USMNT Nations League Semifinal vs Panama Preview

Speaker 1 Now it's a real game, real competition, FIFA competition, trophy at stake. Now it gets real.
God, I'm so excited now for this name.

Speaker 2 I can't wait for this weekend.

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 LD, what's happening, my band? How's things with you?

Speaker 1 Yo.

Speaker 1 We just talked yesterday. It is Tuesday, March 11th.
We recorded a pod yesterday, but we are doing a special recording today. When this drops, we will have recorded this six days prior.

Speaker 1 But just got off. I listened to the press conference with Mauricio Pochettino for the Nations League.

Speaker 1 Yesterday I was really tired because I just finished my Vegas trip. Today I feel great.
More energy today.

Speaker 2 Good. What about you?

Speaker 2 I'm still sick of seeing you, but it's fine.

Speaker 1 I know.

Speaker 2 You and I were on a phone call as well earlier today.

Speaker 1 It's a bit too much of me. I get it.

Speaker 2 That happens. That happens.
But I don't mind it.

Speaker 2 More importantly,

Speaker 2 I don't think our listeners mind it. So

Speaker 2 depends on who you ask.

Speaker 1 So good. This is going to be a good episode.
Fun episode. We're going to preview.
the Nations League semis and hopefully finals with the U.S. in it.
U.S. plays Panama.
Canada plays Mexico.

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Speaker 1 And we try to get to as many of your questions every week as possible. Lots of good questions.

Speaker 2 Lots of good questions. Before we start,

Speaker 2 this episode, what t-shirt you got on? Oh, yeah, I showed you

Speaker 2 for the people at home.

Speaker 1 See if you can see.

Speaker 1 This is my,

Speaker 2 it's hard to see. American

Speaker 1 American Outlaws shirt. Here we are.
I'm officially a member, although I think I need to renew.

Speaker 2 Is there a certain state chapter that you're just?

Speaker 1 Yeah, I don't know what chapter it is.

Speaker 2 You're not. You don't know.

Speaker 1 Oh, 2020, I'm a member. I should probably renew.
It's been five years.

Speaker 2 Shout out to American Outlaws. I mean, the amount of time

Speaker 2 that we shared a lot of great moments with them

Speaker 2 in stadium moments.

Speaker 2 It's incredible. I get goosebumps thinking about all of them and the things we did.

Speaker 1 Yep. And I spent, look, I've been here 10 years now in San Diego.
So I spent a lot of time with the Outlaws,

Speaker 1 different pubs around town, hanging out, watching games. It's fun.
It's fun just to be a fan. So shout out to them.
This is going to be a nice few weeks for them here.

Speaker 2 For those people

Speaker 2 who don't know who they are, they are the official supporters group of the U.S. men's and women's national teams.

Speaker 1 Who would not know who they are?

Speaker 2 I don't know.

Speaker 2 Listen,

Speaker 2 I'm just plugging that just so in case someone's like,

Speaker 1 I bet you some of your English fans are like, who the hell is that?

Speaker 2 Well, now they know. All right.

Speaker 1 All right. Nations League preview, Tim.
So Thursday, 7 p.m. Eastern.
It is the early game, I believe. I believe the other game's after it.
So 4 p.m. here on the West Coast in L.A.

Speaker 1 I may go up for that.

Speaker 1 I'll definitely go up for the final if the U.S. is in it.

Speaker 2 Camp starts. What's up? Sidebar, sidebar.

Speaker 2 When you go to National Game, you go to L.A. Yeah.

Speaker 2 What's your seating arrangement?

Speaker 1 I know it doesn't it sounds like a stupid question but like are you no are you director's box are you like wanting to sit with uh the people like where where are you so if it's at if it's at galaxy games it's in the owner's box with dan beckerman who owns the galaxy and the executives um it's really nice it's got an outdoor seating area but it's quiet it's got food inside so i can bring my kids and they can run around it's nice um i've never been to sofi

Speaker 1 so i

Speaker 1 you know i'm glad you asked because now maybe someone can reach out and give me a ticket.

Speaker 2 So I have to pay 400 bucks for it.

Speaker 1 I don't know. I hadn't even thought about it.

Speaker 2 I hadn't thought about it. Question.
That's good. I think last U.S.
game I saw, I was in the, I was in the

Speaker 2 owner's, well, it was, it was the director's box suite with where was it? Kansas City. It was at it was at

Speaker 2 Child Mercy Park? Children's Mercy Park. Children's Mercy Park? Child Mercy.
That's the same difference.

Speaker 2 Yeah, so I was there, but I'm a man of the people.

Speaker 1 But SoFi is big, dude.

Speaker 2 SoFi. I saw this.
I was there for the Super Bowl. It was massive.

Speaker 1 It's so big. Shocking.

Speaker 1 Okay. So camp starts on Sunday.
It's coming Sunday the 16th. And an interesting, just, I just want to help people understand this.
So

Speaker 1 a lot of guys, I think there are nine players on this roster, and we're going to get into the roster in the next segment.

Speaker 1 Nine of the guys on the roster will be flying in Monday because they have Sunday games. So I just want people to process that.
The roster is 23.

Speaker 1 So 40% of the roster is going to fly Monday, which means if you played Sunday,

Speaker 1 you are shattered on Monday, flying all day. Tuesdays, you're doing nothing.
You get to train Wednesday and then the game's Thursday.

Speaker 1 So this is a piece of it that people don't understand because if you play basketball or hockey, they play every night. Baseball, they play every night.
But in soccer, this is a really big deal. So

Speaker 1 I'm curious and wondering if that went into pochattino's decisions but clearly not if you name nine of them well and well it's interesting let's let's pause there for a second right because

Speaker 2 what what that actually looks like to the outside world because you and i have you and i have lived this right and it's always like high-paid athletes shut up you sit in first all that there there's a sports science has become so massive data analytics has become so massive in the game right so to your point because i've i lived this for 13 years you know your game ends on sunday right you've played 90 minutes.

Speaker 2 As you said, you're shattered.

Speaker 2 What happens then is because you're coming from Europe, you are,

Speaker 2 there's a term in soccer or sports, tired and wired. So the night after the game, you're completely drained and exhausted.
And you go lay in bed and your eyes are like, can't sleep.

Speaker 2 Your body's like, please shut down. And your nervous system is so high.

Speaker 2 You don't sleep.

Speaker 2 You don't sleep that night. Well, you probably get to bed three o'clock most of the time.

Speaker 2 And then you get up and you get, you jump on on a flight yes it's first class amazing flat beds but your body has has barely had time to start the recovery process from the game so now you're you're you're tight and you're cramped and that's a

Speaker 2 10 hour 11 hour flight and you get off the flight so now now your sports scientists and the team are basically saying you're you're useless to us on tuesday we've got to get you on the grass in your running shoes and we've got to get you moving but by the way we're already implementing game plan and strategy so you kind of have to be paying attention to that.

Speaker 2 And you have to be on the grass so that the manager can use you. But you're useless.
You're going to get,

Speaker 2 you know, you're basically going to get what would in a normal week LD, right? You're two days post-game on or three days post-game, you're basically starting to come back to training.

Speaker 2 But in this scenario, you're match day minus one, right? So it's a really difficult process for the players coming from Europe to really get. up to speed physically for that game on on Thursday.

Speaker 1 That's right. And

Speaker 1 again, just so people understand just the sports science. So after you play a 90-minute match, it takes your body, give or take, a few hours, but 72 hours to fully recover.

Speaker 2 Right.

Speaker 1 Now, when you throw in transatlantic travel, you can add another 24 hours to that. So literally by game time, they'll be recovered.
So this is a big challenge.

Speaker 1 And look, all the teams will have players dealing with this.

Speaker 1 Probably none more than the U.S., maybe Canada.

Speaker 1 So this is a big deal.

Speaker 2 Yep.

Speaker 1 But I referenced the press conference and

Speaker 1 Mauricio

Speaker 1 Pochetina spoke about this earlier, but to him, this is a really big deal, right? This is his first opportunity in a real competition

Speaker 1 to show what the team is made of.

Speaker 1 And we'll get into the roster and it's clear he valued guys he knows versus guys he doesn't know because he doesn't want to take a chance right now because what we just alluded to, they only have a couple days to prepare.

Speaker 1 So this is, he said, it's a massive opportunity to win a trophy and that is our clear objective. So he's not mincing words.
He's very clear.

Speaker 1 But there are good teams. Panama,

Speaker 1 U.S. Panama.
Panama's beat us two of the last three.

Speaker 2 Yep. I know.

Speaker 1 This is a big deal for us.

Speaker 1 And Panama is one of those teams, I think outside of Mexico, we have not played a team more than Panama in the last, whatever, decade or so. It's a team that always causes us problems.

Speaker 1 They're always difficult to play against. They will not have the crazy travel that some of our guys will.

Speaker 1 Our team, I saw this stat today.

Speaker 1 Our roster has an average of 14 caps in international real competition.

Speaker 2 I'm just going to repeat that. I'm going to repeat that.

Speaker 1 14 caps on average in FIFA real competition. So not counting friendlies.

Speaker 1 So the average player has only stepped on the field 14 times in a real game. Now, I don't know the exact number for Panama, but it's way higher than that.

Speaker 1 Those guys have been together a long time. They are veterans, they are hardened, they know how to play in these games.

Speaker 1 So, if people turn it on and go, Oh, it's Panama, this is this is a walk in the park, uh-uh, ain't gonna happen. So, this is a big moment for our team.
We've talked about this, Tim, for a long time.

Speaker 1 Outside of the gold cup in the summer, this is it for real competition.

Speaker 2 Yeah, I mean, look, the thing about Panama, which I'll start with, is

Speaker 2 when in our era, um, look, you U.S., Mexico, and Costa rica are the best teams traditionally year on year in conc

Speaker 2 why panama started you know panama started to creep up as number four and here's why

Speaker 2 the u.s

Speaker 2 is so dominant u.s players u.s men's national team players are physically so superior to any other country that we play in conc

Speaker 2 that's it now we might get out footballed by mexico every now and again

Speaker 2 physically and athletically we are the most dominant. What Panama has done in the last decade is they've matched that.
I mean, I've been in the tunnel

Speaker 2 against Panama multiple times and thought

Speaker 2 we're not going to necessarily be able to beat them physically. And they come in and oftentimes, and they know this,

Speaker 2 they try and bully us because they know they're physically more imposing. across the board oftentimes than a lot of our teams.

Speaker 2 And that's not something we're used to because we're so superior athletically,

Speaker 2 you know, as American footballers that we never have to worry about ticking that box. And so Panama poses some real problems.

Speaker 1 Yeah, they're just,

Speaker 1 I've said this before. When one of these countries beats you

Speaker 1 in America,

Speaker 1 the fear factor is gone. And forever and ever and ever, they get excited.
They would come, you know, El Salvador, Guatemala, this is the time, this time.

Speaker 1 You score in the 12th minute and they just tank.

Speaker 2 They go, oh man, here we go again.

Speaker 1 But now Panama's beat us and they've beat us on home soil. So that fear factor is gone, no longer there.

Speaker 1 And that's that makes it challenging because they actually believe they are going to come in and win this game. Yeah.
I mean, that's going to make it challenging.

Speaker 2 They do. And

Speaker 2 for me,

Speaker 2 since we started this podcast, but trust when I tell you, from today forward, like until the World Cup, everything that I say about the U.S. men's national team is solely for one purpose,

Speaker 2 is for them to perform optimally in the World Cup. That's all I, that doesn't, nothing else matters.

Speaker 2 And so when I say they have to beat Panama, it's simply, and I banged this drum, it's simply so that they can get another game on the calendar.

Speaker 2 Like I'm not that concerned.

Speaker 2 Like I'm not that concerned about like

Speaker 2 I want them to win the Com CAF Nations. I do.
I do, I do, I do.

Speaker 2 I'm more concerned that they're going to get another game that's meaningful, that means something, that has to, they have to win, that they're put in an uncomfortable situation, which finals are.

Speaker 2 Like, that's what I'm concerned about because of our lack of World Cup qualifying. And I keep saying that, but they have to beat Panama simply just to get to that next game.

Speaker 2 Look, I want them to win the final, but ultimately they lose in the final. I still feel like

Speaker 2 there's value in it, right? Yeah. Okay.

Speaker 1 Yeah. So, and by the way, just,

Speaker 1 this tournament's new. It's novel for you and me.
We never played in it, right? This Nations League. We have won all three editions so far, which is nothing to scoff at.

Speaker 1 I mean, it's a version of a gold cup, essentially, right? And for you and me, the gold cup, so many incredible memories, right? Lifting that trophy and playing in those games.

Speaker 1 So, this is meaningful for the players now, too. I think when it first started, everyone was kind of like, ah, another FIFA competition.
Now they're starting to gain meaning behind it.

Speaker 1 Like, the people will be there. They will show up.
This is another important, it's become an important tournament.

Speaker 1 And FIFA's done a good job of tying Nations League into, you know, qualifying or qualifying for the Gold Cup. They've made it meaningful.
So it's not just another game.

Speaker 1 So everybody understands that this is, this is a big deal. And again, the biggest thing is I agree with you, Tim.

Speaker 2 Like,

Speaker 1 I want them to play well. I want them to win.
Fans should be. most excited about the opportunity to play games that matter before the Gold Cup and then before the World Cup.

Speaker 1 And individuals, and we'll get into this in the roster, have a big,

Speaker 1 big opportunity.

Speaker 1 There are some who were in the January camp who now got called here.

Speaker 1 And then if they do well here, they get called into the Gold Cup. And if you do well and play for your MLS team, guess what? You're playing in a World Cup in front of your home fans.

Speaker 2 Yeah, you're earning your stripes. And I think that that's how it should be.
You know, that's kind of how

Speaker 2 U.S. Men's national team has been, has been, you know, certainly from the psychological standpoint, structured over the last two decades.
And you have to earn that. And I think it's important.

Speaker 2 And Pachatino, again,

Speaker 2 because of the delicate balance of naming the roster and roster construction, he's had to piece together some veterans with some guys who he has to give a chance to because, like you said, there's just not enough games for him to get a real good look at certain guys.

Speaker 2 But ultimately, when you pull that shirt on and there's something on the line and there's something at stake, it means more.

Speaker 2 and that's and that's what you know these two games for me hopefully two games uh are about so let's i'm not going to assume anything but let's say we get through panama

Speaker 1 in your opinion canada mexico who's the more difficult matchup if we get there and i i have a clear choice but you tell me okay

Speaker 2 i um

Speaker 2 I watched the game in Kansas City that I said I was at, it was

Speaker 2 U.S.

Speaker 2 Canada. It was that game.

Speaker 2 And I love what Jesse Marsh is doing.

Speaker 2 I think so highly of him as a manager, as a person.

Speaker 2 And I love what he's doing with that generation of Canadian players. I still think we're the better team, but Mexico for me is always,

Speaker 2 it will forever and always be the biggest challenge psychologically

Speaker 2 and on the grass for the U.S. men's national team.
There's just.

Speaker 2 The rivalry has happened that you always, even when, even when the tide turns, so you're always trying to beat the big bully, right?

Speaker 2 In our case, and then when we turn that tide and we begin to be the dominant team in the region, you're so worried about them coming to a boil again and surpassing you that it still creates a fear factor inside you that can't be replicated at any other point in the region.

Speaker 2 So, for me, you know, the

Speaker 2 probably would like to see Canada because I think we can beat them, but

Speaker 2 you know, yeah, here. So,

Speaker 1 I think Canada are the better roster

Speaker 1 right now, better team. The challenge is they're playing in LA against Mexico.
And that stadium will be, you know, the U.S. plays, we play first.
So my guess is

Speaker 1 after the game, it's going to empty out with U.S. fans gone, and it's going to be 98% Mexican fans.
And I just think that is a really tall task for this Canadian team. And by the way.

Speaker 1 If they do it once, then they're going to have to do it again with a sold-out American crowd in the final. And that's just really tough.
I think Mexico sneaks by.

Speaker 1 I don't think they're the better team. I think Mexico speaks sneaks by and then everyone gets what they want.

Speaker 2 Everyone wants to see U.S.

Speaker 1 Mexico and that would be the final to see.

Speaker 2 I think that's going to be a final. I tell you who didn't get what they want.
The security guards. Who organized this to get a double header?

Speaker 1 I mean, who organized? I could tell you who organized it.

Speaker 2 They get a double header with U.S. fans that are going to leave as the Mexicans are walking in.

Speaker 2 Different turnstiles. Like, who? Not sure that's an amazing idea.

Speaker 1 Actually, maybe they sold

Speaker 1 me had to buy tickets for both.

Speaker 2 I think that's probably right, but also not an amazing idea.

Speaker 1 No, so not well, by the way, tickets are going to be switching hands as people leave. Here you go.
Give me 300 bucks.

Speaker 2 That's something I want to make sure we stay across because that's an interesting concept.

Speaker 1 It's going to be, it's going to be interesting to see. I believe it's on CBS.
I believe it's on CBS. So

Speaker 1 we will tune in.

Speaker 1 Let's take a break, Tim. I want to really dig into the roster.
It just came out this morning. We saw the roster.
I listened to the presser. We talked about it a lot.

Speaker 1 So we got lots and lots of comments, lots of interesting news on the roster. Let's take a break.
We'll be right back talking U.S.

Speaker 1 men's national team, CONCACAF Nations League, right here on Unfiltered Soccer with Landon and Tim, presented by Volkswagen. Stick around.

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Speaker 2 Right, LD. The time that everyone's been waiting for is the roster announcement and the dissection of that roster.

Speaker 2 It's always what excites us as...

Speaker 2 commentators and fans, right? Like before the game, it's like, who's going to be in? Who can we look forward to seeing? What's the manager thinking?

Speaker 2 So really, really interested in uh some of these takes on what this roster looks like and i you know having having read through it um very recently over the last 24 hours it's kind of like some interesting omissions and additions which i guess it's probably not surprising for any sort of roster but uh this one in particular well i think what what's interesting is the january kemp roster everybody was like okay which kind of mostly mls guys is maurico pochtino interested in Yeah.

Speaker 2 Just as a starting point.

Speaker 1 So then we get past that. And it's like, okay, now it's a real game, real competition, FIFA competition, trophy at stake.

Speaker 1 Now, now it gets real.

Speaker 1 And so let's walk through this, Tim.

Speaker 1 And we'll just talk through all these. Let's start with the goalkeepers.
So Schulte, Patrick Schulte from Columbus, Zach Stefan from the Rapids, and Matt Turner with now Crystal Palace.

Speaker 2 So

Speaker 2 yeah, so

Speaker 2 here's the long and the short of the goalkeeping debate. These are the three goalkeepers that are most likely going to go to the World Cup.
Okay. You think so? Yeah, I think so.

Speaker 2 There's always shocks and surprises, but this is who I think. The only person that will play is either Zach Stephen or Matt Turner.
Patrick Schulte

Speaker 2 can't play at a World Cup. And again, remember, I keep projecting to the World Cup.

Speaker 2 He can't play at a World Cup in the summer of 2026 because right now he has three caps, senior caps for the men's national team. Okay.

Speaker 2 In between there, at best, at best, he'd get that number three to 13.

Speaker 2 That's in the most amazing world ever, right?

Speaker 2 He won't be able to have enough experience to play in a World Cup. I like him.
I covered him in the Olympics, obviously, plays really well for a very good MLS side in the Columbus crew.

Speaker 2 There's not enough, there's not enough hours in the day for him to get enough experience. Zach Stefan and Matt Turner, Zach Stefan is the number one for me right now.

Speaker 2 Pacho Tino has said it's an open race. It's not an open race.
Zach Stefan right now is the number one. Matt Turner, after August,

Speaker 2 can

Speaker 2 put his name back in the running for that. And it's simply going to come down.
They have to perform when given the opportunity when they pull on the U.S. shirt, no doubt.

Speaker 2 It's going to happen over the course of the 12 months, well, 10 months between August and June or whatever,

Speaker 2 whenever the World Cup kicks off. And where does Matt Turner go? He has to make a strategic move in the summer away from Crystal Palace to

Speaker 2 be a number one. And what I would say is he's left Arsenal.
Okay. So here's why his gets interesting.
He left Arsenal, right? To go to Forrest to be the number one.

Speaker 2 They hedged their bets and made him like one, one and a half, right?

Speaker 2 And then when the team didn't perform well, he lost his spot. Happens.
He then had a couple different moves where he probably would have been the out and out starter.

Speaker 2 And I think one of those moves was to Germany. Forrest blocked it.
So he ends up going to Palace. He's out and out the number two at Palace.

Speaker 2 His move in August, if he wants to play in the World Cup, has to be a nailed-on starter. When I left, when I left Manchester United, I went to Everton.
I was guaranteed basically to beat a starter.

Speaker 2 My contract was structured, won't get into it in enough time, was basically structured that I was going to be the starting goalkeeper. So it was nailed on.

Speaker 2 And he has to make a move in August that's going to basically say,

Speaker 2 I'm so far the number one at this new club that the other guy is just there to like carry my boots.

Speaker 1 And do you think it, can he do that at a Premier League club? Is there a club that he could go to where he would be the nailed on number one?

Speaker 2 In the Premier League, it's a copycat league. Everyone does the same thing.

Speaker 2 So no one, I don't know if anyone's going to sign him to be the out and out number one in the Premier League because they're, because they're going to, whatever team it is, is going to go, well, Forest didn't think so.

Speaker 2 Right. And Palace didn't think so.
So, well,

Speaker 2 they don't think for themselves very often. So

Speaker 2 I tend to think it will be away from England, but could be the championship. You know, it could be a team of the championship.
So possibly.

Speaker 1 Can I ask you a quick question about Schultz before we move on? Why then, if that's the case? One, do you think he is the third best goalkeeper that America has? And if not, why would they bring him?

Speaker 1 Right. Like, why would you say, why bring him to a World Cup? Because knock on wood, something crazy happens and he's playing.
You have to think someone has more experience, is more prepared for that.

Speaker 2 Well, here's what I would say. Yeah.
I mean, I think we've done that down the years. Tony Miola went to the 2002 World Cup with you you guys, right? Yeah, basically, because

Speaker 1 he had played in, he had played in 94,

Speaker 2 didn't he? Yeah, no, no, that's what I'm saying. Yeah.
And so you bring a senior goalkeeper. We've had Marcus Hanneman down the years through our World Cups, right? Senior goalkeeper.

Speaker 2 Was it last in 2022, I think Sean Johnson went? Yeah, I think that. Is that right? Like a senior.

Speaker 2 I think your senior goalkeeper to play that spot is too old. It's Brad Guzan, right?

Speaker 2 I think Brad's slightly too old. He won't mind me saying that.
He actually will, but I I don't care.

Speaker 2 Brad, you're old. But, you know,

Speaker 2 so I don't know if there's one there. So I think you have, I don't, and yeah, that's fair.
What'd you say? Since 98, 94, we've had that, right? We've had a veteran president.

Speaker 2 So look, I just don't think, yeah. And to answer your question, I do think he's the third best goalkeeper.
You know, certainly, you know, you factor into that potential and so forth.

Speaker 2 And look, the bottom line is the other part of that argument is

Speaker 2 our research team can probably do this, but

Speaker 2 name me a time in a World Cup where the third goalkeeper on the roster is played.

Speaker 2 That scenario doesn't work. That scenario is.

Speaker 1 You just have to prepare for.

Speaker 2 Yeah. Okay.
Well, we'll see. We'll follow it and see how it goes.

Speaker 1 Okay. Center backs, Cameron Carter, Vickers, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Marlon Fossey finds his way on the roster.
Anthony Jedi Robinson and Joe Scally. Oh, and Austin Trustee.
Sorry.

Speaker 1 My guess is, pretty strong guess is Robinson and Scally are the outside backs. Chris Richards is going to play.
And then who is going to pair with Chris Richards?

Speaker 2 If you're asking me right this second, okay, okay, I think the back four for Panama is Anthony Robinson left, left side center back, Tim Reem, right side center back, Chris Richards, and right fullback Joe Scott.

Speaker 2 How?

Speaker 2 Well, well, for the not, we have the numbers in front of us, 67 caps for Tim Ream. Like, this is a, this is,

Speaker 2 you have to win. We keep talking about you have to win.
I think. If

Speaker 2 Cameron Carter Vickers and Austin Trustee are listening to this, they're going to feel hard done by because, like I said, they play together at Celtic. We've talked about it on the podcast.

Speaker 2 I want to see them play together for the U.S. They have a really good partnership.
Look,

Speaker 2 it's going to be one from three. Cameron Carter Vickers, Austin Trustee, or Tim Ream play in one of those centerback spots, but I definitely think it's Chris Richards is nailed on.

Speaker 1 Yeah, you know what? So, so just to your point, so obviously Tim Reeman and Jedi Robinson have played together a lot. So there's a connection there.

Speaker 1 Also, Tim Ream is left-footed and he's really good on the ball, right?

Speaker 1 So depending on how Mauricio Pochettino thinks, at least least the first game, we're just talking about the first game, is going to play out, that could make a lot of sense, right?

Speaker 1 If you're going to dominate the ball, then Tim Ream is a good guy to have because he's a really good passer. He's the best passer of all of them.

Speaker 2 So yeah. Okay.

Speaker 2 I mean, I think so. I think so.

Speaker 2 You know,

Speaker 2 I think if it's not Tim Ream, it's probably Kim and Carter Vickers. But again, we'll see.
But I think that back four that I said will probably be the ones that end up playing the first game.

Speaker 2 But overall, look, it's not, it's not, would you say it's an incredibly strong defensive unit? I'm not sure.

Speaker 1 No, no, no.

Speaker 1 Serginio Dess did not get called in. He's just coming back from injury.
So that would have certainly strengthened it. But we'll see.
I mean, Chris Richards playing at a really, really high level.

Speaker 1 So maybe it's enough to get by both games. Okay, let's move into the midfield.

Speaker 2 Tyler Adams.

Speaker 2 Welcome back.

Speaker 1 Thank God.

Speaker 1 Really happy for him. Bournemouth Player of the Month playing.

Speaker 1 That team is playing so well.

Speaker 1 And he is just one of those guys tim you you almost can't put data on it or stats on it he just helps you win he just helps you win so welcome back johnny cardoso from at batiste diego luna gets a call back in weston mckenney gio reyna

Speaker 2 called in and tanner tessman who's been playing and playing well now at leon i like uh i do really like tanner testman get to him a second look let me let me just say

Speaker 2 tyler adams is brilliant and i i often i often talk talk about players, football players having that dog in them. And they ask me what that means.

Speaker 2 And it's just like that, that I'm going to, I'm going to take your head off. I don't care.
And I was watching this weekend and he was he was effing somebody off after a foul.

Speaker 2 And I just thought, this kid's brilliant. He's absolutely brilliant.
Diego Luna is an interesting one. You know, three caps, still young.
You had him, right, in San Diego?

Speaker 1 Didn't have him, but played against him.

Speaker 2 Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 1 So he, it's interesting. So this is what I was thinking about with Diego.
So we talked about earlier guys who were in January camp and there were six of them. Diego was one of them.

Speaker 1 And if you remember in January camp, he broke his nose, stayed in the game,

Speaker 1 made a play.

Speaker 1 And I want to remind people, Pochitino's Uruguayan, Argentinian,

Speaker 1 they love that, dude, because you talk about dogs and like Argentinians and Uruguayans, they are nasty. Yeah.
And they have a lot of that in them.

Speaker 1 And when I, I bet you when he saw that, it was like, oh, I like that. That's my guy.
And Diego Luna is. He grew up in a tough, tough neighborhood and he's a tough kid.

Speaker 1 And so I bet he said, look, even if he doesn't step on the field, I want to show everybody else in this camp that you do that and you got a chance here.

Speaker 2 Yeah, of course.

Speaker 1 And he is a good player. But I mean, yeah, he played well when he performed.
Mauricio Pochettino was asked about Tyler Adams today on the call.

Speaker 1 And the phrasing of the question was, you know, with Tyler there, are you going to play Weston higher?

Speaker 1 Are you going to, who else are you going to play? You have Eunice Musa listed as a forward in this roster. Are you going to play Eunice Musa there?

Speaker 1 And he said, well, it's an open competition and there's a lot of guys who have played. I mean, he basically said, Tyler's not guaranteed to start.
Remember, he's never seen Tyler.

Speaker 1 And my takeaway from watching the press conference was he really values people he has seen in the flesh and can trust. He really does.
And so Tyler's going to have to prove it to him.

Speaker 2 Now, was that just bluff? I don't know.

Speaker 1 But I'm trying to figure out how this midfield is going to get put together.

Speaker 1 Because he also really likes Tanner Tessman and he trusts him.

Speaker 2 He does. He's seen him in the flesh.

Speaker 1 So you got to think wes is playing you would guess tyler's playing yeah and then after that what does it look like don't really listen to a lot of what managers say in press conferences i mean it's good it's good but but but how you know why i do tim let me just stop you there you know why i listen to him why i take it more at face value it's because english isn't his first language and so it's hard i remember speaking spanish or speaking german and You can't really skirt around things or be clever when it's not your first language.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 1 Right. And so he, I give him so much credit because he just takes all the questions.
He knows his English isn't perfect, but he answers them and he's honest about it. And he's, he's trying clearly to

Speaker 1 say what he means. But I understand what you're saying.

Speaker 2 Yeah, no disrespect to the managers. I just I've heard enough of them to know.

Speaker 2 You know, you know, the old days when Sir Alex Ferguson called me on summer holidays and said, you know, he's signing.

Speaker 2 Edwin Vandasar and just keep my head down and keep working and I can win a spot. No, I can't.
I can't. I need to leave.
Keep your football club.

Speaker 2 Watch him play. So anyway,

Speaker 2 look,

Speaker 2 I think Tyler Adams, I don't think you could keep Tyler Adams off a football pitch for the U.S. men's national team if you tried.
He's just that good.

Speaker 2 He's ultimately going to, I know he hasn't seen him. He's going to win him over like Tyler's won every other coach over in the world.

Speaker 2 Weston, of course. I like Tanner Testman.
I like him a lot. I think he's...
Yeah, me too. I think he's smooth on the ball.
I think he's got a good body. He runs well.
you know,

Speaker 2 can he translate that consistently to the next level? I think he can, but obviously that's a challenge. And then Gio Reyna, you know, that's a player he hasn't seen either.

Speaker 2 And I think this is going to be a really good opportunity for Gio to get in there and shine.

Speaker 1 Massive, massive opportunity. Just real quick, we'll get into Gio, but three of these guys, I just realized, are playing Sunday.

Speaker 1 So that is what we were just talking about in the first segment. The travel, I mean, they might not even recover well.
So that might make his decision for him.

Speaker 1 So Johnny Cardoso, Weston, plays Sunday, and so does Tanner Tessman.

Speaker 2 I think that's to your point. And when we're, you know, obviously talking to so many of our followers on Unfiltered Soccer are massive, massive U.S.
men's national team fans, right?

Speaker 2 And so I think we have to be mindful that

Speaker 2 this roster construction isn't about who are my best 22 players and stick them on there, right? We wish that was the case.

Speaker 2 It's about balance and who's good for the team and who has a good attitude and has enough maturity who plays on Sunday.

Speaker 2 Maybe a defender playing on Sunday isn't as vital as a attacking midfielder playing on Sunday, right?

Speaker 2 So, because they're probably not going going to log as many high-intensity sprints, that type of thing.

Speaker 2 And so you have to be mindful of that when you, one, construct a roster and two, pick the starting 11. So it's not always as simple as what's on the piece of paper.

Speaker 1 And so to that point, so he was asked a lot about Gio, right? When you leave other people up, Brendan Aronson was left off. Alejandro Zandejas left off.

Speaker 1 Guys who are playing consistently, performing well. So why do you bring Gio who hasn't played?

Speaker 1 And he said, I mean, he basically said it, and I'm also reading between the lines, but he is not going to get to see Geo in the Gold Cup.

Speaker 2 Right.

Speaker 1 So Geo's playing in the Club World Cup with Dortmund, potentially, unless he moves, right? But in his calculation, he didn't see him in January camp. He's not planning on seeing him in the Gold Cup.

Speaker 1 He needs to see him, right? Like this is the only real game competition he can see him. So to that point, don't be surprised if you see Gio on the field getting minutes, even though he's not playing.

Speaker 1 like every basically everyone else on the roster don't be surprised because he needs to see him and so that to your point, this roster was not made purely 100% on the best soccer decision for this game.

Speaker 1 He is thinking just like we're talking about big picture. And that's why Gio's there.

Speaker 2 Yeah, totally. And he said it.
You know, Gio is in a precarious position, right? Because he doesn't get a ton of time. If he stays at Dortmund, goes to the FIFA Club World Cup, then he's out

Speaker 2 of the plans for the summer. And then, and by the way, and if he moves, which I tend to think he might move, then he needs to impress his new club.
He needs to move. He might also be out.
Right.

Speaker 2 And he might, and they're going to mandate what his summer looks like.

Speaker 1 Well, they're going to have preseason, which is best for him probably to be in preseason. Yeah.
So it's, yeah, it's a, it's a tough situation.

Speaker 2 But big moments, big opportunity for him to, you know, if he can play, let's say he plays 90 minutes over the course of, you know, in both games, right?

Speaker 2 Like two times 90 minutes is a really good indicator.

Speaker 1 Yeah.

Speaker 2 You know, certainly, certainly for a player that you haven't seen.

Speaker 1 So let's move on to the strikers, the forwards.

Speaker 1 Some interesting ones. So Patrick Ajiman made it.
Congrats to him. He had a fantastic January camp.
And we said it.

Speaker 1 There's going to be a player or two in that camp or coming in the coming January who's going to make the World Cup roster. Keep your eye on him.
Eunice Musa here listed as a forward.

Speaker 1 Pochtina was also asked, why did you list him as a forward? And he basically said, I think what he was saying is, I didn't do it. Someone else did it.

Speaker 1 But he said, I could see him play as a 10. I could, you know, he said, don't pay attention to that.
Whatever. It is.
Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 Christian, Josh Sargent, Timothy Wea, and Brian White from Vancouver White Caps, who also was in January camp. So congrats to him.
So not a ton of surprises there.

Speaker 1 The only one is Brandon Vasquez now, wasn't in January camp, not getting called in here. We talked about making a move,

Speaker 1 but you got to play and you got to perform. He's no goals now in three games for Austin.
It's a big miss for him because he needs these chances if he wants to play in a World Cup. Yeah.

Speaker 2 And they're dwindling. One,

Speaker 2 they're scarce.

Speaker 2 And two, they're dwindling. So yeah, and again, in the grand scheme of things,

Speaker 2 going scoreless in your first three games isn't the worst thing in the world, but for him, it's not ideal. It's timing.
I like the forwards.

Speaker 2 Adjamang, fantastic, really good January camp, offers a little bit of something different off the shoulder

Speaker 2 that I like. I think you have to have, you know, the great word in soccer now is verticality.
You do have to stretch because, and particularly in this team, I mean, you look at

Speaker 2 there's so many good footballers underneath the ball for the U.S. team that you do need a a striker who can stretch.

Speaker 1 Yeah, um, he's happy to just be in front of the goal, be in the butt. Brian White's like that too.
Totally. He's just, you know, you don't need to combine and play, just get in front of the goal.

Speaker 2 Yeah. And Josh Sardin Sargent is

Speaker 2 scoring goals at Norwich, and he, he, at, at, at the championship level, he's shown he can do that. So, um, again, you we've often talked about strikers.
Strikers are in a class by themselves.

Speaker 2 You want them to be in form, fit, and hungry. Like, and and look, when I, when I see this midfield, I get excited about the combination of the midfield forwards for the U.S.

Speaker 2 I mean, bare minimum, Tyler Adams, Weston McKinney, Gio Reyna, Tanner Tessman, Musa, Christian Pulisic, Timothy Way. I mean, that's seven players that I get really excited about.

Speaker 2 That I'm almost, which is strange for the U.S., I could check that box off. Boom, they're good.
Like they're good. They're going to perform.
They've put in consistent performances at a high level.

Speaker 2 Maybe not Tanner Tessman quite yet, but I think he's going to get there. And so I feel really good about that group.
And more than anything,

Speaker 2 you're going to have, who's to come back? You got Ricardo Pepe to come back, Peppy Balagon, Flow to come back. So

Speaker 2 Destiny. So you start to look at the roster construction, like, oh, yeah, yeah, we've got some really solid pieces, right? And so that makes me feel good about

Speaker 2 us moving forward. This roster in particular, but also, and the other point to

Speaker 2 what Potch said, like someone obviously put Musa as a forward, not him, but like some of these guys are interchangeable. Like, what does the game ask for? Well, it games asked for Weston to sit.

Speaker 2 Cool, great. This game asked him to be a number eight and drive forward.
Great. He can do that, you know? And so

Speaker 2 in the box, and Christian can play wide and play underneath as a 10. So there's like a lot of different

Speaker 2 bit of flexibility with this group, which I, which I really like. And by the way, if Tanner Tessman is...

Speaker 2 starts to boss it in like the number six role, that then goes, we don't necessarily have to play double pivot in two sixes.

Speaker 1 You go you go right we don't know that yet but maybe he has the legs to do it yeah i mean maybe then you don't have to play tyler twice too right you still i mean he's working his way still back in because he's been out for so long so all right let's do this so you said zach stefan robinson ream

Speaker 1 richards and scally yeah okay give me your midfield three and give me your three strike what you think will be the lineup

Speaker 1 again not what you want but what you think will be the lineup against panama i think testman in the six you think he's going to start yeah i do i kind of do too.

Speaker 2 It's crazy to say, but I think he is. I'm maybe questioning me.

Speaker 1 I mean, assuming he comes into camp, he plays Sunday. He comes in.
He's good. He's healthy.
He feels good.

Speaker 2 I think he plays Tyler and Weston. That's the easy answer, but I think he plays on the other side.
Christian on one side up front. Wea on the other side.
Is there a world where you play a 4-1-4-1?

Speaker 2 Tessman has to hold it because I still think

Speaker 2 Gio Rena needs to be on the field.

Speaker 2 Okay. So then.
So then you put

Speaker 2 still, someone still misses out. Jesus.
Someone still misses out.

Speaker 2 Because then you're two.

Speaker 1 Because you have to play Sergeant, right? I mean.

Speaker 2 You have to play Sergeant or Ajamang, but I don't think Adjamang starts. So you start Sergeant's up top.

Speaker 2 My point is, if Sergeant's up top and Tessman's in the hole, then who's your four? Christian's one.

Speaker 1 Yeah, I mean, I think it's Christian, Wes,

Speaker 1 Tyler Adams, and Timothy Way. I think Tyler can play in a double pivot like that.

Speaker 2 Yeah, they can, but then, but then Geo misses out. He's got to play.
He doesn't have to play.

Speaker 1 He doesn't play.

Speaker 2 He has to play. Yeah, he has to play.

Speaker 1 Well, I don't know if he's going to start him. I think he'll bring him on and see some minutes.
He's also not fit. Like he hasn't played.
He hasn't played a 90-minute match and I don't know when.

Speaker 2 And well, here, here, here's here's the other thing. When I look at this team, he has to, like,

Speaker 2 his talent suggests he has to play. So,

Speaker 2 no, and I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm just saying, like,

Speaker 2 he needs to be in a position where he's starting. for the national team because he's that good.
Okay, but you, I mean,

Speaker 1 there's like form matters and being fit and playing matters, right? And he's not. So like, you can be very talented, but you know this.

Speaker 1 You come back from preseason or you come back from the offseason and you're crap. Like, dude, I took me three weeks to score a goal after being off for a while.

Speaker 2 I'm arguing hypothetically.

Speaker 2 I'm not opposing you.

Speaker 2 Yeah, I'm with you.

Speaker 1 You just want Geo to play.

Speaker 2 I do. I do.
I mean,

Speaker 2 I think the world of them, but I think we're going to agree on our starting 11.

Speaker 1 No, you said Geo. I said no.

Speaker 2 I'm not agreeing. No, no, I didn't.
In the starting 11, you missed out.

Speaker 1 Okay, so I think it's Tanner and Tyler together, Wes ahead of them, Christian on one side, Way on the other, and Sargent. I think that's the safe.
Tanner Tessman's going to be the one.

Speaker 1 If they see him, they're going to go.

Speaker 2 People are going, what the hell?

Speaker 1 But he was really good in January. And I just have a feeling Pagetino likes him.

Speaker 2 I totally agree with that.

Speaker 1 From this group, before we take a break and get to questions from the fans and the fan connection. Give me like two or three players who this is most crucial for.
I think we can both agree on Geo.

Speaker 2 Yep. Yep.
Yep.

Speaker 1 Okay. Give me two or three others who you would say this is critical moment.

Speaker 2 It depends who he plays in goal. I tend to think he's going to play Zach Stefan because he's playing.
I think for Zach. Yeah.

Speaker 1 He can't be bad in this game.

Speaker 2 No,

Speaker 2 and Zach impressed him in January. The thing about Zach is

Speaker 2 he is a beautiful specimen when he's in that goal and he's making saves. He just looks the part.
Yeah. Hypothetically, they go on to lift the goal, excuse me, the Nations League, right?

Speaker 2 They go on to win that.

Speaker 2 he's had two really solid games i think he walks away from that going going now i dare you i dare you yeah so i tend to think uh ld whoever if it's not tim ring so here's my caveat if that back four is robinson ream uh chris richards and scally

Speaker 2 i think if it's not tim ream let's say it's cameron carter vickers or austin trustee as one of the center backs or mckenzie or mackenzie i that i think it's massive for I think it's massive for whoever partners Chris Richards in the heart of defense.

Speaker 1 Okay, so with Tim Ream, though, I keep saying this about him. God bless him.

Speaker 2 What a career. Yeah.

Speaker 1 There's no way he's starting in 14 months. That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 There's no way. So why would you play him here?

Speaker 2 That's a good point. That's a good point.
Right. Yes.
But maybe he doesn't. Maybe he doesn't.

Speaker 1 Maybe he will. Like, maybe I'm the idiot, and maybe he will be.

Speaker 2 I think when I said that, or when I say it, I'm thinking with my, we we have to win a trophy cap

Speaker 2 as opposed to my,

Speaker 2 hey, how do we, how do we build this? How do we,

Speaker 1 that's the question for Pochtino is like, do you really, really deep down, are you willing to forego something in the future to win this tournament right now?

Speaker 1 That's like in front of the mirror at night, I'd love to know in his mind how he feels about it. We're going to ask.
You don't listen to what managers say, remember? Yeah. Publicly.

Speaker 1 By the way,

Speaker 1 just speaking of Tim Reeve, 67 times he's put on the jersey for our national team. Yeah.
What a phenomenal career, dude.

Speaker 2 Phenomenal. Because by the way,

Speaker 2 that hasn't been like ultra consistent. Not that he hasn't been a consistent performer, but he's been dropped by some coaches, had to earn his way back in.

Speaker 1 And by the way, when you're a center back, you're not subbing into games. That's probably close to 60-plus starts for the national team.
Like, what a career he's had.

Speaker 1 Okay, I think the one other guy, one other guy. has to be Josh Sargent because Valagun will be back.
Pepe will be back.

Speaker 1 If they start start playing while doing well, he needs, we've said it over and over, Pochatino, and listening to the press conference today, he values guys he's seen in person, been around, and can trust.

Speaker 1 Josh comes in and really plays well, scores a goal or two or three.

Speaker 1 It's going to be hard to take the job, to take the spot from him.

Speaker 2 It will be.

Speaker 1 And so it's a really important camp for him.

Speaker 2 Really important. Yeah, I agree with that.

Speaker 2 The challenge, though, is for a goalkeeper, right? Or

Speaker 2 forget it. You can be anybody really, like take a defender or a goalkeeper.
You win a game like 2-1. You can see the goal.
No big deal. You win the game.

Speaker 2 Everybody makes plays, heading, dot, kicking, saving, all that stuff. It lives in the manager's mind.
To your point, he's got two games virtually. He has to score.
He has to score.

Speaker 2 If he comes away with that with no goals and saying like, I played well and we all think he played well.

Speaker 2 I still don't think you do yourself

Speaker 2 a ton of, like that's the hard part about being a striker is you got to play.

Speaker 1 So it's the hard part about being a striker for a good team that should win, definitely this first game. And it's like, great, you played well, but it doesn't matter.

Speaker 1 Like you're going to, everyone else plays is going to play well too. Sure.
Everyone else is going to do that. You need to do your job.

Speaker 2 Yeah. Yeah.
It's a big moment for him.

Speaker 1 Good point, though. All right.
On the other side of the break, we'll get into your questions in the ATT fan connection.

Speaker 1 God, I'm so excited now for this Nations League.

Speaker 2 I can't wait for this weekend.

Speaker 1 We'll be right back here on Unfiltered Soccer with Lannon and Tim. We are, as always, presented by Volkswagen.
Stay right there.

Speaker 1 This episode is brought to you by Airbnb.

Speaker 1 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 2 Honestly, I've lost track at this point.

Speaker 2 You know, just this summer alone, I was all over the place.

Speaker 2 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.

Speaker 1 Yeah, I mean, I was just in Austin. 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.

Speaker 1 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.

Speaker 1 They get immersed in the chants, the songs, that incredible feeling of seeing the game up close and personal.

Speaker 2 Well, I mean, I think that's where that's where the game has changed. These trips have become a big deal for soccer fans.

Speaker 2 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.

Speaker 1 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?

Speaker 1 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. We know they're not cheap.

Speaker 2 or maybe to help your kids pursue their soccer dreams yeah your home might be worth more than you think so find out how much at airbnb.com slash host 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 um 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 corslet.

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. We turn on the jacuzzi, relax in the hot tub with a Coors Light.

Speaker 1 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. Horrors Brew and 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.

Speaker 2 Like your crisp new jersey waiting for you in the locker room or a perfectly set up wall for a free kick.

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

Speaker 1 But as we prepare to bring our unfiltered brand of non-stop soccer coverage, it's good to know ATT has your back with the ATT guarantee.

Speaker 2 Staying connected matters. That's why in the rare event of a network outage, ATT will proactively credit you for a full day of service.
That's the ATT guarantee.

Speaker 1 Learn more at ATT.com slash guarantee. ATT, connecting changes everything.

Speaker 2 Credit for fiber downtime lasting 20 minutes or more or a wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more caused by a single incident impacting 10 or more towers must be connected to impacted towers at onset of outage.

Speaker 2 Restrictions and exclusions apply. See ATT.com/slash guarantee for full details.

Speaker 2 It's time for the fan connection presented by ATT. Every week, we invite you, the listener, to connect with us by submitting your questions.
The best way to grow the game of soccer in the U.S.

Speaker 2 is to keep asking questions and keep talking about the sport we all love. At ATT, connecting changes everything.
And on US LNT, our connections with you will help grow the game.

Speaker 2 It's that time again, LD.

Speaker 1 Time to connect.

Speaker 2 The ATT fan connection.

Speaker 2 It's where you all get to ask us. You get to yell at us, kind of.

Speaker 2 There were some good ones last week, by the way.

Speaker 1 New England stuff.

Speaker 2 It's good. Yeah, it's good.

Speaker 2 We love all of it. The good, the bad, and the ugly.

Speaker 2 Speaking of the good.

Speaker 2 Jordan. Jordan.
How are you?

Speaker 3 That was symmetric calling me ugly.

Speaker 2 I didn't know I was about to be. Ugly is me, folks.

Speaker 2 Are you not wearing a football jersey? What are you doing?

Speaker 3 Well, I'm waiting for my vintage Donovan and Howard U.S. Men's National Team jerseys to come in the mail.

Speaker 2 By the way,

Speaker 1 you got some real vintage.

Speaker 2 We got the Johnny Cash going to all black.

Speaker 3 Well, our listeners don't know that a couple weeks ago, I wore that yellow umbrella new order crossover shirt.

Speaker 3 And we were talking about the Everton shirt, and I found one on eBay. I've been

Speaker 3 sitting on it. Yeah.

Speaker 1 I've been sitting on it. You know what I'm going to do? I'm actually going to go into my, it's in my garage.
I have a few big cartons of jerseys. I know.
And I'm gonna grab that one.

Speaker 1 I think I have it.

Speaker 2 And I'm gonna bring out old vintage.

Speaker 1 I mean, vintage, like, you know, do you remember the jerseys, Tim, like late 90s, how big and baggy they were?

Speaker 2 Oh, yeah.

Speaker 1 Dude, I have one that's totally gnarly.

Speaker 2 What's what's your my, the one you need to find, which, which is like a cult classic, is the Army Green Camo. It's when I scored the goal landing.
You were playing. Oh, I remember.

Speaker 2 I never remember that. People remember that.

Speaker 2 People remember that. I don't have one i literally never kept one

Speaker 2 i think i might have kept the ball remember that

Speaker 3 no i have well i'll add it to my list of things i'm looking for i really like all of the old like the long sleeve really baggy ones that's my my joy

Speaker 2 jordan what's your what's your favorite u.s men's national team shirt

Speaker 2 Oh, I don't know if I could pick.

Speaker 2 I like the Where's Waldo was fun.

Speaker 1 I like the red with the, is it with the blue sash?

Speaker 2 The black sash? Yeah, that's cool. Yeah, that's nice.

Speaker 2 Yeah.

Speaker 3 I don't know if I could pick a favorite. I don't know.
The U.S. Men's National Team ones can be pretty good.

Speaker 2 So agreed.

Speaker 3 All right. Should we jump into some questions?

Speaker 2 Questions.

Speaker 3 All right. So our first one is from an anonymous person via email, but it's a good question.
So don't worry about them being anonymous.

Speaker 3 Is Nations League increasing the competitive level, or should the big teams of CONCACAF consider merging with Calmiball?

Speaker 1 Oh, Comnibal is South America, the South America Confederation. For what people who don't know, I actually don't hate that.

Speaker 1 The problem is the travel.

Speaker 1 The problem is the travel. Because I wonder if they're saying merge, fully merge, meaning qualifying would be together too.

Speaker 2 No, I don't think so.

Speaker 1 Okay. Are they just saying for Gold Cup, Copa America?

Speaker 2 I'm saying for Nations League.

Speaker 3 That's all I got in the email.

Speaker 1 I mean, for Nations League and

Speaker 1 like instead of having Gold Cup and Copa America, you combine them, which they're starting to do because everyone's getting invited to everything.

Speaker 1 I actually love it because it just, I just like more competition against different teams when we're playing the same teams over and over.

Speaker 2 So I don't hate it at all. No, I don't hate it.
I don't hate it at all.

Speaker 2 My initial inclination would be like, that's impossible, never going to happen. But we know now that nothing is impossible when it comes to these tournaments.
So like, yeah,

Speaker 2 I'm with LD and Anonymous that like,

Speaker 2 I'd like to see, look,

Speaker 2 this this is going to sound very

Speaker 2 high on my horse but it but the results speak for themselves like the US doesn't get enough good games in CONCACAF yeah right they just don't they don't and you start to like you start to like

Speaker 2 create these headlines of like oh so-and-so is chasing the US and they could like still not competitive games

Speaker 1 and guess what what do CONCACAF and FIFA care about money totally right and so when Copa America has the US and Mexico in it and when the Gold Cup has Mexico and whoever else in it, and Brazil and Argentina, it's a whole different story.

Speaker 1 It's totally different. Yeah.

Speaker 2 Right. I like to see it.

Speaker 2 I'd like to see us play because when you look at the European countries, first and foremost, they never, you know, I, I, well, so many of my teammates were English national, play for the England national team.

Speaker 2 And it's like, I would be shocked. I'm like, they're like, who are you playing? I'm like, oh, we're going, we're going back.
We're playing

Speaker 2 Kazakhstan or El Salvador. And they're like, I'm like, who are you guys playing? It's a friendly.
Like, oh, we got it. We got Italy at Wembley.
And then we got to go to Germany for the second.

Speaker 2 We play Kazakhstan. Yeah.
I think we played them before the World Cup or something. You did?

Speaker 1 I never played Kazakhstan.

Speaker 2 I want to go there. We played somebody, somebody fact-checked.
We played before the.

Speaker 1 No, it was.

Speaker 2 It was in California. It was in San Francisco.

Speaker 1 Is it Uzbekistan?

Speaker 2 Okay. All right.
My bad. Uzbekistan.

Speaker 2 I apologize.

Speaker 2 That's my, my geography there is not great. But yeah, we like.
These European teams, they play so many big games. There's never a game off.
So I'd like to see it. It's true.

Speaker 3 Would you have, they would have to expand, though, right?

Speaker 3 Like the, how the, if you're adding more countries, then you have to expand how the tournament works.

Speaker 2 Sure. Well, FIFA, yes.
FIFA said they had an idea that was brought up in the meeting from somebody. Anonymous.

Speaker 2 I think anonymous said, by the way, can we just talk?

Speaker 1 Why do you put anonymous when you're asking a question?

Speaker 2 You could make up a name. Just make up a name.
You don't have to be anonymous.

Speaker 1 Unless your name is anonymous.

Speaker 3 In this person's defense, I'm just going to defend this person.

Speaker 1 Elon Musk's kid.

Speaker 3 Their email did not indicate their name. Like their email address didn't indicate a name.
And they didn't sign. Yeah, they didn't sign.

Speaker 2 Can I make a rule? Can I make a rule for unfiltered soccer? Sure. You're not allowed to send a comment in without some sort of name.
Make it up. Make it funny.
That's right. You have to have a name.

Speaker 2 Better banter.

Speaker 1 Give us something to work with.

Speaker 3 Okay. How about something from Ben via email?

Speaker 2 Is that good? Okay.

Speaker 3 What are your hypothetical score predictions if the current U.S. men's national team played against the best 11 from before 2018.

Speaker 1 Wait a minute. The best U.S.
11?

Speaker 3 Yeah. So, like,

Speaker 1 in one game?

Speaker 2 Against who? The current team? Yes.

Speaker 2 Steve loves this. Ben, are you kidding me? But that's free.
That's carte blanche to name anybody before 2018. Anybody.
Correct.

Speaker 1 Correct. Yes.
That's what he's asking. This is like, this is what the problem with people who just started watching soccer six years ago.
is they think everyone else used to suck.

Speaker 1 One guy asked me the other day, he goes, it was about basketball. He goes, Do you think Michael Jordan would have been as good in the NBA today?

Speaker 2 I was like, bro, do you have no idea?

Speaker 1 These guys who score 35 a night now because nobody defends them wouldn't have scored 12 in the NBA in the 90s because they would have got beaten into the ground by these guys.

Speaker 1 Joe Dumars and Isaiah Thomas and Dennis Robert would have

Speaker 1 crap out of these guys.

Speaker 2 Yeah. So I'm like, this is crazy.
Hang on. Hang on.

Speaker 1 All right, let's do the 11. Let's go.
Yeah.

Speaker 2 318 best 11. I think that's the real question.

Speaker 2 wait has anybody ever has it has ben have you ever seen a young eddie pope what that looks like because we're talking about defenders we're talking about defenders in this current group so true they

Speaker 2 the defend god bless the defenders in this current group yeah they look at any pope and why eddie pope okay anyway keep going uh okay so name name the other name the i think in fairness okay

Speaker 1 Well, let's name the 11 and then we'll see where the advantage is in every and every instance.

Speaker 1 So you're in goal.

Speaker 2 Obviously.

Speaker 1 So So, let's say Trundle on the right. Let's say, for let's say B's in his prime, left back.

Speaker 2 Okay,

Speaker 1 and then we'll go Eddie Pope and

Speaker 1 what do you think?

Speaker 2 Goose, Okanagra, Lowe's, probably Lowe's, yeah, yeah, probably Lowe's.

Speaker 1 Then midfield, Claudio, Michael Bradley, I guess, in his prime, right?

Speaker 2 Yeah,

Speaker 1 uh, me and Clint,

Speaker 2 Claudio, uh,

Speaker 1 striker, striker, Josie or McBride?

Speaker 2 We can play them both together. That's it.
We can play them both together.

Speaker 1 Is there anyone else we're missing? Like Tab in his prime? Oh, Jesus Christ. Or Hugo.

Speaker 1 Hugo Perez in his prime. Like, who in their prime? I tell you what.

Speaker 1 Tab.

Speaker 2 Wow. Tab in his prime.

Speaker 2 Who's missing out here?

Speaker 1 To be honest, you could make a case for Kobe in his prime too.

Speaker 2 Kobe in his prime.

Speaker 1 Kobe was nice in his friend. Then you could put Mira Clint up top with Josie or Brian.
All right, let's just go with some version of that.

Speaker 2 Okay. All right.

Speaker 1 So we, we, the pre-8, the pre-2018 goalkeeper is for sure on our side. Yeah.

Speaker 1 Left back, I love B's, but Robinson right now is so good.

Speaker 2 They might get to tilt with Robinson, yeah.

Speaker 1 Yeah, but B's in the midfield would have been better. Uh,

Speaker 1 Eddie Pope is better than Chris Richards. Loes and Tim Ream,

Speaker 2 push-ish.

Speaker 2 I'm not sure it's a push. No, it's Loe's.
Yeah, it's close.

Speaker 1 Torundilo versus what, Serginio Dust?

Speaker 2 Yeah. I mean, the the problem with Trundelo is he had major injuries right before World Cup, so people didn't get it.
He was, he was

Speaker 2 so good, man.

Speaker 2 All right, we'll say push, whatever.

Speaker 1 Me and Clint are the top two scorers of all time, so it's hard to get outside of that. Christian has to be for the post-2018 in there.

Speaker 2 Wes

Speaker 1 and Tyler versus

Speaker 1 Michael Bradley and Claudio.

Speaker 2 Claudio was so good, dude.

Speaker 1 Okay, even if we said push-ish, and then the strikers creating are better than they are now.

Speaker 2 Totally, for sure. Totally.

Speaker 1 So, so people are going to go crazy probably listening to this. So, just go watch, just go to YouTube and watch a few games, guys.

Speaker 2 Listen back to it. Claudio and Michael Bradley together in midfield, and

Speaker 2 they have Wes and Tyler. It's one and one there.
That's a split. That's a split.
That's a split.

Speaker 2 Clinton, you, no question. Josie Stryker, no question.
Goalkeeper, no question. Christian, absolutely.
Right?

Speaker 2 You know, Robinson, if you want to make a case that,

Speaker 2 again, the thing about Bees is he was world class at two positions, right? So, which is very difficult to do, but but Anthony Robinson, absolutely brilliant. So let's say they get that one.

Speaker 1 Don't get maybe three or four for the post-18 group.

Speaker 2 Yeah, which basically means they don't win the game.

Speaker 1 They don't win the game.

Speaker 2 Yeah, Ben, there you go. Also, way more experience in the pre-18 group.
So I

Speaker 1 Claudio and Michael Bradley had like 700 caps between them.

Speaker 2 That's true. What, Jordan?

Speaker 3 In Ben's defense, he did ask you for a score prediction.

Speaker 2 Oh, Jesus.

Speaker 2 We got deep down that rabbit hole.

Speaker 1 It's going to be tough for them to score. They might sneak a goal, but it would be tough for them to score.
Very tough for them to score.

Speaker 1 And against the, I fancy myself against

Speaker 2 that back line a bit.

Speaker 1 So I'm going to say 2-0 probably. Dosa, 0.

Speaker 2 I'm saying 3-1. Good guys.

Speaker 2 All right.

Speaker 3 This next question is from Alex via email.

Speaker 3 Alex, this is your lucky day because this question starts off. I love hearing about your days with the national team.
So here we go.

Speaker 2 We could talk all day about it.

Speaker 1 No problem.

Speaker 3 The early 2000s were an era that really opened my eyes to U.S. soccer, and I'm proud of where it is now, thanks to the effort and sacrifices you guys have made throughout your careers.

Speaker 3 With that said, what's been your most intimidating away game with the national team?

Speaker 1 I got mine.

Speaker 2 I want to hear yours. Go.
Okay.

Speaker 1 So mine is

Speaker 1 not even close. Costa Rica at Saprisa.

Speaker 1 We played a game there.

Speaker 1 I mean, we played a few times there. We played a game there.

Speaker 1 When you show up to the stadium two hours before the game, it's packed, completely packed, and it's bouncing. They are jumping and partying and there's music.
So the whole stadium shaking.

Speaker 1 We get into the locker room and they put our locker room strategically right underneath their supporters section. So the whole locker room shakes the whole time you're in there.
Can't hear each other.

Speaker 1 You can't, it's just shaking. And it's not a nice stadium, by the way.
It's old and like you're a little bit worried that walls are going to come in.

Speaker 1 And then walking out on that pitch and it was turf.

Speaker 2 A cage around. Did it have a cage around? Yeah, like fence.

Speaker 1 It was dark, always dark. The lighting was terrible.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you would be like warming up.

Speaker 1 And I swear to God, Tim, like, if I'm lying, lightning strike me, there'd be bugs the size of like

Speaker 1 like bigger than tennis balls like big

Speaker 1 with wings and whiskers and like you didn't you've never seen anything like this they just be chilling on the field as you keep rolling over them as you're passing it was gnarly dude and you that was the only time even more than as tech or anywhere else we played i was like dude just get me out of here i i don't even care what the score is just get me out of here i do not want to be here you know it's funny that's great because i i i almost want to say and again i mean we need our facts checkers i almost want to say I didn't play at Soprista because they remember they moved from Soprista to the national stadium, which was much nicer.

Speaker 2 And I think most of my games against Costa Rica were in the national stadium. You got lucky then.
I know, I know. I might have been on a bench or something.

Speaker 2 So interestingly enough, the easy answer is Ezeka. And here's why it's not.
Because as formidable as it is, I enjoyed that challenge so much.

Speaker 2 There was some sort of sadistic fun in playing there because it's Mexico. The one game for me, and

Speaker 2 it's a similar vibe, the San Pedro Sula in Honduras. Oh, yeah.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 I'm getting goosebumps thinking about it. And the reason there's a road, there's this long, desolate road, right? And it's hazy and it's a bit like brown and gray.

Speaker 2 And often the distance, you can see San Pedro Sula and it feels a million miles away. And on this road, right,

Speaker 2 it's filled with... cars and pickup trucks and people walking.
I'm talking about four miles, right? And they're just walking and you know where they're going. This is a pilgrimage to the game.

Speaker 2 And you get there. You have to show up.

Speaker 2 It's a mecca. And you have to show up two hours before the game.
And the bus pulls in. And as long as I live, I will never forget it.

Speaker 2 Someone can tell me how many San Pedro Sula holds. I don't know, 50, 60,000, whatever it is.
It's this big concrete structure. The bus pulls in down a tunnel and it opens up.

Speaker 2 The locker room's here and it opens up. And all you see is the stadium filled with people.
and music and horns and loud. And you get off the bus and you go again, it's a tunnel.

Speaker 2 It's just like concrete tunnel And you go to the dressing room. And I remember thinking, I'm not going to enjoy this.
What I said about Asteco, like, I'm nervous, but I'm going to enjoy this.

Speaker 2 I just kept thinking, I ain't going to enjoy this. This is like, this is horrific.
The second we come out because goalkeepers come out first form, they're going to boo and whistle and throw things.

Speaker 2 And that, by the way, does not stop for the next two hours. And as the LD say, you just cannot wait to get on the bus home.

Speaker 1 Hey, you know what I didn't realize, by the way, but I don't know if it's San Pedro Sula or Tagul Cigalpa, one of those two places in Honduras.

Speaker 1 It's the second most dangerous airport in the world to fly into. Like the most difficult landing or whatever.
And I never, thank God I never knew that.

Speaker 2 I mean, as if it wasn't bad enough. Appreciate you not telling that until 2025.

Speaker 2 Oh, just for the record, I did play at Saprisa. It wasn't that difficult.
1-3-1.

Speaker 2 We didn't win.

Speaker 1 We never won in Soprisa. Oh, that might have been.
You know what? That might have been.

Speaker 2 No, we lost. We lost.

Speaker 1 I might have scored a penalty right at the end. How the hell did they give us a penalty, by the way?

Speaker 2 That was pre-VAR. They they weren't giving us any oh i kind of remember that we got i got pumped that game never mind we got destroyed destroyed pre-var good question

Speaker 3 uh this one's from dave via email curious as players what goes through your mind during the national anthem at the start of a match

Speaker 3 um especially with your national team games are you in the moment enough to even hear it do you like to sing along can you feel the camera panning down the line i'm getting goosebumps that's a great question so one, yes, you do feel the camera.

Speaker 1 It changed a little as I went through my career, depending on the game. It's not like every single national team game was like the crazy goosebumps, crazy pride swelling, whatever.

Speaker 1 However, there was always a sense of like immense pride. But if we were playing a January game at then Home Depot Center and, you know, it was half full and whatever, it was against Denmark.

Speaker 1 It's not the same as in a World Cup winner.

Speaker 2 But

Speaker 1 I would close my eyes and almost meditate. I didn't sing, but you're singing it in your head.
But that feeling is hard to describe.

Speaker 2 And you'll never recreate it ever, ever.

Speaker 2 Great, great answer. A great question.
I mean,

Speaker 2 look, what I would say is I've told people often,

Speaker 2 one of the greatest loves of my life was playing for my country. I've played 121 times and it was honestly the first, my first game at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
My mom was there.

Speaker 2 It, it meant just as much as my my last game um which was horrific uh losing to trinidad and tobago um

Speaker 2 it meant the every game meant the world to me and as landon said some some highs are really really high prior to the game and some some it's hard to hit those heights all the time but the national anthem was the moment where it was all it was all consuming like the the training was done the battle was to come but that was like a singular moment in time and what i would say um because i think it's such a great question and we just talked about uh saprisa and san pedro sula when i would stand there with 10 other of my brothers away from home we were hated it's hard to it's hard to illustrate that to people you're standing there and you have you have landed in that country and pretty much for 48 hours you've been looked at with disgust and you've been hated.

Speaker 2 And by the way, when they play our amazing national anthem, Away from Home in CONCACAF, it's blared through, it's never words.

Speaker 2 And

Speaker 2 it's blared through some rickety PA system.

Speaker 2 And so the pride that we felt singing it as loud as we could, try to get above the whistles and the booze and all the noise, because they don't respect our national anthem in a lot of these places.

Speaker 2 That filled me with more pride than anything else.

Speaker 3 Just out of curiosity, since you've heard a lot of them besides the U.S. national anthem, which national anthem could you like pick out no matter what?

Speaker 1 Like which one's the most important thing? Well, for me, because I'm Canadian too, the canadian national but the one that comes to mind right away is jamaica

Speaker 2 jamaica land we

Speaker 2 it's amazing when the whole when the whole stadium sing it slowly they go jamaica jamaica jamaica and i've played them like 12 times in my career so i just it's a cool national anthem it's good i yeah i don't even i don't even know it i don't even know the the certain national anthems because didn't pay attention that much to them but for any world football fan, do yourself a favor and watch Italy, the players during the Italian national anthem, whenever they play.

Speaker 2 There's tears. There's tears.
There's like gyration and they're like gripping. They start hugging.

Speaker 2 By the end of the song, they've got a grip of each other's like warm-up top and they're singing and some of them are crying and you're like, whoa.

Speaker 2 I think there's a soccer game or this, but I'm not really sure. Like it's crazy.
It's amazing.

Speaker 1 Do yourself one other favor. The Euros last year, we did the Scotland-Germany game, the opening game of the Euros.

Speaker 1 Go listen to Flower of Scotland for that game when they say, I'm going to do it right after we get off here. Go YouTube it.
And there were like 40,000 Scots there singing. It was incredible.

Speaker 1 Awesome question. Okay.

Speaker 3 Last one. This one's from DJ via email.
So these are the same question, but they're asking you both separately under different circumstances.

Speaker 3 So, Landon, who was your underrated performer in the 2002 World Cup and why? And Tim, same same question for you, but the 2014 World Cup and why.

Speaker 1 Wow, what a great question.

Speaker 1 Amazing. Oh, I know mine, John O'Brien.
Johnny O'Neill. John and O'Brien in 2002.
So, John's struggle was staying healthy during his career.

Speaker 1 But when he played and he was at his best, people will tell you who played with him. He was the most talented player they ever played with.
Definitely.

Speaker 1 And he was,

Speaker 1 he was so nice.

Speaker 2 Yeah. He was so good.

Speaker 2 I think

Speaker 2 someone correct me again in research did did kyle beckerman play or start in the belgian game in the belgian game in 2014 one of those games i think

Speaker 2 i would say this about kyle and and and yeah it's not a it's not a disrespect like

Speaker 2 kyle took like kyle was a really good player he he was reliable and you can count on him and and i know landon you have the utmost respect for him playing against him and And with him. And with him.

Speaker 2 And then you get to the 2014 World Cup and you start to ask yourself for a guy like Kyle, is this a step too far? Is this a bridge too far? Like, is this level maybe not for you?

Speaker 2 And he just silenced any critics, any doubters. He was the glue for that team, for all the big names.

Speaker 2 Kyle Beckman

Speaker 2 did not play in a Belgian game. And I thought that was a massive miss from Jorgen Klinsman because he was just, he was the glue.

Speaker 2 He allowed all the players to go, you know, the players that you know, the household names to go do their thing. And

Speaker 2 he was incredible during that tournament. So yeah, Bikal Beckman.

Speaker 3 Awesome. Those are great answers.
This was really fun. I'm glad that we got to do this.

Speaker 2 I'm glad you enjoyed it more importantly, Jordan.

Speaker 2 That's what's really important.

Speaker 3 As long as the producer is happy, you know what I mean?

Speaker 3 Right. Thanks, guys.

Speaker 2 Thanks.

Speaker 1 Thanks, Jack. Happy producer.
Happy life to me. That's true.

Speaker 2 Very true.

Speaker 1 All right. That was fun.
Nations League coming up this week, hopefully Thursday and Sunday for the U.S. team.
Tune in. I believe it's on CBS.

Speaker 1 I don't want to say that for sure if it's not, but I believe it's on CBS. So thank you all for being with us today.
Great questions again during the AT ⁇ T fan connection. Appreciate it.

Speaker 1 Thanks as always to Volkswagen too. Remember to subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your pods.
Follow the show across all of our social media.

Speaker 1 Lots of extra content there too.

Speaker 2 Yeah, thanks everyone. And thank you to our presenting sponsor VW and our fan connection sponsor, AT ⁇ T.

Speaker 2 We always miss you at the back end of the week, but we look forward to seeing you next Tuesday with another edition of Unfiltered Soccer.

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