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WCAD 3-20: USMNT & El Tri Post-Mortems + Copa América QF Preview
76 Plays11 months ago
Austin and Amit go long to break down the USA's Copa América exit, asking what went wrong, and also what's next. Plus the guys break down Mexico's elimination and preview a set of exciting quarterfinals headlined by Uruguay-Brazil.
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Transcript
Copa America's Exciting Conclusion
00:00:00
Speaker
Look, we told you guys when we previewed Copa America that it might be a bit of a slow burn in the group stage. And admit, it was a bit of a slow burn in the group stage. And it was kind of a slow burn even to wrap up the group stage. We had some decisive nil-nil draws, which is never really what you want to see. But this ended in kind of a raging bonfire because you have everything that happened with the US Men's National Team that we'll get to in a little bit. And then we had a great game between Colombia and Brazil last night. And now I think you and I are both very excited for the quarterfinals that are to come.
00:00:32
Speaker
100%. I would be a little happier personally if the United States was in, but they're not. And we're going to talk a lot about that on this very show. We're happy to be here, but the teams that are left deserve to be here and we are very excited to have them. Um, some really good teams, the top four teams and combo ball playing high stakes matches. And after all, the Copa America is Comma Balls tournament. yeah So it's fitting. So um we're going to get to see some really, really good ah soccer between those teams, ah hopefully. um And yeah, we'll go from there.
CONMEBOL Teams' Performances Analyzed
00:01:07
Speaker
My name is Austin Miller. He is a bit malloc. This is the world cup after dark podcast today. We're going to break down couple of America group stage. Obviously we're going to break through everything that happened with, with the United States and and everything that, that kind of happens with them going forward. We'll preview the quarterfinals at the end of the show. but Let's start with our, our big kind of group stage takeaway here. I think there's There's two things that I think we should look at here. As you said, very precisely, this is a Comable tournament. It does not look as though this is going to be the year that Comable don't win their own tournament, which is probably good for their sake. And so with six CONCACAF teams participating, I think we have two very different kind of feelings about the two confederations here. The Comable teams, I think we pretty much pegged them before the tournament, and I don't think any of them necessarily surprised us.
00:01:55
Speaker
The big four teams from Conoval all got through. Brazil maybe didn't do so easily, but they got through pretty comfortably in the end. Venezuela and Ecuador, two teams that you and I were fairly high on going to this competition, looked solid and also got through. Those are your six Conoval representatives. Chile, maybe not as good as we thought they were, but we're not terribly surprised by their performance. Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru were as bad as we thought. As far as the 10 Conoval teams are concerned here, I don't think there's a single performance that we've seen so far that has been remarkably surprising. No, no, this lines up with what we saw from the first few windows of Comma Ball World Cup qualifying. And in a sense, maybe that makes sense that some of that uncertainty around the CONCACAT teams were just about to talk about.
00:02:43
Speaker
um especially the top three, haven't seen them as much. ah So I think that just maybe helped us, maybe helped them ah play those matches as well. um i mean In particular, Venezuela and Ecuador are are the two teams that have really done well here, solidified themselves. And at at like you said, too, the top four are who we thought they were. and outside of Brazil, I think all varying degrees of impressive. Sure. but And I think from an outside perspective on paper, maybe the Venezuela performance is surprising. And it is surprising. It's a fantastic performance for them. But I didn't change. I haven't really changed my opinion on them. I mean, I think I'm maybe a little bit higher on them. But we totally thought that this was within the realm of possibility for Venezuela at this competition. And that's what we got.
00:03:32
Speaker
Yeah, I mean i've I've said as much that I picked them to to finish over Mexico in the group. I picked other things that didn't happen so like you get some right you get some wrong. um Let's be honest they were super lucky and the teams that aren't here, two of them were pretty unlucky but like Sometimes you pick you pick something based on vibes and the bounces go your way. And I think the theme for both of us is that Venezuela were good enough to to take care of the bounces when they happened. So I think that's fair is fair for both of us and for Venezuela. And they deserved it. And
Canada and Panama's Surprising Quarterfinals
00:04:06
Speaker
so congrats to them.
00:04:07
Speaker
Shifting gears to the contact half side I think before the tournament if I would have told you to conquer half teams will make the quarterfinals That's probably an acceptable result for the Confederation But it's very weird because the two teams that you would have expected to make the quarterfinals would be the US and Mexico those two teams are going home. The two CONCACAP teams in the quarterfinals here emit are Canada and Panama. So where does that put them here? Like, it's maybe kind of a good thing that some of the depth teams from CONCACAP are having good performances, but it's also maybe kind of a bad thing that your standard pairs for the Confederation have crashed out so stunningly.
00:04:44
Speaker
It's a very weird position to be in. um I don't think it's good for CONCACAF that USA and Mexico are out. yeah it just It can't be good, right? It can't be good. um I also like good for Panama. i i They deserve it. They've been, I think, if you're going to point to a success story in CONCACAF over the past you know little bit, it's them pretty clearly. So yeah, great. But it it came at the expense of, the most powerful teeth in the confederation. That's financing everyone. ah Yeah, that's a little tough for CONCACAF, but like that's how it goes. It happens on the field. um We're going to talk about these teams, this this whole podcast. I mean, it's very interesting as it relates to 2026 and how they respond. I think that's very interesting.
00:05:38
Speaker
I can't really say it's good for Konk. I just don't think it is. That's my take. But I think it's great for Panama. And it shows to all these teams. And our larger global themes of the World Cup After Dark podcast is there's better soccer everywhere now. And I just think Panama is the type of team that you get familiar with, especially as the World Cup got gets gets bigger. And it is bigger for 2026. It's more fun. to to become familiar with these types of teams like the Panamas of the world, like the Venezuelans of the world, who are playing decent enough. Like, yeah, when you have 48 teams, are you going to get some worse teams in your field? Yeah, but everyone's a little better. And so you never know who's going to be your character that surprises you. And here this tournament, it was Panama. And they were good enough to do it as well. I'm always going to say it, like these teams are good enough to get the results they got.
00:06:33
Speaker
Yep, for sure. 100%. All right, let's segue into the conversation that I know we've both been waiting to have for a bit of time
USMNT's Copa America Exit Analyzed
00:06:40
Speaker
here. This happened on Monday night, the US out of the Copa America in somewhat stunning fashion, bell curve busted, Greg gone. I think those are kind of the the two overarching themes here for us a minute. Let's tackle this from two different ways. Let's start by talking about what we saw on Monday night. and what went wrong, what could have been better, et cetera. And then we'll get into the the big picture implications of this all. So on Monday, night I thought the US was fine. They played the type of game that they could have afforded to play had they beaten Panama and already been through, get an OK result. But I didn't think they played the game that that they needed to get them out of the group. There wasn't enough creation. The XG was was under 0.5. That's just generally not going to get it done.
00:07:25
Speaker
um Like, the US wasn't atrocious, but they also weren't particularly good. Yeah, I think that's a great summary of the game. um They didn't create enough. That's the the the very... um and's That's the answer at the end of this for this game and for this team in this tournament and for kind of this little era of Greg Brohalter that we'll talk about in a second. I think on this game, just to stick with it for a second, I think it showed like against a better team, it's hard to to beat a better team yeah for for anyone. It's hard for the U.S. to beat a better team um when they didn't have the draw to play for. um They had to win it when they were missing an attacker in Timoya, when Balligan got hurt. ah This game was very, very physical. It was a street fight, which I think
00:08:20
Speaker
the US maybe made it super fiscal. I don't think the refereeing was very good in this game. I don't think it was one sided bad. I just think it was, the game was a little out of control. All that has to say is that like we said him before, like how is the US need to create chances? They need to win. It doesn't matter how. And we said this on our podcast, doesn't matter how you've got to have an attacking identity. They just didn't. um And that can go a million different ways, probably to the quality of their players and their attacking system together. But they didn't create enough in this game.
00:08:58
Speaker
It felt like this game was just kind of the ball chaotically bouncing around the midfield for a lot. And obviously that's to Uruguay's favor. At the end of the day, they did what good teams international football do. They took advantage of a set piece. We could debate the offside call on or off. I really don't like doing the whole refereeing show. I agree with you. It wasn't a great refereeing performance. It was probably maybe offside, but it wasn't, I don't know, whatever. At the end of the day, the U.S. didn't deserve to win this game. And I don't think there's a ton that you can can can be upset with there. Yeah, i I will say I do feel like from the United States perspective, okay, they didn't play well. They didn't play badly. It's zero zero in the 65th minute. And then the goal is whether offsides or not, it's it's.
00:09:43
Speaker
if If it is off-size, it's unfair. If it isn't, OK, you're down 1-0, and now you have to score. They still needed to score down 1, and they couldn't do it. So like I have less sympathy. But they had the game but ni nil they would have had to do the exact same thing. They would have to do the exact same thing, and maybe it's a little easier when it's 0-0 instead of 1-0. But that's a game state argument. At the end of the day, they didn't score when they needed to score. and as we move into the Greg aspect of the conversation. He did all the attacking subs and changes to like get attacking bodies on the field. None of it really stuck on. And I don't know like what was supposed to work. um Maybe they should have attacked more in the like at different points. It was just like you said, kind of a kickball in the midfield. It was an ugly, grimy game and a lot of loose balls, but there wasn't any quality to turn them into chances.
00:10:41
Speaker
And it wasn't just that they didn't score. They didn't really ever look that close to scoring in this game. Like ah this game could have gone on another half hour and I don't know that they really create another chance. Right. And I think that is to the point. We said this in the Euro podcast and I think it's very fitting here. is when you get to the back end of these tournaments and you need results against the very good teams, the back lines are very good. And you have to give credit to Uruguay's very strong center back pairing. Araho at Barcelona was very, very good. um and And the rest of the back line was too. But him in particular, I just think the US was drawing dead in physical confrontations on the back line in 1v1s. And so they're just
00:11:26
Speaker
but there weren't many advantages for them on the field to pursue. um Christian Polsik, great player, and I think he he did some things going forward, but like, they just weren't getting, like you said, if they just went on for 30 more minutes, where were the shots coming from? They needed to just mixer ball it probably and hope for boxes, but mixer ball's tough when the other team is, you know, physically imposing. Yeah, it like we said, we said it earlier in the show, it kind of felt like the US got into a street fight here. And that's always going to favor one way. That's exactly the style of play that they can play. They're adept at it. They're good. um We had talked a lot in the preview. We didn't know what I was going to do. We probably should have known what du I was going to do. There was a 0.001% chance they were going out. And that probably kept Marcelo Bielsa up at night the day before. So he just played as 11 guys and said, go get it. And they did.
00:12:13
Speaker
Quickly to to close out the talk here on Monday night. Meanwhile, while all of this is going on, Panama had themselves a difficult little task in Orlando against Bolivia. They they went up early. Bolivia then equalized, leading to the the famous Greg Berhalter on the sidelines, showing the 1-1 sequence right before Uruguay score office at peace. I think people made a lot out of that. like I think that's good information. like I don't know. You can't change your whole game plan on that, but like they needed to know. Yeah, I think people clowning him on that on the timeline. It looks bad because they give the gold 10 seconds later. But I think that's rather uninformed to say that because we just the information was necessary. Yes, is Panama going to stay at one one? Probably not. But the players should know and they should know as quick as possible.
00:13:00
Speaker
And we said, you know, this is perhaps a little cowardly, but you have to be scoreboard watching in this. game I have zero faults with it. um Yeah, they needed to win the game at some point, but like tell them if they didn't need to win the game and yeah you don't want to go be trying to win. yeah game You don't have to. Yeah. Panama then bounced back from that, and I thought that recovered fairly well. There were a couple opportunities for Bolivia to actually take the lead, but then Panama kind of found their footing in this game. ah The great diving header from Eduardo Guerrero, and then the the late goal from Giannis, which was a really good take to to seal this off. Panama were deserving of this. This was this was a tricky little test that that I think they saw from Bolivia. um It's not the main storyline. You talked a lot about it already.
00:13:44
Speaker
Great result for Panama, fantastic performance. The belief that that they've been able to show in in Tomas Christiansen, the project that they built, doing this without a good chunk of their best players doing this without their best player in this competition, Carrasquilla, doing this without a ah number of defenders who aren't healthy. um This is a really, really good result for them. And this was a tricky little test that they passed here against Bolivia. correct. They scored more than the US did against Bolivia. Was the game state a lot more open for them because Bolivia decided to in the the last three minutes of the third game to open themselves up? Yes. But you saw the quality from Panama's forwards. And I think that's been the X factor in them getting out of this group from all the players you mentioned um and on top of Fajardo as well, like, ye and Karski when he played and they were missing him.
00:14:36
Speaker
There was just quality going forward in this Panama side that there quite frankly wasn't from teams, not just the United States, from other teams that are out too. So um yeah, yeah i yeah that's what that's what it came down to for me. The project is good. They they were good going forward. Yeah, they it was tricky, but like when Bolivia opened themselves up, it didn't take too long. That's a sign of a good team. Sure. All right, so the fallout here from the US result, Amit, as we shift into to looking at the big picture here, obviously the the number one question that I think is on everybody's lips, and it seems like everybody has kind of the same answer here. Greg Brohalter gone.
00:15:20
Speaker
Yeah, I think most public figures are are personas and soccer writers, especially in the States are saying it today. It's now two days after Wednesday. You see the fan group coming out and saying it. And then there's also kind of the noise that, well, US soccer is pretty stubborn. They're going to do a thorough review. Maybe he's safe. um Yeah, I think there's a reason why everyone who's a pretty influential or at least accomplished soccer mind in the United States thinks so. At the end of the day, it comes down to you can aim for better. You can have more ambition in your hire and have a manager who is more likely to break the bell curve outcome than Greg. We've always kind of said, if you need to get the bell curve, Greg is perfectly capable of doing that. If you want to succeed it, you should aim higher. um And then here in this tournament, he didn't even get there.
Greg Berhalter's Future as USA Manager
00:16:15
Speaker
And that is what is unacceptable.
00:16:18
Speaker
i I think starting there, I don't really know how you can twist what any of what I just said. like I think that's all like pretty acceptable and that's okay. i I cannot shake how unlucky he was and how yeah you feel little of this is his fault. I i will say that you know the team's lack of attacking chance creation is a problem, and it has been a problem under him. I do i will point to that number one is as one of his biggest flaws here. But I think there are more issues with the player pool, their inability to stay composed, and maybe that's on him as well. Maybe that really is on him. But I just think managerially, he has not
00:17:07
Speaker
done anything horrible. i not even like That's such a bar, but like he's been fine. He got like all the horrible bounces in two games here, really, really unfortunate bounces, and like they got rid of him, took a months long search, and brought him back. I agreed that a better manager could give them more chances to get out of their best of their bell curve outcome in 2026, but like i I just think people are so, so rash, and I know that's international tournament football.
00:17:45
Speaker
I know it's the smallest. And at the end of the day, it's a results business. And that's what we come down to. And we said, well, he's coaching for his job against Uruguay. Well, if that was the case, he didn't get it. And I'm OK with that. But just like he, i'm the more I've sat on this, like I just think the issues here are so much wider rooted in the United States soccer team and program and player pool. and and MLS and where all the money works um from top to bottom, from when a player starts his development to where they get to now and the current age of this pool, for all of this to be on Greg. But if you're going to make a change, we see this in every team. Like, yeah, the first guy to go is the manager. So like, I get how business works. All right. That was a lot. And now this conversation could go more places. But that's where I'm starting at.
00:18:39
Speaker
I think I agree with a lot of what you said there. I i definitely agree that I don't think this tournament was necessarily on him more so than the fact that every tournament is always on the manager because they you know the buck stops there. right Your point about the fundamental flaws in in player pool and US soccer and all of that is, I think, true. But you also have to recognize you're not changing any of that before 2026. What can you do to change before 2026? These players are more likely than not the majority of the squad that's going to take the field when the US opens the World Cup to 2026. I don't think you're changing in any of that. And so because of that, what's left to do, but try a different manager and see if it works. Like at this point, I think from my perspective,
00:19:21
Speaker
I don't think they can do much worse, right? Like right if they they let Greg go and they bring in and MLS manager flavor of the week. I don't know who that is at this particular moment. I don't think anybody's going to do worse. Like you can't not qualify for the world cup. They're already at the world cup. And so I think you have to change and and see if you can aim for hire. And if you have to settle for a guy trying to do the exact same thing, that's what you have to settle for. Yeah, I think in general, like while i I said what I said about Greg, I do think it was super unlucky. I think everyone's rash. I believe that you could have a better manager. I think there are better managers out there. And I also don't have a problem with a new manager, even if they're not proven to be better, or you don't know if they're better, to just try something new. Because now we've seen it in you know enough circumstances. You know what Greg's going to do in big games and normal games.
00:20:12
Speaker
and I have no problem if everyone's unhappy with it. I mean, like, yeah, OK, not fine. get Let's try something else. like And that's where like I think when they did the whole search, they really should have thought about Jesse Marsh. And when we now transition, I don't know, in a second or now, like to what type of manager the US should be trying to hire, I think there's a really, really a good case to be made for hiring someone
00:20:44
Speaker
that plays Red Bull adjacent, pressing intensive, transition intensive soccer, because it specifically increases your chances of variability in chaos, which is one way to pull an upset against a team better than you and achieve higher than your, you know, what your talent level is. And that suits the players in this squad. And that's where Greg has had some of his good results. I do think he's hamstrung and he would have played that way if he could have if his defending personnel wasn't so bad. He's had to rely on 37-year-old Tim Reem and who's been a good player for them. like But there's just not as much pace in that back line and one-on-one duels. He had to play Joe Scali at right back. Chris Richards hasn't developed. And so like I do think they could have played that soccer more if they could have. But go ahead and bring in
00:21:34
Speaker
Jesse Marsh, they don't they now he's gone. I think Canada has happened. You think Jesse Marsh had ah that sat down on Monday night and had a little glass of whiskey? Oh, 100%. 100% he's sitting there and like just basking in it. i think ever i like yeah no i think he does I think he does. He made it out of a group with with Mexico and the United States are home. not with Mexico, with Chile and Peru. I think you're right about the type of manager they need to type to bring in. I have no idea what a full fledged US s men's national team manager search would look like at this point. And I think it's
00:22:16
Speaker
it's kind of intriguing because I think they can kind of seduce themselves with the idea of attracting a legitimate big name. Like, I mean, some of the names that we've thrown out jokingly are probably out of the picture, but I think there's absolutely a chance that this team could bring in somebody who is legitimately exciting and kind of jump-starts this heading towards 26. Yeah, they I'll say this on the search. I mean, you saw their last search. they They're the United States soccer. They operate like a corporation in the United States. They're going to bring in a consultancy firm and pay them a lot of money to hand them a sheet of paper like that you or I could have done for free with like 10 seconds of research. 10% will take 10% of the fee you're going to pay the consultant firm.
00:23:03
Speaker
Listen, we're being a little crass but like, I do think there's some rottenness that goes to the core of all of this, and there's definitely some like nepotism that was involved in the Berhalter higher. And, you know, I don't need to go deeper, like, that's not the point of this podcast but like, but a little bit of i want serious to yeah say that this was a second chance. Berhalter got a second chance. You can argue about whether it was deserved or not. And he flopped with a second chance. This isn't the first Berhalter chance, the second Berhalter chance. And I think that is, I think a fundamental piece here. I don't think you can really run it back and be like, ah, third time's a charm.
00:23:37
Speaker
well if you're going to talk yourself into it, it's what I said earlier is all the bounces were just horrible. it None of it was his fault, but like welcome international football. You also said that. And that's the key point here. yeah that also baked in all of it and And also as, as much as I said that I do, I just fundamentally agreed that you can do better. And so what the search looks like, I think we can I can tell you right now, here are the names that I'd be looking at. I'd be looking at Jurgen Klopp. We joked about it, but he is a great answer. You have to call him and say, what's your price? Would you do it? And if he says no, then you move on. I think you see what Ralph Ragnick is up to after he lost for Austria.
00:24:14
Speaker
Those are the two best names available to play this type of soccer. I mean, heck, if you want to call up Dom Tedesco, you can too. I wouldn't. But um then you kind of fall off from those two. You could call Roberto Martinez. You could call Garrett Southgate. They might be available after this summer. I think they probably both will be. um And then from there, you can call Wilfred Nancy, who is the MLS Flavor of the Week. And I know you meant that not pejoratively, but it's just that that's he's an MLS manager. he's no He's no better experience. You could call Jim Curtain, who has had a tough year um for the Philadelphia Union. But before this year, I think, was was getting some buzz. You could call Trundleau.
00:24:57
Speaker
Yeah, these are kind of the names you're looking at. I think they do really well to get someone who has a lot of experience in that pressing style. But yeah, anyone who can convince you that they're going to try to like play something aesthetically pleasing and attacking would be a good answer. So Garris Southgate's out then. But you could talk yourself into, OK, I want someone that has international tournament experience of overachieving expectations, which he did twice. Sure. Three times. Yeah. Twice. Like, he's done that. The culture in England, people don't realize their tournament runs were bad before he showed up. And then he's like, and now has made the expectation that we're going to make a semifinal or win the expectation. So like, he understands how to win knockout tournament football. You won't like it, but like, that's what he does.
00:25:45
Speaker
Definitely won't like it. um There's a, I think there's a lot of time between now and 26 that we'll get to talk about this more.
US Team's Development Before World Cup 2026
00:25:51
Speaker
This is obviously on the the players too. It's just like, like we've made the point so many times, you can't change the players. Like the players are going to, I don't think and within the next two years, the U S is going to see a significant shift in their player pool. I understand that they had injuries. That's again, always going to happen here. You're very rarely going to head to a major tournament where your starting 11 is all 100% what you want it to be. um But these players were very much supportive of the second era of Greg Burhalter, if you will. It seemed like that's what they wanted. And now it's kind of on them because they didn't get it done. And they're probably not going to get what they wanted. And I think you also kind of saw a little bit of shifts in the, at least the public statements to where, okay, we get it. We probably might need to change here.
00:26:40
Speaker
Yeah, I think you've touched on some really interesting things with this team um and these players. And I think Ryan O'Hanlon at ESPN wrote a good piece saying, well, maybe they're not as good as we thought they were. And certainly injuries have in Panama. Like yeah they look better than Panama. Oh, 100 percent. I I. think that the point of his piece was interesting is just that the development hasn't necessarily panned out as literally perfectly for all of them as you hoped and that's to be expected they all made moves early to Europe that's a tough adjustment and they're all still young which is um i think another key point that there's still two more years for them to grow i think there is some truth to be like a little mean that like
00:27:24
Speaker
These players are coddled and soft. like And I'm not going to say that in like my most like boomer voice, but a little bit. right They all have been given more resources and more opportunities to succeed than any generation before them. And they brought in a manager who is considered a player's manager, who tells them all, like you guys are doing great. like I'm here to support you. And they all just think that like they're entitled to like these great results. And then they show up on the field that are like out toughness by inferior teams. And they have issues getting up for big games. They're not as professional. And I'm not going to sit here. I don't think it's ah fair to say that they're worse than the generations before them. I think very clearly this is the most talented generation.
00:28:09
Speaker
ah United States international teams player. I don't really think it's close if you just look at the talent of these players, but they certainly lacking the toughness and mentality of the earlier generations of the Donovan Dempsey teams. They had grit and this team cannot manufacture the grit. What they manufactured was Tim Waya punching a guy in Panama in the head, which shows you their maturity level. And then against Uruguay, they lost a street fight. Like What is the evidence we have to go off of? I don't think this team is mentally very tough. And I think a different manager needs to challenge them to show that in 2026.
00:28:45
Speaker
No comments, no notes. I'm intrigued. Yeah, I buy into that. I buy into that. ah Last point here, and then I think we can move on a bit. It goes without saying, what happens between now and 2026 is really crucial for the US men's national team, for their future. I don't want to go as so far as to say as the future of the sport. The country the future of the sport in the country is fine. There's lots of money. People will continue to do that. But as far as making it an even higher jump, it's really important. And it's also important to say that if they get it right in 2026, none of this actually matters. right like If the US has a long sustained successful run at the World Cup in 2026, absolutely no one will care that they crashed out of the group stage at the 2024 Copa America. Nobody will care.
00:29:26
Speaker
But if they don't get it right in 2026, this will have been a massive warning sign and massive like, I don't know if they continue to do what they did in this and it goes wrong in 2026. I think you've you've been fairly warned. Yeah, that's a great way to put it. um Who knows which way it'll go. um But I think the optimistic view is that that's why it's good to play this major tournament two years out and have the opportunity to look wholesale and be like, well, this was bad. We should be reactionary. We saw how much of what United States soccer is today is reactionary to not making the 2018 World Cup and what happened in Cuba.
00:30:02
Speaker
And it's almost disappointing that they went up, did solid at 22, and then this is kind of back down again. You like to be a little smoother, but like, okay. They at least showed that like we can learn from that. Let's see them learn from this, the lessons that are to be learned here. Bruce Arena, round three. That would just be so funny. Please make it happen. I mean, the guy's a winner. He's not a winner. He also did not get it done in 2018 World Cup qualify. um Let's talk quick about Mexico because I think there's actually a lot of really intriguing themes that are very similar between Mexico and the US. On
Mexico's Early Exit and Future Challenges
00:30:41
Speaker
Sunday night in a game that they had to win against Ecuador, they just didn't get it done. There just wasn't really enough there. They drew downhill with Ecuador. Ecuador had the advantage of playing for a draw.
00:30:50
Speaker
Ecuador took advantage of that advantage and it is the team that's going through the quarterfinals. All that being said, it's also abundantly true here that Mexico is going home from this Copa America simply because they scored one less goal against Jamaica than Ecuador did, right? Like they beat Jamaica by one, Ecuador beat Jamaica by three, and at the end of the day, or by two, excuse me, and at the end of the day, that's what's sending Mexico home. Also intriguingly here is that the Mexican Federation has publicly backed Jaime Lozano. That doesn't mean they can't go back on that and make a change, but definitely differently than how the U.S. Federation has responded. um They say that Jaime Lozano is empowered and Poderados is the word in Spanish. It's intriguing to to see where Mexico's at here a minute.
00:31:33
Speaker
Yeah, there's a lot of similarities and talk about some bad luck. Edson Alvarez gets hurt in game one. He's their best player. I think that hurts them in the Jamaica game specifically, where they can't score as many goals. At least they won that game, which at this time we said, good job for winning. But yeah, at the end of the day, ah just a little short. um But they're really fascinating because I think the a lot of the parallels are similar to the United States. But the main difference and the key difference that I think kind of gives me a little more understanding for the Federation's position is the talent pool is
00:32:12
Speaker
is way off. As bad as it's been. So it's bad as it's been. It's not a contrast here. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Yeah. The US talent pool is as good as it's ever been. The Mexican talent pool is probably as bad as it's ever been. And that has led to these teams ending up in the exact same spot kind of for very different reasons. Yeah. i And that's where I'm like, there's much less of that is ah on Jaime Lozano than it is on maybe a team that has expectations to perform. I think you just have to understand for Mexico fans, for the Federation, for anyone, they're just not very good right now and there's also not really
00:32:54
Speaker
great ah chances for that to get much better in 2026. They just aren't. It's really unfortunate that you'd hope for a ah a World Cup on home soil in your neighborhood that you'd be peaking. And that's certainly what US s is trying to like spin this narrative, like, we are going to fix soccer and make it so good. And Mexico would probably tell you they would love to do the same thing, but it's just not. It is not going to be that. And that's a bummer. That's a bummer. So I just think optically, it's really hard. I don't really know what you're supposed to do. I think you're just supposed to like try to build the the process earnestly to having a good program again. And that's just going to take time. So like if Lozano is the guy to like do a project and you're going to give him the faith to do it, I'm fine with that. But that's just a tough pill to swallow when you have a home World Cup. and like
00:33:46
Speaker
you're Mexico project program doesn't suit them well, does it? No. And I mean, the big issue here is they scored one goal in three games. like That's just never going to get it done at this sort of level, generally. um and Also, the whole kind of like the smokescreen of this youth movement, our our good friend of the show, John Arnold, wrote about this after the Mexico elimination. ah They left home really old guys to to bring like mid guys. Like they didn't bring a team that was like a bunch of 22-year-olds to get experience. Their starting 11 against Ecuador was an average age of 27.1. Like that's not a youth movement. Ecuador was 25.7. Like Ecuador is is a youth movement. And that age obviously gets dragged down by Intervalencia.
00:34:28
Speaker
ah That's the biggest issue here for Mexico is like I don't see a path to them getting better before 2026. Their cards have been dealt, and like they're going to have to try and play them in such a way to have success, but like long so like sustained long-lasting success in their current position seems like a really hard thing to achieve. Yeah, they just need to develop difference makers. um I think there're their two biggest profiles for difference makers were Edson Alvarez, who' is ah who's a great player, and that's a tough injury, and Santi Jimenez, who is a very good striker that's developing at Feyenoord. He's not there yet. um He could develop. But then we just said, look at the attack. These are all, you know, kind of Liga MX good players, but never making the moves.
00:35:19
Speaker
I think embedded in all this is something there, you know, the pathways, they need to get players to better clubs against better opposition at younger ages and have them develop. And, you know, I, I said on the United States little rant that I think there's some issues with MLS and the, it's exactly what this is. Like it's, with League of MX pathways, like it's, it's hard. The federations have got to support their players and not be, and push them to do what's best for their each individual situations and not get so enamored with the money in it all and the ah and like the sticker shock of it all. But that's like the way all of it like international football is so obsessed with like these these names. And why wouldn't you be? You want to send kids to the the the top top leagues as fast as you can.
00:36:09
Speaker
Well, it's also really interesting because that's, you know, not what happening and not that is not what's happening left out of verb there. That's not what's happening in the Mexico case because these players are staying too long in Mexico because up yeah, right. And because and like, Who am I to tell a kid who's 22 that he shouldn't take more money to stay in a place that's familiar? like That's a completely natural experience to have. And so that's that's the rub of this all. And that's what makes it so hard for Mexico. And you're exactly right. They have the federational issues. They have that core issue of they're not developing players. And again, just like the US, that's not something you're going to change in two years.
00:36:49
Speaker
Right. It's not. And so these are deep, deep rooted issues. And I think we're just in agreement. It's bad looks for Mexico for the next two years. But on the point like while I ragged on MLS for the United States, like specifically on the whole, I do think it's a better pathway for youth players than League of MX.
Development Pathways for CONCACAF Players
00:37:07
Speaker
And I give credit to Venezuela and Panama for using those pathways to help develop their players. For me, the issue with the United States is, you know, getting rid of them too early to send them to Europe, where almost they need that. But it's all like, you know, nitpicking. Like, just give your players the chance to develop. And i it's much easier said than done. It's going to take some time for Mexico. Last question on the CONCACAF triumphs, and then we'll get back to to this tournament and what we've seen and and what we're going to see. Who are you more confident in for 2026 and getting it right? The USA or Mexico?
00:37:41
Speaker
That's USA. i And it's not particularly close. I think they've adjusted well at post 2018 by 2022, have a really solid team. And they had players coming up. But the talent is just should keep developing to be solid by 2026. I think regardless of the manager in 2026, the United States will have a vastly more competitive team than Mexico. um I'm not sure what Mexico has to to fix their outcomes. um And also, it's in the same way both both jobs and situations and overall atmospheres are are a little bit toxic, but it's almost harder in Mexico to to survive all of that toxicity. Well, it's almost, there's a big similarity to 2018 in that with 2018 as well, what we also saw, excuse me, is that
00:38:39
Speaker
The US just kind of had a bad series of events that hopefully lead to fundamental change. But if the US starts this exact same tournament, or like if they just hit new game, like it doesn't happen again. No, it doesn't. And so and so that's the thing in 2026, if the US doesn't change a single thing, I don't feel super great about their prospects in 2026. but they're also probably not gonna have as bad of a tournament simply because the law of averages says that they wouldn't have as bad a tournament. And so that I think certainly gives you more confidence in that if Mexico start this tournament over again, I don't feel super confident that they might get a better result, but I don't feel extremely confident that they will.
00:39:18
Speaker
All right, let's talk about everything else that mattered from this last match day a minute here. There were some
Canada's Strategic Advancement
00:39:22
Speaker
games that didn't, some games that did. Canada nil-nil against Chile. um I said that Mexico scored one goal in three games and that's not good enough. Jesse Marsh was like, ah, but it is because Canada scored one goal in three games and that got them into the quarterfinals. Chile were down to 10 men within a half an hour here. I kind of thought the second yellow card for for Swasso was a bit harsh. um Canada haven't been great, but this is a successful tournament, right? Yeah, and it's to Jesse Marsh's drinking whiskey imagery point. Canada benefited from red cards um in a way that the United States did it. And the red cards were prevalent in this tournament more so than they are at the Euros. But you have to play the hand you're dealt. And Jesse Marsh, even though he is more of an idealistic manager than you generally see at the international level, very, very pragmatic here. Kept Canada very tight and closed.
00:40:14
Speaker
played for the point against a team that couldn't create them, did the same thing to Peru and the second Peru opened up, carved them up. What can you say? I mean, that's just, a here's the job and they met it. yeah i And yeah, good job, Canada. it's ah It's a good first step, I think, in the Jesse Marsh era for Canada, because the idea here is that there will be time to figure out the idealism and the way that we want to play and all that later. But part of that is you also just have to figure out how to get results and how to get the job done. And that's what Canada were able to do here.
00:40:48
Speaker
Look, we're not going to fool ourselves into thinking that they have any chance to flip this trophy. The second they come up against a good team, it's going to probably be pretty hard for them. But it's not out of the realm of possibility that Canada's Gulf America semifinalists here, they can be Venezuela. Absolutely. And that would be a fantastic result. So job done for Canada. um Chile didn't score at all. imit they They created one XG against Peru, 0.1 against Argentina, 0.5 against Canada. I think the Ricardo Garica honeymoon is is over here. And I also still think I feel better about them than I do about Peru prior going to Bolivia. Yeah. As much as I'm going to always take credit for my good takes. I mean, I thought Chile might have had a chance to be better than Canada. yeah I think that looks pretty silly because Chile were very, very, very toothless. Um, and I'm not sure Greca can fix that, but to your point, they're still better than those teams you named. So World Cup wise, World Cup podcast.
00:41:41
Speaker
This is the type of team we could see in an intercontinental playoff. There's a chance they could you know push for ah an outright spot if things go well and they get enough luck. Yeah, they are what they are. and Look, man, somebody from Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Bolivia has to go to the intercontinental playoff. That's just how the numbers are. And you'd probably feel like it's Chile at this point, even though they they haven't been very good. uh Venezuela 3-0 winners against Jamaica. This game didn't actually matter but i I just wanted to really point out nine points from nine in the Copa America or group stage for Venezuela. Fantastic, fantastic result uh for them. Haima Helgrimson is gone as manager of Jamaica uh the the the statement said it was mutual that doesn't feel
00:42:25
Speaker
to be mutual I think Jamaica would have loved to have still had him as manager I kind of feel like there's Federation issues that are that are boiling kind of under the under the the surface here. um Yet again, the the theory of the Jamaican national team is just a lot better than the practice of it. Yeah, you said that one before and it rains true, like, ah It's all a bit unfortunate for them, but like I don't really have sympathy. like fully me once fully me you know Yeah, like Yeah, right, exactly. And Helgramson is a perfectly fine manager, I think, did well. And i yeah, you know who knows exactly what went on behind the scenes. I think he had his time with this project, and it was probably grading um for him. and
00:43:09
Speaker
You know, Jamaica, I think John Arnold said this well, like they're a team that has the talent to make a World Cup. And I think we would agree, um but. Should make a World Cup. Yeah, there's just a lot to sort out. if they don't Yeah, yeah, yeah. but I don't think I'd buy them doing anything once they get there. At least Hibernal Crimson got some really good clothes and also learned the Jamaican national anthem. So, had fun.
Brazil vs. Colombia: Game Analysis
00:43:33
Speaker
Brazil won one Columbia event. This happened last night. This was a great game. This was really fun. This was a complete like energy pace, speed change to pretty much everything else we saw in this goal. But this was high energy. This was frantic. This was quality. This was good. And this was a good result for Columbia. And I think kind of begs some more questions about Brazil.
00:43:54
Speaker
Totally does, and I think credit to both teams for putting the stakes in this game, which there were because the winner got Panama. And the or Columbia had the draw, got Panama, and the other team got Uruguay. So there were stakes. And it was also nice because while there were stakes, they weren't like super serious, which allowed two teams to just go at each other at speed. And I think they brought the best out of each other. I think Brazil forced Columbia to show some attacking intent and ah you know go a little bit more than just their set pieces, which they always have and were crucial.
00:44:28
Speaker
This was really impressive from Columbia and Brazil, I think, you know, showed they can kind of just a little outplay Columbia, but they're not all the way there that they were finishing chances and their goal came on a really good free kick. Well, yeah, they got a check but free kick that they put in the back of the net, which is great, but is also not something that's super repeatable. And I think once that happened, Columbia kind of bossed this for the rest of the game and probably should have won it. Yeah, Rafael Santos-Bore had a really, really good chance. He just fizzed over. um This was a good game. I was i just yeah i' i was impressed with Colombia, and I thought Brazil did fine. But on the whole of it for three games, yeah I think our worries about them have borne out.
00:45:16
Speaker
i yeah they have ah they They do everything just fine. They can be opened up. They're full backs on the problem. They have a finishing problem. They have a striker problem. And they're, yeah, no, and then that's what makes them good, but certainly not great. And as you've said before, that's not what Brazil do. Well, yes oh it's interesting. The fullbacks were certainly at fault on the goal. Like, how do you let Daniel Munoz get into so much space? Like, that amount of space should just not happen in that type of play. It's weird to see from Brazil, who I think, and maybe that's a cheat thing, like, they just should be solid defensively. Yeah. I don't know. They're not. I think their center backs are still pretty good. They are. But yeah, the fullbacks are an issue at this level.
00:46:01
Speaker
um The hummus Rodriguez Renaissance man, it's fun to watch like you can still play this is working for him. Yeah, he is really good and Every set piece is now weaponized for Columbia. I think they are Probably pound-for-pound the best team in the top whatever 20 whatever you want to say you could if you want to say they're the most effective set piece team in the world right now I'm not gonna like Like, yeah I think there's some truth to that. I'm being a little hyperbolic, but like every set piece is, has intent, and with Hamez gets a good delivery, so there's a chance that they can score. it's it's ah They're really maximizing their chances to get through against tougher teams with this wrinkle. Did you ah did you appreciate the little, it didn't work, but the Hamez set piece delivery that he took right on goal, that was pretty that was pretty funny, that was pretty cute.
00:46:53
Speaker
Hey, if the keeper gives you that near post and you're not Ronaldo and just trying to hit it hard, yeah, go spin it for the corner. See what happens. That was fun. That was fun. um The big thing from this game, maybe the big thing is Vinicius Jr. got a yellow card. And that's his second yellow card in the group stage. And that means he's going to be suspended for the quarterfinals. And that is not good for Brazil. We'll talk about that in a second when we get to the quarterfinal previews. We'll get to the quarterfinal previews right now, a bit. um Important to note here, no extra time, just as God intended it, except for the Copo America final. So if we're tied at 90 minutes after the quarterfinals or semifinals, we're going straight to penalties. That is in the favor of underdogs, because it's a lot easier to hold out for 90 minutes than it is for 120. That can also lead to a bit more defensive football, because again, it's a lot easier to hold out for 90 minutes than it is for 120. Let's look at the matchups that we get here. Argentina, Ecuador.
00:47:43
Speaker
It's a decent little test for Argentina. I think so. I think Ecuador are very physical. They do a lot of running in the midfield. They've got quality on the back line. They have got just enough going forward. The 90 minutes helps them. I think you can basically, any underdog can convince themselves to play for pens. um And it's, whoa what what's the math? like ah ah thirty percent easier to do that was before so um yeah this is a tough one um but they still should do it they still have the quality I think both of us would say you know are they ready for the test of Ecuador because if they are and they show up and are ready for the physicality and are gonna be
00:48:28
Speaker
you know, bring their best sharpness in their attacking combinations. When they rev up that ball playing and get messy involved, there's still no one better. But yeah they've got to get that gear. And it doesn't have to be fourth or fifth gear. But they've got to be in second or third pretty early on here and and to control the game. Because if you don't, Ecuador are very physical. I think that's their their number one strength is their ability to cover ground, hit challenges, um deny you your your rhythm, right? That's what Argentina want. They want to get their passing tempo going. That to me is the the the the story and the note of this game. I think Ecuador is decent, but also I think we've seen Ecuador be a little too cavalier in their running, and that certainly that can open them up. And you know if you're Ecuador, do you try to push really hard for that goal early? And if you do and you get one, you're in great shape. And if you don't
00:49:23
Speaker
you could be holding on for dear life in minutes 75 plus. So it's very set up well here. um I think this is a better game than I was maybe expecting Argentina to have um because of the way the group worked out, but um they should be up for it, right? Yeah, I think Ecuador have what it takes to make this sweaty. I also think that they probably won't win it. Like, a kind of scrappy, clawy, not super great, 1-0 Argentina win with a late-ish goal is probably the result I would go for here. Yeah, I think so. And as much as I like Ecuador and their quality, and I've even said, enter Valencia is the right type of striker you want in an international tournament, big game player.
00:50:06
Speaker
um I'm not sure there's enough attacking everything all over the field to consistently create enough. Ecuador is going to have a few chances. and Right. it's It's the same thing we always talk about. Ecuador are going to have two and a half chances in this match. One of them is going to be good. The other three halves are going to be OK. They got to take one of them. Right. Right. Yeah. And that's that's why we'd still go with Argentina, because I think they'll have More. More. Perhaps a dozen of decent chances. But, you know, they've also haven't been entirely convincing so far. so well So. So do you remember what happened when these teams played in World Cup qualifying? It was a scrappy, clawy, yucky match. Then Ecuador gave away a free kick and then a message just like, oh, thank you very much. One nil. So like that sort of result is the kind of thing that can happen here. But troubling Argentina and beating them are are two different things. And and and we'll see if I'm ever able to do that.
00:51:03
Speaker
That's the other thing with Argentina is that they're at the very, very top level of international game is even when they don't play well, their baseline is so good and their defenders are very good. Kuti Romero, I think. He's a bit of a hothead, but a super underrated. I think he's up there in the conversation with all the great international center backs at this backstage of tournaments. um And they're just, they're so experienced too. And I think that this point, the vibes for Argentina, as we love to say, are always an X factor. They are. Yep. And their goalkeeper feeds off of it and has made big saves in big moments, despite maybe not being the best goalkeeper that there is.
00:51:41
Speaker
Next quarter final minute is the opportunity to be at Jerry World. It's Venezuela, Canada. ah I will say, when the organizers planned this game for the Jerry World, they did not expect it to be Venezuela, Canada. I think there's a Mexico-sized hole in this fixture. oh Yeah, it's a class of styles. It's a class of skills. And like 20,000 of our closest friends are going to get to experience it in person. And also 80,000 NPCs. Yeah, this is super fun. This is super so for fun. This is like the whole joy of you play an international tournament and you get an Austria Turkey or you get a Venezuela Canada.
00:52:20
Speaker
a super fun game, two teams with nothing to lose. Um, and who both are eyeing a historic result and can convince themselves that they're better than the other. I think both plausibly, which means I think it's pretty even. Yeah. So on the history part of this, Venezuela has only made the semi-finals once at a couple of America that happened in Argentina in 2011. And Canada has only made the semi-finals once in their last eight gold cup appearances. so a major tournament semi-final for either of these nations is an absolutely phenomenal result. It also guarantees you two more games because there's a third place playoff at the Copa America, which sure, we definitely needed. This is an interesting class of style, class of skills. like
00:53:00
Speaker
if If styles make fights, right? Like that's that's the old saying here. These are two very interesting styles that I think will make for an interesting fight because what type of approach does Jesse Marsh take to this for Canada? What do Venezuela look to do? It's interesting to see because I think there's a lot of unknowns going into this match. I agree. I'm Both teams could adapt to the other to varying degrees, right? I think Venezuela, you know how they attack. They like to get Cetaldo linking up with Rondon. They like to play long balls to Rondon. They can work you down. If you're in a low block, they're going to go through Cetaldo.
00:53:37
Speaker
And Canada likes transition. And Venezuela certainly could get eager into putting a lot of numbers forward. But how much respect do do what does either team have for each other? I think what we've seen is that Jesse Marsh will be more likely to you know play defense in transition and force Venezuela to break them down. And I think that's the way you'll genuinely see it go. But Venezuela's defense is not very good. and They just, I'm sorry, they aren't. They they ship chances to everyone. they They really gave it up to Mexico. And they had some last-stitch defending. um But Canada's defense isn't good either. And if you they submit numbers the other way, even one on two for Rendon is a tricky proposition because of how physically you know dominant he is on the long ball. So really, really fun. um I think back and forth, chess match, subs. and
00:54:31
Speaker
um I mean, to talk about this guy, Schaffelberg on Canada. He showed himself to be quite the impact sub with his speed at this level. so um And Canada, or Venezuela, we've given credit to the manager here. He's done it really well with subs as well. Both teams have second strikers, more running. like This is just a really fun game, and I i hope we get intensity because if it was if it was hotter and maybe you know everyone's tired. But I don't think either team can afford to just settle into this game. they've they's gonna There's also, man, oh, man, there's going to be at least like three challenges that just make your head spit. Probably from each side. Canada plays super physical. Venezuela plays super physical. Yeah, this is going to be fun. I'm looking forward to it. I think we might get goals here. like i I think this could be like ah a wonky, wacky, wild Copa America quarterfinal that we're really thankful to have witnessed.
00:55:27
Speaker
ah Columbia, Panama on it in the third game, it really only feels like there's one way for this one to go. Kyroski has a huge loss for Panama. They were able to survive it against Bolivia. Colombia are obviously not Bolivia. Colombia are looking
Colombia vs. Panama: Match Expectations
00:55:40
Speaker
better from open play. And even if they're not, they have the plan B set pieces. um This is going to be hard for Panama. Great tournament so far. Fantastic success. But this feels like it's a step too far. Yeah, it should be comfortable for Colombia. I mean, again, how long can you survive before the first goal? And the set piece part of it just just makes it really hard. I mean, whenever they're bored, they could just like literally kick it off you for a corner kick like five times is what I would do if I were Columbia. I'm i'm like not even joking. There's just not not a lot for Panama. Again, I think their forwards have some quality here. But Columbia's center backs are very physical. It's tough to imagine them even getting you know a decent foothold in this game.
00:56:23
Speaker
If Panama do it, it's probably because they get one back the other way. Their forwards are clinical. Fajardo gets one chance and he takes it, and then they can kind of survive. They don't give up unnecessary set pieces. The ones that they do give up, they're able to handle. It's just really hard to see Panama pulling that off, especially given that they kind of did that already against the US in the group stage, at least a little bit. I know that was a different game, different subject and all that. um This feels like it should be a pretty easy Columbia win. And look, man, that's your reward for winning the group, is you get this game instead of the game we're about to talk about. 100%. That's Columbia, I do think, because they earned it. I think they're really locked in on this yeah tournament as well. like Why not make a push to to win it all? They could also talk to themselves as winning it all.
00:57:08
Speaker
So business as usual means you take care of the soft teams. Yeah. Yeah. And ah the support for Columbia has been fantastic this entire tournament. And that's not going to change here in this game. So that's going to be really fun. All right, the last quarterfinal of it.
Brazil vs. Uruguay: Attack Strategy Challenges
00:57:22
Speaker
It's a Titanic clash. It's Brazil. What do I? This is a great, great, great game. And let's start with the big headline here. Brazil's most dangerous attacking player, the player who has been the one to make things happen in this tournament, Vinicius Jr., is not going to play because he's suspended for two yellow cards. ah Two relatively silly yellow cards. You took the one really really early in the game against Columbia You can debate whether it was a yellow card or not, but it's not a great challenge I just got into it and kind of a unnecessary manner in the Paraguay game That's gonna be a big loss for Brazil cuz I don't know how they're gonna attack without but it's his junior
00:57:57
Speaker
Yeah, there the it falls very much on Rafinha and Rodrigo to create chances. And then you've got to make a really interesting choice on who to sub in because Brazil haven't really, again, we've we've talked all tournament about their number nine issue. I could make a case for starting Endrick in a game like this to see what you have. You could also make the case to start like Gabriel Martinelli. who I think is a very, very good player and probably hasn't even gotten enough minutes here. um He's not as one-on-one silky as Venicious, but no one is, but is very fast, very good runner and dribbler. He is a good dribbler and a decent finisher too. So like, that would be my like, he's coming in, but is then you're staying without the striker or, I don't know. Do you think they'd start Endrick?
00:58:54
Speaker
I don't know, I think Dorian Wall Jr. has been really cautious with his use of Endric so far in this tournament. And this that would be a bit that would be a throwing him to the Sharks. Yeah, like chucking us up a 17-year-old out, like, what do I like the thought of that? like Look, we we know what we are going to do. They're going to try to get under people's skin and all that. And so can a 17 year old kind of deal with that? That's a ah huge question. And I don't know the answer. um But yeah, that's one of the things Brazil could try to do. The thing that most intrigued me about this match, is I think we're just going to overrun Brazil in the midfield. Like just that's that's where I was going to go next. I think this is where we're going to see Brazil's kind of
00:59:37
Speaker
lackluster at this level, Central Midfield, Acata, Bruno Gomarez, um get, I think, a really, really hard challenge against the likes of Ugarte and Valverde and maybe it's Polistri or whoever else they you know are going to throw in. Yeah, this is the top this is this is tough for Brazil. i don't know we have I don't know if you have seen the numbers or not. They're in for a world of trouble here because of the way they were ah the way or why plays now for Brazil though. Even if they get overrun. I think there's a chances to be had on the counter and to see if you can get as you've said in the rundown or a guy's defense.
01:00:21
Speaker
to make a few mistakes, which they will kind of do every game. Everybody. They have given the ball away in bad positions against everybody in this tournament. For Brazil, they have to take advantage of that. When order I give you the ball and oh, no, it's now three on two. You have to take advantage of that because it's going to happen a couple of times because it's happened a couple of times against everybody. ah They need that to happen or they need someone to do something spectacular, which is what Haffini did in the game against Colombia. Pana free kick from distance. Those kind of feel like the two ways Brazil scores here. Maybe they get like Merkinio's forward on the set piece or something, but like yeah like kind of on set pieces against this sort of wine defense Yeah, I think you you nailed it. I don't know how else they do. I think yeah, they've Afina and Rodrigo and whoever have to be really great dribbling here And I think you're gonna see some really fun like the way Pilsa plays like two on twos maybe two on three maybe three on two and
01:01:18
Speaker
where you're dribbling at the Uruguay defenders, who are very good at one-on-one, and you're very good at dribbling, and we're gonna see push comes to shove, the issue is, even when you do beat them, the finishing for Brazil is where the- You beat him, where's the pass to? Who are you passing to? Yeah, and and look, Rodrigo can shoot, he can shoot, but he doesn't have a lot of help, so it's there's pressure on Brazil, and then of course, of course, you know, can Darwin Nunez, you know, be clinical the other way? And he's hit or miss, but in an Uruguay shirt, I think is more hit than miss. So, Uruguay, I think should kind of just be creating decent number of chances here.
01:01:59
Speaker
I think I've, what do I take their chances? I think they can win this pretty easily. Like I can, but I'm scared to say that, but like, I know i take chances and win this three nil. That's all the cards. It's all, I think the Bielsa with Bielsa, that outcome is always more um in play than anyone thinks it is. I think that Brazil need to lean into dark arts to to slow Uruguay down as much as Uruguay are already playing at dark arts level like I think you've got to make this game ugly and grimy and
01:02:35
Speaker
That's the Brazil, I think have to treat this like underdogs and be opportunistic rather than especially without Venetius, which they've never done ever in the history of everness of the Brazilian national team, right? Like that just completely runs counterproductive to what they are. And it's very interesting. I was, I was, um, talking in in the office the other day about Brazil, Colombia. And one of the things that kept coming up is, you know, the shirt might win it for Brazil in one of these games where they come up against these teams who are playing against the shirt of Brazil rather than the actual players there. And I still think that's going to happen here with order. Why? Because
01:03:08
Speaker
I don't think they're gonna fall into that trap of giving Brazil too much respect because I don't respect anybody. They play their style. um This is a really, really fun game and I can't shake the feeling that I think otherwise gonna win and win easily. um I might be completely wrong and we might come back on the next show and and and laugh at that, but we'll see. I think we've been building up to this very game for a while now. And I think both of us, from the start of our preview of this tournament, have kind of circled Uruguay as a little bit better than Brazil. And we're going to see if we're right. um And you know the bounces are the bounces. But yeah don't be surprised if, regardless of the result, I think this is played at Uruguay's pace and tempo and their style. And that makes it really, really fun. So we'll see.
01:03:54
Speaker
All right, we've gone on long enough today. A lot of good stuff today. We talked with the US, talked about the quarterfinals. Amit and I will be back sometime this weekend, maybe Sunday. I think we'll probably do Sunday when we'll have COPPA and Euro qualifier quarterfinals all taken care of. so Thanks once again for listening. Again, if you wanna support us monetarily, you can do so at patreon dot.com slash WCAD, $3 a month, access to exclusive shows, World Cup qualifying spreadsheet, and all the other good stuff. We'll be back this weekend with the quarterfinal recap. Enjoy the games, because they're gonna be really fun. Amit and I are are really excited for both of them, so we'll chat soon.