WEBVTT - World Cup & Everything Else with Anthony Dabbundo 0:00:10.400 --> 0:00:13.160 Welcome to the Favorites Podcast presented by DraftKings. 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:14.560 The Crown is yours. 0:00:14.800 --> 0:00:18.599 I'm stucky joining me today my co host in stat Town, 0:00:19.200 --> 0:00:21.680 Evan Abrams, and we brought on the one and only 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:25.720 Anthony Dubundo from The Ringer to talk World Cup with 0:00:25.840 --> 0:00:30.760 a focus on the US team and what their chances are, 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:32.960 what their group looks like, and we'll get into some 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:34.120 other things in the World Cup. 0:00:34.920 --> 0:00:35.880 Before we do get. 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:39.360 Started, let me throw it to Brandon Kravitz for a 0:00:39.360 --> 0:00:40.760 word on DraftKings. 0:00:41.080 --> 0:00:44.279 The Favorites podcast is sponsored by DraftKings, where new customers 0:00:44.320 --> 0:00:46.720 can spend five bucks and get two hundred back in 0:00:46.800 --> 0:00:50.080 total bonus rewards, just in time for the NBA Finals. 0:00:50.280 --> 0:00:52.240 DraftKings is now available. 0:00:51.720 --> 0:00:54.560 In all fifty states from New York to California and 0:00:54.720 --> 0:00:57.520 anywhere in between, so no matter where you're watching, you're 0:00:57.560 --> 0:00:58.400 always in the game. 0:00:58.480 --> 0:00:59.200 With one app. 0:00:59.440 --> 0:01:02.840 New customers can download the Draft Kings sports app today 0:01:03.280 --> 0:01:06.080 use the code favorites to get two hundred dollars in 0:01:06.160 --> 0:01:09.200 total awards after you spend just five bucks. Stay in 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:11.400 the game with Draft Kings and use the code favorites 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:12.600 when signing up now. 0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:14.960 The Crown is yours. 0:01:14.920 --> 0:01:16.080 All right, Anthony. 0:01:16.200 --> 0:01:19.760 By the way, I heard on one of your The 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:24.119 Ringer podcasts, she'll refer to you as Tony Buns, which 0:01:24.160 --> 0:01:27.320 is an amazing nickname. Is did that originate there or 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:29.640 did you have that nickname before, because I've never heard 0:01:29.680 --> 0:01:30.680 you refer to that before. 0:01:31.000 --> 0:01:33.759 Yeah, he originated that. It was good wish I did 0:01:33.840 --> 0:01:35.720 when I joined. He likes to do that because it 0:01:35.760 --> 0:01:38.199 was Ben Solak. He was Benny Soles and then Anthony 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:39.479 Dubundo became Tony Buns. 0:01:39.520 --> 0:01:41.240 And it's actually stuck. You know. 0:01:41.240 --> 0:01:43.160 Now, I'll be it Philly's games and a listener will 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:44.920 see me or hear my voice. 0:01:44.600 --> 0:01:47.400 And be like, hey, Tony Bunns. So it's caught on. 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:49.720 My mother didn't like it at first, but I think 0:01:49.800 --> 0:01:53.480 she's grown to appreciate it. And so you know, if 0:01:53.480 --> 0:01:55.000 you want to call me that all out. 0:01:55.600 --> 0:01:58.640 Yeah, I could see a mother like that named you 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:02.280 Anthony time last name and then Tony Buns. Probably not 0:02:02.440 --> 0:02:04.800 a mom's favorite nickname, but it works in so many 0:02:04.800 --> 0:02:09.320 other ways. Before we dive in to the World Cup, 0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:11.400 I tweeted this out yesterday. Were talking about this before 0:02:11.400 --> 0:02:14.520 the show about your friends and neighbors. A TV show 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:16.600 that I think has fallen off pretty hard since season 0:02:16.600 --> 0:02:18.079 one of the two. I'm not too depressed about it 0:02:18.080 --> 0:02:20.640 because it's just supposed to be like a fun, entertaining show. 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:23.560 But when I say that, what comes to your mind 0:02:24.320 --> 0:02:28.840 as a show that fell off from season one onward 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:30.760 that you were like super excited about, I'll. 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:32.919 Give you a second a think about it. 0:02:33.000 --> 0:02:36.160 Once it come to my mind Weeds. I don't know 0:02:36.160 --> 0:02:38.359 if I'm dating myself there. You ever watched Weeds? We'd 0:02:38.400 --> 0:02:41.880 season one was super dope and then it really fell off. 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:46.520 If any tailor Sheridan show, I feel like they just 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:49.240 move on to the next show. I got three, and 0:02:49.320 --> 0:02:53.600 then I'll my wife for the first time is watching Homeland, 0:02:54.080 --> 0:02:56.200 and I was went into the room with her the 0:02:56.240 --> 0:02:58.000 other night, and then it was she's on season one 0:02:58.080 --> 0:03:00.680 and I was like, oh, yeah, one is so good, 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:03.359 And then the last season actually was pretty good, but 0:03:03.360 --> 0:03:05.760 there was some big, big fall off in between. 0:03:06.960 --> 0:03:10.080 What comes to mind from a anthon All. 0:03:10.040 --> 0:03:12.720 Right, So there's two and and there's there's a theme 0:03:13.520 --> 0:03:15.680 in the sense that they are shows that were clearly 0:03:15.720 --> 0:03:18.960 designed to be one season and they were really good. 0:03:19.000 --> 0:03:23.480 So people are like, Okay, let's do another seasoned. Yeah, 0:03:24.080 --> 0:03:26.839 Ted Lasso the perfect example. Like, once they got past 0:03:26.919 --> 0:03:29.400 the ruin and there was no villain, there was no plot. 0:03:29.800 --> 0:03:32.520 It was just like everybody loves everybody, We're all doing great. 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:35.360 They had to like make up a new character to hate. 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:39.920 It was like, didn't really feel right a designated survivor. 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:42.880 They blow up the capitol, everybody dies, and now this 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:45.360 random dude becomes the president. Great story, but then in 0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:47.800 season two it just became a knockoff of the West 0:03:47.840 --> 0:03:52.080 Wing with Keifer Sutherland is the President, which didn't really work. Uh, 0:03:52.200 --> 0:03:56.800 and then Prison Break, which now you watched, but like 0:03:56.840 --> 0:03:58.800 it was great for one season. Then it was like, Okay, 0:03:58.800 --> 0:04:01.680 how many times can we run back in the same plot? 0:04:01.720 --> 0:04:03.080 And that's kind of how I feel with your friends 0:04:03.080 --> 0:04:06.520 and neighbors. They ran the show. He's just like robbing 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:08.680 people all the time. And then it's like, well, how 0:04:08.680 --> 0:04:09.240 many times can you. 0:04:09.280 --> 0:04:12.040 Rob people in your neighborhood after you've been you know, arrested. 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.720 For murder exactly? And how did none of them have cameras? 0:04:14.760 --> 0:04:17.359 How did like they have their multimillionaires and they have 0:04:17.440 --> 0:04:19.159 no cameras that that seems illogical? 0:04:19.640 --> 0:04:21.520 Yeah, I remember watching that the first episode. That was 0:04:21.520 --> 0:04:21.960 my first stup. 0:04:21.960 --> 0:04:24.000 But was I watched prison Break season one and then 0:04:24.160 --> 0:04:26.159 I was like, I tried to watch more and was done. 0:04:26.240 --> 0:04:28.680 I never watched Designated Survivor, but it sounds like I 0:04:28.680 --> 0:04:29.960 should just watch season one of that. 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:31.800 Season one was great. I loved it. 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:33.000 Kevin. How about you? 0:04:33.600 --> 0:04:35.560 Yeah, I think you know that Homeland is one of 0:04:35.640 --> 0:04:38.400 the difficulty is like one to two versus just one 0:04:38.440 --> 0:04:40.120 being really good and then the rest of the series 0:04:40.200 --> 0:04:42.800 kind of just not being as good, which is two 0:04:42.880 --> 0:04:43.880 a little bit different things. 0:04:43.880 --> 0:04:45.880 But Walking Dead was one for me. 0:04:46.200 --> 0:04:48.840 Squid Game like started really good and then you were 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:50.480 after a while like, where is this going? 0:04:50.520 --> 0:04:53.080 This feels a little odd. Uh So those are some 0:04:53.160 --> 0:04:53.880 examples for me. 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:58.000 Bear peaked in season two, but I haven't enjoyed recently. 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:01.920 Sure I haven't. I haven't watched past two yet on 0:05:02.080 --> 0:05:04.279 my list, but it's not that good. 0:05:05.000 --> 0:05:06.040 No, okay? 0:05:06.839 --> 0:05:09.600 Well, producer Dave of Payne says his answer was Ted 0:05:09.680 --> 0:05:13.360 Lasso as well, so on the same page there. But 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:16.760 let's get to the World Cup and the US men's 0:05:16.800 --> 0:05:19.800 national team before we kind of get into the nitty 0:05:19.800 --> 0:05:22.200 gritty of the team. They did lose a friendly two 0:05:22.279 --> 0:05:26.520 to one to Germany on Saturday. One positive, one negative 0:05:26.600 --> 0:05:28.479 or just I don't really take anything from it. 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:29.360 What are your thoughts there? 0:05:30.000 --> 0:05:32.080 Yeah, it was the dress rehearsal game, and I think 0:05:32.720 --> 0:05:35.080 there have been questions about what we were expecting from 0:05:35.120 --> 0:05:37.960 the US in terms of formation, in terms of positioning, 0:05:38.000 --> 0:05:41.000 in terms of player choice, and I think Pachaccino gave 0:05:41.040 --> 0:05:44.039 us some pretty good indications of what he thinks with 0:05:44.600 --> 0:05:46.760 the lineup and how they played the first hour, because 0:05:46.760 --> 0:05:48.760 they played that first hour and then you saw all 0:05:48.800 --> 0:05:51.320 the subs come in and they went through the rotations. 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:54.680 So other than Chris Richards, who is still out injured 0:05:54.720 --> 0:05:57.960 and is questionable, looks like leaning toward in on Friday night, 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:01.080 I think we saw ten of the eleven and starters. 0:06:00.640 --> 0:06:03.000 That are going to start against Paraguay on Friday night. 0:06:03.040 --> 0:06:06.080 And I think if you're looking for a positive, if 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:08.719 you just watched that first hour and you didn't know 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:12.039 which team was which, you would not come away thinking 0:06:12.160 --> 0:06:14.200 the US was any worse than Germany. And I think 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:16.960 that's a huge win. The set piece defending would probably 0:06:17.000 --> 0:06:20.479 be the biggest negative. Two minutes into the game, dumb 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:22.039 free kick to give away on the edge of the box, 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:25.119 Joshua Kimmick sends in a free kick. Nobody is marking 0:06:25.160 --> 0:06:27.760 Kai Havertz, there are multiple unmarked players. That's the kind 0:06:27.760 --> 0:06:30.000 of thing that can torpedo your World Cup campaign if 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.320 you give up a set piece goal or two. But 0:06:32.400 --> 0:06:35.000 in terms of positives, I thought they handled the German 0:06:35.040 --> 0:06:38.640 press pretty well. I thought they created transition opportunities really well. 0:06:39.240 --> 0:06:41.800 They were dangerous on set pieces, ultimately scored their low 0:06:41.880 --> 0:06:44.799 goal on set pieces. I thought it was really encouraging 0:06:45.040 --> 0:06:47.280 what they were able to do to disrupt German possession 0:06:47.279 --> 0:06:50.680 because Germany, outside of Spain, is probably the best possession 0:06:50.680 --> 0:06:53.800 team in the field, so that was really encouraging. 0:06:54.040 --> 0:06:55.240 I was kind of like, wait a second. 0:06:55.480 --> 0:06:57.440 You know, if you're an hour in and you know 0:06:57.600 --> 0:07:00.159 XG was pretty even at that point, and you're like, hey, 0:07:00.160 --> 0:07:02.480 they're they're right there with Germany. Yes, they're they're down. 0:07:02.520 --> 0:07:04.839 They end up losing the game, But in terms of 0:07:04.920 --> 0:07:07.400 quality of chances created, I felt like, hey, they don't 0:07:07.400 --> 0:07:08.200 look that much worse. 0:07:08.960 --> 0:07:11.840 Now. What would you say, is the well is there 0:07:11.880 --> 0:07:13.480 a negative that you wanted to mention? 0:07:14.240 --> 0:07:16.600 Probably yeah, the set piece defending, Yeah, that's always a 0:07:16.600 --> 0:07:17.000 scary thing. 0:07:17.040 --> 0:07:19.720 But again, their best defender didn't play, and so. 0:07:19.720 --> 0:07:21.800 I think, you know, there's been a lot of questions 0:07:21.800 --> 0:07:23.600 in the last couple of days. Okay, how much has 0:07:23.800 --> 0:07:27.679 of their defensive fragility has been a Potchatino tactical issue 0:07:27.760 --> 0:07:30.120 versus just like, hey, they're center backs kind of stink. 0:07:30.440 --> 0:07:33.520 Miles Robinson in particular has had a pretty tough couple 0:07:33.560 --> 0:07:36.160 of games against Senegal and against Germany. 0:07:36.240 --> 0:07:37.960 He's not going to play. 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:40.559 If Richards is healthy, and so we have our back 0:07:40.600 --> 0:07:44.000 line now. It looks like Chris Richards, Tim Reim who 0:07:44.120 --> 0:07:46.440 is aging, but they still rely on his passing, and 0:07:46.440 --> 0:07:49.280 then Alex Freeman, who's a younger guy who has a 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:51.280 ton of range and who can kind of cover more grounds. 0:07:51.320 --> 0:07:53.680 So that looks like the back three, and then they've 0:07:53.720 --> 0:07:55.800 got the It enables the wing backs the to be 0:07:55.880 --> 0:07:57.760 more aggressive, and I think that's probably the best way 0:07:57.760 --> 0:08:00.000 for the US to take take the World Cup this week. 0:08:00.480 --> 0:08:03.200 Well, Pochettino, you mentioned his name is probably gonna be 0:08:03.200 --> 0:08:05.400 said a lot, especially if the Ben's national. 0:08:05.120 --> 0:08:06.840 Team fails out. That's just to me, that's what it 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:10.560 always seems like. The coach gets blamed. Yeah, probably way 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:15.360 too much. But what is one major tactical change is 0:08:15.360 --> 0:08:17.320 the identity of this team going to be different under him? 0:08:17.360 --> 0:08:20.480 Like what are what can fans or casual fans expect 0:08:20.480 --> 0:08:22.640 to see under Pachettino. 0:08:23.680 --> 0:08:26.400 You know, it's funny because I think one big criticism 0:08:26.440 --> 0:08:29.720 that people have had about this US generation versus the 0:08:29.760 --> 0:08:33.120 past has been that they are a little soft. 0:08:33.440 --> 0:08:34.840 They aren't feisty enough. 0:08:34.880 --> 0:08:38.800 They aren't willing to get their feet dirty, get their 0:08:38.960 --> 0:08:41.560 hands dirty, and get into the mud and fight and 0:08:41.600 --> 0:08:43.720 scrap and get stuck. 0:08:43.440 --> 0:08:44.679 In, as they say in soccer. 0:08:45.600 --> 0:08:48.280 And I got the sense in the games against Senegal 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:50.680 in Germany that you could see a changing of the 0:08:50.760 --> 0:08:53.679 guard with that, And that is a Pachccino staple when 0:08:53.720 --> 0:08:56.880 you go back and watch the peak Pachccino teams Southampton 0:08:57.240 --> 0:09:01.120 at Spurs early Chelsea days, not quite PSG because he 0:09:01.120 --> 0:09:04.000 didn't have the personnel. They were known for their pressing 0:09:04.040 --> 0:09:07.199 intensity off the ball. They worked really hard, they're willing 0:09:07.240 --> 0:09:08.840 to get you know, put a ton of challenges in 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:14.160 and their personnel is pretty effective at executing this. Right 0:09:14.200 --> 0:09:18.960 now in the sense that Malik Tillman is the one 0:09:19.000 --> 0:09:22.680 of their attacking midfielders. He was the most active presser 0:09:23.200 --> 0:09:25.800 in the Bundesliga this year, one of the most for 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:29.000 bayer Leverkusen. He had the most ball recoveries in the match, 0:09:29.040 --> 0:09:32.160 He had a ton of tackles. His ability to you know, 0:09:32.240 --> 0:09:36.240 knick the ball off defenders, harry defenders, create turnovers. That 0:09:36.400 --> 0:09:39.199 is a huge asset that the US didn't really have, 0:09:40.000 --> 0:09:41.880 you know, four years ago or even two years ago. 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:42.679 At the COPA. 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:45.120 Wes McKenney has kind of been freed up and he's 0:09:45.160 --> 0:09:46.640 been really effective at pressing. 0:09:46.720 --> 0:09:48.000 So I think people. 0:09:47.760 --> 0:09:51.840 Want more energy and with Robinson, Jedi, Robinson, with McKenny, 0:09:52.160 --> 0:09:55.480 with Tilman, you're seeing that energy difference in their ability 0:09:55.520 --> 0:09:57.800 to press, teams create chances off of that as opposed 0:09:57.800 --> 0:10:01.440 to just the slow meander build up that kind of 0:10:01.840 --> 0:10:04.400 Burhalter haters often criticized them for. 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:09.800 My question would mostly be Paraguay first match, even first half, 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:12.240 Like a fan that's watching that game, what are you 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:15.080 looking for? What's like something that the US could be 0:10:15.120 --> 0:10:17.960 doing or maybe not doing? First half, first bit of 0:10:18.000 --> 0:10:19.559 the match where you're like, maybe they're in the right 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:22.000 direction even if it's nil nil. 0:10:22.360 --> 0:10:25.839 Yeah, I think it's how much are Jedi, Robinson the 0:10:25.920 --> 0:10:28.920 left wing back, and Serginio Desk the right wing back, 0:10:29.000 --> 0:10:32.320 able to get into dangerous areas with the ball at 0:10:32.320 --> 0:10:34.120 their feet or in the case of Desk, kind of 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:37.240 like running into that back post area to get on 0:10:37.280 --> 0:10:37.880 the end of chance. 0:10:37.920 --> 0:10:38.800 It's like he likes to do. 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:41.839 He scored a goal against Senegal and almost scored against 0:10:41.840 --> 0:10:42.560 Germany as well. 0:10:44.080 --> 0:10:45.880 The difference between four years. 0:10:45.760 --> 0:10:47.439 Ago in this team is that they played it back 0:10:47.480 --> 0:10:52.720 four in Qatar and Desk kind of got exposed defensively. 0:10:53.120 --> 0:10:54.760 If you go back and watch the Dutch game they 0:10:54.800 --> 0:10:55.320 lost three to one. 0:10:55.360 --> 0:10:59.119 There were multiple times where the Dutch realized that his positioning, 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:01.880 his defensive instan are not great and he was sitting 0:11:01.920 --> 0:11:03.959 as the loan right back and he was out of 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:05.720 position and led to two of the three goals for 0:11:05.760 --> 0:11:11.000 the Dutch in transition complete breakdowns. Right this formation change 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:14.800 the back three with Freeman and rich and Richard's assuming 0:11:14.800 --> 0:11:19.640 and reim that enables less defensive responsibility for Dust and 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:21.000 for Robinson, so they're able to. 0:11:20.960 --> 0:11:21.840 Get forward more. 0:11:22.160 --> 0:11:25.200 And really so much of the US trance creation is 0:11:25.200 --> 0:11:27.600 going to come from wide, So if those two players 0:11:27.640 --> 0:11:31.440 are in dangerous areas consistently, that is what you're saying, Okay, 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:33.000 this is going well for the United States because they 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:35.199 still have they don't have a ton of passing quality, 0:11:35.440 --> 0:11:37.160 Like their midfielders are mostly dribblers. 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:40.000 They need to create from wide most of the time. 0:11:40.640 --> 0:11:42.000 And I think that's where you're going to want to 0:11:42.000 --> 0:11:44.880 see those two players getting the most involved as early 0:11:44.920 --> 0:11:48.040 as possible. And dest you know, to his credit, that's 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:50.079 his best skill. You know, he's he should have more 0:11:50.120 --> 0:11:52.840 touches in the other penalty area than he does in 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:55.200 hours and that means something's going well well. 0:11:55.360 --> 0:11:56.480 Nance would something going wrong? 0:11:56.559 --> 0:11:58.319 It would you would agree that it would be an 0:11:58.400 --> 0:12:02.840 abject disaster if the US didn't qualify from their group. 0:12:02.720 --> 0:12:04.760 Right, eighty six percent is my number? 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:08.160 Yeah, I think got DraftKings there minus seven point fifty 0:12:08.400 --> 0:12:11.880 Evan correct me if I'm wrong to qualify from the group. 0:12:12.920 --> 0:12:15.400 So it's taking a step back a little bit. You 0:12:15.440 --> 0:12:17.920 want to just tell us third for the casual fans, 0:12:17.960 --> 0:12:20.800 a thirty second outlook. Maybe on each of the other teams, 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:23.400 like are we are people maybe underrating some of the 0:12:23.440 --> 0:12:25.840 other teams in their group. Maybe maybe it might not 0:12:25.920 --> 0:12:30.600 be as easy as something but Turkey, Paraguay Australia. 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:32.880 Who are you worried about the most who might be 0:12:32.920 --> 0:12:33.760 a little underrated? 0:12:34.600 --> 0:12:36.840 Yeah, The most talented of the three is certainly Turkey. 0:12:37.640 --> 0:12:40.719 They made it to the quarterfinals of the Euros. They 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:44.480 play a very open attacking style where you're not really 0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:46.200 sure if they're always going to defend, but they have 0:12:46.280 --> 0:12:49.760 a ton of good passers in their team, most notably Artegoulair, 0:12:49.800 --> 0:12:53.520 who just had a breakout season for Real Madrid this year, 0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:56.520 and he's one of the best passers, pure chance creators 0:12:56.520 --> 0:12:59.080 in all of Europe. Right, So there aren't a ton 0:12:59.120 --> 0:13:02.760 of really dynamic, elite attacking players in this group in general, 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:05.000 and I think that's the kind of thing where you're like, oh, 0:13:05.040 --> 0:13:07.600 you know, can the US defense hold up against players 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:10.079 that good? Well, Gulare and like maybe the Turkish have 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:13.480 a couple guys, but there's not a lot here. Paraguay's 0:13:13.520 --> 0:13:16.199 best player, Julio and Siso, went off with an injury 0:13:16.679 --> 0:13:19.160 in their sendoff match in Paraguay last week. Looks like 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:22.480 he might miss this game based on how severe that was. 0:13:22.559 --> 0:13:25.839 So No and Ciso right, Paraguay as a team that's 0:13:25.880 --> 0:13:27.959 probably greater than the sum of their parts, but is 0:13:28.360 --> 0:13:31.440 considerably less talented the United States. They're very physical, good 0:13:31.480 --> 0:13:33.959 defensive press. They're gonna be tough to break down. I 0:13:34.000 --> 0:13:35.839 think I think it could be an ugly start for 0:13:35.840 --> 0:13:38.840 the US in terms of just like the quality of play, 0:13:38.880 --> 0:13:41.040 because we still don't really know what the US looks 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:44.160 like when they're under Paccino with all their best players, 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:46.920 when they're playing a team whose primary goal is to defend. 0:13:47.520 --> 0:13:48.559 And Australia, you. 0:13:48.480 --> 0:13:51.120 Know, I think they're clearly the weakest team in this group. 0:13:51.360 --> 0:13:54.800 Some of the metrics like the ELO and the world rankings, 0:13:55.360 --> 0:13:59.800 like Australia, I'm not there. I mean, they're pretty middling, 0:13:59.840 --> 0:14:02.439 a Asian team who had pretty middling results at the 0:14:02.520 --> 0:14:05.960 last World Cup, and so like their Asian Cup results 0:14:05.960 --> 0:14:07.960 have been just fine too, Like, I don't see a 0:14:07.960 --> 0:14:08.800 ton of upside there. 0:14:08.840 --> 0:14:10.239 I think their best. 0:14:09.960 --> 0:14:12.040 Teams were three or four years ago, and a lot 0:14:12.080 --> 0:14:14.640 of their pig players have kind of aged out of 0:14:14.679 --> 0:14:17.439 their primes. So I see them as the weakest team 0:14:17.480 --> 0:14:20.120 in the group. But really, like three points and you're 0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:21.800 going through, just win one. 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:24.120 That's all it really comes down to. 0:14:24.840 --> 0:14:27.840 Do you like the fact that we open up with 0:14:28.360 --> 0:14:30.680 Paraguay and then Australia and have to close with the 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:33.560 hardest team, Like, does that actually matter for the US 0:14:33.560 --> 0:14:35.720 in terms of order of matches? Because I kind of 0:14:35.760 --> 0:14:37.800 looked at it and said that that's a decent spot 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:39.840 to be in, to have to face that hardest team last. 0:14:39.880 --> 0:14:42.000 Maybe you ease into it, maybe you win a two 0:14:42.000 --> 0:14:43.840 to one, a three to one, something like that, and 0:14:44.120 --> 0:14:45.960 you know, good start to the tournament. I kind of 0:14:46.000 --> 0:14:47.800 like that for the US versus having to maybe face 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:48.880 Turkey to start. 0:14:49.880 --> 0:14:53.400 Yeah, I think the biggest question is just how much 0:14:53.440 --> 0:14:56.040 are team's going all in on that third game. If 0:14:56.120 --> 0:14:57.800 let's say the US is on four points or six 0:14:57.840 --> 0:15:00.400 points and they've already qualified, things have going really well. 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:02.880 They get a win and a draw or two wins even, 0:15:03.360 --> 0:15:05.240 and they're playing Turkey and it's like, okay, they can 0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:05.800 play for the. 0:15:05.720 --> 0:15:09.760 Group or they can rest. Yeah, how do teams like 0:15:09.840 --> 0:15:12.160 how does France approach that? How does Spain approach that? 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:15.040 Because most likely, you know, teams like Spain and England 0:15:15.040 --> 0:15:18.680 they're gonna have six points and be comfortable there and 0:15:18.800 --> 0:15:21.120 not too worried about not advancing. They're already have clinched 0:15:21.120 --> 0:15:22.920 their spot. And it's like, do you want to play 0:15:22.920 --> 0:15:26.120 the bracket game theory, especially if you're in an earlier group. 0:15:26.640 --> 0:15:28.560 You really can't play the bracket game theory because you 0:15:28.560 --> 0:15:30.080 don't know how the rest of the bracket's. 0:15:29.680 --> 0:15:30.320 Gonna play out. 0:15:30.360 --> 0:15:32.720 Because there's twelve groups and all these third place teams, 0:15:33.120 --> 0:15:36.040 there's not that much of a difference for the US 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:40.080 in terms of first round of the knockout team opponent 0:15:40.160 --> 0:15:43.360 quality if they finish first or second. If they finish second, 0:15:43.360 --> 0:15:45.240 they'll get the runner up from a pre week group, 0:15:45.520 --> 0:15:49.480 most likely Egypt or Iran, not that high on either team. 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:53.520 If they finish first, they're gonna get some third place team, 0:15:53.560 --> 0:15:55.560 which does open up some land mines. Like I think 0:15:55.600 --> 0:15:57.600 there are most certainly going to be third place teams 0:15:57.840 --> 0:16:00.280 that are better than Egypt than Iran that up in 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:01.920 this field just because of you know, like an Ivory 0:16:01.960 --> 0:16:05.960 Coast or a Senegal or an Ecuador or or maybe 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:08.240 even Norway could come in third, right, Like, there's gonna 0:16:08.240 --> 0:16:10.720 be some really good third and inevitably somebody will slip up. 0:16:11.080 --> 0:16:13.120 So when you get to the end of that group, 0:16:13.600 --> 0:16:15.560 the number one thing, and I think, like, what's the 0:16:15.600 --> 0:16:18.280 bear case for the United States? We have seen this 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:22.280 Golden Generation stunt because they've all been injured so much. 0:16:24.400 --> 0:16:26.560 Is the depth for the US like very very shaky 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:27.800 because that's where the time. 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:32.480 Yeah, I think it is, like they have fastened this system. 0:16:32.560 --> 0:16:34.840 We talk about the back three with the wingbacks, Well, 0:16:34.840 --> 0:16:38.440 guess what if either wing back gets hurt, that's a problem. 0:16:38.560 --> 0:16:40.280 I mean, like Tim Way, I can fill in. He 0:16:40.280 --> 0:16:42.480 would be fine on the right, but like on the left, 0:16:42.640 --> 0:16:44.440 not a great option there. They'd be starting, you know, 0:16:44.520 --> 0:16:49.360 like Max Arson, who's an MLS regular. If Adams gets hurt, 0:16:49.400 --> 0:16:51.680 they have no replacement for him in defensive midfield. He 0:16:51.720 --> 0:16:54.760 does so much work defensively for them. If McKenny goes 0:16:54.800 --> 0:16:57.400 down and then you're playing somebody out of position next 0:16:57.400 --> 0:17:01.000 to Adams, if you know, if Baaligan goes down, that 0:17:01.040 --> 0:17:03.040 would be a big downgrade. If Polis sick. Of course, 0:17:03.040 --> 0:17:05.240 if polist It goes down, he's their best player. So 0:17:05.520 --> 0:17:07.879 you're looking around like there's not the only position they 0:17:07.880 --> 0:17:12.560 have depth is like the attacking midfield area central midfielders, 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:14.400 where they have a lot of guys who are similar 0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:18.120 Aaronson rolled on Tillman. You're like, okay, maybe they could 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:21.960 make that work. But wingbacks defensive midfield. Certainly if Chris 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:25.280 Richards went down, like, there's not a ton of depth 0:17:25.320 --> 0:17:28.280 here to trust to execute the system that Patch is 0:17:28.280 --> 0:17:30.960 put in place. It's like, we have our fourteen guys 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:33.440 and we feel very good about those, better than we've 0:17:33.440 --> 0:17:35.680 ever felt. And then if one or two or three 0:17:35.680 --> 0:17:37.119 go down, this falls apart. 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:40.720 Talk to us about the goalkeeping situation, Yeah. 0:17:40.560 --> 0:17:45.119 Probably the probably the biggest red flag. You know, Sarah 0:17:45.119 --> 0:17:46.760 Tubby was talking about this. He said, this is the 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:49.600 first time since nineteen ninety we don't know really who 0:17:49.680 --> 0:17:51.920 the number one is. We think it's gonna be Matt Freeze. 0:17:51.920 --> 0:17:54.760 On Friday night, he started against Germany. Matt Turner started 0:17:54.800 --> 0:17:59.440 against Senegal. Both guys have had their moments. Turner's moments 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:02.320 happened to be three or four years ago at this point. 0:18:02.560 --> 0:18:04.520 He kind of peeked right around twenty twenty two. He 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:06.320 used to be one of the best shot stoppers in 0:18:06.480 --> 0:18:08.400 MLS and that has not been the case the last 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.919