Did a controversial red card just dash the USA’s World Cup dreams?

"What a day!" "What a day!" "God, we will occurs!" "I'm Rebecca Lot." "And I'm Brendan Hunt."

“"And this is off to the whistle from Apple News."”

"We are coming to you right after the whistle of USA Bosnia here in the San Francisco Bay Area, USA 2, Bosnia-Nil, and Reps-Negative-Wine." "We'll get into it about Flow-Balligan's Red Card and what it means for the U.S. against Belgium." "And on the other side of the off to the whistle-world cup, my beloved England defeated DR Congo thanks to Harry Flippin' K. "Reminder, there will be adult language."

This podcast is brought to you by Verizon, an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, 2026. No one gets you closer to the FIFA World Cup than Verizon. "Hello mate." "Should we start at the end and go backwards?" "Yeah, let's do what's the most raw."

"Welcome to the footballing TARDIS that is after the whistle. I am up here in the Bay Area and have just come from the what was a arousing stadium full of folks for that there a game we just witnessed USA 2 Bosnia-Zero, Reps-Negative-Wine."

"Okay, Brendan, we'll get to the referee in a second."

"That day for referees, all around. Bad day." "Great. That is great." "Okay, where do you want to begin?

“Do you want to be in the fact that you're in the last 16 against Belgium on Monday in Seattle,”

right? And how you've got there in terms of the performance, or do you want to start with the fact that when you go to Seattle to play Belgium, you're going to do it without Flow-Balligan. Where do you want to start?" "I guess we should do the game first and then I will release my rage in a more organic

fashion afterwards." "I'm at the slightest advantage here because I have, you know, I was there, had really good seats, have hardly watched anything have not gotten the media down the loads, no to play or ratings, I can, but describe my experience first of all, no roof and a hot hot sun straight on this cheap Irish skin.

If I am violent pink right now, you might think like, "Oh, it's the atmosphere off of a very red hat. No. This is my baked flesh. Worth it.

Worth it. Melanomas, one referee, negative one." Now we talked about Bosniping, nothing to sneeze at, and it should be taken very seriously.

An eventful first half, Baligan has a goal taken off her off side, which I understand was

a very legitimate off side, I don't know, okay, very good fine. All right, great. Well, the rest is not a complete failure, but that's really more of a alignment thing. He just kind of goes with the flow on that one really. Baligan was all over the place, that was fantastic.

He was fantastic. Hit the crossbar as well. Do I have that correct? Correct. Correct.

Right now, he was a menace. I mean, a few years later, we're great, and the Kenny was also all over the place, notably in that first half, in a good way, all over the place in a good way. 100% good way.

“In a way that I think it's his role, really, he's always all over the place.”

Yeah, yeah. There are a few people who can get away with that as well as he does, and I'm glad that is his mission. And then the goal comes in for Baligan off a little pass from the Lake Tolman, but I assume I could have an assist because he had some defenders in the little dinkity, dinkity.

But then, Baligan, one nail. Did you get your YouTube TV out and start watching it like you normally do? I feel like normally you ping your phone out when your game is not watching the coverage. So you need to get the replay. The love that you do that.

I didn't do it for goals. I sometimes do, but I did it for controversial, it's more for controversial moments, more like with that, offside or not, and like the outside didn't get too good to look at it, and then someone else had a call from there. It was like, "My buddy in New York says it was definitely outside," and they're like, "Oh, well."

Oh, the old buddy in New York, one. No one's ever lied from New York. So yeah, so I did not watch back, but, but, but, but, man, Baligan, what a, what a, what a find. You know what?

I'm thinking. And it's just a side note. I turned to Teary, half of the game, and I said, "Twim, do you think you could get a move?" Baligan. After this world cup, you know, a big, like, like a life-changing move, like a top, top

move, he said, "Hunch percent."

He has, forget the red card for a second.

He has announced himself, even if this is the end, even if this is the last we see of Flo Baligan at the World Cup. Oh, too soon, too soon. No, it's not going to be. It's not going to be.

And I said, "Even if, right, it's not going to be." But, he has announced himself, as you say, a handful. He's a proper handful of a striker, and he's got a great finish on him. He's just dangerous. I'd want him on my team.

I'd sign but Bal is today."

would know about him anyway, but if they didn't, they were like, "Oh, what has he been

up to?" Well, he's been, you know, he's been among this goal leaders in league, um, he gets big Champions League goals. Like, he's been doing it, you know? No, he's in a good level.

I'm talking about that next big step. Yeah, I'll 100%. I'm talking about, yeah. And I'm talking about the gaykeepers of that step, like, looking back at his curriculum V-tay, because he was an asshole, of course, um, right, we just, I think we should get

into the red card. And here's why I think we should, because I actually think that you can only view this game through the prism of the red card, because of what happened afterwards. There. Because of the way they played afterwards, because of the Millik Tillman, freekick afterwards,

and the way he, oh, what a freekick, the way, but also the way that they played. Okay, so let's talk about it, right? So, okay. So I saw Mark Claytonberg, who is working for Fox as, you know, obviously a rules expert at this referee, and on the way out, I, I asked him a few questions.

Prior to that, the traps on the show, both felt that it was incredibly bad luck, right? Because obviously, obviously, the most obvious lack of intent you've ever seen, okay?

But the problem is that it still comes down to a human being deciding to use common sense

or not, deciding to be subjective. So, according to Mark Claytonberg, because he was stepping into the play, okay, there was no speed, malice or force. So that's out the window, right? So he wouldn't, he wouldn't, he wouldn't, he wouldn't, he can't get recorded for that.

“The only thing you can get recorded for is a thing that he did, which is endangering”

the safety of an opponent. And if you see it in slow motion, which by the way, I actually hate, and I don't think on the only one, that we are having a play, and then we're looking at it either paused, also annoying, or in slow motion, also annoying. But if you look at it in slow motion, which is what they do in the VR, it does very, I mean,

you just have to see the way the ankle turns, right? That I saw. Okay. So there is no getting away from the fact, right, that it endangers the safety of an opponent. However, Mark Plattenberg said to me, you can still use common sense in that situation,

knowing full well that he did had zero intent. He wasn't even looking at it like there's no way he meant to do it, or it was vicious or mallet or anything, nothing. So he didn't have to show him the Rekar VR, shouldn't have got involved. Here's the other problem, according to Mark Plattenberg, you can appeal it.

Now, there are some reports out there.

“Yeah, that's what he's reporting, that fee for a saying you can't.”

Now, according to Mark Plattenberg, you can appeal it, but when it's already gone to VR, the bar is so high to overturn a decision, which you can understand, right? Because essentially, it's almost been appeals, already it's almost been double checked by having VR, there's no way they're going to turn it over, so or over turn it. So whether or not they appeal, whether or not they can appeal mixed messages right now,

as we record this minutes after the whistle, bottom line is it's a minimum one game ban. It won't be reviewed. There won't be more obviously, it'll only be the one games, so he will miss Belgium. And overall, it's just rotten luck, and I feel desperate for him the only player in 24

years to get a goal on a red card and a knockout match for the World Cup since Brendan Hunt. Ah, I've got to go with Zita Deeds a Dan. Correct. Who was 20 years ago, but I'll give it to you.

2026, you're right, 20 years ago, so I feel very sad for him and I feel very sad for the U.S. team. You go. I mean, it's a failure by the ref in another way.

“One, I assume I can't remember this for sure, but I think this is right, that if a ref”

goes to look at something on VAR, he can't come back and say yellow card. He can only say no call or red. And if he had called a yellow in the first place, then that would have been fine and he should have. He was close enough right there, it was a fuck up, but as you say, it was so unintentional

and Mark Latinberg, genius, we all know this, like to not only take them out of the last half hour or so of this game, but then also take them out of the next game is fucking bonkers and idiotic, it's so fucking frustrating. Goddamn, and like Rafael Claus, man, hey, you can have, I don't understand, you having an Italian first name in a German last name, are you, if you're from anywhere,

but Switzerland, then pick a fucking lane, friend. I'm so sorry, mate, I'm so sorry, because it's like, of all the players, you know,

yes, Policic, Mark, you're most important, but he hasn't been your best performer.

Flo Balligan has been the best performer he has found his group, we've just talking about him moving to a big, big Champions League club. Now, now, just want to say, in the moment that it happened, I thought Belgium, no balligan,

they kept attacking, when he got sent off, with ten men, Bosnia weren't all that actually,

and for me, they weren't all that today at all. disagree, disappointing, actually, but the way they kept going, Malik Tilman's bit of class, when his team needed him the flipping most, he steps up and does that, not easy, obviously, and the way they carried on, digging in the grit, the grit was evident, and I'm not sure, obviously, it's a bad thing, right, that there's no balligan, but if we're

looking for a silver lining, Brendan, I'm looking at a team today being tested in a way that you

“need to be tested, all different ways you have to win games, they've won the beautiful ways,”

they've won them with slightly less beautiful, but fine ways, today wasn't beautiful, it couldn't be beautiful, it started off all right, but today was about something that I'm not sure, three hours ago, we knew this team had, and now we do. I often tell people who are just getting into football, who I seem to run into a lot of these people, that if I end up talking to them enough, eventually at some point we watch a game where their

team will have gotten a red card, and I will bring up Arsenal of the Vengar era, particularly Vengar Prime era, like when Arsenal used to get red cards, it was like, oh, they're still going to win, here we go, one of the best signs of a good team to me, and not that this team is, of course, you know, in any way near the events, we'll just have to like that, but one of the best signs of a good team is you get a red card and you find a way to get something out of it anyway,

like even, even just a draw isn't credible, but to win is absolutely phenomenal, even if it's just a conspiracy, because Poznia, you know, did not have their best day at the office, but it turns out, I checked, everyone on the team is still a professional soccer player, so 11 of them and 10 of you is a fucking problem, but yeah, for them to pull it out was fantastic, and I'm was so happy for Tilman, you know, who four years ago was one of the guys who, like, just barely didn't make the cut

of the team, and he's been carrying that, and there's a little feature on him in the HBO,

a documentary, U.S. First of the world, which you have not checked out, folks, I highly recommend it,

and so for him to have his moment felt so earned and deserved, and like it's time had come, and also I kind of love in this, you know, this diaspora world cup, you know, who saves a day here, but of two of the guys who were not necessarily raised American, despite both of them having their, their neutral claims to the title, which is why they're here, but I just think it's all, it all adds up to being pretty fucking fantastic, except for the no flow, if for Belgium.

I know, but I, funny enough, so I'm watching the game, and I'm more, when he got sent off, I was less worried about this game that we just saw, what was it? 25 minutes to go, because I really didn't think Bosnia were going to score. They just didn't look at the league, we're going to score. So I was less worried, all I could think about was, okay, what's going to happen with Belgium. Now, I, I've since in the last two hours, decided that with the grit that was on display,

we've got a peppy can come in. It's only one player, guys. I know you lost the turkey without him, but I'm not even sure we should put turkey in this welcome. I don't mean as a team

“that will be mean. I mean, as a game, I think we removed that game, right? Because I'm not sure we”

can draw anything from that game, because there was nine changes. It's one player. Belgium ain't all that. Belgium ain't all that. I know they came from two and no down to win today. We'll get to that. But I think, I mean, that the celebrations at the end, Brandon, was so fantastic, like, put Pocicino's little face. And I have covered Pocicino since the days of him being at Southampton. I have seen every post-match scene involving Mauricio Pocicino. Every single one,

right? Every single one. I have never seen Mauricio Pocicino look like this. Face expressions, joy,

passion being himself, letting himself go. He is so in this, it's untrue. That feeling that he has the team have. And I think as much as, of course, the narrative is going to be there's no balligan. Are they going to be able to do it without balligan? That's going to be from now until Monday. Yes. I believe. What are Belgium right now? Like it's such a tricky thing. Like they had,

“you know, a, I think the technical term is dog shit group stage. You know, just so happens”

the rest of the group was worse than them. So, so here they come. Today, two nothing down to Senegal, Senegal, a good team, a very good team. And I was in the car by the time the comeback happened and like trying to catch up to it on YouTube TV, but like the coverage was awful. The Bay Area, Bay Area, let's sort out our 5G. I thought you were the tech people. So, like, but to come back late again, Senegal is a, is a big, big deal. And, but on the left, the dodgy penalty there,

it was a bit of a dodgy penalty that they got in the end. Then there was a little fight. There was someone, and they know they ended up scoring the latest goal in history of the World Cup. And I think it even nearly might not have quite, but it nearly touched 130 minutes of play. That game. So,

Kaku ain't the Kaku. I'm going to go with the Derek Ray correct pronunciation. De Browna is not

the Browna that we know anymore. And Doku is still very dangerous, but like, you know, we already got, you know, we, I must say we, because I'm celebrating. We already got, you know, shit can by them

“in a friendly earlier this year, from which we will have learned. And that, I believe,”

punching was experimenting with formation. He did not could do the back 5 yet, but he is, you know, now doing, but also overall. And this will mean maybe nothing to the actual players on the team, but it will mean something to fans in 2014 at the Brazil World Cup. Famously, the U.S. made it all the way to the Romus 16. All the way, all the way to the Romus 16. Can you believe it? Where they were defeated in extra time by Belgium. And it was heartbreaking. It was heartbreaking because

I was at that game. It was heartbreaking because I was fucking at that game. And, you know,

to see after the fact how close one de lauski had come, like he had the proper chance there, and all you could think of was like, what if it was fucking land and down of it in Klinsman, you overthinker? Okay. Anyway, this is not about the U.S. party. The thing is, Belgium remain since then. Was it the, was not the game of the 14th, 16th, 16th, 16th, 16th, yeah, that was the 10 hour super game. Yeah. All I'm saying is, it's from the fan perspective.

And I'm going, let me be very clear, from an objective, sheer illogic fan perspective, Belgium are an uncheck box. And they are a bigger, a bigger, a bigger, a bigger, a bigger, a bigger, they're a bigger, a bigger, a bigger, a bigger team than they then they deserve to be, perhaps necessarily. So, even if they're like not quite the Belgium, they were. I would, if I may quote the great footballing genius, name Kevin Keegan, Kevin Keegan, hope your health is wealthier.

I'm fucking love to beat them. I would fucking love it. I think they're in your head. I think since that game and with other games part of it, they're a little bit in your head, but I still would have chosen Belgium for you because even though Senegal threw it away, Mississippi, Senegal were tuned a lot with, like, four or five minutes to go. Yeah. Of normal time. And they lost three to in the latest ever goal. Senegal are sneaky good.

They were sneaky, got their raw talent, right? I don't know about, is Melissa, Elimin and Gite. These players, we don't need that coming up against him, Rhine. We don't need that situation to happen, guys. Okay. We don't need it coming up against Chris Richards. Chris Richards would know, saw very well from training, but even so, we don't want that. I think Belgium are going to be okay. I think it's going to be okay. And I think it's going to be a great fanfare. And

“then Balagun's going to return for the quarter final and life is going to be okay. Brendan,”

congratulations. Thank you. I've said this before. I'll say it again. I think they're going to win games that they should win. And Belgium isn't. They should win, but that's debatable. And they're going to win one. They should not. So, I think also that they will win this game, but I fucking hate the Balagun's staying on it. That Raphael Claus has put a pot of it. But onward, we go. Let's let's come back and we'll talk about England here and after the whistle. I love

the way you just knew his day, but you'll know that. I'll never forget it. Hugh Dallas, Raphael Claus, taken into my fucking grave. Pricks. Brendan, the FIFA World Cup is now underway, and it's already going too fast. It's too much. It's too much going on. How do we find purchase

anywhere? We always we could get as close as possible to these amazing games, and no one gets

you closer than Verizon. In fact, Verizon gave away tickets to the FIFA World Cup for customers, coasts to coasts, and some lucky customers are even getting pitch-side access, meaning they'll watch a portion of the game play up close from the field. If you're not a Verizon customer, it's not too late to switch. Bring in your AT&T team, mobile, Xfinity, or Spectrum Bill for a better deal. Must provide very recent post-pacons you may mobile, and then in the password even

ideal digital times conditions for restrictions play. Nice. No one gets you closer to the FIFA World Cup than Verizon. Okay, welcome back. That was U.S. getting through by the skin of their teeth. Earlier today, England had a match against a democratic Republic of Congo. Rebecca, did you watch that match at all? Oh my gosh. I have a lot to say about that match. I have a lot to

“say, Brendan, you watched it obviously as well. And can I just first say democratic Republic of Congo?”

Or as I did at some point on the 12-hour broadcast today, I called them Dr. Congo. I did it. I did it once today. I know precious. Really? You know why? Because I had a script to break, and I had about seven seconds in which to say this script, and I knew that the script was written for about 15 seconds. So I was speed reading and speed self-editing as we went, and I just something my brain thought Dr. Congo would take less time than DR Congo, and it probably does.

did you just drop in a Dr. Congo? I went, yeah. Did you notice then? Yeah. So they played brilliantly.

“They played brilliantly. Their goalkeeper was ridiculous in every possible way that you can be.”

But in Pasi, he was incredible. He was. No, he absolutely was. Lionel and Pasi, and I feel like he also might be one of those goalkeepers that somebody goes, where's he been? Let's sign him.

He did wear the world cup, and then you know he goes to like, not soon for us, and then you never

hear from him again. But he was brilliant. England. It wasn't very good. It wasn't very good. It wasn't very good. It wasn't very good. I enjoyed this part of our group thread this morning. Kethel. I wrote, come on, England, and then it's a Penga immediately scored, and I wrote, I meant well, and then someone on this group thread, I don't know. I don't know who someone wrote for fuck's sake, and like, and it's great. It's great that it was just here because if America

heard anyone say that America would be so shocked and startled. But you know, it wasn't verbal. It was strictly written. What a goal. There's a lot of people on that group thread. It could have

“been anybody. Great goal. Yeah. Yeah. So Penga, great goal. I mean, that was a massive shock,”

and it set what seven minutes on the clock, but it just didn't wait England or actual. In fact, we were getting worse and worse and worse as the half was carrying on, that the putting the ball out of play couldn't even trap the balls going on to people's feet. They were like an easy pass, was going out. It was very concerning and very bizarre. But in the second half,

hydration break, I mean, I've always loved the hydration break. I don't know about you,

but I've always been a massive fan. Oh, your, you know, you love, you hate half dollars. Correct. You've always been a quarters person. Your deep affection for George Washington has always been clear. I mean, I just think we'd take four courses into everything in our life. 75 minutes on the clock. So Harry steps up equalizes, right? Which is, you know, of course he does. Of course he does. It was coming. It was going to happen. And it's soon. Oh, it's on something

“soon. Here in the group chat. You're out of all caps. All caps. Someone wrote, Harry,”

fucking cane. And then later the person to wrote this said they refused to verbalize this on the pod. So I'm just narrating the public record. Okay, carry on. I'm Rebecca has left the chat. So I thought I felt like it was coming because the keeper had done so brilliantly. He scored the goal. I mean, Anthony Gordon did also help change the game when he came on such institutions. That was his best performance so far. It was, although T. Harry did think that he

shouldn't even get really an assist for that second goal, not because he doesn't like Anthony Gordon, because we love Anthony Gordon. He came on a brilliantly, but just because of how Harry came scored that second goal. So the moment of my day, actually, was Latin and teary in the studio, describing how difficult a skill it was to score Harry came second goal. One, because of the actual technique itself, he was almost falling over the way yet to scoop his foot round. And if you

looked at it, most strikers, they said, were trying to score that with the top of their boot. But he actually signed for it like the legend that he is. Plus, there was four minutes ago's knackered and that there was the World Cup. That there was Thomas Sucals job. That there was the fans, the money in their pockets, the money they'd spent, their flight home, that there was our World Cup. And Harry, you are, you are the greatest player since 1966 to Dawn the England

shirt. Of that, in my opinion, there is no doubt. You're pretty perfect in basically everything that you do. And I couldn't love you more. I couldn't, I couldn't love him more. I love him so much. Brendan, so much. I want to be there at Buckingham Palace for Rise, Sir Harry, fucking King. That second goal, just for not, I mean, he's running. He's past goal. I know. Like, he's past goal. He has to circle all the way around. It's like, I was thinking,

all right, I'm going to try to go visual aid here, but I'm wearing these headphones. I'm going to take off the headphones and I'm going to try to go visual aid here. You know, like, in the warm-up, they do before games in the really fucking silly. And, um, and they're like, they got a good show. Yeah. A lot of, like, woohoo! When their legs are like going past each other like this. Yeah. Yeah. Like, that was, that goal was

why they do that. Yeah. It was like, you got to have your full swivel in order, or, you know,

you could never know when that's going to happen. And, um, okay, there's a pretty good point.

There's a little behind the circuit. A little behind the angle of after the, with the suit. I know how difficult, by the way, side note of these headphones and point. I got it. I know, side note. No, I can hear me, Brad. I don't know what you're talking about. The twist there, right?

He shouldn't be able to score that goal. He's so off balance and falling. Literally what he just

said. I mean, he's, he's a piece of magic, and he is the best striker in world football. Front and back, by the way, because there was another period during the game today where he was the back defending. I mean, I honestly, the guy's perfect. I couldn't love him more. He's just, he is a future Sahari and, as James Corden talked about the other night, he is England's greatest Harry. Wow. That's big. That's big right there. I mean, you got Harry Hall in the PGA,

cheering it up. Um, uh, I assume we're counting Harry Potter. That's got to be in there. Um, I'm not, I've heard. Harold Pinter. Just Harold Pinter count. I mean, Harold Pinter. These good bees, not great. Oh, so I'm not even sure if he's a Harry.

Prince Harry. He's up there. I mean, Prince Harry, I mean, oh please, are people,

do people, they don't know, they're after the whistle does not need to go there. A rise at Sahari.

“So, here's the thing. Death clung rise finished the game at right back, right? We have a”

glaring right back issue. It was a issue before the, actually, it was arguably an issue when he announced the squad, really, because everybody was like reshamed to see, he's really going to be fit the whole, the whole tournament and guess what, he's not. So then there's an issue before the game. He plays jet spends. Then there's an issue on the seventh minute. I mean, I know it wasn't really jet spends as full, but there was still a lot of space in the right back area for some

fingers to score a lot of space continues to be an issue. Death clung rise played a right back. He looked, the most exhaustive I've ever seen him look and that guy has the engine of a flipping truck. He's unbelievable and I'm very concerned. But I do think that there's a chance that we might have to have him play it right back in Mexico City. I mean, I don't know who else you play. Brendan, I don't know who else you play. Well, of course, Saka started out as a wingback, so I'm sure

he could do a job of right back if necessary. I doubt you'd start him there for a World Cup game, and nonetheless, I mean, it took us not starting him anyway. I mean, surely now he is,

“because he's mad away. He didn't have a great game. No, again, it's so important. It's what”

one thing that only brought up and that's on both for up in the pregame, which you're, you can talk to, is the weird situation of how it's Saka Arsenal, and Mad away here comes on for him and his substitute. How can it be then in England the other way round? It's a different manager. I get that, but it's very strange. So I don't think two cool knows what he wants to do with the wingers. Rashford, Gordon, Gordon comes on a change in the game, but he keeps changing them

every single game. It's a problem. It's a problem. It's a problem for Mexico City. You've got to give it to Tatu, which, of course, is everyone knows it's Tom's Tickles, widely employed, and internationally recognized nickname. Tatu's, you know, it's working, whatever it is, to a point. And if he's not starting Saka, there's got to be a reason, and it's either he doesn't think he's completely fit yet, or he doesn't think he's fit, though.

He said in the pregame, he said he's nothing to do with fitness. He will come on and finish the game for us. He said that. Maybe it's just like the 2026 way of doing football, like they're starters and they're a finishes, but I anyway, it may be feeding them for down the tournament of it as well. Actually, but let's just get there Thomas, too cool. Shall we? Well, I mean, Mexico and Mexico City is going to be so difficult on Sunday. It's a very

quick turnaround as well. Wednesday to Sunday, that's quick. It gave me the heby jibis that game. It really get, I was staring elimination in the face. I was staring, leaving Fox, no, I'm joking. And thinking, what am I going to do for the rest of the tournament now? But for a minute there, for quite a lot of minutes, like 75 of those minutes, I was thinking surely not England, surely not. So by the skin of our teeth, we've gotten there, and now I'm stressed out about the next game.

“I mean, why are we doing this, Brendan? You should be. It's far in the way the hardest game”

that Bill had so far and it's fascinating. And it's also in as Teca, which, of course, is a house of horrors for England going back 40 years. Now, that full was Argentina and Maradona, which is the slightly tougher situation than this Mexico team. But like it's going to be an absolute doozy of a game. He's crazy. You think they haven't played their since the hand of God, and the amazing Maradona goal in 96. That's crazy. They've not played their since.

Well, we'll get more than into England and your, you know, nerves and everything at that point. And we'll talk about USA Belgium as well. And we'll talk about my a really foolish travel plans to try to go to both Bill, they are one day apart. That'll be great though. That will be, that'll be magic. And I hope they'll see you at one.

My poor poor but whole. But you know, did everyone notice that never got clipped up for social,

that never got a social clip, Brendan's, you know, what hole stayed solely in the pot, such as for you the listener. We don't, we don't just throw that out to the public.

The promise patronage, what's, what's, what's the fuck?

“I'm not the podcast site where if you pay the patron you can. My fan only fans?”

No, what, what, what the back. Sorry. I'm sorry. I'm unfamiliar with this website to which you were speaking. I don't know. Tell us about it. I don't know what we were talking about. That's probably quite popular on there, isn't it? Anyway, why would like to say is that we did start the pod a few days ago by saying that today is our world cup, right? Today was our world cup. We both woke up this morning with two huge games. We care about both of the teams.

Deep. Yeah. Yeah. And at the end of the day, it's about winning. And they're both won. Yeah, because I got, I got real bad news for you. Unfortunately, it wasn't the world cup. There's still more. We still have to go through this. It's Sunday Monday. Let's go. Uh, Patreon. Patreon. It's like on Patreon, where if you're a member of Patreon, only the members of Patreon get the bonus stuff at the end. And that's for you, the listener.

My butthole is only yours. It stays off the socials because we care and you are our intimate fans and friends. Emily, love you. We'll be right back with more after the whistle from Apple News. This is the world cup Verizon is turning dreams into reality. They're giving away free tickets and pitchside access. Some lucky fans are getting the chance of a lifetime to watch the action up close on the field during gameplay. All for just being a customer.

If you're not with Verizon yet, now's the time to make the switch. This fee for world cup 2026. No one gets you closer than Verizon. Welcome back to After the whistle. This is our final little section, which we like to call bits and bobs. And you've got a bit. I don't think I've got a bit or a bob. Have you got a bit or a bulb today? I have a bit, and then I'm going to throw you a bob. My bit is, we drove to the

game, me and the wife. We drove to the game here in beautiful Santa Clara. And we've gone, you've got to get your parking in advance. Got the parking. There's a company called Just Park. If it sends

“you a little like a little ticket. We'll take it on your phone. And then you, yeah, where is this?”

Exactly. A bit of information and gives you an address. And you'll theoretically, you go to that address. And that's where you're supposed to park, except in this case, it was not the minimum you can do on the parking post accurately. Why it is? And Shannon's driving, because I'm trying to keep tabs the best I can on the Belgium game. And like we're stuck at, it's like, this is a four-lane situation. And almost fortunately, we had the misfortune to be trapped behind the U.S. Parade.

You know, like the the supporters march that goes. Yeah. Oh, let's stop traffic for way too long.

But that made Shannon finally go, "Fuck it. I'm doing it." And she basically slowly took our rental

car through four lanes of stop traffic to try to get to our correct situation and recalibrate us. Basically, a lot of people were almost very slowly killed. And that would be on your hand, just park, your hands. Rebecca, you're my Bob. When I woke up this morning, earlier than I wanted to, because of a gastric situation. It's not going on. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Rebecca, the wall is not over. Rebecca, the battles are fewer than further between, but the wall matches on. But a grant you grabbed the

phone, and, you know, to pass away the time. And I saw that you were already awake and posting at four, 45, fucking AM to which I know you're super busy right now. I still can't believe you're doing this podcast in the first place. But like, my serious question for you is like, what is your,

“what is your day like right now when you're at traveling, trying to do all this?”

It's hard. It's long. I'm not going to lie. I actually think being a mum has prepared me for the World Cup 2026, like having a newborn baby, even though it was 10 years ago, right? It's prepared you for a lot of talent here at the very least. Sing, sing, sing, carry on. It's also true. So my day is starting slightly different each day, but I'm doing most of the games. So today, I didn't do Senegal Belgium, but I did do England, and I did do the United States. So I had to be in

hair and makeup at just before five. So my, I was picked up at 445 AM. And I liked to

pride myself. I'm never late for anything. Brendan, like I really, I would rather be

honestly an hour early than even ten minutes late. So I'm, I'm early for the car in the morning car picks me up. It's only around the corner from the studios. And then I'm early for hair and makeup, which means I get in there like you saw about 10 to five. Hair and makeup between five and about half past six, and then six, 30, quick bit of breakfast, six, 45. We have a talent meeting where all the executives, all the producers, all the graphics, and all the talent, all

get into a talent meeting, and we talk about the pre-game of the first show, which was England. We go through what we're going to talk about, and I'd say what I'd like to ask them. They say

this morning. So 715 and the studio, we rehearse the beat, and what I mean by that is not like

“the we don't sit there and rehearse it. Right, Terry, what do you think about this? Then he”

gives an answer because then you just use all your best stuff and rehearse all right, you know. So we we just rehearse the beats mainly for me because it's quite a complicated show, and because I'm coming from NBC and I'm still quite new to Fox is very different in terms of the way segments are on NBC compared to Fox, even though it's all football, it's different. So it's still taking me quite a while to like even read a rundown and understand a fox rundown in comparison to an NBC rundown,

by the way, I've been NBC for 13 years and I still don't use an NBC rundown because I find it so

complicated. Now I'm trying to use a fox one. So we do the rehearsal, we go on air at 8, 8 to 9

is a pre game, 9 a.m. England kicks off back to the what we call the avocado room. It's just the green room, but we're in LA, so we have to call it the avocado room, and we have breakfast. I have to,

“we have breakfast, we watch the first half, go back in do half time, come back out, watch the second”

half, go back in do post game at which point once that was done, I then had one hour off where I just sat and like chat to the boys and it just passed very quickly, then it's to another meeting to prepare for the USA game, because we had a two hour pre game back into her and make up for another touch up, do a little bit of prepping the in my dressing room, back on the set for we were on air at three, so back on the set for two, rehearse the what we could of the pre game between two and three,

which was split between us and then robbing the crew up and wherever they were Santa Clara, go on air at three, do a two hour pre game show until five, kick off at five, we didn't do half time, so we actually watch the whole game in the avocado room, because there was not enough time for both sets of crews to do half time, so of course robbing the guys are up there, so they should do it. The problem with not doing a half time is you're adrenaline dips, so then we have to go back

in for the post game, and with the first people that spoke in the post game, which is quite difficult to get.

The guys is energy back up, but they're amazing, and they're actually out there best,

when they're talking about something they've just seen, because pre games can be hard for for anybody, right, because you're talking about something that might happen or what to look for, or what, you know, what may happen if this happens, when you're actually reacting to something that's just happened like the ballagons ending off and the victory and these amazing scenes and country roads and all that, Terry and Zlatan and anyone in that position, any expert bullet, that's

where they are at their absolute best, so we did the post game, and then I came off there at whatever time sevenish, seven, thirty, and then I jumped in the car, came back to this hotel, came in to see you in the pod, at which point I will go to bed at about ten, thirty. Well, Bravo, and that level of commitment is why I hope to be in Westminster Abbey, the day that it's walls echo with the words rise, Dame Rebecca fucking low. I love you. I love you.

It's a joy and an honour both doing this pod and of course doing the whole woke up. I can't even I still every single moment is a pinch me moment. I know but like you know like but clearly like one of them slightly more of an honour. Yeah it is. And I'll not know, we'll say goodbye for the evening. I'm inside Obama's portrait. We'll be back for you Saturday morning, after the round of thirty two is all wrapped up. We're on socials everywhere. Look for at after the whistle

apple. On Instagram and TikTok. And remember you can now watch us on video on apple podcast and on YouTube. And this is the problem because this is my problem is when we get to the end of the podcast, I'm trying to find on the paper what I'm supposed to say. Sure. Don't worry, everything I found the paper and it all says boo do do do do do do that. So we're good. And for round the clock

“tournament news scores, standings, everything that you need to know about the world cup. It's”

on the World Cup hub, on the apple news app. We're available Brendan Hunt. This is after the whistle from Apple news. Thank you for listening. We both won. And also thank you for watching. We did, but it's not over. And we hate rough fluffs. What's the name? Rough I L. Ralph Claus will be like understandable. All right, don't get Ralph Claus. I will see you as a Scott Club and we will play the cards and you will go down. But Ralph I L. Claus, like I assume he's a skier. He's a skier and

like snitzle. Fuck this dude.