← Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. Welcome in to the unfiltered soccer live stream. We are your host, I am Tim Howard and he is Landon Donovan. Boy, what a good win. LD 21 against Australia.
- [00:32]
B
Yeah. Good win. By the way, why didn't you tell me I'm having a bad hair day? No, dude, I've had three things in the. In the last week that I've never had. Bad hair day. Well, not in 25 years. Bed, head and hat hair.
- [00:47]
A
It's all. This is all surrounding your hair.
- [00:49]
B
Yeah. All in 25 years. I haven't had that.
- [00:52]
A
How does it feel?
- [00:52]
B
Good?
- [00:53]
A
Amazing.
- [00:53]
B
Looks terrible, right?
- [00:54]
A
Looks great. All right. Yeah.
- [00:57]
B
Really good win. And seeing it in person live in Austin Friday and then watching it on. On TV last night, I would say Australia weren't as good a team overall as Ecuador.
- [01:11]
A
Yeah.
- [01:12]
B
And very different, which was good. A very, very different opponent for the US which that's what you're going to get in a World Cup. You play someone like Ecuador, four days later, you play Australian. So they. There were some really, really good things. There were a few bad things that were not anyone's fault necessarily, that, that we'll get into. But I think overall a really good win. And. And as a whole, this week, I thought was a huge, huge step forward. Huge step forward. Yeah.
- [01:41]
A
Yeah. I mean, I think the result. I'll never go back on my. On my word, results are. Are the most important. But as you. As you get the results, then you start to dissect everything else around the team and that sort of feels good coming out of this camp. Right. That's exactly. Which. Which also I was. I was. I'm not going to say cautiously optimistic. I was. I was just cautious about, you know, coming out of September. It was. No, no, October will be my team. It will be my squad. It will. Things will things. Things will look and feel different. And why would. I mean, Pachettino's a brilliant manager, but I'm saying, surrounding U.S. soccer, why would I put all my eggs in that basket? I really wanted to see, and I think I saw. I think I saw. And that's a huge, huge step in the right direction.
- [02:31]
B
Yeah. You can say now, Tim, you know, these FIFA rankings are all BS whatever, but we look now like a top 1520 team in the world. And a top 1520 team in the world can beat anybody. That is. That is the reality. And so. All right, we're going to dive in deeper. As always, guys. Follow us on social media at Unfiltered Soccer. Subscribe to the show either YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, anywhere you get your pods. And then you can email Jordan, as always, feedback at Unfiltered soccer. Okay, so let's. We'll go in, like, chronologically a little bit here. So the game's going pretty well. I thought we started the game pretty well. And then all of a sudden there's this weird play in the box and it falls to Jordan Boss, who bounces through three or four of our guys and then ends up in the back of the net. And can you help us describe from a goalkeeper's perspective? You're sitting there, the game's comfortable. All of a sudden the ball bounces around, it's in your net. I think I know what your reaction would have been, but just talk to, you know how you're feeling in that.
- [03:32]
A
Well, I think, I think the, you know, for me, after the game, it's one of those goals where it's like, it's super correctable. So, like, for me, after the game, whether you're the coach or the back line or goalkeeper, you can have a discussion about, like, guys, that's. That's easy. Like, like, we can defend that we can do better.
- [03:53]
B
Be.
- [03:53]
A
Be more switched on, you know, and because the ball bounces around, they don't really. They. Boss, who Boss, what Think is a really good player. He didn't have a good handle on it. He just happens to be taking the risk because he's in the box. Right. So, yeah, the ball's just kind of bouncing around. I don't know. Was it. Was it Roldan who ends up getting the. I can't remember who had like a lasted sort of effort. Chris Richards, kind of who's the leader back there? He actually thinks that the ball, that the midfielder is going to clear it, and he doesn't clear. So just someone needed to take more charge. Probably get an arm across Boss's chest and, you know, you don't necessarily have to win the ball in those moments. You can just get a body on him and. And usually you'll nudge them off. So it's. It's correctable because they didn't really earn that. When it comes from a throw in, like a bit of a hodgepodge goal in the box, it's frustrating because it's not you. You. You don't legislate for those. You're like, we can handle those. If they break us down, that's different.
- [04:48]
B
So, yeah, yeah. And those are. Those are killers. Like in World Cups, those are killers. Goals like that kill you because it's so Hard to score and so hard to get results. So, you know, Chris Richards has been arguably the best player for the US over the last however few months. Had two moments, one against Ecuador on the goal and then one here where he knows he can be better. And of course, they're good learning experiences. Much better in friendlies than in the real games. And I'm sure he'll. He'll get that cleaned up. So then we move on. And it got a little interesting with Christian Pulisic, and this has happened a lot to him. I've seen this a lot in games. Teams go after him like. Like concerted effort to go after him. I don't know if that's what the scouting report is. I don't know if. Yeah, obviously, because he's the best player. You're going to have this. Look, the first tackle was pretty bad. The first tackle was pretty bad on him. And we don't know exactly. We think it was. It's been an ankle or foot issue he's had. We don't know exactly what the issue is, but he clearly was bothered by that. And then when he. Then when he spun the guy in the midfield and took off, I didn't realize at the time, and I didn't know this till after that it was his hamstring. I thought it was his ankle again or whatever. And so he ended up. He tried to play, but then he goes off. And that was frustrating because we all wanted to see him again. I met so many people this weekend in Austin, and the overwhelming comment is, we want to see Christian with the national team. We haven't seen him in so long.
- [06:13]
A
We want him to.
- [06:13]
B
And so it was frustrating for everybody because people were so excited to see him.
- [06:18]
A
So. Yeah. So did you think the first tackle was that bad? Because I got the ball.
- [06:22]
B
It wasn't. It wasn't like a. Yeah, the follow through is bad, but I don't mean bad and like it's nasty or whatever. It. It. It can. It. That kind of tackle can lead to an injury. Right?
- [06:33]
A
But that. But. But we do see that, like if you, if you watch a football match, the ball's there to be won, correct. Then and then the guys. The guy's gonna get go win it. And look what I would say.
- [06:42]
B
Wait, let me just. Before you go, I. I'm glad that stuff is happening in, in these games, right? Because it makes the game real. That is gonna happen. That in a World cup. That's gonna happen, dude. And that's why qualifying so valuable. Right? Like you realize that stuff, you deal with it. Of course, we'll get to. Chris Richards had some comments after the game. And you have to. Then you have to regulate your emotion because you want to kill the guy. Right? Like, if you're a teammate, you want to go destroy that guy. Right. And so it is part of it. And, and it sucks that Christian gets hurt from it. It does. But that, you know, that makes it a real game, which is good.
- [07:14]
A
Okay, here's, here's. Here's what I would say. The. The part about. I like that Matt Freeze and Chris Richards were basically like, yeah, like, you kick our guy, you're gonna have a problem. That's what you want. That's what you want. And I think to a large extent, there was. And I felt this way. I. I felt this way on the different teams I played on, but for us, it was the same. My expectation was, was that you, Landon, were going to get kicked. Also. My expectation was you weren't going to get up and every now and again get up in someone's face, but you weren't going to be the regulator of that. That fell on my shoulders. And some of the other senior players, whether that was in the tunnel or in a coming together, we were going to make sure we looked after you. Right. And so what I would say is, every team's best player gets targeted and kicked. I always use this example. Messi's the greatest player in the world. You ever watch a Barcelona game in their heyday, you know what teams tried to do? They tried to kick the lumps out of him. So you know what his teammates did? Mainly busquets, Mascherano. They were his henchmen. And so every. So the US Needs to go into these games. And Jermaine Jones was that for us. Jermaine Jones would go into a game and he would basically, he sometimes would say it, but Jermaine was such a. He was so Jekyll and Hyde. He was so crazy and tough and strong. And also he was a jokester. So sometimes he'd say things like, timmy, watch this tomorrow. And you're like, nah, he's joking. And then he goes in the game and he's like, he lays one on somebody because he knows that they were going to go after you or go after Clint. And so. And this team needs to recognize. Now, you talked about qualifying, which is where you really learn about teams, but this team now needs to recognize their best player by a million miles. And anyone who can argue that do one is Christian Pulisic. They need to know if team can kick him out of the game, they get a leg up. So the us is. I like what Chris Richards said after the game. This needs to now happen. This needs to now happen before the game, during the game. Because by the way, I hope from now on, because, by the way, Christian Pulisic will get kicked. So I hope next game. And I'm looking at Chris Richards the next game that we play, and there's a tackle. It doesn't even have to be a bad tackle. Ld I want Chris Richards straight in there, right? You see this? You see this in the Premier League every week. I want him straight in there to whoever did it and go, be careful. Create a scrum. Create something around it that says you only get one of those, right? And so I think I like where the. I like the mentality. I do. I like the mentality, but it's not going to stop. And so they need to continue to grow in that. And it looks and feels good.
- [09:52]
B
I also. I hope, too, and I learned this over time, and I hope Christian gets there, too. One is, the faster you can get up, the better message it sends to the guy who smashed you. You get up and you go, yeah, good one, mate. Like, good try. You know, you didn't. You tried. And I'm good. And sometimes you can't. Sometimes you're injured and you can't totally, but the faster you can get up, the better. And two, when you start giving it back. Yeah. It stops fast. And let me. Let me tell you a story. So we used to play Salt Lake all the time.
- [10:26]
A
Yeah.
- [10:27]
B
And there was a center back named Nat Borchers. Nat, wherever you are, I love you, but I hated playing against you. So whenever we had the ball on, one of our defenders had the ball and I started making a run, he would literally just check me, like through the chest, just smash me. There was no Var at the time. He knew he was going to get away with it. The ref was looking the other way. And he did it, Tim. He must have done it 12 times over. Two games, three games. And I finally, like. I was like, all right. So I told the ref, I said, you know, he's doing this every time. And he's like, well, I can't see it, Landon. What do you want me to. I said, okay, this is what I want you to do. I'm going to smash him next time he gets the ball and you're not giving me a yellow card, right? And he's like, come on, land. I said, that's what's going to happen. So I'll never forget Insult Lake takes a ball down the left side. He takes a touch wide, and he's going to hit a long ball. And I just ran, bang, straight, straight through him. Leg, hip, shoulder, through him. And I hit him hard. Like, I could hear it just thump. And he fell and he got up and his look in the eye was like, Like a wounded deer.
- [11:28]
A
Yeah.
- [11:28]
B
I was like, don't ever can do that again. And that was it. It was done.
- [11:32]
A
Yeah.
- [11:32]
B
Yeah, it was done. And I'm not like, he's, he could have beat the crap out of me.
- [11:35]
A
Yeah.
- [11:36]
B
You know, he's twice my size. But, like, I was like, I'm not taking this anymore. And he stopped. He never did it again.
- [11:40]
A
Yeah, that's fair. And look, I, I, I, I tend to agree with you. Not every player, look, you had a little bit of that in you. Not, not a lot. Christian doesn't have a lot of that. And some players don't. They're just not the, that. They don't want to be rough and tumble. It's not how they're, they're designed. So he needs to do a little bit of that. But also his teammates need to do it as well. But they are. They're doing it, which is good.
- [12:00]
B
So, speaking of the injury, and then we're going to. We'll go through chronologically the rest of the game, but I do want to touch on this. So Pochettino had an interesting comment in the Athletic, and I had to kind of dig into this because he, he was talking about the weather differential from Austin to Denver, and I'll quote him, he said it's not a criticism, but when you have days in training in Austin where it's 85 to 95 degrees, then you come to Denver with the altitude and it's really, really cold. It's a massive risk. He also noted that Malik Tillman did not dress for the game after feeling something in his hamstring that likened to a cramp. I don't want to say this is why Christian or Malik felt something, but it's tough on the players. We're really sad about the situation because it's difficult. It's something we need to fix in the future. And I would actually like to like, sit down and understand a little better that we're used. This is. In America. You're used to this.
- [12:51]
A
Yeah.
- [12:52]
B
One week you're in Colorado and it's 40 degrees, and next week you're in Houston, and, like, that's just part of it. And it's, it's a challenge for sure. But I, I, look, I'm not a medical expert. I can't imagine that's why someone was injured.
- [13:06]
A
No, well, I don't, I don't. Look, also, when someone leads with. This is not a criticism.
- [13:13]
B
It's a criticism.
- [13:14]
A
It's a criticism. But no, I, I don't physiologically have, have things that have. Remember it being an issue mainly because I played in a, a European climate that was terrible and you played in a, you played in a, a sunnier, warmer climate, which was amazing. But like, if the national team had had games on each coast and one was a cold weather game, I was like, yeah, kind of used to this and the one that was warm, I was like going to enjoy this for a minute. So I don't know if. And yes, I was a goalkeeper, so I didn't have like a million miles on my legs. But, yeah, I didn't necessarily feel it. But if there's something in that. And yeah, as you said, we have.
- [13:54]
B
To probably dig deeper just so people understand, too. I know we talk about this a lot, but scheduling these friendlies is, is one of the hardest things a human can do. I can't, I can't overstate that enough. So first of all, just getting the opponent right is such a challenge because some teams are qualified, some are not. There are games coming in March that U.S. soccer has told me there will be some big, big opponents.
- [14:20]
A
Yeah.
- [14:20]
B
Assuming they qualify. Right. And that was, you know, a week ago or so. So some of them have qualified, et cetera, but you don't even know. So until they qualify, they're still part of their qualifying process. Then you have this dynamic of like, where do you want the players to fly to? Do you stay close to the East Coast? Do you, you know all that? And then when you get on that, then you get, I'm sure they narrow it down to, okay, here are the stadiums in America.
- [14:43]
A
What venues that are available, actually available.
- [14:46]
B
Right. You're like, okay, there's all these soccer stadiums. Should be easy. Well, maybe Austin had a concert that night. Right. Maybe Denver had a graduation or something, you know, at Dick's Sporting Goods. I don't know if is.
- [14:57]
A
We'll fix this when we have, when we have a national stadium, we'll fix it.
- [15:00]
B
That will fix it. Yes, but you can't, I mean to say, like, we need to fix it. Like, yeah, it would be ideal, but there are just so many challenges that go. And, and I know Pochettino understands that. I'm sure it was just frustration in the moment. Okay, so let's move on. So then it gets good and it gets really good. Luna comes on. There's like a good energy about him as always. He's moving and. And Christian Ron turns into the midfield. He gets a ball from Weston and plays a fantastic little ball, slides it along the center back. And when I was watching this live when Haji didn't take a touch to his left and then I thought the chance was gone and I was like, oh, it's gone. And then he did. I put in our chat. Like guys who are at the in top, top form score goals like that. Like no matter what, it's in the box, bang. I'm going to find a way. It's like this little like almost back spinny toe Pokemon. Yeah. And he just buries it past the goalkeeper. Fantastic goal. Really?
- [15:56]
A
I think it was really good goal. I think both which we'll touch on were good. I think the second one was better. But what I also liked was when I saw the play live and then I saw the replay from the high angle behind our goal. I saw Chris Richards step in really aggressively, right? And that's the ball. Yeah, that's the ball that pops into Weston. He doesn't think plays forward. Christian obviously gets on the turn. The thing about the hange, right Chance, I'm the same as you because, you know, the goalkeeper in me was like kind of feeling like, where's the angle? What, what's happened here? So he, what I liked about that is he, what. Not only was he not caught in two minds, he had a. He had a couple things in his locker there, right? He, when he gets sprung there, he wants to hit that left foot across the goalkeeper, right? As he's shaping his body, the defender then gets basically level with him. So he, he knows one he can't. He won't even be able to get good contact on it right with his left foot. So immediately like in, in an instant he just goes, I'm going to poke it right. So. So he's the chance that it was kind of stuck between his feet. The defender ends up getting on his shoulder and. And I think he literally. You can see him going like an NFL quarterback going through his reads. This is a process. I'm in. His head's down, it's a left footed shot. Bang. As soon as he feels the pressure, right foot, toe poke. It was. It was a really good goal.
- [17:12]
B
And as a goalkeeper, you're not. You can't set for that, right. Like you're all, you're. Tell me if I'm wrong. But it's like you want to get your timing so you can get set and then explode and save it. And he's just not set because he's not expecting it.
- [17:24]
A
Oddly enough, even though there's, if he hits it with, with his left foot.
- [17:28]
B
Across the goal, right.
- [17:29]
A
Even though there's more goal for him to see, it's an easier save to make.
- [17:32]
B
That's right.
- [17:33]
A
Once he pokes it, you don't, you don't. He doesn't shape. You don't know if that's going over your shoulder, if it's going right or left. Yeah, it's, it's a really good goal.
- [17:40]
B
It's a great goal. Okay, so then just after halftime, another like, just a great heads up play. This is why Chris, this is why the Sounders win. Like this guy, he just wins, man. So he, there's a free kick. He and Haji are on the same page. Plays it behind the Australian center back. My kids were watching and when, when Haji cut in and the defender slipped, they're like, oh, ankles, ankles. Put them on skates and then buried it with his left foot. When he cut in, he still had a lot to do and just buried it, curled it inside the far post. And another fantastic goal for a guy who's in top, top form.
- [18:19]
A
Yeah. The reason you and I talk about the hot, like the high level stuff that I'm interested in was encompassed in this goal, right? Because again, go, go back, rewind it. From when the ball hits the back of the net, I believe it's free. So Freeman gets put in a difficult position. He's coming back towards his own goal. Roldan's actually, for whatever reason is too close to him, so he can't actually bounce it. There's a man marking Roldan and there's a man tight, tight to Freeman, right?
- [18:50]
B
Yeah.
- [18:51]
A
So now the only successful option he has is to dump himself, draw a foul. Draw a foul. That's the only successful option. And he does that. So like, check. Brilliant. Next thing, Roldan has got to basically get that ball down and get his head up and think, I'm going to make this pass check. The biggest part of this is whether Haji Wright is, is, is, is up for it. If he actually is reading that, is he keeping himself on side? Is he running the line?
- [19:20]
B
Is he tuned in? Yeah.
- [19:21]
A
Is he tuned in? And he does. Yeah, and he does. And so now I'm like, that's literally the perfect goal. We go From a bad situation on the touchdown in our own half. We're not getting out of this. Freeman gets dumped. Roldan gets his head up. How'd you. Wright makes the run, but then he still has a lot to do. And I just think, for me, that goal I'm looking at, like, is it of the spectacular variety? No, it's a good finish, but I'm still thinking, like, that had the makings of a lot of guys being tuned into the situation to what's being asked. It was really good.
- [19:54]
B
It was a great goal. So in the end, you know, we end up seeing the game out, win the game. It was. It was good at the end. It was professional. It was. It was just a great result. Last, like, two minutes of the game. They showed Pochettino and. And we were about to, like, play out of the back, and he's like, no, no, no, no, no. Everybody up the field and like, we just saw it out professionally. It was a. It was a really good win.
- [20:19]
A
That was good.
- [20:20]
B
Just back on the physical part. So the. Jason Garia for they. They asked him after the game about the physicality and the tackle. He said, we're a physical team. We're up for the fight regardless of the opponent. I wasn't trying to go after him specifically, but we're up for the fight. And then I love this from Chris Richards because I believe it. I think some guys say this, and it's all sort of huffy, puffy, but he's like, they're lucky. It was a friendly. I was ready to go, and if the ref didn't give me a yell on the corner, I probably would have killed someone. So I'm glad, like, you could see it in his face in the game, and then he said it afterward. And so, like, he's. He knows what it's about and that's good.
- [20:56]
A
Totally. Yeah.
- [20:57]
B
So this was a. A different game too, where we had to break down an opponent. They came after us for, like, three minutes in the beginning, and then all.
- [21:06]
A
Of a sudden they just dropped off.
- [21:07]
B
They did this to Canada and were successful, and it was frustrating. What I love about this, Tim, is this is absolutely what can happen in the World Cup. You can get such a different opponents four days apart or five days apart. Like, totally different. Echoed our physical, athletic, strong coming after you. Australia, not as physical, not as athletic, not as strong. Sitting in more sort of tactical now and nuance. And it was. It was the first time I can remember this team. We didn't, like, really crazy break them down, but Certainly on the first goal, there was enough there to break them down and it was, it was better. It was much better. And that's hard to do to break teams down like that.
- [21:47]
A
Yeah, well, you know, I'm going to give you a hot take, but one that I absolutely believe in. So this is for all the fans who asked the question, like, why does the US Struggle breaking down a team that plays in a deep lying two banks of four. Here's the thing we're so conditioned to when we think about teams parking the bus, ld who, who do teams park the bus against? Barcelona, City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Man City, right? That's who team the best teams in the world. Brazil, France, Germany. That's who teams park the bus against. So when we watch these games, you've got the best players in the world. Like probing, probing, probing. Having 90% of possession in the final third, it's hard for them to break these teams down. But ultimately they do. They find a way, right? There's a breakthrough, there's just too much pressure. They get one, they get two. But ultimately, this is a tough. It's a tough skill. It's a tough skill because those, because those teams ld. The way those teams that I just mentioned create overloads, it actually starts from the back. Everyone's camped in your end. Mexico did this to us in a Gold cup final. You and I talked about this, right? So now your center backs are actually having some of the most dominant possession and those are some of the better footballers on your team. I mean, how crazy is that to say, right? So the best, the best teams in the world, the center back can step in, find a pass, link the game together, kind of knit it and stitch it together. Like what other teams can do that? Like, let's not blame the U.S. for saying, well, they can't break teams down. Very few teams in the world can break a team down. It's like just bunkered in. Ultimately. Good.
- [23:22]
B
No? Well, also, like, think about the cities and teams like that, they buy the players who can do that, right? They know they're all stones. Like, they. That's the type of player they're buying. Most of our guys, like Chris Richards, phenomenal player, defender. But palace doesn't do that to teams. No, they're not doing that every week. Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson, they're not doing that every week, right? So, yeah, so they're. We've improved and the whole world has improved at it. But, but really only the top, top, top, best players can do that. You're right. Agree with that, let's talk about Matt Freeze. So again, started both games. I think that's, well, he had all the Gold Cup, 11 caps. 11 caps. And he had the last two friendlies in both windows. So that's at least nine, 10, 11 games in a row.
- [24:10]
A
Yeah.
- [24:11]
B
So I think we have a question from Jordan. Has Freeze won the position for you? Tim? This is from Sam H. I feel like he's yet to make that save. That is game changing. He just makes the saves he's supposed to make. That's great.
- [24:26]
A
Yep.
- [24:27]
B
That's a great question for you.
- [24:28]
A
Yeah, good question. So Matt Freeze for me right now and again this goes against a lot of things I've said and now I'm just picking at this isn't now my opinion. This is just what I'm seeing. He's the number one by a mile. You know, I, I, I went into this saying like, he's played, he's played 11 games. I thought if he got these two games in this window, then I, then, then for me, I was going to say, okay, that, that, that shows me he's the number one. I would then think again, going back to my theory of like the one, the one thing that worries me about Matt Freeze, just not him, but that time isn't on his side in terms of like getting the, the required amount of games to give him experience for the World Cup. So that tells me there's seven games remaining before the US Start the group stage with all the friendlies in the windows. So I'm thinking like he has to get 10 of those, well, not 10, sorry, six or all seven of those games to get him to, you know, 18, 18 caps.
- [25:29]
B
It's just, yeah, you know, it's not.
- [25:31]
A
A lot for a goalkeeper, but still it's the most that he can get.
- [25:34]
B
No, no, I'm just saying.
- [25:35]
A
But yeah, I know you're saying it's not a lot. And, and, and to, and to Sam, Sam's point in the question, like, it's not his fault that he hasn't like.
- [25:44]
B
No.
- [25:45]
A
Made a ton of saves. The games dictate how many saves you make, but you do. The US Is so, is so accustomed to knowing each goalkeeper that played in the World cup had not just one shine moment, had these moments where the team was up against it. And I'm thinking of Casey Keller in Brazil. What was that, 92? I can't remember. It was a Copa America. He won us the game. Right. So, so that wasn't in a World Cup. But then you start to Think about like, okay, boom, that's boxed off. If we get in the game in the World cup and we need a performance, we know a guy can give it to us in the goal. And again, that's not Matt Fries's fault. He just hasn't had the amount of games where you just think, has he had a game where he just stood on his head? I'm not talking about penalty kicks that he's done billion at that. But like he's just stood on his head and he'd go, okay, we feel confident that if we get overmatched in any one particular game, he can do it. That doesn't mean he has to be Superman. I'm not saying that, but I do agree he hasn't quite yet. He's done what's been asked. So that's boom. Check that box.
- [26:46]
B
So this is ideally. And we're spoiled in this country. We went from Meola to Keller, slash Friedel to you, right? And you guys had all of it. So when they say, is he just making the saves he has to make, I, I personally, when I'm on the field, I will 100 times out of 100 take the guy who makes the saves he should make and not make the spectacular versus the opposite. A guy who lets in a goal here or there that you're like, oh, that should not. But makes a spectacular save too. I would much rather the sure thing. Much y. Now we're spoiled because you had all of that, right? You made every save you should and you made spectacular. And so I don't know if Matt Freeze has that. I haven't watched enough of nycfc. He hasn't had to with the national team. I can't think of one where you're like, wow, what a save yet. Yeah, but he's made some good saves, solid save. And then he's been solid. Except, you know, the one, the one misplaced kicked that end up ended up in the back of the net in the Gold Cup. But other than that, he's been good. So, yeah, can I, can I also.
- [27:51]
A
Say this, and I'm thinking specifically from a goalkeeper standpoint, you and I have constantly talking about Europe versus MLS and all the rest of it. I would say from a goalkeeping standpoint, you do get that when you play in Europe, you do get like over the course of however many seasons, three, four, five seasons, you get the opportunity to be in games on a regular basis where you're having to come up like point blank save, keep your team in the game. You know what I Mean, so it's not these one offs, like, oh, this is a really, really great opponent and a really good opportunity. They're not one offs. They're every, like every six, seven days. And so that again, from a goalkeeping standpoint, that's what you do get oftentimes from playing in Europe.
- [28:33]
B
Yeah, that's a good point. Well, not going to happen with him. So it, you know, just, hopefully these games give him enough of that so he's confident.
- [28:40]
A
Yeah.
- [28:40]
B
Going into the World Cup. Okay, so as we come out of the window, I guess, what are we most encouraged by? You can go first.
- [28:51]
A
I'm most encouraged by. Now we'll get to like, projected lineups I'm most encouraged by, which I always was hypothetically was just like seeing a collection of our guys. Now, by the way, not all of our guys are in, but like seeing a collection of our best version of ourselves are almost getting there because again, I've been on record of saying this. That excites me. That makes me think we'll give as good as we're going to get in the World Cup. Right. With our best players on the field. And I feel like we're getting closer to that. So again, the attitude, the chippiness, the comments coming out after the game about the togetherness, the results. Yeah, I feel good about it. Now. We need to keep our team fit, you know, playing at a high level. Keep the, the intensity and the energy in camp has to be high. You know, I think, you know, I think I've said to you off camera, my worry is ld, I'm not sure that if I had a bag full of money that I would bet between now and those next seven games remaining that we're going to see what everyone would feel is like, the consensus is like our best lineup, you know what I mean? With, with our best six subs fit and ready to come off the bench in the second half. Like, I, I don't know if we're going to see a game that we have, where we have that. And when I look across the board, and again, we continue to say this when I look across the board at previous iterations and generations of US Men's national team, we always kind of knew what the best team was, barring, you know, two or three players. And I don't know, even in my brain I'm like, I know who those players are. I'm not sure I've seen them consistently enough play together.
- [30:49]
B
Yeah. So my, you know, what am I encouraged by and what am I sort of worried about still concerned by. It's kind of the same thing. I'm most encouraged by more clarity. We've had more clarity now. And this was. I don't know how big the roster was.22,23,24. But I looked down the roster. For the most part, I'm like, oh, okay, that's like a real team. And if you took the bottom three or four guys from this roster and replaced them with Pepe, Dest Whoever, Tyler Adams, who was out, Jedi, who, you know, we can get to now, you're like, okay, not only are we a good solid 11, we have guys coming in off the bat. Like the other night against Ecuador, Christian came into the game, Diego Luna comes into the game, who you know can still be impactful. Freeman comes into the game, right? And you're missing Dest, Pepe and all. So now you go, okay, now we can actually have some good players off the bench too.
- [31:39]
A
100%.
- [31:39]
B
Right? So, but. But at the same time, still not enough clarity. And, and because of the injury stuff, right? And that is. That is still it. It's happened so much. And so it's. It's. It's to a point now where you just have to make peace with that. I think if you're a fan, you have to assume that two or three or four guys are not going to be available every time we play.
- [32:05]
A
But that's my point. That's my point. And then we. And we said on the last episode, they will. They. They know how to get themselves fit because come the roster selection, they'll be fit, right?
- [32:16]
B
But, Tim, there are going to be times where someone naturally gets hurt, right? Yeah, of course. And this just for whatever reason, I'm not. This is not promises, not a criticism. It just is what it is. This group has not shown that they can consistently stay healthy. They just. They just can't. And look, it happens all over the world. I get it. But to have this many consistently is. It's frustrating.
- [32:36]
A
It's frustrating. I would also say without 46 years old, I'm not trying to sound like the old man in the room, but the fact of the matter is this is a cultural thing. I mean, think about this. When people start to compare LeBron James and Michael Jordan, right? Forget the talent. Some people are beginning to have been arguing for the last couple of years, like, Jordan's playing, like 82 games a year, and LeBron has low management. That's not a knock on LeBron. But my point is. My point is the NBA actually had to implement a rule that they had to stop load management and they did that by. Again, you can always implement rules in terms of a minimum amount of games played to become mvp. Right. And I, and I tend to like that because, you know, and this was going back to the summer, you start hitting people where it hurts. Those, the best players in the world want MVPs. Right. So they're going to play more. They can play more games the best, you know, but we're getting off topic there. But, but the point is it may, it might be a generational thing where you look previous generations to be. I remember in my playing days at Everton, one of the biggest things I wanted to do was be ever present. I wanted to play every single game in the season and there was like one or two seasons where like Sylvan Distant played every game and I, and I, I missed, I missed out by like two or something for whatever reason. And I, and I would, I would like get angry. Right. And, and I, and I think. I'm not sure that that's like a top priority with, with just generationally anymore, which again, I'm not sure. You just fix in one conversation.
- [34:01]
B
Yeah. Maybe just accept it. Okay. So one of the guys that I think was surprised me a lot, Tim. And we talked about Roldan earlier. We do have a question about Christian Roldan.
- [34:14]
A
Yeah.
- [34:15]
B
From David Dawid, Milan. Should Christian Roldan be on the World cup prize? Okay, simple. A month ago I would have said there's no chance he's going to be on the World cup roster. A month ago, I'm not sure how well Mauricio Pochettino knew or knew who Christian Rolt on was that much other than, you know, let's, let's bring him in. But in the games I've seen, he absolutely does not look out of place. And way more than that, I think he's been impactful, really impactful. And I would just say what, what I'm encouraged about between Testman, who I thought was excellent in both games when he came in last night, he was great. Again. Weston, who looks engaged and good. Tyler, who's going to be there. Aiden Morris, who these were his first two games, wasn't spectacular, had some iffy moments, but I thought was very good and got actually got forward way more than I realized. He was very good and Roldan was excellent. And so now I'm like, okay. And look, it's not the top, top, top level we're playing, but it seems like a group of five guys there that I feel very Confident in. So do I think Ron should be? Yeah, I would say right now.
- [35:25]
A
Yeah.
- [35:25]
B
And Po has said, you play and play well, you're going to play again. Don't be surprised him if he starts the next game. Don't. Don't be surprised.
- [35:32]
A
Yeah. Yeah. Look, I, I say, I say this at the risk of disrespecting and upsetting Krishna Roldan, a player who, by the way, I respect. In Colorado, I played against Christian Roldani, whipped my tail a bunch, and I said, you and I talked about Kyle Beckerman and these guys who were really, really top MLS players, champions. And, you know, this is just a different level. The national team, there's a, it's a step up. And, and I'm always, I keep saying, I'm always thinking about the, the World Cup. Yes. It's a step up to play on national team. It's a step up to play in a World Cup. And I, I, I'm, I'm not sure that, that he's at that level. That being said, I'm, I'm beginning to become convinced that he is. And he's showing that he can be in a game and take the ball and make things happen. Can he do that against the best teams in the world? I don't know. I don't know. Now, that's not the question that was asked. The question that was asked was, do I think he'll be?
- [36:46]
B
Should he be?
- [36:47]
A
Should he? I actually think he will be.
- [36:49]
B
Yeah, I do.
- [36:50]
A
I think there's, I think, because again, the criticism is this team doesn't have a lot of senior players. Right. So if you create a roster where you have a Tim Ream, you have a Matt Turner, you have, you have Christian rolled on, you're able to kind of get away with like, all right, we can put, we can actually implement some experience in here.
- [37:09]
B
That's right.
- [37:10]
A
And the fact of the matter is, Christian, he won't have to. If he makes the World cup roster, he's not going to play three or four times 90 minutes. He's going to be a guy who can come in a game if they need to shift the formation and he has to sit to advance players to go chase the game. If we actually end up having a lead in a game where you think, okay, we got to hold onto this, but we need some ball retention. He's a guy who can, who can do it. So I actually think, should he? Yes. Do I think he will? Yes.
- [37:36]
B
My assistant coach, Nate Miller, our head coach at Loyal for a while, always would Say the right player at the right time, in the right place with the right coach, and that is what he is becoming. That's what Luna was right when he stepped on the scene, and that's what Ron is becoming now.
- [37:50]
A
Yeah.
- [37:51]
B
And it doesn't. You know, I would have said three weeks ago, he is absolutely that MLS guy that we've talked about, or it doesn't even have to be mls. You know, we talk about Sergeant in the same way. Right. That is at an amazing level for his club team. But for whatever reason, or because the level is a little higher, whatever, it doesn't work out for the national team. Again, Taylor Tomlin was a guy like that. Right. There's. There's a lot of guys. Chad Marshall was a defender like that. And. But all I can do right now, Tim, is not have that bias and just watch what I'm seeing. And when I'm watching what I'm seeing, I'm saying, okay, this is a World cup team. Australia that was a World cup opponent in Ecuador, and he's doing the job. So, I mean, I just have to say, okay, then he can do it. Sure. And until it proves me otherwise, I gotta say, yeah, he's gonna do it.
- [38:39]
A
Yep. Agreed.
- [38:40]
B
Okay, let's talk about. This was a disappointing one because the night before the game, I was sitting with some US Soccer people and I was told Christian was out for the Ecuador game. He ended up playing. And they also said Jedi was out and that his knee was bothering him again. So I think we have a question about Jedi from Tyler Holland. Do you see a possibility of Jedi playing left center back and way up playing left wing back? I feel like that pairing would be so smart, interesting. You go ahead.
- [39:10]
A
You know what? It's not a terrible question because it's one that popped into my head and then I quickly said, absolutely not. I think. I think we. Right. So I think what we. What we all. What I did with what. I'm guessing this. The. The question was designed and a lot of fans are thinking like, Premier League, left back, right, can play in a four complaint in a, you know, five, left wing back of a five and Premier League experience. Top player, by the way, wanted by Liverpool, plays week in, week out for Fulham. Really good player. I agree with all that. If you look at Jedi Robinson and so sorry. So oftentimes when you have that player, you can actually go, yeah, he can play left side of a three. I'm thinking of Luke Shaw, right? Luke Shaw is a left fullback in a four. He can actually play left Wing back in a five. But in a pinch and oftentimes United use him, he can play left of a three. Right. Jedi Robinson doesn't strike me as a player who wants to play left of a three. And his profile fits that. Right. Because ideally what I would say, and this is why left footers stink. They're amazing. But this is why they stink. Because ideally what I would do is I'd put a back three of Anthony Robinson, Chris Richards and Tim Ream. But you can't put Tim Ream on the right. You get what I'm saying? Yeah, because he left footed now. Delict does it at Man United, but it's not really our profile. So I just don't know if Anthony Robinson wants to play left of a. Of a 3. Now I would say this, I'll give you an example. So. And then. And I'll shut up. If we were to play a team where we can assess Landon, right, you and I are coaching, we're saying we're playing Australia. They're going to give us a ton of the ball. I don't know if we're going to have to like really be up against it in our own penalty area. Now I'm saying cool. Max Arfson, left wing back, Tim Wei, a right wing back, a back three of Tim Ream, Chris Richard. In fact, you could probably do that. You could probably put. Put Jedi Robinson left of a three, Tim Ream in the middle and Chris Richards on the right. And then you're having a ton of ball retention with your back three. So maybe horses for courses, but ultimately, I don't know if that's. I think we could see it, but I don't know if I'd want to. Sorry.
- [41:29]
B
Yeah. So what we used to do at loyalty when we.
- [41:31]
A
We would.
- [41:32]
B
We build in a three or half. We did in games or in moments, maybe the last 20 minutes you need a goal or it's 00 and you're pushing the score and the other team's just bunkered in and pinned in. We would then play with a left wing back and then a left center back who was more of like a left back by nature, who would then just bomb on beyond him. So, right, you start as a three, but that left wing back can literally just overlap and come play as a left winger too. And so I could absolutely see Jedi in that role. So now wey is there. Waya comes inside, which he loves to come inside on his right. Jedi's overlapping him. You still have two in the back and you know One or two of the central midfielders, you could see that scenario. So I don't think it's crazy. I'm not sure it's something, you know, we'll get to see or experiment with, but it was, it would be something I would work on if I were po. Just in the event you could do the same with Freeman on the other side, to be honest, if you needed to. Right. In certain situations. So it's, it's not crazy.
- [42:28]
A
No.
- [42:29]
B
Another guy who was not here, Ricardo Pepe, I believe we have a question about, from Eddie Gonzalez. Nice picture there, dude. What about Pepe? What's the latest? Does he still have a chance to make the team? Yeah, he's, I can't imagine he's not going to make the team. The only caveat is we just don't know with the injuries, like, how that's going to play out. So I imagine he will be on the roster even if he goes into camp with an injury. But, man, we just.
- [42:56]
A
So Landon roster construction. We think, we think four strikers go.
- [43:00]
B
Like four out of question now because there's, there will be 26 players.
- [43:05]
A
So you take, you take four strikes.
- [43:06]
B
So you have three goalies, you might take five. Oh, I think you're saying out and out, like nines.
- [43:12]
A
Yeah, yeah. Because, because it be Baligan.
- [43:15]
B
How'd you write probably ajamong Pepe.
- [43:19]
A
That's what I'm thinking. So at least four. I mean, it might take five.
- [43:22]
B
Yeah, you're probably right. So, yeah, I mean, let's say they took three. Who's the odd man out? That's a, that gets trickier.
- [43:29]
A
That gets trickier because we know the two are. We know who the first two are.
- [43:32]
B
Right. So then it gets tricky. So, yeah, I mean, I, I, I don't know. These things change.
- [43:36]
A
I don't know if you take three. No, I think you take four. I think there's enough spots on the roster. You take four.
- [43:41]
B
Right. So, yeah, I think it makes it, to answer your question, one other thing to dive into. I thought it was interesting after, after the game this week, Pochettino posted on his social media. I know how media posting. He put this. I, I, I didn't realize he wrote this on the actual chalkboard for the players to see, too.
- [44:03]
A
Yeah.
- [44:04]
B
And I'm going to quote his message here on. I think it was Instagram. Culture eats strategy for breakfast. No matter how brilliant your business strategy is, if your team culture isn't aligned or if it's toxic, your strategy will fail. Culture is the collective behaviors Attitude, beliefs and values that drive a team. And he got that quote, interestingly from the CEO of Chick Fil A. Huh. So I guess just what's your take on that? Who was that pointed at? Like why does he put that out publicly? He clearly put it for the team to read, which are, you know, managers do things like that all the time. So what, yeah, what's your takeaway on that?
- [44:44]
A
Do you think, do you think Poch has ever had Chick Fil A nuggets or like a chicken sandwich? I'm probably not right.
- [44:51]
B
I actually never did to like a few months ago my kids got them after a game. They are so good, those nuggets. Platter.
- [44:57]
A
Oh, the platter. Yeah. I think somebody needs to get potched.
- [45:00]
B
Some of those for sure. I'm sure he's probably on some.
- [45:03]
A
My take on it is. I agree with it. You know, I agree with it. I think, I think some, I think culture is like a, you know, being around a lot of different teams and having investment opportunities with teams and talk like everyone talk culture, culture, culture. You know, when you bring a new, when you interview coach, it's like how do you create. Everyone talk about culture, culture, culture. Like that Buy in is so incredible. And you and I have had it over the years with our, with, with our different national teams. We had it at Everton, you remember, I know under David Moyes you had that with Bruce in la. You know, I agree with how you, how you create Buy In. It's harder to actually do it. I, I, you know, I think what he's finding out. And you look at the other quote about like when you arrive in the camp, you want to have a nice time playing golf, go and dinner, visit friends and family, blah, blah, blah. Like he wants you to just be there to be with the national team. And you and I both know, and I was a culprit of this. You know, I obviously never downed tools and played as many games as humanly possible for my country, but I enjoyed it. I really enjoyed because culturally it was so different. But I really enjoyed being back home and doing all those things. I didn't golf, but like I enjoyed going to the shopping mall and having dinners out and seeing friends and family because I felt like a million miles away in Europe. So it's a cultural thing. I still think you can have Buy in and be an American player and enjoy coming back to the States and enjoy some of those things. But my point, well, his point and all that is, but you still, you still need to prove that you want to Be here by your actions and your body language and showing up. And so I got no issue with it.
- [46:42]
B
Yeah, they certainly did that the last two weeks. They showed it their. Their body language. And, you know, it's interesting, when he came in, he said publicly and privately to us, I'm not here to change the culture. And at the time, I didn't think about this, but I'm realizing more and more that was a. That was a language thing for him because he was thinking, like, the culture of America, like, we should eat empanadas instead of burgers. Right?
- [47:10]
A
So.
- [47:10]
B
But. But really what he has done is he's changed the culture. I mean, it's. It's. If you could say any one takeaway, that's what he's done. There's nothing unique or different in the way we're actually playing. Right. He's actually just changed the culture so that guys no longer are taking it for granted. Yeah, that's exactly what he's done. So it might have been just another. Not even subliminal in your face, like, the culture is what matters here. And I. I tend to agree with him there, because the national team, you just don't have time for so much tactics and strategy. You just need to get guys caring and playing. And that's what I saw the last two games. So I thought it was. I thought it was fine, you know, that he. That he puts. It was interesting. He put it out in public. But, like, he's right. You know, it does.
- [47:56]
A
But the. But the anecdote there, Landon, just so. So you know, our listener understand what you're saying is when. When you and I were playing on a national team, we had. And. And this hasn't changed. We had managers that. That would try and draw, like, literally blood would be coming from their eyeballs and saying, we. We guys, we get into camp on a Sunday and a Monday after your weekend games, we've got, like, three days to implement a game plan, right? To win a football match, I cannot, as the manager, go back to last month and go, this is how we perform. This is how we dress.
- [48:30]
B
Here's the expectation, right? That's right.
- [48:32]
A
So. So. So the managers we had would literally be, like, so angry with us at times to say, like, you have to come into camp focused on culture. Done, dusted. We're not even touching on culture. We've got to get to the game plan for Ecuador and Australia. And so that's what he hopefully is trying to build, right? And if you can do that, then next. Next camp, you're coming in. You know, I'm talking about culture. Culture's there. Everyone's happy. Right.
- [48:54]
B
So.
- [48:55]
A
Yeah.
- [48:55]
B
Yeah. And now it's pretty clear that, yes, they will know that going forward. Right. And it's pretty obvious. Okay, we got a few minutes left. First thing we're going to do, let's show a graphic, I think you guys have, of who has qualified now. The list is growing. It grew a lot over this window. Over this window, yeah. New teams were. I think South Africa was new. Saudi Arabia, maybe Cote d', Ivoire, Senegal, a lot of the African teams. Qatar back in. England back in. Really interesting. I think there's almost 30 there, aren't there? Maybe more now?
- [49:29]
A
Yeah. I'm trying to think how many. How many are left to qualify?
- [49:32]
B
Yeah, like 20. Probably 10 to 12, I guess, would be my guess. So, like, it's. It's starting to round out and it's. It's pretty interesting because there are quite a few. I don't know the exact, but I know Uzbekistan's new Jordan are new. I don't know about Cabo Verde, Que verde or coat of. I don't know if. Yeah, Cotevoir probably has, but there's going to be some new. I just. I love this. This is what I love about the expanded format for all the people who hate it. I think it's great. So next two US Games will be, I believe. Yeah, Paraguay and Uruguay. So South American. Those teams will be very similar. Good ones and great games. Again, shout out Tom King. These are great games. I believe one's in Tampa and I don't know where the other is. Maybe.
- [50:14]
A
I think that's right. I think Tampa. Something's right.
- [50:16]
B
Yeah, Tampa. Okay, so before we get out of here, let's go back to what we think the 11 is going to be for the World Cup. It changes constantly.
- [50:30]
A
I think I have a good grasp on it, to be honest.
- [50:32]
B
Okay, go ahead.
- [50:33]
A
Do you. Oh, no, you go first.
- [50:35]
B
By the way, did you realize that England will finally play a World cup in the US Now. How great is that?
- [50:42]
A
I forgot. They didn't qualify.
- [50:43]
B
They didn't qualify for 94. Can you imagine? Those games in the US are going to be wild.
- [50:47]
A
Yeah. So fun.
- [50:49]
B
Okay, so go ahead. Give me the grasp of. You think you're 11.
- [50:52]
A
No, you go. I said you go first.
- [50:54]
B
Okay, I'm gonna go first. This is what I had after September, by the way. Freeze. Cameron Carter. Vickers Richards. Ream Dest Adams. Aiden Morris. Anthony Robinson. Tillman Pulisic Balagun.
- [51:07]
A
That's what you had in September.
- [51:08]
B
Yep.
- [51:09]
A
Okay.
- [51:09]
B
I'm gonna keep the top three the same.
- [51:12]
A
What was it? Holistic.
- [51:13]
B
Holistic. Tillman, Baligan. I'm going to keep Matt. Freeze.
- [51:17]
A
Okay.
- [51:18]
B
I'm going to start now. My thinking's starting to change, so I am going to say we're going to play in a back three.
- [51:27]
A
Yep.
- [51:29]
B
It's going to be Richard's ream. And I'm gonna. This is so dumb of me, but, like, just at the chance I get it right and I'll sound like a genius, I'll keep Cameron, Carter, Vickers in.
- [51:40]
A
Okay.
- [51:40]
B
And then the midfield five. Well, four now are going to be. Man, I'm concerned about Jedi just because. I just don't know if he's.
- [51:50]
A
Yeah, but if he's fit. If he's fit, then.
- [51:52]
B
I know, but you can't. That's a big f. That's a real thing.
- [51:55]
A
Still a ways away. Still a ways away.
- [51:56]
B
I'm gonna say Arfston, by the way. This is not what I. This is just what I think it's gonna be. Right. Okay. And by the way, another guy who kept. Keeps playing well is Arson. Like, he just keeps performing. So, like, you got to give him credit. I'm gonna say Weston and Tanner, Testman. And then wea.
- [52:27]
A
Okay.
- [52:28]
B
Was that 11? Let's go. Freeze. Carter, Vickers, Richards. Ream.
- [52:34]
A
Yeah.
- [52:35]
B
Waya, Weston. Tanner, Testman.
- [52:40]
A
Yeah.
- [52:41]
B
Arsten. Right. And then Tillman. Pulisic. Baligun. This is what I think it's going to be. Not necessarily what I want, but this is what I think. Yeah. And yes, that is correct because I saw it in your face. No. Tyler Adams.
- [52:54]
A
Okay.
- [52:56]
B
All right. I know it sounds bizarre. I know. I just think he is. This is just my hope. I just think Pochettino's really high on some of the guys who were here. Testman and rolled on who? You never know. But then I think Weston when he's. He's just. He's so impactful. So I think he.
- [53:13]
A
Yeah, okay.
- [53:14]
B
Shoot. I didn't even put Weston.
- [53:15]
A
Yeah, you did. Yeah, you did.
- [53:16]
B
Okay.
- [53:17]
A
Yeah.
- [53:17]
B
So.
- [53:18]
A
So my, my, my. 11 is this. Matt freeze and goal back three of ream. Richards and. I don't know. I just. I literally don't know.
- [53:25]
B
That's a good. He's a good player. I don't know.
- [53:27]
A
Yeah. I don't know. I have no idea. So that. That's like the one open spot. Wing back on the left side. Jedi Robinson, Tyler Adams. Weston in the middle, way on the right. And then up top, Pulisic Baligan, and Tillman.
- [53:43]
B
So if that's our team, Tim, you can go into it saying, like, that's a real team. If these guys are all at their best and fit, you're like, that's a real, real team. And then there's some very. Just, like, good. Young Freeman off the bench. Arson off the bench. Luna, off the bench.
- [54:00]
A
I mean, I wrote down the bench here. I got 10 names.
- [54:03]
B
Pepe and. And Ajamong and Haji Wright. And so you have some, like, maybe Roldan and Aiden Morris. You have real solid depth now. Not amazing, but solid depth. So.
- [54:15]
A
But I also, to that point, you know, we. We named different versions of a similar team. But if we. If we were to, say, going into it, okay, now we know who our best team is, and if you. If we put two lineups on the board and maybe two. Two names changed right prior to the first game of World Cup, I'd say I'm happy with both those teams.
- [54:34]
B
Totally.
- [54:35]
A
I'd say, like, that team can get a result, and I think that team can get a result. That's great.
- [54:39]
B
And to your point, over and over and, you know, get out of here. In a minute. Can we see that before the World Cup?
- [54:45]
A
Can we see that? Let's hope we can see a couple times.
- [54:48]
B
Don't get greedy. All right, guys, thank you. That was fun. We like these live pods. Right before the pod started, I was, like, nervous. I saw the clock counting down. Why the hell am I nervous? So stupid. All right, we appreciate you guys so much. As always, Please subscribe on YouTube. You can also subscribe on Apple Podcast, Spotify, anywhere you get your pods and follow all of our social media at Unfiltered Soccer for all the bonus content.
- [55:11]
A
Yeah. Thanks, everyone. Thanks for the comments and getting on here with us. Being live, it's a lot of fun. As LT said, it adds a different little spice and dynamic. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, vw. Have an amazing week. We'll be back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
- [55:26]
B
See you guys.