Scuffed | USMNT, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America - #343: World Cup Debrief — Wales a day later

Episode Date: November 22, 2022

Greg, Watke, Vince and Belz continue to celebrate Weah's goal, talk about Gio's health, mourn the two lost points, and try to cover the waterfront as the US starts to prepare for England.----Scuffed is an ad-free podcast. Support that and get exclusive episodes (more than 50 this year) by signing up for our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scuffed Skip the ads! Subscribe to Scuffed on Patreon and get all episodes ad-free, plus any bonus episodes. Patrons at $5 a month or more also get access to Clip Notes, a video of key moments on the field we discuss on the show, plus all patrons get access to our private Discord server, live call-in shows, and the full catalog of historic recaps we've made: https://www.patreon.com/scuffedAlso, check out Boots on the Ground, our USWNT-focused spinoff podcast headed up by Tara and Vince. They are cooking over there, you can listen here: https://boots-on-the-ground.simplecast.comAnd check out our MERCH, baby. We have better stuff than you might think: https://www.scuffedhq.com/store Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the Scuff podcast, where we talk about U.S. soccer. Hey, everybody, we're about 24 hours past the 1-1 draw with Wales. There are still pieces to pick up, and we play England in three days. And lots of other stuff has happened in the world of soccer. But first, let's enjoy a bit more what was an absolutely lovely goal from Tim Wea. First, the call in French. Now I'll play the one in Spanish real quick. And here's a quick one in Portuguese.

Here's a quick one in American. We've got to 10 minutes final time of the time of the first part of Policich. Policeich, attention, Timothy, Weh. Yeah, it was a great goal, wasn't it? We got to keep enjoying it. So, go ahead and play the sound bills. I'm proud and excited. The wife and a son,

See what we are. That's George, his father. Greg, how you feeling? How am I feeling about all of those audio clips we just heard? Well, well, first of all, are you proud and excited? I am very proud and I'm very excited. And was it the French call, the Magnificique? That's Magnificique, Americon?

Yeah. That is something else. And I feel like we need to harness that clip for constant use over the next. seven to eight days. Magnificent American attack is what he said. I believe. What were you going to say, Waki? Well, I was thinking you were going to

then play the English one so we could compare and see, you know, what direction we need to move in. Ooh, I can play a little bit of it. It's not English, it's American. But I can play it real quick. Oh, yeah, American. Yeah, let's play. I could just listen to those all day.

We would just do all of the languages. I don't want to. Well, the American one is the least exciting. I don't know. Maybe it's just familiarity breeds contempt, but here it is. Musa, Sergeant Polisic on the run. Polisic has way out. Polisic Roads and it.

That's good. That's good, right? Imagine how good that would sound in French. Yeah. Sounds better in French. I think we've established that. I think that's the disadvantage. I just think maybe.

I don't know, the speakers of these other languages have a greater handle on their language than we do in our like sports commentating culture. You know what I'm saying? My thought is, you know, the real masters of play-by-play and color commentary in American sports, well, I mean, the real legends in that vocation are baseball commentators. You know, like Jack Buck and Harry Carey. Vin. You can't leave all Vin. Vin's goalie, yeah, I guess. The Dodgers, whatever.

Yeah, but we can't compare there because we don't have, you don't, I don't think any of us have a good, uh, familiarity with French baseball announcers. What if the French baseball announcers are doing it even better than Harry and Vin and Jack? Man, I think that's possible.

Yeah. It's at least possible. That would be discouraging to find out. I bet the Venezuelan baseball broadcasters do it better than the American ones. I don't know. Let's try to pick up a few pieces from yesterday. The geo-health question. Waki, where do you stand on the health of Gio-Rena?

Well, my sense is he's not healthy, which I dislike. Is that what you meant by stance? Yeah. Well, you know, people are saying, you know, there's a fair number of people who are saying, because Gio said he was 100% healthy. He said, I'm 100% as reported by Jeff Carlisle. Therefore, it's a cover-up, and Burrhalter decided not to play him. Oh, yeah, that doesn't make any sense.

Greg Velasquez, you've been in the trenches out there. What do you? Yeah, it doesn't make any sense. I mean, it totally doesn't make sense. It is quite literally impossible to believe. I mean, Raina and Morris have both been available for the U.S. at the same time in the last six months, the last World Cup qualifying window.

I think Raina came on in the 60th minute in the Azteca, and Morris came on in like the 86th. Raina came on at halftime of the Panama game. Right. You know, I mean, like, Raina has very clearly been well ahead of Jordan Morris, in large part because Giorina is much, much better at soccer than Jordan Morris. And it basically all facets of the game. So, yes, I mean, I don't think that there's really any question in my mind that this decision was not a soccer decision.

I thought C.G. Salerno on the Discord put it nicely, said, yeah, highly unlikely that there's a clear black and white answer regarding GEO's health. Most plausible scenario for me is that Greg thought he was at significant risk to aggravate his hamstring if he played. and also thought that Acosta and Morris were acceptable options given the opponent and game state. And I guess that's where you could disagree with Burrhalter. Well, I just like first off, when you're looking at it, it's like, okay, he didn't start. So right off the rip that I feel like that's telling you that he's not, or somebody believes, whether it's Greg, the training staff, whoever, that he's not at 100%. because otherwise that man would be starting he tweaked it in the training exercise or scrimmage on Thursday right that's what it I think that's a theory is that confirmed uh yeah I think Greg said said that's when he felt that's when

geo initially felt the tightness that's a term they're using tightness the tightness that's what a lot but they capitalized the and tightness like the tightness like it's coming to theories this fall A thought that occurred to me this morning is, what if we had just moved Sargent over to play on the wing late in that game? Would that have been better than bringing Jordan Morris on? Did it even matter by the time Jordan Morris came on? I'm saying bring in, say, bring in Wright or Ferreira, but Wea and Pulisic were totally gassed.

Move Sargent over to Wea's spot, maybe. I mean, I'll just like the whole thing on fire right now and say, If anything, I just feel like we should have brought Jordan Morris on sooner. Like, I'm sorry, but like, a fresh body is what we needed. Jordan Morris is a big drop off from a healthy, fully 100% energy Tim Wea. But that's not what we had out on the field. We had like, could barely walk Timwaya. And so at that point, it's like at 75 minutes, at 70 minutes, like we probably should have brought on a new body.

And if Jordan Morris is the only option we have on the bench, then I think that's what we need to do. The only other like a wrinkle I could have seen would have been bring Luca de la Torre on in center midfield and move Aronson out to the to the wing. Yeah. But again, we don't know how fit Luca is. We know he's not, he's not fully fit either. So it was kind of this, we're working with incomplete information.

But I don't think we needed to like go out of our way to not have Jordan Morris go on the field. But I feel like that's sort of the. almost like a baked in assumption in the conversation. I mean, I'm not sure I agree that we shouldn't try to go out of our way to keep Jordan Morris off the field. Like, I kind of think we should. I don't think he's very good. So I agree with that.

I think, you know, one of the things we were saying as the periphery of the roster was being dissected to death was that if we have like an injury, like to Geo Raina where he's not available, then the next step is to run. Waya and Pulisic and Aronson in those spots until their legs fall off. But that's basically what we did. We ran them until their legs fell off at the 70-minute mark, and then we left them in for an additional 18 minutes. So it was kind of nuts that we were still relying on those players into the 88th minute

when they clearly had like nothing, nothing, nothing left in the tank. Yeah. Still, it was cruel the way we conceded that goal. cruel that we didn't get three points. I feel that more strongly than I did even last night. Yeah, I just watched the game back today. And, I mean, like, Wales was not going to create a goal. They just weren't.

We're not, I mean, almost disinterested in doing so. Even in the second half, like, they, you know, there was a little bit more threat and then territorially. They had us like under the kosh for a little bit, but, there just wasn't there there just wasn't going to be anything coming from from disappointing yeah I thought if they were going to get one it was going to be that their giant getting like a header which you almost did a couple of times right and then um like a set piece from distance I didn't think they would ever have the ball in

the box long enough to actually draw a penalty kick so that wasn't on my mind yeah and also that's another thing I saw looking back at it yeah my like Kellen it's a it's a It's a bad look for Kellyn, who I think maybe was actually all right for like the rest of his cameo, but getting beat to the spot by Aaron Ramsey right there on that throw in. No can do. Not good. Credit to Wales for really keeping that ball close to that line in several different spots in the lead-up though. So many freeze frame photos out there.

Do you think that was an intentional ploy from Wales? else to bait us into arguing an out of bounds call. I think it's the type, I think it's the type of thing you try to do, expect knowing that you're only going to nail it 3% of the time and they just hit it out of the park on this one. So yeah, they got us. They definitely got us. We were still talking about it after the game was over.

Yo, so how does this, uh, so how are y'all feeling today after a sleep? You know what I'm saying? Like, how y'all feeling? Blindly optimistic. Yeah. That's how I'm feeling. I just revert to optimism on this kind of stuff. And that's where I am.

I think we could get a result against England. We're going to beat Iran. Things are going to go our way with Wales the last two games. I see it as a huge good because it's just a huge potential upside against England. Oh. You know? Yes. You know.

Not a whole lot of downside because in my head, you know, I got pretty down, you know, after that well, else game. So it was like, well, we're out. It's over. We're already out of, you know, so all that can happen is suddenly we beat England or whatever. And it's like a thousand Christmases. Right. So I feel good. Well, it's, the thing is, watching the results today, Argentina losing to Saudi Arabia, Mexico and a goalless draw with.

Poland, Denmark, not able to score against Tunisia. And now Australia goes up 1-0 against France and then flashes one over the crossbar before France gets the equalizer. You know, it's a crazy tournament. I'm worried seeing all those games will keep England alert. Oh, no, they won't be paying attention. Yeah, that's the English spirit. Well, did you see Gareth Southgate referred to this game as the game of all games?

He did? The Game of Games. Like the King of Kings or something? Yeah, it was like in the post game of the first game. He called the USA Game, the Game of All Games. Well, he said it the game. I wish I knew the exact quote. I think he was talking more about how it's going to be a big spectacle.

This has been underreported, but we invented Brexit. You know what I'm saying? England was just following our lead. So it makes sense that he sees us as a, as a mountain that needs to be climbed. We invented Brexit. I believe that. It seems like we could invent anything.

We're Americans. But I didn't know that. Look at Watkey playing ignorant on, on like, manufacturing like, uprisings in other countries. Yeah, I was, yeah,

I've obviously done that. I saw some funny Welsh tweets about Gareth Bale being the greatest British player of all time. I've seen that conversation a few times Really? A few times Which I have to say Like whatever

He might be He might be But the fact That he got the man of the match The Budweiser man of the match For just You know Falling over in the box

And making a pen I don't know It don't sit right with me It don't say right with me He's not a great player anymore really But He was Greg, I don't think we got to answer from you, man.

How you feel? Well, I was going to say I feel better than Argentina fans do. But to be honest, I don't know if that's the case. Argentina are still pretty, going to be pretty likely to go through on account of them being a pretty good soccer team. I don't feel that great, to be honest. And it's not that I think we're like necessarily worse than we were before the Whales game, before we saw the Wales game.

But it was a really high leverage game to get out of our World Cup group. and winning it would have been huge to accomplish that and drawing it. For me, like again, we had a big discussion on the pot about the group dynamics. I'm pretty worried about it. I'm not saying we can't beat England, we can't get a result against England

in a 90-minute soccer game. But we didn't look great attacking against whales. We didn't create chance after chance. In a game where we were sort of seeded the ball, where we had the ball for long stretches. hopefully like we we actually get a little bit better of a setup against england because they might be a little bit more open because they're a better squad than whales but no i don't i don't feel great uh about our ability to advance from the group i'm excited to watch the team play in the world cup still for at least two more games where we will definitely be alive mathematically but i don't i don't feel great about our chances to get out because i just feel like it's it was just a really high leverage opportunity uh that went begging And I definitely, I think, framed that in the passive voice. Fair.

But how do you feel, how do you feel, Vince? Hey, look, I'm here for a good time, not for a long time, baby. We go again. We go again. It don't matter. Look, there are issues with what's going on. There's fitness issues. There may or may not be, you know, tactics issues, chance creation issues.

I don't care, man. It's the World Cup. I'm going into every match like we're about to beat the other team 10-0. It doesn't matter me. Like, after the game was over yesterday, I was frazzled. My mind was everywhere. It really killed me. But then once I slept on it and woke up and thought about it all, I'm just happy that I can feel those emotions in the first place.

You know, that's the great thing about soccer is the fact that, like, like, When things do go wrong for you, it can be like just the most excruciating gut punch. But at the same time, it makes you feel alive. I feel like I want to capture that, Vince, for when we announced the 11 on Friday, if McKenny's not available and Dest isn't available and Rain is not available because I feel like I'm going to need some kind of a boost. That's the other thing that I worry about is all of these players who look like they weren't necessarily just exhausted, but might have real injuries

McKinney in particular and if Raina and Luca weren't available what that means for our options to start a match on Friday so I want you to remind me of this about how it's just a chance for Kelan Acosta to cement his legacy that's right

that's right yeah rumors of our rumors of our health of our great health going into the World Cup I guess turns out It's been exaggerated. It's been exaggerated as it. I don't know why we believe that.

There's no. We were like, everyone's healthy. Like, sure, that makes sense. McKinney hadn't played a game in like a month. Luca De La Torre had been ruled out for four weeks. Dest had barely played for the past month. Desd finally got one half. We're like, yes, everyone in full.

I didn't even question it. Clean bill of health. Hey. But it's okay. and miraculous recoveries in these three days. They're in hyperbaric chambers. Each of them, we're going to be ready to go.

We're going to be ready to go. I mean, you know, the beautiful game, it gives, it takes away. It gave me that 10 way of goal, which bells hit the sound one more time for me. Yes, sir. Just give me a second. I'm proud. I'm excited to watch my son,

Tim We are. And really, it just comes down to that. every match I'm proud and excited to watch my son Tim Wea. So as long as you give me, you tell me there's two more guaranteed opportunities to do that, then I'm up. I'm up. You know what I'm saying?

So let's go. Yeah. I guess we're not allowed to say this on this podcast because it's a soccer pocket. It's also just soccer, you know. It doesn't really matter how much. Yeah, I mean, that too, that too.

Yeah, that's my thing on Twitter.com this morning is I'm so tired of everybody like talking about quote, the narrative or the agenda or whatever, you know, it's just soccer. What are you talking about? Can't we just diagram one play like on a chalkboard in slow motion from eight different angles and talk about that? Yeah, that's what we're doing. That's what we want to do. Isn't it? And you guys want to come in and bring in all that. There's about a thousand different ways you could you could do that diagram.

Extreme diagrams. There's a lot of different ways, but I guess everyone just prefers the more sometimes acrimonious version, not involving diagrams. Diagrams only from here on now. All diagrams all the time. Diagrams and George Way of Soundbites. That's the thing that makes like soccer discussion so great. is like you can literally say anything quite literally say anything

in other sports that just like isn't the case they have a lot more like discrete events you know like in baseball you got to pitch you got to swing did you hit the ball did you not hit the ball and soccer is just like you can say Tim Waya doesn't take on his man too many like that's not something

that's really that big a part of his game and somebody else would just be like oh well I feel like it is a big part of his game and then you just sit there and look at each other right it's a blank slate almost in in some ways there's there's no vibes based pinch hitters is what you're saying in no no uh the playoff time you know true that true that you have vibes but yeah the math the math is just too damn good in those other sports you can't yeah I mean to the point where you can't really argue with it and you have to walk The playoffs is

kind of what makes like NBA and baseball in particular. They kind of bring those sports back to life because then the math doesn't really matter as much. But anyway, we're getting off topic. No, I like that. I like that topic. It does seem to me like soccer.

You can kind of say whatever you want about it and there's a sort of plausible plausible nature to it. The thing is, if you disagree with somebody, either, you know, don't listen to them. Just stop listening to them. Or, you know, disagree with them if you care about them, if you care to, like, sort of engage with their point of view. But just constantly just ad homonyming the shit out of everybody is, I'm tired of it. I had somebody get mad at me for talking about Christian Pulitzer yesterday.

And he was like, why haven't, I went through your tweets. You haven't said anything about Walker Zimmerman. I was just like, I mean, you have to give fair time to every player on the team. Yeah. I mean, number one, my like, my heart was in my throat for like all those moments leading up to that 10 in the first place. So I was like, I was just. down, I was just down bed. And like, what do you want me to say?

Like, he shouldn't have did it. I don't know what. Yeah. Nothing to analyze it. Yeah, Walker's, Walker was a bozo yesterday. And he, I don't know, how, what level of banishment should he suffer as a result of that? I don't think we should banish people. Maybe he, maybe he shouldn't play in the game.

I don't know. Who is going to, he probably should. Yeah. I guess he should, right? I think you just have to tell him to knock it off. Knock it off. Yeah, that's what we do. Like it off.

Lock it off. Playing the game, we're not banishing you, but you bet you better knock that off. Yeah, I don't know how many. Yeah, I don't know. There you have it. There you have it. Would you, uh, I don't, I don't know. I'm not the biggest CCV guy.

But I guess maybe we could put him in there, but yeah, I don't know. It was just, it was just a play that he'll, that he'll won back. and just say he joins the the pantheon of Oguchi Anyahu knock running into the back of a player for Ghana

Carlos Bokanegra getting all turned around also against Ghana four years later we just we have a history of centerbacks not quite being able to get through a tournament

I'm just very hopeful that we again can can get back to give our centerbacks a chance to screw up in the knockout round like that's where I want our centerbacks to get us eliminated is in the knockout round. Fex. Fex.

And another thing about this match, it seems like we left a decent impression on the non-sickle watchers of the World Cup, just based on my timeline. And, you know, people from other walks of life that don't usually pay attention to soccer that tuned in. I'm like, I think, you know, I think we're, I think we're, we might be gaining some ground. That's all I'm saying. Yeah, I'm glad you brought that up. I want to play a clip from the Alternative Wales podcast.

Here we go. Because that first half couldn't carry on the second half the way it was. No. No, and I think if they had carried on, I think it could have been two or three if they just kept breaking us down. Because like I said, I don't think it was their ability to break us down. It was the fact they didn't let us play. And I think that forced someone like Joe Roden to look worse than he is

because he's the man taking the bull from the goalkeeper. and you just didn't know what to do with it because it was just no space it was no options. Yeah, there wasn't much movement either. It was there. No. I'm just playing that to say

that the, I think Welsh watchers of the game were impressed with the way the US played in the first half. Well, partly, they were impressed by the art keeping them in. Yeah.

They weren't impressed with our cutting edge in the final third, no. Which, yeah. Which is kind of important. I'll acknowledge. knowledge, but that our ability to deny them, you know, any ability to play out. Yeah.

It's good. It's a good thing. It is. We had it nice and locked down in there. Mostly had like Josh denying any passes to whoever their six was, was Ampadoo, I guess, was the learned person trying to receive the ball from the centerbacks. But, you know, we kind of, yeah, had a lockdown. It was, I don't know.

We played, we played all right. And I guess like, go ahead. What did, what, what were you seeing in your timeline from the non-sico crowd? I think a lot of people came into the match, maybe like apprehensive or with the, you know, with the predetermined notion that we suck or whatever. And like half time and further, you could, you could kind of see the tide turning. And everyone was on our side, you know, go go. USA and also

being like I don't know passionately caring about the players and the people on the field you know I think it broke past just the shirt

I think part of it what it was because I was watching with some people who don't watch soccer we were just passing the ball around a lot so that means it like you know

we looked like we knew what we were doing Right. And like seriously though. Yeah. That's like a big deal. I heard somebody talk about this on some pod, but it was like, yo, when you when you turn on the U.S. men's national team, you just know that we aren't the best team. In the game. Yeah. Yeah. Even if you see your first soccer game, you're just looking at us and like, you know, you want to poke us with a stick because it's like, bro, what's going on here? You know, we might get, you know, the thunder bastard from Jermaine Jones or something. but for the most part yeah we we kind of look like whales looked and we flipped it yeah I watched with a non-sicko my cousin and

that was basically his thought he's like usually when I watch the US we're not the one with the ball and no yeah yeah and then you know Tim Wayas scores a goal which also can't hurt

yeah for some reason my family was saying that and I explained them that whales just doesn't want the ball right now. I don't know why I even brought that up. Yeah. Not doing a very good job to spreading the gospel. Also, just to go back in reference these historic recaps, we got Tim with the Stevie G finish. Yes, exactly. You know, at least we're not goalless like Mexico.

Yeah. Yeah. How about Ochoa, though? No, no, we're not giving any props to Oh, come on. Players of L3 on this podcast. I'm sorry, I can't do it. Well, we've got to give props to Ochoa for that stop.

It was great. Y'all can. I'm not. Okay. I mean, you know that. I mean, you heard the stadium, but they have 40, 50,000 people in that stadium. And they still lay.

a dud, a dud. I mean, like, hey, I'm on Mexico's head for the rest of my life. Like, I don't, the,

the soccer team, okay, just to make sure, you know, don't nobody get no bright ideas. I'm just talking about the soccer team. Another Mexico dud didn't score a goal. You'd love to see it.

Greg, you want to, I was just going to ask Vince, do you think they're getting out? Do you think they're getting out of the group? Well, they're going to the thing is

I feel like Poland and Saudi Arabia is just a guaranteed draw almost so I guess them four points they would need a so Mexico would have to yeah beat Saudi Arabia I mean it's possible

they can definitely still get out but I don't know I don't know we're polling for Saudi Arabia They're going to pull up to the stadium, though, with 50,000 fans. So one of the likely they might get out. They might get out. But they're going past that?

No. Nope. They lack cutting edge themselves. I think it's fair to say. Anything else on Mexico from you guys? I don't really care that much what happens with them. I'm kind of rooting for them, I guess, in a sort of academic way. I'm just going to say I love Mexico, but I'm actually.

just cheering for chaos in that whole bracket now that Saudi Arabia got that result. So I just want to see the final day of just pure desperation from all four teams. There we go. That'd be cool. Nothing is better on deadline day than like desperate teams, especially when both teams in the same game must score a goal. That is the best scenario in global soccer. Fair. You don't get it too many times.

Speaking of desperation, they're feeling it in Argentina after that loss to Saudi Arabia. And it was, I think it was even more cruel than, well, it was very cruel to Argentina. They won the XG battle 10 to 1, not including the three goals that were called offside too narrowly in the first half. And then they got the penalty from Messi and then Salé al-Sheherdi got an equalizer that brought to mind the Marco Urrana goal for Costa Rica at Red Bull Arena. You guys know what I'm talking about? probably not yeah from the 2018 cycle

yes the one where he the one where he he he hit it across um Tim Howard and then

uh Salem Aldosari scored the winner somewhere in like the 50th minute let me play the Arabic call because it's making the amount it's not

the goal hasn't been scored yet still hasn't been scored pretty great top tier top tier in the in the air in the air because when they are they saying Allah

I don't know I wonder the same thing but I don't know the answer does either of you guys know I don't but I never lived in Saudi Arabia hmm sounds to me like they are but I don't I don't know

that you don't I never been to a soccer game in Saudi Arabia yeah I was about say you didn't get out and go to one it's not only the type the thing that people from outside the country are encouraged to go to. Okay, fair enough.

Fair enough. But yeah, let's throw our Arabic speakers and the pantheon of top tier, you know. Yeah, play-by-play call that's up there for sure. Yeah. I do wonder if it's just more fun when you don't understand what they're saying.

It could be that. It could be that for me a little bit. I don't know. I mean, it's the repetition or the like

the repetition of the the la if there are saying I don't know what the hell they're saying I'm sorry I don't speak Arabic but so you get that

you know what I'm saying you get like when you the goal and the Spanish speaking is just like iconic and then I might throw a galasso at the end and a whole bunch of words

I don't know and when they showed the replay of the way goal on Telemundo, the announcer said, ke golazzo, ke hugara, which is, I love when I hear that.

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. You got to throw a little, throw a little something on it. Like, we just get a Wea, uh, and just continues on until eternity. And then John Strong's voice breaks at the end of it. Yeah,

I don't know. It's okay. I don't want to hate on him. So how do y'all feel about, Have you watched a Landon called game? Yes. How you feel about it? Fine.

I don't. I'm fine. I'm not as critical of him as most people are. Okay, fair enough. Landon Donovan is the all-time leader and goal, both goals scored and assists for the U.S. men's national team. That's the key. That's what I would. That's all wrong.

This is compared to doing live play-by-play or color commentary, this is like what we're doing right now is a cakewalk. Yeah, I can't imagine how hard it is. Oh, that's why. Yeah, yeah, like extremely. It's like borderline impossible. I did it once for an NPSL team. I was the color, I was the color commentator. It was, I was so exhausted and embarrassed by the end of it that I never tried to do it again.

It was horrible. When you think about it, how hard it may be a reason to hire someone who's done it more. Yeah. You know? But I guess. And one thing to remember is they don't get to watch the game ahead of time. Like, they're just watching it.

Yeah. That's what it would be a lot of people. I often forget. Yeah. They're reacting in real time, trying to measure, trying to like equalize, like how much energy to give and how much space to give the action to breathe.

I don't know. Yeah. No, no, no, no for sure. It's definitely super, duper hard. And I was, I was thinking about that when I was watching the video. You'll see the video of the play-by-play guy at LAFC when he was calling the bell go. And like the call was just flawless. Like he, and he's going through like every player that's touching the ball as well as like who's marking them.

You know what I'm saying? It's like, bro, how do you have that control over the entire soccer pitch of what's going on as it's going on. Like even when I'm, you know, even when I'm watching a USA game at home, sometimes I might get like a player mixed up or something, but Roe just did it perfectly.

I'm going to hypothesize that sometimes amphetamines are involved. Hey, I mean, I wouldn't put it past one. It's hard enough that it, that you might need a boost. Need a little boost. Yeah, if I'm sure of anything, it's that geo-reina was unavailable yesterday due to fitness.

and that most color commentators are on amphetamines. Denmark drew Tunisia, and we're not going to talk about it, I don't think, unless anybody has any thoughts. That was another goalless draw this morning. France, Australia is kind of making up for it this afternoon after France went up to 1, Mbapesta. I mean, I won't call it a sitter. It was flashed across the six, and he slammed it over the bar. And then Australia hit the bar on a header right after that, or the cross. or the post.

So I guess, you know, the universe is coming to equilibrium there. Do we need to talk about England, Iran? Joaquin Vince, you guys haven't had a chance to weigh in on that. Well, really, I just want to, I just want to say, like, like, everyone's, like, you know, basically, like, writing off Iran for the rest of the tournament. And, you know, I mean, it's not out of the realm of possibility that they can get a draw with whales. So, you know, I would just, I would just maybe pump the brakes on them being just absolutely terrible. And let's see what happens.

Can we talk through? I apologize if you already did this. What are the results we want? A win against England and a win against Iran. Great. Okay, good. Thank you. If Wales draws it on, is that good or bad?

That's my question. What do we? Then we just, I mean, like, and assuming that England doesn't lose to Wales, then we'll just have to beat it around, which may or may not be difficult, but I'll take those odds. The resident math nerds in the Discord, dope island who's running his model, I think, just based on Elo, ratings. I think his model says that we definitely want a Wales-Iran draw Friday morning. Like that's a much better outcome for us than either team winning.

Okay. Okay. Great. Fair. Yeah. That makes sense because if Iran wins, then they just need a, they need to draw against us. That might be difficult. But it doesn't matter.

Yeah, right. Exactly. We're going to beat England and we're not going to worry about it. There is no way they're going to be as clinical as they were in that game against Ron. Yeah. All those goals were so nice. Very nice. Very nice.

I mean, like, Saka's first one was just absolutely ridiculous. Like, if they pulled that out against us, then we just got a tip of hat. Because that type of quality is just, we're not going to match it, unfortunately. Well, we'll get out of that. I mean, if they hit their shots into the same spots on the net that they did against Iran, then it's just more opportunity for Matt Turner to show what he's got as far as you brought that up. So, you know, all they're asking for there is, I mean, maybe if they, if they, if they shoot as accurately as, as accurately as they did, then they might escape with a one, one draw. Yo, that's what we need right there.

We need, this is Matt Turner's, this is, this is coming out party. this is coming out party on Friday Let's go Yep It is coming Can't wait I'll buy that too I think I think we

I think the game plan is going to be Defend first I think it'll be kind of like a throwback To the Mexico games Defend scrap Especially if McKinney can't go And you have to bring in like Kellen Acosta is the third center mid

Or Brendan Aronson either way Scrap your face is off Lockedown Defenders So pull names out of a hat Who can be locked down defenders. If that's CCV, bring him in. Matt Turner is quite good. And we get out of there one-one with a late Giorina goal. Yeah, it'll be interesting to see if Raina starts. Like if the, yeah, what that sort of not black and white calculation was for a halter. A couple other things.

news came down this morning Atlanta United hired Garth Lagerway. Not World Cup related, but pretty interesting. Loggerway is, I guess, sort of broadly viewed as the best GM and MLS, right? Yeah, like, definitely. Like, by far in a way, I think.

From what I understand, the things that he's able to do as far as, you know, having a grasp on all these complicated roster rules and whatnot, he's like a magician supposedly and and I mean the the success speaks for itself yeah and a magician is decidedly not what Carlos Bokanegre is so I wonder what he's up to next up he he won an MLS cup like his second year on the on the job like he's got this league figured out fair enough it was all downhill after that though and he makes players disappear from U.S. rosters

he's probably pretty good at his job too if we're honest but um who Carlos I don't know no yeah I was about I was about to say I don't think he is I mean he he they definitely landed a great team and I get

maybe I shouldn't be using the passive voice there but then they actively torpedoed that team and did not make it like in any way shape or form better or even like seem to be building towards something better and like a little

They're supposed to be one of our, I guess, one of our super clubs eventually. Or I thought they were like on that trajectory. No such thing as a super club when you got a single entity. Yeah, yeah, fair enough. But look, man, they're supposed to be one of those ones holding the standard, a standard bearer. You know, on the level of, you know, Seattle. LASC has become that. Anybody on the East?

NYCFC, of course, Philly. But, you know, they've sunken down. But the fact that they've made this pool just shows a sleeping giant that Atlanta United is. Yeah. They do have a big fan base and a big stadium and all that, so there's stuff to be leveraged.

Waki, you got any kind of closing thoughts? I do have one. I don't, you know the studio show on Fox? Mm-hmm. Kind of in this big open public area on a pier or something or a boardwalk. And it seems like there's supposed to be a bunch of people hanging around because they do this big wide shot. But it's always just a handful of people milling about. And it's really, it's starting to bother me.

I was actually. Go ahead, Vince. Go ahead. Okay. So I was just watching before we hopped on to do this. And they were like Zoom. zooming out of the studio. Yeah.

And there was a shot of some Senegalese people like dancing. But then, and they, you know, they just had the camera close up shot on them. They were doing that thing. And then for some reason, they panned out to a wide view. And then it just showed that it was 15 people. Yeah. On this big walkway, nobody's there. Don't do the big pan out.

Yeah, I don't know why they did that. It's like they planned it. Like, we're going to have it here. that's going to let us do this big reveal pan out. And then when there's no people there, they didn't adjust it. Or maybe they like it. Maybe they like the aesthetic of it. But I'm really struggling with it right now and just needed to get that off my chest.

The people are not excited to hang out with Alexi and Carly Lloyd. That's what we can take away from this. Well, they don't even get to, they should just let people come onto the set. There's few enough people. let's make this more informal, just come hang out. Let's make this a weird show, you know? Yeah, they should. That's not how it works, unfortunately.

What else? Well, set pieces. If we could get some return on investment from our set piece coach, that would be nice. Oh, yeah. Waki, somebody wanted you to answer the question, who are our top three set piece takers. This was specifically directed at you. Yes.

What I mean? Giorina. Mm-hmm. Like a shot? Could be either one, I think. But I think service into the box is probably the more relevant. I guess Aronson. I'm just saying people who take them.

So I don't know. Raina, Aronson. They feel like Pulisick isn't really, but... No. He'll probably be taking some. it would be nice to get a free kick against England. We didn't really get any of that against whales. Yeah, I'd say it's Raina and Acosta,

and then there's nobody else, really. That's my opinion. You know, Ferreira takes his set pieces for FC Dallas. I feel like it's weird that Ferreira's just totally, like everyone wanted him out or the lineup, and then he didn't play, and then it was like, we didn't actually ever pass the ball into our,

we barely ever passed the ball into our forward. And it was just never, like, no one is wondering if maybe Ferreira would have, would have improved our ability to connect and hold on to the ball. Yeah. I guess I'm guilty of that too. I'd like to see a way I just do his hard shot. I go out there and just hit it.

Don't even worry about it. Yeah. I like the hard shot idea. He got passed up when he was streaking down the right wing a couple times. Or else we might have seen it. And also, it brings up another thing. I feel like like,

we didn't create much, right? But I feel like there were just multiple opportunities for like wingers and attackers to do something and they didn't do it. Whether it was like get to the end line, nobody tried to get to the end line.

I don't think Tim really had the greatest opportunity to or else he, you know, he loves the end line. But we opted for the more traditional cross instead of trying to get to the end line for a cutback. And I was frustrated. The bad crosses.

The bad crosses. Yeah, I will say Pulisic did get to the inline a couple times. And, I mean, he didn't, nothing really came of it, but he did get there. And also, just one last thing. I talked about on the calling show, but Brendan turned it around and passing the ball. when he has it in the box one-on-one with somebody. I just, if Wes is hurt, I'll be fine with him starting, and I think he may be able to do a good job,

but that was frustrating. Why are you passing the ball? Yeah, this was when it was 1-1, and we're pushing for a goal, or at least theoretically pushing for a goal. And you had to see, if you go back and watch it, like his whole body language, it was like he received the ball and just didn't even think about taking this man on.

He didn't want it. He was playing hot potato. And then is... When Tim Wea doesn't get past to, he doesn't do bad body. He doesn't, you don't see him complain. No, I kind of wish he would. He's just getting ready for the next ring. Yeah.

It's commendable. Can you imagine the remonstrations from Giorana if he had been passed up in those situations where... Oh, can I have. be just beautiful. Oh yeah, that would have been proud. He would have fallen face first into the grass.

He would have put on a show for sure. For sure. And you need that balance, don't you? Don't you need one guy doing the way and one guy doing the arena there in a game? Yeah. You can be in big trouble. Yeah, for sure.

Hold up just a second. I'm proud. I'm excited. The wife and my son, seen we are. As always. eternally, eternally. Thank you, George, for that gift.

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