00:00Hello, Sunshine. I'm Alexi Lalas, and welcome to the State of the Union show, presented by Zillow.
00:04Someday starts today. This is where we look at the beautiful game on and off the field through the lens
00:08of red, white, and blue colored glasses.
00:10Now, this episode, we are kicking off into our World Cup group previews by diving into Group A.
00:16But first, joining me as always, my friend, my colleague, my guiding light, David Mossie, a soccer savant and a
00:21Fox Soccer researcher and writer extraordinaire.
00:24All right, my friend, you ready to light this candle? Let's kick it off here with Group A.
00:28Group A is headlined by co-host Mexico, who are managed once again by Javier Aguirre, who I've called the
00:33Bruce Arena of Mexican soccer.
00:35He led them into the round of 16 in 2002 and 2010. We'll see how far he can take them
00:41this time around.
00:42Their opening match is against South Africa, which was the same opening match in 2010.
00:46South Africa back in the World Cup for the first time since they hosted that tournament.
00:50You've also got South Korea in this group. They've been in every World Cup since 1986, finished fourth on home
00:55soil in 2002.
00:56And they were managed by our former colleague, Goose Hiddink.
00:59And then rounding out this group is a solid European side, Czechia.
01:04They're back at the World Cup for the first time in 20 years, 2006.
01:07In their opening match, they demolished the U.S. 3-0.
01:11Thomas Rositsky, Jan Koller and company.
01:12So let's start with Mexico. What do you see from them?
01:15Well, look, you know, our friends to the south, they get to host a World Cup yet again.
01:20I think that it is a double-edged sword here in that they get to host, they get to play
01:28in Mexico.
01:29But I think the I guess the dirty little secret is that they probably would have preferred if they had
01:36been playing their games in the United States and the reception that they get here on a continual basis.
01:43Not that it doesn't mean they come in for criticism, but this is what I worry about when it comes
01:48to El Tri.
01:48I think they're going to be fine. I think they're going to go through.
01:51But I worry if it doesn't go bad, the Mexican fans in that moment will see the writing on the
01:58wall and they will turn on them in a way that could get really, really bad for them.
02:04Now, if it goes great, Mexico fans are going to think they're winning the World Cup, and I hope that
02:09I hope that it does.
02:10But that's that's what I worry about when it comes to this Mexico team.
02:13This is not a great Mexico team, but this may be a pragmatic Mexico team that can do things that
02:21haven't been done in the past.
02:22Not because they're beautiful, but precisely because they're not beautiful.
02:27They do have a very good goal scorer in Raul Jimenez up top and a teenage star I love in
02:31Gilberto Mota.
02:33Stu Holden made an interesting comment about Mexico recently.
02:36There's a first. OK, he said the U.S. has more talent than Mexico, but Mexico is more accepting of
02:42their limitations, which might serve them well.
02:45And they might go farther than the U.S. this summer. What do you think Stu meant by that?
02:48I think, well, just watching this team, especially of late, the results that they have had, they know what they
02:53are and they know what they're not.
02:55And that's not always easy for a team like Mexico or a fan base like Mexico.
02:59So I understand what he is saying in that this might be the best version of Mexico, although it might
03:07be the most the ugliest or the most boring version of Mexico.
03:12But ultimately, I think Mexican fans like U.S. fans, they don't care how it gets done. Just get it
03:16done.
03:16South Africa have a very good midfielder, Mokoy.
03:19And if you're wondering about the passion for this sport in South Africa, you can speak to that.
03:24You spent the summer of 2010 down there.
03:26Yeah, we had a really wonderful time down there.
03:28It was a place I'd never been before.
03:30And to see the way that that country embraced not just the sport, but that tournament.
03:37If you had asked me back then, I would have said, oh, they're on their way.
03:40And so that they are coming back for the first time since then is is pretty is pretty amazing.
03:45And, you know, history repeats itself.
03:48That first game and Shabba Lala scoring the goal and the country going crazy.
03:51Now, ultimately, they didn't go through, but still, it is amazing how the soccer gods conspire to have this be
03:57the opening game of the World Cup.
03:59I mentioned that South Korea back in 2002 finished fourth under Goose Hitting.
04:03They benefited from some dubious officiating in that tournament.
04:07Besides that, the round of 16 has been more or less their ceiling.
04:10So what do you think?
04:11Could they go farther this time around?
04:13You have Kim at the back, Son up front, Kangin Lee in the midfield.
04:16Son, who's now playing in familiar surroundings, you know, he plays his club soccer in this part of the world.
04:22So what do you think?
04:23Well, like a lot of these, it's going to be interesting to see what the crowd looks like.
04:27We know the South Korean American community that exists over here and the tourism that is South Korea.
04:34So when they were picked in this group to play all of their games in Mexico, it's not ideal.
04:40I still think they'll have plenty of support.
04:43You know, Son, who now we see here playing in Major League Soccer with LAFC is wonderful.
04:49He cannot carry this team, but I don't think he has to.
04:54By the way, the coach of South Korea I played with at the LA Galaxy, Hong Young-bo, coming back
05:00for his second time.
05:01He's not, he's not loved, shall we say, by the South Korean fan base out there.
05:11But if he were to do something with this South Korean team, and he could, that would change very quickly.
05:17So you played with the South Korea coach.
05:19Stu Holden was the boss of the Mexico coach, Javier Aguirre, because he coached Majorca.
05:23So when those two teams play, it's going to be divided loyalties.
05:26You're going to be with South Korea and Stu's going to be with Mexico.
05:28Well, let's do go with Mexico. I'll take South Korea, yeah.
05:32In terms of Czechia, they've got a very good striker.
05:35Patrick Schick was joint top scorer at Euro 2020.
05:39Thomas Suchek in the midfield.
05:40And also, I've watched an inordinate amount of Lyon the last few months because of Endrick.
05:45And I love this Pavel Schutz, this young playmaker they have.
05:48So Czechia have some talent.
05:50I wouldn't be surprised if they make a run here.
05:53It'll also be interesting because from a physical perspective,
05:56they are really, really tall and strong and they capitalize on it when it comes to set pieces.
06:03You know, in qualifying, they had something like eight set piece goals.
06:08So when those stoppages come and the set piece comes into play, we'll see how much.
06:16But again, weather is going to be a factor.
06:19Altitude, all of these different things are going to play in.
06:22But it'll be interesting to see what Czechia brings to the proceedings.
06:26What's the single match in this group that has you most excited?
06:30I mean, I think, look, the opening game of a World Cup, by definition, people have to tune in.
06:41And so I'm excited to see what happens there.
06:46Again, I want to see what happens in the stands and the traveling South Korean fan base,
06:52if they show up or not.
06:54But I'd still say that first game, yeah.
06:57And then what is your pick?
06:59And let me stipulate as we go through the groups here.
07:02Nobody can predict the eight best third place finishers.
07:05So we're still just really looking at who you have as your top two in each group
07:08that are definitely going to move on.
07:09So looking at Group A, how would you pick them?
07:11All right, so despite my fears, if it goes bad, I don't think that that's going to ultimately happen.
07:17So I do think Mexico is going to finish first, specifically because of the pragmatism that we talked about.
07:22So Mexico first, South Korea second, Czechia third, and South Africa finishing fourth.
07:27And are you as high on Huberto Mudd as I am?
07:29Do you think he could be one of the exciting young players at this tournament?
07:32Yes, I think that this could be a wonderful breakout.
07:35And we've seen him play, but I think the world could kind of see him.
07:38And once they get a load of what he is and his young age, yeah, this could be one of
07:42those moments
07:43where we look back and say, hey, remember the summer of 26 and what more I did.
07:46In Mexico, for the longest time, it was about the quinto partido.
07:49Because of the new format, that's now the round of 16.
07:51So you think they have to get to the quarterfinals for this to constitute progress?
07:55Yeah, so I'm just going to be saying sexto consistently as we go through the tournament,
08:00just because I like to say it.
08:02But yeah, I think that they can absolutely get over that hump with this team.
08:07Because it's not that they're low expectations.
08:10It's just I think they're much more honest about who they are.
08:13And I think Aguirre has helped them do that.
08:16Whether the Mexican fan base accepts that or not, ultimately, if they win, they'll accept anything.
08:22Anything else, my friend?
08:23That's it.
08:24All right.
08:24Well, come on back.
08:25We got all sorts of previews when it comes.
08:27But that, my friends, was Group A featuring Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, and Czechia.
