September 8, 2025 • 53 mins
Bart Keeler drops by looking back at the USMNT-South Korea match from the weekend
All the news, notes, grades, assessments, lineups, the good and the bad...
And there was a LOT to talk about...
All the news, notes, grades, assessments, lineups, the good and the bad...
And there was a LOT to talk about...
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And I imagine that this particular individual is how do we
phrase fairly fired up about what happened on the weekend?
Time to bring in Bart Keeler from the soccer for
USPOD Bart. We've got grades to get into, we've got
the numbers to walk through, we've got our opposition research
(00:21):
from Dan getting ready for the matchup with Japan on Tuesday.
I imagine that there were a lot of how do
I phrase unattractive emojis that probably carried their way through
a lot of conversations after what happened with South Korea?
So am I far off in my conversation?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I think we skipped past the emojis and went straight
to exploitives, gentlemen. That was a disappointing and just straight
up disheartening performance from the US M and T. I
think the biggest, I guess the biggest emotion after that
(01:01):
game was confusion because we don't know what the hell
is going on right now, and you're paying big bucks
to a guy who's supposedly a good manager, and he
is screwing up every possible thing that involves player management
and players election right now. He's ousted several players who
(01:22):
are in many people's opinions really good players doesn't feel
the need to call them in at least and as
bringing in guys who anyone could tell you asn't up
to the international level. I'm not saying they're bad players,
and we'll get into it, but there's a difference between
being really good in MLS and being influential on the
(01:43):
international scale. That seems to be an issue right now. John.
We don't know what exactly this team is and what
it can do, which is really disappointing.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Question was raised in the discord, and I will and
what I will do is I will somewhat qualify it
with the one lineup of lineups that the US M
and T should have.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
We don't know what that is. Well, okay, well, and
that that's the problem right now, John, So sorry to
preempt you. The problem is, I think we think we
know who are best eleven players on should be on
the field. We think we know that, okay, But we
have a manager right now who says, well, that guy
doesn't give it as much effort as I personally feel
like he should be giving. So I'm gonna call on
(02:34):
a guy who isn't good, but you know what, he
works hard in practice despite not being actually useful in
a game. And that's what we're stuck with.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
The question in the discord was would this team qualify
for the twenty six World Championship where you're chasing after
a cup? Would they qualify for this tournament if there,
if it was in another country and there was no
such thing as the automatic qualifier, would they qualify for
(03:04):
the World Cup?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Do you again, John defined this team because we don't
have Weston McKinney, which he gave his reasons, but he's
good at giving excuses. John, Sorry to bring up that word.
I know Jason hates that word, but at this point
we're reaching excuse level with this manager because everything it
(03:26):
needs an excuse with this dude. We don't have enough
fans in the stands, or you know, the players don't
care enough, or or some line he's gonna give us
that we don't know. We don't know, John, because we're
not sure what Pochaccino thinks. It is his best player
and so the reality is, and we can talk about
(03:48):
coaches all we want, but players matter. Players as he
I mean, he's right. Players score the goals, players defend
the goals, and he keeps putting out subpar players, and
it goes, well, it's the fans for not being in
the stands. Why aren't they here to support us as
we're asked to watch, you know, players who are very
clearly not our best players. They're not stars to be
(04:10):
just frank. And when you continue to put a guy
out like and he was fine on saturdaybody who continue
to put guys out like Max Arfson and Sebastian Berhalter,
and you go, this is what's going to carry us
to the World Cup. That's just asking that. It's just
disrespectful at this point. And so that's the problem we have, John,
(04:31):
is we don't know. I could tell you who I
think our best eleven are. That doesn't matter because the
dude making the call in the shots doesn't like that.
One dude one time maybe went golfing.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Paul Kennedy in his in his breakdown of the whole thing,
he has it laid out. The one thing is evident
about Pochattino's roster selections is that he has no clue
who among the sixty to sixty five players he says
his staff is following he'll take to the World Cup.
Nothing matters until the USA opens World Cup on June twelve.
(05:07):
At so far which is a huge problem. Uh asked
after the two nil loss to South Korea, when it
becomes important for the USM and T to get wins
to build trust and confidence. Pochettino responded, we need to
start to win when the World Cup starts, pointed to
the many examples of teams that excelled in the years
leading up to the World Cup flopped in the finals.
He was part of Bielsa's much fancied Argentina team dominated
(05:28):
the two World Cup qualifying in South America, but exited
the group stage in Japan. Quoting once again Kennedy, everything
Pochettino says is true. USA could lose every game it
plays before he must pick his team before heading off
to prepare for the World Cup, not out of the
roma possibility, and it will be the same as if
it wins every game. A interview with Mike wy Tala,
Bruce Arena said, the qualifying competition really grows your team
(05:51):
to find out who can play and who can really
deal with the pressure and everything else in quote, so
that was Bruce Arena to Woyitala. Kennedy says, what the
loss to South Korea, and Harrison drove home is that
the lack of urgency is killing the M and T
both sides of the ball. No sense that plays had
to be made, as if the USA depended on them
to go to the World Cup or the players own
(06:13):
chances of making the World Cup team depended on making plays.
So you are in. You are in the Kennedy camp. Obviously,
with what Paul wrote in his column coming out of
that two zero loss.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Yeah, I mean I think he yes. In theory John,
nothing matters until June twenty twenty six and that ball
kicks off for the world Championship of a cup of
a sport. Yes, but you should look like you can
do the damn thing before then. Period. It's the same
(06:53):
people who every year try to tell me the Falcons
are going to be good despite them losing every preseason game.
You gotta look like you can do it, and right
now this team looks incapable of doing basic things like
pressing in a coordinated fashion. They don't. Sorry, we gotta
we gotta move the microphone away. You get you work
coordinated fashion, don't. No, we don't press well, which is
(07:18):
supposed to be a hallmark of a Blista system, and
I know Patino is probably the I think the furthest
from that and in terms of what he does, but like,
you still gotta press. There were most of it. When
you know, South Korea took a goal kick and we
could press high. We we created nothing else out of that.
We don't defend it. A blow block, well, we get
(07:40):
carved up easily. We got defenders out there who are
eighty goddamn seven years old.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Wow, sorry, there's the.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
We got. We got old guys out there trying to
cover for a dude who isn't good enough to play
on the international level. We've got a guy who's not
good enough to play on the international level, covering for
a guy who can't beat a hurdle in a race. Like,
what are we doing? And that's the issue. Then I
have John. If you're truly trying to evaluate Tristan Blackman,
(08:10):
well I'm just gonna focus on.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Him for a second.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Apologies.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
No, I don't think he was terrible the entire game.
I think I think he was mostly just okay. The
problem is he's playing next to a dude who shouldn't
be on this starting way, but he continues just pretending like, oh,
you got to battle for a position. Why does Tim
rem get every single start as if he is beholden
(08:36):
because of his age to the starting lineup spot. And
so if you're even trying to evaluate players, you're not
giving them the proper platform on wants to evaluate. You're
setting up bad experiments.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
So then to follow your Tim Reim example, who was bad?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I'm sorry, he was the worst. He was the second
worst player on the field on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Uh, well, we'll get into the numbers. Then the numbers
for me anyway, Yeah, the numbers are different, but not
by much. So if so, all right, So then in
a perfect world, So like perfect world, I mean we're
taking we're taking the current head coach out of the discussion.
(09:22):
What would your center back pairing be, Well, I'd.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Love for it to be Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie.
I think that gives you the most balance of athletics ability,
soccer ability, technical ball skills. Now I con side that
Mark McKenzie hasn't decided to grab the spot and that
and that is the problem. But again, to me, the
(09:48):
obvious answers, you have a guy, you have Chris Richards,
and everyone else is trying to play next to Chris Richards.
So again that goes to my my evaluation. Right, you're
setting up a bad experiment. The EXPERI it should be
Chris Richards is the control. Why Tim Riem is the control?
I have no idea. This makes no sense in my brain.
(10:08):
I'm not a scientist, but I know how to set
up a dang experiment. I took fourth grade science class.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Yeah I was an ips or in high school.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah, I was not an advanced well I was awful
at it was science.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Science and math are not my advanced classes.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Issue is.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Why are we not trying out who works best with
Chris Richards, who is indefatigably right now the best performing
player under Mauricio Pocaccino. But yeah, we're and I understand
he was hurt. Okay, sure, again another frickin' excuse. Well,
we couldn't do it because what are we doing here?
(10:51):
I just don't there the plan and the plan doesn't
make sense. And I think the real issue comes back
to this under lying feeling that I have with this
man is that he isn't he is not taking this
job seriously. He tries to gaslight us and say well,
Americans don't take soccer seriously. The fans don't care. Now,
the players don't take us all that. Bro, you aren't
(11:14):
taking it seriously with your squad selection, with your lineup selection.
You're not taking it seriously. And you have to understand
that this country hosts a World Cup in nine months,
two hundred and seventy five days, I think right now,
and this team looks incapable of winning a game against
anyone who's halfway decent, and the stats bear that out,
(11:38):
especially under this man's tenure.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
All right, so we have in a perfect world, you're
center back pairing. Who's your lest who's your starting left
back in a four three three?
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Well it's Jedi Jedi Robinson and right back is Searginia Dust.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Okay, midfields, had all things being equal, like you said,
give me, give me, we.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Had a terrible game on Saturday, Ideally it would probably
be Adams McKenny Raina. Okay, I think would be what
I would want the most. I think that gives you
a lot of what you would want to do. I
could I could see I actually would like to see.
And again this is an experiment. For some reason, we
(12:20):
can't possibly conduct Adams and Johnny play together to see
how they actually play with each other. But I think
from what we know and what we've seen, I would
say it's Adams McKinny and Raina. And people are gonna
sound off in the comments. I'm sorry dougt ruin your
great weekend with your daughter's wedding, but I would start
to you or rain at the World Cup.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So then up front and your your front three would
be Polisic way and that's I think.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
I think Flaren Valagan full of BALI proved on Saturday
that he's probably our bestriker. Now that's said, I would
love to have Ricardo Peppy and Flaren Valagan in camp
competing with each other. But I still think Balagan is
a better striker full time than Ricardo Peppy. But both
of those guys I think our starting quality.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Yeoman's Son scores in the eighteenth, Dong Jong Lee scores
in the forty third in front of a crowd of
twenty six five. Apparently there was dynamic pricing, or at
least a lack of a desire for USM and T
fans to pay what was on the board to go
see a matchup in the swamps of Jersey, so no
real surprise. There were a lot of South Korean fans
(13:31):
that went and watched this match. Pricing and venues is
another thing that is probably a separate segment for us.
On another rundown, you had the starting lineup, Matt Freeze.
Is he your number one keeper in your mind?
Speaker 2 (13:46):
No? No, yeah, I'm sorry. He hasn't proven anything. He
really hasn't. He's been fine. He just he's just fine.
I'm sorry. So then I don't know who the starter is.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
I think Keeper Camp, then.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Turner, I mean Turner and Freeze are there. I don't
know if it's Stephan is there. I would like to
have seen him a little bit more, just to see
if he His return to MLS and playing a lot
would have helped. But I don't know about that. Shulty
just I like Shulty a lot. I don't think he's
(14:31):
there yet. I don't think Celentano is. I mean, I
think Selental is decent. I don't think he's there. It's
not Chris Brady, it's not I don't think it's Jonathan Cleinsman.
Now that said, if you tell me that Celentano or
Cleansman start on Tuesday, you know tomorrow I think that
would be great. Actually, I think trying to experiment in
(14:52):
that regard would be fine. I don't again, I don't
think Matt Freeze has taken the job as his Outside
of the penalty shootout against Costa Rica. I don't think
he's been particularly that's our guy. But Turner also hasn't,
and I think that is that is where you shift
the focus on the players, John, And this is a
great position to talk about it. No one said I
(15:16):
want to be the starter come June twelfth, fourteenth, twenty
twenty six, no one. No one has said that. And
a lot of positions and that that is another issue.
Goalkeeper is definitely one of them.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Matt Freees given a four by the way from our
friends at Soccer America.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Yeah, he didn't look good. I'll give him slight pass that,
you know. I don't think the goals are necessarily his fault.
The second one probably was. I don't think he needs
to come out like.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
That, but.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
There were there are a lot of As I will
always say for every goalkeeper as a member of the
Goalkeeper Union, a lot of bad things have to happen
for a ball to get to a goalkeeper, and if
you're taking shots inside the penalty area and you have
more than two guys on marked. I'm going to I
don't think that's the goalkeeper's fault, John, But he does
concede two goals, and he has some bad moments in passing,
(16:06):
and yeah, it wasn't great again not good, And and
there needs to now be accountability because you binched Matt
Turner for a bad game a four, and now lost
to Switzerland with a much worse lineup in front of
So I am curious what that accountability standard will be
for Matt.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Freeze back line start dest Blackman, Reem and Max Arsten.
I know, and we'll pull Max Arsten to the side
because since day one of his call ups, you have
not done a Max Arsten fan.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
I don't think he's a left back. That's just the
best of.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
My summary on Matt Sarsen dest punched to five. Tristan
Blackman was given Get this. I cannot remember the last
time anyone got a two. Boy Tala gave Blackman a two?
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Mm hm, what did Tim Riam get?
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Tim got a four? Max R three.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I would flip Blackman and read I thought Blackman was
mostly okay. The problem is I think moving up to
the international level is tough, and we have seen black
men come out for camps before, and I think that's
what's annoying about this call up. Now John is just
to be And I'll extrapolate this to the roll DN
(17:26):
conversation when we talk about him. It's not that I
don't think Tristan Blackman is a good or bad defender.
I think if you watch him in MLS, you go,
it's pretty darn good center back. He does not extrapolate
his skills, he does not take his skills and transfer
them to the international game. Well that doesn't mean he's bad, right, Look,
(17:47):
I think I'm a pretty darn good goalkeeper and sons
of pitches until we move up a division and all
of a sudden people are faster than I am. So yeah,
that's kind of the thing is is I don't want
to sound like we're dumping on these guys because that
that makes them sound like they're not good at soccer.
They absolutely are, but they're just not at this level.
(18:10):
And we've seen that from Tristan Blackman. So again, that's
why the call up for me was just so what
are we doing? And you know, but look, you got
to see him. Pascatcina said he liked what he saw
from him. I don't know if that's a obligatory, like hey,
I don't want to like dump on you or or
you know, make it feel bad. I just want to
make sure that you feel like you did all right.
(18:32):
I do think he was better than Tim Riem, who
was not good at the things we needed him to
be good at, which he's supposed to be the dude
who can pass the ball, and he had a bat.
He had a worse day passing than Tristan Blackman.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Jarrett joins us from the Mountain time zone here on
a Monday. He probably heard you Bart yelling without even
having a show cued up. We are, Jarrett hip deep
in the discussion about the men's national team and what
happened on the weekend, and Bart, obviously is how do
(19:07):
we phrase this less than pleased?
Speaker 3 (19:09):
You weren't having a bad Bart had a bad weekend.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
I'm talking about him. There is only one power for
a team that lost to a GRIP of five conference team,
only one, John Darren, only one.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Yes. The discussion about going to Athens, Ohio the week
before back.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Then, I'm so glad that athletic director is no longer
directing our athletics.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
I will not begrudge you any anger or property destruction
you partake in, especially as a WPU Gret. I feel
like you're God given right.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
So there's that.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Anyway, I didn't watch the national team, but I saw
enough of what happened to go, huh that's uh So
Jurgen was in the crowd, too, great, this is this.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Is going swimmingly. Meanwhile, Greg Burhalter is gonna take Chicago
to the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Do you think Jurgen Klinsmann was given that sweet or
do you think he paid for it from the checks
he's still catching from both of these federations.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
I kind of hope he's paying for it with the
zaxi's getting from multiple federations. Yeah, and I just I
kind of think it's like a I kind of hope
he got it off seat geek too, you know, off
a discount penny's on the dollar, not not that, not
that you can afford anything going to a US men's
(20:41):
national team game, not that it is an affordable experience
for most people. God forbid, we make it affordable for
the average fan to go to a game, and God
forbid a game in New York not be a South
Korea home game.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
All lucid points from Jared's in the Mountain time zone
this morning. The uh WE mentioned the back line not
a whole lot of high grades. Legitimately, all four starters
totaled fourteen according to way Talam midfield starters Weya Burhalter, Polisic, Adams,
(21:20):
Luna and so I guess he's looking at it as
as you know, four to five one, Weya a three,
Burhalter and Polisic fours, Tyler Adams of five, Diego Luna
a six.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Hi Er Adam's got a five.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Provided valuable help for the back line as deep as
in the penalty as deep as as deep as in
the penalty area, stealing the ball from Jaysung Lee in
the fourth minute, blocking Taysok Lee's crossed from the edge
of the penalty area at the beginning of the second half.
Also joined the back line for innocuous passing. When attempting
a boulder delivery over the Korean defense, he overhit.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
He got He read those numbers back to me, John,
Sure you broke him, John, I know it well.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Look to give you to give you early thought on that.
Jareded he was broken well before that moment because he
earned us the E for today with a with two
words that we have in I think in the eight
years of the show have not had uttered on the program.
Uh waya A three Burhalter and Polisic fours Tyler Adams
(22:34):
of five Diego Luna six. Tyler Adams provided valuable help
for the back line as deep as in the penalty area,
stealing the ball from Jay Sung Lee in the fourth
blocking Tasuk Lee's cross from the edge of the penalty
area in the forty sixth. He also joined the back
line for innocuous passing. When attempting a boulder delivery over
(22:55):
the Korean defense, he overhites.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Yes, is what Tala from the Hudson River Valley is
That why he is bolstering Tyler like I don't understand.
To say that Tyler Adams was our best midfield midfielder
on Saturday is as delusional as Mauricio Pochettino telling us
that we played better than South Korea. That is an
(23:24):
absolutely false statement from way Tala and I am sorry.
You can say, oh, well, he recovered the ball. He
was bad. He broke our shape multiple times. He's part
of the reason why we were carved up so easily
because he was not defensively sound in his positioning and
screwed up a lot of our pressing triggers because he
just decided to be Tyler Adams a superhero. So you
(23:47):
can say he had ball recoveries. Not really he if
you look at the stats, he had zero defensive actions
like three recoveries and like two tackles for a fence
of midfielder.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
No, he was bad.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Sorry, sorry, Mike, you are wrong. Tyler Adams was worse
than Sebastian Burholter, and that is scary to say.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Sebastian Burholter was part of a US midfield that played
slowly when compared to the Koreans and with less precision.
Burholter pounced on MENJ. Kim's bad pass and shot from
twenty six flew well within reach of keeper Jon Woujo.
Burholter created a Chris Richards chance with a well delivered
free kick, but also mishit passes and that got him
(24:33):
a lot of passes. Did Tyler Adams That got him
a four. Uh So Diego Luna, who got the highest
grade in the midfield got active in the latter part
of the first half, sparked one of the USA's few
swift counter attacks one two with Polisic looked promising until
politics first touch failed him. Luna also fed Polistic for
a forty seventh minute shot that flew high. Referee Rion
Raddicks ignored JINQ Kim grabbing Poliitics arm. Chris pass sent
(24:56):
Tim Way in the lethal territory way his pass went
to minj Kim near the Korean goal area. So basically,
not a lot of stuff to talk about for the midfield.
And you're one forward listed as Josh Sergeant got a three. Yeah,
never never got a delivery he could shoot from, exited
after sixty two, still looking for his first US goal
since twenty nineteen.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Now, I mean, look, not a good showing for Josh Sergeant.
You can talk about, yes, he didn't get delivery, but
you also, as a striker have to put yourself in
spots that players can deliver to you.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Are we talking about the US or Atlanta?
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Yes, yes, And I'll continue by saying, and your striker
also needs to do a better job of leading the
pressing triggers. Talking about Jared.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
No, No, I'm just being a bitch this morning.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
I'm not gonna sit here and say Josh Sergeant never
deserves a look ever again. But I think it's just,
unfortunately for him, very clear that again, whatever he does
at the club level doesn't translate to the national team level.
It just doesn't. And yess, he hasn't scored since twenty nineteen.
That it's a long time, John, Yes, a long time.
(26:19):
And he hasn't not had opportunities for a double. You know,
he was the starter during the World Cup, didn't score,
you know, he just I know he's been injured a lot,
but he's also had a lot of opportunities. And again,
if we want accountability, if you want people to actually
look at the performances on the field and make decisions,
he can't justify ever bringing Joss Sargent back until you know,
(26:41):
maybe you look at him for the twenty thirty cycle.
I don't know, but he scores a whole lot for
his club teams. He doesn't score a whole lot for
the USM.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
And T subs. On the day Christian rolled on, Alex
Freeman Chris Richards each got fives, along with Alex Sin
Dejas and Jack McGlenn, Flerin Baligan got a seven from Wytala,
while Sirgenior Destin Feren and Floren Balagan, previously unavailable because
of injury, made their first appearances under Pochettino. The players
(27:12):
with the most appearances under the Argentine coach are now
cam Riem with thirteen, Diego Luna with twelve, Max Arston
and Jack McGlenn each with eleven. Heading into Columbus tomorrow night.
That makes me Sat John five shots the four go ahead, Jarrett,
(27:34):
I have.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
This, this, this sick feeling that not unlike Young Way Coup,
who we wasted Young Way Coup in Atlanta, his best
years under Arthur Smith's little NEPO I'm smarter than you regime.
And now Young Way Coup is broken. Man's change is
kicking stands like three times in.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
The last year.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
He's he's broken. He needs, he needs, he needs a
darkness retreat of his own. And I wish him nothing
but the best, but he's broken. Also feel I fear
in a similar way that the US men's national team
missed the boat on make taking the most advantage of
(28:15):
Tim Reen's late career abilities in the last four years,
where he was really good. He was really good at
the World Cup. He was good before and after, and
Father Time remains undefeated. And I fear that we are
approaching the approaching that into the parabola that does a
(28:38):
ninety degree drop with tim Reen.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Yes, Bell curve and all of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
I think, and I think that is the problem that
he has thirteen Look, I.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
But how much I'm gonna I'm going to ask this
question because I'll play Devil's advocate for a second. Okay,
nine months to go before you're chasing after a cup
with the rest of the world in twenty twenty six.
How much of this is trying to figure out spots
twelve through twenty six as opposed to spots one through eleven.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Well, he doesn't have spots one through eleven figured it
out that we can tell. And that again is proba
because his words are saying there are lots of guys
who you know, need to work harder. They're not dedicated
enough for X, Y and Z. Excuse that he's given
to not call in what Unfortunately, whether you want to
believe it or not, are the best players. Wes McKinney,
(29:40):
Eunice Mussa, These guys are better than anything else we
have right now. Johnny Cardos, I understand he's not great
for his national team, but at his club level, he's
pretty darn good. You know, there are guys who are
just better. Mark McKenzie is just a better soccer player.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
And that's and that's why I raised the question because
of those individuals that you know that.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
We are nine months out. I would like to have
those guys in this camp to work together to build
some sort of chemistry because that's the other problem is
we have zero chemistry heading it because while yes, a
lot of these guys have played together, right, I mean
Itams McKinny musa polistic way of those were the guys
during the you know, second half of World Cup, qualifying
(30:28):
in the World Cup, and the guys who helped us
win you know, three straight Nations League titles, but they
also don't have chemistry together. In this system. It's slightly different.
It's not a whole lot of different, but it is.
It is different, and it's just good to play with
each other, you know, when you're leading up to a tournament.
(30:49):
I mean, that's again that's kind of my issue. So
I understand what you're trying to say John is like
we know are starting eleven. I think the fear is
we don't don't know that, and we probably should have
a good idea who if you're at least starting eight,
is you know, who are eight guys of year eleven
should be probably sold right now? I mean, I think
(31:11):
it's fair to say that you know, do I know
which attacking midfielder is going to play? Probably not? Do
I know which player is starting next to Chris Richards
not really? And goalkeeper is obviously a question. Okay, fine,
And so you're right, maybe we're wasting time in this
(31:31):
camp to find who can be players mile through twenty
six orever many they bring you know that.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Nine through twenty six if you if you're I'll stipulate
to your eight with the questions of center back, keeper
and up top.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
But I would say that we I still think we
have a good fifteen guys that we know as fans.
We can see based on what they do for their
club and then what they have done in the national
team in the very recent history, that there are guys
who probably are in that first twelve to fifteen, and
(32:09):
then so yes, we need to find the next eleven
players to fill out the roster. Okay, fine, why weren't
Why are we It doesn't make sense to me to
call in guys fully branded. You know, have so many
guys who are on the fringes into a camp like this,
(32:31):
because to me, the question should be how do they
work with the players who we know are going to
be there? And again you're calling up that, I mean
Sean Zawatsky, You called them up and he didn't even
play them. Yeah, if you need to try him out,
why isn't he getting tryout? You know what? Instead, we
(32:53):
got more of Tim Mareen, we got more of Tyler Adams,
We've got more of Sebastian Burghlter. Right, So again, if
you're you're thought process here, if your research question, John
is who are those next guys on the squad? But
yet you're starting eleven was outside of Tristan Blackman and
maybe Josh Sargant, guys who Poscaccino has seen and knows of,
(33:18):
I mean Serginadus. Maybe you need needed to see him
because he's been hurt. Like, it's not like you had
an experimental eleven. You had Tristan Blackman as your experiment
and Josh sargent, maybe as your experiment, depending on how
you want to look at it. So I understand your point,
but I would even say that's not even seeming to
be the goal here, because he's not actually doing any
(33:38):
experimentation unless he thinks that, you know, he didn't like
it what he saw in training, in which case I
would say, well, then why did you bring him in
if all you needed was half a week of training
camp to go? Now, this guy's not it.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Shots on the day seventeen four all four on target
for South Korea, five on target for the United States,
five saves for South Korea, two man freeze, nine corner
six to the US. Twelve fouls eight to the US,
and one off side on the day, So the Ars
kept their flags down most of the time, possession of
the US at fifty four percent. So, as we have
(34:15):
looked at this, I know that you, because of everything
else that you've been talking about, you wanted to you
wanted to mention Christian roll Don I believe was that
another talking point here.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Look, it's fair to say that the team looked a
little bit better with Christian Rodan in there. I think
we need to say that because you know, as Jarrett
loves to remind me my praise needs to be as
loud as my criticism or whatever that quote is. He
was better than Adams or Burrhalter. I think we need
(34:48):
to be a little bit more reserved and tempered in
our praise in that though, because he was better than bad.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
Says more about them that it does him.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
I exactly. I think that's you know, he's fine, Jared.
I'm not going to say Christian's bad soccer player.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
No, I'm not gonna But I'm also not going to
tell you he needs to be the guy who's a
game changer on the national team. Oh Like, I don't
like that, and I think he is a solid player,
but he he he. If he is the guy who
is coming in and making everything work for me, then
(35:30):
I have to look down at the end of the
bench and ask my guys who are supposed to be better,
who are supposed to be game changers, what are you doing?
Speaker 1 (35:42):
What to do it?
Speaker 4 (35:44):
Because that guy who is limited, I think at this
point of his career, is coming out here and making
things work better than you are when you're supposed to
be entering.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
Your prime.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
What you're doing.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
So no, I do not disagree with you.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
At all, and I like roll Don he shouldn't be
the guy who is making things work while my guys,
who are supposed to be key guys are failing to
do just that.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
I will fully support you on this.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
You head into the matchup now with Japan on Tuesday, yikes?
Well and now is it reserves starting? You see rotation?
How much how much stability do you have from one
(36:47):
lineup to the next, or are you just anticipating more analysis?
What are you looking at Bart for the matchup coming
up here on Tuesday, Other than by staring at your
face here on the video side of things, you're not
all that wholly optimistic.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
I'm looking at pa Chettino's track record in non competitive
friendly windows, so not the Nations League's those two right,
And even if you want to look at that the
Nation's League window from March in October, we had a
pretty strong squad against Panama for the first game, took
(37:26):
a very depleted squad down to Mexico and got got beat.
Skip ahead to that March window in the Nation's League. Obviously,
you put out your best what he felt was his
best eleven against Panama in the Nation's League semifinal we
got beat I think rightfully he rotated a bit for
the third place match because you know, whether we like
(37:49):
to admit it or not, they don't really mean all
that much. June comes around. I think he plays what
he thinks is his best eleven against Turkey. We have
a we'd lose, but it looks okay with a guy,
you know, a squad that is not very high ceiling
anyway because of the nature of what he called in
and then he rotates the heck out of it and
(38:10):
we lose four to nothing against Switzerland. So my concern
is John he will rotate to.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Rotate, He'll rotate the heck out of it again on Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I don't know if he'll rotate the heck out of
it because I don't think the I guess the Switzerland
match wasn't super super rotated, but like rotated enough, right,
there were some substantial changes that said. I think rotation
is good, right, Like I said, I kind of would
like to see someone not named Matt Freeze starting goal.
I just want to see it again. I don't think
Matt Freeze has said I'm the number one, you know.
(38:46):
I would like to see a center back rotation. Right,
if Chris Richards is healthy enough to start stardom, maybe
you start Blackman next to Richards. I don't know if
I would approve of that, but at least I ago, yeah,
put put it next to them, why you can run?
That would be nice, you know, But I would like
to see Noakhai Banks play. I think if you brought
(39:09):
them all this way, you should try to play them.
You know, do you do you? I don't think way
Up was as bad as the numbers say for a
number of reasons, but you know, maybe see time to
start Alex and Dejas. Give him a chance to prove
that he can do it from a starting position and
not just from a off the bench. So that I'm
(39:29):
not saying rotation is bad, right, I mean, wouldn't shocked
me if Christian role don starts tomorrow. But the problem
continues to be that this roster's ceiling is still low,
so it's floor, and that rotation to guys who are
(39:50):
in theory weaker compared to what you in theory put
out your best lineup against South Korea outside of I
think a couple obvious like experiments, that doesn't signal to
me that we're going to have a better game against Japan,
a team who is better than us in multiple facets,
(40:14):
if not all of them. So I don't expect a
whole lot. I'm sorry, I just don't. I mean, I
think that the pattern has played out. And again I
don't necessarily say the result of our friendly does not matter.
The performance individually and collectively matters. If you have lost
too niddle South Korea because Sun hit a worldly free
(40:37):
kick and you know, oh darn, you know you were
pressing for a goal in the second half and they
nipped one after all the subs were made. Fine, but
Poshacino is dead wrong. We were not better than South
Korea on that we may have played better them for
like twenty five minutes. Game is ninety minutes long, and
(40:59):
they were better than us for the other sixty five
And so that's just my concern is you're going to
play a better team, probably with a slightly rotated lineup.
To me, that that doesn't equal a recipe for success. Again,
results don't matter in friendlies, but performances do. And if
(41:19):
you're truly trying to make these experiments in fact finding missions,
my concern is we won't even be able to learn
anything from the friendly.
Speaker 1 (41:30):
Jared, what do you think about what's going to be
facing the USM and T at the Death Star on Tuesday?
What are you looking for?
Speaker 4 (41:40):
Japan's gonna press the shit out of you. Yes, because
this new era of Japan is not like a sit
and be methodical. They are going to use their athleticism.
They're going to press you. How do you respond to that?
Because this team and you could hardly this conversation with
(42:02):
the local team. Your local team, not my local team.
You are missing a certain amount of some bitch in
the roster. You are missing guys who when the game
is over, no matter what the score line is at
Bart's point, you know, if it's too nil and you
(42:24):
get a world and you get nipped to the end,
you know, trying to tie you, you go into the
I'd rather lose two nil than uh and then not
try and make it one one that happens.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
But no matter the.
Speaker 4 (42:36):
Result, at the very least traditionally, what this team did
is they made you. It made it miserable to play
against them, like the other team walked off that field
even if they won. And when that was not fun,
none of that was enjoyable, like it. It's kind of
like playing Iowa or in football, or like some addition
(43:00):
of Utah where it's like it's just not gonna be
No one's gonna enjoy this. It's gonna be physical, it's
gonna be hard. You're not gonna have a chance to breathe.
But you have to be the one to bring that
is the roster and it's missing. You're asking what I'm
(43:24):
looking for. I want to see you want.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
To go ahead on?
Speaker 1 (43:33):
No, I'm just gonna say you want to see Christian
Rodand with some sun bitch.
Speaker 4 (43:38):
No, because you know why, Because I know Christian Rodon
has that. I've watched him in Seattle for a decade.
I know he has that. Christian rowdon is not my question.
Christian Roldan's a great depth piece. And if I'm up
to one late in the game and I'm like, hey,
my guys are gas and I need somebody who's gonna
(43:59):
like help stabilize the ship and keep guys mentally locked in,
then Christian worldd is my guy for that. But I'm
asking my posh tattooed millionaires to be the ones to
have that sum bitch in them because right now they
don't consistently. I have to amend that because yeah, sometimes
(44:21):
they're gonna come out and show it, whether it's club
love or what is national team whatever, sometimes they're gonna
show it, but not consistently.
Speaker 1 (44:28):
And I need that, arret.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
That was my biggest complaint, like overall complaint from from Saturday,
like internally watching this game, talk about that you gotta
have some some bench. Christian Polistics spent all summer making
the soap opera a documentary about himself and complaining about,
(44:53):
oh well, people just don't understand I need a rest
And I'm not saying but where was the You didn't
want to come back and be like, let me prove
to every single person that what I my decisions this
summer are going to make me a better USM and
T player? Where was that his freak kick? Oh my
(45:16):
good lord, oh my lord, that was so bad?
Speaker 4 (45:20):
And no lip to like the old national team players
of yesteryear and their quasi hypocritical bullshit feel justified and everything.
I say that because yeah, like they'll sit there and
tell you that you know, these guys don't like these
new guys don't like being criticized their soft oh yes,
(45:42):
But also anyone who spits a bad word about some
of the former national team players, they clutch their pearls
faster and anybody you've ever seen, don't give me that
hypocritical bullshit. Y'all are just as soft at this point
of your careers, and you're falling into the same damn
trap that older players fell into when you were young,
of complaining about everything and.
Speaker 3 (46:04):
Calling everybody soft.
Speaker 4 (46:05):
In the second you get called out on it and
called to the carpet or criticized or challenged on it,
you grip your pearls and you act like somebody just
you know, through septic water on your kitchen floor. So
miss me with that bullshit, and miss me with the
internal arguing between former players. I don't give a shit
what your legacy is with the national team.
Speaker 3 (46:27):
Miss me with the constant.
Speaker 4 (46:28):
Bicker ring, and we're tearing each other down, whether it
is former legends or guys who had one cap with
the national team, and current guys, whether they have one
cap or twenty with the national team. Quit tearing each
other down, for God's sakes, just so you can get
five hundred more likes.
Speaker 3 (46:45):
It's not that important.
Speaker 4 (46:48):
What is more important is the fact that you have
a World Cup in nine months and you don't look prepared,
and all you have is infighting and people who feel
like their star might be fading deciding they need their
star to stick around just a little bit longer, so
they're gonna take the podshots at you, and then you're
gonna take him back, and.
Speaker 3 (47:05):
It's just this cycle of suck.
Speaker 5 (47:11):
Everyone take a walk, man, Jared was, I'm so tired
of listening to the angst and like half this young
roster listening to the cure.
Speaker 3 (47:30):
Yeah, it's hard.
Speaker 4 (47:31):
You're playing a hard schedule, Like we went over this
during the Club World Cup.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Like you got guys who are playing a lot of
games a year.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (47:39):
It's tough.
Speaker 4 (47:40):
And yeah, like did Policic need a break? He really
might have. He's always been prone to injury, played a lot.
He got his break, But when you came back, I
needed more from you. And getting into this pissing contest
with veteran players who used to play for the national
team but own anymore but are building a media career
(48:02):
for themselves doesn't help you. It doesn't help anybody. It
doesn't help the national team. All it does is give
somebody a bunch of clicks on social media. Yeah, and
it's no one is benefiting from this little cat fight
in fighting bullshit that is constant in the US soccer atmosphere.
Speaker 3 (48:27):
Jesus, what I'm looking for.
Speaker 4 (48:29):
I want to see how many times hopefully future MLS star.
Speaker 3 (48:33):
Dies in Mata runs right past.
Speaker 4 (48:35):
Somebody like Japanese Tito is gonna just start boat racing
people in the sixty fifth minute this week, and that'll
be I will.
Speaker 3 (48:46):
That's what he is like.
Speaker 2 (48:48):
It's a dude dies up, so does on Mayda.
Speaker 4 (48:51):
He tried to leave Celtic this window, and Celtic refuse
to let him go because they're too cheap and lazy
to actually go out and buy players, which is how
they lost in the Champions League playoff round in you know,
in Kazakhstan, mh. They refuse to let him go, So
he's gonna go in the January window. Somebody go grab
(49:14):
this left winger who literally does not ever run out
of gas.
Speaker 2 (49:19):
And has that here where yeah mm hm to MLS.
Speaker 3 (49:26):
I would love it.
Speaker 4 (49:29):
He also has that quality where he's so damn fast
and he presses so damn hard, he creates more chances
than he probably should so the conversion rate isn't as
high as you want it to be. I would love it,
but you're probably gonna get priced out by by a
team in Germany. If I had to guess, I would
(49:51):
be tickled though. Also I think he's twenty six years old.
Twenty seven years old, so a prime age player plays on.
Speaker 3 (49:58):
The left wing. Uh, scored like thirty goals last year.
Speaker 1 (50:05):
Yeah, subtle hints, subtle hints from Jared Smith. Let's see,
so t's gonna press the.
Speaker 2 (50:13):
Shit out of you.
Speaker 4 (50:13):
It's it's gonna be brutal, not to say the score
line is gonna be brutal with playing Them's gonna be
tough because you're gonna want the ball in Japan is
going to take personal offense to that.
Speaker 3 (50:23):
What are you gonna show me?
Speaker 1 (50:26):
Days? And Maida is twenty seven turns twenty eight October
twenty To answer your question, sir, so that that's he's
got a contract lot.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
Before he truly feels about thinks about coming down LUs
in my opinion.
Speaker 1 (50:39):
So after this, after this window it is two in
October within a five day period, Ecuador at Q two
on October ten, Australia at dix on October fourteenth in
Commerce City, Colorado, then two and four days in November,
Padagua at Chester on November fifteen, Uruguay in Tampa on
(51:04):
November eighteen.
Speaker 2 (51:06):
Bart and John, I'm gonna just kind of wrap it
up with this, is that we are getting a good
slate of friendlies if you even include the Turkey and
Switzerland match, Like, I will credit US Soccer for getting
good opponents in these friendlies. So when we're not playing
our best teams against teams that are going to the
(51:26):
World Cup, that feels like a missed opportunity to really
test and to really learn and to take those lessons
and improve. And that's again just where I'm I'm just
so frustrated because I didn't learn anything that can help
us at the twenty twenty six World Cup. Thing, possible tournament,
thing that may or may not exist, sorry, whatever we
(51:48):
have to call it. Yes, I don't learn anything that
can help us June twenty twenty six. And I think
that John is the concern stuff. I'm looking at you
at the Japan Actually give me a lesson or two
that I can go, oh, this is something that we
can use to improve Come June twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (52:07):
Six soccer for USPOD. What's the rundown?
Speaker 2 (52:11):
We will see. I am traveling for work this week
because not that I have a real job, but I
am assisting my father with his job. We'll see how
that goes. I'll be in Hoover, Alabama, where John's favorite
football coach ever made.
Speaker 1 (52:27):
His namesake, right, and yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (52:32):
So.
Speaker 2 (52:32):
I'll be there through Wednesday, so if I get back
in time, we might be able to record. And then Thursday, John,
I'm hopping on a playing to fly up to Pittsburgh
to then drive down to Morgantown for a game on Saturday. Yes,
so Bart will be busy this week. I'll be traveling
a lot.
Speaker 1 (52:46):
Bart will have a backyard brawl and a front yard
fervor in Hoover. So just be safe, my friend. I
have fun and you and Jarrett definitely set the bar
this morning. I will say that when it came to you,
I apologize. Look, it's a morning show and we posted
with an here. Yeah, so we posted with an E
(53:09):
and then folks can listen and uh comment at their
own peril. As always, just be safe, my friend. We'll
catch up with you soon. And like I said, just
be safe, on the ground. Be safe in the air.
We'll catch up with you. We'll catch up with you
on the flip side.
And I imagine that this particular individual is how do we
phrase fairly fired up about what happened on the weekend?
Time to bring in Bart Keeler from the soccer for
USPOD Bart. We've got grades to get into, we've got
the numbers to walk through, we've got our opposition research
(00:21):
from Dan getting ready for the matchup with Japan on Tuesday.
I imagine that there were a lot of how do
I phrase unattractive emojis that probably carried their way through
a lot of conversations after what happened with South Korea?
So am I far off in my conversation?
Speaker 2 (00:41):
I think we skipped past the emojis and went straight
to exploitives, gentlemen. That was a disappointing and just straight
up disheartening performance from the US M and T. I
think the biggest, I guess the biggest emotion after that
(01:01):
game was confusion because we don't know what the hell
is going on right now, and you're paying big bucks
to a guy who's supposedly a good manager, and he
is screwing up every possible thing that involves player management
and players election right now. He's ousted several players who
(01:22):
are in many people's opinions really good players doesn't feel
the need to call them in at least and as
bringing in guys who anyone could tell you asn't up
to the international level. I'm not saying they're bad players,
and we'll get into it, but there's a difference between
being really good in MLS and being influential on the
(01:43):
international scale. That seems to be an issue right now. John.
We don't know what exactly this team is and what
it can do, which is really disappointing.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
Question was raised in the discord, and I will and
what I will do is I will somewhat qualify it
with the one lineup of lineups that the US M
and T should have.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
We don't know what that is. Well, okay, well, and
that that's the problem right now, John, So sorry to
preempt you. The problem is, I think we think we
know who are best eleven players on should be on
the field. We think we know that, okay, But we
have a manager right now who says, well, that guy
doesn't give it as much effort as I personally feel
like he should be giving. So I'm gonna call on
(02:34):
a guy who isn't good, but you know what, he
works hard in practice despite not being actually useful in
a game. And that's what we're stuck with.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
The question in the discord was would this team qualify
for the twenty six World Championship where you're chasing after
a cup? Would they qualify for this tournament if there,
if it was in another country and there was no
such thing as the automatic qualifier, would they qualify for
(03:04):
the World Cup?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Do you again, John defined this team because we don't
have Weston McKinney, which he gave his reasons, but he's
good at giving excuses. John, Sorry to bring up that word.
I know Jason hates that word, but at this point
we're reaching excuse level with this manager because everything it
(03:26):
needs an excuse with this dude. We don't have enough
fans in the stands, or you know, the players don't
care enough, or or some line he's gonna give us
that we don't know. We don't know, John, because we're
not sure what Pochaccino thinks. It is his best player
and so the reality is, and we can talk about
(03:48):
coaches all we want, but players matter. Players as he
I mean, he's right. Players score the goals, players defend
the goals, and he keeps putting out subpar players, and
it goes, well, it's the fans for not being in
the stands. Why aren't they here to support us as
we're asked to watch, you know, players who are very
clearly not our best players. They're not stars to be
(04:10):
just frank. And when you continue to put a guy
out like and he was fine on saturdaybody who continue
to put guys out like Max Arfson and Sebastian Berhalter,
and you go, this is what's going to carry us
to the World Cup. That's just asking that. It's just
disrespectful at this point. And so that's the problem we have, John,
(04:31):
is we don't know. I could tell you who I
think our best eleven are. That doesn't matter because the
dude making the call in the shots doesn't like that.
One dude one time maybe went golfing.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
Paul Kennedy in his in his breakdown of the whole thing,
he has it laid out. The one thing is evident
about Pochattino's roster selections is that he has no clue
who among the sixty to sixty five players he says
his staff is following he'll take to the World Cup.
Nothing matters until the USA opens World Cup on June twelve.
(05:07):
At so far which is a huge problem. Uh asked
after the two nil loss to South Korea, when it
becomes important for the USM and T to get wins
to build trust and confidence. Pochettino responded, we need to
start to win when the World Cup starts, pointed to
the many examples of teams that excelled in the years
leading up to the World Cup flopped in the finals.
He was part of Bielsa's much fancied Argentina team dominated
(05:28):
the two World Cup qualifying in South America, but exited
the group stage in Japan. Quoting once again Kennedy, everything
Pochettino says is true. USA could lose every game it
plays before he must pick his team before heading off
to prepare for the World Cup, not out of the
roma possibility, and it will be the same as if
it wins every game. A interview with Mike wy Tala,
Bruce Arena said, the qualifying competition really grows your team
(05:51):
to find out who can play and who can really
deal with the pressure and everything else in quote, so
that was Bruce Arena to Woyitala. Kennedy says, what the
loss to South Korea, and Harrison drove home is that
the lack of urgency is killing the M and T
both sides of the ball. No sense that plays had
to be made, as if the USA depended on them
to go to the World Cup or the players own
(06:13):
chances of making the World Cup team depended on making plays.
So you are in. You are in the Kennedy camp. Obviously,
with what Paul wrote in his column coming out of
that two zero loss.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Yeah, I mean I think he yes. In theory John,
nothing matters until June twenty twenty six and that ball
kicks off for the world Championship of a cup of
a sport. Yes, but you should look like you can
do the damn thing before then. Period. It's the same
(06:53):
people who every year try to tell me the Falcons
are going to be good despite them losing every preseason game.
You gotta look like you can do it, and right
now this team looks incapable of doing basic things like
pressing in a coordinated fashion. They don't. Sorry, we gotta
we gotta move the microphone away. You get you work
coordinated fashion, don't. No, we don't press well, which is
(07:18):
supposed to be a hallmark of a Blista system, and
I know Patino is probably the I think the furthest
from that and in terms of what he does, but like,
you still gotta press. There were most of it. When
you know, South Korea took a goal kick and we
could press high. We we created nothing else out of that.
We don't defend it. A blow block, well, we get
(07:40):
carved up easily. We got defenders out there who are
eighty goddamn seven years old.
Speaker 1 (07:45):
Wow, sorry, there's the.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
We got. We got old guys out there trying to
cover for a dude who isn't good enough to play
on the international level. We've got a guy who's not
good enough to play on the international level, covering for
a guy who can't beat a hurdle in a race. Like,
what are we doing? And that's the issue. Then I
have John. If you're truly trying to evaluate Tristan Blackman,
(08:10):
well I'm just gonna focus on.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Him for a second.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
Apologies.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
No, I don't think he was terrible the entire game.
I think I think he was mostly just okay. The
problem is he's playing next to a dude who shouldn't
be on this starting way, but he continues just pretending like, oh,
you got to battle for a position. Why does Tim
rem get every single start as if he is beholden
(08:36):
because of his age to the starting lineup spot. And
so if you're even trying to evaluate players, you're not
giving them the proper platform on wants to evaluate. You're
setting up bad experiments.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
So then to follow your Tim Reim example, who was bad?
Speaker 2 (08:56):
I'm sorry, he was the worst. He was the second
worst player on the field on Saturday.
Speaker 1 (09:01):
Uh, well, we'll get into the numbers. Then the numbers
for me anyway, Yeah, the numbers are different, but not
by much. So if so, all right, So then in
a perfect world, So like perfect world, I mean we're
taking we're taking the current head coach out of the discussion.
(09:22):
What would your center back pairing be, Well, I'd.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Love for it to be Chris Richards and Mark McKenzie.
I think that gives you the most balance of athletics ability,
soccer ability, technical ball skills. Now I con side that
Mark McKenzie hasn't decided to grab the spot and that
and that is the problem. But again, to me, the
(09:48):
obvious answers, you have a guy, you have Chris Richards,
and everyone else is trying to play next to Chris Richards.
So again that goes to my my evaluation. Right, you're
setting up a bad experiment. The EXPERI it should be
Chris Richards is the control. Why Tim Riem is the control?
I have no idea. This makes no sense in my brain.
(10:08):
I'm not a scientist, but I know how to set
up a dang experiment. I took fourth grade science class.
Speaker 1 (10:13):
Yeah I was an ips or in high school.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
You know.
Speaker 1 (10:16):
Yeah, I was not an advanced well I was awful
at it was science.
Speaker 2 (10:22):
Science and math are not my advanced classes.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
Issue is.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
Why are we not trying out who works best with
Chris Richards, who is indefatigably right now the best performing
player under Mauricio Pocaccino. But yeah, we're and I understand
he was hurt. Okay, sure, again another frickin' excuse. Well,
we couldn't do it because what are we doing here?
(10:51):
I just don't there the plan and the plan doesn't
make sense. And I think the real issue comes back
to this under lying feeling that I have with this
man is that he isn't he is not taking this
job seriously. He tries to gaslight us and say well,
Americans don't take soccer seriously. The fans don't care. Now,
the players don't take us all that. Bro, you aren't
(11:14):
taking it seriously with your squad selection, with your lineup selection.
You're not taking it seriously. And you have to understand
that this country hosts a World Cup in nine months,
two hundred and seventy five days, I think right now,
and this team looks incapable of winning a game against
anyone who's halfway decent, and the stats bear that out,
(11:38):
especially under this man's tenure.
Speaker 1 (11:41):
All right, so we have in a perfect world, you're
center back pairing. Who's your lest who's your starting left
back in a four three three?
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Well it's Jedi Jedi Robinson and right back is Searginia Dust.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
Okay, midfields, had all things being equal, like you said,
give me, give me, we.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
Had a terrible game on Saturday, Ideally it would probably
be Adams McKenny Raina. Okay, I think would be what
I would want the most. I think that gives you
a lot of what you would want to do. I
could I could see I actually would like to see.
And again this is an experiment. For some reason, we
(12:20):
can't possibly conduct Adams and Johnny play together to see
how they actually play with each other. But I think
from what we know and what we've seen, I would
say it's Adams McKinny and Raina. And people are gonna
sound off in the comments. I'm sorry dougt ruin your
great weekend with your daughter's wedding, but I would start
to you or rain at the World Cup.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So then up front and your your front three would
be Polisic way and that's I think.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
I think Flaren Valagan full of BALI proved on Saturday
that he's probably our bestriker. Now that's said, I would
love to have Ricardo Peppy and Flaren Valagan in camp
competing with each other. But I still think Balagan is
a better striker full time than Ricardo Peppy. But both
of those guys I think our starting quality.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
Yeoman's Son scores in the eighteenth, Dong Jong Lee scores
in the forty third in front of a crowd of
twenty six five. Apparently there was dynamic pricing, or at
least a lack of a desire for USM and T
fans to pay what was on the board to go
see a matchup in the swamps of Jersey, so no
real surprise. There were a lot of South Korean fans
(13:31):
that went and watched this match. Pricing and venues is
another thing that is probably a separate segment for us.
On another rundown, you had the starting lineup, Matt Freeze.
Is he your number one keeper in your mind?
Speaker 2 (13:46):
No? No, yeah, I'm sorry. He hasn't proven anything. He
really hasn't. He's been fine. He just he's just fine.
I'm sorry. So then I don't know who the starter is.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
I think Keeper Camp, then.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Turner, I mean Turner and Freeze are there. I don't
know if it's Stephan is there. I would like to
have seen him a little bit more, just to see
if he His return to MLS and playing a lot
would have helped. But I don't know about that. Shulty
just I like Shulty a lot. I don't think he's
(14:31):
there yet. I don't think Celentano is. I mean, I
think Selental is decent. I don't think he's there. It's
not Chris Brady, it's not I don't think it's Jonathan Cleinsman.
Now that said, if you tell me that Celentano or
Cleansman start on Tuesday, you know tomorrow I think that
would be great. Actually, I think trying to experiment in
(14:52):
that regard would be fine. I don't again, I don't
think Matt Freeze has taken the job as his Outside
of the penalty shootout against Costa Rica. I don't think
he's been particularly that's our guy. But Turner also hasn't,
and I think that is that is where you shift
the focus on the players, John, And this is a
great position to talk about it. No one said I
(15:16):
want to be the starter come June twelfth, fourteenth, twenty
twenty six, no one. No one has said that. And
a lot of positions and that that is another issue.
Goalkeeper is definitely one of them.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
Matt Freees given a four by the way from our
friends at Soccer America.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
Yeah, he didn't look good. I'll give him slight pass that,
you know. I don't think the goals are necessarily his fault.
The second one probably was. I don't think he needs
to come out like.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
That, but.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
There were there are a lot of As I will
always say for every goalkeeper as a member of the
Goalkeeper Union, a lot of bad things have to happen
for a ball to get to a goalkeeper, and if
you're taking shots inside the penalty area and you have
more than two guys on marked. I'm going to I
don't think that's the goalkeeper's fault, John, But he does
concede two goals, and he has some bad moments in passing,
(16:06):
and yeah, it wasn't great again not good, And and
there needs to now be accountability because you binched Matt
Turner for a bad game a four, and now lost
to Switzerland with a much worse lineup in front of
So I am curious what that accountability standard will be
for Matt.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
Freeze back line start dest Blackman, Reem and Max Arsten.
I know, and we'll pull Max Arsten to the side
because since day one of his call ups, you have
not done a Max Arsten fan.
Speaker 2 (16:40):
I don't think he's a left back. That's just the
best of.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
My summary on Matt Sarsen dest punched to five. Tristan
Blackman was given Get this. I cannot remember the last
time anyone got a two. Boy Tala gave Blackman a two?
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Mm hm, what did Tim Riam get?
Speaker 1 (16:59):
Tim got a four? Max R three.
Speaker 2 (17:03):
I would flip Blackman and read I thought Blackman was
mostly okay. The problem is I think moving up to
the international level is tough, and we have seen black
men come out for camps before, and I think that's
what's annoying about this call up. Now John is just
to be And I'll extrapolate this to the roll DN
(17:26):
conversation when we talk about him. It's not that I
don't think Tristan Blackman is a good or bad defender.
I think if you watch him in MLS, you go,
it's pretty darn good center back. He does not extrapolate
his skills, he does not take his skills and transfer
them to the international game. Well that doesn't mean he's bad, right, Look,
(17:47):
I think I'm a pretty darn good goalkeeper and sons
of pitches until we move up a division and all
of a sudden people are faster than I am. So yeah,
that's kind of the thing is is I don't want
to sound like we're dumping on these guys because that
that makes them sound like they're not good at soccer.
They absolutely are, but they're just not at this level.
(18:10):
And we've seen that from Tristan Blackman. So again, that's
why the call up for me was just so what
are we doing? And you know, but look, you got
to see him. Pascatcina said he liked what he saw
from him. I don't know if that's a obligatory, like hey,
I don't want to like dump on you or or
you know, make it feel bad. I just want to
make sure that you feel like you did all right.
(18:32):
I do think he was better than Tim Riem, who
was not good at the things we needed him to
be good at, which he's supposed to be the dude
who can pass the ball, and he had a bat.
He had a worse day passing than Tristan Blackman.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
Jarrett joins us from the Mountain time zone here on
a Monday. He probably heard you Bart yelling without even
having a show cued up. We are, Jarrett hip deep
in the discussion about the men's national team and what
happened on the weekend, and Bart, obviously is how do
(19:07):
we phrase this less than pleased?
Speaker 3 (19:09):
You weren't having a bad Bart had a bad weekend.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
I'm talking about him. There is only one power for
a team that lost to a GRIP of five conference team,
only one, John Darren, only one.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
Yes. The discussion about going to Athens, Ohio the week
before back.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
Then, I'm so glad that athletic director is no longer
directing our athletics.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
I will not begrudge you any anger or property destruction
you partake in, especially as a WPU Gret. I feel
like you're God given right.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
So there's that.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
Mm hmm.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Anyway, I didn't watch the national team, but I saw
enough of what happened to go, huh that's uh So
Jurgen was in the crowd, too, great, this is this.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Is going swimmingly. Meanwhile, Greg Burhalter is gonna take Chicago
to the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (20:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Do you think Jurgen Klinsmann was given that sweet or
do you think he paid for it from the checks
he's still catching from both of these federations.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
I kind of hope he's paying for it with the
zaxi's getting from multiple federations. Yeah, and I just I
kind of think it's like a I kind of hope
he got it off seat geek too, you know, off
a discount penny's on the dollar, not not that, not
that you can afford anything going to a US men's
(20:41):
national team game, not that it is an affordable experience
for most people. God forbid, we make it affordable for
the average fan to go to a game, and God
forbid a game in New York not be a South
Korea home game.
Speaker 1 (20:58):
All lucid points from Jared's in the Mountain time zone
this morning. The uh WE mentioned the back line not
a whole lot of high grades. Legitimately, all four starters
totaled fourteen according to way Talam midfield starters Weya Burhalter, Polisic, Adams,
(21:20):
Luna and so I guess he's looking at it as
as you know, four to five one, Weya a three,
Burhalter and Polisic fours, Tyler Adams of five, Diego Luna
a six.
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Hi Er Adam's got a five.
Speaker 1 (21:37):
Provided valuable help for the back line as deep as
in the penalty as deep as as deep as in
the penalty area, stealing the ball from Jaysung Lee in
the fourth minute, blocking Taysok Lee's crossed from the edge
of the penalty area at the beginning of the second half.
Also joined the back line for innocuous passing. When attempting
a boulder delivery over the Korean defense, he overhit.
Speaker 2 (21:58):
He got He read those numbers back to me, John,
Sure you broke him, John, I know it well.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Look to give you to give you early thought on that.
Jareded he was broken well before that moment because he
earned us the E for today with a with two
words that we have in I think in the eight
years of the show have not had uttered on the program.
Uh waya A three Burhalter and Polisic fours Tyler Adams
(22:34):
of five Diego Luna six. Tyler Adams provided valuable help
for the back line as deep as in the penalty area,
stealing the ball from Jay Sung Lee in the fourth
blocking Tasuk Lee's cross from the edge of the penalty
area in the forty sixth. He also joined the back
line for innocuous passing. When attempting a boulder delivery over
(22:55):
the Korean defense, he overhites.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
Yes, is what Tala from the Hudson River Valley is
That why he is bolstering Tyler like I don't understand.
To say that Tyler Adams was our best midfield midfielder
on Saturday is as delusional as Mauricio Pochettino telling us
that we played better than South Korea. That is an
(23:24):
absolutely false statement from way Tala and I am sorry.
You can say, oh, well, he recovered the ball. He
was bad. He broke our shape multiple times. He's part
of the reason why we were carved up so easily
because he was not defensively sound in his positioning and
screwed up a lot of our pressing triggers because he
just decided to be Tyler Adams a superhero. So you
(23:47):
can say he had ball recoveries. Not really he if
you look at the stats, he had zero defensive actions
like three recoveries and like two tackles for a fence
of midfielder.
Speaker 1 (24:02):
No, he was bad.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
Sorry, sorry, Mike, you are wrong. Tyler Adams was worse
than Sebastian Burholter, and that is scary to say.
Speaker 1 (24:12):
Sebastian Burholter was part of a US midfield that played
slowly when compared to the Koreans and with less precision.
Burholter pounced on MENJ. Kim's bad pass and shot from
twenty six flew well within reach of keeper Jon Woujo.
Burholter created a Chris Richards chance with a well delivered
free kick, but also mishit passes and that got him
(24:33):
a lot of passes. Did Tyler Adams That got him
a four. Uh So Diego Luna, who got the highest
grade in the midfield got active in the latter part
of the first half, sparked one of the USA's few
swift counter attacks one two with Polisic looked promising until
politics first touch failed him. Luna also fed Polistic for
a forty seventh minute shot that flew high. Referee Rion
Raddicks ignored JINQ Kim grabbing Poliitics arm. Chris pass sent
(24:56):
Tim Way in the lethal territory way his pass went
to minj Kim near the Korean goal area. So basically,
not a lot of stuff to talk about for the midfield.
And you're one forward listed as Josh Sergeant got a three. Yeah,
never never got a delivery he could shoot from, exited
after sixty two, still looking for his first US goal
since twenty nineteen.
Speaker 2 (25:18):
Now, I mean, look, not a good showing for Josh Sergeant.
You can talk about, yes, he didn't get delivery, but
you also, as a striker have to put yourself in
spots that players can deliver to you.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
Are we talking about the US or Atlanta?
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Yes, yes, And I'll continue by saying, and your striker
also needs to do a better job of leading the
pressing triggers. Talking about Jared.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
No, No, I'm just being a bitch this morning.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
I'm not gonna sit here and say Josh Sergeant never
deserves a look ever again. But I think it's just,
unfortunately for him, very clear that again, whatever he does
at the club level doesn't translate to the national team level.
It just doesn't. And yess, he hasn't scored since twenty nineteen.
That it's a long time, John, Yes, a long time.
(26:19):
And he hasn't not had opportunities for a double. You know,
he was the starter during the World Cup, didn't score,
you know, he just I know he's been injured a lot,
but he's also had a lot of opportunities. And again,
if we want accountability, if you want people to actually
look at the performances on the field and make decisions,
he can't justify ever bringing Joss Sargent back until you know,
(26:41):
maybe you look at him for the twenty thirty cycle.
I don't know, but he scores a whole lot for
his club teams. He doesn't score a whole lot for
the USM.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
And T subs. On the day Christian rolled on, Alex
Freeman Chris Richards each got fives, along with Alex Sin
Dejas and Jack McGlenn, Flerin Baligan got a seven from Wytala,
while Sirgenior Destin Feren and Floren Balagan, previously unavailable because
of injury, made their first appearances under Pochettino. The players
(27:12):
with the most appearances under the Argentine coach are now
cam Riem with thirteen, Diego Luna with twelve, Max Arston
and Jack McGlenn each with eleven. Heading into Columbus tomorrow night.
That makes me Sat John five shots the four go ahead, Jarrett,
(27:34):
I have.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
This, this, this sick feeling that not unlike Young Way Coup,
who we wasted Young Way Coup in Atlanta, his best
years under Arthur Smith's little NEPO I'm smarter than you regime.
And now Young Way Coup is broken. Man's change is
kicking stands like three times in.
Speaker 3 (27:52):
The last year.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
He's he's broken. He needs, he needs, he needs a
darkness retreat of his own. And I wish him nothing
but the best, but he's broken. Also feel I fear
in a similar way that the US men's national team
missed the boat on make taking the most advantage of
(28:15):
Tim Reen's late career abilities in the last four years,
where he was really good. He was really good at
the World Cup. He was good before and after, and
Father Time remains undefeated. And I fear that we are
approaching the approaching that into the parabola that does a
(28:38):
ninety degree drop with tim Reen.
Speaker 1 (28:42):
Yes, Bell curve and all of that stuff.
Speaker 2 (28:45):
I think, and I think that is the problem that
he has thirteen Look, I.
Speaker 1 (28:54):
But how much I'm gonna I'm going to ask this
question because I'll play Devil's advocate for a second. Okay,
nine months to go before you're chasing after a cup
with the rest of the world in twenty twenty six.
How much of this is trying to figure out spots
twelve through twenty six as opposed to spots one through eleven.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
Well, he doesn't have spots one through eleven figured it
out that we can tell. And that again is proba
because his words are saying there are lots of guys
who you know, need to work harder. They're not dedicated
enough for X, Y and Z. Excuse that he's given
to not call in what Unfortunately, whether you want to
believe it or not, are the best players. Wes McKinney,
(29:40):
Eunice Mussa, These guys are better than anything else we
have right now. Johnny Cardos, I understand he's not great
for his national team, but at his club level, he's
pretty darn good. You know, there are guys who are
just better. Mark McKenzie is just a better soccer player.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
And that's and that's why I raised the question because
of those individuals that you know that.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
We are nine months out. I would like to have
those guys in this camp to work together to build
some sort of chemistry because that's the other problem is
we have zero chemistry heading it because while yes, a
lot of these guys have played together, right, I mean
Itams McKinny musa polistic way of those were the guys
during the you know, second half of World Cup, qualifying
(30:28):
in the World Cup, and the guys who helped us
win you know, three straight Nations League titles, but they
also don't have chemistry together. In this system. It's slightly different.
It's not a whole lot of different, but it is.
It is different, and it's just good to play with
each other, you know, when you're leading up to a tournament.
(30:49):
I mean, that's again that's kind of my issue. So
I understand what you're trying to say John is like
we know are starting eleven. I think the fear is
we don't don't know that, and we probably should have
a good idea who if you're at least starting eight,
is you know, who are eight guys of year eleven
should be probably sold right now? I mean, I think
(31:11):
it's fair to say that you know, do I know
which attacking midfielder is going to play? Probably not? Do
I know which player is starting next to Chris Richards
not really? And goalkeeper is obviously a question. Okay, fine,
And so you're right, maybe we're wasting time in this
(31:31):
camp to find who can be players mile through twenty
six orever many they bring you know that.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
Nine through twenty six if you if you're I'll stipulate
to your eight with the questions of center back, keeper
and up top.
Speaker 2 (31:47):
But I would say that we I still think we
have a good fifteen guys that we know as fans.
We can see based on what they do for their
club and then what they have done in the national
team in the very recent history, that there are guys
who probably are in that first twelve to fifteen, and
(32:09):
then so yes, we need to find the next eleven
players to fill out the roster. Okay, fine, why weren't
Why are we It doesn't make sense to me to
call in guys fully branded. You know, have so many
guys who are on the fringes into a camp like this,
(32:31):
because to me, the question should be how do they
work with the players who we know are going to
be there? And again you're calling up that, I mean
Sean Zawatsky, You called them up and he didn't even
play them. Yeah, if you need to try him out,
why isn't he getting tryout? You know what? Instead, we
(32:53):
got more of Tim Mareen, we got more of Tyler Adams,
We've got more of Sebastian Burghlter. Right, So again, if
you're you're thought process here, if your research question, John
is who are those next guys on the squad? But
yet you're starting eleven was outside of Tristan Blackman and
maybe Josh Sargant, guys who Poscaccino has seen and knows of,
(33:18):
I mean Serginadus. Maybe you need needed to see him
because he's been hurt. Like, it's not like you had
an experimental eleven. You had Tristan Blackman as your experiment
and Josh sargent, maybe as your experiment, depending on how
you want to look at it. So I understand your point,
but I would even say that's not even seeming to
be the goal here, because he's not actually doing any
(33:38):
experimentation unless he thinks that, you know, he didn't like
it what he saw in training, in which case I
would say, well, then why did you bring him in
if all you needed was half a week of training
camp to go? Now, this guy's not it.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
Shots on the day seventeen four all four on target
for South Korea, five on target for the United States,
five saves for South Korea, two man freeze, nine corner
six to the US. Twelve fouls eight to the US,
and one off side on the day, So the Ars
kept their flags down most of the time, possession of
the US at fifty four percent. So, as we have
(34:15):
looked at this, I know that you, because of everything
else that you've been talking about, you wanted to you
wanted to mention Christian roll Don I believe was that
another talking point here.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Look, it's fair to say that the team looked a
little bit better with Christian Rodan in there. I think
we need to say that because you know, as Jarrett
loves to remind me my praise needs to be as
loud as my criticism or whatever that quote is. He
was better than Adams or Burrhalter. I think we need
(34:48):
to be a little bit more reserved and tempered in
our praise in that though, because he was better than bad.
Speaker 3 (34:58):
Says more about them that it does him.
Speaker 2 (35:02):
I exactly. I think that's you know, he's fine, Jared.
I'm not going to say Christian's bad soccer player.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
No, I'm not gonna But I'm also not going to
tell you he needs to be the guy who's a
game changer on the national team. Oh Like, I don't
like that, and I think he is a solid player,
but he he he. If he is the guy who
is coming in and making everything work for me, then
(35:30):
I have to look down at the end of the
bench and ask my guys who are supposed to be better,
who are supposed to be game changers, what are you doing?
Speaker 1 (35:42):
What to do it?
Speaker 4 (35:44):
Because that guy who is limited, I think at this
point of his career, is coming out here and making
things work better than you are when you're supposed to
be entering.
Speaker 3 (35:56):
Your prime.
Speaker 1 (35:58):
What you're doing.
Speaker 3 (36:03):
So no, I do not disagree with you.
Speaker 4 (36:05):
At all, and I like roll Don he shouldn't be
the guy who is making things work while my guys,
who are supposed to be key guys are failing to
do just that.
Speaker 3 (36:19):
I will fully support you on this.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
You head into the matchup now with Japan on Tuesday, yikes?
Well and now is it reserves starting? You see rotation?
How much how much stability do you have from one
(36:47):
lineup to the next, or are you just anticipating more analysis?
What are you looking at Bart for the matchup coming
up here on Tuesday, Other than by staring at your
face here on the video side of things, you're not
all that wholly optimistic.
Speaker 2 (37:05):
I'm looking at pa Chettino's track record in non competitive
friendly windows, so not the Nations League's those two right,
And even if you want to look at that the
Nation's League window from March in October, we had a
pretty strong squad against Panama for the first game, took
(37:26):
a very depleted squad down to Mexico and got got beat.
Skip ahead to that March window in the Nation's League. Obviously,
you put out your best what he felt was his
best eleven against Panama in the Nation's League semifinal we
got beat I think rightfully he rotated a bit for
the third place match because you know, whether we like
(37:49):
to admit it or not, they don't really mean all
that much. June comes around. I think he plays what
he thinks is his best eleven against Turkey. We have
a we'd lose, but it looks okay with a guy,
you know, a squad that is not very high ceiling
anyway because of the nature of what he called in
and then he rotates the heck out of it and
(38:10):
we lose four to nothing against Switzerland. So my concern
is John he will rotate to.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
Rotate, He'll rotate the heck out of it again on Tuesday.
Speaker 2 (38:21):
I don't know if he'll rotate the heck out of
it because I don't think the I guess the Switzerland
match wasn't super super rotated, but like rotated enough, right,
there were some substantial changes that said. I think rotation
is good, right, Like I said, I kind of would
like to see someone not named Matt Freeze starting goal.
I just want to see it again. I don't think
Matt Freeze has said I'm the number one, you know.
(38:46):
I would like to see a center back rotation. Right,
if Chris Richards is healthy enough to start stardom, maybe
you start Blackman next to Richards. I don't know if
I would approve of that, but at least I ago, yeah,
put put it next to them, why you can run?
That would be nice, you know, But I would like
to see Noakhai Banks play. I think if you brought
(39:09):
them all this way, you should try to play them.
You know, do you do you? I don't think way
Up was as bad as the numbers say for a
number of reasons, but you know, maybe see time to
start Alex and Dejas. Give him a chance to prove
that he can do it from a starting position and
not just from a off the bench. So that I'm
(39:29):
not saying rotation is bad, right, I mean, wouldn't shocked
me if Christian role don starts tomorrow. But the problem
continues to be that this roster's ceiling is still low,
so it's floor, and that rotation to guys who are
(39:50):
in theory weaker compared to what you in theory put
out your best lineup against South Korea outside of I
think a couple obvious like experiments, that doesn't signal to
me that we're going to have a better game against Japan,
a team who is better than us in multiple facets,
(40:14):
if not all of them. So I don't expect a
whole lot. I'm sorry, I just don't. I mean, I
think that the pattern has played out. And again I
don't necessarily say the result of our friendly does not matter.
The performance individually and collectively matters. If you have lost
too niddle South Korea because Sun hit a worldly free
(40:37):
kick and you know, oh darn, you know you were
pressing for a goal in the second half and they
nipped one after all the subs were made. Fine, but
Poshacino is dead wrong. We were not better than South
Korea on that we may have played better them for
like twenty five minutes. Game is ninety minutes long, and
(40:59):
they were better than us for the other sixty five
And so that's just my concern is you're going to
play a better team, probably with a slightly rotated lineup.
To me, that that doesn't equal a recipe for success. Again,
results don't matter in friendlies, but performances do. And if
(41:19):
you're truly trying to make these experiments in fact finding missions,
my concern is we won't even be able to learn
anything from the friendly.
Speaker 1 (41:30):
Jared, what do you think about what's going to be
facing the USM and T at the Death Star on Tuesday?
What are you looking for?
Speaker 4 (41:40):
Japan's gonna press the shit out of you. Yes, because
this new era of Japan is not like a sit
and be methodical. They are going to use their athleticism.
They're going to press you. How do you respond to that?
Because this team and you could hardly this conversation with
(42:02):
the local team. Your local team, not my local team.
You are missing a certain amount of some bitch in
the roster. You are missing guys who when the game
is over, no matter what the score line is at
Bart's point, you know, if it's too nil and you
(42:24):
get a world and you get nipped to the end,
you know, trying to tie you, you go into the
I'd rather lose two nil than uh and then not
try and make it one one that happens.
Speaker 3 (42:33):
But no matter the.
Speaker 4 (42:36):
Result, at the very least traditionally, what this team did
is they made you. It made it miserable to play
against them, like the other team walked off that field
even if they won. And when that was not fun,
none of that was enjoyable, like it. It's kind of
like playing Iowa or in football, or like some addition
(43:00):
of Utah where it's like it's just not gonna be
No one's gonna enjoy this. It's gonna be physical, it's
gonna be hard. You're not gonna have a chance to breathe.
But you have to be the one to bring that
is the roster and it's missing. You're asking what I'm
(43:24):
looking for. I want to see you want.
Speaker 3 (43:31):
To go ahead on?
Speaker 1 (43:33):
No, I'm just gonna say you want to see Christian
Rodand with some sun bitch.
Speaker 4 (43:38):
No, because you know why, Because I know Christian Rodon
has that. I've watched him in Seattle for a decade.
I know he has that. Christian rowdon is not my question.
Christian Roldan's a great depth piece. And if I'm up
to one late in the game and I'm like, hey,
my guys are gas and I need somebody who's gonna
(43:59):
like help stabilize the ship and keep guys mentally locked in,
then Christian worldd is my guy for that. But I'm
asking my posh tattooed millionaires to be the ones to
have that sum bitch in them because right now they
don't consistently. I have to amend that because yeah, sometimes
(44:21):
they're gonna come out and show it, whether it's club
love or what is national team whatever, sometimes they're gonna
show it, but not consistently.
Speaker 1 (44:28):
And I need that, arret.
Speaker 2 (44:31):
That was my biggest complaint, like overall complaint from from Saturday,
like internally watching this game, talk about that you gotta
have some some bench. Christian Polistics spent all summer making
the soap opera a documentary about himself and complaining about,
(44:53):
oh well, people just don't understand I need a rest
And I'm not saying but where was the You didn't
want to come back and be like, let me prove
to every single person that what I my decisions this
summer are going to make me a better USM and
T player? Where was that his freak kick? Oh my
(45:16):
good lord, oh my lord, that was so bad?
Speaker 4 (45:20):
And no lip to like the old national team players
of yesteryear and their quasi hypocritical bullshit feel justified and everything.
I say that because yeah, like they'll sit there and
tell you that you know, these guys don't like these
new guys don't like being criticized their soft oh yes,
(45:42):
But also anyone who spits a bad word about some
of the former national team players, they clutch their pearls
faster and anybody you've ever seen, don't give me that
hypocritical bullshit. Y'all are just as soft at this point
of your careers, and you're falling into the same damn
trap that older players fell into when you were young,
of complaining about everything and.
Speaker 3 (46:04):
Calling everybody soft.
Speaker 4 (46:05):
In the second you get called out on it and
called to the carpet or criticized or challenged on it,
you grip your pearls and you act like somebody just
you know, through septic water on your kitchen floor. So
miss me with that bullshit, and miss me with the
internal arguing between former players. I don't give a shit
what your legacy is with the national team.
Speaker 3 (46:27):
Miss me with the constant.
Speaker 4 (46:28):
Bicker ring, and we're tearing each other down, whether it
is former legends or guys who had one cap with
the national team, and current guys, whether they have one
cap or twenty with the national team. Quit tearing each
other down, for God's sakes, just so you can get
five hundred more likes.
Speaker 3 (46:45):
It's not that important.
Speaker 4 (46:48):
What is more important is the fact that you have
a World Cup in nine months and you don't look prepared,
and all you have is infighting and people who feel
like their star might be fading deciding they need their
star to stick around just a little bit longer, so
they're gonna take the podshots at you, and then you're
gonna take him back, and.
Speaker 3 (47:05):
It's just this cycle of suck.
Speaker 5 (47:11):
Everyone take a walk, man, Jared was, I'm so tired
of listening to the angst and like half this young
roster listening to the cure.
Speaker 3 (47:30):
Yeah, it's hard.
Speaker 4 (47:31):
You're playing a hard schedule, Like we went over this
during the Club World Cup.
Speaker 3 (47:35):
Like you got guys who are playing a lot of
games a year.
Speaker 2 (47:38):
I get it.
Speaker 3 (47:39):
It's tough.
Speaker 4 (47:40):
And yeah, like did Policic need a break? He really
might have. He's always been prone to injury, played a lot.
He got his break, But when you came back, I
needed more from you. And getting into this pissing contest
with veteran players who used to play for the national
team but own anymore but are building a media career
(48:02):
for themselves doesn't help you. It doesn't help anybody. It
doesn't help the national team. All it does is give
somebody a bunch of clicks on social media. Yeah, and
it's no one is benefiting from this little cat fight
in fighting bullshit that is constant in the US soccer atmosphere.
Speaker 3 (48:27):
Jesus, what I'm looking for.
Speaker 4 (48:29):
I want to see how many times hopefully future MLS star.
Speaker 3 (48:33):
Dies in Mata runs right past.
Speaker 4 (48:35):
Somebody like Japanese Tito is gonna just start boat racing
people in the sixty fifth minute this week, and that'll
be I will.
Speaker 3 (48:46):
That's what he is like.
Speaker 2 (48:48):
It's a dude dies up, so does on Mayda.
Speaker 4 (48:51):
He tried to leave Celtic this window, and Celtic refuse
to let him go because they're too cheap and lazy
to actually go out and buy players, which is how
they lost in the Champions League playoff round in you know,
in Kazakhstan, mh. They refuse to let him go, So
he's gonna go in the January window. Somebody go grab
(49:14):
this left winger who literally does not ever run out
of gas.
Speaker 2 (49:19):
And has that here where yeah mm hm to MLS.
Speaker 3 (49:26):
I would love it.
Speaker 4 (49:29):
He also has that quality where he's so damn fast
and he presses so damn hard, he creates more chances
than he probably should so the conversion rate isn't as
high as you want it to be. I would love it,
but you're probably gonna get priced out by by a
team in Germany. If I had to guess, I would
(49:51):
be tickled though. Also I think he's twenty six years old.
Twenty seven years old, so a prime age player plays on.
Speaker 3 (49:58):
The left wing. Uh, scored like thirty goals last year.
Speaker 1 (50:05):
Yeah, subtle hints, subtle hints from Jared Smith. Let's see,
so t's gonna press the.
Speaker 2 (50:13):
Shit out of you.
Speaker 4 (50:13):
It's it's gonna be brutal, not to say the score
line is gonna be brutal with playing Them's gonna be
tough because you're gonna want the ball in Japan is
going to take personal offense to that.
Speaker 3 (50:23):
What are you gonna show me?
Speaker 1 (50:26):
Days? And Maida is twenty seven turns twenty eight October
twenty To answer your question, sir, so that that's he's
got a contract lot.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
Before he truly feels about thinks about coming down LUs
in my opinion.
Speaker 1 (50:39):
So after this, after this window it is two in
October within a five day period, Ecuador at Q two
on October ten, Australia at dix on October fourteenth in
Commerce City, Colorado, then two and four days in November,
Padagua at Chester on November fifteen, Uruguay in Tampa on
(51:04):
November eighteen.
Speaker 2 (51:06):
Bart and John, I'm gonna just kind of wrap it
up with this, is that we are getting a good
slate of friendlies if you even include the Turkey and
Switzerland match, Like, I will credit US Soccer for getting
good opponents in these friendlies. So when we're not playing
our best teams against teams that are going to the
(51:26):
World Cup, that feels like a missed opportunity to really
test and to really learn and to take those lessons
and improve. And that's again just where I'm I'm just
so frustrated because I didn't learn anything that can help
us at the twenty twenty six World Cup. Thing, possible tournament,
thing that may or may not exist, sorry, whatever we
(51:48):
have to call it. Yes, I don't learn anything that
can help us June twenty twenty six. And I think
that John is the concern stuff. I'm looking at you
at the Japan Actually give me a lesson or two
that I can go, oh, this is something that we
can use to improve Come June twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (52:07):
Six soccer for USPOD. What's the rundown?
Speaker 2 (52:11):
We will see. I am traveling for work this week
because not that I have a real job, but I
am assisting my father with his job. We'll see how
that goes. I'll be in Hoover, Alabama, where John's favorite
football coach ever made.
Speaker 1 (52:27):
His namesake, right, and yes, absolutely.
Speaker 3 (52:32):
So.
Speaker 2 (52:32):
I'll be there through Wednesday, so if I get back
in time, we might be able to record. And then Thursday, John,
I'm hopping on a playing to fly up to Pittsburgh
to then drive down to Morgantown for a game on Saturday. Yes,
so Bart will be busy this week. I'll be traveling
a lot.
Speaker 1 (52:46):
Bart will have a backyard brawl and a front yard
fervor in Hoover. So just be safe, my friend. I
have fun and you and Jarrett definitely set the bar
this morning. I will say that when it came to you,
I apologize. Look, it's a morning show and we posted
with an here. Yeah, so we posted with an E
(53:09):
and then folks can listen and uh comment at their
own peril. As always, just be safe, my friend. We'll
catch up with you soon. And like I said, just
be safe, on the ground. Be safe in the air.
We'll catch up with you. We'll catch up with you
on the flip side.
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