USMNT All-Time Player Draft | Unfiltered Soccer

Summary

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Podcast Summary: USMNT All-Time Player Draft

Podcast: Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Episode: USMNT All-Time Player Draft
Date: May 15, 2026
Hosts: Landon Donovan (LD), Tim Howard (TH)

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Episode Overview

In this lively bonus episode, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard draft their all-time starting XIs for the U.S. Men’s National Team. Using a snake draft format, the duo builds squads from players across generations, revealing their personal favorites, analysis of positions, and a healthy dose of debate and banter over who has assembled the stronger side. The episode is a treat for American soccer fans and offers a deep dive into the legacy of great USMNT players.

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Main Themes & Structure

• Draft Rules:

  • Coin flip determines who drafts first.
  • Snake draft order.
  • Players must fit a coherent, real-world formation.
  • Each chooses an XI: goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, attackers.

• Rationale & Banter:

  • Criteria: picking players “in their prime.”
  • Position balance and player compatibility debated.
  • Friendly trash talk, with each host defending their picks throughout.

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Key Draft Moments & Picks

[00:16] – Coin Flip & Draft Order

• Tim Howard wins coin toss and chooses to draft first.
  • "Yeah, I want to go first. The first overall pick... I am taking the man from New Jersey, Minister of Defense, Timothy Michael Howard." — TH [01:15]
  • Landon exclaims: "You kind of screwed up there, you kind of screwed up." — LD [01:34]

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[01:41] – Early Rounds: Foundation Players

• Landon drafts Landon Donovan (himself) and Clint Dempsey.

  • "Thank you for leaving me two of the greatest U.S. soccer players in history. Two of the four that are on Mount Rushmore, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey." — LD [01:43]

• Tim follows with Michael Bradley and Christian Pulisic.

  • "Michael Bradley and Christian Pulisic. Oh. What a squad." — TH [02:23]

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[02:37] – Building the Midfields

• Landon: Jermaine Jones and Claudio Reyna.
  • "That's a good midfield." — TH [02:44]
• Tim: DeMarcus Beasley and Weston McKennie.

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[03:39] – Defending the Back

• Landon: Carlos Bocanegra and Eddie Pope.
  • "Carlos Bocanegra and Eddie Pope. Let's go." — LD [03:43]
• Tim: Chris Richards and Steve Cherundolo (Steve Trundolo).
  • "Chris Richards... and Steve Trendolo. What a squad." — TH [03:59/04:03]

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[04:19] – Mid to Late Picks: Filling Out the XI

• Landon: Tyler Adams ("to play in the six") and Jozy Altidore [04:29–04:42]

• Tim: Tab Ramos and Kobe Jones

  • "When people are ready, they're not going to remember how good Tab Ramos was... a midfield with Tab and Weston is elite." — TH [05:07–05:22]
  • "Kobe, okay. Absolute legend." — TH [05:56]

• Landon locks in:

  • Fullbacks: Antonee (Anthony) Robinson (left) and Tony Sanneh (right).
  • "I'm going big across the back. Tony Sanneh, right back." — LD [06:09]

• Tim adds:

  • Brian McBride (forward) and Oguchi Onyewu (center back - "Goo").
  • "I'm taking McBride and Gu." — TH [07:12/07:16]

• Goalkeeper debate:

  • Landon concludes with Tony Meola in goal.
  • "Tony Meola in goal for me... I have Tony over Casey." — LD [07:21]

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Completed Teams (with debate)

[07:34–08:43] – Starting XI Lineups & Discussion

Landon Donovan’s XI:

• Goalkeeper: Tony Meola
• Defense:
  • LB: Antonee Robinson
  • CBs: Carlos Bocanegra, Eddie Pope
  • RB: Tony Sanneh
• Midfield:
  • 6: Tyler Adams
  • CM: Claudio Reyna, Jermaine Jones
• Attack:
  • LW: Clint Dempsey
  • CF: Jozy Altidore
  • RW: Landon Donovan

Tim Howard’s XI:

• Goalkeeper: Tim Howard

• Defense:

  • RB: Steve Cherundolo
  • CBs: Chris Richards, Oguchi Onyewu
  • LB: DeMarcus Beasley

• Midfield:

  • Michael Bradley, Tab Ramos, Weston McKennie

• Attack:

  • LW: Christian Pulisic
  • RW: Kobe Jones
  • CF: Brian McBride

• Quotes:

  • "I think your team's better." — TH [08:16]
  • "I win that by a landslide. My front three, definitely." — LD [09:24]
  • "The midfield... that's pretty elite. Slightly better." — TH [09:29]
  • "All I would say is, Tab... you might not get a lot of defensive work going that way." — LD [09:39]
  • "But my Jermaine Jones and Tyler Adams in the same midfield. I don't think you get more energy in world football." — LD [09:53]
  • "I think the fans will speak. The listeners will speak." — LD [10:00]
  • "I have a better team, you have better players, I think is what people are going to come out of this with." — TH [10:16]
  • "Let us know what you think." — LD [10:26]

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Memorable Debates and Banter

• Positional arguments:
  • "You can't have two center backs and four strikers." — TH [00:49]
  • "I have a better back line. You have a couple better players, but I have a better background. Just saying." — LD [08:38]
• Generational bias and forgotten legends:
  • "When people are ready, they're not going to remember how good Tab Ramos was." — TH [05:15]
  • "Tab was one of...the five, like, greatest footballers we ever produced." — LD [05:22]
  • "You forget how good [Kobe Jones] was, by the way." — TH [05:58]
• On selecting themselves:
  • "Yeah, I want to go first. The first overall pick...Timothy Michael Howard." — TH [01:15]

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Notable Quotes

• "Two of the four that are on Mount Rushmore, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey." — LD [01:43]
• "A midfield with Tab and Weston is elite." — TH [05:22]
• "Tony Meola in goal for me... I have Tony over Casey." — LD [07:21]
• "I think people are going to come out of this saying, Tim Howard's team wins all day long. But, like, let the people speak." — LD [10:20]
• "I have a better team, you have better players, I think is what people are going to come out of this with." — TH [10:16]

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Episode Takeaways

• Both hosts display reverence for USMNT legends across eras, with passionate arguments for players' true value.
• Landon constructs a rugged, balanced team with historic stalwarts.
• Tim’s XI emphasizes dynamic midfield play and star power.
• Friendly banter and debates about defense, midfield strength, and generational talent add entertainment and insight.
• Ultimately, they invite listeners to decide whose squad would triumph.

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Key Segments & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|------------------------------------------------| | 00:16–01:15| Draft rules and coin flip | | 01:41–02:30| Round 1 picks: iconic forwards and midfielders | | 02:37–03:06| Filling midfield and defense positions | | 03:39–04:42| Building center backs & fullbacks | | 05:00–06:06| Celebrating forgotten legends (Ramos, Jones) | | 06:09–06:18| Locking in fullback lines | | 07:21–07:28| Goalkeeper choices & rationale | | 07:34–09:57| Full team recaps, formation reveal, debate | | 10:00–10:28| Concluding challenge to listeners |

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Final Thought

This episode wasn't just a draft—it was a love letter to generations of USMNT talent, punctuated by sharp analysis and genuine admiration. As Tim put it: "I have a better team, you have better players." The debate, and the legacy, live on.

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Transcript

[A]

This bonus content is brought to you by Coca Cola and Carnival Cruise Line. LD I'm pumped about this. You and I, we're gonna do something a little bit different. We're gonna draft our all time U.S. men's National Team, starting 11.

[B]

Love this.

[A]

And then you all can tell us who has a stronger squad. Rules are. Well, we're gonna flip a coin in a second to see who goes first. Going first is important. In the name of fairness, we'll go with a snake draft.

[B]

All right, so if you pick first, then I get two in a row, and then you get two in a row, and then I get two in a row. Etc. Okay. For sure. Okay.

[A]

So. Yeah, that's it. Flip a.

[B]

Well, it has to be like a real. Like, we can't have seven strikers and, like, has to be a proper formation. Yeah, you choose the formation. Okay. You ready?

[A]

Kind of. I mean, I'm going. Yeah.

[B]

Okay. What do you mean kind of? You can't have two center backs and four strikers.

[A]

What I'm saying is, if I don't get my pick, if for some reason you take mine.

[B]

No, no, no, no, no.

[A]

Then I'm going to change the NFL

[B]

draft where you go, like, best available player. You have to pick your team. It's a team.

[A]

You miss what I'm saying, but go ahead.

[B]

Whatever. All right, I'm gonna flip a coin. You ready?

[A]

Yep.

[B]

In the air. Heads are.

[A]

I'm calling it. Tails.

[B]

Oh, shoot. It is tails. Heads. On my dad's life, heads.

[A]

Okay. You want to go first?

[B]

Do I want to go first? Yeah, I want to go first. The first overall pick in our draft. I am taking the man from New Jersey, Minister of Defense, Timothy Michael Howard. I don't know your middle name.

[A]

Matthew. That's close.

[B]

Matthew Howard.

[A]

You kind of screwed up there. You kind of screwed up.

[B]

What do you mean I screwed up?

[A]

You kind of screwed up.

[B]

Dude, I'm locked down.

[A]

I get two choices now.

[B]

Yeah, go on.

[A]

Okay. Thank you for taking me. I really appreciate it. Thank you for leaving me two of the greatest U.S. soccer players in history. Two of the four that are on Mount Rushmore, Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey.

[B]

That's a pretty good squad so far.

[A]

Let's go. I won already.

[B]

Okay, well, not if you can't defend, because neither of us defended. I am taking with my second pick. My second and third picks will be as F4. This is so good. We're assuming all of these guys are in their prime, by the way.

[A]

Yeah, of course.

[B]

Michael Bradley and Christian Pulisic. Oh. What A squad.

[A]

Let's go. Let's go.

[B]

On your turn. Oh, Defense is shaky already.

[A]

Okay, I'm taking Jermaine Jones and Claudia Reyna.

[B]

That's a good midfield.

[A]

That's a. My team is unbelievable, by the way.

[B]

Okay. I am taking the man who's played in more World Cups than any of us, DeMarcus Beasley.

[A]

Darn it.

[B]

And I'm taking. This is so good. Weston McKen. All right.

[A]

He's off my board. He's off my board.

[B]

Are they writing this down? I got to remember. Okay, you're not writing it down. You have Claudio. Oh, Oh, I should write yours and mine. Okay, go ahead. You have Claudio.

[A]

Do I get one or two now? I get one.

[B]

Ian Clint. And who do you have after that?

[A]

I got Jermaine.

[B]

No, you get two every time. And Jermaine. Okay.

[A]

Is that right? We get two every time. Is that what we've been doing?

[B]

Yeah. So I got you. Oh, my God. Christian and Weston, here we go.

[A]

You ready?

[B]

And Michael Bradley. What a squad.

[A]

I'm going to crush you now. Okay, my next two or Carlos Boccanegra and Eddie Pope.

[B]

Bang.

[A]

Let's go. Oh, let's go.

[B]

To be fair.

[A]

Yeah. You're going to struggle to beat me here.

[B]

Okay. My next two are Chris Richards.

[A]

Okay, Good shout.

[B]

And Steve Trendolo. What a squad.

[A]

All right, Turn those off my board.

[B]

All right, this is where you're going to struggle.

[A]

I just. No, I just made. I just made a massive, massive error. No, a change.

[B]

Yeah, no, I know. Okay, here on the clock.

[A]

All right, he's going here. Jermaine's going there. Just change him there. I'm taking Tyler Adams.

[B]

Nice choice.

[A]

To play in the six. And then what? I got one more on your left back and your right. Oh, and I'm going to take Joe's mirror Altador.

[B]

Wow. You have three. Okay, well, you're going to get us all on the field.

[A]

Okay, I got it. I got it.

[B]

You do?

[A]

Yeah, yeah, I got it.

[B]

Okay. I'm taking. Here's the thing. Like, when people are. When people are raiding.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Who's better?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Did you take Tyler? Yeah. And who else?

[A]

Josie.

[B]

Josie. When people are ready, they're not going to remember how good Tab Ramos was.

[A]

He was one. That was the one I was going to.

[B]

I mean, like a midfield with Tab and Weston is elite.

[A]

Tab was one of. Tab is one of the five.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Like, greatest footballers we ever produced.

[B]

That's when I said, like, not even close.

[A]

It's when.

[B]

It's okay.

[A]

Something taking 10 Christian tab. Who's the other one? That's what we said. Like Geo. Like Geo. Like. Like generationally, he has something different. Yep. But, yeah, there's not. Yeah, not a lot of. We haven't produced a lot of those players.

[B]

Okay. This is a tricky one. And since you've taken. I'm not going to take him. I am now going to take Kobe Jones.

[A]

Kobe, okay.

[B]

Absolute legend.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

You forget how good he was, by the way.

[A]

Oh, he was very good.

[B]

I don't think he was unplayable.

[A]

I'm struggling here.

[B]

Yeah, I know you are your team.

[A]

No, my fullbacks. I'm struggling my fullbacks.

[B]

Okay, go ahead.

[A]

Okay. Anthony Robinson, left fullback. Tony Santa. I'm going big across the back. Tony Santa, right back.

[B]

That's pretty good.

[A]

It's good. It's good. I like my team.

[B]

Wait, do I only have. Let me see how many I have left now. Okay, I have tab.

[A]

I've got a. I've got a team here, by the way. Got a team.

[B]

Oh, yeah, Bees. I have. Oh, I have Michael Bradley. Oh, what a midfielder. You kidding me with this? You know, midfield is what wins games,

[A]

so my beats yours a thousand times.

[B]

No, no, it doesn't. Okay, what do you have in the midfield? I have Wes, Michael Bradley, and Tab Ramos.

[A]

I beat yours every time.

[B]

No chance, dude.

[A]

I've got. I've got Tyler Adams at the base. No respect.

[B]

All due respect, it's not even close, actually.

[A]

It's not even close. My. My midfield.

[B]

Okay, I need a center back. Did I take McBride? No, I waited. I waited. I took Mc. I'm taking McBride.

[A]

Y.

[B]

And I'm taking Gu okay, so you got.

[A]

You got Chris Richards and Gu in the middle.

[B]

I got what?

[A]

That. I got one pick left. Tony Meol in goal for me.

[B]

Oh, really? I have Tony over Casey.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Interesting Jersey thing.

[A]

No, I don't know. It's like this team. I like my team.

[B]

All right, go on, name your team, and then I'll name mine, and then you guys can all decide who's better.

[A]

Are we put. Are we putting this. We'll be. We'll. I'm just guessing.

[B]

Put a graphic out.

[A]

A graphic out.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

In. In goal, Antonio left fullback Anthony Robinson, Boca Negra. Pope Sana across the back.

[B]

Wait, say that again. I want to write it.

[A]

Robinson, Boca.

[B]

Yeah. Pope, Jedi. I knew that's pretty good backline, to be fair.

[A]

Tony Sana right back.

[B]

That's good. That's a good backline.

[A]

Tyler Adams as a six ahead of. Ahead of him. Claudio And Jermaine Jones.

[B]

That's pretty good.

[A]

And then my front three, left to right. Clint, Josie, Landon.

[B]

I think, I think your team's better.

[A]

Let's go.

[B]

But you would struggle defensively against this team.

[A]

We're not, we're sitting in. We're not going very far, by the way.

[B]

Okay, here's my team.

[A]

Go on the goat.

[B]

You, Steve Trundalo.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Chris Richards and Gooch. Yeah. B's at left back.

[A]

I have a better back line. You have a couple better players, but I have a better background. Just saying.

[B]

No, I don't agree with that. Okay. I don't agree with that. Okay. Michael Bradley and Tab.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

I mean, that's, that's pretty elite. No, I'm going to play Christian off the left.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

And so it's going to be Wes, Michael Bradley and Tab centrally, Christian off the left, CJ off the right, and McBride up top.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

So you're playing the 451-433ish. Yeah.

[A]

All right. I have a feeling I crushed that. By the way, who's your front line?

[B]

I think I like your team better.

[A]

Who's your front line?

[B]

Oh, my God. Christian McBride.

[A]

Kobe.

[B]

Kobe.

[A]

Yeah. I, I, I win. I win that by a landslide. That my front three, definitely. Right.

[B]

Yeah. The midfield. I like my midfield better. All right. Michael Bradley, Wesson, Tab is, I mean, yours is good too, but this is elite. Slightly better.

[A]

All I would say is, Tab, my man, Tab, who I play with, you might not get a lot of defensive work going that way.

[B]

Yeah, but you have Michael and Wes. I'm fine.

[A]

Yeah. But my Jermaine Jones and Tyler Adamson in the same midfield. I don't think you get more energy in world football.

[B]

Yeah, that's probably true. I still like mine better. More quality.

[A]

I think the fans will speak. The listeners will speak. I believe.

[B]

By the way, don't forget, I love Tony Miola, but you are levels, levels ahead of him. And so, like, so it's gonna be hard to score on us. Right. I have a better team, you have better players, I think is what people are going to come out of this with.

[A]

I think people are going to come out of this saying, Tim Howard's team wins all day long. But, like, let the people speak.

[B]

Whatever. We'll let them speak.

[A]

Let us know what you think.

[B]

All right. Hot takes, cold coke, open seas. Your Carnival cruise is waiting. Visit carnival.com unfiltered and enter for your chance to win a Carnival cruise and my team wins. SA.