Mark McKenzie: World-Famous Throw-Ins, Watching the World Cup From the Couch & USMNT Group Chat Chaos

Defender Mark McKenzie joins Heath on Episode 2 of Orange Slices for an unfiltered conversation that swings from the absurd to the intensely personal — and back again.

First, the throw-ins. You've seen the clips. Toulouse FC literally puts out mixtapes of them. Mark walks through how a casual training-ground "let's see who can throw it the farthest" turned into a tactical weapon that's reshaped his club's set-piece game — and why he doesn't actually train it.

Then the harder stuff. Mark and Heath both lived through the 2022 World Cup as the players who didn't make the final cut, and they talk openly about what that does to you: the bittersweet of watching as a fan, the family dynamic when everyone keeps saying "you should be there," and the mental work of switching from "why not me" to wanting the best for the group. It's one of the most honest conversations on what falling short of a World Cup actually feels like for the guys who came close.

The episode lands soft with the part of national team life nobody talks about: the USMNT group chat. Chris Richards as the comedic timing king. The Aronson brothers going at each other. Mark trying to decode "skibbity toilet riz" and "six-seven." The cultural whiplash of an American kid landing in a French locker room and being told to slow down.

Plus: MLS vs. Belgium vs. France stylistically, the 2026 World Cup format, and what it really means to wear the crest.

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