July 7, 2026 • 8 mins
Ryan talks with former Major League Soccer goalkeeper Jeff Attinella about the USA vs. Belgium World Cup match. They discuss whether the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun's overturned red card suspension had an impact on the outcome of the game.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
So Ryan Gorman Show podcast presented by Farah and Farah
Accident Attorney's Teva.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Let's bring in. Former Major League soccer goalkeeper Jeff at
Nella is back with us. You can follow him on
Instagram at Jeff Underscore at Nella one. Jeff, really appreciate
you taking a few minutes to come on with us
this morning. I want to start before we get to
last night's match. I want to start with the balligin
(00:27):
red card controversy. Did he deserve to get a red
card in the first place?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Good morning, No, I don't think you did. So. I
think that that was something that we had seen throughout.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
The World Cup where that was not called or red
and sometimes there wasn't even a card involved at all.
And there's something you know, within soccer where especially for
a red card, because the punishment is so harsh, that
there needs to be intent, you know what I mean.
It looks like that thought needs to have intent, and
for me, there wasn't any intent and that that was
almost just like a situation where unfortunately that's where his
it ended up. And I think that there are a
(01:02):
lot of people that would admit that that call was wrong.
So again, you know, was it the right decision to
switch it, that's the big question.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, it was manslaughter, not murder essentially, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
There you get there you go.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Yeah, I talked about this while the first person to
describe it that way.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
It's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
How unusual was it for FIFA to suspend the one
game ban on Valligan?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
So there's history of I'm doing it before.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
I know that the most recent one they did that
was Christiano Ronaldo, But outside of that, I'm not sure
you know how deep the history goes with it. That
The thing that I was surprised with is that FIFA
rarely admits when they get something wrong, and for them
to do it so late in the game and like
so late in the process close the game time, that
was the one that really confused me. So I know
(01:47):
that there is history of it, I'm just not sure
you know how many times that it's happened in history.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
But that's not the first time.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Do you think ken again, we're John my former Major
League soccer goalkeeper Jeff Ennella. Do you think the controversy
in how the match went last night did it maybe
fire up Belgium a bit more? Did it put more
pressure on Team USA.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
I do think it did, and you know, to be
honest with you, I think that it's.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
A group of players that, you know, they.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Want the world to love them in terms of soccer,
because that's something that they've been fighting for their whole life,
and they immediately became the most hated team and it
had nothing to do with them on the field. So
I do kind of think that that played a role
in the mental side of the game and not being
able to kind of lean into what was happening. So
who knows, you know, psychologically, did it affect them. I
(02:38):
kind of think it might have a little bit. But
at the end of the day, like the team just
didn't show up to play the way that they needed
to and their star players didn't do what they needed
to to win a game like that, and it's, you know,
as a US soccer stand it's it's pretty disappointing the
way that this whole thing ended for them.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I thought they came out and they looked a bit unnerved,
a bit nervous, maybe not quite ready for the moment.
But then once they tied things up one to one, boy,
it really felt like momentum had shifted. And then sixty
seconds later, Belgium scores. How big of a crushing blow
(03:18):
is it when something like that happens.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Huge, I mean, it's massive. You know, you think about
what the stadium must have sounded like. You think about
the energy that the team had, knowing that they weren't
playing very well at all, and then they were able
to still be tied one to one and then just
to turn around and get punched right back in the face,
and then next stadium goes quiet.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Those are the types of things that swing games, and
you know whether or.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Not they were switched on after the goal.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
They're the stand in soccer that the most The five
minutes after a goal and the five minutes after a
half or a game starts are the most important five
minutes because those are really when the momentum swings. And
you look at the course of that game, you know,
I think Belgium scored early. I think they scored in
the eighths, so maybe it was a little bit after
the fifth minute, but you look at the swing in
the game, and it was right right after a kickoff
they scored, right after USA scored, they scored, so they
(04:05):
just never really had the opportunity to lean into any
of that home field momentum or really settle themselves into
the game, because Belgium just kept you know, for lack
of better terms, just punching them in the face.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It also seemed like, and we're jowing my former Major
League Soccer goalkeeper Jeff Attnella, it seemed like Belgium when
you put these two teams head to head, at least
prior to the World Cup, they were considered the better team.
Now Team USA played, you know, really well, so the
line had, the betting line had kind of even, but
(04:39):
kind of hard to beat an opponent like that if
your team USA, if your top players aren't playing at
their best, and they clearly weren't last night.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Yeah, I mean I said I said before the tournament.
I think I even said on the show as well
that for me, in the eyes of the US, for
the US to show that they've made progress, they need
to get They needed to win the group, they needed
to knock somebody out that they're supposed to be in
the round of thirty two, and then they need to
be the team that they're ranked lower than in the round.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Of sixteen to advance.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
And that was always going to be the big question
mark is was this team ready to take that next step,
which I think a lot of people within US Soccer
thought it was because you know, we had the players,
we have the talent. But at the end of the day,
you need you see the rest of the teams around the world.
You can't you can't make the mistakes that you made
in that game. You can't have your star players not
show up in that game and expect to have any
(05:32):
type of different result. I don't think that Belgium did anything.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
That blew anybody away.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
They're just a good They're just a good team. And
if you don't show up to play, if your best
players aren't the best players.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
On the field for your team in a game like that,
you don't have a chance.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
And unfortunately for the US, you know, a bunch of
guys shows the worst day to have a terrible game.
And whether it was you know, the moment, whether it
was the mentality of you know, whatever happened with the
red card, I'm not sure, but but it was. It's
just disappointing because it's something that as a ux faand
we've seen a lot, and it just kind of felt
like this year was going to be different with all
the momentum that they had, but at the end of
(06:08):
the day, you know, it's just kind of lad. They're
in three feet from the last World Cups.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Now, it is a pretty young team and they'll be
back in twenty thirty. Do you think this experience overall
does abode well for them to maybe take that next
step in the next World Cup.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
I don't know. I mean, I think it's kind of
tough to say. I think that for some people it will.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
You know, you look up and down the roster, and
a player like Freeman, he's only twenty one. I thought
he was one of the better players on the field
last night, and he's one of the youngest guys. You
look at Tilman, you.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Know, he's a young guy. He's I think he was
one of the better players on the field last night.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
But as far as you know, the guys that were
kind of used to seeing the McKinney's, the Felicitians, the Sergenio.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Deaths, I don't know that it does much.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
For him, to be completely honest, I think that it's
a moment that I think that it's a moment that
you know, they kind of let it get past them,
and this is a moment for them to really put
the country and put soct R on their backs, and
unfortunately they just didn't play well. So I don't know
that it's motivating for guys like that, But I think
that for the younger core group of guys and maybe
(07:09):
some guys that were sitting on the bench that were
chomping at the bit to get in there, you know,
maybe that's the experience that they needed to have. But
as far as you know, the group of players that
everybody's used to seeing on the national team, I'm not
sure that this does that many favors, to be completely honest.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Last question for you were joined by former Major League
Soccer goalkeeper Jeff Attnella. Among the team's left Argentina Spain
still the favorites to potentially pull this off.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Yeah, for me, it's France. For me, it's France.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
I think that they Yeah, I think that Francis looked
for me. I think that Francis looks like the best
team in the entire tournament. I know that they've played
a close game versus Paraguay in the last round, but
if you watch the game, Paraguay literally tried to turn
it into a fight. They just stowned France at every opportunity,
played a ton of defense, and I don't think that
there's going to be a lot of teams less than
this tournament.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
I want to go out that way.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
So in an open game, my favorite France, so for
pretty much anybody. But at the same time, you know,
I just watched what England did down in Mexico and
just earned a counter respect for that English team. So
I think that I think that at this point France
is a top dog. But outside of France, I think
it's a really wide open tournament. I mean, I could
see Norway be in England. There's a lot of different
wildcards I think still out there that that could that
(08:18):
could sway this thing. But if I was if I
was gonna say, like, hey, if I had to put
my life on the line for a team to win
the World Cup, who's going to be my answer would
be France ten.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Times out of ten? All right?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Jeff at Nella, you can check him out on Instagram
at Jeff Underscore. At Nella, one former Major League soccer
goalkeeper and USF Hall of Famer with us this morning. Jeff,
really appreciate your time and insight. Thanks so much of.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Course, thanks for having me on Position
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Live to a Ryan Gorman Show on iHeartRadio every weekday
morning on w IOD in Miami, w f LA, and Tampa,
presented by Verah and Farah Accident Attorneys, Tampa,
So Ryan Gorman Show podcast presented by Farah and Farah
Accident Attorney's Teva.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Let's bring in. Former Major League soccer goalkeeper Jeff at
Nella is back with us. You can follow him on
Instagram at Jeff Underscore at Nella one. Jeff, really appreciate
you taking a few minutes to come on with us
this morning. I want to start before we get to
last night's match. I want to start with the balligin
(00:27):
red card controversy. Did he deserve to get a red
card in the first place?
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Good morning, No, I don't think you did. So. I
think that that was something that we had seen throughout.
Speaker 4 (00:40):
The World Cup where that was not called or red
and sometimes there wasn't even a card involved at all.
And there's something you know, within soccer where especially for
a red card, because the punishment is so harsh, that
there needs to be intent, you know what I mean.
It looks like that thought needs to have intent, and
for me, there wasn't any intent and that that was
almost just like a situation where unfortunately that's where his
it ended up. And I think that there are a
(01:02):
lot of people that would admit that that call was wrong.
So again, you know, was it the right decision to
switch it, that's the big question.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
Yeah, it was manslaughter, not murder essentially, right, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
There you get there you go.
Speaker 4 (01:14):
Yeah, I talked about this while the first person to
describe it that way.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
It's pretty good.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
How unusual was it for FIFA to suspend the one
game ban on Valligan?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
So there's history of I'm doing it before.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
I know that the most recent one they did that
was Christiano Ronaldo, But outside of that, I'm not sure
you know how deep the history goes with it. That
The thing that I was surprised with is that FIFA
rarely admits when they get something wrong, and for them
to do it so late in the game and like
so late in the process close the game time, that
was the one that really confused me. So I know
(01:47):
that there is history of it, I'm just not sure
you know how many times that it's happened in history.
Speaker 3 (01:52):
But that's not the first time.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Do you think ken again, we're John my former Major
League soccer goalkeeper Jeff Ennella. Do you think the controversy
in how the match went last night did it maybe
fire up Belgium a bit more? Did it put more
pressure on Team USA.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
I do think it did, and you know, to be
honest with you, I think that it's.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
A group of players that, you know, they.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
Want the world to love them in terms of soccer,
because that's something that they've been fighting for their whole life,
and they immediately became the most hated team and it
had nothing to do with them on the field. So
I do kind of think that that played a role
in the mental side of the game and not being
able to kind of lean into what was happening. So
who knows, you know, psychologically, did it affect them. I
(02:38):
kind of think it might have a little bit. But
at the end of the day, like the team just
didn't show up to play the way that they needed
to and their star players didn't do what they needed
to to win a game like that, and it's, you know,
as a US soccer stand it's it's pretty disappointing the
way that this whole thing ended for them.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
I thought they came out and they looked a bit unnerved,
a bit nervous, maybe not quite ready for the moment.
But then once they tied things up one to one, boy,
it really felt like momentum had shifted. And then sixty
seconds later, Belgium scores. How big of a crushing blow
(03:18):
is it when something like that happens.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Huge, I mean, it's massive. You know, you think about
what the stadium must have sounded like. You think about
the energy that the team had, knowing that they weren't
playing very well at all, and then they were able
to still be tied one to one and then just
to turn around and get punched right back in the face,
and then next stadium goes quiet.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
You know.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Those are the types of things that swing games, and
you know whether or.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
Not they were switched on after the goal.
Speaker 4 (03:43):
They're the stand in soccer that the most The five
minutes after a goal and the five minutes after a
half or a game starts are the most important five
minutes because those are really when the momentum swings. And
you look at the course of that game, you know,
I think Belgium scored early. I think they scored in
the eighths, so maybe it was a little bit after
the fifth minute, but you look at the swing in
the game, and it was right right after a kickoff
they scored, right after USA scored, they scored, so they
(04:05):
just never really had the opportunity to lean into any
of that home field momentum or really settle themselves into
the game, because Belgium just kept you know, for lack
of better terms, just punching them in the face.
Speaker 2 (04:15):
It also seemed like, and we're jowing my former Major
League Soccer goalkeeper Jeff Attnella, it seemed like Belgium when
you put these two teams head to head, at least
prior to the World Cup, they were considered the better team.
Now Team USA played, you know, really well, so the
line had, the betting line had kind of even, but
(04:39):
kind of hard to beat an opponent like that if
your team USA, if your top players aren't playing at
their best, and they clearly weren't last night.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Yeah, I mean I said I said before the tournament.
I think I even said on the show as well
that for me, in the eyes of the US, for
the US to show that they've made progress, they need
to get They needed to win the group, they needed
to knock somebody out that they're supposed to be in
the round of thirty two, and then they need to
be the team that they're ranked lower than in the round.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Of sixteen to advance.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
And that was always going to be the big question
mark is was this team ready to take that next step,
which I think a lot of people within US Soccer
thought it was because you know, we had the players,
we have the talent. But at the end of the day,
you need you see the rest of the teams around the world.
You can't you can't make the mistakes that you made
in that game. You can't have your star players not
show up in that game and expect to have any
(05:32):
type of different result. I don't think that Belgium did anything.
Speaker 3 (05:35):
That blew anybody away.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
They're just a good They're just a good team. And
if you don't show up to play, if your best
players aren't the best players.
Speaker 3 (05:43):
On the field for your team in a game like that,
you don't have a chance.
Speaker 4 (05:46):
And unfortunately for the US, you know, a bunch of
guys shows the worst day to have a terrible game.
And whether it was you know, the moment, whether it
was the mentality of you know, whatever happened with the
red card, I'm not sure, but but it was. It's
just disappointing because it's something that as a ux faand
we've seen a lot, and it just kind of felt
like this year was going to be different with all
the momentum that they had, but at the end of
(06:08):
the day, you know, it's just kind of lad. They're
in three feet from the last World Cups.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Now, it is a pretty young team and they'll be
back in twenty thirty. Do you think this experience overall
does abode well for them to maybe take that next
step in the next World Cup.
Speaker 3 (06:25):
I don't know. I mean, I think it's kind of
tough to say. I think that for some people it will.
Speaker 4 (06:29):
You know, you look up and down the roster, and
a player like Freeman, he's only twenty one. I thought
he was one of the better players on the field
last night, and he's one of the youngest guys. You
look at Tilman, you.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
Know, he's a young guy. He's I think he was
one of the better players on the field last night.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
But as far as you know, the guys that were
kind of used to seeing the McKinney's, the Felicitians, the Sergenio.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
Deaths, I don't know that it does much.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
For him, to be completely honest, I think that it's
a moment that I think that it's a moment that
you know, they kind of let it get past them,
and this is a moment for them to really put
the country and put soct R on their backs, and
unfortunately they just didn't play well. So I don't know
that it's motivating for guys like that, But I think
that for the younger core group of guys and maybe
(07:09):
some guys that were sitting on the bench that were
chomping at the bit to get in there, you know,
maybe that's the experience that they needed to have. But
as far as you know, the group of players that
everybody's used to seeing on the national team, I'm not
sure that this does that many favors, to be completely honest.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
Last question for you were joined by former Major League
Soccer goalkeeper Jeff Attnella. Among the team's left Argentina Spain
still the favorites to potentially pull this off.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Yeah, for me, it's France. For me, it's France.
Speaker 4 (07:37):
I think that they Yeah, I think that Francis looked
for me. I think that Francis looks like the best
team in the entire tournament. I know that they've played
a close game versus Paraguay in the last round, but
if you watch the game, Paraguay literally tried to turn
it into a fight. They just stowned France at every opportunity,
played a ton of defense, and I don't think that
there's going to be a lot of teams less than
this tournament.
Speaker 3 (07:56):
I want to go out that way.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
So in an open game, my favorite France, so for
pretty much anybody. But at the same time, you know,
I just watched what England did down in Mexico and
just earned a counter respect for that English team. So
I think that I think that at this point France
is a top dog. But outside of France, I think
it's a really wide open tournament. I mean, I could
see Norway be in England. There's a lot of different
wildcards I think still out there that that could that
(08:18):
could sway this thing. But if I was if I
was gonna say, like, hey, if I had to put
my life on the line for a team to win
the World Cup, who's going to be my answer would
be France ten.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Times out of ten? All right?
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Jeff at Nella, you can check him out on Instagram
at Jeff Underscore. At Nella, one former Major League soccer
goalkeeper and USF Hall of Famer with us this morning. Jeff,
really appreciate your time and insight. Thanks so much of.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
Course, thanks for having me on Position
Speaker 1 (08:45):
Live to a Ryan Gorman Show on iHeartRadio every weekday
morning on w IOD in Miami, w f LA, and Tampa,
presented by Verah and Farah Accident Attorneys, Tampa,
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