00:00Monday night, what are you expecting from Team USA
00:04and how big a moment is that for soccer in America
00:07when they take on Belgium?
00:10Man, you know, the thing is,
00:12and I don't want to downplay what any team has accomplished
00:15by getting to this round,
00:16but because of the increased size of the tournament,
00:19winning a knockout stage game doesn't mean as much as it used to, right?
00:24It's just there's more of them.
00:27You know, Bosnia is not a true knockout-level team.
00:31Belgium is the type of team that makes a statement.
00:34And Belgium are so tricky
00:36because they've spent most of this tournament looking super underwhelming,
00:41and then they just turned it on
00:44in that, you know, five-minute stretch against Senegal,
00:47and they win it with the penalty in extra time.
00:50I think for the U.S., at minimum, you expect a competitive game,
00:55but I don't think the oddsmakers are wrong with having such a close line.
01:02We've seen home field matter a ton, right?
01:04We saw Canada have the greatest performance in the history of their nation
01:07with the way they beat Qatar.
01:08We're seeing Mexico get a lot of respect heading into a match
01:11with a powerhouse like England.
01:14So, for the U.S., the thing is,
01:16we talk about having three host nations.
01:18Yeah, kind of.
01:19There's really only one, right?
01:21After Mexico plays today, those whole things back in the United States.
01:24So, for the U.S., the opportunity is bigger than anybody else
01:27to not only then beat Belgium here on U.S. soil,
01:29but then think to yourselves, well, why not?
01:32Why not, right?
01:34Do Spain or Portugal, who they would play the winner of,
01:37have they had moments of vulnerability enough
01:40where the U.S. could believe, hey, we could knock one of those teams off,
01:43and then that becomes the crowning achievement
01:46of soccer here in this country?
01:48So, I am not, you know, guaranteeing a win.
01:51I think we're all going to be rooting.
01:53I expect goals in the game.
01:55How could you not?
01:56Defensively, neither one of these teams, I think, you know,
01:58inspire a ton of confidence.
02:00But I'm a little nervous for it
02:02because it's such a big moment here, undoubtedly.
02:07Absolutely.
02:07And plus, they get some great news
02:08that they're going to be full force in this game on Monday night.
02:12Absolutely.
02:12Baligan getting the suspension kind of turned
02:16into a probation, if you will.
02:18There is some precedent for this.
02:20I know it's going to drive non-Americans crazy.
02:22My take on that, too bad.
02:25It's like, what else do you want?
02:27It's good he gets to play.
02:29And the U.S. are going to need goals in this game,
02:32and he's been their top goal scorer.
02:33He has been consistently their biggest threat
02:35at the end of the pitch.
02:37So, and I imagine, from a betting perspective, Dan,
02:41the amount of Baligan to score bets now is,
02:44the books are going to very much not be, I think,
02:47all too pleased with this move.
02:49Social media blowing up already.
02:52It's rigged for the Americans to move on.
02:55So, I mean, like you said, hey, eat it.
02:58It's okay.
02:58We're ready to rock on Monday night here.
03:01Hey, can coaching really be that much of a difference here
03:04in what we're seeing?
03:06I mean, like you said, Kev, to open this segment up,
03:10that's the best I've ever seen them play.
03:13To me, it's always been like rooting for NC State,
03:17you know, the 17th or 18th best college football team
03:19in the country, and that's what it's been like here.
03:22But has it really just been coaching that has been the difference
03:25here with this U.S. men's team?
03:27I don't think it's the only thing, but I think it matters.
03:30And the more, you know, I try and listen to not just people talk
03:36about this tournament, but, you know, other leagues
03:38and the way this game evolves, these coaches matter.
03:42You know, these managers more and more.
03:46You know, the dominance that a guy like Pep Guardiola had
03:49at Manchester City, a lot of that, yes, there's great players,
03:52but it's about Pep.
03:54People who have picked Brazil to win this tournament.
03:57Yes, there are great players, right?
03:59And we talk about Vinicius Jr., but it's Carlo Ancelotti
04:01and his 100 Champions League trophies, it feels like he has lifted here.
04:07So for Pochettino, who had, you know, a great run at Cottenham,
04:11struggled to find footing elsewhere, but he really does feel like the guy.
04:16And that, I think, is nice to be able to kind of put your eggs
04:22in that basket, if you will, because whether Baligan played or not,
04:26whether Pulisic was healthy or not, there is this confidence that you have
04:30that because it's hard to enter a game, even with a team like Belgium,
04:33and think, hey, you know, we're on even footing here.
04:36It's not outrageous if the United States enters this match
04:40against Belgium and thinks, well, we have the edge at manager.
04:42We're, you know, that check, we do it a lot of times in the NFL, right,
04:46where it's like coach, quarterback, defense, you know,
04:49check who's got the advantage.
04:51The U.S. probably do have the edge on that, you know,
04:55aspect of this game on Monday night.
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