July 7, 2026 • 40 mins
Colin discusses the struggle of Team USA after its disappointing 4-1 defeat to Belgium. Nick Wright joins Colin to talk about the World Cup run for the Americans and falling short, and what they need to move forward. Nick and Colin also discuss the Jalen Brown trade and where LeBron James will go. Will the US keep Pochettino as their soccer coach?
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three Eastern nine am to noone Pacific. Find
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dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks
for listening to the Herd podcast. Welcome in hour two.
(00:24):
So fired up to hear from Nick Wright.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Soccer media and soccer fans can get very protective. Hey,
you casuals, slow down your criticism.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
You don't get it.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
As I've said before, you don't need to be a
chef to know when your fish is undercooked. You don't
need to be a music critic or twelve bong hits
in the No Dark Side of the Moon by Pink
Floyd was epic. Okay, it's not that difficult. Some of
you soccer guys are nerds. Let's be honest about it.
(00:58):
It's like you watched last night. Polisic was a no show.
He's fragile, he's getting hurt. Our goalie's an MLS guy.
It doesn't take an expert. I always said, American idol,
I don't know squad about music. I could listen for
fifteen seconds. I was like, lounge singer hack that person,
that person's going to be a rock star, And I
(01:18):
don't know anything. It was a bad performance. On the
back end, we knew it was our weakness. We totally
got exposed. And everybody that says polistic, this criticism's unfair.
Some New York Times writer was taking a shot at
Nick right, and I'm like timeout Poolsic gets criticized for
a day every four years. Caleb Williams every Monday during
the football season gets ripped if he doesn't complete sixty
(01:41):
five percent.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Of his throws.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Lebron James has had playoff games where he scores twenty
nine points in s twelve assists, and he's getting clobbered
by the media that he was afraid to take the
big shot.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Give me a break.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Polstic gets appropriately criticized for an hour and a half
every four years. I mean, Carly Lloyd was awesome. She
was critical last night of Polisic.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
You wanted some of those big time players to step
up in big moments, and I gotta be honest.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
You know, I was a bit disappointed with Christian Bulsk.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I think whether he wants to be the star of
this team or not.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
We didn't see enough of from him in this particular
game and really the.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Whole World Cup.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Harry Kane Jude Bellingham in as Teca took the game
over Polisic in Seattle, APB.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Where's he at? Deal?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
I mean I couldn't find him after losing his first
several possessions. He like literally got timid and was bailing
out of it, like, I'm sorry, that's.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
What the eyes don't lie. It's you don't have to
be a.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Soccer expert to figure that stuff out. Your fish is undercooked.
You have every right to say send it back to
the kitchen. I'd like to send Pulisic last night back
to the kitchen. It wasn't good enough. Nick right now
joining us live, Nick getting.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Attacked for having an opinion.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I am, yeah, some guys, I am.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
I was unaware where am I getting attacked? I'm not
even being spunnier.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I'm very protective of you. So somebody at the some
some soccer guy was like, hey, slow down on Polisic,
and I said this go to go by the way
to Portugal, Spain, England after they lose an English Premier
League game in England, forget the World Cup. The criticism
from the tabloid press in Europe is I'm.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Going to lose my mind. I'm going to lose my mind, Colin.
I didn't even know I was getting attacked. I don't
even that part. You're filling the role of my family
now where I come home, I'm in a good mood
and one of my kids says to me, he's like,
oh man, you are getting cooked on the internet.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
I'm like, I didn't know. I was like I walked
down the street. Everyone was nice to me.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
But no, I want to talk because I want to
talk about this because it is patriotizing to y. You
know how you can tell we us ugly Americans are
taking this tournament and taking soccer seriously. When the superstars,
or in Ballistics case, alleged superstars get the superstar treatment,
(04:15):
because here is here here, it would be insulting to
be like, well, he.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Tried really hard, which, by the.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Way, is it is not a full certainty.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Here here is Christian Ballistic since he's.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Been the face of American soccer.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
A very quick history of it.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Last year's World Cup final group stage game. You must
win to advance. Polisic, to his credit, scores the goal
against Iran to go up one nothing in the first half.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
He gets banged up on.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
The goal and then at halftime can't play anymore. I'm
out for the game. Listen, so be it. You got
us the lead. We'll hold on for dear life.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
They did.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Now let's splash forward a couple of years. Gold cut,
new coach, big moment. Sorry, can't play, got a rest,
I like every other high level European soccer playing star,
had played a bunch of minutes and I need to rest. Okay,
you're gonna skip out on the Gold Cup, to the
(05:17):
dismay of Landon Clint Dempsey, Pochattino, some of your teammates. Fine,
you better be in top form for the World Cup
if you're gonna have the extra rest. He then enters
the World Cup on a not a goalless drought because
he got one in the friendly and Senegal, but has
scored one goal in the year twenty twenty six, the
calendar year that's the lead up to the World Cup,
(05:40):
and then in the World Cup, a whole World Cup
where he is supposed to be the best player on
the best American team ever, he gave us one awesome
half first half of the first game, but god forbid,
and that first half he got kicked in the calf,
and because of that he estimates the second half of
the first game, he has to for the entirety of
(06:01):
the second game. He then, after sitting that is like, well,
I obviously you know, can't go the full ninety in
the third game because I missed a game, even though
guys get rotated out and then play the full ninety
all the time. Then in the knockout round game, when
we're down a man, clinging to a lead and we
have limited subs, he's one of the guys.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Who asked to come off.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
And then last night, after playing a miserable first half,
he kicked a guy in the foot and by his
own explanation turned or sprained his ankle.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
And asked out bout out.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
That's unacceptable, and it's unacceptable when your best player. According
to the Soccer Ratings Services, was the eighth best player
on his own team in the forty nine percent of
the minutes.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
He was able to play in this tournament.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
It is not harsh to say this was a massive
of all the players on the US men's national team.
He failed to carry his burden the most ye, and
it's not harsh to say that he seems to be fragile.
That the injuries are a concern, and the inability to
play through pain.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Is a concern.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
That is all totally fair and totally inbounds.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
And I didn't even know people.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I thought it was a mainstream opinion, the super hot
take of the best players supposedly in the history of
our country, and the special especially better.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, especially when all the other great players Harry Kane,
Jude Bellingham, Messi are playing spectacularly well and have separated
in the highest scoring World Cup in a long time.
By the way, the staff just sent this to me.
The front page editorial in the Gazetta Deo Sport. Italy's
latest World Cup failure was labeled third Apocalypse by the
(07:50):
Italian media. That's how you're treated in Europe when you
don't deliver. Okay, okay, I will say this. I do
think the passion, the revenue, the ratings, we earned ourselves
another World Cup sooner than we would have I do
think we love soccer, maybe every four years, but we
love it. I also think we are more skilled we
(08:13):
were we were I would say historically bad at goalie,
considering Casey Keller, Tim Howard, Brad friedel Tony Meola, we've
been great our goalkeepers.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
The one thought we'd been world class at god. We've
had years tournament.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Yeah, our guys played English Premier League for fifteen years.
We have had elite world goalkeepers. We got an MLS guy.
He's a little slight, he's not aggressive. Our oldest player
was a defender. We looked lost. We got beat in space, size, physically.
They were just bigger and stronger, younger.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
I get it. Listen, we knew that was the.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Issue coming in, but I said this last night. Are
you Are you happier that we got trounced and were
ticked off? Or would have Would it have been better
to lose close and feel better about it this morning
and feel we're closer even though we're not.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Can I choose options?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
See that we just beat a Belgium team that was
super beatable.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
I know they didn't last night.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
So here's how I kind of bifurcate this World Cup
in my brain.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
The World Cup has.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Been a massive success for soccer in America. The ratings
are insane. If Fox is done. Call me a company guy.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
I'm right on this.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
The production value of the way we are throwing the
entire way to the company behind the tournament. Last the
last time the US played Now I understand time zones
have something to do with it, but the last time
the US played a game as big as the game
last night was in two thousand and two and it
was at two thirty in the morning on ESPN two.
(09:50):
So like, there is the way we are. It is
thirty five million people are going to watch last night
and tens of million are going to keep watching.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
The rest of the tournament.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
All of that is a huge, huge success, and it's
for the men's national team. However, well, it is not
a failure. A failure would have been losing to Bosnia
or god forbid, not getting out of the group. It
is certainly a massive missed opportunity and it falls short
(10:22):
for this team a success because we have been to
the Round of sixteen many times, and not only aside
from that two year when we got to play a
team we were familiar with, Mexico.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
We lost all those games, but.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
We lost one oh to Brazil, we lost one O
to Germany, we lost two to one in extra time
to Ghana. We lost one to oho in extra time
to Belgium. We lost three to one last World Cup
in a hard fought game to Netherlands, so we didn't
get further than the stage we've been at. We played
a team that, aside from the Ghana year, was probably
(10:59):
week than any of the teams we've played in this
round prior. We were playing better and we got our
Not only did we get our doors kicked in, we
seemed yeah, the moment was too big from the very
opening stage. And the most disappointing part of yesterday for
me is this Malik Tilman gave us a reprieve.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
We played so.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Bad for a half hour, it was a miracle we
were only down one. And then Malik Tilman, for the
second time this World Cup just has a perfect direct
kick and now it's like all right, a new game,
new ball, game, back in business. Gather yourself and within
sixty seconds we're losing again, and we never and then
(11:45):
still thirty minutes left in the game. Lately, around the
sixty minute mark, okay, we're down to one. We actually
have steadied ourselves to start this second half. Polisic goes
down can't decide whether or not he needs to come out,
and then one of the most embarrassing moments in US
soccer history happens and bang the games over. It's frustrating
(12:07):
because of this colin. Belgium's played five games this tournament.
They drew against Egypt, they drew against Iran, They were
thoroughly outplayed for eighty three minutes against Senegal, then pulled.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
It out of the fire stole that one.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
There have been two games Belgium's looked awesome against New
Zealand and US five.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
To one and four one.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
That's a bummer and there's no way around the tournament
can be a success, while the end of the World
Cup for the US men's national team is a huge bummer.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Okay, I want two NBA things I want to talk
about and I think I kind of feel like you,
we underwhelmed, but I do think overall there's a lot
to take from We do have more skill. It's been
an unbelievable moment. Will continue to watch the ratings, the
merch the attendant.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
It's great. It was a clunker last night.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
And I add one thing before we go to the
NBA about the path forward, because I don't.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
Our path forward is.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Not to figure out a way to match France or
Spain man for man.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
That shouldn't be the model.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Our model is a slightly different one, which is, we'll
see how far Norway goes. Croatia just came off back
to back.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Semifinals, or further.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Morocco is off a semifinal, they're still alive.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
What's those countries path? You know what it is?
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Solid team one, super superstar, Earling Holland carry US, Luca
Madrich carry US, Hakemi for Morocco carry US. I think
I think it is more realistic that somehow we end
up with an Earling Holland level star, then we end
up with this amazing fifteen man roster, solid roster.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Pochatino is the coach or a coach of.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
His caliber and a Holland level Oh my god, where'd
this guy come from? Superstar? That's the US's path to
seeing how deep.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
We can go in a tournament.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Go ahead, I agree, by the way, and polistics inability
to be physically dependable eliminates him from that stack. That's right. Absolutely, Okay,
So two NBA things. You know I always say this,
You and I are in the business, something happens.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
We have to react.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
But almost always in politics it could be wars, politics, sports,
four five six days or four or five six weeks,
you get clarity. It's pretty clear. It's pretty clear now
that Paul George is expensive. Jayalen Brown was expensive. Now
you can get out of Paul's contract earlier. There's not
gonna be any extension talks. This really came down to
(14:40):
with a new CBA. If you have two stars and
they gobble up your cap, they have to be complementary. No,
I don't even think they always have to be best friends.
Their games have to be complementary. And for a franchise
that is a mile deep in analytics, literally, the Celtics
do not lose. It's like the Globe try ast the
Washington Generals. If Tatum has the ball thirty three percent
(15:03):
of the time, they don't lose. Brown's an impediment to
that data. And this team, more than any team in
the NBA loves the data. Oh no, he loves it.
It's a formula. And my takeaway five days later is
Brown is an impediment to Tatum's usage rate. It doesn't
matter how good he is, because he's really good and
(15:24):
that's the whole rap on the on the trade.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
So here's where I understand what you're saying, but where
I disagree with you or I'm gonna I don't even
know if we disagree, I'm just gonna further it. Yeah,
I'm totally fine with the Celtics being like, we want
to get out of the jail and Brown business, that
we think he is coming off his best season.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
That we think he is not as valuable as the
media thinks he has. All these things. Here's what I'm
not okay with.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I'm not okay with the Celtics being this close to
flipping Jalen Brown for y'all us and holding the line
at whether it's you Gonzales or Baylor shireman without realizing wait, wait, wait,
our backup plan is Paul George and picks Well, then
(16:15):
I guess we got to pay the tax. You can't, Colin,
You're you're in the real estate business a little bit.
You can't be this close to closing on a house
and then at the last minute they raised the price
by ten grand and walk away. If the alternative is
living in your car.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
You're like, well, I got another house down the road.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
It's no problem, but they the Celtics, I think mis
analyzed what Jalen Brown's market was outside of Milwaukee. Because
if the bones of the tradear, we get Giannis and
give you two firsts, and our best alternative is we
(16:57):
get Paul George and get two first then you got
to pay the tax to finish the finish the deal
with Giannis.
Speaker 4 (17:04):
That's like for them.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
To walk away from that and not have a Trey
Murphy package in their back pocket, or hell, even a
Houston a similar trade that they got for Paul George,
but make it with Houston where Kevin Durantz coming back
up there, plus the Picks and Jalen's.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Reunited with em any of that.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Would have made more sense than the Paul George trade.
That's my biggest complaint or critique of it.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Hollywood is good at perfect endings, but the NBA isn't Hollywood.
It's hardwood, and you end up wearing jerseys that look
silly ten years later, and Rich Paul is saying there's
a frenzy for Lebron, but Oklahoma City, San Antonio and
the Knicks don't want him, and those are the three
best teams. The reality is he's probably best to retire.
Cleveland doesn't really work because it's Baul initiators, it's hard,
(17:48):
it's Donovan Mitchell, it's Lebron. It's the same issue with
the Lakers with better rim protection, with alanm and Mobley.
The truth is I don't want to see him in
a Piston's jersey. I don't want to see him in
any other jersey. I want to see him in Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
No jersey.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Is that unfair that I just don't want to see
him in a Raptor's jersey, in a Pistons jersey.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
He's not going to be in a Raptor's jersey.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Or I don't even want.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
To see him an old heat jersey again.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
So listen, I think you're probably gonna get your wish.
I also think you love big markets and big stars,
and so I think you would stomach him being in
a Warriors jersey, which.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Is you know I think you would.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I also think you just flippantly saying his best option
is to retire. Why why why when when he can
still play? I would love to see how late we needed.
Not only did you never think I'm guessing? I check
the tape so you can tell me if I'm wrong,
but I'm guessing not only did you never think it
(18:46):
was best for your beloved Tom Brady to retire, but
you still kind of want him done retire, like you
love him as a coworker, but I think you'd love
him more like you know, playing quarterback for literally anyone, Like, hey, Tom,
me see.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
If you can give us a good twelve weeks and
see what happens in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
So I Lebron is too good to retire right now.
He wants to keep playing. And this is what I
will say about wherever he goes, and it'll probably be Cleveland.
I would say if I were the Calves, I would
be really trying to figure out if there is some
type of James Harden plus picks sign in trade to
proy Kyrie Irving to Cleveland instead of Harden. That would
(19:27):
maybe sweeten the pot for Lebron a bit, just like
the Warriors should be trying to see now that the
Wizard's got a guy who once won a time replaced
Anthony Davis and DeAndre Ayton. If Anthony Davis is more available,
Lebron for his basketball life has gone places where they've
been in total disarray and within two years delivered a championship.
(19:50):
He got to the Heat in twenty ten. They had
not won a playoff series since the title in six
Two years later, their champions, the.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Calves second time around, had been out of the playoffs
for four years.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Two years later, their champions The Lakers had been literally
the worst team in basketball for the previous five years
by a record standpoint.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Two years later, their champions.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
I believe Lebron's plan is to play twenty five years,
put in a smooth quarter century in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
And have that be that.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
That means wherever he goes, they're going to get two
years out of him. It's just my uneducated guess, and
I think Lebron believes there's a bunch of teams that
he could go to right now and by year two
he can walk out of the league a champion.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
I would like to see that happen. We'll see.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
But also sub story of Lebron leaving the Lakers, my freedom,
my yoke that I've been suffering under of a hijacked
Laker fan has now ended. My watch has ended for
eight years. Rob Polinka, good luck building that team, because
as been the case since Lebron came into the league.
(20:59):
Where bron goes, my fandom goes. So I'm a free
agent too. I hope he picks a good spot. But
I didn't love when he picked the Lakers. But I
you know what I mean. We're attacked, so Philly would
be my choice. I don't think it's gonna happen. It's
a nice little drive for me. I could see some games.
It'll probably be Cleveland. But I think he's gonna play
two more years, and I think he's gonna pick a
(21:19):
team he thinks he can win the title with by
that second year.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
One minute left, Brazil, your team is out.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
We have some footage.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
You want to show a picture of me. You just
want to show this picture of me. How about reason
you're asking about?
Speaker 1 (21:32):
How about backing the UK, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, back
the Brits.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Listen, man, the people think that's not a flattering picture
of me.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
I think I look resplendent.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I think it is very You know, here's the thing.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
About Colin Cowherd.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Colin cowhard looks like the guy you're seeing right now
at all times, I can I can.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Look like this version of Nick. This is kind of
more gambling.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
I can have the soup on Nick and then I
can also have watching you know, my pick go down
in flames, hair tied back, sunglasses that don't work, ridiculous
bucket hat that I bought from a stand here in
Harlem hours before the game. It was a bad pick
by me, and I was in utter pain at that game.
(22:20):
The moment, the moment that they missed that penalty kick, I.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Was like, I think I'm on the wrong side, and
I was.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
And now I immediately then just attached my support to
Argentina because I'm a big you know, you don't hear
this a lot.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
I'm a big hemisphere guy. I didn't want to change hemispheres,
so I you know, I was in the southwestern hemisphere.
I was staying there. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Eat, Egypt's now up to nothing on Argentina.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
It's two. I choose what.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
They also missed a penalty kick to start this game.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
It's too nothing. Okay, okay, I that's believable. I'll just
say the nick right curse. But also let me just
say this. England hasn't won it in sixty plus years,
Brazil's in a drought, Italy can't make the World Cup
for all of our anngs today. Egypt up to nothing
(23:11):
on Argentina, meaning the only two favorites have looked the
part so far. England's looked the part. France has looked
the part. Norway is surprising us.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
It is hard. Spain's kind of looked the part. Spain
hasn't allowed a goal. Spain hasn't allowed a goal. They listen.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
I knew you'd be rooting for England. Your mom was English.
You spend a lot of time over there.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
I get that.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
I can't Argentina down to nothing. Holy moly, all right,
I gotta watch the end of this.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Game, all right, okay, j Mac.
Speaker 4 (23:45):
They overturned the goal.
Speaker 6 (23:47):
What that is a travesty? Oh my gosh. They're they're
taking the goal off the board. Colin, they're calling a
foul one hundred yards from the play.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Whoa.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
People are going to be outraged. That was a crazy
play by Egypt.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
They went to link to.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
The field for a crazy goal and they're calling a
foul at the other end. Oh my gosh, oh boy. Okay,
all right, soccer is getting crazy, by the way.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
You're right.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Nick has a bit of a jinx. Holy hell, he says,
Argentina like instantly they're in trouble.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Oh boy, guys, this is Argentina is in a hole.
Should be two nothing against Egypt.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
This is the the.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Global competitive nature of this sport. Everybody, all the big
countries are you know, they're one hundred million in, four
hundred million, in five hundred million in. They have massive
leagues with international TV rights and international sponsorships and tournaments.
It's all well capitalized. I mean, the English Premier League
(24:49):
is so bloody rich it's insane.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (24:55):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter The not a Emphasis on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (25:05):
Hey, this is Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
Join me every weekday morning on my podcast Straight Fire
with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing
the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight
Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines,
accurate stats to help.
Speaker 6 (25:23):
You win big at the sportsbook, and all the best guests.
Speaker 5 (25:26):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
Or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Argentina a cold favorite to win it is getting drubbed
and should be down three to nothing to Egypt, with
the world's best player on their team and having a
great tournament. By the way, the world's best player, messy
missed a penalty kick. Yeah so, just folks, Spain's got
one World Cup. Stuff is hard. This is honestly, this
(26:01):
is a massive whiff by Argentina. Their star missed penalty kick.
That is a no no.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
What do you think the.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Headlines are tomorrow in Argentina. Hey, we gave it our
best and all you soccer nerds are upset because we're
hammering pooh listic who is a no show?
Speaker 2 (26:18):
J Mack with a nerd oh.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
Mind?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Do you know the last repeat winner of the World
Cup was nineteen fifty eight nineteen sixty two Argentine. I
mean this the pressure of winning the World Cup. Not
to mention, generally, your team that wins the World Cup
has most of its guys and it's prime. You come
back four years later, somebody's heard your guys are old, prime,
(26:47):
out of their prime. Almost seventy NBA we got eight
champs in eight years World Cup. It's virtually impossible. Seventy
years since we had a repeat.
Speaker 6 (26:55):
Extremely different.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
That's why these is the greatest sporting event on the.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
Face of the earth. It is amazing.
Speaker 5 (27:00):
And let's go back to Team USA. Col Let's start
with Pochettino.
Speaker 6 (27:03):
I don't know, you.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Know, the Belgium coach cooked up some greatness yesterday with
his lineup. I didn't see greatness from Pochettino, but afterward
everybody was asking, Hey, your future is up in the air,
your contract is set to aspire, you have an offer
on the table. Here's his response when asked about his
future with the US national team.
Speaker 8 (27:23):
This team show that we can play football, we can
play soccer, we can compete, that we need to keep improving.
A lot of young players with a lot of potential
and future, and I see a generation of young kids
that come in behind. I think we'll build a very
good relationship. But now it's not a moment to talk
(27:45):
about that.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
I think.
Speaker 9 (27:47):
Now it's a moment to see to assess the tournament.
You know, I'm for sure in the next weeks we
can start to talk. If the federation want to talk, well.
Speaker 5 (28:01):
Of course they want to talk, so everybody's making, you know,
getting excited about what do you accomplish?
Speaker 6 (28:06):
The wins, the non you.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
Know, the getting out of the group stage, the amount
of goals they scored, all records. Now we should add
that they expanded the tournament around by an extra round,
and they let in.
Speaker 6 (28:19):
Some teams that you know, maybe weren't great were the
host country.
Speaker 5 (28:22):
But besides all that, Colin we looked pretty good until
we faced Belgium, right, I think you got to have
Pochatino back.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Yeah, even our backups when we played ten new starters
against Turkey A and we were very competitive.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
I was encouraged greatly by that outing.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Our backups I thought played really well.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
We showed great.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Depth from our attacking and midfield units. So I even
thought that loss was fine. I just thought we got
overwhelmed last night. And that happens all the time. The
Patriots got overwhelmed in the Super Bowl, and they just
didn't have their best players, were not in their prime.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Seattle was loaded. It happens.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Argentina is getting whacked by Egypt. They're getting shut out,
they should be down three nothing. When you watch the
var on that, it is a pretty sketchy foul yeah,
it's hard to go back to back one other thing, Colin.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
So naturally, when what you do the post wortem right.
So I'm trying to build out a database of all
the young players, the best, like sixteen to twenty year
olds who could be on our team in twenty thirty
and wou didn't you know it? But there's like three
or four flow balligans out there where it's like, hey,
he's a dual national, he could make goalies.
Speaker 6 (29:33):
There's one as a goalie.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
There's a couple defenders in midfielder does he want to
go play for Senegal or whatever or the US?
Speaker 6 (29:40):
And one of them is a German and.
Speaker 5 (29:42):
The US is going to have to recruit. Pochettino is
going to have to hit the recruiting trail similar to
the transfer portal and get guys to commit if we
want to make that leap by twenty thirty. So obviously
soccer in this country we love it, and the USA
they had a good run.
Speaker 6 (29:57):
Now we need to keep Pochattino.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
All right, let's pivot tow the NFL, Colin, And this
month the NFL is doing their top one hundred list.
Speaker 6 (30:05):
A couple players have.
Speaker 5 (30:06):
Fallen big time a couple guys you love to talk
about AJ.
Speaker 6 (30:10):
Brown and Travis kelce plummet. Yeah, Travis Kelcey seventy ninth,
which I think might be generous.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
That's generous.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
AJ Brown checks in at eighty.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
I think he's I would say Kelsey's below seventy nine.
I think Brown's higher than eighty.
Speaker 5 (30:25):
I would totally agree. I guess my question would be, like,
you know, what are we expecting from Kelsey this year?
He just had the fit the wedding with Taylor Swift.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Be great on third down at this point, I'm not
looking for one hundred and four catches. Be great on
third down, Be good situationally red zone, and I think
he will be. But that's where he is at his career. Yeah,
be good and crucial spots. I'm not looking for you
to play seventeen games and I'm not looking for one
hundred and twenty catches.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
That's not what I'm looking for.
Speaker 6 (30:53):
Yeah, and AJ Brown of course in New England.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Now, AJ Brown, for the record, his numbers should this
is the best quarterback by far he's ever played with.
I would not be surprised if AJ Brown didn't have
one hundred and five catches.
Speaker 5 (31:04):
So Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurtz or MVP runner.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Up Drake Drake May is a much better pocket quarterback
and they're going to direct that offense. Jalen Brown's going
to be. They like their backs, they like their tight ends.
They will love aj Brown.
Speaker 5 (31:18):
Final story, Collins, this is a little bit of a
wacky one. But Sean Payton, there's a story out from
Seth Wickersham, who's a great journalist obviously, and Sean Payton,
according to this report, was like friendly with Belichick, really
liked him a lot, and said, you know what, after
Belichick left the Patriots, I was open to him coming
(31:39):
to be the head coach in Denver. I would be
the assistant just so Bill could win fifteen more games
and be the all time winning his coach in NFL history.
I would be the assistant run the offense. Who would
be the head coach? Just so we could get the
record A.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
Do we buy this?
Speaker 6 (31:56):
And B can you text Sean after the show and
be like, bro, is this for real?
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Well?
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Seth wrote it and reported it. I believe it. It's
too complicated and weird. That's I mean, let's not play
with history if it happens authentically, organically. I don't think
you play with history. That's like, you know, Mark Gastineau
being upset because Michael Strahan got the sack record because
Brett Farv took a knee, like like, just let stuff
happen organically.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
That always feels better. J Mack with a news.
Speaker 4 (32:26):
Well, that's the.
Speaker 5 (32:27):
News, and thanks for stopping by the Herd Line News.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I will question the word frenzy coming up.
Speaker 7 (32:33):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd Weekdays
and noone Easter not a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
The you know, part of the controversy around Balligan and
this Argentina var ruling Argentina, by the way, I scored
as two on Egypt ten minutes left is that when
something is infrequent and means a lot, it's just almost
begs for controversy. I mean, every four years we have
a presidential election. Increasingly this is all you hear.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
It's rigged.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
It's the presidential election is rigged. You don't do that
for the average mayoral race. It doesn't mean as much, right,
and so your average you know, you're we look at
the World Cup. Every call is so important, not necessarily
in the group stage. There's not as much controversy. I
mean in the group stage you didn't have all this drama.
(33:22):
You get to the knockout stage. I mean, like every game,
all we're talking about is Balligan and the var and
that red card and that yellow card, because it just
there's so much scarcity here. There's just not many games
and the games mean so much. So you know, my
take is we are just not used to not owning
(33:44):
stuff and being dominant with stuff, and Argentina finding out today.
That's why the England went over. Mexico is so newsworthy
and redeemable. That's Mexico doesn't lose it as Teca. That
was such a courageous win by England for Jude Bellingham
and Harry Kane to play at that level. They were
(34:05):
clearly the two best players. But it's so hard to
win there and in that environment. By the way, Canada's out, Mexico's.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Out, and we're out.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Home soil advantage, home pitch advantage has a ceiling.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Great teams win.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
By the way, Rich Paul is the agent Clutch Sports
for Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I saw one of the quotes here.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Teams involved in the Lebron's sweepstakes. According to Brian Windhurst,
are being kept in the dark and it's sending suitors
into a frenzy. I don't feel it. I don't feel
like it's a frenzy. I think if he goes to Cleveland,
people freak out.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
But it's Cleveland, right.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
They haven't had a lot of success unless Lebron's created it.
But san Antonio, okasee, you are not interested in Lebron.
The Knicks just won the title, second, third or first
best team. They're not interested, right, Like, So I look
around the league and I'm like, Cleveland is it's Cleveland.
I also think Lebron at this point is an additive
(35:12):
now not foundational. He'll make you better, he's not gonna
make you great. You're not gonna get eighty two games.
You're not getting that defense. And he plays in spurts
more than he ever has.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
That's fine. He's still very very good. But Lebron's agent has.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
A podcast he can control messaging the Whiteboard. He's very
good at it, by the way, podcasting and agency. So
here's Rich Paul on why he created the Whiteboard.
Speaker 10 (35:38):
By the way, I wanted to just give people insight
and a little peek behind the curtain.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
And here's the thing.
Speaker 10 (35:49):
In times like this is actually pretty cool because you
can't take yourself too serious in this time. This is
a this is a fun time for us. I can imagine, right,
it's a fun time for us. It's an admiration for LJ.
You know, you could always have the haters out there,
like those that we know that have a microphone has
never said anything great about LJ or me for that matter,
(36:09):
But I can care less.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Uh yeah, I just there's no frenzy here. I think
if he goes to Cleveland that's the prediction. Or Golden State,
I mean Golden State for a couple of days would
get a lot of discussion. But I think the best
teams are not interested, and I don't think he'd make
the Warriors or the Cavaliers champions. He's in additive, he's
not foundational at this point, MESSI just tied it up
(36:31):
at two. He has a goal and an assist in
five minutes, eight goals in the tournament, and you're upset
that we're criticizing Polisic who just can't finish a game.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
I mean, Colin, we saw Jude Bellingham take over a
game in Azteca on the road. We're not saying Pulisic
is belling him, but we're now seeing Messi scoring the
equalizer in like the eighty eighth minute.
Speaker 6 (36:52):
Argentina's on the ropes. Messi just takes over the game.
Like all we're asking Politic is to freaking not turn
the ball over.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
We're asking police to finish games. Finish games we're not
even asking for We're not even asking for goals, We're
just asking for playmaking and finished the game.
Speaker 5 (37:09):
I mean, Polisic played a great half against Paraguay and
then he really didn't do much the rest of the
World Cup. And I know, well, J Mack, why are
you putting him on the same tier as Messi and
Bellingham their legends? All right, well, you're the captain America,
you're the face of our team. Yeah, weren't we calling
him this a golden boy like eight years ago?
Speaker 1 (37:26):
Here's here's Nick right earlier on the US teams lost
to Belgium last night, humiliating as it was.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
We'll see how far Norway goes.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Croatia just came off back to back semifinals, or further,
Morocco is off a semi final. They're still alive. What's
those countries path? You know what it is, solid team one,
super superstar Earling Holland carry US, Luka Modrich carry US,
Hakimi for Morocco carry US. I think I think it
(37:57):
is more realistic that some how we end up with
an early Holland level star, then we end up with
this amazing fifteen man roster.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
I think that's really an interesting way. And remember people
say our best athletes don't play soccer. They don't need to.
We're so much bigger than Norway. We're so much bigger
than Belgium. If our third best athletes chose soccer, which
maybe now it's fourth, we still feel the competitive team.
We got to the knockout stage. We won a game,
you know, so we're competitive. We're just not elite messy
(38:31):
eight goals in five matches. Nobody's asking him to be
messy again, be available, and don't disappear in the biggest
game in US world soccer history. That's all where that's
not a bridge too far. We're not asking you to dominate.
But he was overwhelmed last night and kind of vanished
and got very timid.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
And again, you know, it's.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Always I'm always cautious to say somebody's injury prone.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
I want to see, like Joe Burrow is one.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
Of those where ask yourself this, if you suffered one
more major injury with the organization, have to consider another plan.
If Joe Burrow did, the answer is yes, Joe's had enough. Now,
if you had one more serious injury, you got to
draft another quarterback. If Polisic had another serious injury for
his club team next year, you'd have to you ask yourself,
(39:21):
he simply can't stay healthy and that durability Messi's never
missed a World Cup game. I mean not a gigantic
athlete small he's five seven hundred and fifty five pounds
or whatever he is. He doesn't miss games, so he
is durable. It's not always. You don't have to look
like Earling, Holland or Rinaldo. You don't have to look
like that. It helps you know the gronkad injuries. But
(39:41):
size and body composition is obviously important, but it is
a reality with poulism.
Speaker 5 (39:46):
So remember the World Cup when it was here in
ninety four birth the MLS and by the way, eight
years later we had our best run to the quarterfinals.
My guess is The momentum around the World Cup right
now will payoff in about four to eight years when
all the young kids who are eight, nine to ten
are like captivated by the World Cup. I say, I'm
(40:07):
going World Cup. Forget this, NBA, NFL. I could be
a global freaking star. Right You're seeing these watch parties
well around the world. It's like this is real fandom.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
I mean, if I could tell my kid to play
one sport, you know, football, there's a regular level of violence,
same with UFC, probably wouldn't be that my kids. I mean,
if I could say my kid's going to play something,
he's going to go to an elite university because elite
universities have good soccer programs, and then he's going to
travel the globe. It's pretty cool if you're asking me
as a dad, my kid can travel the globe, play
(40:40):
for a national team. Potentially most of the great soccer
programs are at elite academic institutions.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Soccer is not a bad choice.
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three Eastern nine am to noone Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks
for listening to the Herd podcast. Welcome in hour two.
(00:24):
So fired up to hear from Nick Wright.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Listen.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Soccer media and soccer fans can get very protective. Hey,
you casuals, slow down your criticism.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
You don't get it.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
As I've said before, you don't need to be a
chef to know when your fish is undercooked. You don't
need to be a music critic or twelve bong hits
in the No Dark Side of the Moon by Pink
Floyd was epic. Okay, it's not that difficult. Some of
you soccer guys are nerds. Let's be honest about it.
(00:58):
It's like you watched last night. Polisic was a no show.
He's fragile, he's getting hurt. Our goalie's an MLS guy.
It doesn't take an expert. I always said, American idol,
I don't know squad about music. I could listen for
fifteen seconds. I was like, lounge singer hack that person,
that person's going to be a rock star, And I
(01:18):
don't know anything. It was a bad performance. On the
back end, we knew it was our weakness. We totally
got exposed. And everybody that says polistic, this criticism's unfair.
Some New York Times writer was taking a shot at
Nick right, and I'm like timeout Poolsic gets criticized for
a day every four years. Caleb Williams every Monday during
the football season gets ripped if he doesn't complete sixty
(01:41):
five percent.
Speaker 2 (01:41):
Of his throws.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Lebron James has had playoff games where he scores twenty
nine points in s twelve assists, and he's getting clobbered
by the media that he was afraid to take the
big shot.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
Give me a break.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
Polstic gets appropriately criticized for an hour and a half
every four years. I mean, Carly Lloyd was awesome. She
was critical last night of Polisic.
Speaker 3 (02:05):
You wanted some of those big time players to step
up in big moments, and I gotta be honest.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
You know, I was a bit disappointed with Christian Bulsk.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
I think whether he wants to be the star of
this team or not.
Speaker 5 (02:16):
We didn't see enough of from him in this particular
game and really the.
Speaker 4 (02:21):
Whole World Cup.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Harry Kane Jude Bellingham in as Teca took the game
over Polisic in Seattle, APB.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Where's he at? Deal?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
I mean I couldn't find him after losing his first
several possessions. He like literally got timid and was bailing
out of it, like, I'm sorry, that's.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
What the eyes don't lie. It's you don't have to
be a.
Speaker 1 (02:47):
Soccer expert to figure that stuff out. Your fish is undercooked.
You have every right to say send it back to
the kitchen. I'd like to send Pulisic last night back
to the kitchen. It wasn't good enough. Nick right now
joining us live, Nick getting.
Speaker 4 (03:00):
Attacked for having an opinion.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
I am, yeah, some guys, I am.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
I was unaware where am I getting attacked? I'm not
even being spunnier.
Speaker 1 (03:10):
I'm very protective of you. So somebody at the some
some soccer guy was like, hey, slow down on Polisic,
and I said this go to go by the way
to Portugal, Spain, England after they lose an English Premier
League game in England, forget the World Cup. The criticism
from the tabloid press in Europe is I'm.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Going to lose my mind. I'm going to lose my mind, Colin.
I didn't even know I was getting attacked. I don't
even that part. You're filling the role of my family
now where I come home, I'm in a good mood
and one of my kids says to me, he's like,
oh man, you are getting cooked on the internet.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
I'm like, I didn't know. I was like I walked
down the street. Everyone was nice to me.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
But no, I want to talk because I want to
talk about this because it is patriotizing to y. You
know how you can tell we us ugly Americans are
taking this tournament and taking soccer seriously. When the superstars,
or in Ballistics case, alleged superstars get the superstar treatment,
(04:15):
because here is here here, it would be insulting to
be like, well, he.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
Tried really hard, which, by the.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Way, is it is not a full certainty.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
Here here is Christian Ballistic since he's.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Been the face of American soccer.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
A very quick history of it.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
Last year's World Cup final group stage game. You must
win to advance. Polisic, to his credit, scores the goal
against Iran to go up one nothing in the first half.
Speaker 4 (04:45):
He gets banged up on.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
The goal and then at halftime can't play anymore. I'm
out for the game. Listen, so be it. You got
us the lead. We'll hold on for dear life.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
They did.
Speaker 3 (04:56):
Now let's splash forward a couple of years. Gold cut,
new coach, big moment. Sorry, can't play, got a rest,
I like every other high level European soccer playing star,
had played a bunch of minutes and I need to rest. Okay,
you're gonna skip out on the Gold Cup, to the
(05:17):
dismay of Landon Clint Dempsey, Pochattino, some of your teammates. Fine,
you better be in top form for the World Cup
if you're gonna have the extra rest. He then enters
the World Cup on a not a goalless drought because
he got one in the friendly and Senegal, but has
scored one goal in the year twenty twenty six, the
calendar year that's the lead up to the World Cup,
(05:40):
and then in the World Cup, a whole World Cup
where he is supposed to be the best player on
the best American team ever, he gave us one awesome
half first half of the first game, but god forbid,
and that first half he got kicked in the calf,
and because of that he estimates the second half of
the first game, he has to for the entirety of
(06:01):
the second game. He then, after sitting that is like, well,
I obviously you know, can't go the full ninety in
the third game because I missed a game, even though
guys get rotated out and then play the full ninety
all the time. Then in the knockout round game, when
we're down a man, clinging to a lead and we
have limited subs, he's one of the guys.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Who asked to come off.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
And then last night, after playing a miserable first half,
he kicked a guy in the foot and by his
own explanation turned or sprained his ankle.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
And asked out bout out.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
That's unacceptable, and it's unacceptable when your best player. According
to the Soccer Ratings Services, was the eighth best player
on his own team in the forty nine percent of
the minutes.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
He was able to play in this tournament.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
It is not harsh to say this was a massive
of all the players on the US men's national team.
He failed to carry his burden the most ye, and
it's not harsh to say that he seems to be fragile.
That the injuries are a concern, and the inability to
play through pain.
Speaker 4 (07:13):
Is a concern.
Speaker 3 (07:14):
That is all totally fair and totally inbounds.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
And I didn't even know people.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I thought it was a mainstream opinion, the super hot
take of the best players supposedly in the history of
our country, and the special especially better.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, especially when all the other great players Harry Kane,
Jude Bellingham, Messi are playing spectacularly well and have separated
in the highest scoring World Cup in a long time.
By the way, the staff just sent this to me.
The front page editorial in the Gazetta Deo Sport. Italy's
latest World Cup failure was labeled third Apocalypse by the
(07:50):
Italian media. That's how you're treated in Europe when you
don't deliver. Okay, okay, I will say this. I do
think the passion, the revenue, the ratings, we earned ourselves
another World Cup sooner than we would have I do
think we love soccer, maybe every four years, but we
love it. I also think we are more skilled we
(08:13):
were we were I would say historically bad at goalie,
considering Casey Keller, Tim Howard, Brad friedel Tony Meola, we've
been great our goalkeepers.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
The one thought we'd been world class at god. We've
had years tournament.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Yeah, our guys played English Premier League for fifteen years.
We have had elite world goalkeepers. We got an MLS guy.
He's a little slight, he's not aggressive. Our oldest player
was a defender. We looked lost. We got beat in space, size, physically.
They were just bigger and stronger, younger.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
I get it. Listen, we knew that was the.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
Issue coming in, but I said this last night. Are
you Are you happier that we got trounced and were
ticked off? Or would have Would it have been better
to lose close and feel better about it this morning
and feel we're closer even though we're not.
Speaker 4 (09:03):
Can I choose options?
Speaker 3 (09:04):
See that we just beat a Belgium team that was
super beatable.
Speaker 4 (09:09):
I know they didn't last night.
Speaker 3 (09:11):
So here's how I kind of bifurcate this World Cup
in my brain.
Speaker 4 (09:17):
The World Cup has.
Speaker 3 (09:20):
Been a massive success for soccer in America. The ratings
are insane. If Fox is done. Call me a company guy.
Speaker 4 (09:28):
I'm right on this.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
The production value of the way we are throwing the
entire way to the company behind the tournament. Last the
last time the US played Now I understand time zones
have something to do with it, but the last time
the US played a game as big as the game
last night was in two thousand and two and it
was at two thirty in the morning on ESPN two.
(09:50):
So like, there is the way we are. It is
thirty five million people are going to watch last night
and tens of million are going to keep watching.
Speaker 4 (09:59):
The rest of the tournament.
Speaker 3 (10:00):
All of that is a huge, huge success, and it's
for the men's national team. However, well, it is not
a failure. A failure would have been losing to Bosnia
or god forbid, not getting out of the group. It
is certainly a massive missed opportunity and it falls short
(10:22):
for this team a success because we have been to
the Round of sixteen many times, and not only aside
from that two year when we got to play a
team we were familiar with, Mexico.
Speaker 4 (10:34):
We lost all those games, but.
Speaker 3 (10:37):
We lost one oh to Brazil, we lost one O
to Germany, we lost two to one in extra time
to Ghana. We lost one to oho in extra time
to Belgium. We lost three to one last World Cup
in a hard fought game to Netherlands, so we didn't
get further than the stage we've been at. We played
a team that, aside from the Ghana year, was probably
(10:59):
week than any of the teams we've played in this
round prior. We were playing better and we got our
Not only did we get our doors kicked in, we
seemed yeah, the moment was too big from the very
opening stage. And the most disappointing part of yesterday for
me is this Malik Tilman gave us a reprieve.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
We played so.
Speaker 3 (11:22):
Bad for a half hour, it was a miracle we
were only down one. And then Malik Tilman, for the
second time this World Cup just has a perfect direct
kick and now it's like all right, a new game,
new ball, game, back in business. Gather yourself and within
sixty seconds we're losing again, and we never and then
(11:45):
still thirty minutes left in the game. Lately, around the
sixty minute mark, okay, we're down to one. We actually
have steadied ourselves to start this second half. Polisic goes
down can't decide whether or not he needs to come out,
and then one of the most embarrassing moments in US
soccer history happens and bang the games over. It's frustrating
(12:07):
because of this colin. Belgium's played five games this tournament.
They drew against Egypt, they drew against Iran, They were
thoroughly outplayed for eighty three minutes against Senegal, then pulled.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
It out of the fire stole that one.
Speaker 3 (12:23):
There have been two games Belgium's looked awesome against New
Zealand and US five.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
To one and four one.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
That's a bummer and there's no way around the tournament
can be a success, while the end of the World
Cup for the US men's national team is a huge bummer.
Speaker 1 (12:40):
Okay, I want two NBA things I want to talk
about and I think I kind of feel like you,
we underwhelmed, but I do think overall there's a lot
to take from We do have more skill. It's been
an unbelievable moment. Will continue to watch the ratings, the
merch the attendant.
Speaker 2 (12:54):
It's great. It was a clunker last night.
Speaker 3 (12:56):
And I add one thing before we go to the
NBA about the path forward, because I don't.
Speaker 4 (13:02):
Our path forward is.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
Not to figure out a way to match France or
Spain man for man.
Speaker 4 (13:07):
That shouldn't be the model.
Speaker 3 (13:09):
Our model is a slightly different one, which is, we'll
see how far Norway goes. Croatia just came off back
to back.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Semifinals, or further.
Speaker 3 (13:19):
Morocco is off a semifinal, they're still alive.
Speaker 4 (13:23):
What's those countries path? You know what it is?
Speaker 3 (13:26):
Solid team one, super superstar, Earling Holland carry US, Luca
Madrich carry US, Hakemi for Morocco carry US. I think
I think it is more realistic that somehow we end
up with an Earling Holland level star, then we end
up with this amazing fifteen man roster, solid roster.
Speaker 4 (13:49):
Pochatino is the coach or a coach of.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
His caliber and a Holland level Oh my god, where'd
this guy come from? Superstar? That's the US's path to
seeing how deep.
Speaker 4 (14:01):
We can go in a tournament.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
Go ahead, I agree, by the way, and polistics inability
to be physically dependable eliminates him from that stack. That's right. Absolutely, Okay,
So two NBA things. You know I always say this,
You and I are in the business, something happens.
Speaker 2 (14:18):
We have to react.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
But almost always in politics it could be wars, politics, sports,
four five six days or four or five six weeks,
you get clarity. It's pretty clear. It's pretty clear now
that Paul George is expensive. Jayalen Brown was expensive. Now
you can get out of Paul's contract earlier. There's not
gonna be any extension talks. This really came down to
(14:40):
with a new CBA. If you have two stars and
they gobble up your cap, they have to be complementary. No,
I don't even think they always have to be best friends.
Their games have to be complementary. And for a franchise
that is a mile deep in analytics, literally, the Celtics
do not lose. It's like the Globe try ast the
Washington Generals. If Tatum has the ball thirty three percent
(15:03):
of the time, they don't lose. Brown's an impediment to
that data. And this team, more than any team in
the NBA loves the data. Oh no, he loves it.
It's a formula. And my takeaway five days later is
Brown is an impediment to Tatum's usage rate. It doesn't
matter how good he is, because he's really good and
(15:24):
that's the whole rap on the on the trade.
Speaker 3 (15:27):
So here's where I understand what you're saying, but where
I disagree with you or I'm gonna I don't even
know if we disagree, I'm just gonna further it. Yeah,
I'm totally fine with the Celtics being like, we want
to get out of the jail and Brown business, that
we think he is coming off his best season.
Speaker 4 (15:47):
That we think he is not as valuable as the
media thinks he has. All these things. Here's what I'm
not okay with.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I'm not okay with the Celtics being this close to
flipping Jalen Brown for y'all us and holding the line
at whether it's you Gonzales or Baylor shireman without realizing wait, wait, wait,
our backup plan is Paul George and picks Well, then
(16:15):
I guess we got to pay the tax. You can't, Colin,
You're you're in the real estate business a little bit.
You can't be this close to closing on a house
and then at the last minute they raised the price
by ten grand and walk away. If the alternative is
living in your car.
Speaker 4 (16:35):
You're like, well, I got another house down the road.
Speaker 3 (16:37):
It's no problem, but they the Celtics, I think mis
analyzed what Jalen Brown's market was outside of Milwaukee. Because
if the bones of the tradear, we get Giannis and
give you two firsts, and our best alternative is we
(16:57):
get Paul George and get two first then you got
to pay the tax to finish the finish the deal
with Giannis.
Speaker 4 (17:04):
That's like for them.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
To walk away from that and not have a Trey
Murphy package in their back pocket, or hell, even a
Houston a similar trade that they got for Paul George,
but make it with Houston where Kevin Durantz coming back
up there, plus the Picks and Jalen's.
Speaker 4 (17:19):
Reunited with em any of that.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Would have made more sense than the Paul George trade.
That's my biggest complaint or critique of it.
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Hollywood is good at perfect endings, but the NBA isn't Hollywood.
It's hardwood, and you end up wearing jerseys that look
silly ten years later, and Rich Paul is saying there's
a frenzy for Lebron, but Oklahoma City, San Antonio and
the Knicks don't want him, and those are the three
best teams. The reality is he's probably best to retire.
Cleveland doesn't really work because it's Baul initiators, it's hard,
(17:48):
it's Donovan Mitchell, it's Lebron. It's the same issue with
the Lakers with better rim protection, with alanm and Mobley.
The truth is I don't want to see him in
a Piston's jersey. I don't want to see him in
any other jersey. I want to see him in Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
No jersey.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
Is that unfair that I just don't want to see
him in a Raptor's jersey, in a Pistons jersey.
Speaker 4 (18:05):
He's not going to be in a Raptor's jersey.
Speaker 2 (18:07):
Or I don't even want.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
To see him an old heat jersey again.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
So listen, I think you're probably gonna get your wish.
I also think you love big markets and big stars,
and so I think you would stomach him being in
a Warriors jersey, which.
Speaker 4 (18:23):
Is you know I think you would.
Speaker 3 (18:26):
I also think you just flippantly saying his best option
is to retire. Why why why when when he can
still play? I would love to see how late we needed.
Not only did you never think I'm guessing? I check
the tape so you can tell me if I'm wrong,
but I'm guessing not only did you never think it
(18:46):
was best for your beloved Tom Brady to retire, but
you still kind of want him done retire, like you
love him as a coworker, but I think you'd love
him more like you know, playing quarterback for literally anyone, Like, hey, Tom,
me see.
Speaker 4 (19:00):
If you can give us a good twelve weeks and
see what happens in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (19:03):
So I Lebron is too good to retire right now.
He wants to keep playing. And this is what I
will say about wherever he goes, and it'll probably be Cleveland.
I would say if I were the Calves, I would
be really trying to figure out if there is some
type of James Harden plus picks sign in trade to
proy Kyrie Irving to Cleveland instead of Harden. That would
(19:27):
maybe sweeten the pot for Lebron a bit, just like
the Warriors should be trying to see now that the
Wizard's got a guy who once won a time replaced
Anthony Davis and DeAndre Ayton. If Anthony Davis is more available,
Lebron for his basketball life has gone places where they've
been in total disarray and within two years delivered a championship.
(19:50):
He got to the Heat in twenty ten. They had
not won a playoff series since the title in six
Two years later, their champions, the.
Speaker 4 (19:59):
Calves second time around, had been out of the playoffs
for four years.
Speaker 3 (20:02):
Two years later, their champions The Lakers had been literally
the worst team in basketball for the previous five years
by a record standpoint.
Speaker 4 (20:10):
Two years later, their champions.
Speaker 3 (20:12):
I believe Lebron's plan is to play twenty five years,
put in a smooth quarter century in the NBA.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
And have that be that.
Speaker 3 (20:21):
That means wherever he goes, they're going to get two
years out of him. It's just my uneducated guess, and
I think Lebron believes there's a bunch of teams that
he could go to right now and by year two
he can walk out of the league a champion.
Speaker 4 (20:35):
I would like to see that happen. We'll see.
Speaker 3 (20:37):
But also sub story of Lebron leaving the Lakers, my freedom,
my yoke that I've been suffering under of a hijacked
Laker fan has now ended. My watch has ended for
eight years. Rob Polinka, good luck building that team, because
as been the case since Lebron came into the league.
(20:59):
Where bron goes, my fandom goes. So I'm a free
agent too. I hope he picks a good spot. But
I didn't love when he picked the Lakers. But I
you know what I mean. We're attacked, so Philly would
be my choice. I don't think it's gonna happen. It's
a nice little drive for me. I could see some games.
It'll probably be Cleveland. But I think he's gonna play
two more years, and I think he's gonna pick a
(21:19):
team he thinks he can win the title with by
that second year.
Speaker 1 (21:23):
One minute left, Brazil, your team is out.
Speaker 2 (21:26):
We have some footage.
Speaker 4 (21:27):
You want to show a picture of me. You just
want to show this picture of me. How about reason
you're asking about?
Speaker 1 (21:32):
How about backing the UK, Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, back
the Brits.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Listen, man, the people think that's not a flattering picture
of me.
Speaker 4 (21:44):
I think I look resplendent.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
I think it is very You know, here's the thing.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
About Colin Cowherd.
Speaker 3 (21:50):
Colin cowhard looks like the guy you're seeing right now
at all times, I can I can.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Look like this version of Nick. This is kind of
more gambling.
Speaker 3 (22:00):
I can have the soup on Nick and then I
can also have watching you know, my pick go down
in flames, hair tied back, sunglasses that don't work, ridiculous
bucket hat that I bought from a stand here in
Harlem hours before the game. It was a bad pick
by me, and I was in utter pain at that game.
(22:20):
The moment, the moment that they missed that penalty kick, I.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Was like, I think I'm on the wrong side, and
I was.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
And now I immediately then just attached my support to
Argentina because I'm a big you know, you don't hear
this a lot.
Speaker 4 (22:36):
I'm a big hemisphere guy. I didn't want to change hemispheres,
so I you know, I was in the southwestern hemisphere.
I was staying there. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
Eat, Egypt's now up to nothing on Argentina.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
It's two. I choose what.
Speaker 3 (22:48):
They also missed a penalty kick to start this game.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
It's too nothing. Okay, okay, I that's believable. I'll just
say the nick right curse. But also let me just
say this. England hasn't won it in sixty plus years,
Brazil's in a drought, Italy can't make the World Cup
for all of our anngs today. Egypt up to nothing
(23:11):
on Argentina, meaning the only two favorites have looked the
part so far. England's looked the part. France has looked
the part. Norway is surprising us.
Speaker 4 (23:22):
It is hard. Spain's kind of looked the part. Spain
hasn't allowed a goal. Spain hasn't allowed a goal. They listen.
Speaker 3 (23:31):
I knew you'd be rooting for England. Your mom was English.
You spend a lot of time over there.
Speaker 2 (23:36):
I get that.
Speaker 4 (23:38):
I can't Argentina down to nothing. Holy moly, all right,
I gotta watch the end of this.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
Game, all right, okay, j Mac.
Speaker 4 (23:45):
They overturned the goal.
Speaker 6 (23:47):
What that is a travesty? Oh my gosh. They're they're
taking the goal off the board. Colin, they're calling a
foul one hundred yards from the play.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
Whoa.
Speaker 5 (23:58):
People are going to be outraged. That was a crazy
play by Egypt.
Speaker 4 (24:02):
They went to link to.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
The field for a crazy goal and they're calling a
foul at the other end. Oh my gosh, oh boy. Okay,
all right, soccer is getting crazy, by the way.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
You're right.
Speaker 5 (24:12):
Nick has a bit of a jinx. Holy hell, he says,
Argentina like instantly they're in trouble.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Oh boy, guys, this is Argentina is in a hole.
Should be two nothing against Egypt.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
This is the the.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Global competitive nature of this sport. Everybody, all the big
countries are you know, they're one hundred million in, four
hundred million, in five hundred million in. They have massive
leagues with international TV rights and international sponsorships and tournaments.
It's all well capitalized. I mean, the English Premier League
(24:49):
is so bloody rich it's insane.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Okay.
Speaker 7 (24:55):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter The not a Emphasis on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (25:05):
Hey, this is Jason McIntyre.
Speaker 5 (25:07):
Join me every weekday morning on my podcast Straight Fire
with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod pushing
the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight
Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines,
accurate stats to help.
Speaker 6 (25:23):
You win big at the sportsbook, and all the best guests.
Speaker 5 (25:26):
Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight Fire with
Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app Apple podcasts.
Speaker 6 (25:33):
Or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 (25:38):
Argentina a cold favorite to win it is getting drubbed
and should be down three to nothing to Egypt, with
the world's best player on their team and having a
great tournament. By the way, the world's best player, messy
missed a penalty kick. Yeah so, just folks, Spain's got
one World Cup. Stuff is hard. This is honestly, this
(26:01):
is a massive whiff by Argentina. Their star missed penalty kick.
That is a no no.
Speaker 2 (26:08):
What do you think the.
Speaker 1 (26:09):
Headlines are tomorrow in Argentina. Hey, we gave it our
best and all you soccer nerds are upset because we're
hammering pooh listic who is a no show?
Speaker 2 (26:18):
J Mack with a nerd oh.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
Mind?
Speaker 1 (26:25):
Do you know the last repeat winner of the World
Cup was nineteen fifty eight nineteen sixty two Argentine. I
mean this the pressure of winning the World Cup. Not
to mention, generally, your team that wins the World Cup
has most of its guys and it's prime. You come
back four years later, somebody's heard your guys are old, prime,
(26:47):
out of their prime. Almost seventy NBA we got eight
champs in eight years World Cup. It's virtually impossible. Seventy
years since we had a repeat.
Speaker 6 (26:55):
Extremely different.
Speaker 5 (26:56):
That's why these is the greatest sporting event on the.
Speaker 6 (26:58):
Face of the earth. It is amazing.
Speaker 5 (27:00):
And let's go back to Team USA. Col Let's start
with Pochettino.
Speaker 6 (27:03):
I don't know, you.
Speaker 5 (27:04):
Know, the Belgium coach cooked up some greatness yesterday with
his lineup. I didn't see greatness from Pochettino, but afterward
everybody was asking, Hey, your future is up in the air,
your contract is set to aspire, you have an offer
on the table. Here's his response when asked about his
future with the US national team.
Speaker 8 (27:23):
This team show that we can play football, we can
play soccer, we can compete, that we need to keep improving.
A lot of young players with a lot of potential
and future, and I see a generation of young kids
that come in behind. I think we'll build a very
good relationship. But now it's not a moment to talk
(27:45):
about that.
Speaker 5 (27:45):
I think.
Speaker 9 (27:47):
Now it's a moment to see to assess the tournament.
You know, I'm for sure in the next weeks we
can start to talk. If the federation want to talk, well.
Speaker 5 (28:01):
Of course they want to talk, so everybody's making, you know,
getting excited about what do you accomplish?
Speaker 6 (28:06):
The wins, the non you.
Speaker 5 (28:09):
Know, the getting out of the group stage, the amount
of goals they scored, all records. Now we should add
that they expanded the tournament around by an extra round,
and they let in.
Speaker 6 (28:19):
Some teams that you know, maybe weren't great were the
host country.
Speaker 5 (28:22):
But besides all that, Colin we looked pretty good until
we faced Belgium, right, I think you got to have
Pochatino back.
Speaker 1 (28:29):
Yeah, even our backups when we played ten new starters
against Turkey A and we were very competitive.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
I was encouraged greatly by that outing.
Speaker 1 (28:38):
Our backups I thought played really well.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
We showed great.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Depth from our attacking and midfield units. So I even
thought that loss was fine. I just thought we got
overwhelmed last night. And that happens all the time. The
Patriots got overwhelmed in the Super Bowl, and they just
didn't have their best players, were not in their prime.
Speaker 2 (28:58):
Seattle was loaded. It happens.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Argentina is getting whacked by Egypt. They're getting shut out,
they should be down three nothing. When you watch the
var on that, it is a pretty sketchy foul yeah,
it's hard to go back to back one other thing, Colin.
Speaker 5 (29:15):
So naturally, when what you do the post wortem right.
So I'm trying to build out a database of all
the young players, the best, like sixteen to twenty year
olds who could be on our team in twenty thirty
and wou didn't you know it? But there's like three
or four flow balligans out there where it's like, hey,
he's a dual national, he could make goalies.
Speaker 6 (29:33):
There's one as a goalie.
Speaker 5 (29:34):
There's a couple defenders in midfielder does he want to
go play for Senegal or whatever or the US?
Speaker 6 (29:40):
And one of them is a German and.
Speaker 5 (29:42):
The US is going to have to recruit. Pochettino is
going to have to hit the recruiting trail similar to
the transfer portal and get guys to commit if we
want to make that leap by twenty thirty. So obviously
soccer in this country we love it, and the USA
they had a good run.
Speaker 6 (29:57):
Now we need to keep Pochattino.
Speaker 5 (29:59):
All right, let's pivot tow the NFL, Colin, And this
month the NFL is doing their top one hundred list.
Speaker 6 (30:05):
A couple players have.
Speaker 5 (30:06):
Fallen big time a couple guys you love to talk
about AJ.
Speaker 6 (30:10):
Brown and Travis kelce plummet. Yeah, Travis Kelcey seventy ninth,
which I think might be generous.
Speaker 2 (30:17):
That's generous.
Speaker 5 (30:18):
AJ Brown checks in at eighty.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
I think he's I would say Kelsey's below seventy nine.
I think Brown's higher than eighty.
Speaker 5 (30:25):
I would totally agree. I guess my question would be, like,
you know, what are we expecting from Kelsey this year?
He just had the fit the wedding with Taylor Swift.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
Be great on third down at this point, I'm not
looking for one hundred and four catches. Be great on
third down, Be good situationally red zone, and I think
he will be. But that's where he is at his career. Yeah,
be good and crucial spots. I'm not looking for you
to play seventeen games and I'm not looking for one
hundred and twenty catches.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
That's not what I'm looking for.
Speaker 6 (30:53):
Yeah, and AJ Brown of course in New England.
Speaker 1 (30:56):
Now, AJ Brown, for the record, his numbers should this
is the best quarterback by far he's ever played with.
I would not be surprised if AJ Brown didn't have
one hundred and five catches.
Speaker 5 (31:04):
So Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurtz or MVP runner.
Speaker 1 (31:08):
Up Drake Drake May is a much better pocket quarterback
and they're going to direct that offense. Jalen Brown's going
to be. They like their backs, they like their tight ends.
They will love aj Brown.
Speaker 5 (31:18):
Final story, Collins, this is a little bit of a
wacky one. But Sean Payton, there's a story out from
Seth Wickersham, who's a great journalist obviously, and Sean Payton,
according to this report, was like friendly with Belichick, really
liked him a lot, and said, you know what, after
Belichick left the Patriots, I was open to him coming
(31:39):
to be the head coach in Denver. I would be
the assistant just so Bill could win fifteen more games
and be the all time winning his coach in NFL history.
I would be the assistant run the offense. Who would
be the head coach? Just so we could get the
record A.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
Do we buy this?
Speaker 6 (31:56):
And B can you text Sean after the show and
be like, bro, is this for real?
Speaker 2 (31:59):
Well?
Speaker 1 (32:00):
Seth wrote it and reported it. I believe it. It's
too complicated and weird. That's I mean, let's not play
with history if it happens authentically, organically. I don't think
you play with history. That's like, you know, Mark Gastineau
being upset because Michael Strahan got the sack record because
Brett Farv took a knee, like like, just let stuff
happen organically.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
That always feels better. J Mack with a news.
Speaker 4 (32:26):
Well, that's the.
Speaker 5 (32:27):
News, and thanks for stopping by the Herd Line News.
Speaker 2 (32:30):
I will question the word frenzy coming up.
Speaker 7 (32:33):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd Weekdays
and noone Easter not a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (32:39):
The you know, part of the controversy around Balligan and
this Argentina var ruling Argentina, by the way, I scored
as two on Egypt ten minutes left is that when
something is infrequent and means a lot, it's just almost
begs for controversy. I mean, every four years we have
a presidential election. Increasingly this is all you hear.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
It's rigged.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
It's the presidential election is rigged. You don't do that
for the average mayoral race. It doesn't mean as much, right,
and so your average you know, you're we look at
the World Cup. Every call is so important, not necessarily
in the group stage. There's not as much controversy. I
mean in the group stage you didn't have all this drama.
(33:22):
You get to the knockout stage. I mean, like every game,
all we're talking about is Balligan and the var and
that red card and that yellow card, because it just
there's so much scarcity here. There's just not many games
and the games mean so much. So you know, my
take is we are just not used to not owning
(33:44):
stuff and being dominant with stuff, and Argentina finding out today.
That's why the England went over. Mexico is so newsworthy
and redeemable. That's Mexico doesn't lose it as Teca. That
was such a courageous win by England for Jude Bellingham
and Harry Kane to play at that level. They were
(34:05):
clearly the two best players. But it's so hard to
win there and in that environment. By the way, Canada's out, Mexico's.
Speaker 2 (34:12):
Out, and we're out.
Speaker 1 (34:14):
Home soil advantage, home pitch advantage has a ceiling.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Great teams win.
Speaker 1 (34:22):
By the way, Rich Paul is the agent Clutch Sports
for Lebron James.
Speaker 2 (34:28):
I saw one of the quotes here.
Speaker 1 (34:31):
Teams involved in the Lebron's sweepstakes. According to Brian Windhurst,
are being kept in the dark and it's sending suitors
into a frenzy. I don't feel it. I don't feel
like it's a frenzy. I think if he goes to Cleveland,
people freak out.
Speaker 2 (34:49):
But it's Cleveland, right.
Speaker 1 (34:50):
They haven't had a lot of success unless Lebron's created it.
But san Antonio, okasee, you are not interested in Lebron.
The Knicks just won the title, second, third or first
best team. They're not interested, right, Like, So I look
around the league and I'm like, Cleveland is it's Cleveland.
I also think Lebron at this point is an additive
(35:12):
now not foundational. He'll make you better, he's not gonna
make you great. You're not gonna get eighty two games.
You're not getting that defense. And he plays in spurts
more than he ever has.
Speaker 2 (35:23):
That's fine. He's still very very good. But Lebron's agent has.
Speaker 1 (35:28):
A podcast he can control messaging the Whiteboard. He's very
good at it, by the way, podcasting and agency. So
here's Rich Paul on why he created the Whiteboard.
Speaker 10 (35:38):
By the way, I wanted to just give people insight
and a little peek behind the curtain.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
And here's the thing.
Speaker 10 (35:49):
In times like this is actually pretty cool because you
can't take yourself too serious in this time. This is
a this is a fun time for us. I can imagine, right,
it's a fun time for us. It's an admiration for LJ.
You know, you could always have the haters out there,
like those that we know that have a microphone has
never said anything great about LJ or me for that matter,
(36:09):
But I can care less.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Uh yeah, I just there's no frenzy here. I think
if he goes to Cleveland that's the prediction. Or Golden State,
I mean Golden State for a couple of days would
get a lot of discussion. But I think the best
teams are not interested, and I don't think he'd make
the Warriors or the Cavaliers champions. He's in additive, he's
not foundational at this point, MESSI just tied it up
(36:31):
at two. He has a goal and an assist in
five minutes, eight goals in the tournament, and you're upset
that we're criticizing Polisic who just can't finish a game.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
I mean, Colin, we saw Jude Bellingham take over a
game in Azteca on the road. We're not saying Pulisic
is belling him, but we're now seeing Messi scoring the
equalizer in like the eighty eighth minute.
Speaker 6 (36:52):
Argentina's on the ropes. Messi just takes over the game.
Like all we're asking Politic is to freaking not turn
the ball over.
Speaker 1 (36:59):
We're asking police to finish games. Finish games we're not
even asking for We're not even asking for goals, We're
just asking for playmaking and finished the game.
Speaker 5 (37:09):
I mean, Polisic played a great half against Paraguay and
then he really didn't do much the rest of the
World Cup. And I know, well, J Mack, why are
you putting him on the same tier as Messi and
Bellingham their legends? All right, well, you're the captain America,
you're the face of our team. Yeah, weren't we calling
him this a golden boy like eight years ago?
Speaker 1 (37:26):
Here's here's Nick right earlier on the US teams lost
to Belgium last night, humiliating as it was.
Speaker 4 (37:33):
We'll see how far Norway goes.
Speaker 3 (37:35):
Croatia just came off back to back semifinals, or further,
Morocco is off a semi final. They're still alive. What's
those countries path? You know what it is, solid team one,
super superstar Earling Holland carry US, Luka Modrich carry US,
Hakimi for Morocco carry US. I think I think it
(37:57):
is more realistic that some how we end up with
an early Holland level star, then we end up with
this amazing fifteen man roster.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
I think that's really an interesting way. And remember people
say our best athletes don't play soccer. They don't need to.
We're so much bigger than Norway. We're so much bigger
than Belgium. If our third best athletes chose soccer, which
maybe now it's fourth, we still feel the competitive team.
We got to the knockout stage. We won a game,
you know, so we're competitive. We're just not elite messy
(38:31):
eight goals in five matches. Nobody's asking him to be
messy again, be available, and don't disappear in the biggest
game in US world soccer history. That's all where that's
not a bridge too far. We're not asking you to dominate.
But he was overwhelmed last night and kind of vanished
and got very timid.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
And again, you know, it's.
Speaker 1 (38:53):
Always I'm always cautious to say somebody's injury prone.
Speaker 2 (38:56):
I want to see, like Joe Burrow is one.
Speaker 1 (38:58):
Of those where ask yourself this, if you suffered one
more major injury with the organization, have to consider another plan.
If Joe Burrow did, the answer is yes, Joe's had enough. Now,
if you had one more serious injury, you got to
draft another quarterback. If Polisic had another serious injury for
his club team next year, you'd have to you ask yourself,
(39:21):
he simply can't stay healthy and that durability Messi's never
missed a World Cup game. I mean not a gigantic
athlete small he's five seven hundred and fifty five pounds
or whatever he is. He doesn't miss games, so he
is durable. It's not always. You don't have to look
like Earling, Holland or Rinaldo. You don't have to look
like that. It helps you know the gronkad injuries. But
(39:41):
size and body composition is obviously important, but it is
a reality with poulism.
Speaker 5 (39:46):
So remember the World Cup when it was here in
ninety four birth the MLS and by the way, eight
years later we had our best run to the quarterfinals.
My guess is The momentum around the World Cup right
now will payoff in about four to eight years when
all the young kids who are eight, nine to ten
are like captivated by the World Cup. I say, I'm
(40:07):
going World Cup. Forget this, NBA, NFL. I could be
a global freaking star. Right You're seeing these watch parties
well around the world. It's like this is real fandom.
Speaker 1 (40:17):
I mean, if I could tell my kid to play
one sport, you know, football, there's a regular level of violence,
same with UFC, probably wouldn't be that my kids. I mean,
if I could say my kid's going to play something,
he's going to go to an elite university because elite
universities have good soccer programs, and then he's going to
travel the globe. It's pretty cool if you're asking me
as a dad, my kid can travel the globe, play
(40:40):
for a national team. Potentially most of the great soccer
programs are at elite academic institutions.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
Soccer is not a bad choice.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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