The Daily Show: Ears Edition - USMNT’s Berhalter vs. the Reynas, A Tribute to Pelé & The World Cup Final with TDS Soccer Experts

Episode Date: January 8, 2023

The World Cup has come to an end, but feuds off the field are just heating up, especially between former USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter and Danielle and Claudio Reyna, parents of snubbed U.S. soccer player Gio Reyna. Daily Show writer Joe Opio and lighting designer George Gountas, our in-house soccer experts, break down the drama and even make their casting picks for the Hollywood movie that will surely come out about this. They pay tribute to the Brazilian soccer legend Pelé, Joe recaps his trip to Qatar with royalty, and George fills us in on why he almost missed the World Cup Final.   Follow Beyond the Scenes from The Daily Show: Watch full podcast episodes: dailyshow.com/beyondSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hey everybody, Jon Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart wherever you get your podcasts. You're listening to Comedy Central. Hey, what's up, everyone?

I'm George Guntas. You love The Daily Show for its incisive political commentary. But did you know that The Daily Show offices are filled with super soccer fans? I'm the lighting designer here at The Daily Show. And the only thing that I love more than the beautiful game is my wife and kids. I'm joined here today by Daily Show writer and super soccer fan, Joe Opio. A pleasure always, George.

It's been a few weeks since we last spoke, Joe. There's so much going on in the world of football. How are you doing, my friend? I'm doing great. I'm well-rested. The batteries are recharged. We are back. It's already a great new year for soccer fans all over the world. We had a great past year, so I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good. Nice. I personally am having World Cup withdrawal. You know, after the whole tournament was just fantastic. The final was just box office. What a game. I mean, you know, after Argentina goes up 2-0 in the first half, you think it's going to be a comfortable win. After 75 minutes, France decides to start playing. Kylian Mbappe scores a brace in two minutes to force extra time. Argentina strike first in extra time, but then a late Mbappe penalty forces penalties. Drama in the penalties. Martinez was fantastic, and Argentina prevail, putting a cap on a wonderful career for Lionel Messi.

There's just so much to unpack here. Let's dive straight in. What are your thoughts on the game? Wow. Boy, first of all, I'll agree with you, everyone. I think every soccer fan is having a very, very terrible World Cup withdrawal because the season restarted, but people are not yet as willing to get back into club football,

having witnessed how magical the World Cup can be. But yeah, we are slowly getting back in. My thoughts about the World Cup final, greatest World Cup final in the history of the game without a doubt. A see-saw battle. And as you said, you expected it to be a stroll in the park for Messi and company. But wow, what a

protwist at the end. I don't think any writer in Hollywood would have scripted this any better. It was full of dramatic protwists. It was full of drama. It was full of dramatic plot twists. It was full of drama. It was full of intrigue. It was full of tension.

It was so tense that at some point, it stopped being enjoyable. And it almost turned into a soccer version of culture. Because I think from the 78th, because of course I was rooting for Messi, I'm of the view that football owed Messi a World Cup. So from the 78th minute up to the end of the game, I wasn't having fun.

It, I think it might have shaved 10 years of my life expectancy. That's how bad and how tense that game was, like towards the end. But, you know, in hindsight, one of the greatest, greatest games, without a doubt, I've ever had the pleasure of watching. Of course.

And what also made it fantastic was it was huge performances from the biggest players. Messi with a brace, Mbappe with a hat-trick, Di Maria put in a man of the match performance. Then also Martinez, the goalkeeper for Argentina. What a personality, what a character. Yeah, yeah, for sure. So, you know, it leaves you wanting more international football.

Like you said, we'll get some more of the club football later. But you, Joe, were living your best life in Qatar, rubbing elbows with the likes of David Beckham and Didier Drogba. What was it like to be there? Oh boy. And I think I've talked to friends about this. Like I'm a guy who cares. Who thought, or I think, I still do,

who cares about human rights? So when I went to Qatar, I didn't expect, I shouldn't have enjoyed it the way I did. It basically left me going like do i maybe not care about my rights the way i should be should i be more work but that's how enjoyable this world cup was and i wasn't the only one having that conflicted uh uh view of the world cup there were many soccer fans there were many soccer legends did There were many soccer legends. Didier Drogba, David Beckham, Ludhulit. I ran into all these players.

And they were all having the same feeling. They were going like, is it supposed to still be this enjoyable despite everything surrounding it? But it was a great World Cup. You can't deny Qatar that. It was probably the best World Cup in living memory.

At least the one I've watched. And these soccer legends have watched World Cups before, and they also testified to the fact that there were so many surprises. From the moment that Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia, we were off and running. And it didn't stop. It didn't let up. You know, all the games, Brazil-Croatia, dramatic. England-France, Kane missing a penalty at the date, dramatic.

Argentina, Netherlands, that free kick, creative free kick by the Netherlands, forced extra time, dramatic. The games where Japan beat both Spain and Germany, it was like drama, drama. It felt like there was a Qatari script writer just going like, okay, now we need another twist.

Now the audience is getting a bit used to it. We need another twist. And it was, and as you said, I rubbed the elbows with all the legends. It was, I think for me, the experience was, if you're a soccer fan, this was like a once in a lifetime opportunity, a once in a lifetime experience.

I enjoyed every bit of it and I'm also happy for one thing at least I showed more restraint more restraint than Saltberry I mean look I embarrassed myself but I didn't go viral so at least

because there's only one rule when you go to these matches and you happen to run into these legends, you can't go Salt Bay, but you can never go full Salt Bay. And so at least, you know, I have that going for me. I think the other thing the World Cup taught me is, the other lesson is that life comes at you fast, right? Because life can humble you.

Because I spent two weeks hanging with football royalty and royalty, royalty because I was also hanging with, you know, I was watching from the skyboxes with the princes and the Mias, like, brothers and all that. And now look what I'm doing. Here I am

doing a podcast with George. What a downgrade. Oh my God. No, this is the, I feel like this is the biggest fall from grace going from hanging with football royalty and royalty royalty to hanging with, you know, with all due respect to hanging with you, George.

This is like the biggest fall from grace since Andrew Tate decided to tweet at a greater tone. Life comes at you first. At one point, I was living my life, and now I've crashed right down. Oh, my goodness.

So very, very humbling. That's the big moral lesson from Qatar. Yes. And Joe's living his best life in Qatar with royalty. My World Cup final was definitely not as glamorous. I'm going to share a quick personal story. So my kids have had their Greek school winter pageant where they sing their Greek songs at the church at 11 a.m. on Sunday of the game. Who scheduled this?

Exactly. That's like a treason of offense. Who scheduled a kid's recital pageantry, right? Oh, my God. And the person who's the legend is my father because he had the gall to ask both my mother and my wife, is it cool if George and I stay and watch the game? And they went there.

So the agreement was basically, we're going to watch the first half. So the first 45, we're going to shoot in. So it was your daughter or the World Cup final? Yeah, exactly. And so we shoot into the city. We're watching the start of the second half on the game. At the 65th minute, I go in the church.

This church service is running long. And my dad's like, I'm going to stay out in the car and watch on the phone. You text me. So my dad's watching the game. I go in. Perfect grandfather. Yeah. Perfect grandfather. My dad dad's like i text him to come in he walks in i'm like i'm like the argentina lock it up and he's like and boppy scored twice in two minutes end of it's end of full time i'm like do you pause it he's like yeah so we do they do they do the recital we take

some photos we shoot out we don't see anybody because the game was still going on there were no like flags in the street yet so we sprinted home and watched the last we rewinded the game like the 65th minute where i stopped and then turned all notifications on and watched the rest of the game but it was a tense a tense couple of hours in the church i'm sure it's some sort of sin but but we got we got through it yeah i was rubbing elbows with the royalty you are rubbing elbows with priests so i I clearly win this. But also, I think, well, on the bright side, at least your daughter knows how much you love her.

Your daughter knows how much her granddad loves her. That's right. And I can imagine your dad walking in and going, like, Mbappe Square twice, and you had to see it to believe it. I mean, no, like, whoever scheduled that is an enemy of the beautiful game. It was insane. And like I said, it took every ounce of restraint to not turn it on during the church service.

But that was that. Glad to hear you had a wonderful time in Qatar, and it's great to have you back, Joe, as always. But there is some sad news that unfolded over the break while we were gone. Brazilian legend, Pele, winner of three World Cups and arguably the greatest player to ever play the game,

passed away at the age of 82 after a long battle with colon cancer. He played 19 seasons with Santos in Brazil and three seasons with the New York Cosmos, including friendlies. He scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 appearances, if you include friendlies.

What a legend. Incredible numbers, unbelievable numbers, potentially unrepeatable numbers. And you know I love Messi, and we grew up, you know, worshipping the great two. That's Pele and Maradona. We didn't have, I didn't have, I can't speak to how old you are, but I didn't have the pleasure or honor of watching Pele.

I watched Maradona in 1994 when he came to the US for the World Cup, but that, of course, ended in disgrace with the doping scandal and all that. I had stories about Pele. I had incredible, magical stories about Pele, fantastic stories. I watched clips of Pele, and it's almost hard to put into words

what Pele accomplished as a player. Because Pele won Brazil its first World Cup. Everyone thinks of Brazil now as the soccer giants, the soccer powerhouse. But before Pele came onto the scene, Brazil had never won a World Cup, which is unfathomable now because they have the most at five. But he won them the first World Cup in 1958 in Sweden. And the craziest detail from that World Cup is Pele was 17. Right.

Pele was 17 and he led Brazil. He wasn't carried. He carried Brazil to the World Cup in 58 and he did this at 17 as a teenager. Scored six goals in four games. That's unthinkable. In this day and age, if a player did that, if a teenager did that, just think how much their

worth would be. And so Pele was a big deal. And that's the other thing that people don't get. Pele was a big deal. I'm a fan of Messi, but I'm in awe when it comes to how big Pele was. Pele was a big deal and that's the other thing that people don't get Pele was a big deal I'm a fan of Messi but I'm in awe when it comes to how big Pele was Pele was a big deal pre-Color TV he was a big deal pre-computers he was a big deal pre-social media so Messi and Ronaldo are big but they have been fueled by the information age Pele was a huge deal back then when information wasn't as global and the world wasn't as small a village as it is now. And it's almost hard to put into words how big Pele was, but I'll just use an anecdote to tell some of our maybe younger listeners or younger viewers

how big Pele was. Pele once avoided getting robbed at gunpoint in Brazil because the thieves noticed who he was and they respected how big he was. Just imagine how crazy and how big that is. Because Pele, he was in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes in Brazil, in

Sao Paulo, and then he stops at the red light and these people jump out, two thieves, and they try to mug him. And of course, because Pele used to wear a cap, a baseball cap, so that he couldn't get recognized. Because remember, he was a big deal. He was like a god in Brazil. And so the thieves, when they

put the driver at gunpoint, they said, hey, occupants in the car, Pele was in with his wife at the time, please give us your valuables, give us your money and then you will leave. No one needs to get hacked. And Pele put off the baseball cap and they recognized him.

And they immediately gave him a thumbs up, apologized, and turned and walked away without taking a thing. That's how big this guy was. Think of how many players would enjoy that kind of respect from people who have

come to Maggi at gunpoint in this age. But that just gives you almost a view or a perception of how larger than life Pele was. And I think even if we celebrated him, I don't think

he got the kind of respect he deserved from the younger fans. Because our probably like your dad, our elder our elders respect him way more than, and I think, funnily enough, the circle will come around because probably in 2050, there's going to be

a younger kid who will be killing it and then we'll be trying to tell our kids and our grandkids how big Messi was, how good Messi was and they won't get the same kind of respect. But Messi and Ronaldo have the what you'd call the gift of at least having played at a time when almost all their games were televised. So we'll be able to show evidence. But I don't think Pele, because we didn't see all Pele's games, all Pele's games were on televised, we only saw the highlights. I don't think Pele, because we didn't see all Pele's games, all Pele's games on the televised only saw the highlights. I don't think we both appreciate just how good Pele was.

Oh, absolutely. You know, and one of his bigger contributions outside of Brazil, I think in 1975, after 19 years at Santos, he came to the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League. And really, he's kind of credited for sparking kind of the growth of interest and made Americans fall in love with the beautiful game. And, you know, we're still seeing the effects of that, of such a global star. Like, imagine, you know, Michael Jordan went to a different country where basketball wasn't popular and just made it and brought

exposure to the sport. It was even bigger globally. Probably one of his biggest contributions to the game, off the pitch, was actually making Americans, because you can't actually draw a line between Perry arriving at New York Cosmos and the U.S. hosting the

World Cup in 1994, because most of the kids who ended up filling the stadia in 1994 were kids who grew up and started loving the game because their parents saw Pele play for the New York Cosmos. Yeah, it's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. We got to take a quick break. We'll be right back after this. Hey, everybody.

Jon Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election, earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday? Listen to The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart wherever you get your podcasts. Unfortunately, this growing exposure of football in America has led to kind of some bad headlines

for the U.S. men's national team involving a blackmail scandal. And for those of you who don't know, I'm going to give you a quick recap of what's going on in the headlines. This all started at the World Cup when arguably one of the U.S. men's national team's best, most skilled players, Gio Reyna, was kind of surprisingly left out of the lineup in a total of four three-group stage games and one knockout game. Something we talked about at length, by the total, in a total of four, uh, three group stage games and one knockout game. He played. Something we talked about at length,

by the way. Yeah. Yeah. In our past podcasts. Yeah. Yeah. He played a total of only 53 minutes in four games and it was, you know,

kind of leaked. Everyone knew that he was, he was fit and he was, uh, you know, and he was one of their best players. It was clearly, there was something up with the manager or something,

something was up. Uh, but you know, so since then, um, uh, coach, uh, Greg Berhalter was at like a leadership conference where he made, I think,

what he thought were off the record comments that then became public, where he described the situation in Qatar without naming Gio by name, but this information leaked. This is what was said. In the last World Cup, we had a player that was clearly not meeting expectations

on and off the field, Berhalter said. One of 26 players, so it stood out. As a staff, we sat together for hours deliberating. What were we going to do with this player? We were ready to book a plane ticket home for him. That's how extreme it was. And what it came down to was, we're going to have one more conversation with him. And part of that conversation was how we're going to behave from here on out. with him. And part of that conversation was how we're going to behave from here on out. There aren't going to be any more infractions. Okay. So that's a snippet from the statement. And then again, nevermind. Sorry for jumping in, but it was a bit naive in this day and age for Greg to think it won't leak. I know he made this at a conference and I think he was talking about moral leadership and he didn't think, it was a private conference,

but in this, that age of social media and people recording on phones, I don't think you can say anything to a crowd of more than 10 people and you think it's going to stay private. So great, a bit naive, and just a bit naive of him to think it won't click. Agreed, agreed.

And then obviously everyone knew who he was talking about and Gio Reina himself acknowledged this and he thought he had to make a statement and he did on Instagram. And the snippet from that is just before the World Cup, coach Berhalter told me that my role at the tournament

would be very limited. I was devastated. I am someone who plays with pride and passion. Soccer is my life and I believe in my abilities. I fully expect and desperately want to continue to the play of a talented group as we tried to make a statement at the World Cup. I am a very emotional person and I fully acknowledge that I let my emotions get the

best of me and affect my training and behavior for a few days after learning about my limited role. I apologize to my teammates and the coach for this and I was told I was forgiven. Thereafter, I shook off my disappointment and gave everything I had on and off the field then it starts to get a little crazy Joe it was just going to jump in uh yeah disappointing from Gio the attitude uh because when a coach makes a decision as a player you're supposed I didn't agree and I think I made this very clear in the past podcasts I didn't agree with Greg's decision I think uh Gio Reyna should have been the cornerstone of the US team. I think him and Pulisic are the most talented players in that team. And it was a bit of a letdown to see how limited his role was.

But as I said, a bit disappointing, the attitude problems from Gio Reyna. But you have to remember, he's a 20-year-old player. And he acknowledged that he's very emotional. And if you're as talented a player as he is, and this is your first World Cup, you come in thinking you're going to play a major role. And then you're, of course, consigned to a bit-packed role.

It can get disappointing. But as he said, he pulled his socks up. The senior players talked to him. But I can see how disappointing and toxic it can be in a World Cup setting to have a team who is not pulling his weight because he's disappointed that he didn't get the role he deserves. For sure. So obviously this seems like a typical thing that would happen on many football teams.

Star players are benched for many reasons and are unhappy about their lack of playing time. But this story takes a twist and starts to get a little crazy because on Tuesday, it seems to get ahead of a potential story. Greg Berthalter posted a long statement on an unverified Twitter account about a domestic dispute claim between himself and his wife, Rosalyn, that took place in 1991. Quote, during the World Cup, an individual contacted U.S. Soccer saying that they had information about me that would take me down. An apparent effort to leverage something very personal from long ago to bring out about the end of my relationship with U.S. Soccer. In the fall of 1991, I met my soulmate. I had just turned 18 and I was a freshman in college when I met Rosalyn. One night while out drinking at a local bar, Rosalyn and I had a heated argument and

continued outside. It became physical and I kicked her in the legs. Rosalyn left him after the incident, according to Berhalter, and they worked through their issues and rekindled the relationship seven months later. Since then, they have been married for 25 years and have four children together. USA Soccer has launched a formal investigation into the matter and named Anthony Hudson as the head coach for at least the January U.S. Men's National Team camp. Berhalter's contract expired on December 31st and has yet to be renewed. It was a crazy post. Yeah.

One, because as you said, it was all an unverified account. So Greg clearly felt he had to get ahead of the news. And with, of course, Elon Musk saying people have to pay $8 to get verified. With the misinformation and everything, at first he didn't know how legit this post was. It turned out to be very illegitimate. And yeah, things just snowballed from there, didn't they? Yeah, they sure did. So where did this come from?

Well, I'll tell you where it came from. It came from Gio Reyna's mom. In a statement to Fox Sports, Gio Reyna's mom, Danielle, says she reported the 1991 domestic violence to the U.S. men's national team of Greg Berhalter to the USSF sporting director, Ernie Stewart, after Berhalter's post-World Cup comments on Gio. She later clarified, I want to be very clear

that I did not ask for Greg to be fired. I did not make any threats and I did not know anything about any blackmail attempts. Another relevant thing to this is that during this time, Danielle Reyna and Rosalind Berhalter were teammates at the University of North Carolina on the same-

Maybe before- Maybe before you even get into the relationship entanglements of the parties involved, it's worth noting that the blackmail aspect almost turns this criminal, which is why it was so shocking when Greg said this was an attempt to take him down, that they had information to take him down,

and which is why it was so critical for Gio's mom to say, I did not try to threaten or have him fired. I just expressed disappointment because that's what she did. So the thing is, she knows the head of one of the top guys in U.S. soccer. And so she said it's hypocritical. From her statement, because this is a he said, she said kind of story. From her statement, she makes clear that she didn't want Greg fired. What she did was she was disappointed that despite Gio asking for forgiveness and apologizing,

Greg hadn't extended the same grace to him that was extended to Greg when he apologized for his mistakes in the past. Because Greg made the mistake of, you know, of course, assaulting his future wife when he was 18, which is basically around the same age that Gio is. Gio is 20. And so Gio's mom felt it was a bit hypocritical

that Greg wasn't extending the same amount of grace and forgiveness to Gio that he was extended when he was also a young man who let his emotions get the better of him. And so she said she actually contacted you, Esoka, because she was saying, I hope this is the last

statement Greg makes about the situation. Because my son is being attacked online. My son is being issued with death threats from all sorts of accounts. So she said she did it to protect her son. But as I said, you know, he said beat him. He said, she said, and it's all very much about him. Then there's

of course the relationship aspect, which even takes it into sub-operative territory now. Yeah, so now it gets even more crazy. So the other element to this is Gio's dad, Claudio Reina, is a U.S. soccer team legend. He is... Was he U.S. captain? Yeah, and he was a teammate of Greg Berhalter as well.

Two World Cups together. Right, exactly. So not only were they close teammates, but my understanding is that both families were close family friends. And so then ESPN has reported that claudia reina uh threatened to share allegations about burr halter though claudia reina denies these claims um but he does admit to voicing his frustration with other senior officials at u.s soccer other teammates

of his uh you know from back in his playing days so this is, just insane. It's some next level kind of soccer mom shit. Like what are your thoughts on the whole thing? I'll say this. So I've seen most of the reaction, especially from the U S you know, soccer pandit class who are, you know, people who I would say journalists and also former players who have kind of vested interest or like conflicted interest because they know the parties, they're close to the parties involved. And most of the reaction has been,

this is a sad indictment on U.S. soccer. This is a dark chapter, tragic, tragic day in U.S. soccer. This moment shouldn't be happening. And I get that. Totally get it because anytime anything involves, first of all, families and kids, and also involves domestic violence, it's a very serious and tragic event.

I get that. But the comedian in me thinks everyone is missing the big picture the comedian in me the for me my as a comedic premise i think people are not thinking outside the box because george if you think about it if you think about it this scandal could be the best thing actually not could be is hands down the best thing that has ever happened to US soccer. Forget Pele coming in the 70s, forget the 1994 World Cup, forget the launch of the MLS,

forget even the 2026 World Cup which is coming up. This is the best, best thing. This scandal for me, George, marks a turning point in US soccer. Yes, I know you think it's crazy, but just think about it.

The drama, the intrigue, the suspense, the he said, she said, the insane plot twists we've been experiencing these past 48 hours. Yeah. That's everything you want in a soap opera.

This is like a soap opera. This is like a telenovela, American style but on steroids as well. For me, this is good for US soccer because Americans are addicted to drama. Americans love reality TV. This is the first time

I think that US soccer has trended outside of the World Cup for this long. At least US men's soccer has trended for this long. For me, the reality TV element of it, I think is a huge, huge boon for U.S. soccer. This is like the Kardashians

meets Jussie Smollett meets the Real Housewives. It's got everyone gripped. It has everyone captivated, everyone online, even accounts who have never shown any interest in soccer

are getting involved because of the drama in it. This is like, it should be on Bravo. It shouldn't be on Twitter. It should be on Bravo. This is the first time that a story, I think, on U.S. soccer is actually making headlines

on TMZ. That's fantastic. And for me, this is like a crossover moment for US soccer. Suburban moms now all of a sudden care. And why do they care? It's because, one, this is a relatable scandal. Because, of course, the soccer mom is a well-known

cliche in America. So all the suburban moms go like, yes, we would have done the same for our son. If a coach was messing with our son, we would also leak information about him. And then it's also relatable because, George, as I said, Americans are addicted to drama. And the relationship aspects of the parties involved in this scandal are just off the charts. As you said, the only way Gio's mom knew about this domestic assault, domestic violence incident is because she was a roommate to Greg's wife. They were not just roommates at the University of North Carolina.

They were actually teammates on the soccer team. So that's how she knows about this. And then, of course, the relationship between the two men is even more intriguing because not only were they high school teammates, they actually played in two World Cups together. Claudio Reina was the captain. Greg later went on to become the coach. And not just that, he is the kicker.

And not just that, he is the kicker. Claudio Reina was the best man at Greg Beralta's wedding to Lozari. That's insane. That's how convoluted and that's how like intermixed and that's how dramatic. It's like something out of like a tabloid or something out of like a romantic. It's like something out of a telenovela. And I think if you're a U.S US soccer mom who's not interested in soccer, if you are a US,

if you're an American who thinks soccer is boring, well, you have to think again because this drama just shows that it's not. And for me, it's also very relatable because it's very, very American. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. This is so American. It's a uniquely American thing because it almost very, very American. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. This is so American. It's a uniquely

American thing because it almost reminds me of, because American parents are always willing to do anything to help their kids succeed. They're willing to do anything. Most American parents are willing to do anything. You know, times like snowplow parent, times

like helicopter parent, those are all American times. We don't have those times outside in the rest of the world. And so this almost reminds me of the university, you know, the college admission scandal. Yeah. Aunt Becky from Full House, like, you know, falsifying the accomplishments

of our kids so they could get into the universe of South California, USC. So for me, this is a uniquely American dramatic scandal. And it's also very American in the sense that it's very capitalistic. Because America is like the hotbed of capitalism. And capitalism, one thing we all know about capitalism is it really fuels a win-at-all-costs mentality. It doesn't matter how many people you take down.

Doesn't matter how many people you step over so long as you succeed in the end. And this story has that. And so for me, I think it also makes me realize I didn't know Americans cared about the beautiful game this much. Because there's some people go like, oh, America doesn't care about soccer.

Well, it cares enough about soccer to blackmail the national team coach. Not even in Brazil, the national team soccer to blackmail the national team coach. Not even in Brazil do national team coaches get blackmailed so that the sons of some parents get playing time. And for me, George, that's why I'm saying this is a turning point. This is a good thing.

From a comedic standpoint, of course, I know it involves serious issues like domestic violence, but from a comedic perspective, this is a great thing for U.S. soccer. And I think U.S. soccer should be celebrating this moment instead of trying to play it down. That's what I think. I think there should be a big promotional push.

You know, just U.S. soccer using this scandal to just promote the game to Americans. I can imagine taglines like soccer, so addictive, it will make you betray your best friend. Soccer is so addictive, it will make you backstab your best friend just so that you can get in some of the action.

For me, that's what I think a lot of US soccer should be doing. They should be capitalizing on this instead of treating it like some shameful episode. This is a blessing in disguise. Yeah, I mean, that's a very funny take. I mean, it's so insane to me that a woman, like that Gio's mom, would use the trauma of, I mean, again, this is serious stuff. It's serious because, yeah, it's very serious because for me part of the and you've talked about trauma part of the thing that makes it very great is she has forced and of course she

says she didn't mean for it to go this far but again like greg being naive thinking the moment was private and his mom his uh comments wouldn't leak this was very naive from georgia's mom to think that it wouldn't escalate like this because the moment US soccer had about this they had to launch an investigation and then you need to leak to the press but as we said very grave situation because kids some you know as I said Greg Latam you know made up with his uh uh then girlfriend they are now married for 25 years they are four kids and they're being forced to relive this publicly but again George I'll say this

from a comedic standpoint this is a lifetime movie this is a lifetime movie from a comedic standpoint if you get a studio with a good enough budget this could actually be Oscar bait this could be Oscar bait you know because it could do for US

soccer what Tanya Harding did for US figure skating. Just think about it. Tanya Harding, you know, trying to break Nancy Kerrigan's knees becomes this big thing.

Later, there was even a movie, I, Tanya. Great movie, great acting, got around Margot Robbie. I think I could actually, if this scandal was to be made into a movie,

I can already cast the movie. I can see who will play who in this film. I can see Margot Robbie. I can see Margot Robbie playing both women because she's very, very versatile. She's extremely versatile. She can play both women. I can see Paul Bettany who plays Vision in Avengers.

I can see him playing Greg Bellhalter. And then I think, of course, you have Timothée Chalamet, who would play Gio Reyna. It's box office gold. And I think Paul Giamatti. I would cast Paul Giamatti as Gio Reyna. And I think we have an Oscar. You mean Claudio Reyna?

Yes, sorry, as Claudio Reyna. Yes, as the father of Gio. And I think we have an Oscar. You mean Claudio Reina? Yes, sorry, as Claudio Reina. Yes, as the father of Gio. And I think we have an Oscar-winning picture on our hands. Oh, my God. This, for me, and again, I say this because I know it's a serious matter, but I'm saying from a comedic standpoint. Oh, man. Because I'll leave it to the serious pundits and domestic violence experts

to pick apart how serious and good this is. to the serious pundits and domestic violence experts to pick apart how serious and grave this is. But for me, from a comedic standpoint, this is an Oscar-winning movie waiting to happen. Executives at Paramount Plus, you heard it here first. This is the pitch. Yes. Million dollar idea.

Do not steal. Yeah. Jon Stewart here. Unbelievably exciting news. My new podcast, The Weekly Show. We're going to be talking about the election, economics, ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. Listen to The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart wherever you get your podcasts. I personally thought that the U.S. soccer should not have renewed his contract based on his team selection and tactics. He should have been sacked. Yes.

Yeah. Okay. So now all of a sudden, even if there were people who are in his corner that thought he should continue, clearly now. It's untenable. It's, you know, it's only a matter of time where the formal investigation runs its course and they're probably going to search for a new one. I'll say this. For me, without even all this drama and the cloud hanging over this,

as a coach, the moment you almost admit that you can't integrate your most talented player into your team, that's a suckable offense. That's a suckable offense. As I said in past podcasts, this would be like the Argentina coach admitting that he has to put Messi on the bench

because for some reason he can't build a team around Messi. You can never hear the Brazilian coach saying, I can't build the team around Neymar. You can never hear the Portuguese coach during Ronaldo's prime admitting that he couldn't integrate Ronaldo into the team.

For me, just that admission by Greg Beralta was a suckable offense. And that's before we get into, he did a lot for US soccer, but I think he had run his course. And I think at some point divorce was imminent. And I think this is just this last straw that should push this unholy and sad marriage between Greg Beralta and U.S. soccer to its inevitable conclusion.

For sure. And for sure, you did mention Ronaldo in that last little tidbit. And I think it'll take us back to the Middle East where Cristiano Ronaldo... But maybe before getting to that, there have been questions like serious soccer fans I know are very, very concerned about what this means for Gio Reyna. Right. With such parents, can Gio Reyna's career with the U.S. men's national team continue? Right. He's just 20. He's the most skilled, hands down, most talented U.S. soccer player ever.

He's just 20. He's the most skilled, hands down, most talented US soccer player ever. And so people are wondering how this will affect his career with the national team going forward. And I think it shouldn't. I think Gioro Ina should still be an integral part of US soccer. I think he's still young and I think he learned his lesson. I think the fact that he was willing to step up and apologize before his teammates was a good sign of his maturity. He's still young. At 20 in soccer, he's still young. He's like a starter

at Borussia Dortmund. So he has a bit of an ego. You also don't get good as a player without having an ego. We remember Lionel Messi had a problem with Luis Enrique at the beginning of his time at Barcelona. All players, for you to become the best player in your age or in your generation,

you have to have a bit of that chip on your shoulder. So I think it should affect his career. I think Deo Reina is, of course, as I keep harping on, he's the most talented player in the whole U.S. history. He just happens maybe, maybe to have crazy parents. But then who of us doesn't? Yeah, that's right. I mean, look at you, George.

who of us doesn't? Yeah, that's right. I mean, look at you, George. Your dad almost missed his daughter as pageant because he was watching soccer in the parking lot. No, I'm saying, you know, he's the most talented player. He might have crazy parents. Hey, no one is perfect.

No one is perfect. So I think this shouldn't, I think the sins of the parents, the sins of the father and mother shouldn't be visited onto the son or shouldn't be like passed on to the son. And I think Gio Reyna, this has been an embarrassing episode, the most embarrassing episode in his career.

And also we've seen him, we've followed Gio Reyna at Borussia Dortmund. He has never had this kind of problem before. So it's not like he has, this is a pattern of behavior that we've seen happen. This is the first time this is happening. And I think, yeah, I think we should extend him the same grace that society should

and must extend young Greg Beralta for what he did. We shouldn't condemn him. It wasn't, again, his fault. It was his parents. Everyone has crazy parents. And I think he should be able to continue his career with the U.S. Because him not continuing would be not just

robbing him of the pleasure and honor of you know representing your country but it would be robbing the US soccer fans the long-suffering US soccer fans of watching one of the most brilliant talents in world football yeah and it'll be interesting to see whoever the new manager may be how he helps move the serve over and keep harmony in the locker room moving forward, hopefully with Gio being a big part of what the future team is. Well, I think the first decision, the new U.S. court, and that's if Greg is not renewed, I think the first thing, the first act the potential new U.S. court should do is to file a restraining order against the Reina family. Yes, against the Reina family. Please keep them as far away because you need the parents to stay as far away.

These problems about selection and playing time, they should be sorted between the player and the manager. Of course. The player's parents should be nowhere near that setup because they're too emotional and they're too invested. So this is like, you know, we see this happening in U.S. youth soccer, but the World Cup is just simply too high an event,

too big an event for you to have this kind of amateurish tactics or amateurish, like, you know, behavior, clouding what should have been like a great curtain raiser for what the U.S. is going to do in 2026. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well, like I said before,

we're going to now turn it back to the Middle East and Saudi Arabia where Cristiano Ronaldo signs a two and a half year deal worth upwards, if you include commercial agreements, upwards of $200 million a year for Saudi Arabian

Club Al-Nasr. Is this a fitting final chapter for Cristiano Ronaldo's career? Well, I'll say this, George. I'm always happy to go back to the Middle East. I can see why Cristiano Ronaldo decided to go back. Frankly,, frankly, Qatar was very, was an experience. But talking about this move in particular, of course, is it? No, it's not. No, it's not. I think Cristiano Ronaldo deserved better. I've always, in the Cristiano

Ronaldo-Messi debate, you know, I've always been Messi, but I think Cristiano Ronaldo was a good rival. I think Cristiano Ronaldo has given soccer fans very, very, very precious memorable moments. And I think his career deserved a better corner than this. I think I should have ended on a high.

I think I would have liked him, I would have liked to see him at least win another Champions League or maybe another title. When he left Real Madrid, I didn't think the slide down would be this quick and this steep because he went to Juventus and he had a great time, but then it didn't end well. He went to Manchester United, which was amazing, which was something that every football fan, I don't care if you're pro-Mesa or pro-Ronaldo, this is something you wanted because it was

basically Ronaldo returning home. He might not have been returning to sporting, but it was him returning home. And it started well enough. And, you know, he scored some big goals. He was their top scorer in that first season. But then it quickly fell apart when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer left as coach because the new coach demanded that everyone contributes the same.

Which I think as a coach has its downsides because Ronaldo doesn't have the limbs. You know, 37-year-old legs won't track back the way 18-year-old legs will. And so Ronaldo suffered because of that. And because Ronaldo's game is all about scoring goals. When he wasn't scoring, then his weaknesses and his flaws were even cast in grimmer light. So I think I would have liked to see him come to the U.S. Or maybe, you know, because I'm best here. And I think he's huge in the U.S. I think he might even be bigger than Messi in the U.S.

And I think it would have been a treat for his diehard fans in the U.S. Or at least I would have loved to see him return to Portugal and maybe end it there the same way some people want Messi to end it in at New World's Old Boys. Saudi Arabia came out of the left field. I was blindsided because I didn't see that coming. Saudi Arabia, of course, people always talk about Messi going to... Messi fans have been

loving this, by the way, because Ronaldo fans for the last two years had been mocking Messi for going to the Farmers League. Well, if France is the Farmers League,

I don't know what South Arabia is. But, you know, all that aside, I don't think it's a deserved ending. I think Ronaldo deserved better.

But, of course, I also think mock him all you want. I think Ronaldo deserved better. But of course, I also think mock him all you want. I think Ronaldo has earned the right to collect this big payday. I think he's given fans enough

joy. He's given fans enough euphoria over the course of his career. He's given us incredible moments that will hold a treasure. Even I as a Messi incredible moments that will hold a treasure. Even I as a Messi fan, that will hold a treasure. He has given me memorable moments against my own team.

Barcelona, you know, remember when he scored and did the karma celebration? So for me, I think he has earned the right to collect big at the end of his career. And, you know, he has been mocked, but I don't think that matters. And, of course, there are ethical concerns when it comes comes to this deal as normally they are with anything in the middle east you know saudi arabia is not exactly a model country you know the whole thing with uh

them slaughtering and murdering him in the embassy hasn't exactly been buried then this feels like them trying to sports wash. They try to do it with the Live Golf Tour. They have so much money to spend. And I feel like Ronaldo going there almost legitimizes Saudi Arabia in a way. And

he's not the only one doing this because even Messi has a deal, I think, with Saudi Arabia to be their tourism ambassador. And I think if you're a human rights activist, this is a very, very disappointing move from a human rights standpoint. The same way MESI's deal with Saudi Arabia is disappointing from a human rights standpoint. Because if you think Qatar was bad, which I feel was a bit unfair, which I feel was a bit unfair because Qatar has almost the same human rights issues that other countries with anti-homosexuality laws have.

My own country, Uganda, has those laws. So I think Qatar has the same issues. But I think Saudi Arabia is even worse now. Because in Saudi Arabia, women are really like, in Qatar, women don't enjoy the same rights that women in America enjoy. But Qatar, in its defense, actually strives. Qatar has three women in the cabinet, which is just two women fewer than Biden. In Saudi Arabia, women have just earned the right to drive. And so seeing like a global icon, seeing like a great ambassador of the game like Ronaldo going

to Saudi Arabia, for me as a football fan, extremely disappointing. But as I said, he has earned the right to collect big. But from a player who was winning Champions League just a few years ago, from a player who was playing for Manchester United at Old Trafford, the theatre of dreams, to now be playing in basically a retirement home, that's the Saudi League.

That's such a downgrade, an epic downgrade. now be playing in basically retirement home that's the Saudi League. That's such a downgrade, an epic downgrade. It's such a huge fall from grace. I think it's the most dramatic fall from grace since I left Qatar to come and do this podcast with you, George. It's the most dramatic

such crushing downfall, yes. I miss you too, Joe. Exactly. For me, yes. I miss you too, Joe. We both do. Exactly. So, I mean, for me, obviously, I'm a massive Real Madrid fan. Ronaldo, I've said this before, has brought me a lot of joy. I wish that he was willing to take a little bit less money and embrace a smaller role to be at a bigger team in Europe

because I think he could have been a big contributor off the bench for a team. You look at guys like Zlatan Ibrahimovic. look at uh at his 40s that yeah it is accepting if you're willing to accept your role yes if you want to accept the role he could have he could have been contributing and I know I know it's important to Ronaldo to be you know padding those stats that he likes to pad you know he could have been more relevant staying in Europe with a smaller role but I think that if he one of his you know must-haves in his new contract was i'm gonna play every minute of every game then it would mean going to a league like you know in you know the middle east or in mls or something like that so i'll say this though we are you and i we are motors we are normal men we are not gods so a

player like ronaldo yeah who has been the first name on the team sheet all his career, from when he was a kid, he was always the main man. He was the first option. He was the go-to guy. It can be a bit of a struggle to transition from that to being a big part player. If you always enjoy top billing in Hollywood, if you're always the first name that

appears on the screen on a movie, it can be hard to become a character actor later in your career. So for Ronaldo to go from first name on the team sheet to now a beat part player, it's just, first of all, it's not good for your ego and your ego won't take it. And also,

so I feel like we as mortals we as normal men uh might not understand why ronaldo is not willing to accept his role a player like lebron james or a player like you know thank god michael jordan who retired the way i think ronaldo should have retired the way i think I think Messi deserves to retire on a high of winning his sixth chip, those players are not used to beat patrols ever. From when they were kids at the playground, they're always the best players. And so for them, it can be a bit hard

to come off the bench and play two, three minutes or the last 10 minutes in a soccer game as the case may be. And so I think I understand why Ronaldo would struggle with that. And I think like we, the fans, who are normal men, tend to struggle to understand where these players are coming from.

But as you said, yes, he still has a lot to contribute, but he wasn't willing to, one, take a pay cut. He wasn't willing to take a cut in role. And also, more importantly, how many teams were willing to deal with him? Because Ronaldo comes with a lot more

than just the football baggage. He's like a whole corporation upon himself. And then, of course, he did that interview with Piers Morgan. And that, if you are any coach willing to take a bet on him, to take a gamble on him, if you saw that,

you would have gone like, yeah, this is a bit too much drama for me to deal with. And so I think that interview with P.S. Morgan, I think just complicated matters for him. Absolutely. And again, I would say, you know, if you're like a work person or if you're a person who believes in sports icons being role models and all that and having to use their platforms

for the force of good. Ronaldo moving to Saudi Arabia is not just disappointing as a human rights move, but it's almost disappointing as a trend I have noticed with Ronaldo recently. Like he seems to be hanging around or palling around with characters of questionable moral value.

I'll put it like that. So he did the interview with P.S. Morgan, of all people, and P.S. Morgan, we all know his crimes are well documented, lengthy and well documented. Then he was palling around and I think hanging around Jordan Peterson, who is another character of questionable reputation, if you would say that online. And then, so I think, I hope, I hope, and I say this is disappointing, but I hope next time we don't see Ronaldo hanging around and rotate or even worse, Solveig.

Solveig, for sure. All right, well, there you have it, everybody. I think that's going to conclude our latest episode of our podcast. or even worse, Salt Bae. Salt Bae, for sure. All right, well, there you have it, everybody. I think that's going to conclude our latest episode of our podcast. Thank you all for joining us. Joe, it was a pleasure as always and look forward to doing it again soon. Tano fan, George, Tano fan.

Until next time, my friend. Watch The Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount+. This has been a Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. Jon Stewart here. Unbelievably exciting news.

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