Here we go, Here we go. Dave Johnson along with US Soccer Hall of Fame with Bruce Murray. It's another episode of First eleven. A lot to get to as DC and I are returning to play, and we have some time. We've got a big Gold Cup quarterfinal weekend coming up as well, and a Club World Cup continues. Who would have thunk? Who would have thunk? We've been talking about this much soccer in one summer, and of course Major League soccer, everything's going on. I remember, and
I know you do too, Bruce. In nineteen ninety two, we were thrilled to have one game US game at RFK Stadium against Ireland on that rainy night. Did you play in that game? Do you remember that?
I did? I played in that game and it was a magical game. Roy Wigerley scored a goal three to one win against Jackie Charlton's Republic of Ireland.
Who had a great Euro eighty eight, as I remember, if I got the dates correct. But the point being, and I know this is a history lesson for so many of you, so many of you you probably not alive back then, but it just it's just how you should appreciate all this soccer, because once upon a time
it was it was not that way. And I thought about it today as we've got Major League soccer at DC United returning and all this great competitions, all these great competitions going on, and you know, once we lived for one game that would show up at RFK and then we wouldn't see another game for another six months. All right, let's quickly hear from head coach Troy la saying on the injury situation, Christian Beneke at training this week.
Yeah, Christian has been back in training this week, so that's been fantastic, and so is Peglow and so is Jackson Hopkins. So you know, I talk about all those three guys at the same time because we've been this in those three guys for different periods of time. But it's it's fantastic. I have Christian fantastic, have Peglo fantastic. I have Jackson back in full training. The expectation for this weekend is hopefully they can be a part of
the roster. There's still a little bit of a question mark there, so I don't want to fully commit to saying that they will be, but they've made really good progress this week, and I'm really optimistic about the weekend for them.
So again, no guarantees about tomorrow against Nashville. Gain will have the broadcast for you at the seven fifteen. Our coverage starts on the iHeartRadio app and you can sync with Apple TV now. Bruce Murray, you were doing some math. You think DC and it needs twenty three out of forty five points to make the postseason? Is that correct, math professor?
Yeah, based on last year and throwing an extra point in, I believe that there's forty five. Well, I know there's forty five points to play for, but I believe twenty three added up to their eighteen would get them over the finish line. And to me, if you look at that as a as a goal, it's doable. If you know, if you look at it like as oh, man, look what we've already not accomplished this year and being negative about it, then it's gonna it's gonna spread through the squad.
I like the way I'm looking at it. I think Troy la saying feels the same way.
Bruce. I appreciate that, man. I like optimism. I think it's much better than cynicism, which I think is far too prevalent. This and many things in our life right look at it with positivity because the opportunities there, and that's that's the approach that we're taking one hundred percent. So when I speak to individuals, when I speak to the team, we look at the reality of where we are right now, which of course we want to be better.
But the reality of where we are right now is as we're twelfth in the table, we have fifteen matches left, seven out of the fifteen or against teams that are around us right now, so those those matches are going to be even more important. And we're a part of a quarterfinal cup competition that the club hasn't been a part of since twenty thirteen. So there's plenty of things in front of us right now that we need to
look at. Last season we finished and we're a point shy of making the playoffs, and this is very disappointing. This it's still in front of us to accomplish that. If we can accomplish that target of making the playoffs, if we can accomplish making the from quarterfinals to semi finals in the Open Cup as a next step, that we're taking the right steps towards having success in twenty twenty five.
Okay, you heard Troy was saying appreciating Bruce Murray's optimism, and he noted, you can point to certain moments of this season the DNA of this club, whether it's comeback wins or comeback ties. You know, Chicago jumps out when Jacob Rrole scored that wonder goal the win over f
C Cincinnati. But consistency has eluded this team. And it's encouraging to hear that Ben Tech game Peglo Hopkins might be returning, but more over, Bruce, in your mind, regardless of who's playing, to get those twenty three points, how do you achieve that consistency?
Well, yeah, you have to go out and go for it. You have to. There comes a certain time in the in the season where you say to yourself or a big game national team, look, you know what, I'm a professional. I have to go out there. I know what the coaches are telling me, and I have to stay within the program. But I also have to if I'm a guy who can take people on, I gotta take them on, even if it's two guys in front of me. I've
got to do that. You know, i e. Jack McGlenn or or Quinn Sullivan type players wingers in this league. And I think that's what you have to the mentality you have. You stay within the program, but you got to go rogue at times during that in a big game, you gotta take chances. We have the same problem with the national team and everyone's playing it safe. It doesn't work right.
So that that's a when we say sense of urgency, that really has to come from the players. It's not about raw ross speeches from the coaches. It has if I hear what you're saying, it has to come from how the players express themselves on the field.
They do, That's exactly how it is. And the locker room. You know, there's if you want to talk about urgency, there's no you know, more urgent player on the field than Troy Lsay. I don't know if we watch him up and down the sideline, you know, he looks like a player out there. You know, the coach can't get it done. The players have to eventually, you know, come together and say, look, we're all pros here, we're good,
we're talented players. Let's go out and let's start, you know, with one win and then let's start to stack him up, because all of a sudden, if you can do that, you know you get three or four in a row, or two or three in a row, that twenty three point goal gets closer and closer.
Well, and that's why it's encouraging to hear a Peglow. And we don't know again if he's going to play against Nashville that he is coming back. Because when I think of players that you're talking about, I think you're describing it's a Peglow or are he's healthy a parani? I mean, we've seen his ability to seize moments and sees and change games.
Well, I agree with you, Dave. If you think about the game back in New York, Uh we played Red Bull the first time. Peglow had two just ridiculous goals and you know he made he wasn't a difference. He won the game. And and so if Peglo is healthy, that's that's when one one part of being a really good player is somehow learning how to ride challenges stay healthy. He's a young player. Maybe he doesn't quite understand that yet, but I I there's just nothing but upside with Peglo.
He's been fantastic.
Uh. Randall Leal, you had a chance to speak to him this week. What was your takeaway from what what he was talking about from a player perspective, Yeah, I.
Mean he's saying everything that we're saying right now. I just uh with with Leal. I can tell that he's on the cusp of being a full time player and they're trying to find him more time. In every game we play, Leal's in the lineup, He's coming in for you know, significant minutes.
Uh.
So they're putting uh the onus on Leal. I think he's got himself in better shape to be on us with you. I think you know, you can see the way the fitness, he's got more, He's got more air, more oxygen as the game goes on. So I think Leal is going to be one of those players that we're going to be relying on Dave because he's got great feet and he has great ideas. Right now, they're not quite coming off, but they will.
Christian Vinzeki again might return. But again, it cannot be about Okay, Ben Tech is back, all the problems are solved. How how can this team? We talked about individual expression, but how can this team be you know, more dynamic and attack. And again the players take on initiative. Is is it, you know, overloading one side of the field. What what will make this team? Quite frankly, that was not very dynamic on the road against Real Salt Lake. Dynamic enough to to contend for the postseason.
Very simple, very simple, executing plays in the final third. That's number one. The other thing is playing players open. When I watch right now, in the middle, you know, you know, Jose, you know, there's not a whole lot to pass to, so everyone's playing very very square or backwards in order to I watched a game yesterday. I know this is insane, but it was a twenty fourteen World Cup game Belgium, USA, and I watched that game and I thought, how like, how good we were playing
players open? You know, we had wingers, we had full backs, we had guys who are making runs, initiating the ball to find them. That's what we have to do. You have to have movement, Dave. You've talked about it up top. We need players moving to create space so other players can fill in on that space.
Well, you bring up the USA in that Belgium game from twenty fourteen again, DC and IED National art coverage begins at seven fifteen iHeart Radio app USA. Costa Rica is coming up this weekend in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup. Give doctor Murray your prescription for the United States from what you've seen so far.
Go out and go for it, and everyone is you're at You're in the US squad for a reason. Go out and just play within, within the system. But at some at some point, you're gonna have to do what you're good at doing and make sure that happens. Because this Costa Rica team, this is a good team.
Okay.
Uh, make no mistake. The game against Mexico the other day, you know, stalemate, we're celebrating big wins. Now against Haiti. Uh you know it's to me, to me, we need a signature win. And and there's only there's only one outcome. It's a it's a proper outcome or necessary outcome, and that is the United States winning the Gold Cup. Because if they don't, all the questions are gonna fly again.
That's the Hall of Favorite. Bruce Brio. I'm Dave Johnson. I hope you'll join us for DC and IED on iHeartRadio app and synk with Apple TV. We start seven to fifteen on Saturday. We promised eleven minutes or less your first eleven. Thanks for listening.