- 22 minutes ago
Category
š„
SportsTranscript
00:00All right, it's that time.
00:01It's win or go home for the U.S. Men's National Team tonight
00:04in their round of 32 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
00:08So can the Americans put the world on notice
00:12or does the group stage high all come crashing down?
00:15Let's head on out to the Bay Area and talk all things U.S. Men's National Team
00:19and, of course, World Cup with senior football correspondent,
00:23Forgive Me Sport, and World Cup commentator for Talk Sport, Ben Jacobs.
00:28My man, how you feeling, man?
00:30Appreciate you hopping on, getting up so early with this over here, man.
00:35Yeah, great to be back.
00:36I mean, I'm feeling positive about the U.S.
00:39and I'm feeling nervous about England.
00:42Well, let's stay on.
00:43Let's start with the U.S. now because I'm surprised you said
00:47that you're feeling so positive about it because the conversations I'm having,
00:52there are a lot of people worried about this matchup.
00:55So do you think the U.S. Men's National Team, as you said,
00:59is going to win tonight against a tough Bosnia and Herzegovina squad?
01:04Or do you think there's a chance they could be the first host nation
01:07knocked out of this tournament?
01:10Well, Bosnia, you know, pushover, and I think they like the tag of underdogs.
01:14But the U.S. Men's National Team have, in my view, still got momentum behind them.
01:18A lot was made of the 3-2 loss to Turkey.
01:20And yet Maurizio Pochettino wrung the changes in that game,
01:24and Turkey were already out.
01:26So that was a strange match that did expose some defensive frailties.
01:31But if you look at the first two games,
01:33the excellent victory over Australia in Seattle,
01:36and before that an even better and stronger performance,
01:39a 4-1 win over Paraguay,
01:41U.S. Men's National Team have got a lot of weapons.
01:44They've started games really strong.
01:46They've got the home crowd behind them.
01:49And even though historically the U.S. Men's National Team
01:52don't fare well against either European opposition
01:55or teams that come through the European pathway under UEFA,
02:00they have a chance to do something special,
02:02to win a knockout game at a World Cup
02:05for the first time in over two decades.
02:08And on paper, make no mistake,
02:10they go into this game as the favourites.
02:12And what I think we're going to see is the starting XI,
02:14not too dissimilar from that opening match against Paraguay.
02:19Christian Pulisic starting,
02:20and if he gets going,
02:22then the U.S. Men's National Team are going to take some stopping.
02:25And the thing is, if that attack clicks,
02:27Flo Balogun has also had a very positive tournament.
02:30Weston McKennie gets a lot of freedom
02:32because Malik Tillman is partnering Tyler Adams.
02:35And if they click going forwards,
02:38they might even have the luxury of being able to concede a goal or two
02:43and simply outscore Bosnia.
02:45So you said something that perked up a lot of ears around the studio.
02:49And all of our American fans that are listening now,
02:52what we haven't heard in a long time is
02:54the U.S. Men's National Team has a lot of weapons.
02:57We mentioned Christian Pulisic,
02:59not playing much in the group stage because of the strain, right, Cath?
03:02But I think that actually helped this squad
03:05because we got to see Fola Balogun and these guys come out,
03:09make some noise,
03:10and really show that, you know,
03:11this one's not solely on Christian Pulisic.
03:15So would you agree with that
03:17if I say that in terms of this team's success
03:21and a possible run in this tournament,
03:24it doesn't fall on Captain America's shoulders alone?
03:29Yeah, I think Captain America
03:31can't really be the tagline anymore
03:34because although he leads by example on the field
03:36and is statistically the U.S. Men's National Team's best player,
03:40this is, one, a golden generation,
03:42and two, Tim Ream is the captain.
03:44And we shouldn't forget that.
03:46And Ream brings calmness,
03:48but Ream also allows Christian Pulisic to do his thing
03:51without the pressure of everyone always focusing on him.
03:56And I've always sensed, speaking to Christian Pulisic,
03:59including yesterday,
04:00he's calm and he relishes the fact
04:02that not everything is about him.
04:05Not all the headlines are Captain America.
04:08And don't underestimate the importance of Ream at the back
04:11and maybe even more crucially,
04:14Chris Richards as well.
04:15Jedi Robinson and Sergei Dest have both had very positive tournaments.
04:19There's depth.
04:20Sebastian Berhalter, for example,
04:22came in in the loss to Turkey.
04:24And for me, he was the man of the match.
04:26And Tillman can slot back in into midfield too.
04:29So there's a lot to like about what I think is a golden generation.
04:33So much is made of Maurizio Pochettino
04:37and whether he will stay or go.
04:40But I'm looking at these players
04:41and they know that this is their time in history.
04:44There are several weapons, as I put it before,
04:48who are at peak age,
04:50who have a real opportunity here
04:52to make a statement on home soil.
04:55And you can tell by being in the camp that they're hungry
04:58and that they are up for it.
05:00And like I said before,
05:01at the back, if they are to keep clean sheets,
05:04if they are to tighten up
05:06and not give away cheap goals as they did against Turkey,
05:10you're looking at Reem and Richards
05:12and even Alex Freeman,
05:14who I think has had an impact in both boxes.
05:17If you're talking about the engine room,
05:18the heart, the centre of the park,
05:21you're looking at Tillman and Adams
05:22and there's depth in Berhalter.
05:24Out wide, where they can do damage against Bosnia,
05:27it's Dest and Robinson.
05:29If you're looking for the intricate link-up player
05:31and the goal contributions,
05:32it's Pulisic and McKennie.
05:34And if you need somebody that is being eyed up
05:37by several clubs in Europe because of his form,
05:39that can just be a real beast up top,
05:41that can hold up the ball
05:42and that when it matters,
05:44can put the ball in the back of the net,
05:45you've got Flo Balogun as proven by those two goals
05:48in the opening victory over Paraguay.
05:50So I like the team because there's balance
05:53and I like the team because there's impact players everywhere.
05:57So you take those impact players,
05:59you take Mauricio Pochettino,
06:01you take the fact that they're playing this World Cup
06:03on home soil,
06:05mix that in after watching them in the group stages
06:08and then you see who they can potentially play
06:11in the knockout stages if they advance tonight.
06:14What would be your realistic expectations on USA
06:19and does that result earn them some sort of respect
06:23on the global level?
06:26It does.
06:27And in addition,
06:29if they are to do what Mauricio Pochettino
06:31has said in the past,
06:33which is go all the way
06:35or stand a chance at least of winning this World Cup,
06:37they have to take it a game at a time.
06:40But should they get through against Bosnia,
06:41it's Belgium or Senegal.
06:43And that will be definitively the toughest test
06:47that the US men's national team have faced.
06:50And then from there,
06:51they're on a potential pathway,
06:53of course, against Spain as well,
06:56which is going to be a fascinating matchup
06:59and will take the US men's national team
07:01back to Los Angeles.
07:03Now, Belgium, if it is them,
07:06presents a really fascinating opponent
07:09because the US men's national team
07:10played Belgium in the March international break.
07:14And at that point, to be honest with you,
07:17it was all doom and gloom.
07:19The reason being because Belgium won that game 5-2.
07:22I was at the match
07:23and I felt the US men's national team
07:25in patches matched them.
07:27But there was a gulf
07:28between US men's national team missing chances
07:30and Belgium being clinical.
07:32And if they went full circle
07:34and played Belgium in the round of 16 and won it,
07:38not only do they remove a big European team
07:40from the tournament,
07:42but Pochettino will feel vindicated
07:44because he's said all along,
07:45the friendly results don't matter.
07:47The buildup is about experimentation.
07:48If you lose,
07:50it might be due to mitigating circumstances.
07:52It might be due to rotation.
07:53It might be because you're trying things.
07:55It might be because knowing
07:57that they were on a pathway for Belgium,
07:58they didn't want to give that much away.
08:01So if they could come back and beat Belgium,
08:03that would be the biggest statement.
08:05And as soon as the US men's national team
08:07win a round of 16
08:08against, I think, a big European team,
08:11this World Cup becomes a success,
08:14regardless of whether or not they go any further
08:16because that's back-to-back knockout stage wins
08:18and it would be beating Belgium.
08:20If instead it's Senegal,
08:23who are equally as strong
08:25and Belgium have what we call in England
08:26a banana skin
08:27because they've got to get through Senegal first
08:29and that's not a given,
08:31that's a team that only a few weeks ago
08:34on May the 31st in a friendly,
08:36the US men's national team beat
08:37by three goals to two
08:39and they would be confident, therefore,
08:41of playing Senegal
08:42and trying to replicate that result.
08:44So the pathway for the US men's national team
08:46is very clear.
08:48Get Bosnia out the way
08:50without complacency
08:52and I think in a far tougher game
08:55than people realise.
08:56This is no given.
08:58This is no look ahead to the next game.
09:00This is no guarantee
09:01for the US men's national team.
09:03It's win or go home
09:04and Bosnia also mean business.
09:06But if they do get through,
09:07then they're one game away,
09:09in my opinion,
09:10from making a real statement
09:11and should they reach the quarterfinal,
09:13it'll be job done for Maurizio Pochettino
09:15even if the team don't go beyond that.
09:18You've been so positive.
09:19I've got to be a little bit negative
09:20with this last question
09:22to end this off.
09:23Will the loss tonight
09:24if they get knocked out tonight
09:26by Bosnia
09:27set US football's soccer culture back?
09:32Well, I don't think it will set
09:33soccer culture back
09:35because look at the hype.
09:37Look how many people
09:38are into this World Cup.
09:40Look at the legacy anyway
09:41of the World Cup
09:42from an infrastructural
09:43and development point of view.
09:45USA 94,
09:46the legacy of the World Cup
09:48was kind of in the aftermath
09:50in the years
09:51that followed the birth of MLS
09:52and it's taken 20 or 30 odd years,
09:58something in and around that number
09:59from before USA 94
10:01to three, four, five years ago.
10:04Everyone will have a slightly
10:05different timeline
10:07but the genesis of getting a World Cup,
10:11having the infrastructure,
10:12relying on other sports venues,
10:15starting MLS,
10:16building MLS,
10:17David Beckham coming to LA Galaxy
10:19and then flash forwards
10:20to however far you want to go,
10:22winning this World Cup,
10:24Leo Messi arriving
10:25and so on.
10:26There's different points in time
10:28but now soccer
10:29in terms of its attendances,
10:32in terms of boys and girls
10:33playing it,
10:34in terms of its infrastructure,
10:36in terms of the valuation
10:37of the brands
10:39within MLS,
10:40within USL,
10:41within NWSL,
10:43all of that is moving
10:44in a positive direction
10:45and none of that
10:46is going to disappear
10:48just because the US
10:50men's national team
10:51go out.
10:52But what will happen
10:54if they lose tonight
10:55is more questions
10:57around Maurizio Pochettino
10:59and this golden generation
11:01because the latter
11:02will have missed
11:03an opportunity
11:03and by the time
11:04four years comes along,
11:06some of those players
11:07will not be there.
11:09And then because
11:10Maurizio Pochettino's
11:11contract expires,
11:13even though US soccer
11:14have shown a willingness
11:15to extend him
11:16by four years,
11:17the questions will
11:18turn to what next
11:20and if they lose tonight
11:21it's almost inevitable
11:23that Maurizio Pochettino
11:25will depart
11:26by mutual consent,
11:28he'll look to return
11:29to likely club football
11:30and then of course
11:32you start saying
11:32what is the plan
11:34for the next
11:35World Cup qualification cycle
11:36and as importantly
11:38a home Olympics
11:39in LA in 2028
11:41and that is going
11:44going to create
11:45a scenario
11:46where fans wonder
11:48where that stability
11:49is coming from
11:50because remember
11:51Matt Crocker,
11:52the person who appointed
11:53Maurizio Pochettino
11:54also moved
11:56to Saudi Arabia
11:57so there's more
11:58imminent questions
11:59about what US soccer
12:01are going to do next
12:02rather than what soccer
12:03in the USA
12:04is going to do next
12:06and I have confidence
12:07and high hopes
12:09and enthusiasm
12:09for football
12:11or soccer
12:11in this country
12:12because the love
12:14for this World Cup
12:15from the fans
12:16walking through the streets
12:17of San Jose
12:18or Seattle
12:20as I've done
12:20it's there,
12:22it's going to grow,
12:23there will be a legacy
12:24after this World Cup
12:26but what US soccer
12:28within their infrastructure
12:29are going to do
12:30if it all goes wrong
12:31that's going to create
12:33more debate
12:33and very likely criticism
12:35if they go out this evening.
12:37Ben,
12:38always a great time
12:39talking football,
12:41soccer with you my man,
12:42we appreciate the insight
12:43and have a great time
12:44at the game tonight.
12:46Look forward to it,
12:46good luck to the US
12:47men's national team,
12:48let's hope we have a great game.
Comments