← Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard
World Cup Draw Reaction Livestream with Matt Freese
00:53:49
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- [00:02]
A
Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S. soccer for over five years.
- [00:14]
B
Welcome to Unfiltered Soccer, the World cup draw live stream edition. I have the amazing fortune of being next to Matty Freeze, the US Number one. Oh, my God, it's the draws here. How did that happen?
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A
Yeah, wild scenes. Tim, Matt, what's up?
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C
What's up? Thanks for having me on.
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A
Yeah, thanks for joining, man. Where did you watch, by the way?
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C
Times Square. And I was outside for three, four hours and then walked in the warmth here and I love it here.
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B
He got, he got paid to be at a watch party like you did.
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A
He's a smart man. I didn't get paid. I was sitting there lying, dealing with like, pageantry and people and music. Like, it was wild.
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B
We're gonna get. We're gonna get to that in a second. Ld Group D, usa, Paraguay, Australia. And then some crazy one off playoff. Slovakia vs. Kosovo and Turkey vs. Romania. Go. The floor is yours. You've been waiting for this. What's this like?
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C
It's. I mean, the first, the first thing off the bat is kind of, you know, what are the chances that two out of the last three teams that we just played.
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B
Yeah.
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C
Are the two teams that we know are in the group. I mean, kind of, you know, crazy chances of that happening, but also, you know, something we're going to be familiar with. And I've been saying this all day. I didn't care who was going to be in the group. The, you know, the, the, the plan, the ambition is to win, no matter.
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B
Who it is, 100%. I mean, LD, you were there. Can you give us a sense of place? I mean, we all watched it, but you were in the building. That seemed crazy with all the names and the people and the pageantry. What was that like?
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A
I was in the room where it happens. It was wild. Tim, you know, you're in this. First of all, you're in this Kennedy Center. I've never been in. There's this big reception area. It's like more than a soccer field. Long. And everybody you can imagine in the soccer world, literally everybody, everybody at us Soccer, mls and then just the soccer world writ large. Every legend, Ika Casillas is there.
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B
Yeah.
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A
Asimo Gian, who we played against with Ghana.
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B
Right.
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A
Like, there's mega stars. Sit. Ronaldinho's there. Like, it's, it's crazy. And then you get to the actual draw and I don't know what it's like on tv. I mean, I've seen it before, but, like, there was so much buildup and you're just waiting, like, just give me the ball. Like, I want to know who's.
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B
There was a lot of build up, bro.
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A
There was so much buildup, and it was a wild scene. But it's really cool in the moment because it happened so fast. And so Rio and Samantha are trying to explain it live. Yep. We're all trying to figure out, like, what. Oh, so we got Ghana. And they're like, no, no, no, they have to go here. And then you're like, oh, we got Iran. No, no, no, they have to go here. So there's all this drama around. And then when you finally figure it out, I'm sure as Matt, you're sitting there, like, it sinks in. And then it's, it's just so fascinating. This happened in 2002. We played South Korea in the Gold cup, and then next thing you know, sorry, we, we got drawn with them before, but then we end up playing them in the Gold cup. So. Familiarity I love. Like, I think, Matt, I want to hear your feelings, but it, is it not better to play a team, you know, than a team you don't?
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C
I don't. I, I think familiarity, yeah, it's, it's, it's helpful. But my immediate thought is also, they're more familiar with us.
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A
They played us. Yeah.
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C
So, you know, I feel like it's has two sides to it, I guess.
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B
But I, I, I LD because here's why. In 2002, when I, I was watching from home and I was an alternate, Bruce forgot to put me on the roster. And I'm watching you guys cheering you on. And then we drew Mexico. And, you know, I was like, yeah, this is great, because Mexico's gonna think they can win, but sure as heck, we think we thought we can win.
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A
Yeah.
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B
So I like the familiarity side. You know who else likes. I think Chris Richards. I'm gonna be glued to my, glued to my phone.
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A
I can't wait.
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B
He wants another crack at Australia. And I'm thinking, this is, this is going to be good. Now, Matt, I'm interested in Atlanta, just said there's so many legends that were, that were at the World cup draw because they did it on the biggest stage. And your rise to this moment, it feels lightning fast. Right. You go from being on the outside looking in to getting an opportunity in the Gold Cup. You took advantage of it all the way through the friendlies. Now you're number one, it's yours to lose. And do you ever allow yourself to like, yeah, you're going to your first World cup, but you can also become a legend. And I know that seems far fetched, but all it takes is you perform well in this World cup and you.
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C
Get the US like a 16 save performance against a certain team maybe.
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B
Do you allow yourself to like even go that far? Like this is what dreams are made of.
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C
I allow myself to dream, yeah. I mean the goal is to, the goal is to help the team advance as much as I can.
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And in the process of doing that, if you can become a legend, have a fantastic few games and, and make a name for yourself, absolutely. But you know, do I take time to like think about it too much? Not a lot. I'm not one to like really reflect until after the moment. I'm much more on, like much more focused on maximizing that moment and I'm probably not going to reflect much until I'm 40, 41 years old, our age.
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B
Now let me ask you this real quick. This is a little bit off topic. How many tickets you're gonna need? Like opening game of the world in la, like what's your family?
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A
So how many are you gonna get? First of all, we had, we had.
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C
We had 15 people across my extended family apply for the lottery. We got one person, my girlfriend's sister who got accepted to the lottery and she was trying to max out the ticket as much as she could.
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B
It's wild, man. It's, it's, it's, it's probably as cool for your family as for you. I'm telling you, it's a really, really awesome opportunity.
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A
Okay, Matt, I think we have. Jordan's putting a question. You have that Jordan. All right, Matt, do you train differently for the World cup matches? This is from Kevin Longano differently for the World cup matches than mls. Is the World cup harder because the talent level or the coaching? So would you train differently? That's a good question, Tim. Like, yeah, Matt, how do you.
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C
I mean, I think obviously there's different, there's different managers, right, for your club team and then, and then the national team. And so the, the trainings themselves are different for sure from a, you know, what type of drills you're doing, perspective as well as a, a load perspective. But the mentality that I bring, no, it's, it's 100 the same really. Every time I step on the field, I'm. My personality just changes a little bit and not a little bit change. Personality totally changes. And, and so I think from an intensity and mentality perspective, it doesn't change.
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A
Tim, Timmy, did you. At what point were you comfortable enough as, like, the starter that you would come in and say, I understand what you want to do, but this is what I want to do and what I need is that. Was there a change in that? Like, is the goalkeeper coach running the training or are you saying, no, this is what I need and I want. Because I'm 35. I know.
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B
Well, yeah, when I, when I became. So when I became the starter for the national team, that was 2007, so I had already been in the Premier League for a few years and I kind of felt like I knew what the heck I was doing. So, like, I, yeah, I tried to. I tried to throw my weight around just a little bit because I just knew that my training was what got me to where I wanted to be, so I didn't want to change training. So how was that for you with obviously being young with the national team? Is your goalkeeper coach with the US dictating the training? Is he asking you for input? How's that work?
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C
Yeah, I mean, I think.
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Every goalkeeper coach has a philosophy that fits in with the, with the managers, you know, more group philosophy. And so I think just adapting to that is really important, especially in a very, you know, short amount of time with a national team. You have to adapt very quickly and then also see how that fits in with your own style and see, maybe not compromise, but, you know, see. See the right ways of, of influencing that philosophy yourself.
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B
Yeah. Yeah. It's interesting because ld you and I talked about it on the pod, I think, a month or two ago, where we're saying, like, in the lead up to the World cup, like in, in your league season from, let's say, January to May, you're so hyper focused on knowing the World cup is there that, like, you're doing everything you can to be fit, to play every game, to play well, because you know that, that you have to do that and you want to be at your optimum when the World cup comes.
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A
Yeah, it's, it's, it's a, it's a. Matt's in a tricky situation and, and because when I went back to my first World cup, you are so desperate to make the roster. Right. And I think we all think, and you don't have to answer this, Matt, but, or talk about it, but we all assume you're not only going to be there, but you're going to be the starter. But in your mind, I Know you're humble and you're still thinking like, I still need to make sure I make the roster right. And so forget about all the other stuff. And so. But there is a change in your career where you go, I'm pretty damn sure I'm going to be on this team and I'm going to be on this roster. And so when you're not on the team yet, you're fighting every week like hell just to get on the roster. And for a field player, I mean, it means a little bit more putting yourself at risk for injury, but once you know you're going to be there, it's always in the back of your mind like, okay, I'm going to play hard, but I got to make sure being smart because in a month or next week, we're going to World cup camp. So it's an interesting dynamic. One question. So I. Well, two questions. We have a fan question about the matchups with Australia and Paraguay. Which team just you played them both. So which team concerns you more? Worries you more? How do you. And we don't want the diplomatic. Okay, I know you're a politician right now, but like in reality, who scares you a little more from as, as an, as a goalkeeper.
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C
The, the honest, the non diplomatic. Honest answer. No one scares me when I feel. No one. No one scares me.
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A
Well, just be glad you didn't get drawn with early, dude.
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C
If you walk out on the field with Chris Richards, you feel secure.
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B
Yeah, that's right. You know, the, the interesting thing ld is I, I look at it and, and Paraguay, I think was missing a couple of players when we played him last time. If. If. Yeah, and so that might be the one. I think we're a better footballing team than Australia. I think we're stronger than them. That doesn't worry me. I think Paraguay will be a more even matchup, even though I tilt the balance towards us if they're fully fit. One of the things I wanted to ask you. Right. So we talk all the time on this show.
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We keep saying you're. How many caps do you have now total?
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C
13.
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B
13.
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A
Right.
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B
So you're young. In, in. In terms of your experience with the national team. Tim Reams is we know as a leader, Chris Richards has become an absolute monster. You couldn't love the guy more. Right. Proper leader and. But as a goalkeeper, you still need to lead your back line. And the wing backs, we're not sure because wing backs have been in and out. You've played in a three, so you've had there's been, it's chopped and changed. How much of that, how much of that are you still finding your voice? How much of it is. You feel really comfortable back there marshaling and commanding that back line? Like, where is that balance for you at the moment?
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C
The, the balance is in a good spot. This summer I think it was, to be fair, it was new to me and you know, I was just still getting used to Chris and Tim and, and now we're in a spot where I, I feel comfortable. I'm, I'm barking orders, I'm loud and, and honestly, I think that's what they want. That's before every game, you know, we're talking, saying, matty, you know, continue to communicate, continue to communicate. And it's not just verbal communication, it's also the, the presence that you bring. You know, you're walking down the field, you got your shoulders back, you're the first one screaming, let's go, let's go, let's go. You know, and so it's, it's a lot of non verbal communication that's important as well.
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B
Great.
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A
Love that. There's one of the things that people love most and I love most about the draw is the storylines that develop right away. So, like there was a, I think a Senegalese federation person behind us and when it was like their turn, I think they got drawn with France. Is that right?
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B
They did.
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A
So they were saying like, this was just like, I don't know what year, maybe 2002 or something they got and they, they were waiting for it. And so now there's a storyline of past and history and all that. The interesting thing about this group for, for the US is you just said these two teams two of the last three games. And not only that, I was in the Australia game. They go after Christian a little bit, he ends up coming out injured. In the Paraguay game, there's this bench clearing brawl that happens, right? Like this intense, crazy brawl. And so immediately there's these like, storylines of, wow, these teams know each other and it's not like it's a huge rivalry we've created, but there's like animosity, like real stuff happened. Does that. I know you were farther away from it in goal, but is that like, is that a real factor? Well, you were, I know you were in it.
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C
I know you, I, I, I got in there fast. Seth got in there and then I was the next one in there.
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A
Okay.
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C
No one's ever, no one's ever seen me move that fast. But yeah, I mean, that that's part of the storyline. And, and in the end of the.
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A
Day.
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C
We can't be thinking about that past game when we play them, you know, next summer. I think that it's fully focused on, you know, whatever the game requires. We've already shown that side of us. And so it's all, it's also super important to just implement our style and our quality on the ball. And if the game calls for it, then, you know, yeah, obviously, obviously get involved and do that. But, you know, we have shown that that's already been a part of our DNA now.
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B
Yeah, I love that side of this, this current team because it's been the same group for a while. But the. Tonight you said Sebastian, he's becoming one of these players ld who can start a fight in an empty house. As I always say. I love, I love the fact that he's, he's scrappy. Question about the roster and I won't put you, I won't put you on blast because you could never answer this, but Landon and I, when we, our teams. So when, when you're saying, like, we're going into a World cup, we're going into a game, a big game, Landon and I could both sit in a room and go, this is, this is the 11 we need if we want to win today. This is the 11 we need on the field. So I'll ask you this without naming names. Is there a, is there a 11 with you and goal. So plus 10, where you say on the opening game of the World cup, if these 10 are in place, we'll win? Like, do you. In your brain right now, when you look at the team, you're like, these are the, these are the 10 other guys. And I know they're subs, I get that. But These are the 10 other guys that, if they're on the field, I know we win. Like, do you have the best player at every position in your brain?
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C
Yeah. But the tough part about that thing is, is there's more. There's more than 10. You know what I mean? Like, like, yes, there's a, there's a best player in every position, but I think also each player brings their own attributes, so whatever that specific game needs is important. The other thing to consider is that, you know, how many different lineups have we played over the last five games? And, and they've all worked.
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B
Yeah.
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C
And so, you know, I think this is going to be one of the, one of the, the true tournaments where, where the 23 or the 26, that, that's what matters more than the 11?
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B
Agreed. Do you think the just a. A back four, back three question. Do you feel more comfortable with this team in a back three or a back four? I know he's. Pochettino has changed a bit. Where do you think it's strongest?
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C
I think it's been. I think it's been quite flexible, you know, in possession. Out of. Out of possession has. Has been changing, which is in modern football, quite a bit common thing that's been happening. As a goalkeeper, I love, you know, five in the back.
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You can't really complain with that. But also four in the back. I have, you know, full faith in them and myself to get. Get the job done as well.
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B
Yeah. Good, Good.
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A
Matt, we have a question from our Aussie fans down under. I can't wait to read this. It seems. Tim, you'll love this too. You guys popping that? Okay. At first glance of the comments section on social media, our socceroos down under feel they have an easy group. What's your take on that, Matt? Is it an easy group?
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C
First take is what. What time is it in Australia right now?
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No, I mean, I. Any. Any group with us in it is not an easy group.
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A
Attaboy.
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B
Yeah. There's no chance. There's no chance that. That. That Australia thinks that's an easy group?
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A
Well, that's what they're saying. Maybe someone's trying to rile us up.
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B
Yeah, they are.
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A
I will say this. You know, there are clearly groups that are going to be a little more challenging, for sure. I mean, France, Senegal, Norway, I think. I mean, yeah, those are good teams, but my learning from all this and Tim, we were a minute away from not qualifying in a group with Slovenia and Algeria. Nobody thought that was a group of deaths or a hard group or whatever. So.
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B
Yeah, you just.
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A
You never know, man. And team change over the next six months, things can change. People get injured, all that stuff. So we'll see.
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B
I think the thing about the World cup is you're just getting. You're getting everybody's best punch.
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A
Yeah.
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B
You know, like, if every, like, guys that aren't fit for a friendly and they don't feel like traveling to, you know, like, I'm not saying the Paraguay players weren't injured, but, like, they'll be there for the World cup, right? Like, everybody's fit and ready and wanting to, as I said, create this legendary status for them. So you're getting everybody on, like, uber focused.
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A
Yeah. All right, let's get a question about playing in a World cup at home.
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Does playing on your own country soil give you an edge, or is the. Is the battle the same anywhere? And actually, I would also say that's from Danny. Is there also a pressure? Like, is there a flip side of that coin that there's also a pressure? How do you feel about that?
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C
Yeah, I mean, I think certainly there is a pressure, but I always say this. I love pressure. Pressure makes diamonds. Uh, you know, pressure brings the best out of me. I don't know about other people, but I love pressure. Um, and certainly playing in front of the fans, playing in.
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It's a little bit more pride, if that's even possible. Um, you know, there's so much pride associated with putting the jersey on, but playing at home, you really can't. I was. I was saying this earlier today. Someone was like, oh, is it a dream come true to play at home, you know, in the World Cup? No, because when I was five years old dreaming about this, no one knew that it was going to be at home.
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A
It wasn't real so long.
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C
Like, you know, it wasn't even a thought.
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B
Yeah. You know, interesting. Then we've talked about that, and I. I get goosebumps thinking about this team. I'll be. I'll be at the first game wearing my Landon Donovan jersey with the scarf wrapped around my head like it's going down. But I just. I just think, like, that what I've seen, traditionally, the home country gets. They ride to crest away. France in 98, win the World Cup. Germany, sorry, South Korea in 2002, got to the semis. Yeah, Germany got to the semis in 2006. We were there in South Africa. Bafana. Bafana. That opening game, we were watching it together.
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A
Electric.
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B
And it's like, this country is on fire for this team. And I just think. I think we're. I mean, I like the group, first of all. And really what a group that I think we can win does is it creates momentum. So if you guys win the group, you get on that plane and you're like, yeah, whoever. Who we got? Like, we'll take anyone's best punch. Like, that's how you're going to feel. And the country will be galvanized. Like, we'll be moving with you. Like, the plane takes off, everyone's going to go to that game. So this could be one of those moments where we definitely. The momentum carries over and it becomes less pressure and more motivation.
- [20:03]
A
It's so well said. And my. My biggest learning from being there today and being on this side of it now it's the first draw I've ever been at. Is the, the shape and the course of this tournament was decided largely today and in the past as a player and Matt, I'm sure you're, you're just. Okay, the game, the next game, Australia, Paraguay, Kosovo, Turkey or whoever, you're just thinking about that. But as a fan and someone who's now been through this a lot, our path could have been a lot more difficult. Maybe could have been a little easier, but could have been a lot more difficult. And now you start to think, okay, if you win and win and now you're a first place team and now you're playing a third place team and then what does that look like? And now you go, oh, this becomes very exciting. And I'm going to hesitate from what everyone is saying that the group is relatively easy and all that. Every game's hard, man, in a World cup and like it is. But it could have been worse, Right, right. It really could have been worse. But I just. It's exciting. All right, Matt, we have a question.
- [21:06]
About how far into the tournament we need to go.
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C
So that, that's what, that's what I was going to say about what you were just talking about.
- [21:14]
A
Yep.
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C
You can say what you want about a group, but for me and Mauricio has been saying this as well, the goal, the dream, the ambition is to win the World Cup. If you have, if you win the World cup, you've got to beat all the teams no matter what. So in my opinion, not that the group doesn't matter, but you're going to be playing hard teams and the best teams at some point in the tournament, if you accomplish what you want to accomplish.
- [21:38]
A
Yeah, but Matt, to Tim's point.
- [21:42]
Momentum matters. And you know, 100%, like in the, over the summer before the Gold cup, the momentum was mattering in a bad way. And now, right now, the momentum is mattering in a good way. Now I'm assuming after you batter Uruguay 5:1, you're like, bring on anyone, I don't care. Right. And so that is, I think, where you get, you know, value in that. Okay, pop that back up, Jordan. I want to hear Matt's opinion on this, okay, from Glenn. How far in the tournament is far enough to be proud of? That's a good way to state it. How far is to be proud of? Obviously we want fight for the crest, but how far is good enough? Or is it just about the pride of the crest? Well, it's always about that, but yeah, what's your take on that?
- [22:20]
C
My take is.
- [22:23]
I'm someone that. I'm someone that thinks it's a huge honor to wear the crest, but I think that if you. If you wear the crest and don't put on performances and don't honor the crest and improve the. The history of the crest and the history of the U.S. soccer Federation, you're. You're doing it a disservice. And so, you know, my. My. My thought is to. To leave the team. Leave the history of the team in a better place than I found it. Not that it was in a bad place, but you know what I mean? Just continuously improving and improving the team. And so, you know, I don't know where that translates into, like, a goal of where to be, you know, I'm just going to say it again. The goal is to win the World Cup. Like, that's. That's the mentality, and I'm not going to say anything different.
- [23:09]
B
Yeah, this one's tricky, right, Landon? So we talked about with the added teams, there's an added round, right? And so we kind of have to factor that in. As this team grows and starts to climb and get through the tournament, like.
- [23:25]
There'S an extra layer which makes it way more difficult in terms of, like, creating history for this team, which they can do. Obviously, we've seen, you know, at your best, I think that there's an opportunity to go pretty far. Yeah, I just think there. There's something about the draw today that gave. Not. Not our specific draw in terms of the group, but something about the overall draw. Seeing all the teams just felt really good. It felt like this, this. This team has an opportunity to go really far, you know, as far as your team did in 20, 20, 2002. Maybe, like, maybe I did that. That's a real thing and so really exciting for us fans.
- [24:05]
A
Matt, I'm so. I'm so refreshed to hear you speak that way about, like, leaving it better in the history. Bob Bradley said to me once after he got fired from US Soccer, it was like 2011 or something when Jurgen came in, maybe, and I was like, you know, are you upset or you. He's like, landon, I carried the ball as far as I could, and now it's time for someone else to carry it. And we just keep doing. I was like, God, it was such, like, a mature way to look at it. And for a young man like you, Matt, I really. I really like you're. You're very grateful. And, like, that's really refreshing.
- [24:38]
C
I'm Grateful, but trust me, I'm. I'm competitive, but I get out there.
- [24:41]
A
I know.
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B
Got.
- [24:42]
A
I know. All right, we have the last one. I think the most important question. Pop that up, Jordan. Who does freeze like morgue? Wait, who freeze like, more growing up out of the two of you? Okay. Who did you like more growing up?
- [24:56]
B
I mean, it's an easy question. It's the guy who doesn't have any hair.
- [25:01]
A
I don't have any hair either. That's fake.
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B
So we'll let him ask the question. It's fine.
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C
I like both of you growing, growing up.
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B
I watch both of you.
- [25:10]
C
But I, I, I, I have a few Tim Howard jerseys already.
- [25:13]
B
That's amazing.
- [25:14]
C
Actually. Crazy story. My. My dad bought me a ball signed by you when I was like, 15 or 16.
- [25:23]
And I was like, I didn't say this to him, but I was like, dad, like, the way I want my career to go, like, I'm gonna know.
- [25:30]
B
Tim, that's amazing.
- [25:31]
C
I love it. You don't need to, like, buy me a ball side.
- [25:34]
B
I'm gonna refund your dad that $10, because I tell you what, it's. You've made it. You absolutely made it. That's. And listen, Landon's the goat. We all think he's number one, so I looked up to him as well, you know, his little rat running around us.
- [25:47]
A
All right, Matt, look, we know you've had a long day, man. Get home, get some rest. This was. This was so helpful for American soccer fans to hear your reaction live. It feels wild, man. Australia, Paraguay, teams we just played. But six months from now, it'll be novel again. It'll feel new. But, man, we are continuing to wish you the best. You keep growing with every challenge. It's been so fun to watch, man, so you get out of here. We're going to take a break. When we come back, we'll talk about the rest of the draw. Dive in deeper. It's going to be a lot of fun right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim. As always, presented by Volkswagen. Stay right there. This episode is brought to you by Airbnb. Tim. Nothing like MLS playoff season. My favorite time of year, end of August, September. It's cold. You travel to the Midwest or the eastern cities. The leaves are changing. You get outside, it's freezing for the game. I love this time of year.
- [26:38]
B
Yeah, totally. LD Playoffs are what make American sports unique. It's how you end up with an underdog team making some insane run for the championship. Or David and Goliath duking it out in the final.
- [26:47]
A
Yeah, you don't want to miss a second of the playoffs no matter where your MLS team might be playing in the first round alone. Fans from New York are heading down to Charlotte. Dallas fans making the trip up to the Pacific Northwest to play against Vancouver last year in the final, the Red Bulls had to come all the way down to SoCal, where my galaxy beats your Red Bulls.
- [27:04]
B
Tim Soccer fans in the US Are dedicated to their teams and making the journey to support those teams as they make a run for the MLS cup, whether it's the first time or the sixth is a top priority.
- [27:14]
A
Yeah, MLS fans bring the energy everywhere they go, so why not let that passion pay off while you're on the road supporting your team? You could open your home to fellow fans on Airbnb. Hosting your home on Airbnb while you travel is an easy way to earn a little extra and keep the spirit of soccer alive. Even even when you're away, your home.
- [27:31]
B
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- [28:41]
A
Yeah, as we unfiltered soccer get ready for next summer, we know that very little in the beautiful game is guaranteed. But as we prepare to bring our unfiltered brand of non stop soccer coverage, it's good to know at&t has your back. With the ATT guarantee, staying connected matters.
- [28:57]
B
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- [29:05]
A
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- [29:12]
B
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- [29:31]
A
Thanks to Matt Freeze. He's such a stud. Dude like that was just hear his, like, fresh perspective on it and he's had a long day, so thanks to him for coming in. All right, let's. Let's get into the rest of the groups again. The cool thing, man, about just being there live is you're watching not only the federations and, like, their reaction, but you're watching the le. The legends. Ali McCoy, the famous Scottish legend, was sitting behind me and I mean, listening to some. His commentary as his group got. Got panned out was just so funny. And we'll get to that. Okay, let's start through. Through. What did we say? A through J. A through J. Okay. A through F. Sorry. A through F. Okay, so here we go. Mexico, South Africa, Korea. And then a UEFA team Canada. A UEFA team Qatar, Switzerland, Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland. Our group C, Our group, Group E is Germany, Coracao, Cote d' Ivoire and Ecuador. And then Netherlands, Japan, another UEFA country, and Tunisia. Okay, what stands out for you, Tim, in those groups?
- [30:41]
B
Well, I'll tell you that in one second. Can I. Can I say something blasphemous? Oh, no, no. Yeah, yeah. It's not. Oh, but it's. You and I disagree on the tournament format because you love the Cinderella romantic side. Right? And I've been saying all along that like this, and I watched it today. This is my feeling. This feels watered down. I know, I know. But hear me out, and I'm being serious. This just feels watered down. There used to be, like, a group of death, and then there was like, a bunch of hard groups. Like, you didn't have to be a group of death to be a hard group. And I'm looking at these groups, ld, and I'm just kind of like.
- [31:17]
Mexico is going to win the group.
- [31:19]
A
I. I don't know about Mexico, dude. They're really bad right now. Well, they're really bad.
- [31:25]
B
Okay, but. But the point. My point is, like, none of the.
- [31:28]
A
Yeah, no, I get it.
- [31:29]
B
But no one's in danger. Like, when you look at some of the bigger teams. No, One's in danger of not qualifying out of the group, you know, and so.
- [31:34]
A
Right.
- [31:35]
B
Yeah, that's.
- [31:36]
A
But I would say this, but the alternative is Scotland. Like, look at group C, Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland, Scotland are thinking to themselves, can we snag a point Again, probably not. Brazil, maybe against Morocco. Can we snag a point and beat Haiti? And now all of a sudden, for. Not only are they coming to the World cup, they're thinking we might qualify for the next round as a third place.
- [32:01]
B
I hear you on the romantic side of it, and I'm not, I'm not romantic. Happen.
- [32:06]
A
You're not romantic.
- [32:09]
B
Maybe not. I just. Oh, I don't know. I don't know. Yeah, I think, I think the layer. I think the layer of. I think the layer of this that that extra round takes away from. And you know this from, from your, from your experience. It takes away from like the blockbuster matches. Like there's so many blockbuster matches, you know that like you come out, there.
- [32:33]
A
Will be one or two.
- [32:34]
B
No, no, no lands. I know that. I'm saying what. Prior to this format, as soon as you made it out of the group, tighten those gloves up because there's, there's going to be a ton of just rock em, sock em games and I don't know if we're going to get that. That's all I'm saying.
- [32:50]
A
Yeah. Okay. So what stands out to me here in group B. So this was kind of overlooked and I don't think people realize this.
- [32:57]
B
Group B.
- [32:58]
A
So group B is Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. But the fourth team is the winner of the Italy. I think it's Italy, Wales, Ireland or Northern Ireland.
- [33:10]
And so everybody kind of assumes. And of course it can change, but that will be Italy. Guess where Canada's first game is. And guess who it would be against if Italy qualifies.
- [33:21]
B
Toronto.
- [33:22]
A
Isn't it in Toronto against Italy? There are a gazillion Italians.
- [33:27]
B
Yeah. Yeah.
- [33:28]
A
In Toronto. That could be absolutely electric.
- [33:32]
B
Yeah.
- [33:33]
A
And that's like where I love these storylines because I'm, you know, as being half Canadian and thinking about what that could be in Toronto against Italy would be absolutely insane. And so that's, that's like, that would be absolute beauty pageantry.
- [33:46]
B
The other, you know, the other one. You, you. The other interesting one that you asked me about, if we can pop the graphic up with, with all the groups, Group E as an echo and F.
- [33:58]
Are interesting because I ivory coaster. I mean they're one of the most athletic, talented team just historically, you know, that, that you Know, and they had their, their golden generation, you know, during the DD drug days. But they're a force to be reckoned with. Ecuador is super talented, like physical and athletic as heck. They're probably the most athletic team in, in, in Common bowl in South America. Obviously Germany's the best team in the group.
- [34:26]
The Netherlands, Japan, that, those are really good. Tunisia. I actually look at the playoffs and I'm thinking if Sweden or Poland come out of there, those are, those are difficult games. And so I think those groups. Say again?
- [34:40]
A
Yeah, yeah, no, you're right.
- [34:41]
B
I think E and F are interesting to me.
- [34:45]
A
I, I, I love this about the World cup, is the stylistic differences.
- [34:51]
B
Yep.
- [34:51]
A
Think about the Netherlands, who are so unique in sort of the, the traditional four, three, three and football and how they, and anything. Japan, who are just like energetic, running, scrappy. Tunisia, like a little bit of African flair, but also a North African sort of toughness too. I mean, we played Algeria, who were similar in style.
- [35:15]
B
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [35:16]
A
Whatever you get in the other team, if it's Swedish, like a Scandinavian team. And so it's just, I love the stylistic differences because it's so unique to what you do in qualifying.
- [35:25]
B
Yeah, yeah. I, I, matchups make this. Yeah. I don't know, I just, it's funny. You've got me, you've got me like, reminiscing and thinking about the pageantry of it. LD when you talk about flair and I think about like, I don't know, maybe this is the first time, a very long time that I'm going as a fan and I'm kind of excited to see like, the fans of Ivory coast, you know, and the dancing and the drums and the, and the flags and face paints that go on. I'm just, it's going to be, I mean, wow, we are in for such a treat, America.
- [35:57]
A
My God, I can't wait, man. I can't wait. And if you don't, if, if you're thinking about like, I can't get to a USA game or I want to watch a USA game and something, I would strongly recommend having seen them in the Euros.
- [36:11]
B
Yeah.
- [36:11]
A
Find your way to a Scotland game.
- [36:13]
B
Oh, yeah.
- [36:13]
A
And they're not sexy. They're not that like, but their fans are insane. Insane. They had a hundred plus thousand people flood into Germany. Only 20,000 of them could get into a game. But Tim, they're just there and they're loud in their national anthem. And if you get a chance, man, try.
- [36:30]
B
I feel like, I feel like on one of our shows during the World Cup. I'm going to have to wear a kilt and a Scotland jersey. I play with a bunch of Scottish players, so I'm sure I can find one somewhere.
- [36:41]
A
Stu Holden was telling me that if we drew Scotland, he was going to wear a kilt during the. During the broadcast on Fox.
- [36:47]
B
Would be the first time Stu's worn a kill. He had a fancy dress party, I'm sure at some point.
- [36:51]
A
All right, let's move on to the. What is it? G through L? I can't how many groups there are. Okay. G through L, so I'll go through quickly. Belgium, Egypt, Iran and New Zealand. H is Spain, Cabo Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay, France, Senegal. One of the intercontinental playoff teams. Norway, the A group. I call this Argentina, Algeria, Austria, and then Jordan, Portugal, Uzbekistan, Colombia, and another playoff country from the non European. And then England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama. What stands out to you there?
- [37:27]
B
Let me ask you this.
- [37:30]
We have. At some point the. The experts will tell us what the group of death is. Is it. Is it Group I?
- [37:39]
A
Yeah.
- [37:40]
B
Or is it group L?
- [37:42]
A
Well, with a. If with a historically stronger Ghana, it could have been L, but I think. I think Ghana are not as good as we think because we have this, like, bad history with them where they always beat us. So I don't think they're as good. But the France, Senegal, Norway is insane, right? Yeah. In the intercontinental playoff, I don't know if someone, if one of you guys can correct us, my mind is fuzzy. But who that potentially could be. I don't know if that's a CONCACAF potential team or. Well, I guess it could be Iraq or Congo. I'm not sure which one. But if it's one of those teams, like, those are not easy games.
- [38:16]
B
Yeah.
- [38:17]
A
Iraq, Congo, like, either of those are not going to be easy games. So either way, the Suriname, Bolivia Rock group. So if that's Iraq, that's a much better team than Bolivia or Suriname. But, like, that's not easy either.
- [38:28]
B
No, that's not.
- [38:29]
A
It's not. It's not a given.
- [38:30]
B
That's my group of death, I think has to be.
- [38:33]
A
I mean, Senegal a really good team, and Norway really good. The England group is interesting too, because Panama are there and I was. I was looking down and Jaime Pinedo was in the room. A guy I used to play with, the Galaxy goalkeeper. Lovely, lovely human. And you're trying to read everyone's face, Tim, when you're in the room. And like, when. When you sit and watch it on tv, they'll panda someone. And they're trying so hard not to be super giddy or like super bummed based on what they just got. But Jaime, I could just see like his body slouch a little when they went into that group because it's like, God. And if. Go back to the graphics guys. The. To your point, Tim, I will give you some credit here. This group G, if you're Belgium, the amount of Belgian beers and waffles you're drinking tonight is insane because you are ecstatic. Totally. With this group. I was sitting next to Ryan Nelson, who's a former Kiwi New Zealand international and he kept saying, anytime our, our name gets called, someone's going to be cheering loud because everyone wants to play against us. It was so great. But then this is the flip side. Why can't New Zealand get a point or beat Iran or get a point and beat Egypt like Mo Salah has a bad day. They can. Absolutely. They could finish second. I mean, that is not far fetched. They're not a terrible team. So I said to him, I'm like, that's the best group you could get.
- [39:55]
B
Totally.
- [39:55]
A
That's the best.
- [39:56]
B
And the other thing is, the other part is, is I believe eight third place qualifiers go through. So like this is. Well, this goes back to what I was saying about the tournament being a little bit of a cupcake. But it's great.
- [40:08]
A
Yeah, you're right.
- [40:08]
B
It's great for that. Eight of the 12 groups I believe are going to get a third, the best third place finisher.
- [40:15]
A
Which means. Tim. Which means practically if you think through it, when these tournaments happen, there are some teams that go that are finished third with four points, but there are going to be a bunch of teams that finish with three points. So it means either you don't lose a game so you tie all and then your goal differential differentials even, or you win a game and you don't get blown out in the other games and you have a very good chance.
- [40:40]
B
To get through what you just said there. Half of these teams are currently talking about literally the coaching staff and, and the technical staff of these teams are literally saying we, we, we win one, we win one of these games. Scotland, perfect example, we win one of these games and we nick a draw somewhere or, or we lose, but we don't, as you said, don't lose badly. And then you go through. I'm looking obviously I always have one eye on England because I spent so much time there. And this is so interesting to me because this England group under, under Tuko Garris, well, Garrison Prior you know, got, you know, did well in the Euros, did well in the World cup, got deep in those tournaments and didn't quite get over the hump. And all my England friends always tell me that it's coming home. And so I'm really curious as to like, what this. How this England team fares. I always root for them. I always have one eye on them. Yeah. You know, it's a group that. This isn't for an England team. It's not about getting through the group. They should be in that group. But there's a lot of potential within that. Within that team. We know that.
- [41:48]
A
Yeah. Let's dive in a little more. We have a question about.
- [41:53]
What coaches are doing. So pop that up. So Robert said, curious what the coaching staff is doing. So you just talked about that. Are they reaching out to players? They won't be reaching out to players right now, but the coaches. My guess would be. Tim, tell me if you think differently.
- [42:09]
B
The.
- [42:10]
A
For the teams that were not the U.S. canada or Mexico, because we already knew where we were playing. We knew where we were playing before today started, but everybody else was in the dark. So my guess is there are a few things figuring out where we're playing and what that looks like, where do we want our base camp to be, etc. Because they probably had a few options just in case.
- [42:30]
B
Yeah.
- [42:31]
A
You don't want your base to be in Boston and you're playing your games in la.
- [42:33]
B
Of course not.
- [42:34]
A
Of course not. So they're figuring that out. But then I think they're doing what you just said. There are a group of teams, 10 or 15, who are like, we think we can win our group.
- [42:43]
B
Yeah.
- [42:44]
A
And then there are a bunch of teams going. If you're New Zealand. Hey, I mean, maybe we like to play this, like, progressive, open attacking play, but we're just going to try not to lose and we could get through. Right. And I think that's probably how coaches are viewing this right now.
- [43:00]
B
Well, it's that it's the. Believe it or not. And you touched on this. The training base is as important.
- [43:07]
A
Crucial.
- [43:07]
B
We've been there. Like, this is what people don't quite get on the outside. The training base, the players hotel, the proximity to the family hotel, the proximity to training.
- [43:20]
It's all. You know, when we were in. Right. When we were in Germany, we stayed in Hamburg and then. Which was amazing. It was amazing because it's a great city. There's so much to do outside. There's plazas. The family hotel was. Was a short Walk away. Right. And then we get to South Africa, and we're on a lot of these. A lot of the teams like us, we had these, like, reserves. I don't even know what they're called. Resorts. So you have.
- [43:45]
A
Yeah, no, it's a reserve.
- [43:46]
B
Like a hotel on a reserve. Everything's kind of enclosed. And by the way, the family. The family compound was, I don't know, a million miles away. So we had, like, one scheduled dinner with family. Right. And then Brazil was. Was similar where the family hotel was a block away. Right. But we were in Sao Paulo. So the traffic. It took us 55 days to get. To get the training. We trained for two hours and took us another week to get back. And so, like. So there's all these different. Different parameters, and that actually, because that's where you're spending the most time, that's so important. So the logistics of this is incredible.
- [44:20]
A
And if you think about. I didn't even think about this until you just said that. If you're in. I don't know if anyone's base would be in New York City or Atlanta or in downtown LA or whatever. Like, the traffic issue is very real, like Chicago or whatever. So, like, that's a very. That's very different than being based in. In Kansas City. Totally. I mean, it is. It's 20 minutes to training versus an hour is a big deal.
- [44:45]
B
And by the way, nobody's based in New York City. I. I'm from New Jersey, and I can tell you how far outside of the city they will actually be staying. 100%.
- [44:52]
A
You don't want your players, like, hanging out in New York City.
- [44:55]
B
No ch.
- [44:55]
A
I want to go.
- [44:56]
B
No ch. I mean, it could work. Could work. I mean, here we are. That's good. Good question.
- [45:02]
A
All right, so I guess just. I got your high level.
- [45:06]
B
I got a question for you. A World cup draw question.
- [45:08]
C
Yeah.
- [45:09]
B
So this was. This was your first World cup draw.
- [45:11]
A
Yeah.
- [45:12]
B
You had some legendary moments when you walked in with a full head of hair to the Kennedy Center. I think Landon's supposed to be here, but I don't know where he is. Did anybody recognize you?
- [45:22]
A
Tim? It's. It's such a great question, you know, when you, like, you don't really know it. I don't know a ton of, like, people in the Hollywood or whatever, but sometimes you walk by and you go, oh, is that. No, I think that is. And that look, like people would look at me kind of double take and stare, and, like, they wanted to say, like, hey, good to See you. And I'm like, hey, it's me.
- [45:45]
B
Like, did they start chilling? Are you landing in the skies?
- [45:50]
A
That's so good. It's. It's actually really true.
- [45:52]
B
Like, that.
- [45:53]
A
I did get that quite a bit. I love it. You know what? The hair is popping right now, Tim.
- [45:57]
B
It looks great, man.
- [45:58]
A
Like, let's just be.
- [45:58]
B
Let's say I'm jealous, but looks great.
- [46:01]
A
It was so great, dude, to see so many people. Like, Sunil was there. I saw Carli Lloyd and Heather Riley, and so great just to have so many people that love this game in the same room. And it was amazing.
- [46:14]
B
That's why I'm watching on tv. And that's what I said to Matty Freese. It's like, you have this opportunity to become iconic, you know, like, Iker Macias is my peer group, but he, he and Buffon, if you're a goalkeeper, they're the greatest. And so, like, I'm watching him get interviewed and I'm, like, getting giddy. I'm like, there's Iker Casillas, you know, or like Carly Lloyd, who's an absolute legend. Also a New Jersey legend, more importantly. And so, like, you know, you see her up there and then like Roberto Carlos and you remember these moments and you're like, gosh, it's incredible that, that these icons are who they are because of, yeah, they're club careers, but because.
- [46:53]
A
Of the World Cup, I just, I'm just, I'm just throwing out random thoughts now as you're talking about this and talk about icons. Like, it was a little weird because I don't think any of them really knew much about soccer. But, like, having Tom Brady. Shaq.
- [47:08]
B
Yeah.
- [47:09]
A
Aaron Judge, by the way, that guy is so big. Tim Unit. He is humongous. Because, like, Gretzky's not a small guy.
- [47:19]
B
Yeah.
- [47:19]
A
And Brady's a lot taller than I realized, too. But then Shaq walks out and he's standing next to Kevin Hart, and it's like. I mean, it's literally like standing next to a 10 year old because he's not being funny.
- [47:31]
B
I. I am taller than Kevin Hart, clearly. But when I, When I was doing television at some point, Shaq was in the same building and we share the same birthday. And I asked him for a picture and he put his arm around me and I was like, this is the same thing as me taking a picture of. My son was like seven at the time. I'm six foot two. Like, he was just like, bang.
- [47:49]
A
It was wild.
- [47:50]
B
It was. It was Cool. It was. It was cool to watch. I just want to. I want to riff a little bit about the US ld if I can, and you let us know when. When the questions pop up. But.
- [48:02]
I have a really odd. I don't know if this is, like, I'm buzzing for the draw. I have a really odd feeling about this U.S. team. Like, I think I. I think at their best, they're really, really good. I think they can be scary at their best. We haven't seen that. That's what we've. Everyone's been complaining about. But I look at it and I'm just like, I don't know, man. Like, as good. As good as that. You mentioned it. As good as that Netherlands team was in 2022 that we lost to. Right. Not that you can rewind, but if this current crop of players right now, as good as they are, I think they win that game.
- [48:40]
A
Yeah. Or they have a good chance to.
- [48:41]
B
Yeah. Yeah.
- [48:42]
A
I agree.
- [48:43]
B
And so that's what. That's where I start to go. And then if I'm saying that and they can win that game, bang. You're starting to get in later rounds of a World cup. And we talked about it with Matty. It's momentum, man. It's momentum you're going to get. And this is so hard to quantify. You're going to get a group of players, Right. Let's say they cruise the group. Hear me out. They cruise the group. You're starting to feel pretty unbeatable, right? You play a heck of a game. You perform over the odds, you win that next game.
- [49:12]
A
Yeah.
- [49:13]
B
Now all of a sudden you're like. Not that you're playing with house money, but you're just like, we feel great. We're performing. Why not? You start to get that why not US Mentality, and then you're dreaming about what could be. So I.
- [49:25]
A
And.
- [49:28]
Instead of 15 or 20 people. Million people paying attention now, 50 million people in our country, it's like a Super Bowl. Like, people are like that tuned in, like. And the whole country's. I'm getting goosebumps.
- [49:39]
B
Yeah.
- [49:40]
A
So the whole country's behind you, bro. And now, like, the sky's the limit.
- [49:44]
B
I'm. I'm telling you now. And I agree with you. I said this to Matt when we had him on get through that group. You start traveling, right? La, Seattle, Louisiana.
- [49:55]
A
Yeah.
- [49:55]
B
You hop on a plane and you go to the city. I'm telling you, man, it's going to be. You know how they. You know how. How the Netherlands Are with. With their army, their orange army. You know how. You know Argentina is for Messi and all the light blue and white jersey, that's going to be what it's going to be like for. For this. This US Team.
- [50:12]
A
I'm telling you, you're right and you're crazy, man. Tim, you know what else we avoid? I just thought of that, as you said, that we avoided. And part of it's by not being with the big boys because we were in group one, but we avoided, like, a crazy passionate type of opponent that has tons of fans in LA or Seattle. Like, imagine we had played Japan in Seattle, right? There are a ton of Japanese or Korean people in Seattle. Like, we avoided that. Yes, there will be Paraguayans. Yes, there will be Australians. Who knows if it's Kosovo or who. There's not going to be. It's going to be decidedly American, and that's a big deal. Like, we avoided that, too. And I. I'll just say this about. And then we. We'll get out of here. But, like, because now the spirit feels like it's back to what we are accustomed to as American players and now fans. There isn't a team in the world that if we are playing well and it's the spirit that we've seen in the last few games that we would say, we absolutely cannot win this game. There's not a game like, I mean, Spain are very good, but we would say on our day, maybe not every day, but we could win this game. And so that's why, like, I know we. We're. We're kind of. We're critical and we're hard on these guys sometimes, but that is very much a reality. It is. And I'm not drinking the Kool Aid because it's a good draw and all that, but, like, that is possible. And that's why we want. No, I want to see that.
- [51:42]
B
And listen, there's. I think. I think in all. All that, that we. Well, all that we are on this show and all that, the critics that are out there, I think it shows. It shows there's a reality to this. And we've said all along that, like, when you underperform, you will be judged. But the other side of that is when we truly believe that there's an opportunity to praise this team, to push this team along. We're absolutely in that boat, too. So, yeah, I'm excited. I mean, everyone's excited about this, but this is now becoming really real. And we also have to. We also have to let our audience know there's going to be. Right now, there's no. We don't have pathways. We just have groups. And so on next week's show, we will get to the bottom of, like, how that pathway works and who are potential teams that we can play and others can play.
- [52:35]
A
Isn't it exciting to be in a place in soccer, in this country where we're not just desperate to hope we get out of the group? Like, we are all assuming, and I'm not trying to put undue pressure, but that we are getting out of this group and most likely winning this group. And that's such a change from the past. And so now we can actually look down the road and say, oh, if we win, we play. If we finish second, we'll get this. And, like, it's so fun to watch. Like, it's. It's. That's what other big countries in the world do, for sure. Yeah. And we will. We'll recap all that that's happening tomorrow. So FIFA will put all that out tomorrow, and then we'll recap that on Tuesday's show, like you said. All right, man. Damn, it's cold on the East Coast. Jesus.
- [53:13]
B
Oh, it's cold. Cold. I went just. Just real quick. Yeah, I get. I get. I get in the car from my apartment. It's 20 minutes to the studio, right? So I'm chilling. I got time. I went half a block in 20 minutes.
- [53:31]
It's. It's Christmas. Rows are closed. I'm like, I gotta get out. I gotta get on a bike. So I went to the Citi Bike station. Get on a bike.
- [53:40]
A
No, you didn't.
- [53:41]
C
You did.
- [53:42]
B
I had to. I would have missed a lot. I would have missed our livestream. I get on a bike, bro. It's so cold. My hands, my face are frozen. I miss my. I miss my stop to, like, park my bike. I gotta go back around the block because I'm in. I didn't. I'm in Times Square. Any. The things I do for you, by the way. It's amazing.
- [54:01]
A
I appreciate it. It's because you appreciate you. Hey. Similarly, by the way, because. Because President Trump was there.
- [54:06]
B
Yeah.
- [54:07]
A
The amount of. I mean, the amount of security, Secret Service, all these people. But then getting out, trying to get an Uber was impossible, so I walked, like, 25 minutes to pick up an Uber.
- [54:18]
B
Did you? In the cold.
- [54:19]
A
These are the things I do for you. It's snowing. I love snow this morning. Damn, it's cold. Jesus. All right, let's get out of here. Thank you. All. Thank you mostly to Matt Freeze for taking the time. He had a long day, but so excited for him. We will be back with another episode on Tuesday. We'll break down all the weekends MLS cup final action. We forgot about that. Like, tomorrow, like, on planes tonight, going to Miami, I was like, oh, my God, I forgot about that. So. And then, you know, as things come up, we think more about the draw. We will. We'll talk more about it on Tuesday. But remember, as always, guys, subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your podcasts. Follow us at Unfiltered Soccer on all of our social media for bonus content.
- [55:01]
B
Yeah, we love, love the live stream. We know you do. Appreciate y' all tuning in, asking all the questions. One tidbit that I forgot to mention, I always want to call Matt Freeze Matty Ice, but we know that that's taken. He told me that I'm allowed to call him by his childhood nickname given to him by his brother, and it's Booger. So from now on, we're gonna refer to Matty Freeze.
- [55:25]
A
That's gonna go viral.
- [55:27]
B
It's a frightful way. Because he said we can do it.
- [55:29]
A
Let's go, Booger.
- [55:30]
B
Yeah. Thank you to our presenting sponsor, vw. Have an amazing weekend. We will be back next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.
- [55:38]
A
Go, usa. Go.
- [55:43]
B
Sam.