July 2, 2024 • 41 mins
Jason and Steve react to the USMNT getting eliminated from the Copa America and debate if Gregg Berhalter should be fired with a fired up Jason La Canfora.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Let's give this parties.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Hello, Welcome in side hour two The Jason Smith Show
is Steve Desager in for Mike Harmon live from the
Tirack dot Com studios tirec dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I hope you get there.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
An unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection,
and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tirack dot Com is
the way tire buying should be. Well, it is now official.
United States is out of the Copeamerica. They fall to Uruguay.
One nothing Christian polistic right now? Is the final whistle
(01:00):
is blown? No, no, no, he's over talking to the
referees because there's a big point to make and there's
a micro and a macro point to make about this game. Yes,
the United States is going home completely disappointing. They need
a change at the top, right, they need it. We'll
get to that.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
So you're saying, three goals in three games in this
tournament not good.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
No, no, no Goali game.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
But let's talk, especially when you're playing Bolivia and Panama
as your other two opponents. Three total goals in three games.
And remember that opening fifteen minutes to start the tournament
against Bolivia was phenomenal. Yeah, in the third minute, Polisic scores.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
And then they go to start out, well, they got
to start out with one goal against the last place team.
The rest of the ninety minutes that night.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, so it wasn't good, not great, Bob, not great,
not great. But let me just say this about about
the game tonight, a couple of a couple of things,
because the two biggest topics of conversation are going to
be the officiating and Burholter. Okay, now, this is a
referee we knew in the very beginning of the game
didn't have a lot of experience. Rob Stone and the
guys were talking about it before the game, and he
(02:05):
clearly showed that. He showed that he lost control of
the game thirty minutes in uh when the play is
as physical as it is, there's no yellow cards out there,
the play gets out of control. And one thing that
you can say, hey, United States, do we get a
fair shake officiating wise on the international stage.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
We don't.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Right the last time the United States got a call
that should have went their way, or calls it should
have gone their way in international game, can't think.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Of one, because they don't. They don't happen.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
We just don't get their calls, and and and the
the biggest thing from this tournament is that the referees
allowed the other teams, Panama and Uruguay to dictate physical
play without any sort of come up and on it,
without any sort of hey, this was over the line,
here's a yellow card, this discount. They allowed the other
(02:54):
teams because that's how the you know, you know, teams
that aren't is talented or or want to rely on
clearly the case game, oh clickly with Panama, they allowed
Panama to be as physical as they wanted to when
there needed to be calls that really were able to
that were able to equalize the game a little bit.
But the referees don't do that, and we don't get
those calls. So that's a thing across the board international play.
(03:17):
United States doesn't get the calls the goal that Uruguay
scored tonight. Right now, Remember, even if this goal is disallowed,
which it should have been, we still wind up going
home because we tie this game and Panama wins. So yes,
we can, we can talk about the referees. But it
shocks me that the goal was not disallowed, especially with
var the irrefutable proof because they showed after we talked
(03:38):
about it, they showed the replay of where they would
see the cutoff.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
From up high at the top of the stadium. That
camera angle clear.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Yes, let's go back to that old camera angle people
were complaining about. But you can see Uruguay was offside
and stead somehow it was not called. Again, United States,
when do we get calls in the international stage.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
We don't.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
And that's a thing that's something I would bring up.
I'm not afraid to be the sore loser to say, Hey,
how about the games are officiate a little bit more
equally here? How about the games aren't just given to
a team because oh, they're going to be more physical,
which allows us to equal out the playing field. How
about when we have var for a reason. You tell
me how this goal was allowed. Right, Again, we had
the official that didn't have a lot of experience, and
(04:20):
you had a var that completely screwed the United States
on that play. So yes, the officiating needs to be better.
I would make this a point of contention if I
the United States, because we've seen in this tournament now
that's been a thing. We were not officiated like other
nations are, and that's a thing.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
However, it didn't decide tonight's game and the team isn't
good enough, and it starts at the top. I mean
US Soccer and their hire of this coach, and this
coach specifically as still Holden, former player Fox analysts for
this game in Kansas City Tonight said afterwards, I don't
want to hear the term golden generation applied to this
(04:57):
team until they actually do something. Anytime you get a
good group of young talent coming through on any national
team anywhere in the world, it gets dubbed a golden generation.
The difference is, even though we saw, for example, Belgium
crash out of the Euros today, they had a golden
generation because they got up to the top five of
the world rankings. England has gotten up to the top
(05:18):
five of the world rankings. The US twenty years ago
with Landon Donovan, that was our golden generation. As good
as these guys are in paper, and as often as
we have young talent actually going to play for the
big clubs in Europe, which never used to happen on
this type of scale, the results with the national team
are not there. The whole point is not to beat
(05:40):
the l Salvadors of the world. No offense. We couldn't
even beat Panama in this tournament. And the US all
time against Panama was seventeen and two with seven ties.
But you know what a year ago the US lost
to Panama on penalty kicks in a Gold Cup semi final.
They lost to them in that very physical game. This
past third they don't score against first place Uruguay tonight,
(06:03):
and we have crashed out of a tournament we were hosting.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Uh yeah, So none of it's great again, not great, Bob,
not great, not great. But when you want to get
to what is next, and there's gonna be calls that
the hate watching for Greg Burholter to be fired as
head coach is going to be so loud after this
game and look to be honest, I'm not someone that
wants their round and always say, oh, this guy needs
(06:28):
to be fired, this guy needs to be fired. But
there needs to be a change. Greg Burholter needs to
go simply because how long has it been for the
United States being a team that Hey, it looks like
we're going in the right direction. We have a lot
of good players. It looks like it's been four years
of it looks like we're going in the right draft,
(06:48):
and we're not. We got the first hope in the
last four years of consistent wins against Mexico and then
come to find out this is one of the worst
arrows of soccer for Mexico's national team. So those aren't
quite the victories that we thought they were.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
At the time.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
No, And that's a big overarching easy thing to point
to to say are we getting better or are we stagnant?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Are we really getting better?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Is this United States men's team, Hey, we're so close
to clicking.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
No, we're not.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
No again, we look like a team when I watch
them play that they have talented, like to bring it
down to a youth level, right, just just to make
it an analogy that everybody can get they look like
if I'm coaching and I see a youth team and
I see them and I know the boy, they're really talented,
and these kids are all really talented, they're really good.
And then you watch them play and you say, boy,
(07:42):
how often do they practice? Because they don't look like
they're in sync. They don't look like they know they're
anticipating where the other players are going to be. They
don't always look like they are they are in sync,
mental sync with each other, knowing where to be, knowing
where to go with the ball, how they're going to attack,
what the philosophy of the attack is other than get
it to politic and see what happens. So, I mean,
(08:02):
that's kind of how they look. And and when when
you can boil it down that way, you understand, okay,
you're running the risk of apathy setting in and and
and and and a sense of well, maybe we're just
not that good. Maybe maybe this is as good as
it's gonna get. Which it's time to reach for bigger
than that. It's time to reach for bigger than.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
People have resources. This is the US look.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
And you see these players, you know they're good because
you see what they're doing playing elsewhere, playing in Europe
and playing with So it's not like these guys are Hey,
we got to just only play in the MLS, right, These.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Politics scored more in Italy than with this US team.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, it's you.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
You know, the players are good and you if you
keep burr Halter, you run the risk of just getting
more of the same. And if it was year two
of bur Halter, or you've only seen them for a
little bit, I would say, you know what, there's some time,
let's wait and see. But again, this is four plus
years of the United States being hey, maybe we're good,
and if we're maybe we're good, and you're well, okay,
(09:01):
it's time for a new direction because again I know
this direction is not working. Right, Like what I say, Hey,
the Warriors had to get rid of Clay Thompson, let
him go.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Why, Well, is what they're gonna do next gonna work?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I don't know, but what they had been doing is
not working, So they happ to let Clay Thompson go
in and figure something else out. She let Draymond go
to mainly because he hates the Knicks, but they should
let Draymond go to. He's not the same guy and
I don't know if that's gonna work, but I know
what was going on now wasn't working. The same thing
with the United States men's team is that I don't
know if the next manager would comit, whoever they wind
up getting, but I know this way is not working,
(09:31):
and you can see it with the players.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
You can see the frustration.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
They need to do that or they run the risk
of the program getting into a rut and the apathy
will set in and it's hard coming back from that.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
And the best player for the US Polistic has been
one of the vocal supporters of this coach, So I'm
sure that had something to do with this coach being rehired.
For those unaware, after the last World Cup, when we
went out, the coach's contract expired and they didn't resign him,
and there was some controversy about him and a player,
and they worked through all of that, and we had
(10:05):
an interim coach month after month after month with the
US men's team. And then who did the hire as
the new coach to the old guy? And that means
that he has signed this coach that just crashed out
of Copa America tonight, he is signed through the next
World Cup, which the United States will co host in
twenty twenty six, So they've really got to bite the
bullet and say what is best for us as a
(10:27):
national program to be able to field the best possible
team as co host of the tournament. The entire world's
attention is going to be here in the summer of
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
So you're going full office space. Ask yourself is this
good for the company?
Speaker 4 (10:45):
And the reason I bring up Mexico, by the way,
is because in this region, well, for the longest time,
Mexico was the big fish in the little pond, and
then it became like the old Big ten where it
was the Big two and the little league with Ohio
State and Michigan. For so many years, it was US
in Mexico and they were great battles and the US
was finally equal of them once we got landon Donovan
(11:06):
and Company about twenty years ago and beat them in
the World Cup no less, by a famed Dosa Serto score.
Anytime you meet a Mexico fan has to say hello,
just those words.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Then and then get ready, get ready, get ready, because
your Mexican is not going to be happy.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
But Mexico, right now stinks. There's no other way around it.
In the tune up games for these two teams. What
happened just in this past month. Mexico played this Uruguay
team and lost for nothing. US played Colombia and lost
five to one. If the US had even been able
to advance tonight, its quarterfinal would likely have been against
(11:44):
Colombia or Brazil Saturday in Arizona. And then you crash
out spectacularly most likely. And then what does US Soccer say, Well,
at least we got out of group. Your group stunk.
You had Bolivia ranked eighty four in the world, and
after the third minute you could only get one.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Goal against them.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
The rest of the night, you outshot Bolivia in that
opener twenty to six and it was only a two
nothing final.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
What did I tell you? My big fear was for
the for the Cope America.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
We were gonna play just well enough to keep them
to say, well, we got to keep things going. That's
out the window now, at least that's gone. I have
to worry about that. That is out the window right now.
What do you got, Frostburg. Now, everything you guys said
for the last ten minutes is great and all but
only one thing can save the US soccer team.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Uh yeah, Oh no, dude, I can't give up Grimace
right now.
Speaker 5 (12:36):
Man.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
No, the country, dude, I can't. I can't give Grimace
up right now. I'm America is bigger than any one city.
Mister met you know, you know you can have you
can have Officer Big Mec.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
No you or the Hamburg.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
No, No, Grimace's Grimace's powers are are focused right now
on the Mets.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Grimace. We trust.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
I can't. I can't. It's not up to you. I can't. Yes,
it is take it. I can't let Grimace go.
Speaker 5 (13:01):
You can't.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
You can't just come in and take grimas citizens around.
You can't just come in and grab him and go.
Can't do that. Just kidnap Grimace and say about we're leaving.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
So US men's team is just going to be invisible
for I'll just say months, plural. Because this was the tournament.
This was the highlight of the summer.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
This was it.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
They don't have anything else scheduled, There's no It's not
like when the women have a really good tournament, then
they have this this tour of celebration where they all
make more money because they play city to city and
just collect from all the gate receipts. This is not happening.
I don't know when we're going to see the US
men actually on the field again. The next focus is
the US women because we have an Olympics in Paris
(13:44):
coming up this month, and unlike men's soccer, your women's
World Cup team is essentially your women's Olympic team. The
roster is slightly smaller, but it's essentially the same. So
coming up mid July. We're in July now, the US
women have two exhibitions with the new coach on the
East Coast before they fly to Paris.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Could we conceivably replace Greg Burholter with three people? Okay, no, no, no,
we replaced we know. Do we replace burr Halter with
Roy Kent, Nate the Great and coach Beard? And if
we get that, if Ted Lasso doesn't want to coach,
but we get the three of them, because if Ted's done,
I understand. But if we get between Beard and Nate
(14:27):
the Great, what a great tactician. Roy will give the
attitude out. I mean, I think that works.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Because as we see, it doesn't have to be American
born coaches.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
It doesn't matter whoever.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Right now, you're and Klinsman's going, Hey, guys, got my
number coming back?
Speaker 4 (14:39):
Do you remember your news? To win games advance in tournaments?
Speaker 1 (14:43):
You're gonna bring them biscuits. Ex I'll bring I'll bring biscuits.
I'll make sure they taste really good because I need
to keep Grimace. Mets need to keep grims Uh. Coming
up next, NFL Insider Jason Locke and Forest oves By
all the latest news in the NFL, and you know
he's gonna be fired up about everything. We just watch
in the cope America, keep it right here, Jason Smith,
Steve de Sag're in for Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (15:14):
Hey, it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller.
Would mean a lot to have you join us on
our weekly auditory journey. You're asking, what in God's name
is the Fifth Hour. I'll tell you it's a spin
off of the Ben Maler Show, a cult hit overnights
on FSR.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Why should you listen?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Picture if you will a world will.
Speaker 6 (15:31):
We chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and
more every week explore some amazing facts about human nature
and more.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Listen to the Fifth Hour with Ben.
Speaker 6 (15:40):
Maller or the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you
get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Fox Sports Radio, The Jason Smith Show with Steve Desager
in from Mike Harmon, the United States has fallen to
Uruguay one nothing. They are out of the cope. America,
Panama moving on, Uruguay moving on the United States be
moving on to a new head coach. Well, we talked
about why there needs to be a change joining us
(16:07):
now someone uniquely qualified to talk about USMNT and what's
next and all the latest goings on in the NFL,
the NFL inside of Jason locking for Check them out
one oh five seven The Fan in Baltimore on Odyssey
Washington Post. Jay, I'd ask you how you doing, but
I think we're both doing the same.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
After that game, Well, I'm fired up.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
I mean, I don't know about you, but I mean,
like when I put on Twitter, like I'm sharing for Uruguay,
like I wasn't kidding Hrony, Like I was at the
bar cheering for Uruguay like they is, like I wish
it was more. I wish it was three narol Like
I mean, that's not like facetious or like Q. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
But here's the thing though, Jamie, and it has been
But are we sure that that's what's gonna happen? Like,
are we sure the guy led the search for the
next coach and it was himself? I mean, I don't know,
are they really going to make that move?
Speaker 5 (17:06):
I think when they start to get hit, all they
care about his money. Okay, they're greedy, speckless page. So
now they're being hit in the wallace because trust me,
they thought this tournament was gonna be a cash cast.
It's not. People are acting like fifty five thousand seats
there were great, the upper ball was empty. A lot
of the club level was empty. I heard that the
AO guys who have been way too on this idiot's
(17:28):
jock the whole time, are now booing him. But they're
not cheering him, they're not serenading him. They're not getting
as many matches in this tournament as they thought they
were going to, and they have to now worry about
apathy and interest heading into the only World Cup We're
going to have this on our domestic shore. At was
the rest of my life. Like the sponsors can't be happy, right,
(17:50):
this is one fewer games, Like all that gets their
attention is money, and so they this needed to be
an emphatic thud, and it was a thud. And if
it's not emphatic enough, then it tells you everything you
need to know about who's in charge there and what
(18:10):
really matters. And then you could join me in my
economic gihat of them that's going on over six years,
Like you could take the full step back and say,
I'm not giving you anything. I'm not finding jerseys. I
don't care how many kit changes you make, like I'm
out until you get real about what progress looks like
(18:30):
and who actually is has the wherewithal and the profile
and the resume to enact change. And then you let
them come in with a financial mandate and a mandate
in terms of their power and control over where we
play when we play, like it's a joke. Contecast is
the worst it's been and forever all these teams, Honduras, Guatemala,
(18:57):
like I'm almost to remember when Trinidad and Tobago had
this guy Dwight York, who led the Premiership in goals
for Man United. Okay, like they're all down and all
these I'm gonna cuff all all these goals. You want
to do is just playing matches here against teams where
they can run up the score and not challenge anybody
(19:18):
and not get exposed. The whole thing is a fraud.
It's a con. They're counting you. And I think if
they do nothing here, I saw at the moment they
hired this a hole the first time. If they keep
him in power. Now, it's just gonna tell you that
it's not about Bear Halter. It's not about pool of
sick it's not about rings and losses. It's not about
(19:40):
growing the sport. It's just about their money. That's it.
That's all they care about is filling their coffers and
stuffing their pockets.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Let's talk specifically about US soccer in detail, because the
record for the US man since October, well, it's a
losing record. Now after tonight's loss and crashing out of
the Copa America tournament and over the past months, only
five goals scored in the last five games. There was
an interim coach for quite a while recently and then
they just rehired the old guy. How do we even
(20:11):
get to that step? How does US Soccer think to
think that that's okay, that that's our solution, that we,
as co host of the World Cup in two years,
are going to charge forward with the old guy.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
I mean, there isn't any soccer or merit based discussion
to have about Greg Barreholter. He didn't deserve the job
when he got it the first time. He didn't do
anything exemplary in that first cycle to warrant a second cycle.
They reached the bare minimum of what they should have
done in the World Cup. And then he also had
(20:47):
his own personal situations with what we've revealed about his wife,
the whole Georana situation, including quality arena, like the fact
that that wasn't enough was a joke, and then to
have this happen on prop of it, and then okay,
you want to talk soccer style of play? What is
the style of play? Who linked up in the final
(21:09):
third tonight? What cunning balls were put into the eighteen
with multiple runners and like who where was there any
sense of an offensive flow or rhythm even when they
had possession, like Uruguay had nothing to play for and
the US was stuck in. It was a physical match.
It was going to be kind of a rock fight.
(21:31):
They were up for the rock fight. But there was
nothing clinical. There was nothing world class about their ability to,
as you said, score the ball, which ultimately matters, and
they had to score the ball, and probably score it
multiple times once they started scoreboard watching and saw it
was happening with Panama, and they still got out chanced.
(21:52):
They got outclassed. It's not like the Uruguayan keeper was
making save after safe. They couldn't put anything on frame.
I mean, Josh Sargent coming in the game as lady
as he did made no sense. Scally's staying on as
long as he did, like waiting as long as he
did to start taking defenders off Like he's a clown.
(22:13):
He's a complete and utter clown who'd rather be right
than be smart. He'd rather do something stupid that works
and he thinks makes him look brilliant rather than do
the right thing. They're playing the ball to the back.
I mean, Turner looked awful. He had way too much possession,
like that whole thing. Like, Bro, you're not reinventing the wheel.
(22:33):
It was a joke, like they're a naive team and
they played like petulant brats at times. And ninety seconds
after they find out the result, which he couldn't wait
to tell all them, they can see the goal. Was
it offside? I don't know. All I know is they're
not moving on and Panama is and Canada is on
American soil. That wouldn't have been good enough in ninety six.
(22:56):
It's supposed to be good enough. Now it's a joke.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Jason Locking for our guests The Jason Smith Show, Steve
Di sagerin from Mike Carmen. Now outside of Burhalter, Jay,
when you look at the officiating from the last couple
of games, a couple of things are clear is that
the officials really allowed over the line play by both teams,
or by both teams the United States played to dictate
the physical pace of the game, which there the referee
(23:22):
tonight was terrible. He lost control of the game thirty
minutes in and he allowed You're a guy to be
over the line physical, same thing Panama over the line physical.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
And the goal on Vaar, I mean, what do we
have var for?
Speaker 5 (23:33):
You know?
Speaker 1 (23:34):
I mean if that goal doesn't mean just low because
because that was offside. The one thing I will the
one thing I will say is that on the international stage,
we don't get officiated like other nations do.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Bart from bur Alter.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
I've seen enough games now to know we don't get
officiated the same way.
Speaker 5 (23:49):
I don't know that sounds like sour greats. I mean
it's CONCACAF against common ball, Like it's not always going
to be the beautiful game like it's going to get
it's going to be murky. Bro. If they cared about
the quality of playing, they play it on an actual pitch. Okay,
they boiled down to NFL billionaires who don't want to
(24:10):
change their stadium. So I mean it's a joke. So
the mixer is even more physical than to normally be
because we're short, what seven eight yards? It is what
it is, like they're telling you coming in and even
the MLS stadiums where they could have had normal width,
they condensed to make it uniform. Like, I mean, this
(24:33):
is what it's going to be. Do we have the wherewithal,
do we have the fight, do we have the passion
and do we have just enough of that touch of
cunning that making something out of nothing, and the one
guy to do it is Belevant and he got knocked out.
He got physically run out of the match today, and
that's really unfortunate. But this, this guy puts in Petty, who,
what do you think Petty's going to do in this
(24:54):
kind of match? Like? What planning to we own where
we think he's going? Like, I give up? Like And
if you think it's the players, that's fine. We're not
going to find a whole new pool of players between
now and twenty twenty six. So if you think it's
the players, then you owe it to the players to
let somebody else have a run with them to see
(25:15):
if they can bring something out of him. And if
you don't think it's the players or not primarily the players,
then it's obviously the manager playing a huge role in
it and his ass needs to go. So either way,
there's no real coaching argument to make that there's been
any progress in terms of style play, in terms of results,
in terms of fan engagement, in terms of expectations. So
(25:39):
what is it. Well, if if they're comfortable that they're
still making enough money, then he'll stay. If they feel
like they have to col tell the public pressure and
their sponsors, and the fact that we're losing matches. We're
losing that like we should have had a game against
Brazil or Columbia that would have been a ratings blockbuster.
We didn't get that match because this idiot couldn't get
them through in a group that you want to talk
(25:59):
about officiating, How ritt do you think these groups were.
I did everything he possibly could to get the US
and Mexico to go through, and they still couldn't. Both
managers should be fired, both federations should be gutted, and
there should be a real critical rethink about which hearts,
which minds, which soccer tacticians need to be empowered to
(26:21):
try to turn it around.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
We had talked about Mexico earlier and they're hitting the
naydre in their program. It's a low spot. And now
wouldn't you say those US wins plural against Mexico in
recent years aren't looking as good because they're very much.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
That it's a fake tournament, another tournament, the US playing
against teams it should beat up on on home soil.
Those teams are all home matches, and I just kind
of the camp is as low as it's ever been yes,
Canada has more World Cross players than they've had since
eighty six. There's an American Jesse Marsh running that program
(27:00):
now like they're on an uptick. But these teams, based
on what they had talent wise ten years ago, fifteen
years ago, twenty years ago, almost all of them are going.
And re love to remember Honduras coming in here to
RFK and work in the US three two in a
World Cup qualifier and that being like, oh my god,
(27:22):
what the hell's going on here? Like these teams like
don't even compete in the hecks anymore, Like they're not
even a threat to go to a World Cup. And
this is the best we can do, because again, they
don't really want to go to Europe a whole bunch
and play those We don't make as much money off
those matches, we don't get as much of the gate.
They're not in the same in prime time. Right, we're
(27:42):
playing on the European time clocks that are five or
six hours off of where we'd want them. So let's
not actually do what's good for the program. Let's just
keep beating up on these minnos. Let's create another fake
tournament just against these minnos to try to cash in
some more, and who cares what it looks like in
twenty twenty six because we're hosting all the games anyway.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Now, Jay, let me close with this because this is
something that I think everybody can look at and go,
what the hell was this about? You referenced it a
couple minutes ago. It's one thing. We see it in
the NFL A lot. We get to the final week
of the regular season and hey, if so and so loses,
we're in the playoffs. You can pull your starters. We
don't need to win this game anymore. At halftime, But
for Burholter to tell Polistic, hey, it's one one with
(28:27):
Panamon Bolivia, like you're gonna change strategy because it's one one,
when the game is still have thirty five minutes left
to go, like like the game's gonna end it one.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
I mean, I don't get if the game ended one one.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
I get, Hey, we just need to tie. Let let
let We're gonna change things up a little bit. This
is why we're doing this. But while the game's still
last thirty five minutes left. I understand why you would
do that, why you would tell your.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
Players that he's more what I mean pristiate, God love him.
He does a lot of things really well. He should
not be taking set pieces. The fact that he talked
his way back in that role and then did it
throughout this entire crashout. And yes they had the early
corner that was cute, that was great. Then everybody thought,
you're not going to you know, you're not going to
(29:10):
do that twice and they burned it on Bolivia very
early in the tournament. Like, okay, like it. There are
so many things, so many boxes that this guy doesn't check,
and they are naive, the red cards, the Sergenia death
road card, and then we get another one with Yer,
Like they get a goal called back on var and
(29:31):
you could immediately against Pedamon, they immediately sag, well, they're
just not very mature. And I think it starts with
an a whole coach who cares more about which Air
Force one he rocks on the sideline. Remember, this is
an idiot who took a selfie with people during a match,
like during a match, like this is a guy who
loved to play the ball on the sidelines, and he's like,
(29:53):
he's a clown and he needs to get the hell
out of my life for good. I'm sick of talking
about him. I'm sick of looking at him, having to
even utter his name. Get him the hell out of.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
My life, NFL Inside of Jason lock and four he's
on Twitter at Jason lock in Foura again one O
five seven The Fan in Baltimore, Odyssey, Washington Post Jane,
next time we'll talk football.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
This was great.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Hopefully we talk about a new manager of the US.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
When it happens, we'll call you, buddy. Have fun, have
a great week. We got to know football. But it
was awesome.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
That was good.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
It was no football. But but look, he's right.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
The polistic set pieces were terrible. They were absolutely I
mean there were no threat. I mean every single one
of his set pieces was long or was we We
couldn't find any.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
They kept like.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
When they kept giving on the women's side, Alex Morgan
the penalty kicks, it's like, oh, whoa, whoa, things have
changed here. Maybe you should not just automatically be handing
the star of the ball every time. By the way,
Alexi Lawless on the FS one post game says, this
team is not able to do anything better than it
has done in the past. If this is as good
as it gets it is not good enough. And Clint
(31:06):
Dempsey talks about the lack of progress with this team,
and then he asked a legitimate question if they change things.
I mean, it took them so long to get this coach,
to rehire this guy. How long is the process gonna take.
I'm telling you you're in clinman. Hey, guys, just text me.
Remember things weren't that bad?
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Were they?
Speaker 2 (31:24):
All of a sudden? I wasn't that bad?
Speaker 4 (31:28):
Ro And my kid is goalie for free?
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Only one thing? What's that?
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Grimace? No?
Speaker 1 (31:32):
No, no, no, no, well okay, okay, okay, Grimace, but JJ
Reddick as his assistant. Hell no, oh, come on, doesn't
need an assistant? Come on, well yeah no, Grimmas could
do it all by himself. He probably could, all right.
Another guy that can do it all by himself is
Steve desagur has. What's trending tonight clearly the biggest story
of the night the Mets and their extra inning win
over the Nationals on Bobby Benia Day.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
Steve, Oh, Not only the Mets won in ten innings,
Colorado has now won the late game in ten innings,
and Houston won earlier just those three games in baseball.
But my goodness, did US men's soccer look bad in
this tournament? Remember how they opened just over a week
ago against Bolivia with a Christian Polisic goal in the
third minute. They barely scored in the tournament after that,
three total goals in three games. And in Copa America
(32:16):
tonight in Kansas City on FS one, the US was
eliminated one nothing by first place Uruguay. This is the
first time the US men have been eliminated at the
group stage of any senior men's tournament it has hosted.
And I heard on the Fox postgame they said this
is the first time that the host country is out
so soon in a Copa America, which is usually the
(32:37):
South American Championship. So the US men have now lost
five times in a nine match span for the first
time since twenty eighteen.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Is that good?
Speaker 2 (32:47):
Not good?
Speaker 4 (32:48):
And they have a losing record if you go back
to the October schedule including don't forget the tune up
loss this past month was five to one to Columbia,
which might have been their opponent in the quarterfinals this
weekend in Arizona. Instead, Panama advances, getting a three to
one win over last place Bolivia tonight in Orlando, Panama,
with two goals in the last fifteen minutes of that game.
(33:10):
The US men have failed to advance despite winning their
opening group stage match of a tournament for the first time. Amazingly,
all twenty three times it opened with a win in
the group stage of any tournament, it always got out
of the group. Not now. They opened with three points
(33:30):
in the standings, a shutout victory against WOEFO Bolivia. And
that's how bad the next two games were. The US
is out at the Euros. In the round of sixteen,
France eliminated Belgium won nothing on an own goal in
the eighty fifth minute when a shot went off a
defender's knee. Nn France did out shoot him nineteen to five.
Portugal beat Slovenia on penalty kicks. It was scoreless through overtime,
(33:53):
then Portugal saved all three PK attempts. Selvinia played four
ties in the Euros. At least they got there. They
are out, though Portugal was seventy two percent possession in
that matchup. By the way, the Euro Tournament final is
less than two weeks away in Berlin, and then that
night on Fox also it's the Copa America Final.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
MLB.
Speaker 4 (34:13):
Yes, Met's one in ten innings, nine to seven at Washington.
JD Martinez three run homer in a six run tenth
Colorado in ten innings, eight to seven over Milwaukee. Houston
won its game three to one at Toronto, and the
Celtics agreed to a five year extension with Jason Tatum
worth over three hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Back to you have they.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Agreed to a five year extension with the owners to
keep the team. They're out they.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Are going to make more than three hundred million dollars
of this bet.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
So we'll have more on the USMNT coming up in
a few minutes. But straight ahead, Yes, Big day and
NBA free agency. The move that initially I blew off,
Now it scares me.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Which one is it? We'll tell you next Fox.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific Fox.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Steve Desager and
Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
The people want blood. They want Greg Borhalter, they want
his blood.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
We love more on the failure of the USMNT coming
up in about twelve minutes. But obviously, yes, the first
two days of NBA free agency, we are in full
swing and a move that initially I dismissed now kind
of scares me.
Speaker 4 (35:34):
Scares you, scares me, Yes, scares me. Yet so bad
for the Knicks? You say, yeah, exactly, even though we're
going to the finals. I mean, we're fine with you know,
when we have the NBA Finals. Look, Hartenstein is gone
and Mitchell Robinson is gonna be here. We're gonna play
five guards. It's gonna be great. But the NBA Finals,
we're great.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
We're gonna go.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
However, are the Celtics still in the East.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Yeah, but that doesn't matter. That doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
Really, we're better than champions.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
Do know they won? They want big deal. They're selling
the team. They come on, it'll be like and they
can feel anybody.
Speaker 4 (36:04):
They're not selling the players anah who knows?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Well, yeah, they It is real weird thing to say, Hey,
we're looking to sell the team, but here we're giving
out a billion dollars in contracts so that the new.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
Layers can raise more money to pay these guys that
we signed.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
Do you want the good players and or do you
want the bad team with nobody like, what do you want?
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Well, we'll figure it out.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
But the Paul George moved to Philadelphia because I'm the
first guy to tell you that. It really it baffles
me the popularity that Paul George has had now going
on a decade, like that, as much as we talk about.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Him, he's a good NBA player, what are you talking about?
Speaker 1 (36:42):
Yeah, but it's way too much like Paul George takes
so much of the conversation for being a guy who
has disappeared at many times and gotten hurt and not
really led his team. And we thought he was gonna
be one of the next great players in the league.
It's been a decade talking about Paul draw Paul George,
but I'm like.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Wow, the guy.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Yes, the guy's been an All Star many times, but
he has not let his team hardly anywhere, and when
they need him most in the playoffs, Paul George disappears. However,
that being said, going to the Sixers now where they
need him to be their third best player, and Paul
George has never had to be a team's third best player.
He's always had to be their second best player or
(37:22):
their best player.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
It's Philadelphia with injuries. They may need him to be
the second best.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
So he may be the best player, and I mean
Joel Embiid in and out, but but the.
Speaker 2 (37:30):
Injuries are a thing.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
And clearly, you know, if they do have one of
their stars getting because they also resigned Tyres Maxey gave
him two hundred million dollars he's a phenomenal player, and
Paul George two undred million dollars. So now they have
a big three. Yes, Joel Embiid's health thing.
Speaker 4 (37:44):
But Embiid that's also another two hunter million.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
But if you're talking about hey, that's a that's a
pretty good one two punch, even if Embiid is out
with Maxie and Paul George. But the fact that he
needs to be their third best player, that's what scares
me because when he asked, when you have to rely
on him as your second best player like the Clippers did,
forget it, right, forget Look what Look what happened to
the Clippers?
Speaker 2 (38:03):
Right? Oh man, look at this era of the last
five years.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Yeah, it was just a we were happy being competitive, right,
That's all they wanted to do is be competitive.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Right now, they were gonna try to bring him back
to it.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
The Clippers just wanted to be competitive. That's all they
wanted the last years. I think they're trying to win
a championship there. Now we're gonna stick with Kawhi, We're
gonna stick with Harden. We just like being competitive and
being in the conversation. But Paul George didn't really elevate them. However,
now that he doesn't have to be that guy and
he can pick his spots more, and he can and
(38:34):
he cannot because he doesn't.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Do well in the spotlight.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
He's even more removed from the spotlight now because Philadelphia
is gonna rely on embid Maxie and now we've brought
in Paul, yes, two hundred million dollars, but it's still
it's embiided Maxie and then it's Paul George. This may
finally be the right situation for him for extended success
and playoff success because he doesn't need that. Why it's
a big difference going from the number two guy in
(38:59):
a team to the number th three guy on the team,
and that finally might be what works for Paul George.
Speaker 4 (39:03):
Paul George was not in the playoffs for a couple
of years and then this season.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
I looked it up.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
He shot thirty seven percent from three point range, so
you'd say, oh, fine' that's very good. That's better than
a third of his three pointers going in.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
But overall he was.
Speaker 4 (39:16):
Only forty one percent shooting in the loss in six
to the Dallas Mavericks. And when the Clippers during the year,
we got the COVID and the stoppage, and then they
continued and had the playoffs in the bubble. The Clippers
were very good that year. If they'd have played out
the full season, that's at least a fifty five win team.
And Paul George shooted. Let's see, the shooting was thirty
(39:38):
six percent in the first round and forty three percent
from the field in the second round. So he's had
better regular seasons.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
He's a player that gives you a lot of stats,
puts up a lot of numbers, and when it gets
to the playoffs and need a little bit more, you
just don't get it.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
He does have big games.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Let's say he doesn't have big games, but if you're
going to move on in the playoffs, you need your
star to be your stars, and Paul George has not
been that guy.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
Now with the Sixers. Does he need to be as
big as Embiid in Maxie?
Speaker 5 (40:06):
He does not.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
I've already seen more from Maxie in one playoff series
against the Knicks than we saw from Paul George the
last five years.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
So now that he's coming in here, I mean, this
might be finally the right thing for him.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
Hey, yes, I'm going to get a lot of attention,
but I'm not getting the attention to these other guys.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
That's what it's gonna be.
Speaker 4 (40:24):
I'm not saying anything's gonna happen, but when I hear that, hey,
Joel Embiid's gonna be at Team USA camp and representing
the United States and using his summer for the Olympics,
I'm thinking this is the guy that can barely get
on the court reliably for a full season, right and
you got him playing in the summer. And then it
made me think of, oh, remember when Paul George was
(40:45):
on Team USA for the summer and they finished up
at Vegas and his leg went in different direction.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
That was a bad stanchion right there.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
But no, it make scares me a little bit, like
maybe the Knick Sixers goes six games next year in
the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
Here and Boston.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
There exit up bout of Fresco, Jason Smith, Steve Disagar
and for Mike Harmon Is Greg burhol To the right
guy for the US men's national team job. You'll hear
from him on that next Keep it here, Fox,
Thanks for listening to The Jason Smith Show with Mike
Harmon podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weeknight
ten pm to two am Eastern seven to eleven pm
Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. Find your local station for
The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon at Foxsports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every night on the
iHeartRadio app by searching FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Let's give this parties.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:29):
Hello, Welcome in side hour two The Jason Smith Show
is Steve Desager in for Mike Harmon live from the
Tirack dot Com studios tirec dot com.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
I hope you get there.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
An unmatched selection, fast, free shipping, free road hazard protection,
and over ten thousand recommended installers. Tirack dot Com is
the way tire buying should be. Well, it is now official.
United States is out of the Copeamerica. They fall to Uruguay.
One nothing Christian polistic right now? Is the final whistle
(01:00):
is blown? No, no, no, he's over talking to the
referees because there's a big point to make and there's
a micro and a macro point to make about this game. Yes,
the United States is going home completely disappointing. They need
a change at the top, right, they need it. We'll
get to that.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
So you're saying, three goals in three games in this
tournament not good.
Speaker 2 (01:19):
No, no, no Goali game.
Speaker 4 (01:22):
But let's talk, especially when you're playing Bolivia and Panama
as your other two opponents. Three total goals in three games.
And remember that opening fifteen minutes to start the tournament
against Bolivia was phenomenal. Yeah, in the third minute, Polisic scores.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:37):
And then they go to start out, well, they got
to start out with one goal against the last place team.
The rest of the ninety minutes that night.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Yeah, so it wasn't good, not great, Bob, not great,
not great. But let me just say this about about
the game tonight, a couple of a couple of things,
because the two biggest topics of conversation are going to
be the officiating and Burholter. Okay, now, this is a
referee we knew in the very beginning of the game
didn't have a lot of experience. Rob Stone and the
guys were talking about it before the game, and he
(02:05):
clearly showed that. He showed that he lost control of
the game thirty minutes in uh when the play is
as physical as it is, there's no yellow cards out there,
the play gets out of control. And one thing that
you can say, hey, United States, do we get a
fair shake officiating wise on the international stage.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
We don't.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Right the last time the United States got a call
that should have went their way, or calls it should
have gone their way in international game, can't think.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Of one, because they don't. They don't happen.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
We just don't get their calls, and and and the
the biggest thing from this tournament is that the referees
allowed the other teams, Panama and Uruguay to dictate physical
play without any sort of come up and on it,
without any sort of hey, this was over the line,
here's a yellow card, this discount. They allowed the other
(02:54):
teams because that's how the you know, you know, teams
that aren't is talented or or want to rely on
clearly the case game, oh clickly with Panama, they allowed
Panama to be as physical as they wanted to when
there needed to be calls that really were able to
that were able to equalize the game a little bit.
But the referees don't do that, and we don't get
those calls. So that's a thing across the board international play.
(03:17):
United States doesn't get the calls the goal that Uruguay
scored tonight. Right now, Remember, even if this goal is disallowed,
which it should have been, we still wind up going
home because we tie this game and Panama wins. So yes,
we can, we can talk about the referees. But it
shocks me that the goal was not disallowed, especially with
var the irrefutable proof because they showed after we talked
(03:38):
about it, they showed the replay of where they would
see the cutoff.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
From up high at the top of the stadium. That
camera angle clear.
Speaker 1 (03:46):
Yes, let's go back to that old camera angle people
were complaining about. But you can see Uruguay was offside
and stead somehow it was not called. Again, United States,
when do we get calls in the international stage.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
We don't.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
And that's a thing that's something I would bring up.
I'm not afraid to be the sore loser to say, Hey,
how about the games are officiate a little bit more
equally here? How about the games aren't just given to
a team because oh, they're going to be more physical,
which allows us to equal out the playing field. How
about when we have var for a reason. You tell
me how this goal was allowed. Right, Again, we had
the official that didn't have a lot of experience, and
(04:20):
you had a var that completely screwed the United States
on that play. So yes, the officiating needs to be better.
I would make this a point of contention if I
the United States, because we've seen in this tournament now
that's been a thing. We were not officiated like other
nations are, and that's a thing.
Speaker 4 (04:37):
However, it didn't decide tonight's game and the team isn't
good enough, and it starts at the top. I mean
US Soccer and their hire of this coach, and this
coach specifically as still Holden, former player Fox analysts for
this game in Kansas City Tonight said afterwards, I don't
want to hear the term golden generation applied to this
(04:57):
team until they actually do something. Anytime you get a
good group of young talent coming through on any national
team anywhere in the world, it gets dubbed a golden generation.
The difference is, even though we saw, for example, Belgium
crash out of the Euros today, they had a golden
generation because they got up to the top five of
the world rankings. England has gotten up to the top
(05:18):
five of the world rankings. The US twenty years ago
with Landon Donovan, that was our golden generation. As good
as these guys are in paper, and as often as
we have young talent actually going to play for the
big clubs in Europe, which never used to happen on
this type of scale, the results with the national team
are not there. The whole point is not to beat
(05:40):
the l Salvadors of the world. No offense. We couldn't
even beat Panama in this tournament. And the US all
time against Panama was seventeen and two with seven ties.
But you know what a year ago the US lost
to Panama on penalty kicks in a Gold Cup semi final.
They lost to them in that very physical game. This
past third they don't score against first place Uruguay tonight,
(06:03):
and we have crashed out of a tournament we were hosting.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Uh yeah, So none of it's great again, not great, Bob,
not great, not great. But when you want to get
to what is next, and there's gonna be calls that
the hate watching for Greg Burholter to be fired as
head coach is going to be so loud after this
game and look to be honest, I'm not someone that
wants their round and always say, oh, this guy needs
(06:28):
to be fired, this guy needs to be fired. But
there needs to be a change. Greg Burholter needs to
go simply because how long has it been for the
United States being a team that Hey, it looks like
we're going in the right direction. We have a lot
of good players. It looks like it's been four years
of it looks like we're going in the right draft,
(06:48):
and we're not. We got the first hope in the
last four years of consistent wins against Mexico and then
come to find out this is one of the worst
arrows of soccer for Mexico's national team. So those aren't
quite the victories that we thought they were.
Speaker 2 (07:04):
At the time.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
No, And that's a big overarching easy thing to point
to to say are we getting better or are we stagnant?
Speaker 2 (07:14):
Are we really getting better?
Speaker 1 (07:15):
Is this United States men's team, Hey, we're so close
to clicking.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
No, we're not.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
No again, we look like a team when I watch
them play that they have talented, like to bring it
down to a youth level, right, just just to make
it an analogy that everybody can get they look like
if I'm coaching and I see a youth team and
I see them and I know the boy, they're really talented,
and these kids are all really talented, they're really good.
And then you watch them play and you say, boy,
(07:42):
how often do they practice? Because they don't look like
they're in sync. They don't look like they know they're
anticipating where the other players are going to be. They
don't always look like they are they are in sync,
mental sync with each other, knowing where to be, knowing
where to go with the ball, how they're going to attack,
what the philosophy of the attack is other than get
it to politic and see what happens. So, I mean,
(08:02):
that's kind of how they look. And and when when
you can boil it down that way, you understand, okay,
you're running the risk of apathy setting in and and
and and and a sense of well, maybe we're just
not that good. Maybe maybe this is as good as
it's gonna get. Which it's time to reach for bigger
than that. It's time to reach for bigger than.
Speaker 4 (08:23):
People have resources. This is the US look.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
And you see these players, you know they're good because
you see what they're doing playing elsewhere, playing in Europe
and playing with So it's not like these guys are Hey,
we got to just only play in the MLS, right, These.
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Politics scored more in Italy than with this US team.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, it's you.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
You know, the players are good and you if you
keep burr Halter, you run the risk of just getting
more of the same. And if it was year two
of bur Halter, or you've only seen them for a
little bit, I would say, you know what, there's some time,
let's wait and see. But again, this is four plus
years of the United States being hey, maybe we're good,
and if we're maybe we're good, and you're well, okay,
(09:01):
it's time for a new direction because again I know
this direction is not working. Right, Like what I say, Hey,
the Warriors had to get rid of Clay Thompson, let
him go.
Speaker 2 (09:08):
Why, Well, is what they're gonna do next gonna work?
Speaker 1 (09:11):
I don't know, but what they had been doing is
not working, So they happ to let Clay Thompson go
in and figure something else out. She let Draymond go
to mainly because he hates the Knicks, but they should
let Draymond go to. He's not the same guy and
I don't know if that's gonna work, but I know
what was going on now wasn't working. The same thing
with the United States men's team is that I don't
know if the next manager would comit, whoever they wind
up getting, but I know this way is not working,
(09:31):
and you can see it with the players.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
You can see the frustration.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
They need to do that or they run the risk
of the program getting into a rut and the apathy
will set in and it's hard coming back from that.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
And the best player for the US Polistic has been
one of the vocal supporters of this coach, So I'm
sure that had something to do with this coach being rehired.
For those unaware, after the last World Cup, when we
went out, the coach's contract expired and they didn't resign him,
and there was some controversy about him and a player,
and they worked through all of that, and we had
(10:05):
an interim coach month after month after month with the
US men's team. And then who did the hire as
the new coach to the old guy? And that means
that he has signed this coach that just crashed out
of Copa America tonight, he is signed through the next
World Cup, which the United States will co host in
twenty twenty six, So they've really got to bite the
bullet and say what is best for us as a
(10:27):
national program to be able to field the best possible
team as co host of the tournament. The entire world's
attention is going to be here in the summer of
twenty twenty six.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
So you're going full office space. Ask yourself is this
good for the company?
Speaker 4 (10:45):
And the reason I bring up Mexico, by the way,
is because in this region, well, for the longest time,
Mexico was the big fish in the little pond, and
then it became like the old Big ten where it
was the Big two and the little league with Ohio
State and Michigan. For so many years, it was US
in Mexico and they were great battles and the US
was finally equal of them once we got landon Donovan
(11:06):
and Company about twenty years ago and beat them in
the World Cup no less, by a famed Dosa Serto score.
Anytime you meet a Mexico fan has to say hello,
just those words.
Speaker 1 (11:17):
Then and then get ready, get ready, get ready, because
your Mexican is not going to be happy.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
But Mexico, right now stinks. There's no other way around it.
In the tune up games for these two teams. What
happened just in this past month. Mexico played this Uruguay
team and lost for nothing. US played Colombia and lost
five to one. If the US had even been able
to advance tonight, its quarterfinal would likely have been against
(11:44):
Colombia or Brazil Saturday in Arizona. And then you crash
out spectacularly most likely. And then what does US Soccer say, Well,
at least we got out of group. Your group stunk.
You had Bolivia ranked eighty four in the world, and
after the third minute you could only get one.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Goal against them.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
The rest of the night, you outshot Bolivia in that
opener twenty to six and it was only a two
nothing final.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
What did I tell you? My big fear was for
the for the Cope America.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
We were gonna play just well enough to keep them
to say, well, we got to keep things going. That's
out the window now, at least that's gone. I have
to worry about that. That is out the window right now.
What do you got, Frostburg. Now, everything you guys said
for the last ten minutes is great and all but
only one thing can save the US soccer team.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
Uh yeah, Oh no, dude, I can't give up Grimace
right now.
Speaker 5 (12:36):
Man.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
No, the country, dude, I can't. I can't give Grimace
up right now. I'm America is bigger than any one city.
Mister met you know, you know you can have you
can have Officer Big Mec.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
No you or the Hamburg.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
No, No, Grimace's Grimace's powers are are focused right now
on the Mets.
Speaker 2 (12:55):
Grimace. We trust.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
Let's go.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
I can't. I can't. It's not up to you. I can't. Yes,
it is take it. I can't let Grimace go.
Speaker 5 (13:01):
You can't.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
You can't just come in and take grimas citizens around.
You can't just come in and grab him and go.
Can't do that. Just kidnap Grimace and say about we're leaving.
Speaker 4 (13:10):
So US men's team is just going to be invisible
for I'll just say months, plural. Because this was the tournament.
This was the highlight of the summer.
Speaker 2 (13:20):
This was it.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
They don't have anything else scheduled, There's no It's not
like when the women have a really good tournament, then
they have this this tour of celebration where they all
make more money because they play city to city and
just collect from all the gate receipts. This is not happening.
I don't know when we're going to see the US
men actually on the field again. The next focus is
the US women because we have an Olympics in Paris
(13:44):
coming up this month, and unlike men's soccer, your women's
World Cup team is essentially your women's Olympic team. The
roster is slightly smaller, but it's essentially the same. So
coming up mid July. We're in July now, the US
women have two exhibitions with the new coach on the
East Coast before they fly to Paris.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Could we conceivably replace Greg Burholter with three people? Okay, no, no, no,
we replaced we know. Do we replace burr Halter with
Roy Kent, Nate the Great and coach Beard? And if
we get that, if Ted Lasso doesn't want to coach,
but we get the three of them, because if Ted's done,
I understand. But if we get between Beard and Nate
(14:27):
the Great, what a great tactician. Roy will give the
attitude out. I mean, I think that works.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
Because as we see, it doesn't have to be American
born coaches.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
It doesn't matter whoever.
Speaker 1 (14:36):
Right now, you're and Klinsman's going, Hey, guys, got my
number coming back?
Speaker 4 (14:39):
Do you remember your news? To win games advance in tournaments?
Speaker 1 (14:43):
You're gonna bring them biscuits. Ex I'll bring I'll bring biscuits.
I'll make sure they taste really good because I need
to keep Grimace. Mets need to keep grims Uh. Coming
up next, NFL Insider Jason Locke and Forest oves By
all the latest news in the NFL, and you know
he's gonna be fired up about everything. We just watch
in the cope America, keep it right here, Jason Smith,
Steve de Sag're in for Mike Harmon.
Speaker 3 (15:03):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (15:14):
Hey, it's Ben, host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Maller.
Would mean a lot to have you join us on
our weekly auditory journey. You're asking, what in God's name
is the Fifth Hour. I'll tell you it's a spin
off of the Ben Maler Show, a cult hit overnights
on FSR.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Why should you listen?
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Picture if you will a world will.
Speaker 6 (15:31):
We chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and
more every week explore some amazing facts about human nature
and more.
Speaker 3 (15:39):
Listen to the Fifth Hour with Ben.
Speaker 6 (15:40):
Maller or the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you
get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
Fox Sports Radio, The Jason Smith Show with Steve Desager
in from Mike Harmon, the United States has fallen to
Uruguay one nothing. They are out of the cope. America,
Panama moving on, Uruguay moving on the United States be
moving on to a new head coach. Well, we talked
about why there needs to be a change joining us
(16:07):
now someone uniquely qualified to talk about USMNT and what's
next and all the latest goings on in the NFL,
the NFL inside of Jason locking for Check them out
one oh five seven The Fan in Baltimore on Odyssey
Washington Post. Jay, I'd ask you how you doing, but
I think we're both doing the same.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
After that game, Well, I'm fired up.
Speaker 5 (16:28):
I mean, I don't know about you, but I mean,
like when I put on Twitter, like I'm sharing for Uruguay,
like I wasn't kidding Hrony, Like I was at the
bar cheering for Uruguay like they is, like I wish
it was more. I wish it was three narol Like
I mean, that's not like facetious or like Q. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:50):
But here's the thing though, Jamie, and it has been
But are we sure that that's what's gonna happen? Like,
are we sure the guy led the search for the
next coach and it was himself? I mean, I don't know,
are they really going to make that move?
Speaker 5 (17:06):
I think when they start to get hit, all they
care about his money. Okay, they're greedy, speckless page. So
now they're being hit in the wallace because trust me,
they thought this tournament was gonna be a cash cast.
It's not. People are acting like fifty five thousand seats
there were great, the upper ball was empty. A lot
of the club level was empty. I heard that the
AO guys who have been way too on this idiot's
(17:28):
jock the whole time, are now booing him. But they're
not cheering him, they're not serenading him. They're not getting
as many matches in this tournament as they thought they
were going to, and they have to now worry about
apathy and interest heading into the only World Cup We're
going to have this on our domestic shore. At was
the rest of my life. Like the sponsors can't be happy, right,
(17:50):
this is one fewer games, Like all that gets their
attention is money, and so they this needed to be
an emphatic thud, and it was a thud. And if
it's not emphatic enough, then it tells you everything you
need to know about who's in charge there and what
(18:10):
really matters. And then you could join me in my
economic gihat of them that's going on over six years,
Like you could take the full step back and say,
I'm not giving you anything. I'm not finding jerseys. I
don't care how many kit changes you make, like I'm
out until you get real about what progress looks like
(18:30):
and who actually is has the wherewithal and the profile
and the resume to enact change. And then you let
them come in with a financial mandate and a mandate
in terms of their power and control over where we
play when we play, like it's a joke. Contecast is
the worst it's been and forever all these teams, Honduras, Guatemala,
(18:57):
like I'm almost to remember when Trinidad and Tobago had
this guy Dwight York, who led the Premiership in goals
for Man United. Okay, like they're all down and all
these I'm gonna cuff all all these goals. You want
to do is just playing matches here against teams where
they can run up the score and not challenge anybody
(19:18):
and not get exposed. The whole thing is a fraud.
It's a con. They're counting you. And I think if
they do nothing here, I saw at the moment they
hired this a hole the first time. If they keep
him in power. Now, it's just gonna tell you that
it's not about Bear Halter. It's not about pool of
sick it's not about rings and losses. It's not about
(19:40):
growing the sport. It's just about their money. That's it.
That's all they care about is filling their coffers and
stuffing their pockets.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Let's talk specifically about US soccer in detail, because the
record for the US man since October, well, it's a
losing record. Now after tonight's loss and crashing out of
the Copa America tournament and over the past months, only
five goals scored in the last five games. There was
an interim coach for quite a while recently and then
they just rehired the old guy. How do we even
(20:11):
get to that step? How does US Soccer think to
think that that's okay, that that's our solution, that we,
as co host of the World Cup in two years,
are going to charge forward with the old guy.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
I mean, there isn't any soccer or merit based discussion
to have about Greg Barreholter. He didn't deserve the job
when he got it the first time. He didn't do
anything exemplary in that first cycle to warrant a second cycle.
They reached the bare minimum of what they should have
done in the World Cup. And then he also had
(20:47):
his own personal situations with what we've revealed about his wife,
the whole Georana situation, including quality arena, like the fact
that that wasn't enough was a joke, and then to
have this happen on prop of it, and then okay,
you want to talk soccer style of play? What is
the style of play? Who linked up in the final
(21:09):
third tonight? What cunning balls were put into the eighteen
with multiple runners and like who where was there any
sense of an offensive flow or rhythm even when they
had possession, like Uruguay had nothing to play for and
the US was stuck in. It was a physical match.
It was going to be kind of a rock fight.
(21:31):
They were up for the rock fight. But there was
nothing clinical. There was nothing world class about their ability to,
as you said, score the ball, which ultimately matters, and
they had to score the ball, and probably score it
multiple times once they started scoreboard watching and saw it
was happening with Panama, and they still got out chanced.
(21:52):
They got outclassed. It's not like the Uruguayan keeper was
making save after safe. They couldn't put anything on frame.
I mean, Josh Sargent coming in the game as lady
as he did made no sense. Scally's staying on as
long as he did, like waiting as long as he
did to start taking defenders off Like he's a clown.
(22:13):
He's a complete and utter clown who'd rather be right
than be smart. He'd rather do something stupid that works
and he thinks makes him look brilliant rather than do
the right thing. They're playing the ball to the back.
I mean, Turner looked awful. He had way too much possession,
like that whole thing. Like, Bro, you're not reinventing the wheel.
(22:33):
It was a joke, like they're a naive team and
they played like petulant brats at times. And ninety seconds
after they find out the result, which he couldn't wait
to tell all them, they can see the goal. Was
it offside? I don't know. All I know is they're
not moving on and Panama is and Canada is on
American soil. That wouldn't have been good enough in ninety six.
(22:56):
It's supposed to be good enough. Now it's a joke.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
Jason Locking for our guests The Jason Smith Show, Steve
Di sagerin from Mike Carmen. Now outside of Burhalter, Jay,
when you look at the officiating from the last couple
of games, a couple of things are clear is that
the officials really allowed over the line play by both teams,
or by both teams the United States played to dictate
the physical pace of the game, which there the referee
(23:22):
tonight was terrible. He lost control of the game thirty
minutes in and he allowed You're a guy to be
over the line physical, same thing Panama over the line physical.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
And the goal on Vaar, I mean, what do we
have var for?
Speaker 5 (23:33):
You know?
Speaker 1 (23:34):
I mean if that goal doesn't mean just low because
because that was offside. The one thing I will the
one thing I will say is that on the international stage,
we don't get officiated like other nations do.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Bart from bur Alter.
Speaker 1 (23:45):
I've seen enough games now to know we don't get
officiated the same way.
Speaker 5 (23:49):
I don't know that sounds like sour greats. I mean
it's CONCACAF against common ball, Like it's not always going
to be the beautiful game like it's going to get
it's going to be murky. Bro. If they cared about
the quality of playing, they play it on an actual pitch. Okay,
they boiled down to NFL billionaires who don't want to
(24:10):
change their stadium. So I mean it's a joke. So
the mixer is even more physical than to normally be
because we're short, what seven eight yards? It is what
it is, like they're telling you coming in and even
the MLS stadiums where they could have had normal width,
they condensed to make it uniform. Like, I mean, this
(24:33):
is what it's going to be. Do we have the wherewithal,
do we have the fight, do we have the passion
and do we have just enough of that touch of
cunning that making something out of nothing, and the one
guy to do it is Belevant and he got knocked out.
He got physically run out of the match today, and
that's really unfortunate. But this, this guy puts in Petty, who,
what do you think Petty's going to do in this
(24:54):
kind of match? Like? What planning to we own where
we think he's going? Like, I give up? Like And
if you think it's the players, that's fine. We're not
going to find a whole new pool of players between
now and twenty twenty six. So if you think it's
the players, then you owe it to the players to
let somebody else have a run with them to see
(25:15):
if they can bring something out of him. And if
you don't think it's the players or not primarily the players,
then it's obviously the manager playing a huge role in
it and his ass needs to go. So either way,
there's no real coaching argument to make that there's been
any progress in terms of style play, in terms of results,
in terms of fan engagement, in terms of expectations. So
(25:39):
what is it. Well, if if they're comfortable that they're
still making enough money, then he'll stay. If they feel
like they have to col tell the public pressure and
their sponsors, and the fact that we're losing matches. We're
losing that like we should have had a game against
Brazil or Columbia that would have been a ratings blockbuster.
We didn't get that match because this idiot couldn't get
them through in a group that you want to talk
(25:59):
about officiating, How ritt do you think these groups were.
I did everything he possibly could to get the US
and Mexico to go through, and they still couldn't. Both
managers should be fired, both federations should be gutted, and
there should be a real critical rethink about which hearts,
which minds, which soccer tacticians need to be empowered to
(26:21):
try to turn it around.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
We had talked about Mexico earlier and they're hitting the
naydre in their program. It's a low spot. And now
wouldn't you say those US wins plural against Mexico in
recent years aren't looking as good because they're very much.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
That it's a fake tournament, another tournament, the US playing
against teams it should beat up on on home soil.
Those teams are all home matches, and I just kind
of the camp is as low as it's ever been yes,
Canada has more World Cross players than they've had since
eighty six. There's an American Jesse Marsh running that program
(27:00):
now like they're on an uptick. But these teams, based
on what they had talent wise ten years ago, fifteen
years ago, twenty years ago, almost all of them are going.
And re love to remember Honduras coming in here to
RFK and work in the US three two in a
World Cup qualifier and that being like, oh my god,
(27:22):
what the hell's going on here? Like these teams like
don't even compete in the hecks anymore, Like they're not
even a threat to go to a World Cup. And
this is the best we can do, because again, they
don't really want to go to Europe a whole bunch
and play those We don't make as much money off
those matches, we don't get as much of the gate.
They're not in the same in prime time. Right, we're
(27:42):
playing on the European time clocks that are five or
six hours off of where we'd want them. So let's
not actually do what's good for the program. Let's just
keep beating up on these minnos. Let's create another fake
tournament just against these minnos to try to cash in
some more, and who cares what it looks like in
twenty twenty six because we're hosting all the games anyway.
Speaker 1 (28:03):
Now, Jay, let me close with this because this is
something that I think everybody can look at and go,
what the hell was this about? You referenced it a
couple minutes ago. It's one thing. We see it in
the NFL A lot. We get to the final week
of the regular season and hey, if so and so loses,
we're in the playoffs. You can pull your starters. We
don't need to win this game anymore. At halftime, But
for Burholter to tell Polistic, hey, it's one one with
(28:27):
Panamon Bolivia, like you're gonna change strategy because it's one one,
when the game is still have thirty five minutes left
to go, like like the game's gonna end it one.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
I mean, I don't get if the game ended one one.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
I get, Hey, we just need to tie. Let let
let We're gonna change things up a little bit. This
is why we're doing this. But while the game's still
last thirty five minutes left. I understand why you would
do that, why you would tell your.
Speaker 5 (28:49):
Players that he's more what I mean pristiate, God love him.
He does a lot of things really well. He should
not be taking set pieces. The fact that he talked
his way back in that role and then did it
throughout this entire crashout. And yes they had the early
corner that was cute, that was great. Then everybody thought,
you're not going to you know, you're not going to
(29:10):
do that twice and they burned it on Bolivia very
early in the tournament. Like, okay, like it. There are
so many things, so many boxes that this guy doesn't check,
and they are naive, the red cards, the Sergenia death
road card, and then we get another one with Yer,
Like they get a goal called back on var and
(29:31):
you could immediately against Pedamon, they immediately sag, well, they're
just not very mature. And I think it starts with
an a whole coach who cares more about which Air
Force one he rocks on the sideline. Remember, this is
an idiot who took a selfie with people during a match,
like during a match, like this is a guy who
loved to play the ball on the sidelines, and he's like,
(29:53):
he's a clown and he needs to get the hell
out of my life for good. I'm sick of talking
about him. I'm sick of looking at him, having to
even utter his name. Get him the hell out of.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
My life, NFL Inside of Jason lock and four he's
on Twitter at Jason lock in Foura again one O
five seven The Fan in Baltimore, Odyssey, Washington Post Jane,
next time we'll talk football.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
This was great.
Speaker 5 (30:19):
Hopefully we talk about a new manager of the US.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
When it happens, we'll call you, buddy. Have fun, have
a great week. We got to know football. But it
was awesome.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
That was good.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
It was no football. But but look, he's right.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
The polistic set pieces were terrible. They were absolutely I
mean there were no threat. I mean every single one
of his set pieces was long or was we We
couldn't find any.
Speaker 3 (30:42):
They kept like.
Speaker 4 (30:44):
When they kept giving on the women's side, Alex Morgan
the penalty kicks, it's like, oh, whoa, whoa, things have
changed here. Maybe you should not just automatically be handing
the star of the ball every time. By the way,
Alexi Lawless on the FS one post game says, this
team is not able to do anything better than it
has done in the past. If this is as good
as it gets it is not good enough. And Clint
(31:06):
Dempsey talks about the lack of progress with this team,
and then he asked a legitimate question if they change things.
I mean, it took them so long to get this coach,
to rehire this guy. How long is the process gonna take.
I'm telling you you're in clinman. Hey, guys, just text me.
Remember things weren't that bad?
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Were they?
Speaker 2 (31:24):
All of a sudden? I wasn't that bad?
Speaker 4 (31:28):
Ro And my kid is goalie for free?
Speaker 2 (31:30):
Only one thing? What's that?
Speaker 3 (31:31):
Grimace? No?
Speaker 1 (31:32):
No, no, no, no, well okay, okay, okay, Grimace, but JJ
Reddick as his assistant. Hell no, oh, come on, doesn't
need an assistant? Come on, well yeah no, Grimmas could
do it all by himself. He probably could, all right.
Another guy that can do it all by himself is
Steve desagur has. What's trending tonight clearly the biggest story
of the night the Mets and their extra inning win
over the Nationals on Bobby Benia Day.
Speaker 4 (31:54):
Steve, Oh, Not only the Mets won in ten innings,
Colorado has now won the late game in ten innings,
and Houston won earlier just those three games in baseball.
But my goodness, did US men's soccer look bad in
this tournament? Remember how they opened just over a week
ago against Bolivia with a Christian Polisic goal in the
third minute. They barely scored in the tournament after that,
three total goals in three games. And in Copa America
(32:16):
tonight in Kansas City on FS one, the US was
eliminated one nothing by first place Uruguay. This is the
first time the US men have been eliminated at the
group stage of any senior men's tournament it has hosted.
And I heard on the Fox postgame they said this
is the first time that the host country is out
so soon in a Copa America, which is usually the
(32:37):
South American Championship. So the US men have now lost
five times in a nine match span for the first
time since twenty eighteen.
Speaker 3 (32:46):
Is that good?
Speaker 2 (32:47):
Not good?
Speaker 4 (32:48):
And they have a losing record if you go back
to the October schedule including don't forget the tune up
loss this past month was five to one to Columbia,
which might have been their opponent in the quarterfinals this
weekend in Arizona. Instead, Panama advances, getting a three to
one win over last place Bolivia tonight in Orlando, Panama,
with two goals in the last fifteen minutes of that game.
(33:10):
The US men have failed to advance despite winning their
opening group stage match of a tournament for the first time. Amazingly,
all twenty three times it opened with a win in
the group stage of any tournament, it always got out
of the group. Not now. They opened with three points
(33:30):
in the standings, a shutout victory against WOEFO Bolivia. And
that's how bad the next two games were. The US
is out at the Euros. In the round of sixteen,
France eliminated Belgium won nothing on an own goal in
the eighty fifth minute when a shot went off a
defender's knee. Nn France did out shoot him nineteen to five.
Portugal beat Slovenia on penalty kicks. It was scoreless through overtime,
(33:53):
then Portugal saved all three PK attempts. Selvinia played four
ties in the Euros. At least they got there. They
are out, though Portugal was seventy two percent possession in
that matchup. By the way, the Euro Tournament final is
less than two weeks away in Berlin, and then that
night on Fox also it's the Copa America Final.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
MLB.
Speaker 4 (34:13):
Yes, Met's one in ten innings, nine to seven at Washington.
JD Martinez three run homer in a six run tenth
Colorado in ten innings, eight to seven over Milwaukee. Houston
won its game three to one at Toronto, and the
Celtics agreed to a five year extension with Jason Tatum
worth over three hundred million dollars.
Speaker 2 (34:30):
Back to you have they.
Speaker 1 (34:30):
Agreed to a five year extension with the owners to
keep the team. They're out they.
Speaker 4 (34:35):
Are going to make more than three hundred million dollars
of this bet.
Speaker 1 (34:40):
So we'll have more on the USMNT coming up in
a few minutes. But straight ahead, Yes, Big day and
NBA free agency. The move that initially I blew off,
Now it scares me.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
Which one is it? We'll tell you next Fox.
Speaker 3 (35:01):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Jason Smith
Show with Mike Harmon weekdays at ten pm Eastern, seven
pm Pacific Fox.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Sports Radio The Jason Smith Show with Steve Desager and
Mike Harmon.
Speaker 2 (35:12):
The people want blood. They want Greg Borhalter, they want
his blood.
Speaker 1 (35:17):
We love more on the failure of the USMNT coming
up in about twelve minutes. But obviously, yes, the first
two days of NBA free agency, we are in full
swing and a move that initially I dismissed now kind
of scares me.
Speaker 4 (35:34):
Scares you, scares me, Yes, scares me. Yet so bad
for the Knicks? You say, yeah, exactly, even though we're
going to the finals. I mean, we're fine with you know,
when we have the NBA Finals. Look, Hartenstein is gone
and Mitchell Robinson is gonna be here. We're gonna play
five guards. It's gonna be great. But the NBA Finals,
we're great.
Speaker 2 (35:52):
We're gonna go.
Speaker 4 (35:53):
However, are the Celtics still in the East.
Speaker 2 (35:56):
Yeah, but that doesn't matter. That doesn't matter.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
Really, we're better than champions.
Speaker 2 (35:59):
Do know they won? They want big deal. They're selling
the team. They come on, it'll be like and they
can feel anybody.
Speaker 4 (36:04):
They're not selling the players anah who knows?
Speaker 1 (36:06):
Well, yeah, they It is real weird thing to say, Hey,
we're looking to sell the team, but here we're giving
out a billion dollars in contracts so that the new.
Speaker 4 (36:14):
Layers can raise more money to pay these guys that
we signed.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
Do you want the good players and or do you
want the bad team with nobody like, what do you want?
Speaker 2 (36:22):
Well, we'll figure it out.
Speaker 1 (36:24):
But the Paul George moved to Philadelphia because I'm the
first guy to tell you that. It really it baffles
me the popularity that Paul George has had now going
on a decade, like that, as much as we talk about.
Speaker 4 (36:40):
Him, he's a good NBA player, what are you talking about?
Speaker 1 (36:42):
Yeah, but it's way too much like Paul George takes
so much of the conversation for being a guy who
has disappeared at many times and gotten hurt and not
really led his team. And we thought he was gonna
be one of the next great players in the league.
It's been a decade talking about Paul draw Paul George,
but I'm like.
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Wow, the guy.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Yes, the guy's been an All Star many times, but
he has not let his team hardly anywhere, and when
they need him most in the playoffs, Paul George disappears. However,
that being said, going to the Sixers now where they
need him to be their third best player, and Paul
George has never had to be a team's third best player.
He's always had to be their second best player or
(37:22):
their best player.
Speaker 4 (37:22):
It's Philadelphia with injuries. They may need him to be
the second best.
Speaker 1 (37:26):
So he may be the best player, and I mean
Joel Embiid in and out, but but the.
Speaker 2 (37:30):
Injuries are a thing.
Speaker 1 (37:31):
And clearly, you know, if they do have one of
their stars getting because they also resigned Tyres Maxey gave
him two hundred million dollars he's a phenomenal player, and
Paul George two undred million dollars. So now they have
a big three. Yes, Joel Embiid's health thing.
Speaker 4 (37:44):
But Embiid that's also another two hunter million.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
But if you're talking about hey, that's a that's a
pretty good one two punch, even if Embiid is out
with Maxie and Paul George. But the fact that he
needs to be their third best player, that's what scares
me because when he asked, when you have to rely
on him as your second best player like the Clippers did,
forget it, right, forget Look what Look what happened to
the Clippers?
Speaker 2 (38:03):
Right? Oh man, look at this era of the last
five years.
Speaker 1 (38:07):
Yeah, it was just a we were happy being competitive, right,
That's all they wanted to do is be competitive.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
Right now, they were gonna try to bring him back
to it.
Speaker 1 (38:13):
The Clippers just wanted to be competitive. That's all they
wanted the last years. I think they're trying to win
a championship there. Now we're gonna stick with Kawhi, We're
gonna stick with Harden. We just like being competitive and
being in the conversation. But Paul George didn't really elevate them. However,
now that he doesn't have to be that guy and
he can pick his spots more, and he can and
(38:34):
he cannot because he doesn't.
Speaker 2 (38:35):
Do well in the spotlight.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
He's even more removed from the spotlight now because Philadelphia
is gonna rely on embid Maxie and now we've brought
in Paul, yes, two hundred million dollars, but it's still
it's embiided Maxie and then it's Paul George. This may
finally be the right situation for him for extended success
and playoff success because he doesn't need that. Why it's
a big difference going from the number two guy in
(38:59):
a team to the number th three guy on the team,
and that finally might be what works for Paul George.
Speaker 4 (39:03):
Paul George was not in the playoffs for a couple
of years and then this season.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
I looked it up.
Speaker 4 (39:08):
He shot thirty seven percent from three point range, so
you'd say, oh, fine' that's very good. That's better than
a third of his three pointers going in.
Speaker 3 (39:16):
But overall he was.
Speaker 4 (39:16):
Only forty one percent shooting in the loss in six
to the Dallas Mavericks. And when the Clippers during the year,
we got the COVID and the stoppage, and then they
continued and had the playoffs in the bubble. The Clippers
were very good that year. If they'd have played out
the full season, that's at least a fifty five win team.
And Paul George shooted. Let's see, the shooting was thirty
(39:38):
six percent in the first round and forty three percent
from the field in the second round. So he's had
better regular seasons.
Speaker 1 (39:45):
He's a player that gives you a lot of stats,
puts up a lot of numbers, and when it gets
to the playoffs and need a little bit more, you
just don't get it.
Speaker 2 (39:54):
He does have big games.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
Let's say he doesn't have big games, but if you're
going to move on in the playoffs, you need your
star to be your stars, and Paul George has not
been that guy.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
Now with the Sixers. Does he need to be as
big as Embiid in Maxie?
Speaker 5 (40:06):
He does not.
Speaker 1 (40:07):
I've already seen more from Maxie in one playoff series
against the Knicks than we saw from Paul George the
last five years.
Speaker 2 (40:13):
So now that he's coming in here, I mean, this
might be finally the right thing for him.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
Hey, yes, I'm going to get a lot of attention,
but I'm not getting the attention to these other guys.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
That's what it's gonna be.
Speaker 4 (40:24):
I'm not saying anything's gonna happen, but when I hear that, hey,
Joel Embiid's gonna be at Team USA camp and representing
the United States and using his summer for the Olympics,
I'm thinking this is the guy that can barely get
on the court reliably for a full season, right and
you got him playing in the summer. And then it
made me think of, oh, remember when Paul George was
(40:45):
on Team USA for the summer and they finished up
at Vegas and his leg went in different direction.
Speaker 2 (40:51):
That was a bad stanchion right there.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
But no, it make scares me a little bit, like
maybe the Knick Sixers goes six games next year in
the playoffs.
Speaker 2 (41:00):
Here and Boston.
Speaker 1 (41:01):
There exit up bout of Fresco, Jason Smith, Steve Disagar
and for Mike Harmon Is Greg burhol To the right
guy for the US men's national team job. You'll hear
from him on that next Keep it here, Fox,
Hosts And Creators
Jason Smith
Mike Harmon
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.