Full Transcript for Pulisic's Future, Sargent to MLS, and Stories from 1989 in Trinidad

would spend money, a big money on a player that is going to be out for at least two months, and then you'd really only get them for the last six weeks or so of the season if he comes back in time really quickly. I think that this will open an opportunity for different forwards to be within this group in March. First and foremost comes to mind for me is Patrick Goadgumont because he's been playing very well with Darby County. I think he probably would have been there either way. They would have found room for, you know, maybe an extra forward no matter what. But I think that pretty much locks in Patrick Goajamonk for Mark. 00:05:46 Speaker 1: Yeah, and you could be right about that because and I think the other thing to consider is that Marisio Bocasino likes him. I mean, he's shown that he likes him, and he likes what he does, and sometimes all it takes is for a player to have one certain quality that the coach likes for him to be part of the picture. And I think I think likely he would have been there even with Peppy there. But I think I think you're right. I think this probably solidifies this position at least for the for the camp in March. 00:06:17 Speaker 2: And then we'll have that opportunity to stick around and we'll see what happens as the World Cup roster gets closer and closer to being decided and then revealed. Let's start keep with the center forwards, Josh Sargent. Josh Sargent's future is very much a question at Norich City. Sources have told me that Toronto FC has made a bid of eighteen million. Talks are ongoing between Norwich and Toronto. Josh Sargent is pushing for this move. He wants this move. He sat out of Norrich's game over the weekend as he said it was, you know, his head wasn't right with all the transfer stuff. That's a polite code for accept this bid or you know, make a real counter offer so I can leave the background. Here is Josh Sargent almost joined Wolfsburg in the summer. There's a twenty eight million dow or bid accepted by Norwich. Personal terms were set. He was either in Germany or about to go to Germany, and due to personal family reasons, he and his family decided this move isn't right. I don't want this move. In eighteen months ago, FC Cincinnati tried to sign him, he accepted personal he was ready to go. If Norwich accepted a bid from Cincy, he would be playing for c C Cincinnati right now. That is just the reality. So Josh Sargent is always a guy that was at the top of my list for like a big time US men's national team player that would be likely to come back to MLS, probably first, more than some of the other guys. So this all lignes with that. Sources have told me Toronto are confident. They've been working on this for a while now. This winter he has been their top target. They feel good about this. The North City manager Philip Clement came out and said something to the effect of, yeah, I told him he's not leaving this month. I put that to a number of sources, and all I say is they weren't too worried. So maybe that's just public posturing to get a better deal. Maybe that's public posturing for whatever deals they're working on to replace Josh Sergeant. Because obviously, if you're a team that has a forward that you're getting a bid from Norwich, you're looking at this and saying, oh, you're about to have eighteen to twenty million dollars. The price for hour player is eighteen to twenty million dollars, So I think that's what it has. It has more to do with that than them actually keeping him. But if they stick to the guns here, this could get messy because Josh Sargent wants this movie. 00:08:28 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, there's a couple And by the way, I'll start by saying first that I'm a big supporter of Josh Sargeant. If anything, I've always been pushing him. As you know, this has been one of the best forwards. He has all the qualities to make any team better. But there's a bunch of things that I don't like about this move. And I'll start by saying first of all that I think it kind of looks like number one that Josh just wants to leave his team regardless, right Two that likely he's thinking that maybe, hey, maybe my as trying to get to the top of the Premier League or being on a solid top team in Europe is over and I want to turn around and go back. Also, the fact that you know MLS is getting ready to spend eighteen million dollars in an American player to come back, I think that's a lot of money for MLS, you know, and when you look when you look into the future of the league and the money that the league should be spending, should be spending. Yeah, I'm not seeing an American player coming back a little bit sooner as an eighteen million dollars signing. I just don't think that's a great that's a great look for the league. And I think the last thing I would say is I would like to see him in Saint Louis. Saint Louis, jump in there. If someone's going to get him, get in there, get your guys together and bring Joss Sargeant back to Saint Louis. If he's going to go anywhere, that's where we need Joss Sargent. 00:09:53 Speaker 2: Well, they've had a lot of time for this to be on the table and they have not shown any interest in putting up the money that would require job sergeant coming home to Saint Louis. So again, I don't know where his hat is, that his head is at by that, but that's just not something on the table right now. It's an interesting point that you make. I would disagree because and it's easy to cherry pick the bad examples, right but particularly with Toronto. They gave Lorenzo and Sienia a four or five year contract, a fifteen million dollars a year mistake, just an awful just that's set on foot, money on fire. Bernadeski's similar contract length, I think it was seven or eight million per year. They're still paying those two players. So I will say Toronto has always been an ambitious ownership group. It has worked out really really well when it was Michael Bradley, josialtatur In Sebagian, Giuvinco, and then it has

worked out poorly when it was in Signia and Bernadeski, and they've had a lot of other things. They've rebuilt the culture within the team, the front office that they got. They had lost a lot of people along the way, and now they're into a new era and I think it's good that it's you know, hey, we're gonna spend eight million on Jorgi Mahialovic, who fringe US national team guy. Maybe that's not quite because he's not really anywhere near the picture of Puccino, But that's an American guy who has had a lot of success in MLS, been on the Olympic team, and then Josh Sargent and the fee there. I think it's like people in norchill like that's not enough for him because they had the bid accepted and for ten million more than this in the summer. And if you look around at a player at twenty even take away the nationality, twenty five years old, team of the season in the championship last year, he's four seasons in a row double digit goals and his like goals per minut ratio is pretty high. He's he's gotten over some injury stuff, like I think last year or two years ago he played forty one of the forty six games in the championship. Is not an easy thing to do, particularly for somebody who we would be worried about injury issues. So all of this again taking away the name, takeaway the nationality, that profile of that, that's a twenty million dollars player. Atlanta United spent twenty two million on Emmanuel latzelat who it was very good in the championship. He did not have the same resume that Josh Sargent had in the championship. So I think for the price, it makes sense. And listen, if you're gonna wiff on somebody, and I think that this would be I think this would be a really high floor. The only word you would have is will he play thirty games a season every season? And there's a risk to that to anybody you signed. So I think for Toronto, this is a good way to spend money. It's certainly certainly better than what they had in the last few years. 00:12:17 Speaker 1: I mean, those are all good points, Tom. You know, when you look at it that way, I would agree that it doesn't sound like a lot of money. I still think when I when I look at MLS and look what you know, what the league is about, I still think that you know, it's a lot of money on any player for the league to bring in. But in particular, I hope that you know all the points that you made that Saint Louis is still looking at Delis and saying, this is the guy for here. This is our home hero. And by the way, I don't think this is going to be a whiff. You know where you know, and this is where maybe the value is there because you know when you go and sign the way Atlanta went out and signed this year and you miss a little bit that hurts. I think with Josh Sargent, whoever miss not gonna miss. This is a sure thing. Josh Sargent will do well in the MLS. 00:13:06 Speaker 2: So this is one to keep watching. I'm again, I'm just sitting here on January thirteenth. I would expect this to get done over the

line again, just because of all the confidences that I've heard from people all over the deal pretty much everybody but Norwich and who knows. Usually when these things happen, when the money gets there, the deal gets agreed. But we'll see how that one evolves. A couple more quick ones here Chris Richards. He returns in Chrystal Pals's surprising shocking FA Cup loss. That's unfortunate for the reigning FA Cup champions, the holders of this competition, but good news this is Chris Richards is back. The injury wasn't long term like we had said. And that's great news. As long as he's all good moving forward, that's all good. So I think that's important to hear, particularly after some of the bad injury news with Peppi and Tyler Adams, and then some more good news WESN McKinney. He scored officially one time. If you look at the box scores, I think we all agree that he probably should have been credited for two goals. But either he might be in the form of his life right now. I feel like we've talked about him every week here because he's doing things that are really really strong. His form, his his output for Juventus, and it's just another really good week for West McKinney. 00:14:13 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'll start with Chris Richards first. I think he you know, he did look a little rusty. Obviously he's been out for what a month something like that because something like that. So yeah, he got I think he got beat on the blind side a little bit on one of the goals. You know, not not a great start, but it's great to see him back on the field. And I'm sure you know it's always difficult to play teams that are so far below your level because you're now really prepared. You don't know their players as well. So I'm sure that was that was tough and and obviously a historic loss because you can't say it any other way, and he was part of that. But I'm sure as he gets back into EPL this weekend he will pick up his game. So yeah, so that's that's where that is. As far as what was the other player you were talking about? Wow, so Wes, Yeah, so so west And I think we laughed at this a little bit before the show because you know, had I ever had a chance to play for Juventus and I would have scored that goal that they called an own goal, I would have been protesting to the Cops Shield Federation as much as psychic protest because I you know, I thought, you know, Weston tried to put the ball in the goal and it just hit the defender and ended up going in the goal. Anyway, I think that should be his goal. But but you know there's more than that. His other goal was a great header, right, And and this is what we've been talking about. We've discussed is on the show a couple of times, how Weston can be that eight or ten either position who ends up inside the six. He does that well, and I think this game he showed once again that he can do that coming out of the midfield. 00:15:46 Speaker 2: He started the last thirteen Seriat games for event to see as an absolute crucial key

starter and it's just been awesome, awesome to see. And he's out of contract in the summer, not a bad time to be in the formula life of the World Cup coming up, so I think west mckinn's gonna have plenty of options, whether Uventus is one of them for the next season. He won't be he won't be short, and I'm looking forward to that brim. Time for a quick break for us before we dive into the mailbag. We'll be right back. Please write, review and subscribe to Inside American Soccer, Tom Boger, tab Ramless, wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back to Inside American Soccer. We wanted to hear from you, the fans, so we put the call out for questions, and as always, you guys came through and we got some good ones as well as some interesting comments that we're gonna throw in that maybe weren't questions, but we do want to hear your opinion and your voice. So let's start it off with some questions from first one mlus ACES podcast. Thank you for listening. By the way, emilss Aces, you were always here to support us for a relatively healthy roster this summer. I eat no major last minute injuries. What should be the bare minimum for this group at the World Cup? The air quote, good run? And what is the best case scenario if all plays out best? Let's go for wow. Yeah. 00:17:02 Speaker 1: I think we've briefly discussed this in the past, but I think this will change as times go by. Goes by rights, it's normal. I'll start answering this question by starting to think about the investment that we've made in order to do better than ever before. Right, that's the goal. We hired an accomplished coach who has been at the highest level internationally to come in and take our team, hopefully to a place we've never been before. Having said that, obviously, let's start round by round. So you know, obviously, let's not talk about not getting out of the first round. You know, three teams will go by, you'll go get out, and we'll be one of them. If we were to lose in the round of thirty two, I think that there's no question that that would be a huge failure, both from you know, the player's standpoint and from coaching standpoint. Right, So then you go to round to sixteen. So if you make it to round to sixteen, you know, I think on who you played on the round of twenty thirty two, which should be a decent opponent, round of sixteen is where we always make it. 00:18:08 Speaker 2: Right. 00:18:08 Speaker 1: So in terms of the players, I mean, can you you could potentially say, well, you know, this was our golden generation. These players are great, they play at great clubs. Round of sixteen is probably not something we'll be happy with, but it will be a failure in terms of the coaching situation, right, because we got really nothing out of that investment. If you end up in the round of sixteen, now, if you went to the round of eight, if you went to the quarterfinals, I think that success. I think that success on both ends. And I think that's something that can potentially be

achievable with this group. I think the group is good enough to make it that far, and I think the coaching should be good enough to make it that far. And I think if you make it any further than that, obviously it's huge success. I think it likely will wrap the country around this team like never before, and it will likely have an effect for decades to come if we do any better than that. So that's that's sort of where it's sort of where I see it. Round to sixteen being the absolute minimum where we can say, okay, we did okay, but bringing a coach from overseas didn't really help us that much. We could have done this with anybody. This is really what we do every time anyway, you know. And then and then the quarterfinals. We did that in two thousand and two. But I still think that it's that it's a good result for this team. That's how I see it. 00:19:26 Speaker 2: I really like how you laid all of that out, and I agree for you know, just about all of it. I keep going back and forth in my head. Well, like it feels it feels like churlish to say round to sixteen that's not good enough. Like there's if you get to the Like I kind of like quarterfinals is kind of where I sit at of home World Cup, this golden generation into their primes, building off of what happened in twenty twenty two, this big time head coach that came in recent but you know, we turned the corner because things look really bad in the fall and in the summer. But like, if they get to the round of sixteen and play, I'd like, again, I'm just using the examples of tom Meg because I think it would be Belgium as we like, that's the likeliest path. But like, if it's in England or in Argentina or Brazil or Spain or you insert any one of the like favorites, it'd be tough to say, oh, man, like, what a failure. They didn't beat Argentina and around to sixteen and didn't get to the quarterfinals. So obviously a lot of it goes down to the path, But I don't know. I wouldn't be like this is a failure. I'd just be slightly disappointed if it's not the quarterfinals, because if not now, then when this is the time that we've been building towards as a federation, as as this current group of players, particularly since failing to qualify for the twenty eighteen World Cup. This has been the carrot at the end of the stick. This has been what we've chasing. So quarterfying like the round of sixteen would be fine, It would be okay, But I think I'd be a little bit disappointed, and tab I don't know if that's unrealistic expectations. I do think that I do think there's a an area where they get to the semifinals. I think that that's I wouldn't say that's the most likely outcome, but I could absolutely see that, Like, why not if the run goes well and all the strengths get emboldened throughout the run, If pool sick and Richard's and McKenny at this point, like Adams, if all of these guys are playing at the top of their abilities, they can It's just there's a lot of good players in the world, of course, But I think that the ceiling is semifinals and somewhere between quarterfinals in round of sixteen is the expectation. And obviously there is no in between for those two things. So it'll feel super positive if it's quarterfinals, and it feel a little bit disappointing if it's round to sixteen for me. 00:21:42 Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think you framed it correctly too, because you know, I would add to that that we also need a little bit of luck, right, you know, look at Argentina won the last World Cup and they actually won four out of the seven games they played, you know, they you know, they won a couple on penalties and they lost to Saudi, so you know, and they got I think five penalty kicks on the way there, so had that not happened, they wouldn't have won the World Cup. So you know, they're all the and of course you earn those, and you have to be in the box to get a penalty call for you all of those things. But I wouldn't think that our team is so far away so that with a little bit of luck we couldn't get to the semi finals. I think we can, and I think we will need it. 00:22:22 Speaker 2: I really like the way that you put that too, because I struggle with quantifying or like talking about, you know, the role that luck plays in all of these knockouts ornaments like it not just a World Cup, just insert anything, whether it's club or international soccer. I think the way you put it, this group is good enough that they, like, you can't be a bad team and just get extremely lucky to carry through a run. I think this team is good enough that if the bouncers go right, it can be where where you know, we hope it can get to again, like hopefully quarterfinals and maybe the semi finals. And I think that's that's part of the range, and you need to have a baseline quality and a baseline mental to qualify for some of the lucky bounces, because again, if you're bad, I don't know, Cape Verde awesome story for them to get there. They could get every single bounce, and I don't think that there's a world that they get to the round of sixteen or something like that, you know what I mean? And not comparing us to Cape Verde, but there is a group that outside of the top top title contenders, there's like a second tier that. Again, I think that the range of where these teams can finish can be wide, depending on the path, depending on a couple of bounds, depending on set pieces, and some other really really small things that vary game to game, and I think the United States is in that all right, Next question from AFLAC. I don't think that this is a sponsored Hey, hey, guys, love the content. Do you think Aiden Morris will have a spot in the World Cup squad or at least compete for one. He's definitely not guaranteed one, but I think he's definitely on the bubble right now. Tab I don't remember if when we did our roster projection that will do several times between then and and the World Cup. I don't remember if we definitely both had him as like either one of the last guys in

or one of the first guys out. So he's got a chance and we'll see what happens. I think it'll be pretty pivotal if he gets caught up in March, how he performs. 00:24:12 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you know, at the moment, you'd have to say, he's in one of those spots between you know, twenty four and twenty eight, right somewhere in there where you're not sure if he's going to be in or out. This weekend. You know they played, you know this last game FA Cup they played against Fulham. He played well. He played a little bit further up the field, it seems, had a nice little assist or second assist as a back heel for the goal, which if you watch that whole goal that Middlesbrough scored, was a great goal, actually a great goal. And then he actually had a pass where he put I think they're forward. I think his name is Whittaker, and he put Whittaker through that could have been the two to two with about five minutes left in the game, so he had an influence in the game. You know, long story short, He's still in the picture, no mistake about it. He's still in the picture. He's certainly not a g guarantee, but he's one of one of the final two or the two that'll come in late. But he's right in that picture. I think. 00:25:08 Speaker 2: I would agree, and again, I think we could go back every single week back and forth between some of these guys. There are others on on the bubble that include Johnny card Oh so I think Tanner Tessaman is ahead of definitely ahead of both of those. Tyler Adams is a lock provided that he's healthy. Weston McKinney is a lock provided he's healthy. So really quickly, this group is difficult to break into with all the options we talked about. Sebastian bur Alter, I know he hasn't played in a month and he won't play for another month in Vancouver white Caps, but he'll be part of the mix. There are Christian Rodan has been part of them. There. There are just a lot of options for some of these last central midfield spots, and I think it's gonna come down to the wire and we can have different opinions every week. This next question is from Eric Friedlander. What is Tab's biggest what if youth prospect of the last twenty years? 00:25:50 Speaker 1: I actually, you know, I love this question actually because I always think back about, you know, what I thought at those moments and the guys that I thought, Man, this guy is really this guy really has all the tools, right. And when I think of a guy that had all the tools that I thought was going to be big time, and by the way, he was big time but injury stoleed him down, I would have to say Number one for me would be Ben Spencer. So Ben Ben Spencer was a six five forward, ninety five born, so he would have been on that twenty fifteen team. He only played qualifying for US and he was already injured. He had all kinds of problems with a knee injury that he had. He was playing at Molda at the time. But Tom, he had all of the tools. He was fast, he was great in the air, obviously because he was six

y five, but he played with the ball on his feet as if he was five eight. I mean, he had all of the tools and unfortunately for him, he ended up bouncing around because he went every club he's been on or he was not ever since. I think he might have retired a couple of years ago only, but I think he was in between injuries all the time. He never really got to full potential. But I think i'd have to say definitely Ben Spencer. But I'll give you some honorable mentions because I like to think about it. I got something, okay, So Junior Flores. Junior Flores was at fifteen sixteen years old, he played in those Nike International friendlies in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, when we used to have our U seventeens there as full residency. He tore Brazil apart, basically by himself. He was an amazing, amazing player. By the time he got to the U twenties, I had him, I believe, a World Cup qualifying, but he already didn't make the final team for the World Cup because he wasn't in good form. But I think at sixteen years old, which just when he signed with Dortmund, I think he signed three or four year contract with Dorton and he had options to go to many other teams. Liverpool like every team in the world wanted a piece of junior flories and ended up not really having a career at all. So that would be my next one, and then from there, I'll say more more recently, I would say, you know Gideon's allow him had in crowded. 00:28:18 Speaker 2: That was the one that was coming up number one. 00:28:20 Speaker 1: When when Gideon showed up at our first under twenty practice, we were in New Zealand preparing for the World Cup, and he was two years younger than everyone else. I remember Kellen Acosta watching Gideon's along them just take free kicks and go wow, this guy is amazing. But just the way he played. I at one point we played Portugal and Portugal had a great under twenty team and I said to Gideon, because he was an attacking sort of like a number ten, I said, I said, Gideon, I'm going to ask you something that you've probably probably never done before, and that is I want you to play this number six position. And he looked at me with eyes like that He's like, wait, like that means I have to defend. And I said, listen, all I need you to do is to end at the top of our box. But I want to play everything through you. I have to tell you we played him at the number six role against Portugal. It was in Spain the tournament in Spain, Portugal could not deal with them. He had that shoulder in and out where he could receive a ball and make the guy from behind miss. I mean, he was an incredible player. And also I think he ran into injuries unfortunately and was not being able to get to full I think he's still playing though, and I think he's still playing well. I believe he's in the USL now, but I think his full potention without injuries would have been amazing. And then the last one, I would say Alex Mendes. Alex Mendes was a great player in our two twenty nineteen World Cup, a great number eight, box to box, silky, smooth, great feet, ended up signing for Ajax, did well at Ajax for a while, but didn't take that next step and ended up in second division Portugal and after that he really did not recover from that. But those would be like that would be Ben Spencer, my tough guy, and the rest of the guys should be honorable mention for me. 00:30:12 Speaker 2: I like the Ben Spencer show because that one didn't even come up for me. Just he never did get to the senior national team again, and like with his club stuff, like the injuries just kind of derailed him, which is super, super unfortunate. Gideon's allow him is the one that I'm obviously always gonna think about. So he was playing for Arsenal at sixteen years old in first team preseason and turning heads like, oh my god, who's this. This kid's American? Oh my god, he fits perfectly within the Arson Benger Arsenal teams and like silky and possession all that stuff, and again injuries derailed him. But my god, for a while we thought that that was that was you know, the way that Christian Pools and Giorana were being spoke of when they were breaking through a doormant as like this isn't just like a top American town, this is just a top talent of his birth year in the world. So injuries saw that another one. Paxton Pomical was somebody I loved. Injuries has really slowed him down, but he had some good years with Dallas. He's still on Dallas. And one more that's a bit deeper cut, man. I thought Derek Jones was gonna be awesome. I thought his floor was like he's just gonna be a really good MLS player, but I think he's gonna end up going to Europe and it just never quite worked out for him. 00:31:17 Speaker 1: I would agree on both of those, but in particular with Derek Jones, and I actually brought him to Houston with me when I signed in Houston. I'd signed him because I was like, Wow, he can't be underperforming like this. He has to do better. And by the way, great kid will do anything for you, you know, trains hard, but he just never took that next step, and that next step would have been, Yeah, he becomes Paul Pugbot at his best moments, he becomes Patrick Vieira at his best moments. That's how I saw him as well. And it's too bad that he couldn't get to that level because I think he had. I think. 00:31:58 Speaker 2: I agree, and like what what Tanner Testaman is right now, Derek Jones probably could do maybe a little bit less in possession of but a little bit more maybe in groundcovering, again depending on what we were projecting everybody to be. But I think Tanner Testament would be another good comp for him. Like, again, he's playing in Leone. That's a big team. He's playing really well. It's awesome on the ball. He's got this rains these like long legs of course in central midfield. So yeah, when every time we had a joke just on you know, Extra time podcast rep to that around MLS, every time Derek Jones got signed somewhere else, we would spend more time on

that than somebody who like, we were always like this is the one it's gonna unlock. Always playing with Tab in Houston. Oh my god, here it comes. Wait now, all right, that didn't work out. But he's going to Columbus will for Nazi. Oh my god, he's gonna be awesome. We did that every time, so man, Derek Jones was good. A couple more here. This one's from Frank Dolan. Frank ass Tab, what player on your team with the public not know is an absolute maniac? Uh? 00:32:56 Speaker 1: Does that mean someone I played with? I would say, not someone I coached and. 00:33:00 Speaker 2: Let you, I'll let you take it wherever you are, you know, I. 00:33:03 Speaker 1: Would say with people I would take that to people I played with. 00:33:07 Speaker 2: Uh? 00:33:07 Speaker 1: That that people outside of our World Cup team did not really know the intensity with which Bruce Murray took the field every day. I mean, if Bruce's socks didn't fit right, he would just throw a table out the window. I mean he was just that intense. I was roommates with him a couple of times, and he was intensity to like the tenth degree. 00:33:36 Speaker 2: I love that answer. Those are good. I think that was probably a good choice to go with the teammates rather than guys you coach. Statute of limitations I think has expired on some of those quickly. On this one. This this is from Ben Wright Waldo kits just good or awesome. And for those who haven't seen, there's been nothing official, but there's been some leaks that the striped red, white striped kids, there's gonna be a version of that United States at the World Cup. So if that is true, just good or all I would say. 00:34:04 Speaker 1: If it's true, I would say, awesome. Why not? It looks like the flag. If you remember back in nineteen ninety four, we had this one right here as one, and then we had the other one that was striped up and down. I like the stripes across a little bit better. I think awesome. That would be my answer. 00:34:20 Speaker 2: Tap pointed at the iconic denim shirt for those just listening on the podcast, that is my I think that one's my favorite of all time. Do you do you have a favorite of all time? 00:34:28 Speaker 1: I think as much as I hated this denim one, I think. 00:34:32 Speaker 2: It was it was it like, what was it like to play in that? 00:34:35 Speaker 1: No? It was it was obviously obviously not Denham material. 00:34:38 Speaker 2: It was right. 00:34:39 Speaker 1: It was just it weighed like forty pounds like every other jersey back then. But no, it was fine. It was It was fine to play with and it was a nice in the end, ended up being a nice looking jersey that that would be my favorite. 00:34:54 Speaker 2: I cut you off as you were does so then the Denham would be okay, some more some more here As we got a little bit of time to keep going, we got a lot of comments about Christian Pulisic and I think that I'm gonna ask about his future because he's killing at an asy Milan. What you re signed? Do you go

somewhere else? What's going? This is from Spicy Nocchi on Poolsick to Manchester United Man You heck no, Actually he's just not built for the Premier League? Could he go to Spain? Yeah? I think I think so. But Italy or Spain is the best fit? What say you, tab? 00:35:26 Speaker 1: I think good players are built for every league, so I'll start with that. Having said that, I think he's in a great place. Now, I do agree with the person that sent that message and saying that potentially Spain and Italy are the best places for him to be. But let's think about that for a second. So okay, so let's say he goes to Spain. So if he goes to Spain, likely not going to Real Madrid or Barcelona, which means best case scenario after that would be Athletico Madrid and Athletico Madrid. Is that an upboard move from ac Milan. I mean, he's at a great club. Stay where you are. He's doing great. He's playing in a solid league for one of the best clubs in the history of world football, and I think he should stay there. There's no need for him to move. 00:36:16 Speaker 2: I'm with you there. Hopefully Ace Milan opens the checkbooks on that one, because there will be again, particularly with the money in England, there's I'm sure that there's gonna be some of the lures. But I agree with you just in terms of on the field. It's it's an awesome fit. It's an awesome club, but legendary club, historic club, and he's their starman right now and long may that continue as long as at Milan put the money in front of him. A quick one, this one from David Day and he just made a prediction Pullsick, which joined the Chicago Fire soon after the World Cup hashtag Pulsick two MLS. For me, I'm I don't have any one hundred percent information. All of this stuff is fluid. I had heard for years Pulsick may come to MLS sooner than you think, and I don't like that is a super vague thing to hear, but I heard that from enough people. So Pulsk is twenty seven now, and he'll be twenty seven his birthdays in September twenty seven, at the World Cup this summer. The following one, he'll be thirty one. I think there's a possibility he comes to MS between the World Cups. I wouldn't I wouldn't go as far as say that's likely, but I certainly don't think that's off the table, and particularly as the money continues to grow around MLS. If the David Beckham deal one of one Lionel MESSI deals a one of one. Pulsik might be the next guy. I think that there'd be a lot of interest centrally around MLS as well. Maybe there's a new rule added in the future that helps grease the wheels for US MNT guys to come back, because I know that's something that the league and the clubs care about. But I think he will play in MLS one day, and whether that, I think that could happen before this twenty thirty World Cup, but if not, then maybe soon after. 00:37:53 Speaker 1: That, and it could happen. I think he's getting to that age where I think this is the type of signing with where potentially after the World Cup would be

interesting for MLS. Maybe not immediately after, because I think as well as he's doing at AC Milan, I don't think it would be good for him to move and come back home yet. But I think we're likely within two years maybe or two and a half years of Christian coming back, and I could potentially see him at a team like Miami Inter Miami or you know, LAFC, one of those teams. I don't see him in Chicago, but you never know. You know, the ownership in Chicago spending a lot of money and sometimes obviously and how that works with the money. But I can see him a little bit more being in Miami. His parents now live in South Florida, and I could see him going there. 00:38:44 Speaker 2: His father was at M West Cup in Fort Lauderdale this year. He was just there to watch. That wasn't anything to do with Christian. He was just nearby and wanted to catch a good game. But that is an interesting point. We got a lot of comments and I get a lot of texts about a little bit of tab appreciation. So I'm gonna run through these from Brianna Cody showing my age. But Tab is my favorite US men soccer player. Always loved the style of play. Wish he got a shot at coaching the US team. Maybe he knows better. From Joseph Lemir, Tab would be my choice to follow Potch after the World Cup. Measured intelligent and authentic in his demeanor Louis Silva one hundred percent, Tab is our best player in US M and D history. With a fifteen exclamation points and this last one, I don't like this last one from Bana one two, three four. Tabri almost is so smart he should do his own podcast. You try to defect. What's come on? 00:39:30 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what. I'm happy to hear my family finally chiming in. They were ignoring my podcast, and now it looks like they're on board. So happy to hear that. Hey, Adam, all those things I will agree with authentic that that for sure. 00:39:48 Speaker 2: I a few more here before we get to your story, from my friend Eric Krakauer, a wonderful professional broadcast. He does a lot of NWSL work right now, works in Charlotte, does a lot of good stuff. If you guys don't know Eric Kratkower, go check him out. Eric says tab a spot on. I'd add that calling the group the Golden Generation is not only inflated their perception of the quality, but also created unrealistic expectations on my end, because I use the term Golden Generation colloquially before, just because I think that that's an easy way to say it, and there's always a lot of pushback of okay, well, that means that this is a one off, that this isn't repeatable, and this is just you know, a moment in time. I don't feel that way. I think that with the way that the academy structure is you soccer again, and tab I would give you, I think a lot of credit for your tenure within US Soccer and with the U twenties and everything else really helping streamline that and improve it, and it continues to get better. We're gonna keep producing players like Polisic McKinney. There are a lot of guys that are If Poolsick was born in Egypt, if Poolisick was born in Australia or England or Spain or wherever, I don't think it matters. I think that he's gonna find his way to the top because he's just that special player. But the academy system has developed a whole lot of players that wouldn't quite be the case, particularly in our historyes as US Soccer Federation. That is going to continue to grow and grow and make the players like Polisic better and make the players again like Pulisic, McKinney, Richard some of the special special talents to the arena. That kid probably came out of the womb with the soccer ball at his foot. That these players will have better around them and better training in their youth that has them ready for the top levels. So in terms of Golden Generation. I just use that more colloquially than suggesting that it's, you know, a one time thing. But more to Eric's questions, have do you think the expectations have been too high so far for these players? 00:41:38 Speaker 1: Uh? No, I don't. Actually. I think we have a good group of players, and I think the expectations have been really according to what we see from them and how we see them perform. I think that the label came for them a little bit too early, and I think that likely hurt them because expectations were too high at the beginning. But in the end, the goal was to have a good twenty twenty six World Cup, and I think we're on our way to doing that. I do agree that what you're saying about what has been done, and let's say at the MLS level and by US Soccer, that we will continue to have more consistency in developing good players. I do think that players like Policic don't come along often right. I think they are not created by an academy. These are special talents, and special talents you have to get lucky for them to come along, because they come along on their own. There's no metrics that MLS will develop that will make another policic that's just not going to happen. But you're right, I think there will be more consistency and developing good players who are going to be able to perform on big teams all over the world going into the future. 00:42:54 Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I just have one more small point dand on this two and you know, talking about unreasonable expectations. I think that had more to do with I think in twenty twenty two we over indexed on the idea of potential and this I don't think thought I thought that I don't think that they overperformed to the twenty two were Cup, But I don't think I certainly don't think that they underperformed. And I thought that was a lot of the criticism and maybe and maybe a different manager, maybe it would have been different. But I thought that Burlt and the coaching stept did fine. And we spend so much time talking about what Giorana might be one day, what Serginio desk might be one day, what all of these guys and when you're back in twenty twenty two, this was the youngest team at the twenty twenty two Work Cup, and I

think just as conversationally as we talk about this stuff, I think we've gone a little bit too far and talking about potential and stuff like that versus like, hey, what is what are this group of players right now? And this isn't just the United States thing. I think this can be extrapolated to just all general soccer conversations. Is I think we over index on potential and don't focus enough on the right now in current output. So I think that's just something to look at it. This is the tournament coming up, the one that should have the highest expectations, but just like the potential isn't guaranteed. It's a great thing to happen, it's a great thing to work towards and hopefully get to, but you have to take the team at face value where they are in any given moment in time. And I think the twenty twenty World Cup they did fine. One more here on the. 00:44:22 Speaker 1: No no no. I was just gonna sum it up with one play. I think you know, if you if you recall the play that Gi Arena made, right, we all think about the same play. Which play is that? 00:44:34 Speaker 2: Right? 00:44:34 Speaker 1: He's at the ass decay, he makes the run Jimbos through five or six Mexican players and ends up going nowhere. In the end, nothing happens out of that play. No, but here's where I'm going with that. And this is not this is not negative towards anyone. This is where I'm going with that. We look at that play and we and we translated into what that's going to be like in the future. Okay, we're thinking he's nineteen years old or twenty years old and he did that, What is that going to be like in five years? Oh, that's gonna be amazing. But then we get disappointed when that doesn't happen. Right, And I think that play summarizes a lot of what this has been. Right, It's been about all projections, all predictions of where we're going to be and how, and then we get disappointed when exactly what we thought was going to happen doesn't happen. 00:45:29 Speaker 2: I think that's a really fair point and a poetic way to put it together. Last question here, This is from David Wisp. My biggest question mark is the center backs, which mixes the best? How do they work with the center? Miss fence's key. We've looked very aggressive in the back through, which is great, but if defense fails, we will not be getting to the later rounds of the World Cup. So I would say that is the biggest focus to really get the chemistry and lock in that chemistry tab. What is your preferred I guess again, if it is indeed with the three center backs, what is your preferred I guess center back partnership and not just for individual talent, but the way that they work with each other. 00:46:02 Speaker 1: Well, I think you know, I and I've been excluding Tim Reim from my three always pretty much because I just think we need a little bit more athleticism out of the back, and I think you know, with the ball on his feet, he doesn't give us so much more than everyone else. But let's just take for example that you know, Mariso Bogettino decides because you know, we can tell by now that that Tim Reim is a very important piece to him. So let's say Tim Reim was going to play. So if I had to redo the back three, I would definitely play with three in the back in the center. Whether you can call it five in the back or three in the back, I really don't care which. That'll be something else. If we ever talked about tactics that I'd like to discuss but but I would actually put Tim Reim in the center, not one of the two guys on the side. I would put him in the center because he's a little bit more protected from being one v one potentially on the sideline. That's that's what I would do. And then on one side you would have Chris Richards and potentially on the other side you could have you know, McKenzie or Robinson or you know whoever you'd want to have. 00:47:08 Speaker 2: Yeah, this will be an interesting one that we keep talking about. I think that will even be something after the first group stage game. Hey, does this make sense? It does work. This will be kind of an eternal debate and looking forward to talking more and more about it. But speaking of breaks, we need to go take one more break. We'll be right back. We have a tap story about the shot heard around in the world. That's what we're calling it in the United States, beating Trinidad to qualify the World Cup. We're gonna be right back with that. Thank you for listening to Inside American Soccer. Please right for viewing, Subscribe and we'll get to that story in one second. Welcome backs Inside American Soccer and we're going inside the locker room. I think it was my favorite part of the show. And there is a wealth of different different eras, different times, different things to go to. I think this is one of the ones I was most looking forward to hearing tab So tab the shot herd around the world. The United States goes down to Trinidad in nineteen eighty nine and beats Trinidad and Tobago one nil to qualify for the World Cup. What do you remember about that day and what made it so very special? 00:48:15 Speaker 1: Yeah? I remember a lot so when I had it to answer the question when I had when I if there's a game that I think about most, it would have to be that one because it was special. And by the way, I always like to mention what happened before us too, because you know, let's not forget that. You know, in nineteen thirty the US team made it to the semifinals, even if it was few, just a few teams in the in the World Cup. And in nineteen fifty we beat England, and I wish I could actually see that game because I don't think there can potentially be a bigger win, like bigger underdogs than that actual game. And now we fast forward from you know, from nineteen fifty, and we get to nineteen eighty nine for you know, thirty nine years later, to try to qualify for a World Cup fourty years later. And here we are, you know, sort of in the We go get through the middle of qualifying, and you

know, it was a time in which not old teams played on the same u the fixtures were not all on the same weekends. So actually we get into the last three or four games of qualifying and I think Costa Rica had already played all their games, and we almost needed to win three out of four to qualify, or two out of four and not lose a game, because don't forget back, then there was two points for a win and one for a tie. So we I believe, had to get at least two wins and two ties in the last four games in order to even you know, have a shot at this. So we get into the we I think we got to two ties in a win, and we go into Trinidad and Tobago. The last game November nineteenth, nineteen eighty nine. Trinidad and Tobago is in second place. We're in third place, and we need they were a point ahead of us. The top two are going and Trinidad. All they need is a tie at home, and so we have to go into Trinidad and Tobago with a tie, they're in the World Cup. We need to win on the road. We had played Trinidad at home in California and had tied one to one at home and in our first game. So we go there and as we get there, we realize that this is a national celebration. They had already declared a national holiday. You know, they were counting on going to the World Cup the next you know, over the next couple of days and for the first time ever in their history, and we play. You know, we we go to the stadium. There's you know, there's forty thousand people in a twenty six thousand seat stadium. People are climbing fences, there's a sea of red everywhere. Tons of pressure obviously on us because we were a young team and we really didn't know what we were doing. Although although as I mentioned before, my experience at the Brooklyn Italians was very helpful. But we, you know, we get it. We get to the stadium's incredible amount of pressure and then we get to this moment. And I've said this before, although I haven't said it on this show. There was There's always those moments when you're in the tunnel with the other team where the other team tries to intimidate you because you're both walking out together and the crowd is roaring outside and you kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel as you walk out together. And we could see from our side as we're walking out that the Trinidad players were so tense and they seemed almost scared, And that was the moment where we thought, you know what, I think we got these guys. I think we're gonna do this. That's the first time where I felt like there was some confidence, because normally teams try to intimidate you. You know, they're let's go, you know, and all these things going on, and they were quiet, and there wasn't a lot going on, and I felt like the pressure had gotten to them a lot more obviously than it had gotten to with their whole whole country behind them and our country. By the way, I'm not even sure if our game was live at home, it might have been on tape delay, like most people in the US didn't even know we were playing that day, And anyway, we walk onto the field, We walk onto the field, sold out stadium and all that stuff, and and we you know, poll kll of jury scores a goal I think late in the first half and and uh and we get to win and and we make it to the World Cup. But that was That's a game. When I have to think of games that I go back to, I think about that game and the players that were there, you know, the Peter Vermiz and John Harris and you know, and and Brian Bliss's of the world who you know, Steve Tritschee, guys that that you know that sometimes not everybody thinks about who helped us pull this through? 00:52:49 Speaker 2: No, and like again knowing that we were going to talk about this, just pulling up the goal that Paul call Jory scored and the way that you guys all dog pile on him as he's on the ground, he evades a defender. It's a little bit of a half volley because the ball's bouncing, he puts it over the keeper incident that like, man, this is just an iconic moment in our country's history, in our soccer federation's history. And that was in the thirtieth minute. 00:53:12 Speaker 1: And well if you think about it, you know, I think it was. However, many years we had to go back to Trinidad and we got knocked out. Right, this is twenty eighteen, you know. I think Bruce was coaching that team, and I think it might have been the same field that was, you know, flooded, had a lot of water on it. Well, that day, when you're talking about the ball bouncing, I receive a throw in from Brian Bliss. I turn and I try to control the ball. And if there was one thing I could do, I'd say pretty well, it was control the ball. But the field was like it was like playing on marble. It was like marble. It was like impossible for the ball not to bounce. And I actually played pole calla Juri a bad ball, and the bad ball I play him is bouncing and it forces him to dribble around this first place by putting the bowl over him or something like that, and then he unleashes his shot from like thirty yards out there. I think the goalkeeper wasn't expecting it because his dive. I think the goalkeeper kind of looks like he's diving into a pool. He doesn't even look like he's diving sideway. So anyway, but the field is so bad that I think on a good feel that goal likely couldn't happened. 00:54:21 Speaker 2: It would have been it would have been different. You would have played it on the ground and it would have been it would have been rolled. It would have looked more silk. I continue to play back the video as like the ball, you didn't even like fire the pass in. It was clearly that you were working that were like knowing that the field can stuff. It hits the ground and it it was like a like astro turf like king like into his like mid section, and it was really good first touch by him. And then like you said, I I set him off with the momentum to uh flick it around a defender and then the ball keeps bouncing because it looks like marble concrete and then uh my

god, what a goal. 00:54:53 Speaker 1: And then and then the rest and the rest is history, you know. Then we fly back to the airport in US and no one's there. 00:55:00 Speaker 2: Wait, these goes people ask me if you want Hey, who are you guys? That's a nice tracksuit you played college? Yeah, Oh my god. And then again this this this ended the drought for the United States, getting to the World Cup in ninety which helps set the foundation for ninety four, which really is the launching point for so many of the great, great things. And you know, who knows exactly what history might have been if if this goal doesn't go in. And like you said, going into that final day, United States and Trinidad were tied on nine points, but Trinidad had the goal difference, so they knew they just needed the one point. And it's funny to think about that that ties that wins were only two points back then. Is when I was looking, I was like looking at the standings before and I was like, oh, wow, they topped the group, like because Costa Rica had eleven points, so they beat Trinidad, that must gives them twelve. And then looking back again and man, what a different time. But these are these are the moments that that this this federation is built off of. And I don't know, I'd never tired from it. What was the plane ride back? Were you guys all celebrating jovial laughing or was it a little bit of an exhil. 00:56:09 Speaker 1: Well, it was really unbelievable because we you know, as all of the things that we joke about, right because you know, it was such a different time. You still can't believe you're actually going to the World Cup. Now you're going to play against the best players in the world. So you know, it was really exciting. It was really emotional, you know, and it was it was it was those moments when you achieved something that you likely don't believe you ever can, you know, And now you're picturing yourself playing in front of the world, in front of you know, full stadiums, and you know, it's just a it was just a great feeling. 00:56:43 Speaker 2: So when you guys are on you know, economy United flight and you're in the middle seat in row thirty three and Tony's in twenty seven on the aisle, how are you guys talking over all the people who had no idea who you were. 00:56:56 Speaker 1: Yeah, it was really exciting. It was really exciting when the people were going, we're yes from you guys, Florida State. 00:57:01 Speaker 2: What the team is? This was It wasn't a private jet back then. 00:57:08 Speaker 1: Yeah, we're the Florida State cricket team. We just had a trip to Trinidad. It was And by the way, it wasn't United, it was before that it was Continental Airlines. Yeah, and it might have been. I mean, we might have been on pan Am for all I know, I don't know what it was. 00:57:26 Speaker 2: Oh my goodness, this is gonna inspire hope that this inspired some listeners who if there was also before their time, to really go back and dive into that watch all the clips that you can possibly find, because this is sparking me that when we end this show, I think that'll be the first thing I do. But TAP. Thank you as always, Thank you to everybody listening who submitted some questions and comments in the mail bag. Please, you know, rate review, leave comments. That's how some other people find the show as well. Show us who love We really do appreciate it. Tap. We will be back next week. As we keep on rolling here through the winter, there is an endless supply of things to talk about with the United States national team. We've got some of the transfer news that's going to be coming up here as always is in January, so stay tuned to that and thank you all for listening. We'll be back very gracious.