And so now we do the hot tag and bring him back after our number one's falls start.
How's the microphone?
Hopefully it's good.
It is all right, functioning all right.
So the reason that we wanted to have you on unsure of timeslot making sure that you didn't get into trouble at work your actual paint gig is because of the series of actions going on in June, and we now have a roster makeup. We still have some questions,
I imagine when it comes to said roster makeup. When Marisio Pochettino and the national team came out with what the list was, what was your initial evaluation other than the subplots that we'll get into here in a second, but what was your initial thought about the roster when it was released?
Okay, John, I was mad. I'm gonna be real honest, because I feel like there I'm mad on multiple fronts. The first is this feels like a missed opportunity for this program to get its best players available together for an extended period of time before the World cut. So we have you know, when this kicks off, we'll have about a year until the World Cup starts. Right, this is the last real opportunity to test yourselves in a tournament format, right, so completely, you know, missing that opportunity
to get your best players available. And I understand there are some players who can't be here because of club commitments. I get that there are several players who decided they just aren't coming, and that is disappointing because again, it misses on a couple of things. One just team preparation right. Two building fan excitement. Clearly they can't read the room. There's a lot of people who are apathetic towards this team. To Matt at this team, and this roster did not
help anybody not be mad at this team. So that's kind of the biggest takeaway is this just feels like US Soccer again throwing away an opportunity to get your big guns together in a tournament environment because they just don't see the Gold Cup as important anymore. And while I understand that they may not value the Gold Cup, Conka CAF share as hell does, and they're charging us and saying the amount of money just to watch this not very good team field on the.
Field, and one of the larger pieces of news attached to it yesterday Matt Crocker Sporting director at US Soccer released the statement. US Soccer released a statement that said that Christian Polisic and his team asked for a summer break given his heavy load the last two season at AC Milan, and quote the collective decision that this is the right moment for him and get the rest he needs.
Quote.
So, I think there are two things about this that bother me. One is, Okay, you're acting like other people haven't played soccer before, you know, And I think it's kind of bullshit, to be quite.
Honest, explicit rating on a variety there There are.
Players who have played multiple long seasons who go on and play the euro you know, So are we just allowing I don't know, say the Bayern Munich squad because they seem to you know, the Barcelona squad because they populate their a lot of their national teams. It's not like they set out during you know. Also Milan, you've been done with European football for several months now. So
at one, I don't buy it, sorry uh? And two, okay, I could I can understand the compromise of you know what, you won't make Polistic come for the full entirety of the Gold Cup, right I can understand where that would be something that may be, Hey, I do need a break. Okay, fine, you're not coming for these friendlies against Switzerland and Turkey. Yeah, you're not even doing that. And Pulley is not the only one. There are other players who have decided to
not come. But it's truly indicative of the mindset of this team that they do not value, they do not prioritize, they don't think that the national team's stuff needs to be given importance. And you have a he's only played sorry, John, he's only played in one Gold Cup ever. Okay, so this is kind of bullshit. Sorry, you played in twenty nineteen.
That's it. You know, y'all have not had you played in the Copa America in twenty twenty four, where you sucked by the way, you absolutely sucked, You personally sucked and the team sucked. Okay, So you're telling me that you're not you're just throwing away an opportunity to again get real tournament experience, because well, I played in a World Cup, and I played in a Gold Cup once, and I played in a Copa America. It's just y'all aren't at the position where like you think you can
just do this. Okay, y'all, aren't there. Your FIFA ranking keeps sliding because you keep not getting results. Absolutely sucked in March, you sucked last summer, and now you're saying, I don't know, man, it's hard. I don't want to I'm sorry. I'm sorry, man.
That is not.
The mentality and the actions befitting the captain of the US men's national team. Take his arm band away. I'm sorry. This is my hot take. Take his arm band away. He has not lived up to it. He does not deserve it. Just because he's your best player does not mean he should be the captain. Look who is here. There's a Tyler Adams talk about injury problems. Tyler dad Gum Adams. Okay, Tyler Adams is here. He deserves to be the captain.
I was that was gonna be my follow up question, but you beat me to it. So would your opinion of Christian Polisic alter in any way if he wanted to be a part of team activities and still not participate in the two matches.
Yeah, I mean again, I think there's a compromise of I don't want to physically play in the matches. During the Gold Cup. I'm not saying like I understand to an extent why they may not want to, right, but you are absconding your duties as captain of this national team. Right again, you can't be bothered to even come here for the two friendlies at the beginning of June. You're telling me there aren't guys on the Turkey and Swiss squad who haven't played a lot in the last couple of years.
Well, I imagine that they, especially in the Turkish league. If you have players that are you know, they're playing in their home nation league and they understand what you know when you're going up against Bishiktas and Traps on Spoor means when it comes to everything going.
On in your league.
I get that, and that's why I wanted to ask if there was an acceptable midpoint for you when it comes to Christian Polisic and activity involving this particular camp.
Knowing that the Gold Cup roster has to be announced, that has to be submitted by June four, so maximum of twenty six submitted by June four with this list of folks, and so you're looking at Freeze Schalti, Stephen Matt Turner Arston, dest Alex Freeman, which I think is a really interesting selection, Dwan Jones, Mark Mackenzie, Tim Ree, and Chris Richards, Miles Robinson, Midfield Aaronson, Tyler Adams, Sebastian Burholter yet another interesting selection.
We'll get into that in a second.
Johnny Luca Delatore, Diego Luna, Jack McGlenn, Quinn Sullivan, Malick Tillman, Sean Zawatski, and then up top, Patrick Ajimong Flairin Balligan, Damian Downs, Brian White, and Hadgi Wright. So you have White and right as a part of the things in your forward.
So of this.
Grouping of fifteen and twenty twenty seven, what did you think.
I think there are some players on here who have earned it via their club season, and I think that is a good thing, right, you know, I think when you talk about specifically Quinn Sullivan, I think has had a really good season, right. I think he's been a pivotal player for a Philadelphia team that's doing really well, you know, so much show that he was rotated out when they came to Atlanta because they didn't even think that he was needed to beat us. You know, he's
that important to them. Alex Freeman another one who seems to have had a really good season for Orlando. You know, I think that's one that, again is an example of if you have a good club season, you'll be rewarded with some men's national team call ups. And I like that. You know, there are some players on here that I don't think are in that category. If they've had good
club seasons, let's call them up. Or more importantly, there are players who have had better club seasons who deserve call ups who aren't called up right, No, John Tolkien, No, Caleb Wiley, Okay, Max Arbsten is okay at best player for Columbus Sean Zawatski, I don't understand what he does or why he would be here, especially when you have a guy like Paxton Aaronson, who in a better league
has performed, if not better, at least the same. You know, there there are players that it seems like again the problem here is well, he's in Pochettino's rolodex of players he's met while being here. Yeah, and that you know, I'm there are some conflicting statements John that I will be talking about on the next episode of Soccer for Us because that'll be coming out next week when we
do a full takes reaction episode. Okay, but it's a little inconsistent and hypocritical from Pochettino and his selection and then also his messaging, so he needs to figure out what exactly he wants to do and it can't just be Well. I saw them play Once.
By the Way episode one eighteen, So that is c x V Triple I is going to be out later this morning. Yes, it will the summer goals for the WNT and the ending.
Which changed a little bit when we saw this gold cuff roster John.
Yeah, So Barton Thomas go philosophical before they get into the blood cuts of of c XI X, which will be coming out next week, because they're going to be on fire, as you couldn't tell from this morning. So bart dropping by and I know that there was the Sebastian Burholter name, because you know he's the hot name right now with Vancouver part of their growth. I understand that pickup.
Look.
Sebastian Burholter, Luca Delatore have had really good MLS seasons and I think they are examples of played really well in league. They deserve a call up. Luca obviously kind of didn't get the favor of Plachectino when he came in. I don't think that's a wrong assumption. He wasn't great for the US men's ational team, but he's had a really good season in MLS for a very good San Diego team, and good for him getting that co up again.
Sebastian Burholter kind of, you know is I don't think he's necessarily the emblem of revitalized Vancouver white Caps, but I think he's one of those players that is the best example of why Vancouver is playing so well this season. He's elevated his game. His teammate Brian White is here
as well. Who you know, if he's the Chris Wandelowski at the generation, fine, And I mean I don't mean that in a disparaging comic, you know, like I've made my comment my feelings on Brian White's inclusion known, but like, yeah, sure, he's the guy who scores a lot in MLS.
Cool, you're going with You're going with the hot name.
Basically, I mean that was Chris Wandelowski, right, he was a guy who scored a lot in MLS. Uh, clearly wasn't ever gonna take his talents abroad, and uh you know, he got included a lot in the US national team because hey, the dude scores.
Yeah, so, yes, he scores.
Uh so then you there were names that were were left off? Who who you mentioned Tolkien being left off? Who rightfully was left off in your mind?
Well, I do think that Josh Sargent is one who you can look at his club form and say he's been good. It has not at all been good for the US men's national team. He had his opportunities in March and he failed miserably to be just a blunt you know, he did technically put the ball in the net once, unfortunately Tim Wyal was offside. He hasn't proven
it for the national team. And the problem is he he's in a position where there's no other like little factors you can kind of keep giving him to say, well he does this in this Well it's like, well, he's a striker. The goal of the job of a striker is to strike. Is to strike right, is to put the ball in the rectangle thing, you know, put the ball over the goal line, between the goalposts and
under the crossbar. As the laws of the game will define it, yes, and he hasn't done that too much, so I think that's one that was definitely rightfully left off. You know, again, I think I'm more looking at players who should have gotten calls up that didn't. You know, I do think the center back selection is fine, But you know, when I look at Dewan Jones and Max Arfston, I'm just not understanding while they why they are here. But other guys who had good seasons in Europe aren't here.
And I'm not saying they're better or worse. I'm just saying, if we're just rewarding players for playing solidly, there are other players who probably could be here. You know. I think also, you look at this and you don't see Joe Scally, who another one may be similar to Polistic. It's like, are you just taking a break, man, It's not like you've had European competition, So what's your excuse?
You know? Is that because Sergina does is back? Maybe, But like, as much as I don't think Joe Scally is the best player ever, in my mind, is certainly one who is at least your second, if not third, best option at right back, and as we know, can play left back. But I think is more suitable as
they stay at home right back. And I don't know, I just there's a lot of confusing things here, John, and I just I don't again understand why you wouldn't try to assemble the best players available, even if a guy like Polistic takes himself out, even if a guy like Joe Scale takes himself out. I don't look at these players and go, yeah, they're the best. You know, Jack McGlenn has been bad. Maybe not, he's been bad.
Houston's been bad. You know, Tanner Tessaman isn't here. You can't tell me he's been playing a whole lot of soccer recently. That's not you know, he went to Leon and he's played a good bit. But like, you know, what are we doing here?
Uh So if from our friends at Soccer America when this was, when this roster was released, our friend Paul Kennedy in the analysis of it, he says Pochatino downplayed the importance of having the US M and T together. It will get up to five weeks and eight matches, two friendlies in six Gold Cup games and what is only the fifth gathering since he took over, and with five or if you include a January twenty twenty six camp to follow before the team for the twenty six World.
Cup picked quote.
Sometimes we give too much importance knowing to be together, he said, and sometimes the group maybe sometimes doesn't work in this way or build in this way. Unus Musa, for what Pochettino described as personal reasons as late as Monday will be is absent. Musa's still in the squad, according to Pochettino. Jedi Robinson, who missed the Nation's League with a tendon injury in his knee and has been
training infrequently this spring with Fulham quote. The situation still is not clear, according to Pochettino following recent visits Robinson made to specialists. That makes five World Cup twenty twenty two starters plus Raina who won't be at the Gold Cup. But the list of absentees include scale CCV Tanner, Testaman Josh Sargent, who all started one or both games at Nations League were dropped in what Pochettino called football.
Decisions without getting into the specifics of their situation.
With just nine of the twenty outfield players from the Nations League team picked for the Gold Cup, that has created unprecedented turnover in the us M and t a squad from a one window to the next. Pochettino says, in mentioning Luna McGlenn, Arston, Ajimong and Brian White, they've
emerged as Pochettino's favorites. Quote by feeling in all these camps from October, November, January in March, I think many players they took the chance and deserve again to come back because they not only performed and behaved well in the camp after that, they kept performing in their teams. So that was that was the early thoughts of Mauricio Pochettino here in the assembly.
Yeah, I have a problem with that answer, John because him saying that, you know, oh time together isn't the most important thing. Yet earlier this year he said that he wants to some of the reasons for his selections is he wants to touch and field players, as he kind of says, so which one is it? Which one
is it? And again I will soften a little bit because I think there has been some report it's that polistics hip is not as good as healthy and to kind of looking at Jedi saying, look, man, I have been playing all season with a need that is held together by you know, bubble gum and duct tape. Right, I get it, this is your time for rest again. My issue is I can understand them not coming to the Gold Cup, but we have two important friendlies that US Soccer is charging a lot of money for and
you are deciding to not show up. And that's where I get the problem, because why are we getting charged this much money for not our best players?
Yeah, so scam quote.
I think what we want to create on our national team is people desperate to come, but desperate to come to perform. To perform means follow the rules, create a good atmosphere, be a part of the team, be able in every single aspect to meet our demands. If you arrive to the camp and you want to spend a nice time, play golf, go for a dinner, visit my family, visit my friend. Is that the culture that we want
to create. No, no, no, no no. What we want to do is to go to the national team, arrive and be focused all my focus and energy on the national team because we need to create this culture about winning and we need to chase our aim if we want to be good in one year's time, we need to think that today is the most important day.
Correct, and this doesn't shout importance. So look, maybe the players are inspired when they come out and they play well, and you know, they they act like every day is important, every match is important. Right. We have not seen that from the US men's national team this year, you know. So that's kind of my issue is, well, we ain't seen it, but sure that sounds nice.
John Dell wants to know why Geo Reina is missing.
Geo's playing for Dortmund in the club Well, let me aphrase, Geo will be with Dortmund during their time at the Club World Cup. Will he be playing We shall see. He has been told that he can find other clubs play for, which I think is probably a good thing for him. He probably needs to. But I do think that I have I kind of go back and forth on this. I think him playing for Dortmund in the Club World Cup is basically just saying Dortman saying we
need players because you know. But I also think it could be a good thing for him if he actually trains well and plays well, because they need players. Like That's where we're at with the Club World Cup. FIFA has given people extra transfer windows just for those because rock of many you know, tournament they're putting on to try to pretend like this matters. They are realizing that a lot of clubs don't fully love this.
Idea keep playing to keep playing.
So yeah, so, but I mean again, I think it could be good for GEO two. He will I mean, look at this point, I think it's fair to say that if he performs well in training, he will get time on the field during the Club World Cup, which in theory could raise his maybe not value, but his stock with other teams who want him, because I think his his physical money value is down, but I think his what can he actually bring us on the team in would be good. I'm not talking about g Reyna's
all morning, Sorry, Dell. I have seven more minutes to be on here. I'm not spending it on g al Reyna.
All right.
So another couple of pieces of news before we get out of here. French national team coach Laurel Bonadet has dropped Wendy Renard, Eugenie Lessamer and Ken's adoubt for the Uephan Nations League Magic against Switzerland and Iceland.
Yeah, lasom Air has been not Lacemay Reynard has been in and out of Lyon's team for a lot of reasons, I think mostly injury, but I do think look, they're on the very wrong side of thirty and approaching the wrong side of forty, to be quite honest, and I think this is them moving, you know, changing a generation,
to be quite honest. And again, you know they might be in the same position of just got done with a long season, but those are those are iconic figures in the women's game, and when they do end up retiring, be it with the national team or their club team, it will be a definite sad day for women's soccer because I think they've also done a great job of pushing the game forward from a technical level, right they are some of the most technically gifted players that French generation,
to me, redefined what it is to be a professional women's soccer player, both club and country. But I think it's probably time for them to kind of take a back seat and let the younger generation. I mean, look, there's some great young talent in France and that's the
team that you know. I don't know what the corollary would be on the men's side, Like I said, I kind of want to say Netherlands, but I don't even think they've even done that, you know, but they are the perenarily underperforming team despite having more talent than just about anyone outside the US and England, and they've got to figure that out. That's their goal.
Yeah, and so I saw that and I felt like I had to mention that. Then also Alana Cook out for the season with a knee injury for Casey Current the Nwso that sucked.
I hate that for Alana. You know, she kind of got another chance with the national team last window. I went really well, but that is john for her, a major setback, and I hate that. It's also a major setback for Kansas City, who you know, probably needs that stability in their back line this season to compete with some of the bigger teams and NWSL. I don't think it affects anything on the national team level though, especially with Naomi Garment back.
Yeah.
You twenty had their roster announced training camp starting on Monday, run by Rain assistant coach Kate Norton, Amaral daw and Todd in Net, Haley Bauman, Kennedy Bell Bramlett, Guetino, Faith, George, Alisa Goanzalez, Sierra Scythe on defense, Sophia Butch, Shay Harvey, Charlotte Kohler, Isabella Nahara, Melina Rabimbas, Kira Stoud from Uga, Teler Suarez from Florida State, Katie Collins, Isabella Diorio, Julia Kones from Pepperdine Morgan Roy, Amanda Schloter, and Olivia Woodson
from Auburn lead the leading up that youth national team camp.
Also, the U twenty three national team will be playing for the women's side, and you have Jayden Shaw playing there, which is there's a couple of players on that team that probably are in that senior national team. Expanded the group if you will, that aren't Obviously the twenty four player roster from m Hay has dropped this week too.
We will be definitely talking about that because to tease a little bit about what episode one eighteen is, John, these two programs are definitely in different stages right now, and the US women are still in the We need to expand our pool because I think that's what you need to do in these couple of years after the World Cup, is to expand it so that you can pare down who actually deserves to be there and who
you can bring to a tournament and win. And so right now we're seeing you know, I mean, I'll give lo labonta kind of the shout out from the women's side of Yeah, she's definitely, you know, on the older veteran player type of list, but maybe she can give you something that's going to help you win a World Cup in twenty twenty seven. You know, she can she give you two good years of steady, reliable training ground
performances and leadership. But then also if she steps on the field, can she deliver what Emma wants from the system? And you know, I think that's what Emma Hayes is looking for right now. You've also got some young talent. I think Patterson is the one outside back that Emmas seemed to latch onto really likes. We got to find a new left back. I love Crystal Done, she cannot play forever. We got to find a new left back.
So we shall see John. But I think if you're looking at this summer, John, again, we have ten days or ten games in thirty six days if my math is correct, maybe thirty three. And did I go to school for math? John?
I mean.
We're both out of luck on here, but a lot coming up, and five of those are women's national team games for sure, and it'll be interesting to see what this group looks like. I will note that this group is just for the two games against China and Jamaica, which means that we likely will see maybe more. I don't know what that'll look like for the later half, because you do get three games in that window, the Ireland and Canada window, it wouldn't surprise me if there's
twenty five plus in that camp. I think you can kind of see where Ema Hayes is looking at with this pool of really expanding and finding players who can help are now build toward twenty twenty seven.