Diego Luna lives the dream, Crystal Palace finally lifts a trophy and its MLS Rivalry Week

Speaker 1 Real Salt Lake and U.S. men's national team rising star Diego Luna.

Speaker 2 Diego, you have this dog and this nastiness about you. You've got this tenacity to want to prove yourself.

Speaker 3 I'm the kid, you know, that didn't really come from much. For me, it was always, you know, fighting for what I wanted, you know, needing to prove myself at any level and even on the soccer side.

Speaker 1 Unfiltered soccer with Landon and Tim presented by Volkswagen. Volkswagen has long been a supporter of soccer in America and has proudly been a partner of U.S.
soccer for the past five years.

Speaker 2 Yes, LD, we are back with another episode of Unfiltered Soccer. A funny old thing happened this week for our listeners.

Speaker 2 Landon and I, when we do promotional stuff and sponsored elements for Unfiltered Soccer, we will oftentimes have to travel. And so Landon so graciously comes east to New York, where I am oftentimes.

Speaker 2 And every now and again, I have to go west. So.

Speaker 1 Well, every now and again, you mean once.

Speaker 2 So

Speaker 2 I trekked all the way out to San Diego, which by the way is God's country. I've heard that

Speaker 2 it's amazing.

Speaker 2 And we ended up doing the, it was a very complex shoot. So we had staggered start times.
And they were so staggered that I was there for three days and didn't see Landon, didn't invite me for dinner.

Speaker 2 I'll tell you a funny story, though. And you know this, my, one of my best, best friends in the world lives a couple of streets down.
And I was like, do I, do I ring and run?

Speaker 2 Do I go to Landon's house, ring the bell? And I thought, security dogs, they'll all attack me.

Speaker 1 No, you don't want to mess with my house, dude.

Speaker 2 It's part of my wife. You don't want to be a mess.

Speaker 2 Yeah, it's true. San Diego's awesome, man.
It's fun.

Speaker 1 Beautiful place, huh?

Speaker 2 Yeah. What a place.
I see why you don't leave.

Speaker 1 No, you can't leave. The only reason I'm leaving is to go play golf.
I'm leaving today for Jamaica. It's amazing.
Boys trip, golf trip.

Speaker 2 Can't wait. So let's get this thing for us.

Speaker 2 Any of our listeners, if

Speaker 2 you have the choice of coming back as anybody, come back as Landon. He's living a life that very few can.
Well done.

Speaker 1 I worked hard, bud. All right.
Can we get this done?

Speaker 1 Let's go.

Speaker 2 Let's roll.

Speaker 1 All right. As always, guys, follow us on social media, unfiltered soccer.
Subscribe to the show. I just realized our subscribers are jumping lately.
You must have said something funny.

Speaker 1 Fun, interesting.

Speaker 1 Subscribe on YouTube. Make sure you follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts.
You can leave a review, rate us. We had some good comments.
I was looking at the comments.

Speaker 1 I think JR is going to get into it. Some good stuff this week.
Some great stuff.

Speaker 1 And as always, email us at feedback at unfilteredsoccer. All right, Timmy, rivalry week.

Speaker 2 Yes, and I mean last.

Speaker 1 I love this. I didn't realize it actually until I kind of like started looking through my app to see the games.

Speaker 1 Nothing like crazy from these rivalry games, but

Speaker 1 they were good. And I love this.
And I love this about soccer. And I love this about sports.
And these weeks are the best. I just loved it.
I loved when I was with San Jose. We played L.A.

Speaker 1 I loved when I was with L.A., we played San Jose. I loved when I was with the Galaxy.
We played Chivas.

Speaker 1 Had the fortune to play in the Merseyside Derby one time.

Speaker 1 It's just fun. It's just different and it just feels different.

Speaker 2 Yeah. I mean, when I got to, you know, I think I've often said like the two Derbies.
that I played in were the Merseyside Derby and USA, Mexico. And I'm like, dude,

Speaker 2 there are some great ones in the world. And I think I was very fortunate to play in two of them very often.
And it's like, there's nothing like it.

Speaker 2 And then when I got, to be fair, when I got to Colorado,

Speaker 2 I remember the Rocky Mountain Cup being a being a thing and going into it. I was like, I've played in big rivalries.
Like, I'm not sure about this. And then I got there, and there was some real hate.

Speaker 2 There was some real

Speaker 2 nastiness.

Speaker 2 I remember how loving the Real Salt Lake crowd was towards me. I joke when I say that.

Speaker 2 But look, as always, I was someone who was happy to

Speaker 2 take the criticism because you know it was coming back. And I was happy to give it to.
So yeah, some really cool rivalries, man, in MLS.

Speaker 2 And I just think, you know, that's also a testament, LD, to where this league has kind of gotten to.

Speaker 1 Yeah, my challenge now, Tim, is that I don't think players really care much about it anymore.

Speaker 1 And I'm generalizing here.

Speaker 1 If you've been with a team for a long time, you absolutely care, but there's just so much player movement now. I'm not sure.
Like when the fans are so into it and so

Speaker 1 then you feel that a little bit. And I felt it when I when we played at Anfield.
I mean, I felt it in the locker room for you guys that this was different.

Speaker 1 But I don't know how many players actually really care anymore. I think it's just like, okay, it's a little more exciting.
It's a little, but

Speaker 1 the only caveat to that is when you play with your national team against your rival. So like everybody, U.S.
Mexico just got it. They just got it.
And I think they still do,

Speaker 2 not,

Speaker 1 not counting the last U.S. Mexico game, which was a total disaster in Mexico from our standpoint.

Speaker 1 But I don't know how much guys truly, really care about it anymore, unless they've been with the team for a long time.

Speaker 2 I think the fans care. I hate to say it.
I don't know why I say it, but I think it's true. I hear you.
I mean, I think the fans care, which is something you mentioned. Fans absolutely care.

Speaker 2 When I think of MLS, and I think there's some good rivalries, but Cascadia Cup, like, like Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, get it. People are like, what does that mean?

Speaker 2 Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers get it. They're fans.
There's a, there's a history and there's a hate and there's a rivalry.

Speaker 2 My uncle has been a longtime season ticket holder of the Seattle Sounders. And I just, I think those two fan bases,

Speaker 2 it's, it's, it's, you can feel it. There's an intensity there that just, they're so close and they both come from the dirt, from the mud, right? Like they were, they weren't always MLS teams.

Speaker 2 So, so that goes back so far, which is, which is, is fun, actually.

Speaker 1 Uh, all right, last night, my galaxy, God,

Speaker 1 first, so we score early. Marco Royce scores early.
Kind of lucky just bounces off in. I'm like, all right, here we go.
I have all my like nice, nasty tweets ready to go for the LAFC fans.

Speaker 1 And next thing I know, we're down 2-1.

Speaker 1 And then Marco Royce comes true at the end.

Speaker 1 2-2. Game was fun.
It was entertaining. You know, LAFC will feel like they gave away a couple of points.
Still winless for the galaxy.

Speaker 1 And meanwhile, during all of this, after we interviewed Will Koontz, Tim, Greg Vanny did get a multi-year contract extension.

Speaker 1 And according to all the reports, that will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the league.

Speaker 2 Thoughts?

Speaker 2 Thoughts are, yeah,

Speaker 2 you don't make these decisions in a phone booth, right? So we talked to Will.

Speaker 2 He was so gracious with us in the midst of this horrific run, and yet he's still having to make very calm, calculated decisions that look beyond this run. Yeah, I mean, I do.

Speaker 2 I think the world of Greg Vanney, I think he's a very good coach. I think he's a championship winning coach, as we saw.

Speaker 2 They're having a tough time, right? But when you run a football club, you have to look at this greater picture and your sight lines have to go from here to here.

Speaker 2 And yeah, I do. I think he gets

Speaker 2 from me anyway, some slack and this kind of this perfect storm going on in LA right now. Now, should they be able to pull out a result somewhere? Of course, but it's not working at the current moment.

Speaker 2 I think that's down to some personnel not being there. And I think because of that,

Speaker 2 you know, Will, Coons, and the LA Galaxy trust in who Greg Vanny is and what he's doing with that team. And so,

Speaker 2 yeah, I think it's the right decision. Now, again, part of having these woeful runs, as you know,

Speaker 2 you start to use up some of your stock, right?

Speaker 2 But ultimately, ultimately, I think it's the right thing. And obviously, congratulations to

Speaker 2 Greg Vanny and the LA Galaxy because I think it's been a good partnership.

Speaker 1 I think it's the right thing. I think the timing is questionable.
And I guess I don't know how long you can wait, right?

Speaker 1 I'm thinking, just wait till you win one game. Just win one game and then, you know, because it's just brutal right now.
But I don't know. And there's been no signs that.

Speaker 1 that they are going to win a game soon.

Speaker 2 So but it's like you, I'm telling this to you because, you know, and nobody knows better than you.

Speaker 2 Literally, nobody knows better than you but the galaxy have always kind of done their business the right way they just have and maybe that's yeah maybe maybe in other situations you're like

Speaker 2 you know our fan base isn't isn't wired the right way or or maybe they're not dialed in enough and we have to wait for this like really cool cheesy moment where we win a game like i think la you're right la have earned the right to be like we know what we're doing this doesn't this moment doesn't feel great but by the way it's bigger than this moment so maybe that's kind of yeah and that starts to the very top with philanchutz the owner and then beneath him the man who really runs the show phenomenal human being who does things always the right way dan beckerman and so to your point he's just like it's fine like we're gonna be fine and so and and so what about this robert tell me so so you didn't get a chance to play in el trafico uh but lucky for them yeah look definitely lucky for them the way you perform in big games for sure But what's it been like?

Speaker 2 Obviously, LAFC came in, had some pretty good success early on, which stole a little bit of the Galaxy Thunder.

Speaker 2 So what's that been like? And they've since kind of wrestled some of that power back, but what's that been like? No, I think it's real.

Speaker 1 Yeah. I think it's real.
Oh, no. I mean, it is real.
And I'll tell you what, the defining moment for me personally was when I went back and had,

Speaker 1 when they unveiled the statue

Speaker 1 of me,

Speaker 1 they played LAFC that day.

Speaker 2 Wow.

Speaker 1 And the corner section up where the LAFC fans were like, I don't know, they were saying some really like chanting some nasty things at me.

Speaker 1 And And I'm like, these, these are probably some of the same fans that used to come to galleries again, you know, but like they were all in. And I was like, okay, this is real.

Speaker 2 So it's real, man.

Speaker 1 It's, it's fun and it's great for the city. Good.
All right, Tim, I need a little bit of, um, I'm going to go on a little bit of a rant here.

Speaker 2 We're here for it. Our losers are here for it.

Speaker 1 We've been giving one team in MLS a massive pass and it's just finally catching up. And I'm really like started paying attention.
And that's Atlanta.

Speaker 1 And so it wasn't a rivalry game, but they did lose at home to Philly.

Speaker 1 They're second to bottom in the East. They've got 11 points from 14 games, eight straight without a win.

Speaker 1 We all thought this was the year they brought Al Marone back. They brought Ronnie Daly in.
Dalai in former MLS Cup champion with NYCFC, signed Emmanuel Latelath,

Speaker 1 and they've just been awful. Awful.
And I got to say, if you are an Atlanta United fan, this is absolutely unacceptable.

Speaker 1 They fill out that stadium every week. Mercedes-Benz stadium is packed every week.
They're passionate about whatever. And at some point, you got to look at it and go, this ain't good enough.

Speaker 2 Not good enough.

Speaker 1 It's a mess. It's a total mess.
And you know, we've been given New England crap and DC United crap. And like, Atlanta needs to figure it out.
This is not okay.

Speaker 2 Right. Yeah, I know.
I'm here. I'm hearing what you're saying.

Speaker 2 I mean, it's such an, yeah, they're getting a pass because when you see eight straight games without a win, we're talking about the LA Galaxy. like this is this is bordering that territory, right?

Speaker 2 And so,

Speaker 2 you know,

Speaker 2 from what I know on the inside at Atlanta United, like you don't have enough hats to take off to give kudos to Arthur Blank. I mean, he is brilliant.
He's a brilliant owner, spends.

Speaker 2 I know from, again, from people on the inside, like.

Speaker 2 like they have no issue going to him and asking him for something and him saying, yeah, go get what we need to win.

Speaker 2 Like winning is first and foremost for him but i ask you right because we've been talking about this you and i

Speaker 2 they brought in they what was it what was uh

Speaker 2 22 million plus add-ons yeah yeah

Speaker 2 they paid 22 million okay okay so so going back to our conversation right

Speaker 2 are you telling me again i'm not saying they shouldn't do their business this way they've had they've found success under arthur blank and doing it this way absolutely so put a period on that are we not saying that for $22 million,

Speaker 2 you and I, right,

Speaker 2 could go bring in

Speaker 2 top players that are already in the league, that I couldn't go to LA

Speaker 2 or I couldn't go to

Speaker 2 Cincinnati and go,

Speaker 2 all right, top two players there, top two players there. I'll give you $5 million for him, you $4 million for him.
I'll give you six and a half for him. Are you telling me? And maybe the parameters of

Speaker 2 how to build a roster

Speaker 2 don't allow you to do this, but are you telling telling me you can

Speaker 2 now 22 million dollars

Speaker 2 and get

Speaker 2 five

Speaker 2 five of the league's top 20 players and bring them to your team for that same price?

Speaker 1 Yeah,

Speaker 1 and then the here's the thing, Tim. The difference between Emmanuel Latelath and the next best five strikers in the league is not 22 million versus two or three million, right? It's like

Speaker 1 it's just not. He's not going to score you 47 goals instead of 22 so you just it's hard to justify it

Speaker 1 um

Speaker 1 like i don't want to spend too much time i'm just putting it out there yeah and people need to pay attention and it's for a club of that size and for arthur blank and everything he's now doing for soccer like he has done for home depot and the nfl needs to be better needs agreed agreed all right let's move on to us lnt and usmnt we just want to touch on a couple things uh u.s soccer announced two upcoming friendlies for the national team.

Speaker 1 I love this. September 6th against South Korea in New Jersey and September 9th against Japan in Columbus.

Speaker 1 This is phenomenal work by a guy you know well, one of the most under-appreciated humans in U.S. soccer, Tom King, who goes out and works these things out and figures out the deal.

Speaker 1 These are two teams that are...

Speaker 1 Definitely going to be in the World Cup. South Korea is one win away, and I think they play Kuwait at home in their last qualifier.
So they are both going to be in the World Cup.

Speaker 1 They're good opponents that will bring good level. I'm really excited about this.
I think it's a really good opportunity for the team.

Speaker 2 Huge shout out to Tom King. He's been there for forever, still doing great things.
Dear friend of ours, yeah, these are these are big men.

Speaker 2 You know, I think we've talked, I think we've talked all along about

Speaker 2 like

Speaker 2 these friendlies for

Speaker 2 the U.S. team are no longer friendlies.
So post-Gold Cup and pre-World Cup, every game has to be viewed as life or death. I know people don't like to say that.

Speaker 2 They have to be viewed as kind of the last chance. Every single game, every single game has to be looked at as a highly competitive fixture from the, from U.S.

Speaker 2 soccer, from the fans, and most importantly, from the players. Like how, like this, for me, Landon, you can correct me if I'm wrong.

Speaker 2 This isn't a situation and I don't ever think you should risk injury, but this isn't a situation where you're like,

Speaker 2 I come out of my weekend game, kind of feel a little bit of a niggle. No, no, no.
Maybe, maybe I stay back in England and get treatment or stay back in Italy and get treatment.

Speaker 2 I don't think that's the case. No.
I think you make sure you can be on the pitch with as many of your big time senior starting players as humanly possible. And this is a great opportunity.

Speaker 2 These are going to be really good games.

Speaker 2 And I think in terms of post-Gold Cup selection for like what a friendly looks like,

Speaker 2 this is important.

Speaker 1 I can't wait.

Speaker 1 Again, great job by tom king and u.s soccer and those are going to be two really really good friends yep yep all right buckle your seatbelt to make it home safely don't risk it click it or ticket paid for by nitza nitza is always reminding us tim to get strapped in every time we get in our car and one team that we can say was definitely strapped in this weekend Crystal Palace.

Speaker 1 Kudos to you. Applause to you.
Congrats to your colleague, Rebecca Lowe. I saw all the videos of her celebrating and crying.
Massive. They beat Man City 1-0.

Speaker 1 Chris Richards and Matt Turner now become the second and third ever American men to win the FA Cup, alongside some bald, tatted-up guy that I talk to once a week.

Speaker 2 Can you talk about Mill? Can you tell me? Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're lucky.

Speaker 1 You didn't play much, but good.

Speaker 2 Good on you.

Speaker 1 The club's first major trophy.

Speaker 1 You'd have to say the best day in their history, you think, right? Phenomenal, just the scenes were incredible.

Speaker 2 I just, congrats to them.

Speaker 1 It was so fun to watch.

Speaker 2 So, yeah, credit to

Speaker 2 Palace. And obviously, Beck's had a great time.
A lot of love to David Abrams and Noah Abrams, who are heavily connected with Crystal Palace, friends of mine.

Speaker 2 Just an amazing story. Shouldn't be there.
It's one of those, like, you shouldn't be here. You shouldn't win this.
And they did. And Oliver Glasnar, their manager, has them playing.

Speaker 2 some really good football. You know, we tease Rebecca all the time, like, this is a kind of success under a manager who's quite good.

Speaker 2 Now, all of a sudden, like they're going to be desperate to have to keep Oliver Glasnar because

Speaker 2 he'll be wanted by a lot of big clubs.

Speaker 1 That's awesome. It was so fun to watch.
And there's the yin and the yang here, Tim. The other side is City.

Speaker 1 And

Speaker 1 they were, I know they were aggrieved about the Dean Henderson incident with the red card.

Speaker 1 As you said earlier, it's denial of an obvious. goal scoring opportunity.
I think I would agree it wasn't obvious.

Speaker 2 It was a possible goal scoring opportunity.

Speaker 1 But for me, the bigger moment, and Tim, I cannot understand this for the life of me.

Speaker 1 For someone who is so meticulous, so thought out, so prepared, every detail matters to Pep Guardiola to go into a cup final and you're not sure who is taking your penalty kicks is absolute embarrassment.

Speaker 2 It's embarrassing.

Speaker 1 So for people who didn't see, they got a penalty. Erling Erling Holland, who always has taken their penalties recently,

Speaker 1 gives the ball off to Omar Marmouse to let him take it. And after the game, when Pep was asked about it, he said, I thought Holland would want to take it.
These are things for them.

Speaker 1 That moment for the free kick, for the penalty, it's the feeling and how they feel. I want to emphasize that.
They decided Omar was ready to take it. Henderson made a good say, bullshit, dude.

Speaker 1 You don't go into a final with, I feel like this should happen. I feel you go into your pregame meeting, you say, if there's a penalty, he takes it.

Speaker 1 If he's not on the field, he takes it. If he's not on the field, he takes it.
There's no ambiguity. There's no fighting over the ball.
There's no, oh, I don't feel now in the moment.

Speaker 1 If Erling Holland's leg is hanging by a thread because it just got snapped and he says, I can't do it. Fine.
I get it. But this drives me crazy.
And coaches, big coaches all over the world do it.

Speaker 1 And I cannot figure out why. So I cannot figure out why.

Speaker 2 I hear you. I hear you.
Look, I think I'll get to the penalty incident in a second. So I think this might be the problem this season with Man City.
And I don't disagree with Pep.

Speaker 2 Like, fine, I'm on your side on this, but like for a second, let's humor me. Like Pep's saying, like, it's a feel thing.
I've got the best players in the world and they feel it.

Speaker 2 Well, they probably haven't felt it all season because this is kind of a microcosm of what's happened over the course of this season.

Speaker 1 Tim, you're taking, you're bringing in too much

Speaker 1 you're bringing in too much outside too much chance too much if you just make it clear for the player this is he does it on every corner kick you're taking the corner you line up here you line up there you line up there it's not like i don't get it don't leave it up to like oh i just don't just make it clear and then the player doesn't have to think about it now marmouche is like oh shoot i wasn't the guy supposed to but now i'm here taking it and now i'm nervous and

Speaker 2 the interesting part for me is the human element right like we've both been there there you know the definition of courage i've heard is is being scared of death but saddling up anyway right and so there have been times where every player senses it i feel it you felt it where you're just scared to death of of a moment and sometimes you crumble in that moment sometimes you you you prosper but this is an interesting one because erlon holland for me is superhuman he showed to be superhuman he showed that the only thing that matters to him in his life is scoring goals right we've seen that because he'll be on a brace right with 30 minutes left in the game and pep takes him off we've seen this a bunch of times, and he's pissed off and he's angry.

Speaker 2 By the way, his team's up like 5-0, and he scored two of those, right? So we know that scoring is important to him. So in this moment, this pivotal, critical moment,

Speaker 2 I'm thinking, this guy's superhuman. Give me the ball because why do I do best? And in that moment, he handed it off.
So I can only think.

Speaker 2 There had to have been doubt because this isn't a guy.

Speaker 2 He's not an all-shuck's nice guy, by the way. He's not like, no, this is my mate.
I want to endear him to the team. We just bought him from German football a couple of months ago.

Speaker 2 I want him to have this limelight. That never went through his mind.
Never.

Speaker 2 He's a dog and he's nasty and he wants that moment and he passed it up. So there's something in that for me.

Speaker 2 The penalty decision, I mean, I.

Speaker 2 Depending on if you're a Palace fan or you're a city fan, you'd tell me to go F off because I could argue both sides of this.

Speaker 1 You mean the red card?

Speaker 2 Yeah, yeah. I mean, whether, you know, whether the Dean Henderson penalty red card, denial of an obvious goal scoring opportunity versus not so obvious.

Speaker 2 I could argue both sides, but I mean, ultimately,

Speaker 2 it went for Palace. And sometimes you need that when it comes to history and things being on your side.

Speaker 1 All right, let's take a break. When we come back, Tim, very,

Speaker 1 very exciting guest we have on the show, U.S. national team fans.

Speaker 1 You will love this. Do not want to miss it.
Right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Lannon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. We'll be right back.

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Speaker 2 LD,

Speaker 2 as promised, we always like to bring our audience

Speaker 2 really awesome, dynamic guests. And

Speaker 2 today is someone who is really making a name for himself, a budding U.S. national team star, a player that I really, really like and I'm excited about.

Speaker 2 But I'm going to pass the baton to you for an intro because, as much as I really, really like him and I'm excited, you love this dude. So take it away.
All right.

Speaker 1 Well, I had the immense pleasure and misfortune of coaching against

Speaker 1 this man with San Diego Loyal when he was with El Paso Locomotive. And watching him live, you knew there was something different about him, something special.

Speaker 1 I can't, in good faith, say I saw him coming this fast into MLS and doing well and this fast into the national team, but I did think the potential was there. Without further ado,

Speaker 1 Real Salt Lake and U.S. men's national team rising star, Diego Luna.
Diego, welcome, my friend.

Speaker 2 What's going on?

Speaker 3 Thank you for having me.

Speaker 2 How are you guys doing?

Speaker 1 We're good, man. How are you?

Speaker 3 We're doing good.

Speaker 1 You're having quite a year.

Speaker 3 Yeah, enjoying a little off day, but yeah,

Speaker 2 we're doing good.

Speaker 1 So, Diego,

Speaker 1 we want to touch on what's going on recently with your rise, and it's happened maybe for you, not quickly, but for a lot of fans who are just tuning in recently to the national team.

Speaker 1 I think you really announced yourself in January.

Speaker 1 And

Speaker 1 I want to take people back to where you started. So you grew up in Sunnyvale, is that right? Northern California?

Speaker 3 Yeah, northern, yeah.

Speaker 1 Okay. And you were part of the earthquake system, right? The youth academy system.

Speaker 2 Yep. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 And then I want to start, and because I think this is interesting for people to hear, when we were, when I was coaching in USL, a lot of times kids are talking about, I want to be an MLS.

Speaker 1 I want to be an MLS. I want to join an MLS team.
I want to join an MLS roster. I want to be a part of.
And

Speaker 1 we would say to some of these young kids, the most important thing for you at 16, 17, 18 is to be playing soccer games now.

Speaker 1 You are developing well, but if you're on an MLS roster, you're not going to play. I want to know why you made the decision to not go into an MLS academy and to go to a USL team.

Speaker 1 where you had a much better chance of playing and then eventually prove yourself and played. So why, why did you make that decision?

Speaker 3 Yeah, so it was definitely a decision that, you know, my family, agents all had to be a part of, right?

Speaker 3 And I think for me, it was, it was, you know, mainly my decision to understand that I was seeing kids getting, you know, brought into MLS teams and, and, you know, then just kind of, you know, floating around on the second teams, you know, not getting minutes and stuff like that.

Speaker 3 And, and, you know, I was seeing this happen, you know, with my own eyes.

Speaker 3 So I then, you know, thought about the opportunity to go, you know, prove myself and earn my my spot and kind of rise up the ranks type of thing.

Speaker 3 And that's kind of been how my youth, my youth days were kind of performing, then taking a leap.

Speaker 3 And I think that's what really made me, you know, make my move to USL to get the opportunity to play and showcase myself there to make sure that, you know, I am good enough.

Speaker 3 I can showcase myself here and then, you know, move up the ranks from there.

Speaker 1 It's really unique

Speaker 1 because nowadays, like I said, people are so obsessed with getting to the highest level as fast as possible and they forget about playing. And we see it with kids saying, I want to go to Europe.

Speaker 1 I want to go to Europe. I want to, and I always say, well, what does that mean?

Speaker 1 You can go to Europe and you can sit on a bench and never play soccer. Exactly.
And that doesn't help you. So I just, I want to commend you for that because I think you're a great.

Speaker 1 now story for other young kids to look at and say, I don't have to be in an MLS academy. Maybe I can go somewhere else and play soccer games and get better and better.

Speaker 1 And would you say, my guess is at 16, 17, you're playing against full grown men. You're competing now to earn a starting spot versus playing against 17 and 18 year olds, right?

Speaker 3 Exactly. Yeah.
So that's the thing, you know, with,

Speaker 3 you know, of course, not putting any hate on anything, but like when you go to MLS Next Pro, you're going to be playing against, you know, academy players or, or, you know, guys that, that, you know, aren't aren't young, young kids.

Speaker 3 But when you go go into USL championship, that's, you know, that's a division of grown men, retired, you know, good pros.

Speaker 3 And, and, you know, if you're a young player like I was going into that environment, you're still competing against, you know, faster, stronger guys,

Speaker 3 and you're proving yourself and you still have something to prove there. And once you perform there, you know, you can, you can showcase yourself.

Speaker 3 And like I did, and show everybody that you, you know, you're ready for the next level.

Speaker 2 I mean, America, take note, please. There was a famous coach in England, Arsen Wenger, right? And he saw this young kid, Jack Wilshire, and he said, he is ready to play at Arsenal.

Speaker 2 And he's going to be an Arsenal player. But you know what I'm going to do first? I'm going to send him to Bolton.
Take your map out and have a look at where Bolton is.

Speaker 2 It's not a place where Jack Wilshire wants to be, but it hardened him. It toughened him up.
And it's funny, Diego, I think we are similar in a way. And we'll get to the tattoos in a minute, but

Speaker 2 I played in the USISL, which nobody remembers. That's like like a defunct form of the A-League and USL.
But you have this path.

Speaker 2 And I'm thinking about you just like mentioned, like parents and agents, get out of the way, right? Because Diego, you have this dog and this nastiness about you.

Speaker 2 When I say that, that's the most glowing, that's the most glowing accolade I can give any player. You've got this tenacity to want to prove yourself.
And

Speaker 2 I think that it's always really important to.

Speaker 2 When you're making decisions, not everyone's built like you. Some people say, I don't know if I, if I go down to USL, I might not make it.
But I get the

Speaker 2 impression you said, Gimme, let me go down there, and I'll show you what I've got. I just, that has to come from somewhere.
You talk about your NorCal upbringing, yeah.

Speaker 2 Take us back to where, where that attitude, where that nastiness comes from.

Speaker 3 Yeah, you know, I'm the kid, you know, that didn't really come from much.

Speaker 3 Um, my family worked, worked really hard to give me what they could and provide me with everything that I'm extremely grateful for.

Speaker 3 So, I think for me, it was always, you know, fighting fighting for what I wanted,

Speaker 3 you know, needing to prove myself and at any level, and even on the soccer side, I never played my age. I was always playing, you know,

Speaker 3 five years up, two years up, three years up. You know, it was never, you know, me playing against kids my age or my size.
It was always bigger, faster, stronger.

Speaker 3 So for me, it was just always got to like, I got to do, I got to prove myself. You know, I'm not here just because,

Speaker 3 you know, and, you know, taking it back, you know, my brother and my dad dad were my coaches they would put me bring me up on the on the on the older teams and put me on the bench he's like you're not you're not proving yourself you're not you know you're not you're not playing well you're not doing what you need to be doing so no matter if it was my family they were going to sit me on the bench and be like you're not doing good enough um so i think it just came from the way i was raised and and kind of the family that that has given me everything and and worked hard to to put me where i'm at and i just you know picked up on that to to provide to to make sure that i'm doing the best to to showcase myself.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 1 Yeah, Tim, I mean, we have kids, right? So like, I'm, I'm, I start to wonder how much of that is just natural versus how much does your environment or your parents or your upbringing play into that?

Speaker 1 And I'm sure it's a mix of all that, but there, take us back, Diego, because this, I think this is the moment, and this is what Tim is talking about, this is the moment that put you on the map for a lot of people, that Costa Rica game in January, right?

Speaker 1 So you get called into January camp with a bunch of other guys who are sort of on the fringe or not really in the national team yet.

Speaker 1 So walk us through the game. You get hit in the face.
I think an elbow right hits you and you're bleeding. And can you take us through that moment?

Speaker 1 Because you end up coming back on the field and a lot of people kind of turn their heads and we're like, oh, this kid, this kid like really wants it, like really, really wants it.

Speaker 1 And I think I'm setting this up, Diego, because we've...

Speaker 1 And, you know, I'm not going to ask you to touch on this, but we've been frustrated with

Speaker 1 some of the guys in our national team who just don't have that same level of pride and care for their national team. So walk us through that moment.

Speaker 3 So in that game, you know, it was a big moment for me and always, you know, grateful to have the opportunity to represent, you know, the USA. So I break my nose, middle of the game.

Speaker 3 I get pulled out to the side. They try to, you know, put it back in place right there on the sideline.

Speaker 3 And coach is looking at me like, like he's like, are you ready to come off? And I'm like, no, there's no way. There's no way.

Speaker 3 Like, there's no way I'm coming off in the 15th minute because this thing, you know, I can still run. I could still see, you know, you're not stopping me right now.

Speaker 3 And I think that was just the mentality of me because, you know, you don't get these opportunities, you know, all the time. You got to take advantage of the opportunities you're given.

Speaker 3 And like I said, you got to showcase, you got to, you got to make a name for yourself. You got to, you know, provide and stuff.

Speaker 3 So, you know, in those moments, it's like you go, you think in your head, it's like, this is an opportunity where you could take the easy way and, you know, hop off and, you know, broke your nose.

Speaker 3 What a story, blah, blah, or, you know, you're going to, you're going to grab your chance and go for it. So I think for me, it was just saying, like, there's no way I'm coming out of this game.

Speaker 3 And he was telling me, you know, that it's okay. You don't have to rush it.
You know, it's preseason and stuff. And I was like, no, no, no, I'm just, I'm going to, let me play.

Speaker 2 This is my World Cup. Yeah, let me play.

Speaker 3 Let me play until half. And from there, we can make a decision.

Speaker 3 And, you know, he asked the doctors if that was okay and then you know they said yeah and you know i was able to go back in there and and you know maybe maybe the best decision of my life you know it's true to go back in there and and you know get an assist right after and you know from there um

Speaker 3 yeah just just showcase myself and that was just it's cool to me because it made a lot of uh you know headlines and stuff but it was cool to me because that was just you know that was just me you know it wasn't like me trying to to be anything it was just exactly what what my head wanted at that moment.

Speaker 3 And, you know, so that was, that was cool to see. And it made me feel good and stuff.
But yeah.

Speaker 2 Well, never, never, never change. I mean, I think, you know, when I get goosebumps listening to you talk about it, because I...

Speaker 2 I think what we're finding out about you is like there was never, there was never another option, right? There was never, and that, yeah, that comes, that comes from who you are, right?

Speaker 2 Like you were, you weren't looking for the easy route. Like, this is cool and a great story.
You wanted more. And so that's awesome.

Speaker 2 And look, if I had, if I had Mauricio Pachatino here right now, I'd be asking, why aren't you starting Diego Luna? I mean, you know,

Speaker 2 I think you're poised and ready and you obviously had to wait your turn. You know, I think about this season,

Speaker 2 you're off to a great goal scoring start for Real Salt Lake.

Speaker 2 Is that a concerted effort? Because

Speaker 2 I think of Kevin De Bruyne, there were certain moments under Pep where he had to score more. And then sometimes he had to take a backseat and assist and

Speaker 2 get more assists and unlock the door with his passing.

Speaker 2 Your assists are down, which is totally fine. Goals are more important, but do you feel like you're making more of an effort to get into the box, to get on the end of things this season?

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 3 And I think,

Speaker 3 you know, it isn't a secret that right now,

Speaker 3 RSL,

Speaker 3 we're struggling to score goals.

Speaker 3 And, you know, I think for me to step up and, you know, That's what I want to do. I want the pressure.
I want to be that guy.

Speaker 3 I want to, I want to, you know, whether that's me getting the assists, whether that's me scoring the goals, I want to be that guy.

Speaker 3 And, you know, right now, I think it is, it is, you know, on me to, to take that, uh, take that, um,

Speaker 3 the pressure of, of scoring goals for RSL. Like, that's, that's what I need to be doing.
And yeah, you know, I, I think right now I'm, I'm working hard to put myself in the position to score goals.

Speaker 3 And, um, you know, maybe,

Speaker 3 you know, in a couple of months, it won't be me.

Speaker 3 You know, maybe I'll have to be assisting more and, you know, find, finding passes to the to our guys and stuff but i think right now i'm i'm happy to to continue to contribute and whether it's scoring goals or assisting you know i'm i'm all for it diego i want to i want to hear about your evolution at rsl i think you've been incredibly fortunate to have pablo there and incredibly fortunate now to have mauricio there and these are two

Speaker 1 two guys who grew up either grew up in south america or have a south american mentality, which is also a fighter, right?

Speaker 1 And I've seen you evolve and I've talked to Nate Miller, your assistant coach there a lot about you.

Speaker 1 I've seen you evolve in

Speaker 1 a lot of ways. You're not now just a playmaker.
You are now a goal scorer. You are, I think your team's now best defender from the front.
You are not like you counter press well. You defend well.

Speaker 1 You have changed that part of your game.

Speaker 1 And as I'm sure you learned with the national team, if you don't do that, if you just walk around the field and think you can just attack, you got no chance, right?

Speaker 1 So can you walk me through how Pablo and Nate have helped you in that way?

Speaker 3 Yeah, I think

Speaker 3 it was, it wasn't a secret. I think from the very first, you know, day I started at RSL,

Speaker 3 Pablo just made it very clear, like, you're not going to play. And it was also awesome because Pablo made it difficult for me to get the opportunity.
He didn't just hand it to me.

Speaker 3 He made it difficult. He was, you're going to have to do this.
You're going to have to do this. And you're going to have to do this.
You're not working hard enough. You're not defending good.

Speaker 3 Your soccer IQ on the defensive side is not good enough.

Speaker 3 And, you know, what's better than that, right? Having a coach that's going to challenge you to become better. and do all the right things you need to be doing to get the opportunity to play.

Speaker 3 So I think for me, I'm extremely grateful to, you know, for Pablo to really tell me how it was and really put it in my face that if you're not going to defend, if you're not going to, you know, help the team on the defensive side of the ball, then there's no, there's no spot for you here.

Speaker 3 You know, so of course, from a guy that wanted to be on the field, I had to learn and I had to do that.

Speaker 3 So I put in, you know, a lot of, you know, a lot of video sessions, a lot of, you know, mentally, you know, telling myself, you got to do this, you got to do this, and kind of putting that on a loop to make it a habit, right?

Speaker 3 And make it a big part of my game. And then later on, I found out that, you know, that gives me the opportunity to score more goals.
So why not do it, right?

Speaker 3 Why not defend better and to get the ball higher up the field and, you know, showcase myself.

Speaker 2 If you're not already, you're going to be everybody's favorite player because, you know, you said,

Speaker 2 what's better than a coach who gives it to you straight? The only thing that's better than that is a young player who's willing to take that information on board. And you've done that.

Speaker 2 And so I know you're incredibly humble. So I'll certainly give you the praise for that.
You know, one of the things that I think about

Speaker 2 Diego is kind of next steps. And let me preface this.
And I think Landon and I are on the same page.

Speaker 2 I always find it a little bit off-putting when a player talks about, you know, you're under contract with Real Salt Lake. That's your team.

Speaker 2 It's always hard to talk about the other teams and next step. But the fact of the matter is that's the evolution of soccer, right?

Speaker 2 And if you go to the Gold Cup and to a World Cup and have another productive season and a half, the likelihood is someone's going to pay quite a lot of money to RSL and MLS for your services and they'll be well compensated.

Speaker 2 Do you think about the next steps? Because I think you more than anybody deserve that from where you started to going into USL and into MLS and to the national team.

Speaker 2 Do you dream about what's next and what that looks like for you?

Speaker 3 Yeah, definitely. And, you know, like you said, first off, you don't want to say anything wrong and stuff like that.
And like you said, it's just the evolution of soccer. That's how it works.

Speaker 3 That's, that's the job we're in and stuff like that.

Speaker 3 But, you know, for me, it's always been whatever club that I'm playing for at that time, you know, I'm going to give it 100, 100%, you know, like that's, that's bottom line.

Speaker 3 So, you know, wherever it is. But yeah, of course, I think about that and what could be the next move for me and when that move could be, you know, it's, it's not always.

Speaker 3 you know, my choice or stuff like that. You know, there could be a team and an RSL find an agreement, you know, in the summer.

Speaker 3 it could be in two years it could be like you said after the World Cup you know who knows but for me you know I have dreams I have you know goals in mind to to perform and you know it's it's

Speaker 3 it's about providing for your family so of course it's like wherever that's going to give you the best career and and longevity and to be able to play and perform and of course you know a place that I can perform so I can get the opportunity to represent the national team and stuff like that.

Speaker 3 So

Speaker 3 I think for me, it's just about continuing to do what I can do for RSL and the opportunities I get with the national team. And then, you know, from there, see, see where that takes me.

Speaker 3 And then wherever I land next, give it 100% and then start all over.

Speaker 1 Of course. Yeah, and Diego, you've looked, you've proven that that is the path that certainly works for you, right?

Speaker 1 And I would encourage you to always remember that that is the path that works for you, right?

Speaker 1 So you went very unconventionally to El Paso, but you said, I'm going to give myself the best chance to play. Now you go to Salt Lake.

Speaker 1 And I don't know, you know, what the conversations were or where the possibilities were, but Salt Lake was a great club because it was a club that would play you. Exactly.
Right.

Speaker 1 And so now if you're going to, if you do end up moving six months, a year, two years, five years, do you, then you have to, I think, remember this is a place where I am going to have a chance to play.

Speaker 1 Exactly.

Speaker 3 Because you, I think getting to know you now, you would be miserable sitting on a bench somewhere yeah right that's that's not what you want 100 and i think yeah that that all goes into consideration when you when you think about clubs right you got the big big clubs the big names and stuff like that but it's it's not always where where

Speaker 3 you know it's where you want to be but it might not be the exact time where where you where you take that chance right you might have to like i said you know work up the ranks and and once you go to europe you can start somewhere then go up and up and up so i think for me yeah it's it's been the plan for me and it's it's not going to change now because of whether it's money or just a big name club.

Speaker 3 You know, I think it's it's about where I'm going to be able to play and and you know

Speaker 2 with without without giving away too many secrets, our listeners would desperately love to know what it's like on the inside of camp with Murzoo Pochettino and his style and how he deals with you players on a day-to-day basis, what training sessions are like.

Speaker 2 Um, how's that been?

Speaker 3 Yeah, for me, it's been it's been awesome. You know, I can't complain.

Speaker 3 You know,

Speaker 3 Pujatino, for me, the biggest thing about him is that he made me feel comfortable off the field, you know, as a human, which allowed us, you know, to be able to feel free and no pressure, you know, when you're on the field.

Speaker 3 And I think that was the biggest thing for me. You know, he knows how to connect with the players one-on-one and

Speaker 3 make jokes and laugh and stuff like that. But also when you got to

Speaker 3 flip the script and you're on the field, it's it's locked in you know it's it's time to grind and you got to be 100 focused but um

Speaker 3 off the field you know there's jokes and there's stuff so it makes you feel comfortable and allows you to to express yourself on the field and i think that was the biggest thing for me that that takeaway

Speaker 1 diego last couple things last thing for me can you walk us through um because i tim and i know this feeling well you are now almost a year away from potentially playing in a world cup Cup, right?

Speaker 1 And I think at one point, Tim and I were very much probably where you are, which is, I would say, somewhere on the bubble, leaning towards in based on recent performances, but you have to play well in order to, you know, you know, there are a lot of good players that play the position you play for the national team, right?

Speaker 1 So can you take us in your mind right now and just

Speaker 1 help listeners understand what it's like to dream about next summer and just walk us through what you think about and dream about?

Speaker 2 Yeah, and I think

Speaker 3 for me, when you when you really think about it and you really lock in on it, it's it gives you like kills, you know, like like goosebumps.

Speaker 3 It's it's like you know, how crazy, you know, for me as the journey that I've had and to be you know one year away from potentially you know playing in a World Cup, it's crazy to even say that sentence, right?

Speaker 1 You know, in a World Cup at home, by the way, exactly, yeah.

Speaker 3 So even to even put that in

Speaker 3 the air is crazy to have that, but you know, for me, it's about the grind, you know, every day now. And, you know, from here on now,

Speaker 3 that's the big goal, right? So every game with RSL, every opportunity I get with the national team, it's it's, you know, it's grind time.

Speaker 3 You got one big goal in a year and every little thing you do is now, you know, setting you up to either. you know, make it or to

Speaker 3 not. And that's just exactly how it is.

Speaker 3 And like you said, there's, there's a bunch of players that are extremely talented in this position that can play and that we have the opportunity to, you know, to represent our, our, our country.

Speaker 3 So it's not going to come easy. And I think for me, that, that makes it more, you know, more of a fun thing where you got a bunch of guys fighting for this, for this one opportunity to get in there.

Speaker 3 And, and, you know, it's, it's, um, it's something very exciting, I think. Yeah.

Speaker 1 All right. I know Tim's last question is about your tattoos.
So go ahead, Tim.

Speaker 2 I appreciate you setting the table, Lane. I didn't want to, I didn't want to forget that.
So you are, you are very heavily tatted. What's what's next? Are you just constantly getting them?

Speaker 2 Where's your favorite?

Speaker 2 Where's your favorite artist?

Speaker 3 Yeah, so I think the tattoos is, it's just, you know, for me, it's just a part of me. I think like it's something I started when I was 15.

Speaker 3 And, you know, for me, it's just been, you know, non-stop things that I, that, things that I like, things that I think are cool, meaningful tattoos, whatever it is, you know, I put it on my body.

Speaker 3 And I think it's, you know, for me, it's whether you the story i have about tattoos is like if you get a tattoo when you're you know 15

Speaker 3 at 15 you just thought it was cool you thought it was badass so there's no you there's no regret like you at that age you were like that's awesome dude like that was the coolest thing in the world for me so i'm not gonna you know 10 years later i'm gonna regret it no no no like when i was 15 that was the the dopest thing in the world for me you know so for me it's just about expressing myself things that i like um it's just my style now i guess like it's just a part of me and and kind of who i am you know my parents are not big fans of it but but uh but um you know i think me seeing them you know seeing me have you know success on the field it it gives them some type of uh relaxation yeah to well well i'm sure i'm sure i'm sure they don't love the tattoos but they love the the the person and the player you've become so big credit to your parents as well we'll have to we'll have to uh at some point hook up and tell me your favorite artist and we'll we'll get some some ink I'm 46 and it doesn't stop.

Speaker 2 So

Speaker 2 I feel you. And listen, it's been an absolute pleasure getting to know you and big fans of you on this show.
So continued success.

Speaker 3 Thanks, guys. I appreciate you.
And Diego,

Speaker 1 let's make an agreement right now. If you make the World Cup team, you're going to get a tat.

Speaker 2 Perfect.

Speaker 1 I don't know what it'll be. You decide, you think about it.
Maybe you already have.

Speaker 1 But let's hope

Speaker 1 we're all wishing for you to have that success. And look, man, as someone who has, again, watched you in person,

Speaker 1 stay humble, man. Stay humble.
You are, you are inspiring all of us. And it's sad to say, but you're in a generation now where people don't view it the same way you do.

Speaker 1 And just keep grinding, keep getting better, defensively running all the little things that aren't fun, but that are going to make you a top player.

Speaker 1 It's been an honor to watch you play, man, and I'm wishing you the very best.

Speaker 3 Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

Speaker 1 All right, let's take a quick break.

Speaker 1 When we're back, we will dive into all of your fan questions in the AT ⁇ T fan connection and talk anything but soccer right here on unfiltered soccer with lannon and tim as always presented by volkswagen stay right there

Speaker 1 this episode is brought to you by airbnb all right tim between your work your daughter your son or maybe just your own enjoyment how much traveling do you think you've done to see soccer this year

Speaker 1 honestly honestly i've i've lost i lost track at this point um you know just this summer alone i was all over the place uh but it is it's a beautiful thing to see how many soccer fans and how soccer has been embraced no matter where we go yeah i mean i was just in austin uh i'll be traveling to new york everywhere i go i meet fans whether i'm going to see a game myself or just on vacation i see people everywhere i hear stories i hear stories about their pilgrimage to everton to go watch a game to go see the new stadium to go see their favorite team they get immersed in the chants the songs that incredible feeling of seeing the game up close and personal well i mean i think that's what that's where the game has changed these trips have become a big deal for soccer fans and this summer is going to be no different as we'll see the soccer community make their way to 11 host cities here in the u.s to support their favorite national team it's going to be incredible i can't wait for it and what if those fans could turn their homes into an opportunity while they're away at the game Hosting your home on Airbnb while you travel is an easy way to earn a little bit of extra cash, maybe go towards tickets for your game that you want to go to.

Speaker 1 We know they're not cheap, or maybe to help your kids pursue their soccer dreams.

Speaker 2 Yeah, your home might be worth more than you think. So find out how much at airbnb.com/slash host.

Speaker 2 LD for me to holidays are all about connection to family and to friends. We host a lot.
So we got a lot of people over the house.

Speaker 2 Oftentimes when it starts to get chaotic and the turkey or the ham is getting burnt and the kids are running around playing with their new toys, I go out back by the fire pit and I choose chill.

Speaker 2 I crack open a core's light.

Speaker 1 Yeah, it's my favorite time of year. It gets cold,

Speaker 1 not quite as cold as New York, but it's cold outside. It gets dark early.
Kids are playing.

Speaker 1 We turn on the jacuzzi, relax in the hot tub with a Coors Light, choose chill, relax, have family, friends, good food, good memories. My favorite time of year.

Speaker 2 When you embrace a chill mindset this holiday, it's a good time to choose chill and crack open a Coors Light.

Speaker 1 Choose chill this holiday season and then reach for a Coors Light. Get Coors Light delivered straight to your door.

Speaker 1 Visit CoorsLight.com slash USLNT, or you can find it pretty much anywhere that sells beer.

Speaker 2 Celebrate responsibly. Hoors Brewing Company, Golden, Colorado.
There's nothing better than feeling like someone has your back and that things are going to get done even without you having to ask.

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Speaker 1 Yeah, as we on Unfiltered Soccer get ready for next summer, we know that very little in the beautiful game is guaranteed.

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Speaker 2 It's time for the fan connection presented by AT ⁇ T. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions.
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Speaker 2 is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At AT ⁇ T, connecting changes everything.
And on US LNT, our connections with you will help grow the game. All right.

Speaker 2 It is everyone's favorite time of the week. Time for our AT ⁇ T fan connection.
It's me and Landon, but you didn't come here to hear or see me and Landon. You came here to see Jordan.

Speaker 2 Jordan, welcome. Now, hang on a second.
Hello. The tattoos are out.
Chat it up. Very, very

Speaker 2 good.

Speaker 4 Tim, I got my hand tattooed a couple of weekends ago.

Speaker 2 What does it say?

Speaker 4 It's an auxiliary cable.

Speaker 2 That's amazing. Amazing.
And Diego Luna, you're like, Diego's on. He's got his tats out.
I'm going to get my tats out. New York Liberty, WNBA season started.

Speaker 2 Represent defending champs. Let's go.

Speaker 4 Open the season with a win. We love that.
Okay.

Speaker 2 You.

Speaker 4 And Breonna Stewart even threw out the first bitch at the Yankee game this week. Did she?

Speaker 2 Nice.

Speaker 2 What's happening in New York? New York City, stand up.

Speaker 2 Already.

Speaker 2 He hates it.

Speaker 4 He hates it so much.

Speaker 2 All right.

Speaker 4 Well, first of all,

Speaker 4 we're going to start on the East Coast. Sorry, Landon, but we just have to do this quickly.

Speaker 4 Some listeners wanted you guys to know that the New England Revolution boasted a reported 31,000 fans in attendance on Saturday.

Speaker 2 Let's go, Revs.

Speaker 4 In their nil-nil draw against San Jose. And for reference, the temperature in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday was a high of 71 with a low of 65 just before midnight.

Speaker 2 Good on you. Listen, it makes sense.
They're in their seats. They're not in the heating zones on the concourse like they've been telling us all year.
So congratulations to the New England Revolution.

Speaker 2 Listen, you're not going to win this because we desperately want you to be good and well-supported. So, congratulations for doing your job.
That's awesome.

Speaker 2 And I do mean that sincerely because I don't really get patted on the back when I make a save. They're just like, go stand there and be a lump and make saves.
That's your job.

Speaker 2 So, your job as a fan is to not be in the warming zone, it's to be on in your seats. So, congratulations.
I did see the scenes up in New England. I'm obviously joking.
It looked awesome.

Speaker 2 So, well played.

Speaker 1 And they enjoyed that thrilling zero-zero drone.

Speaker 4 That's a whole other conversation, though.

Speaker 1 Congrats, Twitter people.

Speaker 4 Here's one from Bailey via email. I feel like we just really riled people up last week talking about World Cups of the past.
So we're going to have to dive into this one a little bit.

Speaker 4 I wanted to ask you guys about Eddie Johnson, particularly his run of form in the buildup to the 2014 World Cup.

Speaker 4 Obviously, Landon's omission was shocking, but I remember being equally surprised that players like Julian Green, Aaron Johansson, or even Wando were selected over EJ.

Speaker 4 I thought he was a lock after the run of form he was in during qualifiers and the Gold Cup in 2013. Plus, he had the World Cup experience from 06.
Curious what you guys might have to say on the topic.

Speaker 1 I mean, the reality is, in the end, one person makes all these decisions, right? And that's what people have to remember in sports is one person.

Speaker 1 Now, people have input and they talk about it, whatever, but one person makes it. So, if one person, in this case, Juergen, was not on the Eddie Johnson train, then that's all that matters, right?

Speaker 1 Um, do I think Eddie Johnson should have been there?

Speaker 2 Probably, yeah.

Speaker 1 I know Eddie cared, that's for sure, and he had obviously all the abilities, so I think, yeah, I would say, yeah, yeah,

Speaker 2 what can I say about that? Yeah, there's one person that makes the decisions ultimately.

Speaker 2 I mean, you hope that the weight of the backroom staff and the assistant coaches um is high and that the manager listens to that but um it wasn't to be look in the case of eddie johnson i mean he he he scored a lot of big goals um he definitely competed he definitely cared he was a guy who could stretch the field which is what made him so good in a substitute role i mean he was fast as lightning anyway um and a pretty composed finisher but like at the end of a game but you know 60 minutes plus i mean it was a joke he could run past people so um

Speaker 2 yeah but you know an anecdote amazing eddie johnson story in south africa do you remember the meeting so bob bradley this is completely not not before this world cup but uh it might have been 2010 we're in a meeting room it's hot as anything in this room air condition went out it's a tiny room we're around the table bob's got his vcr or whatever machine that was that bob was using to rewind and make him record his little machine

Speaker 2 legendary bob bob bradley and uh and i mean that sincerely one of the best and we're in this room everyone's hot sure enough the lights come on. Eddie's got his shirt off.

Speaker 2 He's like slouched in the chair. He's sweating.
He starts saying all sorts of like expletives, like

Speaker 2 how hot it was.

Speaker 2 I mean, I don't think Bob New enjoyed it. We just started cracking up.
Anyway, I digress, but Eddie Johnson, real.

Speaker 1 I love Eddie, man.

Speaker 4 Here's one from Instagram from Marcello. Does Landon have a book in the making?

Speaker 2 Ooh, tell us more.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 4 Come on, Landon.

Speaker 1 Yeah, I did say that last week.

Speaker 4 So what are the details?

Speaker 1 I have a book in the making.

Speaker 1 It's a crazy process.

Speaker 2 I hate it.

Speaker 1 I'm going to be honest. I hate it.

Speaker 1 It's a crazy process.

Speaker 1 I believe there are links going up soon on my website if people want to learn more. I appreciate Marcello asking.
He's right on brand. Thank you.
I'll send you money later, Marcello.

Speaker 1 Yeah, there are links coming. There'll be more info to come.

Speaker 1 It's not going to be released till March of next year. So we got time, but I believe there are links, early order links on my website.

Speaker 2 I'm pumped to read it. I'm going to go check it out.
I don't know.

Speaker 2 Did I mention the breaks? Did I get to mention?

Speaker 1 I'll search the document.

Speaker 2 Listen, as long as I get an autographed copy, that's fine.

Speaker 2 You know what I, you know, I recently said, and you're going through this arduous process of writing a book, and I feel like writing a book should not. should not invoke

Speaker 2 fun. And I'm like,

Speaker 2 I remember someone asked me, would I I write another book? And I literally said,

Speaker 2 no, but if I did, I would write it about like something I'm passionate about. And then I would have it as mine.

Speaker 2 And then if a publishing house wanted to take it after that, sure, but I'm taking no direction. I'm not like to the highest bidder.
I'm writing it because it's a passion project.

Speaker 2 And then like, if no one picks it up, who cares? But yeah, it's, I'm looking forward to yours because you have so many. amazing stories and experiences.
So that's cool.

Speaker 1 It's a lot in there. It's not, it's not really a soccer book.

Speaker 2 So just a little forewarning.

Speaker 1 There's soccer in there, but it's about me.

Speaker 4 I feel like all of the authors out there who do this as their full-time job, I have a lot more respect for after hearing the two of you talk about how hard you are.

Speaker 1 Can you imagine? I think about even like writers after like a game and trying to like put out an article and get every word right and you have to do it with like time pressure.

Speaker 4 Oh, and then as soon as that one's done, it's time to

Speaker 1 the next one. I know.

Speaker 2 But here's the thing. JR, hang on, here's the thing.
These writers who are amazing, right? You think of the top athlete, top anyone in their field, they're amazing.

Speaker 2 This is what they do and they love it and they're passionate about it. What it is, is they're sucking the soul out of us.
Because if you think about what writing a book

Speaker 2 entails, like the person walking down the street who's never written a book has basically not sat down and just, unless they've gone to massive amounts of therapy, which is also very healthy, no one is digging that deep.

Speaker 2 They're not going back. Right, right.
They're just not going back.

Speaker 2 They have no reason to go back. But when you write a book, book, it's like, nah.
Remember that? Tell me more about that. You know what I'm talking about?

Speaker 2 And then the editing process, it's like, hey, remember the thing we struggled with in week one talking about? Let's go back to that because I need more information. You're like, holy cow.

Speaker 1 Anyway, can't wait for the book. Anyway, it's amazing.

Speaker 2 Go buy it.

Speaker 4 Here's one from Cam via email. I just saw that Marta has been called up to the Brazilian national team, even though she retired last year.

Speaker 4 Does that mean there's hope for a comeback from Landon or Tim?

Speaker 1 Well, if you saw our shoot last week in San Diego, we had to, Tim put the gloves on, I think. I had to put the boots on.

Speaker 1 There is 0.0 hope. Zero.
You know, I'm still sore, Tim. I swear to you.
Oh, I believe that. I swear on my family, I'm still sore.
And that was four days ago.

Speaker 2 I believe that. Yeah, this is sore, bro.
I love that question. And it's a very sweet and endearing question.

Speaker 2 I mean, God bless Martha, by the way. She retired.
She's still good enough for them to be like, hold on, come back, which is great.

Speaker 2 Yeah,

Speaker 2 the part that didn't go in my book was my USL Memphis playing days. It doesn't end well.
It doesn't end well. So

Speaker 2 I hate, hate playing soccer. I love everything about, I love supporting my daughter.
I love talking about this podcast. I love getting up at the crack of dawn every weekend to cover soccer.

Speaker 2 I hate playing the game. It hurts so bad.

Speaker 1 It hurts. In the group text, just so everyone knows, they were asking us, are you guys okay doing some whatever? And Tim wrote, he said,

Speaker 1 I don't really want to put gloves on if I don't have to.

Speaker 2 I mean, yeah. I'm not diving.

Speaker 1 No, it's just not happening.

Speaker 2 All right, LD. It's time for the unfiltered refresh, sponsored by Coors Light.
Choose chill. Get Coors Light delivered.
Go to CoorsLight.com forward slash US LNT.

Speaker 1 All right. Anything but soccer this week, Tim.
There's a gentleman. I know you don't follow hockey probably that closely for the Florida Panthers, Brad Marchon.
this dude chooses chill all the time

Speaker 1 he is now i want to get this right

Speaker 1 he is now beaten the toronto maple leaf so game seven was last night the florida panthers beat the toronto maple leafs he was with the boston bruins before now plays for the panthers that's

Speaker 1 marshawn is the first player in NHL history to defeat the same opponent, same opponent in at least five winner-take-all games.

Speaker 1 He has beaten the Maple Leafs, he himself with his team five times in a row in game seven. Five times in a row.
So I'm sure he's in the locker room.

Speaker 2 He's like, dudes, don't worry.

Speaker 1 It's the Maple Leafs. It's me.

Speaker 2 We're good.

Speaker 2 And not to, yeah. And not to mention, his last 10 games against the Maple Leafs, four goals and six assists.

Speaker 2 I mean, can you imagine in the most nerve-wracking game that you could possibly play in your career? He just, like you said, he just goes, guys, relax. He's changed.
Give me a puck. Give me the puck.

Speaker 2 Get open. I got you.
He's chilling.

Speaker 1 I feel bad for the Leafs, man. My dad's a die-hard, lifelong Maple Leafs fan.
And even before the game last night, he's like, they got Brad Marshawn.

Speaker 1 The Leafs, we've lost whatever, how many of these in a row?

Speaker 1 Six or seven in a row now. In game sevens.
It's not going to happen.

Speaker 2 I'm like, dad, come on, cheer up. We're going to be fine.

Speaker 1 He's like, no, that's not going to. And sure enough, second period, the Panthers score a goal.
Within like four minutes, it's 3-0. And could have been four.
They had one called back.

Speaker 1 And I'm just like, oh my God. Anyway, big cheers.
Let's pop open a can, Timmy. Grab Roshan.
Congrats to you, man. It hurts.
It hurts. But cheers to you.
Cheers.

Speaker 2 Just chill, my friend.

Speaker 1 As always, thank you guys for being with us. Thank you for joining us.
As always, remember to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, anywhere you get your podcast.

Speaker 1 And as always, follow across all of our different social media. There's lots of bonus content on there.

Speaker 2 Yeah, LD, I echo that. I mean, Diego Luna stand up.

Speaker 2 He's

Speaker 2 fun. He's fun to listen to, to watch, to talk to.

Speaker 2 Wish him nothing but success

Speaker 2 for Real Salt Lake, but certainly for the Gold Cup and U.S. Men's National Team.
So I appreciate you coming on, bud. Thanks, everybody, for listening.

Speaker 2 Thank you to our presenting sponsor, VW, and our fan connection sponsor, ATT, and our Unfiltered Refresh sponsor, Coors Light. Have a great week.
Look forward to seeing everybody back next Wednesday.

Speaker 2 Not Tuesday. Oh, Wednesday.
Yep. Okay.
With another edition of Unfiltered Sock.

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