Scuffed | USMNT, World Cup, Yanks Abroad, futbol in America - #611: Monday Review — Transfers rundown, Poch cries, Galeano on the 12th man

Episode Date: July 21, 2025

Vince, Belz and Watke get back to the business of the Monday Review, working through a lot of the transfer news, and a few other things that might have slipped through the cracks if we hand't brought them up.Still working on this series about youth soccer. If you have a question about raising or coaching little kids to be as good at soccer as they can be......submit one for Jim Harte, former PE teacher and longtime high school soccer coach who founded the High School Champions League: https://forms.gle/R132rXppaqFdFenb8 Jim and I will be talking soon about the right approach to coaching little kids, how to encourage more free play, how kids learn and what they are looking for from sports.Or submit one for Mike Idland, a college soccer coach who's been a thoughtful and incisive email correspondent to me for a long time. We'll be talking about practical tips for how to run a U6 or U8 rec soccer practice, among other things: https://forms.gle/FhfMoFGxRV3rpNU69 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, it's full-on transfer season. If we learn anything from the Gold Cup, it's that everybody needs to be in a good spot, heading into the World Cup next summer, if we're going to have a solid tournament. I got Vincent Waki with me back doing the Monday review. Back again. How are you guys?

I have to say, I didn't realize how much I'd miss doing the Monday review. It's nice to be back with y'all. That last pie we did, it felt great. It was great to see Chris again. Now we're about to get back into our weekly cadence where I get to see Chris every week. I'm feeling already, I would say, spiritually refreshed. That's right. That's right.

And hopefully that passes on to our listeners as well. You know what, guys? I have my 15-year, 15-year high school class reunion on Saturday. And that was a great experience. The 10 year was, I graduated high school in 2010. Obviously 10 years in the future from that is 2020. We were unable to meet in person and have a reunion then. So the 15, it's our first one.

Had a nice turnout. A whole bunch of dudes I ain't seen in a people in general that I haven't seen it a long time. And it just felt great. There are a few things that I'm more proud. of in life than my high school. And, I mean, because, I mean, first of all, gave me my wife. You know, I remember my wife in high school. And so it's just like us together, seeing our friends that we still hold dear.

But, you know, life has taken us in different paths. You know, we don't get to see each other as often as we want to. But yeah, I just, it was a great time. Any friends you see that or people you hadn't seen in a long time that you really kind of impressed by? Impressed by? You know, this is like the kind of like who was the most likely to succeed. But who was the success? I don't look at it in that way.

I don't look at it in that way. Because and me and like a lot of the dudes that I was at the reunion. We talked about this quite a bit. because we've experienced a lot of loss, you know, of people that we went to high school we grew up with, a lot of people not there, you know what I'm saying? And so I view everyone, and anyone that, like, I grew up with when I, like, see him on the street or something, I always tell them, like, I'm proud of you because it could have went a different way.

You know what I'm saying? We all kind of grew up in a situation where, you know, we could have been sucked into a different path. And that path only leads to ruin, whether it is jail or death. You know what I'm saying? So I didn't mean to. My high school's way judgier. Way judgier.

Sound like my dad. I didn't mean to get all the way in it. But it's like, man, if you're not in the streets, I'm proud of you. I don't care where you're working. You could be at McDonald's. You know what I'm saying? Whatever. Whatever.

Like, I'm proud of everybody. But yeah. And I had kept up with most of the people that showed up. So it's like it wouldn't any big surprises as far as like what people were into now or anything like that. So it was just. But, yeah, that's one. Waki, you're pretty close with your high school friends too, right? You guys do like a annual.

Yeah. Yeah. I always have kind of who's impressing me. Who isn't? Yeah. Yeah. I noticed, I saw this isn't. my high school reunion, but I saw a picture from a relative's high school reunion. I didn't know

anybody in the picture. And I was just struck by, you know, in a group chat, I was struck by how different people's lives are, you know, in the same class, this picture, you have people that look like they stepped out of a magazine. These classes, people my age, people who look like they stepped out of a magazine, and people who look like they were. 75 years old, you know? Yeah. Same class. The paths, the paths do diverge

after time. They do, they do diverge, man. But another thing, I'm gonna get on my soapbox. It's the beauty, okay? Bells, I know you didn't go to, you didn't go to a public school. But. Yeah, but, but, but I,

but I don't have a lot of, like, big successes in my class, you know. I know it's hard for people to believe. Everybody thinks I went to like eaten or something, but I didn't. Anyway, enough about that. Go ahead. For me, this is one of my core tenets in my belief system is just public education. And, you know, a lot of people talk down on it on what it is now.

But Furn Creek High School in Louisville, Kentucky, a shining example of what it can be. Okay. A lot of different people from different backgrounds. you know, me and my wife should have never met, you know, but the only reason we cross paths is because that we went to this public house, you know, we're from two totally different socioeconomic backgrounds, whatever, whatever, and the only reason we cross paths is because of this. And, you know, just looking at the diversity that was president at the reunion and the diversity that, you know, experienced, you know, going through my high school years, you know,

Feren Creek, more than 50% minority in enrollment. And just looking at the, looking at the white people, they graduated from Feren Creek. They got more culture to them than when I compare them to my private school friends. You know what I'm saying? I love them all the same. I love them all the same. But like my wife, Kristen, she's built different. She's built a little different.

You know what I'm saying? I don't have to explain to her. Like I had to explain the bells. who Debo was. I mean, Bales hadn't seen Friday. You know what I'm saying? You couldn't walk through the, you can't. Still haven't seen it.

Sorry. Couldn't walk down the, you couldn't go through a class change without hearing a Friday reference in Frankry. And so, but anyway, anyway, I'm done with that, but, uh, talk about a spiritual reawakening.

Uh, I feel like I've had a few of them now. You know, Rome's starting it off. class reunion. I visited New York about a month ago. Yeah, I'm just having a few. I'm feeling really blessed. My cup is full.

You know, it's just you got to take account of these moments when you get them because they, they. You do. It's not always like that. Right. I need some, I need a little bit of spiritual refreshment. Maybe I need to make a trip to New York. But, you know, speaking of people from different socioeconomic groups, Tim Wea, the aristocrat, you know, maybe headed to Ligon, which is a broke, a broke league. But he, you know, he very intelligently, in my opinion, said no to Nottingham Forest, which was, I think, a good idea, right?

He said, I'm not going. I'm not going to that part of the world. Do we have a more confident navigator of the transfer market than? I don't think so. Yeah, I think he's very clear on what he wants. He's done well. There's some impatience in Marseille about the deal not being done yet, I think. I'm gathering, but it seems to be something that's going to happen, right?

Doesn't it? Sure. Not sure. Not sure. Vince isn't sure. Yeah, sure. I haven't been keeping up with the report and I haven't been reading the Keep. You know what I'm saying?

So, sure. One of us should become a transfer gossip reporter. It is so interesting like how, well, it's not that interesting. It's just true that one local newspaper, often how this works is one local newspaper report. something and then everybody else reports it. So you got to like, you run into the Roer-Nock-Ricton paywall or the, you know, the... I mean, I guess we're pretty guilty of relaying those. Yeah.

Thank you back. It won't be the last one we relay in this episode either. But Wayette to Marseille, I think that seems like it makes sense. I hope it gets done. We'll see how it goes. But, yeah, don't go to Nottingham for us. That's a terrible idea. And it's a new part of France for him.

Yeah. Southern coast. Yeah, right over there, not too far from Turin, really. I mean, maybe he could even just like, maybe he doesn't even have to buy a new house. He could, uh, you could get a little boat. Yeah. Y'all, is there anything in y'all that maybe wants him to try and pull a Weston?

Here. Maybe get a spot of UVA back. Sure. I feel better. I don't know if that's it. his would be his style. Yeah.

In the same way. Like, I, if you're ready to move on, I'm ready to move on, I'm on to big things. And I'm going to confidently manage the terms of my exit. And I'm not going to go there.

I might go here if you, if you work it out. Notting him. Yeah, Waki, I think you're right. That does seem to track with Tim's overall personality. He's not like... You have to be a little

unaware to be a Weston. You know? Tim might be like too worldly, too aware of his surroundings. And also just too aggravated when he's unwanted. You know, to really get over it. Like Weston is just like,

oh, they don't want me here, but I'm Weston. Of course they're going to want me here when they just feel my aura a little bit. He's been showing up to birthday parties. He's unwanted since he was four. Because he's just going to everything. Like, don't worry about it, man. They might not know me, but when I get in here, they're going to know me.

You know what I'm saying? Yeah. I'll show it out. And then when Tim gets any whiff of like, I'm out of the project, He's like, you damn right, I'm out of the project. I'm out of your project. You're out of my project. So moving on to another.

But before we move on real quick. We really got into that. They're pretty successfully. I think so with very little information. And thank God, because when I said, I said, I was like, I have no idea. This makes any sense. Waki, so you were disconnected right during the, I mean, I'll let you speak for yourself, but you were not as plugged in as you usually are during the time that you weren't on the pod, right?

And after our last episode, I had to show you the video of Juventus with Johnny Infantino in the Oval Office standing behind Donald Trump. I'm just wondering, did you have you dissected the video anymore? Do you have any main takeaways from the way our? Our boys conducted themselves. Just the big, big takeaway is how great and important the camera work was to that whole scene. It's so good. The way it pans over to Wes and Tim and then zooms in as Trump tries to get them to say something. He tries to go to them.

Sensation. Yeah, man. It's so good. It's like, I haven't watched VEEP. But, I mean, it's just like, you know, these, I don't even know what you'll call them. You know, these shows in the style of like Parks and Rec and the Office and all that stuff where like the camera work, where like the camera is almost like a character. Breaking the fourth wall. Yeah.

I wonder if that influenced the work of this camera person. Probably did. Yeah. You know, we're critical of our culture, but you know what? It can produce things like that. Really the whole scene. Yeah, I'm simultaneously critical of the culture and also really in a hog. It gives us some great moments, man.

Like Donald Trump being like, can I grow up on your team guys? What y'all think? The camera just slowly pans out. He's one, one, I have a reality show. Host. Yeah, I mean, it is the whole thing is a reality show. The incredulousness on West, like, man. It's just like, you show it to anybody, bro.

That shit is comedy. Sully reveals an incredulous Weston, a Tim, a cold, calculated Tim way of trying to figure out how to wriggle itself out of this position as efficiently as possible. I think he did an excellent job. Man. Well, my segue, my earlier segue doesn't work as well, but I'm going to try it anyway. You know, speaking of going to Nottingham for us being a bad idea, we should talk about Geo. I mean, that segue stopped working to the point of, I don't even think it's a segue at all.

It's just me throwing a big roadblock into the conversation, basically. Sounds good. Yeah. Well, RER, so I guess we learned something about segways there. Like, if they break down, they're broken. Did we? There are no partial segways. Rur-Nockrichton, the paper in Dortmund, reported about a week ago that L.AFC was the front-runner to land geo.

This turned out not to be true. Tom Bogart kind of put the kibosh on it. Said, no, that's not even, there are no active talks. I breathed a bit of a sigh of relief about that because I still think he should try to make it work over there. And then the latest lead is an intriguing one that he may go to Parma. So they just got promoted not this last season but the season before. So they've been one season in Syriot and they're asking for, I mean, Dortman's asking for 10 million euros. Reportedly, Parma only wants to pay $6 million.

This doesn't seem like an insurmountable difference. they should probably be able to work it out. Reportedly, Gio has agreed to personal terms with Parma. So that seems all really good. A couple, like a little bit of trivia on this. Number one, Claudio scored one of the biggest goals of his career for Rangers against Parma, against Gigi Buffon and Champions League qualifying in 1999. So, I mean, the number of important goals that Claudio scored is not a large number.

So he scored this one in the 75th minute to make it 2-0. And the first leg of a two-legged tie, they ended up winning the two-legged tie two-to-one. There's a great shot of Bufon just sitting against the post after Rana scores, just contemplating the universe. It was like a low blast through a defender's legs past Bufon. So that's one little Parma-Rana connection. And then a really important one is that the owner is an Iowan.

The owner of Parma is an Iowan named Kyle Krauss. So not only has Iowa given us some really important people in the soccer universe like Greg Velazquez, but now Kyle Krause. And so as some of you may remember, the Krauss family is the owners of, were the owners of a gas station chain called Come and Go, a major regional gas. gas station chain. That's how they made all their money. And Bill Krauss, the guy who started it, died in 03. Kyle, his son, sold all the gas stations in 2023. And now he mostly invests in Italy, resorts, wineries, football clubs. He's also the owner of the Des Moines Menace, the lower league team. And he's the one trying to bring USL to central Iowa. So I really want to get, I'm just trying to get Kyle on the podcast, ask him.

to tell them to get Gio some playing time. That's a real 180 from gas stations to Italy. Yeah, this is kind of how the Nouveau-Riche work, right? You make a bunch of money and you want to get... I always thought of the gas station rich is too down to earth to get involved in that Lake Como. But I guess I don't know that many gas station rich. Yeah.

I think that, I think there is probably some desire to bring Cuth to the, to the, to the, to the family fortune, you know. Some refinement. Yeah. All you're doing is contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and obesity. You got to move, you got to move on to something else. I've got a, I got a nasty convenience store habit. Do you? I'm a big, nine convenience store person.

Me too. I hold you. We got a chain here in Louisville called Thorntons. I mean, it's, I think it's like in this general area, kind of. But very nice, very nice, convenient store. You know what I'm saying? It's, it itself has some cuth. You know what I'm saying?

I mean, you know, most of time you go in a convenience store, it's like, I need to get out of this place as soon as possible. No, Thorntons, you might want to spend some time in the Thorntons, you know. You can walk around. You got room to walk. It's clean. It doesn't smell bad. well you know that describes it might be hard to believe because the name is so jarring

but that also describes come and go it's a really nice gas it's it's a really nice gas station doesn't it sounds it sounds really sounds rough it does sound rough you tell me i don't want to go in coming go i'm like i'm not i'm not i'm not i'm not i'm not pulling up at all yeah yeah it's it's good though um and the city of Parma, halfway between Bologna and Milan, famous for cheese and prosciutto, of course. Can't wait to make a visit. It's a city of 200,000, so pretty small. But I do, I mean, I think we all, does anybody disagree?

We want Chio to do this and settle in in Syria, right? Yeah, he should definitely do this. Now, I do got to say. I do got to say Gio has found itself in a nice position Um Well he's found itself in a position

Okay Now usually when you use When you describe clubs You know they have their own little prefixes that you can use Right A mid table club Champions League club

Parma is none of those Okay this is a They're trying to get to mid-table in Syria. But, you know, bottom-of-the-table Syria-eye club, Gio bought for six-mill, plus two million in add-ons. That's what I've been seeing. That's what I've been seeing so far. I don't know where his contract situation is, so maybe it should have been more or whatever. But

when I see this deal, it's just they got Gio on a prove-it contract. You know? And I'm not saying he will not prove it. but once again, I'm just trying to relay the realities of the situation. I mean, if it don't happen here, he's going to end up in L-AFC is coming up very soon. If you don't get a crack in it. Yeah, they'll be running wind sprints for Steve Chorondola before the, before 12 months is up. So, yeah, I mean, it just is what it is.

The G.L. backers have faith. I don't know how much faith I have right now. I just need to see it, man. I feel like the European market, you know? The market has spoken. And I feel like them, you know. I'll throw a little $6 million flyer out there. I've sold plenty of tockis and Doritos.

I got that. That's chump change, baby. But, yeah. But yeah, now it's on him to prove the show improve. You know, like, I guess the most optimistic Gio fan would hope for just somebody to come in really splash some cash and be like, yeah, all y'all that said, Gio was cooked. Look at these very smart people that run this club, this very successful Champions League club or whatever.

Like, look at all the faith they had in our boy. Yeah. This is not that. This is not that. But once again, I'm not saying it to. The market has spoken. The market has spoken. It's a different sort of situation for Gio.

He's not the big guy at the big club now. if this deal goes through. He needs to go there. He needs to grind. He needs to help the club move forward. Most of all, he's got to stay healthy. Fingers crossed. Or whatever is the issue.

Right. I'm excited to fix whatever is the matter with you. I'm excited to see it. I mean, as far as with all the other stuff, puts it aside. You know, he got to land a spot where, you got to land a spot where, you would assume that if there's still some, if there's still some Giovanni in those bones somewhere, that he will get a lot of PT,

get a lot of goals and assists. Also, he's in Syria. You know, they've been up in the run in athleticism, quotient in Syria a little bit lately. I don't know if y'all have noticed. Because, like, even, I think I remember a few Palmer games, especially against Milan, they have a decent amount of physicality they can put around geo, if I remember correctly. Like, these mid-table, lower-table teams, they're pretty physical, like watching Como play last year.

Hellas Verona, Parma, like, these teams, they got some thump. They'll bring it to you. They seem to have invested in, you know, people of African descent. I love this, but particularly in these mid-takes. lower table teams and so but but still but still it's still Syria and so as far as like top five leads goes he's found he's found if the legs are cooked he's found the best place where you know your legs could potentially be cooked and still cook while having cooked legs but even but I mean if his legs are if his legs are truly cooked then you know it's over basically but if we if he can

find it in himself to cover ground, fight for the crest, and find a little dog in him. That's what I'm looking for, because the quality's there, obviously. I've talked all the way around this one many times. Should we go back to the Ultras invoking the gods? Yeah, just because that we have found ourselves in Italy and, I don't know, early returns. I don't know if I'm speaking out of turn here. But early return shared to me from Mr. Adam Bells tells me that maybe we will be making our way back to Italy in 2026.

I don't know. Still a work in progress. Yeah, yeah, very much. A little work in progress. But this has brought up an opportunity for me to read this passage that was shared with us so graciously by a Discord user, Messiah the Dawn. Because, well, just let me just give. people of the context, because if anybody missed it, Vince, Vince perceived a religious battle going on in the, in the stance, particularly at the Copa Italia final, right?

Bologna was, I mean, it was both, all three. Well, I made the original point after Latsio Uve. Okay, yeah. Yeah, yeah. But the Bologna one, and the Bologna Ultras were winning the battle against. Yeah, it proved true in like every game that we went to after. Yeah. Well, yeah, that's religious battle going on, right, between ultra groups.

They're doing these chants, whatever. And I think it's maybe it's because it's Italy specifically where they have religion just woven into the fabric of the country, of course. But it seems to me when you're in a stadium and you're hearing both ultra groups going off that basically it's an appeal. It's an appeal to a higher power for the higher power to show favor over their team so that they may get a result. in this match. And in every game that we watched in Italy, the team that won the battle won the match. Lazio Yuve was a draw because the Lazio and Yuva supporters,

they brought themselves to a draw. You know, Bologna, Copa, final, Bologna blew A.C. Milan out the water. Roma, Milan, Roma, blue A. A.C. Milan. line out the water again. Their supporters were protesting or something. Yeah, in both games, right? Anyway, despicable.

You doomed your team to ruin. Help your team. But anyway, so, Messiah the Dawn, great podcast listener, heard this theory that I had. And then it turns out this was, this is written in book. This is written in book. So he shared with us a section from the miracle of Castel de Sangro, a book from a book from 30 years ago. And the passage reads like this, La Salvesa salvation lay on the line. There was not one among us who did not believe that he or she could win it for us.

If only the intensity of our cry was sufficient. God would hear and he or she or it would grant us not a miracle in this case but simple justice never before had I been so aware of the Tophosi those are those are the fans

as being collectively a mythical extra man on the field there had been cacophony from the start but now it was as if each of us felt that he must replace Remedio who was a a player on whatever team is talking about,

and could do so through sheer force of will or at least volume. The fan knows, Galliano writes, who stirs up the winds of fervor that propel the ball when it sleeps? And so we did. The winds of fervor that propel the ball. That's Eduardo Galliano, Uruguayan soccer writer. Probably one we should explore more. Yeah.

I guess you were right, Vince. I don't want to go into the self of grandizing. I'm showing some restraint. No, it is. I mean, incantations is the right word for what you witness in those settings. Should we start reading soccer books? Probably should. Maybe start a book club.

It would be fun. Messiah at the Don actually suggested this, that we should read the Miracle Club Castelda Soundgrow as a book club thing. So maybe we kick it off with that. It was such a great passage from the book. I'm excited to read it. But as I think about it, because soccer is such a mystery, right? What a mystery it is.

Yeah. And, you know, talk a lot about the fact that chances are made to be missed a lot of the times. And we're just dealing with, and we're just basically hoping for God's favor. that one of these chances goes into the net. It's just things like this to help that help decode the mystery, I think. Maybe as we go on. So I think we do. What we can do is we can read books about God.

Yeah. Okay. Bible. Start with the Bible Club. Yeah, everyone's going to love that. It does, it did seem to me, particularly in that, Copa Italia final that the tug of war was displayed on the field

you know that tug of war between the ultras like you just they just pulled that goal over the line because it was like kind of a scramble right and Doe

and Doe kind of ends up with it and they just kind of pushed it over the line it felt fitting let's take a break we'll be back in a minute all right we're back we got more transfers to talk about so let's start with

Josh Sargent here who is close to an official move to Wolfsburg, according to a couple Wolfsburg-based outlets. I mean, there might be a little bit of waffling on this one because I think the coach, Leah of Norwich City, Liam Manning told somebody in the Norse City press that he was going to have Sergeant for another week. So I don't know, maybe this isn't going to happen, but it's like roughly a $20 million transfer fee is what they're talking about.

And Wolfsburg has a new coach. His name is Paul Simonis. go-ahead Eagles, and some have already called him the Gouda Guard. The Gouda Gordiola. Which is a reference to his Dutchness and his baldness, I think. And I don't know why anybody, nobody ever called Beralta, the, you know, what, the cheddar Guardiola? I don't know what's a famous American cheese.

I don't think there's a cheese. American cheese? Other than that. There's not really a cheese that's characteristic enough. America to make you really need to be from Wisconsin to yeah there's no alliteration either

right there's a lot of American cheese is the one that you that's in like a little plastic slip right I mean what he's from New Jersey yeah what it called the pork roll pep

does that work is that a thing in New Jersey pork roll? pork roll Taylor ham I've heard this is a big With that one it sounds like we're describing Kind of a

Bigger-boned man Yeah true done I mean If this goes through Sargent is Sargent is gonna be planned for a manager who wants him A new manager who wants him

So this is a good This is probably a good thing So I don't know Any thoughts on Sergeant, Wolfsburg? I've never liked their colors. Me neither. I've never had a place to say that. I don't see how signing Sergeant is going to make me like them any.

Any more, anymore. You are a big Kevin Perides guy, though. Yeah, man, what I was saying? Kevin Peridus, Josh Sargent, same team? They're a way ugly shade of green than the Wolfsberg green. in my opinion. Yeah. It's a highlighter color.

I'm always against a highlighter color. But I don't, I'm not going to die on that hill. Peppy has the number nine shirt now at PSV. And Luke DeYoung is, I think, all but gone. But Pepe also has a new competition at Stryker and Einhoven. In Alassan play, playa. Is that how you say that? arriving from Baruchel-Munchin, Gladbach, where he scored 11 goals last season in the Bundesliga,

which is nothing to sneeze at. You know, it's a pretty good return in the German first tier. But Playa is 32, and Pepe says he likes the competition. I think that's good, he said. There must always be competition. It keeps you sharp, and that makes you a better player. End quote. And I don't know.

Pepe maybe got benched in a private-friendly. According to Daniel Smith, maybe he struggled against Stuttgart's centerbacks and this private-friendly. We've learned not to take Dutch benchings too personally. No. They're going to throw those around. I think that was an official match report or something.

Okay. I mean, like, it wasn't, I don't think it was Daniel Smith saying that Rico struggled against the Stuttgart centerbacks and it got bitched. I mean, which I guess it would be notable of Daniel. Smith said it too because obviously we want Rico to not struggle against Duke our centerbacks

but yeah I think it was like a news or media outlet or something that had it you know how Daniel will be procuring the yeah he's I mean getting that Google translator There's a halo that comes on information Daniel Smith's information even if he's just relying

totally there's value in that it's stuff I would never see otherwise that's the thing It was just, yeah, large value. And it makes it truer. Because Daniel's so even-handed, too. You know, he's almost never agendizing, it seems like. Yeah, correct.

He isn't only in this sense that the great philosophers had an agenda. Right. He did, he did have an assist in the first half, and Desk played 60 minutes in this friendly. Baligan also not in the squad for a couple of friendlies for Monaco I mean we don't want to spend too much time thinking about all this but yeah

Make I injured again Uh oh So yeah that's what's going on with him right now And then big pets Officially going to Derby County Darby County sorry And maybe he's a little bit hurt now too Had a hernia

You gotta get surgery man Which I don't know. My co-worker, like right after I heard the news of Pat having a hernia, I came into the office the next day. And my coworker was like, I got a hernia. And I don't know what that pain is like. He said it was pretty painful. I'm also kind of confused on how it happens in general. which it's like what it's like your

your groin coming through your abdominal cavity or something crazy so I mean Pat you know much maligned USMNT striker it was you know played all through the Gold Cup whatever you know he was carrying a

carrying a little bit of a knock as he knocked the ball around with his feet but um I don't know what did you think of big Pat What do you think of Big Pat, Chris? I'm disappointed to hear he's being maligned. Yeah.

Oh, yeah, he's... I'll say that much. Done been maligned. Yeah. He's one of the great... Like, already, this early into this career, he's one of the great USMNT lightning rods. I put him on the Rushmore already.

That's a shame. I was really rooting for him. I'm still rooting for him. Yeah. He was pretty bad in that Mexico game. But I won't add to the malignancy. You got to throw out the bad games with these guys. Just focus on the good ones.

Get rid of them. There were other, I would say, well, we don't have to get into it. There were maybe other bad games from him, too. So that's, I guess, mostly it for the transfer rumors news that isn't quite settled. Stuff that is settled is, which we haven't really had a chance to address on this show, yet is Malik to Leverkusen. That's official. Contract through 2030. Transfer fee of $35 to $40 million.

It's nominally tied for the largest transfer in buyer Leverkusen history. Even when you adjust for inflation, it's like number two. two all time. He's the replacement for Florian Wirtz, the golden boy of this German generation, now at Liverpool. These are big stakes. Leverkusen is the clear number two

in the league headed into the fall. Javi Alonzo is off to Real Madrid. Tillman's manager is going to be Eric Ten Hogg, which brings a little bit of the stench of Manchester United into the room, which isn't great. Tillman versus the meat grinder of the Bundes League is going to be a fun thing to watch this season. And Circle November 1st on your calendar, that's when Byron

Munich hosts Leverkusen in the league. I think allegedly they got like busted in a scrimmage. They play somebody. It was like 5-0 or something. I saw that this past weekend. I don't know. Eric Tenhock doesn't fill me with the... The same confidence.

The most confidence. Yeah. Yeah, but sure. But, you know, that's, I mean, that's going to, we're going to have to be tuning into the Bundes League a big time again. I know, I know the Scali lads have been there. They've been staying there watching Baruchia Munch and Glabok. But I think it's going to be a little bit of resurgence, especially if Sergeant makes the move back to Wolfsburg. No, come on, man.

Well, I know Kevin Pratt has been hurt, but. He didn't hardly play all season. Yeah. Y'all should have been watching Wolfsberg when he was playing, at least. And also, I don't want to apologize to Derek Ray real quick Just for our pronunciations I mean, you said,

you said Florian Wirtz here I mean, come on. We haven't been that detached from the Bundesliga in these past two, three years. It's Florian Verts. I mean, you see the German W. You know what time it is.

You know what time it is, maybe. So, Wolfsburg, et cetera. Verter, Raymond. But yeah, you know what? I didn't say this about Josh now. I think about it. But, you know,

with the rumors that were going around, with like lower tier Premier League teams or just now promoted Premier League teams or whatever. I was like, I don't know. It was mystifying me a little bit. I was like, surely all these goals he don't score in the championship, got to mean something to somebody.

Mm-hmm. Around, you know, the world. And these top five leagues or whatever. So, yeah, 20 mil and dollars, right? 20, I think I said, like 28 million euros. or something like that. That's kind of what I expected for Josh. Because a man's been, you know, he's been pulling up trees.

Yeah. In the championship. And so just those rumors of the teams he might go to, I was just like, man, come on. This is just, it's nasty, nasty work. But the universe is making it right. It's making it right. Yeah, one other thing about Josh for me is, like, if he gets a good, run, I think he'll deliver.

You know, when he gets a good run of games, he delivers goals. So I feel like I really want this move to get done. And then it'll be all roses from there. Johnny's move to, Aletico is also official, also reportedly about $35 million. We got any thoughts on the midfield competition for him, Vince? So, Rarigo-Dapal has transferred from Athletico to Madrid to Miami, into Miami. For people that have watched Athletical Madrid over any of the past, I mean, what, 10 years at this point, I think you should know, they play at 4-4-2. So, Rariggo-D-Pal is gone.

They still have Kokei, who even at the ripe old age of 33, played like, like 2,500 minutes last year. And then Pablo Bados started 41 games for them last season. I think maybe he might have got to about 3,000 minutes. So, and really that's the main competition for Johnny and that midfield, those two. And, you know, I think Kokeh getting up there a little bit. So Johnny, I think we'll initially start to rotate, work himself in. But he'll have to do some work, you know, to really,

actually put cocaine on a bench, I want to say. But, because he's not going, he's not going to go gently until that good night. Club legend. Club legend for Athletico. I mean, I just went through his footmark page. I mean, come on. Titan. Yeah.

Really been there for this whole era where they've really really come up in the world and establish themselves as, you know, a big, big, big club. two things coque's real name is horre resurrection merodeo so maybe a good place to start if you want to start a bible club and then uh Jose resurrection to have resurrection in your name and have confidence to drop it

yeah yeah he doesn't even need it is in the way everybody calls him and then um it doesn't have to be Bible club we can also so just read about the Apostle Paul all traditions all traditions yeah

yeah he Cardoso stuff I think is the most interesting which one is the most interesting Catholics yeah there's a lot going on there we'll kind of do medieval we'll talk about it later

you know what we know one of my aunts my aunt and uncle are missionaries in the Basque country Protestant. I don't know why I didn't assume they were. And they visited us this summer.

She's from Puerto Rico. He's from the South. And I was struck by it. She spent like 10 years in Galithia, which I was like asking her about Luca Delo Torea and everything. She didn't. No, I'm just kidding. She didn't really.

She's not that big of a soccer fan. But she did say, I thought this was fascinating, Speaking of the interesting things about Catholics, she considers a lot of the, a lot of like the, the pageantry and the traditions of Catholicism in Spain, especially Andalusia in the South, to be cult stuff.

She's like, where did all these virgins come from? Thousands and thousands of different virgins. She's like, this all goes back to the, this all goes back to the pagan rituals. She had no time for it. No time for it. Get her in the book club. I was like, where's your ecumenical spirit?

Marita. But she has no time for all that. Antipatist. No nonsense. I'm glad to see some of that's holding out. Yeah. She's like women will be like shuddering and, you know, hysterical on the street as this, as this float about a certain virgin goes by.

She, I know, she. We'll have to get. some Catholics in the club to balance out. I know. You know what? I think she's right, though. I don't think about it. She got a point.

Yeah. But syncretism is just a part of life, you know? It's all, like, all the religions are, all religions are, you know, feeding off of other religions. Tradition. Nah, but, but I mean, come on, man. It's like having multiple Jesuses. Right. Like, how, like, how do I work?

I don't know. I don't, I don't understand it. I don't understand it. How you end up with many, many, many virgins. I mean, there's, I guess there's jokes to be made about that. They all had kids? Is that what they're telling me? I think so.

I actually don't know. I just thought she was. See, this is, I don't know enough about the story that involves so many. I've never heard of that many virgins. I don't heard of waiting in heaven. I'm worried about sending this thing sidetracking this podcast even more. Because I feel like I need to understand what's going on here, but there's no time. This is why we need a separate book club.

Let's tell her she's right. The more I think about, I mean, you know, I'm not. Yeah. I wasn't going to argue with her. I mean, I've never been there. I can officially say that. I mean, they're taking the piss. You know what I'm saying?

I mean, how many versions are we talking about? Thousands. But, yeah, come on, man. Come on, man. At least several hundred. That's nasty That's not I mean

All right Because they do a lot of that You know They got the Camino de whatever They're like the walk The trail that people go on For the That goes through

The Basque Country to Galitia So she's She's seen a lot of that stuff Um Pulisic Why do they even need missionaries In the Basque best country.

I think she and my uncle view, Catholicism has basically lost everybody there. That's their view. Going back to Franco and World War II. I mean, these are evangelical. They see an opportunity. Right. But they also just don't think it's good.

They don't think, they don't think, they don't think of them as good. Right. Oh, to be, okay. They think not only is it Not only is it not good It's it's It's lost everybody You know

Except in Andalusia where the women still shudder And I don't know man Dude The Catholics You know I'm not going I'm not going to say

Catholicism is a really big thing You know There's like different kinds of Catholicism And Yeah A couple more things we got to cover Before we get out of here Pulisic

I guess he He had maybe some overtures from Saudi Arabia and decided against it. He wants to stay at AC Milan now. Luca Madrick just signed with them a few days ago. Madritch. So that's good. That could be good for Pulisic. And hopefully he stays.

I know they were talking about maybe signing Granite Jaka, too. which I mean granted jacca and luca in the same midfield I'm I'm there yeah I was already going to be there you know well actually you know I can't say that

because if it's just pulley playing no Eunice I have to say I'm a I'll I usually catch out on White Scout yeah I used to catch it on Wildckel I can't lie to you Matric is how old now 37

39 he's 39 Hey, media news Stephen Goff has taken a buyout at the Washington Post Damn We lose a reliable source If not, much of a ball knower Oh man

Got to speak the truth He's getting lionized on Reddit right now Like he's a legend He's a legend He's a legend of telling us what the roster is Two minutes before it's announced publicly Man That's tough

That's tough But I mean Big picture the ranks of the independent press Continue to shrink The independent press covering soccer Yeah for sure Wall and golf easily The two most high profile guys

I mean Bells you've seen it I've seen it Waki you've seen it too Shit He's a big dog in that press room man Yeah he always gets the first question It's never a very good question

but he does always get the first question. First question, front row. You know what I'm saying? Right there in Cameron's eyesight. They'll come back around to him for a second question. Oh, yeah, for sure. I think he asked perfectly good questions. Well, they're fine.

They're not that bad. No. I mean, he got a job. His job is not, you know, What is his job? To get in the weeds. He just got to get his gamer done, man. I think he's fantastic.

Submit it by the deadline. Potch was in tears after the loss of Mexico. Did you guys see this? It's a bit much. Is he making it up? Is he performing? Pretending? It's a blurred.

You know, it's all blurred together the lines on this stuff with him. That's a good way to say it. Like, does he even know, like, what is pretending? What is not pretending? Yeah. But that's the thing, though. That's the thing about being Argentinian. Like, in a moment like that, you're just going to cry.

Now, are we going to, we can't assign our normal, like, meaning to it. You know, the weight has to change as far as how much sadness we assign to Potch crying. Pott's just crying because that's what Argentinians do. You know what I'm saying? I think that's as part of it where it's like, bro, you know, I'm crying, but, you know, this is just, we lost a final, maybe. You know, I don't know. I'm a, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a, I'm a shed a little tear for you. But, but like I said, this is just a, this is a reflex in a way that, yeah, you just can't assign too much.

Okay. Meaning to the tears streaming down his face. I've shifted, but based on what just said there. I think we've just never seen someone cry over a. gold cup before. Yeah. Like you kind of got at. We don't know what we're looking at.

We don't know what's going on here. We don't really like it that much. But when you put it that way. Yeah, you take this picture, show it to an Argentine person. I'd be like, oh, yeah, yeah, man, it's a final. That's what you do. I share some tears. He's heard the rumors, you know what I'm saying?

I'm sure. cameraman lets him know every time that Adam Bell's questions is ball watching. So, you know, he's like, I got to, let me play it up this one time. Yeah, I mean, he does, he, Potch and scuffed are a little bit like, you know, America and the UK and that there's a special relationship there. Thanks to Sanjay. True, true. Sanjay has laid a lot of good groundwork with Mauricio.

Is that Tom King in that picture looking a little bit like John Malcovich in the background? I was wondering who that is myself. I think it might be. I don't know. So I guess let us know what you think of the tears that Potts shed in the locker room after the Gold Cup final. Man, how you feel about Beyond the Cress nowadays? days. I don't know if it's like if I've become jaded or something, but I don't know. They're not hitting the same notes for me.

Granted, to be clear, I haven't watched this one where Potch Cries, but yeah, I don't know. It's a brief spasm of emotion, you know. He pulls it together pretty quick. But, yeah, I don't religiously watch the behind the Crest videos. Go ahead, Chris. I think part of the issue is so much of the. narrative structure of that show was set without him saying he was doing this but by Burhalter

what was his theme for that week and that was his way of controlling that production because he has to control you know got to control everything so that's how he controlled the pine of grass we've lost his creative vision

for the show understood Because it would do that Whenever he was talking about That creates an episode with a theme You don't really think he was thinking about that No I don't know

I don't know Burrhalter is You know more or less succeeding In Chicago They have more points already this season Than they did last Already And they're the best team in MLS on the road

according to Alex Calabrese. You've got to check with him. Especially with the Chicago reporting. Yeah. It's not a fact that he's shameless Homer. He is. I mean, he's got, he's a little bit like us with the men's nationally because he would, doesn't he have like a, it's seeing red, isn't it? Or men in red?

It's his blog. I think it's men in red. Yeah, men in red. There's some other stuff from MLS to talk about, but I don't want to talk about it. You know what? But just real quick before we get off Calabrese, I just want to say, like I told you all, listen to the GEO episodes. I just want to say, big shout out to young Calabrese for coming through in that first one.

Yeah. His contributions were invaluable. Yeah. We would have ended the episode because none of us would have been on Instagram during, you know. Oh, yeah. He read the statement out loud, right? Yeah. We wouldn't have known.

We wouldn't have known, man. Calabrese was the one Kept us abreast of the 29 situation Man, what a good time 29, where's he at these days? Influences waned, it seems, it's gone quiet. All right, I think that's it.

Hey, thanks everybody for listening and we'll see ya.