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00:00We got him.
00:01Nick Mandola joining us on the Western Hotline on the World Cup bracket.
00:05Nick of NBC Soccer.
00:07Nick, we're going to talk a bunch.
00:08We're going to talk today, we'll probably talk Thursday,
00:10after Team USA plays against Bosnia.
00:12Good morning.
00:14Good morning.
00:15And I just want to note that I'm listening to the sports update
00:19and just feeling validated again on behalf of you and me,
00:23who like 15 years ago wanted the savers to sign Dan Pae
00:27for 10 years at $2 million or whatever we wanted.
00:30That's right.
00:31That's the Mallinstein deal.
00:33I love it.
00:34I thought the same thing this morning, Nick.
00:36Like six years for three for that guy.
00:37Like, you know, that's a long-term bet.
00:40Don't have any problem with it myself.
00:43Nick, where's your next game?
00:44Do you know yet?
00:46Yes.
00:47Things just got real electric.
00:50Because the two biggest, for all my Toronto, Torontonians,
00:54is they know that the history of their population is thick with Croatians.
01:03The team in the 70s that played in the NASL was the Toronto Croatians,
01:06and there is a huge Portuguese population.
01:09And they are playing.
01:10The tickets, guys, for Portugal, Croatia, and Toronto
01:14are at, like, Mexico home game for Mexico price level.
01:18Wow.
01:19Okay.
01:20Yeah.
01:20So, buzzing for them to see Ronaldo, Luka Modric,
01:25absolutely bucket list type stuff.
01:27Yeah, right.
01:28Now, you're going to see Ronaldo, but not, like, Ronaldo.
01:32Ronaldo, right?
01:33Like, will he play?
01:35Everyone seems to think that they'd be better without him.
01:37And here they are.
01:38Now they're in the knockout stage.
01:40You can't really mess around.
01:41And your first matchup against Croatia is no pushover.
01:45Like, there are some pushovers in this first round,
01:46and Croatia is not one of them.
01:48Yeah, I wouldn't play him.
01:50But they have.
01:52He had two goals in the second game.
01:54He's still good.
01:56He's just not Portugal starter good.
01:59And it seems like such a weird thing to say
02:01when you're literally talking about the second greatest player
02:04of his generation who might be a top five player of all time.
02:08So, but, yeah, I imagine we will, at the very least,
02:13even if they were to have him on the bench.
02:15He's coming off late or in extra time.
02:20But also with Cristiano Ronaldo, like, I was just talking more see him.
02:24Yeah, yeah.
02:25Like, yeah, like, hey, there's that guy.
02:27He's one of the most famous people in the world,
02:29and he's 25 feet away from me or whatever.
02:31Well, they're on the U.S. side of the bracket, Nick,
02:35but they wouldn't play until the quarterfinals.
02:37How do you, we had talked a lot with you about, like,
02:39how it was potentially setting up.
02:41There was a moment, was it, like, a week ago, where the U.S.
02:45had, like, the easiest path imagined.
02:47Like, they would have played Egypt in the second round
02:49or somebody else that wasn't that strong.
02:52How do you feel like it fell for them?
02:54Because now, at least in terms of, like, the brand power,
02:57it might be more for Belgium, but the rest of their side of the bracket
03:00looks a lot harder, I feel like, than maybe what it had originally looked like.
03:05Yeah, I mean, that was the fun of kind of doing the math
03:08on where things were going to fall,
03:09almost like a super hyper NFL draft order going into the last week of the season
03:14or whatever.
03:15But once it became clear, and I don't know how this works,
03:18that 90% of the scenarios, and it's funny,
03:21you're the one who first drew my attention to it.
03:23The math looked like it was going to be Ecuador in terms of points.
03:27But, you know, you guys were like,
03:28yeah, it's pretty much going to be Bosnia and Herzegovina.
03:30Of the 495 permutations, somehow FIFA already had it lined up
03:35that that was like a 300 of them.
03:38So that part of this thing was great.
03:42And at some point, the odds of you dodging a great team
03:46in the round of 16 are not good.
03:49So I still think the bracket fell for them fine
03:52because it was going to get super hard at this point anyway, right?
03:56So Bosnia is a good matchup for them.
04:00They have a strong back line.
04:03But, again, they have a round of 16 match that they will be,
04:08I would might even say heavily favored to win on a home soil.
04:13And that's a knockout for a team that's for the first time.
04:16So, yes, the bracket's way harder on that side, guys.
04:19But I feel pretty good about it because of where they fell out
04:22for the round of 32.
04:23Yeah.
04:24Round of 32, Bosnia.
04:25They'll be big favorites.
04:26And, you know, Nick, again, like there wasn't a round of 32 before.
04:31So it's almost like for the U.S., they have to win this game
04:34to get to where they should get.
04:37And then it's Senegal or Belgium.
04:41And which of those two teams do you feel like is the bigger challenge for the U.S.?
04:45Given how not – it doesn't sound like people are too impressed with how Belgium has looked.
04:50And Senegal was in a really tough group, in my opinion.
04:53So do you have a feel on which one would be a better matchup?
04:58Yeah, I mean, it's pick your poison there.
05:01Senegal, they obviously beat in a friendly just before the tournament.
05:04And, you know, but this is a team that is constantly in the discussion for champions of Africa.
05:10They have a player in Sadio Mane, who is one of the best African players to ever come out of
05:15the game.
05:17So, I mean, I think the thing with Belgium is a matchup problem.
05:22If the U.S. has an issue, it's that their wide defenders need the freedom to go forward, right?
05:29And Jeremy Doku from Manchester City, Belgium.
05:34That dude will kill you.
05:35That dude absolutely tormented this year.
05:39Yeah, I mean, unbelievably fast, able to cut inside.
05:43De Bruyne is still De Bruyne.
05:45And that's the thing about being a playmaking center midfielder,
05:48is you can get away with not being as fast as you once were
05:51because you still have that magic wand on your foot.
05:54So, and there's also, look, remember, back when the U.S.,
05:58everybody was a lot younger, totally different team.
06:00But just remember what that looked like with some of these players
06:04when Tim Howard had to make 14 saves to get them to extra time or whatever.
06:08So, I think I would prefer Senegal with the asterisk
06:11that you would have to beat a very good team twice in a month.
06:17You know, the same team.
06:18And that still always feels weird to me.
06:20I know it's a sports cliche, but it's weird to me.
06:23Would beating either Senegal or Belgium be the best,
06:28I mean, whatever, I'm just going to say,
06:30like the best U.S. soccer win ever is a long time, Nick.
06:34But what is it on the level with?
06:36I mean, friendlies are friendlies.
06:38You know, touring the world.
06:40This is in a knockout stage game over Senegal or Belgium.
06:45Where would it rank?
06:47Yeah.
06:48This is where I sound like a bit of a nut here because I know it vibes with you
06:53because we've had these conversations.
06:55Emotionally, it wouldn't be the best because they beat Mexico in a knockout round game in 2002.
07:02Historically, it wouldn't be the best because they beat England at the 1950 World Cup
07:05with a bunch of dudes from St. Louis.
07:07Okay.
07:07But in terms of the most impressive and the things that you and I like to talk about,
07:13there have never been better players top to bottom in the world than there are right now,
07:20sports nutrition and all that.
07:22And so, yeah, this is, you know, there's the scouting, what it would take,
07:27the stats that these teams have on the U.S.
07:30and the way they'll line up for them, the managers of these teams.
07:33And, yeah, I mean, it's just no question that reaching the quarterfinal of this tournament,
07:38even on home soil, it would be the most impressive one.
07:42Yeah.
07:42I think most agree they can't win the World Cup.
07:46I mean, that was kind of a thing, a conversation during the group stage.
07:51Can they not make the semis, Nick?
07:55Look, I think the reason that they can't win the World Cup with this team
07:59is the reason that a lot of teams, like, they're not going to stay healthy the whole time.
08:03And the depth isn't strong enough.
08:05And there's more, so there's more games than ever.
08:07It becomes every few days.
08:10And for me, against any team one-off, even France, who would be heavily favored to win,
08:17the U.S. has a puncher's chance.
08:19There have been years where I wouldn't have told you they have a puncher's chance.
08:22Like, everyone says, all right, you're going into a game.
08:24It's a knockout game.
08:25You got here.
08:26And I would be like, no, they're going to lose this game.
08:29It would take two red cards from France or whatever.
08:32This is a tournament where, if for some reason, they don't suffer injuries to Tyler Adams,
08:40Malik Tillman, Christian Pulisic, it'll come down to their goalkeeper.
08:44And we don't know what we have with him yet.
08:47Because these are the biggest games of his life.
08:50He's never left MLS.
08:51He's never left MLS academies.
08:54And it's not that he's not good.
08:57He's just the biggest question mark they've ever had at a position historically where the U.S. had one of
09:06the best goalkeepers in the world for a solid 20 years.
09:09And for the last two tournaments, we just haven't known what we have there.
09:13So, it's not crazy for them to reach the semifinals.
09:16I think they would lose to Spain.
09:17But the flip side of that is, Spain, aside from Laminia Mall, they have questions at the back.
09:24And if they have one of those unlucky days in front of goal, you could reach the quarterfinals and not
09:28have to play Spain.
09:30So, this tournament has really raised a lot of opportunities.
09:33I'm just not closing the door on anything yet.
09:36I don't think they're going to win the World Cup.
09:37I don't think they're going to reach the semifinals.
09:39But it's just, I don't want to tell anybody that it's, that would be the craziest thing you've ever heard
09:45to have them reach the semifinals.
09:47They came within a Torsten Frings handball of beating Germany in the 2002 quarterfinals.
09:52Or, I'm sorry, of taking Germany to extra time.
09:55Because that, anyway, sorry, too much.
09:57Yeah, I've got a, I know it's not the World Cup, but I was a kid and I remember watching
10:02with buddies when they beat Spain in the Confederations Cup in 2009.
10:06That's right there, that's the, yeah, yeah.
10:08So, that's happening.
10:09When you guys were talking, after I said those other two games, the Confederations Cup in 2009 was probably, yeah,
10:17that's right there.
10:18That might be better than the two World Cup games I'm talking about.
10:21It was in Spain's 37 game, was it?
10:24Unbeaten streak?
10:25Yeah, it would help if the tournament still existed.
10:28Right.
10:28For meaning.
10:29Yeah.
10:29Nick, the rest of the bracket.
10:32Today, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands, Morocco.
10:35Is Netherlands-Morocco the best opening round, round of 32 game you've got?
10:41Yeah.
10:42Yeah.
10:42I mean, I think it's a, it's a potential quarterfinal game in other tournaments, right?
10:47This is, this is sensational stuff.
10:49The holes, if either team has them, with all the respect to Virgil van Dijk, the holes are the sort
10:57of holes that open up opportunities in entertainment.
10:59Right?
10:59So, the quality from front to back is going to be fantastic.
11:04I can't wait for this game.
11:06And, yeah, I mean, the day in general is going to be sensational.
11:09So, what's your take on Norway and France and whether or not losing that game was for the best for
11:17Norway?
11:17So, by winning, France gets Sweden and then Germany in the next round.
11:24And they're in the bracket also with, like, Netherlands-Morocco.
11:26Norway instead gets Ivory Coast in the first round.
11:29And they would have to play Brazil after that.
11:31But, I'm seeing some accusations that, you know, Norway playing its B team there maybe was trying to duck Sweden.
11:40Yeah.
11:41And, I mean, that's a regional-ish rivalry, too.
11:45I think that they, there were a lot of different angles there, right?
11:50You put your best on best against France and you might set your tone for the rest of the tournament,
11:54too.
11:55I think you have known you're getting through.
11:59And Odegaard has had some injury history this season.
12:03He's one of the reasons that Arsenal wasn't able to seal their title a little bit earlier.
12:07Holland, again, he's a horse.
12:09But, risking him to win the group, you know, when you take in those variables that you guys have talked
12:15about,
12:16I don't think there were many wins for them there, right?
12:19It's a little bit like, I don't have a comparison.
12:22Listen, I think everything about it was understandable except for the fact that they took away a spectacle from the
12:29TV
12:29for that third game of the group because that game would have been phenomenal.
12:33Yeah.
12:33How far can Norway go, do you think?
12:35They've got Brazil in the second round.
12:38If they win today.
12:39I was reading a little bit earlier, Nick, that Japan's one of the most popular upset picks in the first
12:44round.
12:45They are.
12:46I think that's a little bit, for me, that's a little bit against Brazil because they haven't won in 20
12:52years.
12:53I think Brazil, I redid the bracket the other day on one of those little things where you pick each
12:57game,
12:58like on the BBC's website or whatever, and I was surprised.
13:01I found myself with Brazil and Spain in the final.
13:04I think Brazil can win the whole thing.
13:06I mean, they have one of those things.
13:08It's Van Dyke, like, two or three years ago with Gabriel.
13:12Like, I hate saying it because he is, sorry, Jeremy, very annoying with Arsenal.
13:16But he might be the best center back in the world right now.
13:21I think it's between him and Vardyol.
13:25I think they can beat anyone.
13:27But Japan is senseless.
13:28That's the best part about the way this tournament bracket has broken down.
13:31I think Japan would be, we would be dreading Japan for the U.S.,
13:35even though they've beaten them recently in this round.
13:38But, yeah, I think Brazil, very, very, very, very good.
13:42The other host nations, Nick, like I know we obviously prioritize the U.S.,
13:46Mexico winning all three of their games.
13:50Like, how good are they?
13:51Like, if they win, they would play probably England in the round of 32.
13:55Like, are they good enough that you could see them winning that game?
13:59In Mexico, yeah.
14:00I mean, nobody wants to go there.
14:02Nobody wants to go there and play Mexico.
14:04England is like, what in the world has happened for us?
14:08Like, yeah, this is, we won our group, and now we get to go play in Psycholand.
14:16Like, there is nothing to compare to it.
14:18So, a friend of mine who used to coach at the University of Buffalo,
14:22he's from New Zealand.
14:23He traveled down there for their World Cup qualifier,
14:26and he goes, you get escorted through, you know, you have to wait.
14:30You have to get there before everyone else on the bus for the away section, right?
14:33They bring you there two hours before anyone else.
14:36You are sitting in a cage, essentially.
14:38Like, the seats are caged away from the Mexican fans,
14:43and then you have to stay there for an hour after the game.
14:46Like, it's just a very difficult place to go.
14:48And so, right now, Mexico has proven adaptable.
14:51They've proven they can beat you in different ways.
14:53And because they're at home, all bets are off.
14:58Are England better than them?
14:59Yes.
14:59Should England beat them?
15:00Yes.
15:00But you just, you can't predict how you're going to adapt to that atmosphere.
15:05Nick Mandola, NBC Soccer, joining us.
15:08One victory for Norway early.
15:10Sorry, spoiler alert.
15:13Hovland beat Scotty Scheffler in the playoff.
15:16Yeah.
15:16Victor Hovland.
15:17Oh, nice.
15:17Yeah.
15:18Hovland made, like, a 10-footer, and Scheffler missed, like, what was it?
15:21Five-footer?
15:22From, like, the same angle.
15:23It was one playoff hole.
15:24They both hit the fairway.
15:26Scheffler was away.
15:27Put it to five feet.
15:28Pressure on Hovland.
15:29He puts it to 10 feet and then makes the putt, and then Scheffler misses the putt.
15:33So.
15:34Yeah.
15:34Super, super quick, because I didn't answer your Norway question.
15:38They can go as far as they want, because they're what I'm saying about the U.S.,
15:42except they have Erling Haaland.
15:44Yeah, right, right.
15:46Are you?
15:46In terms of the golf guys.
15:48Sorry, you guys are golfers.
15:49I need to ask.
15:49I was watching Scheffler in the pouring rain yesterday with his lead, and I said,
15:54how did he get through this?
15:56How is this fair?
15:57Yeah.
15:57Is it kind of insane that he got as far as he did?
16:00It depends.
16:01I mean, sometimes if a course is really fast, the rain can help you.
16:05It can help you with, you know, softer greens if you're going to go at pins,
16:08but, you know, it can also be something to deal with that's tough.
16:11What I was going to ask you, Nick, was on Erling Haaland, have you found,
16:15I don't know how you feel about him generally, you're a Newcastle fan,
16:20Joe and I are, you know, Joe's a Liverpool fan, I'm an Arsenal fan,
16:23and watching him play for Manchester City is,
16:27I hate this person, I'd like to launch them into the sun.
16:32And in the World Cup, it's like, oh man, I can't wait to watch that dude play,
16:36I hope they win the whole thing.
16:38Like, it's just different.
16:39He's, I'm enjoying watching him, and I'm enjoying that I am enjoying it.
16:46Yeah, I mean, we should all kind of enjoy that experience, regardless of what,
16:50he's just more fun, period.
16:52But I've found that this is maybe the best part about the World Cup in these tournaments.
16:57Same exact situation for Mo Salah, right?
17:00Like, you're going up against Liverpool for Newcastle, it's not for the league,
17:03but it's for a cup game, and you're like, this guy, oh my god, he's diving, this, that,
17:09oh, he scored this amazing goal against me.
17:12And then it's Egypt versus Iran or whoever, and you're like, holy cow.
17:15You know, even at his age, it's the best part, but Holland, yes,
17:19some of the stuff he does, you know the, what are they calling it,
17:23do you ever see the bit he did where he took a picture of himself on a plane,
17:28staring at the TV in front of him, and said, I'm raw-dogging an eight-hour flight?
17:32Oh, yes.
17:34Genuinely hilarious.
17:36So, yeah, a lot of guys like that, and I really do think it's the best part of it.
17:40Like, except for Ronaldo, in my opinion, everyone becomes more likable at these things.
17:45Does, while we're on the stars, Messi scoring six in the group stage,
17:50the record I looked up this morning is 13 in a World Cup.
17:54Nick, does he have a look at that?
17:56Because I think he's got a couple of easy games off the start here.
17:58They play Cabo Verde right away.
17:59So he would need seven more to tie it.
18:01So I know that's a haul, but the way he's playing right now,
18:04I wonder if he's got a shot at it.
18:06Yeah, I think there is an outside shot at it.
18:09The biggest thing going against him is if they have games like that.
18:13He turned 39 last week, and I wonder if he went up to them and said,
18:18hey, I want to have the winner.
18:19And they're like, yeah, we want to have you in the final, dude.
18:22So you're going to have a little bit of a seat here.
18:25That's the other thing about the whole Messi versus Ronaldo debate,
18:27is Messi would listen.
18:29There's no risk of really a fit here if it's not going to cost them the game.
18:33But, yeah, I think that's what a tournament it's been for stars.
18:36Like, this is what we – I feel like it's on a major exaggerated level,
18:44it's what we loved about the Four Nations.
18:46Like, oh, everyone's seeing how good these guys are.
18:50And, you know, almost devoid of that national – not the national,
18:53but almost devoid of that club situation.
18:56And, yeah, he's got a shot at it.
18:58But this has just been a tournament of stars, and it couldn't be better, honestly.
19:02Nick Mandola, NBC Soccer.
19:03Thanks, Nick.
19:03We'll talk Thursday after the U.S. game?
19:07Oh, yeah, for sure.
19:08For sure.
19:09I am all about that.
19:10And, as usual, I will jump my plug in here.
19:13Our men are still tied for first place on the FC Buffalo.
19:16We've got a game on Friday night, big game.
19:19So go to FCBuffalo.org, come hang out, see a real good team, try to win the division.
19:23Beautiful.
19:24Sweet.
19:24Very good.
19:25Friday night, FCBuffalo.org.
19:27Thanks, Nick.
19:28Thanks, guys.
19:30Talking about the kids staying up.
19:32The game's at 8 o'clock on Wednesday.
19:338 o'clock.
19:34It'll end at, like, 945.
19:36Yeah, I'm starting to sell it to the twins already.
19:38Like, hey, do you want to stay up and watch the Team USA game?
19:42Mm-hmm.
19:43Like, kind of build it into a special event and they won't get bored, maybe?
19:48Hot.
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