. How old is he?

[B]

19?

[A]

19?

[B]

18? 19.

[A]

Did he, did he, he scored, didn't he score a couple weekends ago or, or that's what everybody.

[B]

I think he scored a few goals.

[A]

Scored a few goals.

[B]

Season player.

[A]

I'm going to look at, I'm going to. Yeah, he's a good player. Of course I'm going to look at. I'm going to dig into some of the Salt Lake stuff and go back and see like post game interviews. It's, it's, it's an interesting take. I know we're going to end this, this block, but it's an interesting take because in the Premier League you have Rio Inamoa and you have like Max Dman and they're sort of not like, like particularly max down, who's 16. They're not like Arsenal, he scores a goal. They're not putting him out for the media like they, they complete. But, but it's, but it's real. It's like a real thing. They're like, you're not going to speak to the media. Good thing, great, you scored a goal. But back to training. So they, they treat their youngsters differently in Europe and in mls. It's like we have a youngster wait

[B]

to put him out there.

[A]

We have to put him on the program. We have to, we have to put him in front of everybody. And so it's like, it's, I'm interested to see how they handle it.

[B]

It's interesting you say that when I was in Germany they had this term. I think it was nuk talent and it was like the next star. And anytime any young German would play A game it was. He was blasted out because they wanted, like, some hope that this was going to be the next star. And it's interesting, in England, they're like, they don't. You're not talking anyone. You're back to go back to school, enjoy your school work, and, like, we get on with it.

[A]

Yeah, it's interesting. It's time now for the unfiltered refresh sponsored by Coors Light. Choose Chill. Get Coors Light delivered. Go to coors light.com UFS all right, LD this week, who chose Chill? I know who you're going to pick. I always know who you're going to pick.

[B]

Our guy Flo. Flo Baligan. Timmy. It's never bad when you are mentioned in the same sentence as Neymar.

[A]

Yep.

[B]

With his goal in the 36th minute against Paris FC, Flo became the first player in Ligue 1 to score in seven consecutive league matches since Neymar did it for PSG in 2022. Now, they lost 41 to Paris FC, but for our guy Flo, we need him continuing to stay hot. And he's up to 20 goals now this season, including friendlies and, and all his goals in Ligon. So it's been, it's been great to watch. We do need him to show up and, and keep scoring for the US but congrats to him.

[A]

Amazing. Yeah, it's a. It's a huge one. And you know this thing about goal scorers, I. I oftentimes think of goalkeepers with clean sheets. When you start, like, getting consecutive clean sheets or three out of every. The last four games, you just don't think you can get scored on and, and, and goal scores are the same. It's so. It's such an innate feeling, like you just think the ball's gonna leave your foot, hit the back of the net. And I mean, it is. So I can't tell you of all the football and soccer I watch to score seven goals consecutively in seven straight

[B]

matches in a top league in the world.

[A]

It's so difficult, man. Like, in any league, by the way, L.D. yep, that's hard. Like, there's guys in the New York Sunday League that I watch every week, pass. I pass by. They're not scoring a goal a weekend. No, I'm serious. But, like, and then for an American to score, you know, 20 goals is the benchmark. 20 goals is for any striker in a season. 20 goals is the benchmark. And he's there and he's doing it, and I think there's. There's big things on the horizon for Flo, particularly if he has a really good World Cup.

[B]

So yeah, good. Could get a really big move.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Congrats to you Flo for choosing Chill. Cheers to you. Long may it continue, my friend. As always, guys, please remember to subscribe. Hit that subscribe button and subscribe. It helps other people find the show and keeps you up to date on everything we're doing. Let's take a break. When we get back we will get into latest MLS news as well as a couple wild races in the Premier League. Man, this is getting interesting. I think the last six games are going to be wild right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim. As always, presented by Volkswagen. The Unfiltered Soccer Podcast is brought to you by Volkswagen. It's really easy to become a passenger in life. To sit back and watch life go by day after day.

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[A]

All right, L.D. we got some MLS stories. It's MLS time.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I. This is. This. This first one's a problem for me. Go. Just go.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Go.

[B]

All right. Montreal to Philly. They lose 21 to Philly, and subsequently, their senior director of recruitment and athletic methodology.

[A]

Read that again. Read that again for people at home because I had to read it five times.

[B]

The senior director, not the junior director of recruitment and athletic methodology, Lucas Puto, announced that Marco Donna Del, has been relieved of his duties as head coach, effective immediately. Montreal, the first team in MLS history to sack a coach within the first 10 matches of two consecutive seasons. And Montreal fired its head coach last year before the home opener. This year, the ax comes the day after their home opener. The club's next coach will be its 12th coach in 14 seasons. Can I go, boy? Yep.

[A]

So just. Just, just for the record, remember MLS owner, part owner.

[B]

You're like that guy who stands outside the club and says, you own the club, but you have, like, you put $5,000 in.

[A]

I'll tell you what, if I put $5,000 in. That have been a lot. That have been a lot easier.

[B]

Go ahead.

[A]

But so. So. So we're all open to criticism. We. We know the role.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So this is. This could be Montreal or this could be AFC Bumble. I. I'm. I'm going to say to you this. You cannot, Landon. You cannot. If you and I decided tomorrow we're going to buy a team in Spain, we could not have the team. Or. Or have the team exist for 14 years and have 12 managers. That's an impossibility. Especially in MLS, that's an impossibility. So we can talk about what titles are. What Director of whatever, Swimming. What was his director of methodology and period. Periodization and all these fancy words we pretend to use in football. You can't have 12. 12 managers in 14 years, by the way, with no success. If you're saying that this is Roman Abramovich's Chelsea and you've had that many, but you've also had 14 titles. Okay? You can't be. You can't be terrible and have that many coaches. Can't.

[B]

In mls, it's almost impossible. I would say it's more difficult to be as bad as Montreal have been than it is to win a championship, because there's parody. You. There's. Everybody basically spends the same amount. Now, Montreal are not spending a lot of money on dps and that kind of stuff, but still, like, it's hard to be that bad. It really is.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. I, I just think. Yeah, yeah, no, I, I, I like in, in, in the game. And I think about this with like, I'm a New York Giants fan, so I'm gonna crap on the jets for a minute. Like the jets have stunk for like, I don't know, 55 years. They might not even exist in 55 years. They stunk, right. And I often think when you're at like in a big media market, not much that's not that Montreal is that, but New York is. And, and when, when, when your organization for like a decade just stinks, just go head hunt. Literally. If you're Montreal, you know, you know a bunch of these guys, but there are GMs and technical directors and coaches who have like nailed on success. Not that you could ever have nailed on success in mls. They have nailed, in fact, their neighbors Toronto did the same thing. They went, all right, who's best practice here? We'll get him. Who's the bet? We'll get him. So they got the best gm, the best coach, the best dps, right? And then they went, we got a couple trophies, right? And like, so it's not really that hard, you know, when, and by the

[B]

way, like we've, we know him and we've interviewed like Bob Bradley. Obviously it didn't go great in Toronto, sure. But like that's an easy one. Like just go sort like what Chicago did with Greg Burhalter. Like just go get so San Jose with Bruce. Bruce, get someone sturdy, knows the game.

[A]

Like it's just give, give, give them some power and decision making. Which is what Chicago did with Greg Burholter, which is what San Jose, San Jose did with Bruce.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And then like, and by the way, doesn't even have to be a long term fix, but, but at least someone you're not going to sack in eight months. That's right, like get you over the next two or three years anyway.

[B]

All right, let's stop talking about them. Portland, our guy, Phil massive.

[A]

Big. Bill Neville, big.

[B]

What a win.

[A]

Let's go.

[B]

What a win over lafc. I always say this, Tim, when you play teams in MLS is crucial because there's just not enough depth in all these teams. So Sunny gets rested for lafc. They're also playing in Champions cup. So they were, you know, they have their mind elsewhere, they're traveling a lot, whatever. So they go to Portland and Portland wins it. Late when you play teams is crucial. I'm not saying they wouldn't have won the game, but it certainly made a big difference. Not having Sonny and all the travel

[A]

and everything made a huge difference. And I, and I agree with that. But it's a big win rooting for Phil. I don't even like Phil that much. I just, he came on the show and we had, it was, it was like our, our highest listened to episode. So I just, I want to give Phil love. Come back on. Come back on.

[B]

He needs to come back on.

[A]

Anyway. No, I'm.

[B]

Obviously, I want to say something. I keep seeing all this talk about Sonny hasn't scored in the league. He hasn't scored. This is what. First of all, he has seven assists. They're probably with Vancouver, the best team in the league. I want to share a story. In my first season, I didn't start the first game. Played like 20 minutes, played like 10 minutes my second game and then I started and we went, I believe we went on a, we ended up going on a 12 match unbeaten streak. But I started every game during that time and for I think seven or eight games I didn't score. And then I scored against some shitty goalie from New York.

[A]

Was it me?

[B]

And Amazing. Yeah. But my point is, is Frank. Yup. Would bring me in because I was like, coach, I'm so sorry. I'm trying so hard to score. And he'd go, landon, we haven't lost in six games.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You're playing.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He said, I don't care if you scored or you're, you're contributing to the team and we haven't lost. You're going to play. And I mean, Sunny's a different level than I was at that point or any point in my career. But like he's going to play. He's impacting the game and every. Who cares if he's. I'm. I'm so sick of him.

[A]

You know what else?

[B]

Who cares?

[A]

You know what else I would say to. Of people who have, have said what you said? Like, why isn't he scoring? Sunny's brilliant, by the way. I've played against him. I've watched him. He's brilliant what he does, right? And he did this at Tottenham for years. He would come underneath and he would facilitate, right. And he'd get his assist and he, he had a really good balance of assists and goals. When Kane wasn't there or he had to start up top, then the balance shifted to Sonny scoring all the goals. Right. Like he had to shift. If you're winning to your point about you and Frank Gallup if you're winning. And Sonny clearly has some sort of like, you know, that, that smell, that feel for, for, for the assists. At the moment, he's got seven assists. He's probably actually going, I'm not going to hunt goals. We're winning. I'm coming underneath, I'm playing short. I'm, I'm, I'm unlocking doors. Yep, he, he, he might get 10 assists, 11 assists before he gets his first goal. And they're still winning. Who cares?

[B]

Yeah, he'll get goals and he's clever. He knows what he's doing. Right? Like, if Wong is not on the field or Martinez is not, he'll, he'll find a way to score. Shout out to LAFC's Jude Terry, 17 year old with a great goal. And another young kid, Julian hall for Red Bull. They go to Miami and draw 2, 2, 2. Sorry. Two assists for Julian hall, including one to fellow teenager Audrey Mehmetti. And I love what Michael's doing at Red Bull. I mean, I went to like my Fat Mob app the other day and I was looking through their team and I'm like, this guy's 18, this guy's 19, this guy's 21, this kid's 17. And I'm going, how are they winning games? You know, it's a little bit like I do in MLS now when I look at a roster and I see like, he's American, he's American, he's American. Like San Jose. You're like, every guy's American. How are they winning games? And it's, they're giving young kids a chance. They're giving Americans a chance. I love it.

[A]

Well, yeah, I love it. I'm obviously huge fan of Michael Bradley for, you know, all the, the stuff we, we've been through as teammates, but I also am just. We talk about development, like, development in our country sucks. If there's anybody listening and they want to tell me I'm wrong, they can, but it sucks. We're so far behind and Red Bull have sort of created a system to develop and part. And some of that's not like, hey, just put some cones out for some kids and teach them. It's a pathway. Right? And doors have to be open in order to, to continue on that pathway. Meaning, like, hey, we like you, Michael Bradley. We like your ideas, we like your style and how you're gonna, how you're gonna approach this and how you did it with our, our B team. By the way, we're going to give you maybe More leeway. Right? Because we want you to play kids. We want you to develop them. We think they can. There's going to be some growing pains, but we think you can do the business. And so, like, that's how you develop. And it's not even one kid. They're developing a club full of them and they. And they have for a while.

[B]

So everyone else take notice. Yeah, I know. Like, you have to. Everyone feels the pressure to win every weekend, but they're still.

[A]

They're.

[B]

They're getting results. They went to Miami and drew with all these young kids. That's great. Vancouver beat NYCFC 2,06 goals now in seven games for Brian White. You know, I saw some chatter about, oh, ajamong's out. Could it be. I mean, Brian White's not going to the World cup, but he's a. He's a phenomenal player. And I just want to say this. Tim Sebastian Berhalter, and you say what you want about him. Everyone's got opinions. Whatever the fact that he is now two months away. Taylor Tolman tweeted this the other day. He's two months away from being free to sign anywhere in the world on a, you know, six months ahead of your contract. I know there's business aspects and all this. What is Vancouver doing? How could you let this guy get away? Right? And I know there's everybody. There's different sides of the story, whatever this is. This is Chris Armus. This is Dax McCarty. This is Michael Bradley when he was there. This is every good, solid central midfielder in MLS that makes your team win. And he's American and he's probably going to the World Cup. What are you doing? I can't figure this out. It's bizarre to me.

[A]

Well, hopefully it's a little bit late to get a contract done, but hopefully they can get something across the line. If they don't. Yeah. The bizarre thing is this on a heater today, but. Well, you and I think the same way. We. We talk about development in our country and all these things, right? But we're our own worst enemy because the powers that be, the people that sign the checks, don't even value their own. Right?

[B]

So.

[A]

So because. Because the starting point, like, I'm trying to think like the Premier League's the highest paying league in the world, right? And so it makes it, quote, unquote, easier. You bring a kid through an academy, right? And you. I don't know what, you give them ten grand a week. I don't know what the Academy Kids run 10 grand. 20 grand a week, right? He lights it up, scores 10 goals in the Premier League. Now Chelsea want him because he's at. Call it. Man United. Man United. Go. Well, no getting close. He was on 10. He was on 10. 12. 20 grand a week. Here's 60 grand a week, by the way. Like, three years before your contract's even up.

[B]

Correct? It's not three months.

[A]

It's three months. Three years. Because they value the asset. Where in America the starting point is so low? Like, I don't know, do we know it? Burholter's making. We must. But he's.

[B]

I don't know, 500, 600, whatever, right?

[A]

So for a kid like that, if. If we're going with that number, we can. We can correct these numbers. We're saying he's making 500. I'm saying straight off the top, he gets a. He gets a $1.5 million contract straight off.

[B]

That's right. Tripling his, by the way, which you can do, just so people understand the mechanism. You can do that in MLS without making him a DP, right? I think max TAM number is 17 or 18 or something. So you could do that. You could have done that yesterday, which

[A]

we have to do away with all the mechanisms and all that.

[B]

But anyway, that's a different story. But I'm just saying, if you're. If you're like, oh, we don't want to spend a DP spot, fine, do that.

[A]

Right? But my. Right, My point. My point to you is you've seen this with someone like, with. With someone like Sebastian Berhalter, because he's like sort of one of your own. He's not one of your own. But you brought him in. He's young. Let's call it. He's on half a million. You, Almost you. The powers that be, the right to checks get fixated on that number. Well, he's only worth it. No, he's actually not only worth that. He's probably worth triple that.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

And by the way, the way we've seen recruiting in mls, and this is a big, big, big problem I have with mls, they'll go, sebastian Bolter, we'll let you go. Because guess what?

[B]

We'll go into, find the next guy, right?

[A]

We'll go into second division of Spain, or we'll go down to Colombia and we'll spend. We'll spend 10 million on a guy who. Who doesn't want to be here. Who's a bust.

[B]

That's right. Anyway, it's ridiculous. It is. No, I love it. All right, let's move on to the Premier League. Oh, it was a fun weekend.

[A]

Juicy, huh?

[B]

I love this chaos. So Arsenal lose home to Bournemouth. City go away to Chelsea and batter them. City were good and now very good. I feel like he got the mix of players right now Doku's playing. O'Reilly's in there and like it's. And Rodri obviously a big part of it. So now City are six points back. They. They are home to Arsenal next weekend. So they win that game. Now they're three points back with a game in hand and I think their goal differential would be ahead if, if they beat Arsenal.

[A]

And FYI, their game in hand is the following Wednesday after the Arsenal game against Burnley.

[B]

It's Burnley. That's right. Okay. So you have to assume that with. Let's.

[A]

They could be top of the game.

[B]

Arsenal, right? They could be top with four games to go.

[A]

Yeah, they could be top by, by Wednesday night if they beat Arsenal and Burnley. I think that's right.

[B]

Okay, it's going to be. You're in Tampa, right, Next week, next weekend.

[A]

Fan fest.

[B]

Going to be amazing to watch that.

[A]

Dude. Listen, this fan fest, by the way, promoting NBC here we have the Merseyside Derby. I'm. I'm thinking about Dave.

[B]

Oh, I forgot about that.

[A]

With the Merseyside Derby we have Arsenal City. I think we have Man United, Chelsea.

[B]

Oh my God.

[A]

And then there's another fourth game.

[B]

This is an all timer.

[A]

It's a madness, bro.

[B]

Well also then, so let's dig into the other.

[A]

And I'll be in Ybor City. I'll be out all night. It's just going to be chaos.

[B]

City, that's going to be chaos. Let's talk about the other end of the table because you're going to have spurs as well.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And I'll tell you what, and I keep hearing you say it, I heard you say it Sunday on NBC that spurs are going to stay up. You sure?

[A]

Yeah, I'm sure.

[B]

You know we're on record here. So you know those Walgreens receipts. I'm going to have a big long one.

[A]

But. But I have not wavered. So that's how you know.

[B]

No, I know that's how you know.

[A]

So I still have Arsenal, Arsenal winning the League and I still have.

[B]

Oh boy.

[A]

I know, I know I still have spurs staying up. Which. Which is. Which. Which by the hour is getting harder to say. And now. And now it looks like no speculation, but looks like Christian. Christian Romero is going to be out.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Depending on what the scans say.

[B]

Right, Vicario, that might help them.

[A]

So. I. I don't know. I don't know, man. I. I think. I think we'll get to some more spurs stuff, but. Yeah, I mean, I just sort of think they will. It's gonna be tight. I do believe you're probably. You're probably gonna get the drama that the world wants. I think you'll come down to the, you know, last couple kicks of the ball.

[B]

I always do this exercise with you guys after each game. I send, like, remaining games and I tell you guys how many points West Ham are gonna get, how many Forest and how many spurs are gonna get. And I. This is my.

[A]

I'm gonna.

[B]

Clearly, I'm the head of scientific methodology here.

[A]

Swimming. Yeah.

[B]

Like the Saputo guy from Montreal. Swimming. Yes. And I think spurs, six games left, I think they get six points, and I think the other two, Forest and West Ham, get five points, which is not enough.

[A]

You think they're going down?

[B]

I do. I can't think, Tim. They haven't won a game in I

[A]

don't know how long this. This calendar year. Yeah, Interesting. All right. All right, well, we'll jump. We'll jump more later.

[B]

All right. I have receipts, though. It's stoppage time. Sponsored by FanDuel. New customers can bet $5 and get $250 in bonus bets if you win. Download the FanDuel sportsbook app to get started. All right, here we go. City win last weekend at Chelsea, Arsenal lose at home to Bournemouth, and the title race is on. I love this. I do think this is going to come down to the last game of the season, because I think City beat Arsenal at home this weekend. I think Erling Haaland's been a little off it a bit in the League and hasn't scored as much as he would like. But I do think he gets on the score sheet. I know I say that all the time, but I do think he gets on the score sheet either with a goal or an assist. I think Arsenal hold City till halftime. They will get back to their defensive waves because they've been conceding some goals lately, uncharacteristic of them, but I think Mikel Arteta gets them backfiring defensively. So, 00 at half, but I think City then will score in the second half. I don't think Arsenal score in this game. City are so dominant with the ball right now, and it's just hard for teams to get out of there. And they've. They've had all the possession and they're just wave after wave of attack. Chelsea couldn't score at home against them. I don't think Arsenal score away. So unfiltered soccer, same game parlay this week. City to win, Erling Holland to get back on the score sheet or have an assist. I think it's 00 at halftime. I don't think either team score in the first half. Both teams will not score in this game. City win the game and they keep Arsenal off the score sheet. Don't forget to check out the full list of unfiltered soccer same game parlay on our socials later this week. All right, let's take a break. When we come back, we will get into your AT&T fan questions and the fan connection. We have a little surprise for you guys.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah, we do. Right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Voltaire Volkswagen. Stay right there. This episode is brought to you by fanduel. April is when things get real. Title races, knockout rounds, every match carrying a little more weight. There's no coasting right now. Every result matters. That's why I love this time of year. Club or country, there's always a match worth watching and something on the line. And if you're watching, you might as well get in on it with FanDuel. Because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get 250 in bonus bets if you win. That's right, make a $5 bet and if you win, you'll unlock $250 in bonus bets that you can use on goal scorer markets. Match result over unders, same game parlays and much more. So as the pressure builds this month, make your move. Just visit fanduel.com unfiltered to download the app and get started. Must be 21 plus and present in select states for Kansas in affiliation with Kansas Star Casino or 18 plus and present in D.C. kentucky or Wyoming. First online real money wager only. $5. First deposit required. Bonus issued as non withdrawable bonus bets which expire seven days after receipt. Restrictions apply. See [e-mail] gambling problem. Call 1-800- gambler or visit fanduel.com rg call 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org chat in Connecticut or visit mdgamblinghelp.org in Maryland. Hope is here. Visit gamblinghelplinema.org or call 800-327-5050 for 24. 7 support in Massachusetts or call 18778, hopeny or text hopeny in New York.

[A]

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[B]

The instant oatmeal.

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[B]

All right, Timmy. So earlier this year, we went to Beaver Creek to go skiing. You've been there?

[A]

Yeah. It's beautiful.

[B]

Amazing place. So we go skiing. We're with two other families, so the kids go. Me and the dads get back, and all we want is a cold beer. And who was in charge of keeping the beer cold?

[A]

You.

[B]

Who forgot to put them in the fridge?

[A]

You.

[B]

Me?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But I didn't tell the guys. They're like, oh, we'll be over in, like, five minutes. Have the beers ready. And I'm like, oh, my God, I forgot. So what I did, because I'm a smart guy, I chucked them outside in the snow and it was a total, like, hail Mary. Like, I don't know if this is going to work or not. Six minutes later, bang, freezing cold. They never knew.

[A]

They were all happy.

[B]

Tell me I'm a genius.

[A]

Well, ld, you are a genius. Let me say that.

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

Amongst other things, you too can taste true mountain cold refreshment. Crack open a Coors Light. Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door. Visit Coors Light.com UFS or you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells beer.

[B]

Celebrate responsibly. Coors Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado. Beer.

[A]

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 at AT&T. Connecting changes everything. And on USLNT, our connections with you will help grow the game. All right, folks, welcome back at&t fan Connection. Everyone's favorite time of the week, but I have a surprise. Normally you would see Jordan. Today we're welcoming in Andrew. Andrew, welcome in.

[B]

Welcome.

[A]

Welcome to the show. Is this your debut?

[C]

It is.

[A]

Don't be nervous. Don't be nervous.

[B]

So ag, you know when, like every. You know when you watch the Olympics and you realize that for four years these people have been preparing for this one moment and then you, like, you see they either succeed or they fail? Is that sort of how you've been approaching this week? Like, knowing that you were gonna this was your one moment.

[C]

Yeah. Lots of early training, vocal exercises, yelling at your kids. Yeah. All of that.

[A]

I hope you get. I just hope you get, like, hate. I hope people, like, bring Jordan back.

[B]

Where's Jordan? Who is. That's.

[A]

That's all part of performing.

[B]

Just so everyone know that will.

[C]

That will ruin me, by the way. Like, you guys are used to it. If I get a lot of hate, it will absolutely crush me.

[B]

You'll be destroyed. Leave him alone. Andrew's the absolute best. He's one of our producers who actually puts the show together every week with Jordan. So Jordan is getting a week off, A much deserved week off. All right, Ag. Timmy wants you to bring the smoke. So you had. You had full rain to decide what you wanted to ask. Go on.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

Or what you wanted to choose.

[C]

Yeah. So I'm going to be honest. First one here, no smoke.

[B]

Leo, going to start.

[C]

Nice. This is a nice one.

[A]

Of course.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

This comes from Luke in Lincoln, which kind of gives us away. Can you please ask Landon what it felt like watching Lincoln City win promotion this morning? So he sent this the other day or a few days ago, and what it means to him to be a part of that success. Landon, you haven't talked about this, but this is. This is not a small thing.

[B]

I didn't talk about it on purpose because I felt like I was going to jinx it. So all season, Lincoln City have been. Well, the last 23, four, five games, they've been unbeaten, which is an insane stat in League one because the games come thick and fast. Same with the championship. Tim, you know this, like, to do that for 22 or 23 or four straight games is insane. But as they were doing it, I didn't say a word to anyone. I didn't text Harvey, who is majority shareholder for. I didn't, I didn't. I was just like, quiet though. I didn't text Clive, who's the chairman. I was just left it because I didn't want to jinx it. And then finally last weekend, they went away to reading and won 2:1 and clinched promotion. They have 93 points, Tim.

[A]

That's crazy, dude.

[B]

90.

[A]

Congratulations, man.

[B]

And there's still four games left. They might get to 100.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And so it's just been phenomenal. Watch. So they'll be in the championship next year against spurs twice. Sorry, Andrew. Andrew's a Spurs fan, by the way.

[C]

We'll get to that.

[B]

No, it was phenomenal, phenomenal to watch and I'm so happy for them. And I said this, the other day, what Wrexham have done and like, what Birmingham are doing and it's amazing, it's great for fans in America, it's great for the sport. But the Wrexham story is not a miracle story. People are like, wow, what a miracle. They got promoted four times. They're outspending everybody, right? So they should have a chance to get promoted. Lincoln City, I said this to you guys, they spent the 17th most out of 24 teams this year and finished first by a mile. They're 12 points clear at the top.

[A]

That.

[B]

That is a miracle. Yeah, that's like. It's incredible. So I'm just so proud.

[A]

Is that down to good coaching, recruiting, that type of thing?

[B]

You know what it is in League one, Tim? And this. I say this about MLS too. It's continuity. So, like, keeping the sporting director, Jez has been there now many, many years. The CEO Leo has been there many, many years. The chairman, Clive Nates, who's a phenomenal human, been there many, many years. Now they have a head coach who's been there a few years and they've kept their players consistent. There is some changing, but most of league, every year, players are going here and there and there and they've had consistency and. And that's made a difference.

[A]

So are you as an owner, super excited now. Like, championship gets you.

[B]

Like, it's amazing. Yeah, it's amazing. Like some of the clubs you play and some of the games that we'll have.

[A]

That's what I was going to ask you selfishly. Like, what, what? I. I would. We got to go to like a big game. Like. Yeah, big. Well, we could.

[B]

Could be Spurs. I mean, not joking, right? Like, but we could go to a big game. That'd be amazing. And Lincoln's an incredible town, by the way.

[A]

Yeah. We can go to West Ham, maybe.

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

You know what I mean?

[B]

Like, yeah, yeah, that'd be incredible. So let's do it.

[A]

Where is Lincoln? Remind me. Geographic.

[B]

It's like Central and East. Far east. So like Birmingham, but far east. Oh, so it's out in the countryside and, like, it's beautiful, man. Beautiful place.

[A]

Awesome. Great.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

So now that they're in the championship, are you going to suddenly become like, super hands on, like a success as

[A]

a thousand fathers every week?

[B]

Andrew, I don't have a lot of skills, but one thing I know is what I don't know and I just stay out of the way. They're doing an amazing job. You stay far away, put your nice

[A]

suit on, sit in the director's box. Eat some prawn sandwiches.

[B]

That's right.

[C]

Well, hey, congrats. It's very cool. And like you mentioned, they could, they could be playing spurs next season. This. Our next question here comes from MW says he's Joey's dad, which I think was from an email several months back, but MW writes in questions from a depressed spurs fan.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yep, yep. Number one, is there any, is there any kind of other spurs fan?

[C]

Good point. Question one, what should I look forward to if spurs make the championship as a relegated team? How do we even follow them, right, if they qualify for championship playmakes? And second part of that question is, and this is kind of a big one here, which is almost be an episode unto itself, but who is most to blame for Tottenham's downfall? Coaching changes, the coaches, the players, ownership. So. And he also throws in, by the way, his song pick Calm Like a Bomb by Rage against the Machine to add to our playlist. But yeah, so those are the two questions. What to look forward to if they make the championship and who's most to blame?

[A]

Well, let's answer back to front the players. The players. Because, because lafc, excuse me, LA Galaxy went through this last year, right? They're missing one or two players. They had a brilliant coach, great organization, and they literally couldn't punch their way out of a wet paper bag. Like, you can win a game of football, by the way. You can get lucky to win a game of football. So spurs, which I've said, and I'll continue to say, I'm, I've got my, I've got my cheat sheet up. I've got my, my Premier League app. Wolves, Burnley, Spurs, West Ham Forest leads. Out of those six teams, six. Spurs have like the best squad by a trillion miles. A trillion miles. And they can't win a game in, in, in the calendar year 2026. Is that like, like, is that, is that co. Landon and I have said, literally your coach cannot show up for a week and you could go out on the pitch and win a game of football. Be hard, but you could do it. So the fact that they haven't won, it's, it's, it's shambolic. And I, I, I just still think, and I could be wrong, but I'm going to stick with this because I believe it. There's enough. They, they're more talented now. That doesn't, that doesn't get you out of relegation, by the way. I sort of think the teams around, I don't trust the teams around them now, by the way. I have very little trust in, in Spurs. I just don't trust the team. I've been. Burnley and Wolves are gone, right? So spurs are on 30. Like if you go from leads on 33, forest 33, West Ham 32, spurs 30, like that's like one result. So I believe that the team that's going to get more results, not many is Spurs. I do, I, I, I don't trust the other teams. The one caveat I will say, and I said this this week in on air and I'll let you go ld with the teams down. So for leads have been. They've been a yo yo team, right? So they know what it's like. Forest and West Ham have been in it and have been fright frightened to death, right? So they've been fighting. There is a, there is a thing and we've seen this in the Premier League throughout the, throughout the course of time. You almost are like, what? Like we're not going down. Like we're too good. You don't even think about it, right?

[B]

You don't think it's real?

[A]

No, we don't think it's real. I'm too good. And in order to get out of that scrap, you actually have to go. Not putting gel in my hair today. Yeah, I'm rolling my sleeves up. I'm leaving the washback, you know, the, the designer washbag at home. Like, I ain't a Spurs player no more. I'm just going to be a gritty, tough son of a. You know what? And unless that collectively happens, which it hasn't happened yet, still six games to go. Then I don't know. Then, then, then maybe they don't. But I like Roberto de Zerbi. How quickly can he get sort of his idea. We saw it. We actually saw it. They play a little bit, bringing on to him, then they play long, a bit like Brighton. They had four up top. So everything was trying, like into Solanke, into Richarlison, so you can see some patterns. And then this week, I'll have you know, another six days under his belt. So I do think with the players they have and if he can get some of these tactical points across, I think it helps him.

[B]

Andrew, as a fan, like, where do you, where do fans put the blame?

[C]

A confluence. So for me it's the meeting point of a few things. I know he's not there anymore, but you can't erase things that happened near the end of the Levy era, when they were good transfer windows that went by without. I think they went over 500 days without signing somebody back when they were good. And that stuff comes back to bite you years later. I think, like Tim said, it's the players. Tim, I think it was. I was watching you guys this weekend. I think it was Robbie Earl who said, if you took these players and put on, took off Tottenham jerseys and put them in some other uniform, like, would we, would we actually think these guys are that good? And I don't know, I don't think the team is. I don't think the team is that good. And then the one. I mean, I hate to say this but, because you can't quantify this, but luck has killed them. Whether that's like, I don't know, you guys sometimes say injuries aren't luck, but sometimes they are. I mean, and so they've been just, they've been ravaged by injuries. So I think that's probably at least part of it. You know, they have. I think they're the only team in all four English divisions that hadn't won a penalty this season. Like little things like that, you know, calls that have, you know, Romero pushes someone in the box, it's a penalty, he gets pushed in the box. It's not like little. Those little things may not usually matter, but when you're at the bottom of the table, they all matter. And it's kind of down to luck.

[B]

Yeah, they're all adding up is what it is.

[C]

So, yeah, it's a few things. It's not just one thing.

[A]

Right, right. But, but I, I hear you. But ultimately, when all is said and done, when all is said and done, if spurs go down, they're quite literally going to go down by a point or two. Which basically means all of those things you said.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That group of players will have needed to all only muster a 30 minute charge in one game over the course of six months just to get a draw or just to get one more goal. And I'm saying there are. They're a freaking talented bunch of players that should be able to do that at the end of the day. That's all I'm saying.

[B]

Agreed.

[C]

Also, to help out our emailer, mw, he asked how do we even follow them? Paramount plus, in case you're wondering, they

[A]

have NBC and Peacock. It'll be fine. It'll be fine. They're staying up.

[C]

So there you go.

[A]

I actually, real quick, I often wonder. This is always something that, like I, I think about because Everton went through this a couple years ago and I often think about like, what is. How, how too cool. For school is the crowd if you stay up, right, like with Everton, they were like, no, this means a lot. Like we're bum rushing the pitch, right? And I, and I sort of, I sort of like one of my best friends is a Spurs fan and the season ticket holder and I sort of think if they stay up, they're going be like, yeah, all right and they're just going to walk out. I don't know what's going to happen if, if they actually like, you know, stay up on the last day, which I think will happen.

[C]

It does feel like it will be hard to celebrate the same way Everton celebrated that.

[A]

That's my point.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. All right, last one. This comes from William via email. Tim, you asked for heat last week. Responding to your pleas, I offer the following unvarnished take on USMNT performances For the last nine months or so under Mauricio Pochettino, the USMNT have played better, put in more dynamic and promising performances with the absences of Pulisic, McKinney and Adams, among others. Now hear me out. I don't discount or denigrate their individual talents. I recognize the quality of their performances for their club teams over several years now, outside of McKinney's ill fated loan at Leeds. That said, the eye test concludes that when we've had the likes of Luna, Tillman, Ajemang no longer. But I get his point. Arfston, Freeman, Bearhalter, the US play with more teamwork and esprit de corps. Though they are not better players man for man. They are a better squad without the marquee players. I'd rather see these B squad players out on the pitch who may not be as talented but play with more hunger and fire than their A squad counterpart from William. What do you guys think?

[A]

Well, William's probably not, probably not wrong in, in some respects, I get that. But what. You're always battling again and then you, you were a coach at a time and you had to, you had to pick an 11. What you're always sort of battling against is. Yeah. And it's not like a, it's not like the hope creed. But you're like, I'm putting out the best players in the best positions with what I hope are the best partnerships. And if on that day I get that right, that's the, that's the best possible scenario for us to win. Now I just don't. With respect, I think if you took America the most die hard American soccer fans, U.S. men's soccer fans, and we get to that first game we're in LA and that team sheet comes out 45 minutes before the game and you don't see the names that you just mentioned. We'd all be like, huh, we don't have a chance in heck of winning. So in theory, yeah, sure, you get a bunch of guys who are rah rah and willing to dig in. But I, for me, I still want Weston and Christian and Tyler and all the big guys on the pitch because that gives us the best chance to win, in my opinion. But I appreciate the sentiment.

[B]

The problem, the problem is, and this is the broken record, and we've said this a gazillion times, we have no idea who the best group are. And so every time there's been a camp or a game, it's a new starting 11. I mean, we can do the research. I don't. Has the same 11 ever played together under Pochettino? Like, I mean, yeah, yeah, back to back, maybe. I don't know. Well, not even back to back. I'm just saying, I don't know.

[A]

It's a great question.

[B]

And so probably not, but there is so much value in that. And then you go, okay, this all worked, but those two didn't have a great partnership. So let's try Sergino Dust instead of Alex Freeman then next game. Or, you know, we're going to play Flo again instead of playing Christian there because we want to see how he works with Gio. I'm just making stuff up, right, but we have no clue. And when you're a coach, you're right, Tim. You have, you have your best 11 players and then you have your best 11 who play best as a team. And those oftentimes are very different or at least a little different. And you have to figure out what that is and what that looks like. And you only do that through, like, continuity and trying, trying all that early on, but then getting close to the partnerships and maybe twinkling toward moving one or two around and seeing how that works.

[A]

But so, so let me carry on to that point, right? LD so, Ag, the question was asked what we, what we're lacking in this cycle. And if you go back to like the two that, you know, the Bruce arena era, 2002, 2006, you can go to the Bob Bradley era as well. Those teams had a continuity. We've talked about this to where we knew the 8, 8 of the 11. We knew that barring injuries or niggles or whatever, we knew who was going to be on the pitch. We knew who the goalkeeper was going to be. We knew who the two center backs were going to be. We knew who the striker and the two wingers were going to be. We knew who the six was going to be. Now, did the fullbacks fluctuate? Sure. The one of the midfielders fluctuate?

[B]

Sure.

[A]

But there was eight out of the 11. Same with, with Bruce's team.

[B]

Right.

[A]

That's how Landon and Clint got in the team. Team was set. They can sprinkle one or two in if they worked, great. If not, they come out. This wasn't like a. We make six changes, right? Phil Neville talked about it. All right, I talked about. With Phil Neville. So Alex Ferguson had a team that could win the league every year. And then every now and again, it was a big game. And Phil Neville, boom, dropped him in at, at the number six or dropped him in at the, at the right back slot or left back slot. So he made these little changes. What Landon's saying is we should by now. No, no, these guys are nailed down. These eight guys are nailed down. Don't even ask me questions about them. Those are the eight that are playing the other three. Well, we'll see. Maybe it's Sebastian, and if he has a good run, he keeps his place in the team. Or maybe it's Geo on that side, and if he has a good run, he keeps his place in the team. But this constant chomping and changing, we. We quite literally have no idea.

[B]

And oftentimes just to tie bow. Oftentimes it's not even Pochettino's fault. Like some of it sure is his decision. But a lot of times guys are injured or don't want to come in or whatever, and so you just, you just lose those. And that's why we were harping on that a year ago in the summer during the Gold Cup.

[A]

Well, that's like.

[B]

Well, you know, this is why.

[A]

That's the idea. And every. And Landon's been through it probably more than I have, but like, we've been through it the same amount. US Soccer has done a good job over the last 25 years of sort of using the summer before or the, or the two summers before to do what they call this dry run.

[B]

Right?

[A]

So it's a tournament, or they schedule games that feel like a tournament. Right? We've done it before. We didn't have a tournament where we were like, we're playing like three games cross country in, in 10 days. And we're, we're trying to mimic something, right? But you can only mimic that schedule wise. If you have your players. And so the idea last summer would have been we're, we're putting our best players on the field, minus maybe the goalkeeper we're going to change. Or maybe Diego Luna we're going to change. Or Sebastian Broholtzer. But this is what next summer is going to look like. And we missed the opportunity. But again, that's water under the bridge. But that's how normally it operates. And yet we're here a couple months out from the World cup and we don't know so well.

[C]

Good stuff. There you go. That's the fan connection. Remember, if you have a question for the show, hit us up at feedback@unfiltered

[B]

soccer.com Nice job, Ag. Nice.

[A]

Well done.

[B]

Good job.

[C]

Thanks.

[A]

We're hook, we're hooking you on 65 minutes to save your legs, but good job.

[C]

Appreciate it.

[B]

Thank you, Ag. All right, Timmy, another great show. I enjoyed that. Might see you tonight at the corner store. I have to look into the menu a little bit more. Appreciate all you guys, as always for being with us. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks to those who already subscribe. If not, Please subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your podcasts and follow the show across all our social media. Unfiltered Soccer for lots of bonus content. Thanks as always to our presenting sponsor, vw, our fan connection sponsor at and T and our stoppage time sponsor, FanDuel.

[A]

Yeah, another great episode, mate. Thank you to our unfiltered refresh sponsor, Coors Light. Our additional sponsors, Airbnb, Coca Cola and Walmart, have an amazing week. We'll see you back here next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.