Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard

Episode: Salah Battles Slot, Messi Wins MLS Cup, and USMNT Draw Dream Group
December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

Landon Donovan and Tim Howard deliver an episode packed with high-stakes soccer drama: Lionel Messi’s impact in bringing Inter Miami its first MLS Cup, the surging tensions at Liverpool between Mohamed Salah and new manager Arne Slot, and the excitement (and nerves) following the USMNT’s favorable 2026 World Cup group stage draw. Alongside tactical breakdowns and personal anecdotes, the hosts debate coaching philosophies, league dynamics, roster politics, and what "winning" actually means for US soccer.

Key Episode Topics & Insights

1. MLS Cup Final: Miami vs. Vancouver

[01:33-16:23]

• Messi Delivers for Miami

  • Miami clinches the MLS Cup against Vancouver in a match that, by both hosts' accounts, Vancouver "kind of deserved to win" ([02:01]). The match’s flow was classic MLS: open play, heavy transitions, and ultimately "three moments, three goals, and it's over" ([02:01]).
  • Landon: "Great for the league, great for Miami, great for my former teammate David Beckham."

• MLS Defense under the Microscope

  • Tim argues that the league’s attacking reputation disguises poor defending: "People often talk about MLS being a really powerful, strong, attacking league…my takeaway is MLS is a very poor defensive league. Right. Very poor defensive league." ([02:22])
  • This defensive frailty played right into Miami's hands, letting Messi impact the game in decisive moments.

• Stopping Messi (Or Not) – A Coaching Rant

  • Landon is flummoxed that teams still give Messi freedom: “Why do you not have someone around him at all times?... Even in the second half...he had 30 yards with nobody around him.” ([04:26])
  • Tim proposes: "Figure out a way to sacrifice one area of the game...dump him every time. Take a booking...It hasn't worked. So literally hasn't worked.” ([05:49])

• Managing Superstars: Mascherano’s Gambit

  • Both praise Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano’s decisions—resting Messi and dropping Luis Suarez for playoff games, prioritizing team health and playoff fitness.
  • Landon: “He made some really hard decisions, man… He did a phenomenal job. The actual managing how they play is how they play… But the actual, just management of all this, I thought was excellent.” ([10:09])

• Miami’s Win – Good or Bad for MLS?

  • Landon says Inter Miami’s “villain” role is great for MLS–teams “hate Miami more, which I think is great for the league.” ([13:51])
  • Tim believes the “haves and have nots” dynamic drives drama and viewership.
  • Donovan quips at accusations Miami “bought a title”: “Everybody pays for a title. That's what you do, you spend…you think it's easy to convince Lionel Messi to come to Miami? ...It must have been years and years and years of wooing him.” ([15:09])

• Predictions: Who’s More Likely to Return Next Year?

  • Both favor Vancouver, citing team quality and Miami’s likely “World Cup hangover” with Messi and others fatigued from full international cycles ([16:10]).
  • Tim warns: “Not because they're bad, but because literally the exhaustion...there’s so much more on Messi’s plate going into a World Cup and then post-World Cup how he unwraps that than anybody else.” ([17:40])

Notable Quotes:

• Tim: “MLS is a very poor defensive league. Right. Very poor defensive league.” ([02:22])
• Landon: “Why do you not have someone around him at all times?... he had 30 yards with nobody around him.” ([04:26])
• Tim: "He [Mascherano] didn't just pump his fist. He nearly jumped in the stands. He ran around the field. He hugged people after the third goal. Let me throw this in the mix, because everyone's talking about Messi. He's a dog, and he's been successful everywhere he's gone." ([11:03])

2. Premier League Drama: Salah vs Arne Slot at Liverpool

[21:16-32:50]

• Salah Benched, Frustrations Boil Over
  • Salah, benched for three games, gives a bombshell post-match interview: “I’ve done so much for this club…now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus.” ([22:10])
  • Landon notes: “It is electric. When you guys sent it in the group chat, I was like. My mouth dropped. I was like, whoa.”
• Breaking Down the Power Struggle
  • Tim sides with Salah, arguing stars are not—and should not be—treated the same as others.
    • “There’s this myth in sports that everyone’s treated the same… Nobody’s treated the same on the inside, particularly not a world class, one of the best in the world players who has brought you silverware after major trophy droughts…” ([24:52])
  • Landon, more sympathetic to the club, adds, “Sports to me are the ultimate meritocracy...If he's not doing the job, that is tens, if not hundreds of millions of dollars lost. And so he can't just say, I've earned it over the last—yes, you've earned some respect and some right, but if you're not performing, you don't have a right to say, I get to keep playing.” ([29:53])
  • Tim: “You cannot have Mo Salah both ways. You can only have him one way... If you want these guys to be the best and you want them to be single minded...they only know one way.” ([31:41])
• Team Dynamics: Dressing Room Readings
  • Tim analyzes a tunnel incident: Salah singled himself out, and teammates “each to a man walked by him and. And that tells me that maybe they don't disagree with him.” ([27:35])
  • The pair discuss the likely outcomes: Salah leaving, Slot potentially getting fired if results tank, and the broader locker-room implications.

Notable Quotes:

• Mo Salah (quoted by Landon): "I’ve done so much for this club down the years and especially last season. Now I’m sitting on the bench and I don’t know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus." ([22:10])
• Tim: “If I’m Mo Salah and I’ve done everything for this football club...I have a bit more license. Drop the other guys.” ([26:22])
• Tim: "You cannot have Mo Salah both ways. You can only have him one way..." ([31:41])

3. World Cup 2026 Draw: USMNT's "Dream Group" and The Path Forward

[38:18–61:32]

• Atmosphere & Star Power at the Draw

  • Landon shares the surreal experience at the draw with presidents, world stars, and legends from multiple sports: "It was such a bizarre experience...so exciting because everyone has their own interest in what's going on." ([38:56])

• Group Analysis & Confidence

  • USMNT’s group: Paraguay, Australia, and likely Turkey. Both hosts agree: the path couldn't have gone much better.
    • Tim: “This is a guaranteed US Men will top this group.” ([44:00])
    • Landon: “You would bet it on the US on all three games.” ([44:10])
  • The hosts poke fun at perennial pessimism: “So many people in the US media landscape talk about how they think this is a tricky draw. I don't.” ([43:54])

• Likely Path to Glory: Bracket Analysis

  • They dive deep into the likely knockout brackets—predicting a round of 16 matchup vs. a third-place finisher (e.g., Switzerland, Egypt), then possibly Belgium in the round of 16, Spain in the quarters, France in the semis, and Argentina in the final.
  • Landon: “How much money I would pay just to get to watch us at home in a World Cup against Spain in a quarterfinal.” ([48:18])
  • “If we get to a final, we're winning for sure...We're on a heater if we get to a final.” ([49:05])

• USMNT’s Benchmark for Success

  • The meaning of "success": Is it surpassing the 2002 team’s quarterfinal finish, or something else? They debate the moving goalposts of success given the new expanded format.
  • Landon: “If this team gets to a quarter final, that is a MASSIVE success.” ([55:14])
  • Tim: “Go smash records. Go create a World Cup where everybody falls in love with this team...just big moments.” ([55:29])

• Roster Philosophy: The 'Right' vs. the 'Best'

  • They dissect coach Pochettino’s statement about picking “the right players, not the best players.”
  • Tim: “Sometimes you need some bag carriers and some water carriers at the back end or a guy who’s a set piece specialist.”
  • Landon: “There are players that make a World Cup that are not, quote, the best... It's true in every environment in every country.” ([59:07])

Notable Quotes:

• Tim: “This is a guaranteed US Men will top this group.” ([44:00])
• Landon: “If this team gets to a quarter final, that is a massive success.” ([55:14])
• Pochettino (quoted): “We don’t need the best players. We need the right players to make a team, a strong team.” ([56:59])

4. Fan Mailbag & Listener Questions

[67:28–81:37]

• Salah’s Liverpool Future?
  • J.R. and the hosts speculate: “Will Mo Salah play another game for Liverpool Football Club? ...No, I think that's the right answer.” ([68:34])
  • Tim’s twist: “Slot's gonna get fired...He gets dropped for Inter. He gets dropped for Brighton before he goes to AFCON. Then he goes away...there's a new manager.”
• World Cup Playoff Predictions & Dark Horses
  • Quickfire predictions for playoff groups: Heart says Ireland, Italy, Turkey, Sweden, Iraq, Jamaica; dark horses include Colombia and Italy, given their history of peaking in tournaments ([76:48]).
• Personal Memories: World Cup Roster Cuts
  • Landon reflects on the pain of Brian Ching being left off the 2010 squad: “Coaches have really hard decisions to make...I felt bad for him as a person because I wanted him to have that experience.” ([78:21])
• Atmosphere: Finals Under the Lights?
  • Is there a difference between day and night finals? Most love night games’ drama, but TV and money dictates schedules. “I just like the lights and the energy. It's cold, the field's wet, the ball moves fast, all that. It's just better.” ([80:55])

Timestamps: Key Segments

• Messi and Miami’s Triumph – [01:33–16:23]
• Salah vs. Slot: Liverpool Drama – [21:16–32:50]
• World Cup Draw & USMNT Path – [38:18–61:32]
• USMNT Roster/Coaching Philosophy – [56:36–61:32]
• Mailbag (Fan Connection) – [67:28–81:37]
• Final banter and wrap-up – [81:37–end]

Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps & Speaker)

• “MLS is a very poor defensive league.” – Tim Howard [02:22]
• “Why do you not have someone around him at all times?” – Landon Donovan [04:26]
• “There’s this myth in sports that everyone’s treated the same… Nobody’s treated the same on the inside, particularly not a world class, one of the best in the world players who has brought you silverware after major trophy droughts…” – Tim Howard [24:52]
• “He [Slot] is clearly making a statement here, right? I’m not playing you…It’s probably because of what he said more than anything else.” – Tim Howard [23:55]
• “This is a guaranteed US Men will top this group.” – Tim Howard [44:00]
• “If this team gets to a quarter final, that is a MASSIVE success.” – Landon Donovan [55:14]
• Coach Pochettino (quoted): "We don’t need the best players. We need the right players to make a team, a strong team.” [56:59]

Tone & Style Notes

The episode is witty, irreverent, honest, and deeply informed, blending high-level tactical insight with player-centric empathy and the playful edge of two USMNT legends. Landon and Tim are passionate, occasionally fiery, always unfiltered—bouncing between straight talk and a locker-room banter that feels both accessible and authoritative.

Summary for Newcomers

If you missed this episode, you missed the US’s top soccer minds digging into everything a fan cares about: How do you actually stop Messi? What happens when a legend like Salah gets benched? Does Miami “buying a title” help or hurt MLS? And as the 2026 World Cup comes to US soil, just how far can this golden generation go? From tactical rants to behind-the-scenes stories, it’s another essential listen for anyone invested in US and global soccer.