And I heart radio the music Freston all the best free city playlists. It's everything. There a great podcast for every interest. This is Freddy Brins Junior from the Wrestling with Pretty podcasts. All of the mind blowing contact twenty thousand dollars, all in your favorite superstars. This Dave grew from the Food Fightersest of all, it doesn't cost him to be absolutely free. iHeart radio app Now let's continue. Reds Baseball kicks off about seven ten, and I first
pitch about eight ten. Of course, big story, which is FC Cincinnati's undefeated, untied, unstored on in first place and the Red Legs maybe in first place come another week from now. The Bengals picked when the Super Bowl Saviors should win the National College Basketball Championship next year, and U see Bearcats
might win the national football title. Yes, I'm in fantasyland. But Jeff Birdings, the CEO and chairman of the board of FC Cincinnati, and Jeff Birding, can you tell us before we talk about Messi and Ronaldo maybe teaming up with FC, can you talk about what the hell's going on with FC? Who can't lose a game? What happened? Well, we have a great coach in Pat noon In and a great GM and Chris Albright and a great fan base, a great stadium, and you put all that magic and
together and you're gonna have a great season. And that's where we've been this year. The US Cup. Of course, I met Commissioner Gerber about four or five years ago at Nipperd Stadium. Could you have seen at that point? I think in that game FC lost in the semifinals of the US Cup. And now it's going to happen against semifinals, maybe with Messi and Ronaldo. But nonetheless, could you have seen the growth of FC the previous what's
happened in the past five years? Could you have seen that at the Knipperd Stadium it's packed thirty two thousand people, and of course the restrooms are overflowing, you can't get a hot dog, people are going nuts, the parades opening, and they lost that game with Gerber president, But nonetheless, could
you have seen the growth of this thing? Well when Carlner and Scott Farmer, George Joseph, when when we found that FC Cincinnati, it was to be a winning team, and we certainly experienced that in the minor leagues, right We were the New York Yankees of Minor League soccer, and then we quickly moved into MLS as an expansion team and certainly fumbled the transition. But our goals have always been to be a winning team to represent the city,
and we were. Our ambition was to get back to being that winning team and as we were in the minor leagues, and win more trophies. So this is certainly what we had been working so hard for to deliver for our wonderful fans and for this, you know, our proud hometown. And can I tell you why I thought MESSI would play a team? Could you have envisioned Messiah? You called it a year ago? You called it a year ago. It was. It's amazing that here we are having this conversation.
I say, I wasn't a believe. You were a believer. You're we gotta get Messy. We're gonna have mel Stadium. And I was laughing sort of with you, going come on, Bill, and here we are, Well, this is what I thought. I've done work for the BBC, which is not the Burbank Broadcasting but the British Broadcasting Company, and I do live call ins to London. I'm kind of the voice of the Midwest. They think I'm normal in London, and I talk to people there and they
said, look messy. This is a couple or three years ago. If he can win the World Cup for Argentina, if he can actually conquer the World Cup, and he won like the Golden Boot, like seven years ago. I said, Okay, look at it this way. Let's say he wins the World Cup, which would have been in a year or two. Let's say he wins that. And let's say at that point Argentina has a forty percent inflation rate, which it does online. They had fifty percent one
year and forty two percent the next. This year is going to be thirty eight percent inflation. The money he's making in Argentina is devalued greatly, and he's already conquered Barcelona. The Barcelona they were getting rid of players, they weren't signing. He didn't feel like he was in control of what's happening in Barcelona. And I said, at this point, there's only one thing to
do to keep his promise to David Beckham. And he told Beckham a few years ago, look, if it's possible for me to join you in Miami, I'm going to do it, and so he's looking for a place to live with his three kids. Argentina may not be the place. Europe is not the place. Why not come to America. There's a continent to be captured. And that's why I thought Bessie would do it. Well, I mean again, I'm being real serious. You called it in a way that
some of us thought was really not possible. He is the biggest, the most famous professional sports player to ever play in the United States, And just to give the listeners some idea of that, he has four hundred and sixty nine million followers on Instagram. That's more followers than Steph Curry, Lebron, James, Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Otani, Alex Morgan, Jimmy Butler, Tiger Woods, Travis Kelsey, Mike Trout, John Morant combined, combined,
combined is four hundred and sixty nine million followers on Instagram. He is instantly the biggest name in US sports. If there was right now and mount rushmore of athletes in the world, in the world, I'm not sure an American would be on it, but I know that Messi would be the top athlete in the world. Is that fair? Yes, it is. It is. I mean, when you have to remember soccer while it's still catching on here in the US, and we've made enormous progress. It is the
most popular sport in the world. There's more people playing soccer on this planet than every other sport combined, and so everywhere around the world, the biggest sport and the biggest star. The goat is messy. Well, is he going to play? And our fans are going to get an opportunity to see him play. Our season ticket holders are gonna have an opportunity to buy their
own seats. The stadium of course will be full. We're playing for a prophy and it should be a heck of a night on August the twenty third. Are you reasonably confident he's going to play on the twenty third? I mean, obviously the deal hasn't been inked yet, but he's announced his intentions. So assuming that this works where he signs with Miami, he of course is going to be on the field they're playing. They're playing for a trophy too, and you know, and we have a great stadium. It's been
said across the board it's the best soccer stadium in the United States. I can't imagine a scenario unless he's injured, where he wouldn't play, So he would play for a team that's not very good. Right now, I think Miami I don't follow it closely. I think Miamie's not very well. They're last, the last, their last, and nc's first. We are and so messy. If he SAI, that's why you play the game, right Yeah, Well, I mean a last place team can be the first place
team all the time, but none in soccer. So you're saying the dominant, the greatest player in soccer, better than Pelee, better than and Bope, better than Ronaldo, is going to be in Cincinnati sitting at the end of a bar in OTR having a beer. Is that what you're saying. That's what I'm saying. And just to give you a sense, because I've heard some people ask me, is this like Michael Jordan going to the Wizards, and uh, he's MESSI scored I think twenty goals this past season.
I mean that that's not someone who's not still performing at extraordinary level people who fall soccer. Scoring goals is hard, and a player scores twenty goals in one of the top leagues in the world. He's still a phenomenally good player. Assuming all this takes place, you know, our team will be up for the challenge. But you know, it's he's pretty good. How much money I've read some reports he's got a deal with Apple TV, MLST.
Did FC financially participate in getting Messi to Miami? I think the short answer is we don't know the details of the deal. There will the deal, once it's done, will be brought to the Board of Governors. Carl Lindner will have an opportunity to review the details and um and ultimately have to you know, the owners will have to approve it. So we've seen some of the media reports, but at this point that's all we've seen is the number
about two hundred and fifty to three hundred million for Messi. Again, haven't seen the details. I've seen that in some of the public discussion, But until we get a memo Carl gets a memo from the from the from the commissioner regarding what the deal is, I'm not going to speculate here. I don't think that's fair. What's the top salary for the top player, inc. Who is the best player for your team? Um, I think Luco Acosta are attacking midfielders, is probably our highest paid player. But can you
tell me what he makes or not? Is that private? It's it's no, it's it was, It's been announced publicly. I think he makes about two million a year made, and Messi's two fifty. I don't. I
really don't know what the number is. But you know, if I would say this, if anyone's seen the movie Air, which is about Nike coming up with the Air Jordans and partnering with Michael Jordan as he was coming out of UNC and Michael Jordan got a percentage of all the Air Jordans that Nike has ever sold, and that was a transcendent deal, uh, for for Nike and for Michael Jordan, who's of course the goat in the in basketball.
My sense is based on some of the media reports as it might be a deal somewhere akin to that, But obviously that was an enormous deal to help Nike and Michael Jordan and his family. So my guess is this will have some elements of that, but I don't know the details. Are you shocked that Messi maybe in Cincinnati a t q L in about seven weeks shocked. Yes, yes, for sure. We were watching the drawing yesterday because when Miami we won Tuesday Miami one Wednesday, there was a question of who
would host the game. So yesterday there was the drawing, and of course the drawing for who would host the game was coming on, you know, the next day, after the news about Messi going to Miami. So then we win the drawing yesterday where our FC Cincinnati is going to host Miami, and then all of a sudden it's a feeding frenzy of just you know, look, people who are a sports fans, right, we like to see the goats, We like to see the greatest stars and Messy coming to Cincinnati,
which Bill Cunningham you called over a year ago. My next next is going to be I think when people think you're kidding, there might be some knowledge behind your kidding. Well, I will tell you you called it. I'm thinking about Ronaldo is next because my wife says, I'd look like Ronaldo when he gets done in Saudi, when he gets done in Saudi Arabia,
wouldn't he want to join maybe FC Ronaldo. Well I don't know about Ronaldo, but I will say this with Messi signing in the growth of soccer in the United States with all the stadiums, thirty teams now, um the Apple deal where people all over the world are going to be able to watch MLS games, watch Messi on Apple. UM, this certainly becomes a more attractive you know where where other great players and UH will have more inspiration and with
the credibility that Messi brings to come to Major League Soccer and certainly at some point you know FC, since I will be a part of that. I've watched the interviews with Lyon only talks about his three kids, talks about his wife. He wants the stable situation. When he was in Europe, he stayed in a hotel as kids were living out of a hotel. He wants a home. I can see him and back him getting a nice place in and around Miami, one of those mansions they have, one of the islands,
and just putting roots down in America. And that's what's This is still the let's be honest, for all of our troubles, this is still the
greatest country in the world. And for you to your point, whether you're the goat or you know, another fine human being, to be able to have an opportunity to come do what you love and what God gave you the abilities to do in our country in the United States of America's a phenomenal opportunity and it certainly this gives credibility to what all of us is owners and key leaders in Major League Soccer have been building, some for two decades and some
of us for you know in Cincinnati here eight years. Now, are you ready for the big question? Sure? Sure, Bill fire Away on August at twenty third, if Messi plays at TQL, do you have two tickets for me and Penny? Yes, we will. We will one hundred percent. We will need Bill Huntingham in the house. Jeff Birding, thank you very much. It's good to be with you. Thank you, Bill. God bless America. Thank you. Messi and Ronaldo sharing in the ball at
TQL is my next dream. On news Radio seven hundreds WLW. The federal indictment of a former president. It's never happened before, and we will prove that. You have a lot of questions. We are here to help you find the answers. What exactly are the charges against Donald Trumps? This politically motivated? What does this mean for the nation? How could this effect a run for the White House. We have to do things that will prevent this
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