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Lobbing Scorchers: U.S. Men's National Fraud Squad - BONUS
136 Plays21 days ago
In this subscriber only bonus episode, Ari and Noah talk about the USMNT's loss to Mexico, the first loss of the Mauricio Pochettino era.
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- Become a subscriber to Sounder at Heart.
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Lobbing Scorchers is a production of Just Once Media.
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Lobbing Scorchers is a Seattle Sounders and MLS focused show brought to you by Sounder at Heart. Hosted by Major League Soccer's Ari Liljenwall and Producer Noah Riffe. Join us as we lob our scorching takes on the American soccer landscape, Seattle Sounders, Major League Soccer, USMNT and more.
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Transcript
Introduction to Bonus Episode
00:00:00
Speaker
What's going on, everybody? Welcome to a bonus episode of Lobbing Scorchers. This is Ari Lilianwa, producer Noah here with me. And as we alluded to a couple episodes ago, we wanted to lay down um some bonus content on the US men's national team.
Purpose of Bonus Content
00:00:15
Speaker
ah Both because we had takes that we felt couldn't fit in the ah show that we were doing because we went long on that show. But also I think ah just to test out the premise of bonus content, see if people like it and are into it, and maybe you know if there's um stuff that we want to talk about that we can't fit into the show like this, we'll lay down more of these.
USMNT vs Mexico Performance
00:00:34
Speaker
um But for tonight, I think we're just going to do this a quick like 20 minute quick hitter just for fun. And because we wanted to talk about the ah USMNT and dive into some punditry ah because they lost really bad. They really did really badly in. ah Mauricio Pochettino's second game as coach um And he had a friendly against Panama which they won to be fair um But this friendly against Mexico Noah mm-hmm. It was bad. It was bad news it like um there was nothing good that happened to know like the ah
00:01:12
Speaker
Obviously the score line in the result was bad to
Player Pool Concerns
00:01:15
Speaker
zero. We got like bammed on by our own bit. Correct. um But ah the energy levels, the yeah and the intensity, yeah and the execution, it was all a mess. The lineup.
00:01:31
Speaker
It was worse than ah like Berhalter owned Mexico right. You know halter did own Mexico that that was the one thing about him like I he he was pretty he was a mid coach ultimately but he did own Mexico and we got slammed and yeah you know Christian Pulisic in Weston McKinney and a bunch of guys left after the Panama game wasn't necessarily the ah ah the a squad but for me Like I still think it's a little concerning because even the squad that they had needs to compete with more dignity than that in a rivalry game against a team that you've that is not that good now and that you've gotten the better of most for the most part for the last five, six years.
Game Critiques and Player Analysis
00:02:16
Speaker
I don't know. Noah, how are you feeling about the start of the Pocatino era? I mean, ah this game was just so... I mean, you know me. i'm I'm a closeted Mexico fan at this point, just praying for the U.S.'s downfall, but it was embarrassing, man. Like, I couldn't help but just be quite frustrated with this with this game.
00:02:37
Speaker
I don't think that this is a good game to judge the Pocatino era on anything it's been two matches they've both been friendlies and quite frankly he's been just throwing shit at the wall to see what can stick but I just this was this was fucking awful And this formation was embarrassing, this Christmas tree formation that just looked terrible. Jean-Luc Obusio, fraud. Aidan Morris, fraud. Malik Tillman, fraud. Miles Robinson.
00:03:09
Speaker
Fraud fuck it It just like all of these the bot guys all of the bot guys performed like their Twitter user counterparts Yeah, I mean for me. It's just ah It's the US men's national fraud squad until proven otherwise and unlike unlike Noah like I really take no joy in saying that ah like I've my fandom is sort of deteriorated with the USMNT where I you know, I wasn't still am a big fan of the team and I root for its success and I wanted to do well. um But ah just the vibes around the the team and US soccer in general as an entity rub me the wrong way to the point where I'm kind of become a sicko rooting for the downfall too.
Overrated Player Pool?
00:04:01
Speaker
But I also
00:04:02
Speaker
It's not even really ah all that. it's just I think there's a lot of ah mounting evidence that this player pool is a little high on their own supply. they think of them so They've heard the Golden Generation talk and they think of themselves that way.
00:04:17
Speaker
and i I went credence to that, especially when they looked so good in Nations League. ah I think that was last or a couple years ago at this point. A year ago-ish. Yeah, a year ago-ish. They looked so good in Nations League, and I was really excited about the upside that a lot of these guys showed. We both were. And I stand by the fact that ah like when they look hungry and motivated and they have everyone there. Um, this is a talented player pool. That's got some guys that have great upside. Um, but, uh, they act like they've, they've won anything when they haven't. And, uh, they are not proof. They are not to me, provenly any better than past iterations of this team.
Past vs Present USMNT
00:05:05
Speaker
And if anything,
00:05:07
Speaker
I mean they performed worse at Copa America. Yeah, and they also ah They don't have like that endearing scrap and fight that those old teams had that allowed them to punch above their weight They've got like diva energy and they got soft energy, right? Yeah, and ah until they buck those things and prove prove that reputation wrong, they're not the golden generation. like You're a young team that has some talent that hasn't done anything. That's essentially what you are. Your coach got fired. You got a new coach who's supposedly one of the best coaches in the world, so we'll see what happens. But right yeah performance right now, i literally I literally, I rate this team below the Dempsey Donovan and MLS teams. like They deserve to be,
00:05:58
Speaker
Raked below those teams. like Yeah, I don't I don't ah Don't say that to be a hater. That's just like based on their based on their body of work That's you know, I someone was talking to me this past week about this Slate of games and this game specifically and said I can't believe I'm gonna say it But that Jurgen Klinsman era was kind of fire it kind of slap.
Club vs National Team Performance
00:06:20
Speaker
It was kind of fire like I don't think anyone when Jurgen Klinsman got fired No one was like oh my god I can't believe we're you know we're gonna miss this guy we're all like fuck yeah get that get that guy out of here uh but this like this this player pool you're right there is nothing endearing about them there is no like hunger you have listen okay I have you know I don't have personal history with John Lucobusio but he rubbed me the wrong way as a person and I just have been preying on his downfall ever since and like
00:06:51
Speaker
he's a he's like a he plays for venizia bro with respect it's like you can't tell me that he deserves a spot in that team over christian rolled on christian rolled on in this game i'm not kidding you would have helped So much I think it could have changed this this game state and I and I know the US men's national team fans are I mean, thank god They're not gonna hear this by the paywall. Yeah, but like they they hate these players, but I'm like, I'm sorry Josh Sargent Couldn't score but Jordan Morris
00:07:25
Speaker
wouldn't either like Like Josh Sargent is a better option than Jordan Morris in this game. Explain that to me. Josh Sargent ah had a really good year in the English Championship last year. He did cook at Norwich. He's cooking right now. yeah lord for so he ah he's I was out totally out on Josh Sargent until last year and then he had a really good year and I'm like okay I mean maybe this is an international striker after all and so I don't you know I I think that Jordan Christian thing is ah just at their age even if we think that they still have something to contribute I doubt they're gonna be like all that much in consideration i I mean I think that they probably should be more than most people just because ah
00:08:11
Speaker
I think Christian was actually a good depth player and a good presence for the team. And I think Jordan's as good an option as any for a backup attacker. like And you can use him as a winger, too. Yeah, so ah I don't know. For me, the issue isn't even so much the the Seattle thing, just as the fact that ah I feel like the player pool has become overrated and I think this last game was evidence of that. And I think that I'm guilty of it. Like we all, all of us who like follow this team and wanted it to do well and wanted this to be the golden generation. I put a lot of credence. I was high on it on the World Cup, man. I was high on it, but I was specifically high on the notion that a lot of these guys are playing for some of the biggest clubs in the world now, and that's going to really raise their level. Starting 11, you go down it, and it's like, Borussia, Dortmund, Chelsea.
00:09:06
Speaker
Like nodding him like would to go down the list of don't forget lead. Sorry leads whatever it is um but I think the thing that Kind of came to fruition and that we didn't realize was yeah, they're playing for all these clubs But are they playing well or a lot for all these clubs yeah a lot? of these guys, the answer is no. Pulisic is one where like he had a stretch for Chelsea where he looked like one of the best attackers in the prem. It was a brief stretch, but it was a real thing. He's um he's looked good. And he's been balling for AC Milan. so But I mean, that's like a corporate league, to be fair. To me, he's proven as a credible player. player who will play on teams in those leagues and not just be a warm body on the roster like he'll play and he'll excel ah but like a lot of a lot of these guys at the club level are bit players if that on their club teams Gio Reyna for as talented as I still think that he is um his club career has not had like the consistency that you would expect from a player that's been touted as much as he is um
00:10:15
Speaker
I guess Weston's been good for Juventus, but I guess the point is like your club but only matters so much. um You actually, you have to play for your club and you have to play well.
Role of MLS Players in USMNT?
00:10:27
Speaker
And like like Dempsey, ah he was the highest scoring American ever in the, in the prem. I think Pulisic passed him, but like he was balling when he was at Fulham, you know? Yeah. And ah You know, those old teams, they didn't have the volume of guys that were playing overseas, but they played like a real team. Yeah. So I don't know. Yeah. I'm kind of rambling, but, you know, no, I think the, the cord, the core under current of this whole thing is when are the vibes going to shift? You know, you were playing a Mexico team that.
00:11:00
Speaker
Is in freefall in shambles struggling and like they needed this win just as much as the US who this was a real like Scrap off right like who is gonna put in the work and try and kick some ass it was all about Vargas Unfortunately not unfortunately, but you know what I'm saying like fortunately for them that the yeah, but it's like and like I know people i'm I'm more making a joke here that like Obed pocketed everyone he played nine minutes like the reality is is like I don't care that this roster isn't perfect. You got to go out there and be competitive. Don't have to win. You just have to be competitive. And they are. They're not competitive. And I want to pose this question to you as we as we wrap this up here. All right. Pukatino clearly has said that he wants to look at the whole pool. He wants to look outside of the pool. He wants to look at MLS young players and MLS. That's funny that he said that first. of all Yeah. First of all, it's awesome because like but it's also funny like ah but you know, my question is.
00:12:00
Speaker
Are some of these MLS players more equipped to face these, you know Like Mexico or Colombia or some of these other teams where the style of play is much more similar to MLS And they're playing these, you know these same players in MLS than someone who plays for Norwich City, right? You know, I think there might be something to the notion ah that ah an MLS player might be better suited for the chaos of CONCACAF than a player from another league. And maybe that's why those old US teams had the success that they did at times with with ostensibly lesser talent.
00:12:44
Speaker
um but I mean, to me, it's never really it's never really mattered all that much what league the player plays in. I think this gets so overblown with US fans. like um like ah like what league that they're technically in. right it doesn't That pedigree doesn't transfer over when you're on the national team. Yeah. like i And it's I don't think that ah like the entire team should be from and MLS. But like if ah whoever's coaching the team thinks that an MLS player can help the team, he should call that player in. And it's also what I was going to say is it like gets blown out of proportion in the sense that like
00:13:26
Speaker
All national teams are going to have some contingent of players from their domestic league. It's super common and not unique to the US
Conclusion: Overrated or Underrated?
00:13:36
Speaker
at all. So if two to five guys at the very back end of the roster come from MLS,
00:13:43
Speaker
That doesn't matter. No, they could be from any random league and they still won't play a lot or affect anything at all. That's how a depth chart works. And that's something that a lot of U.S. fans don't understand. Well, in recap here, as we conclude this tiny little baby bonus episode, player pool overrated. Absolutely. Obed Vargas owns the U.S. men's national team and call in Paul Rothrock.
00:14:11
Speaker
agreed with all that. Thanks for listening guys. Thanks for tuning in.