England has a serious case of “second-game fever,” plus why we can’t take our eyes off Cristiano Ronaldo

It's not second-season syndrome, which at least has a literation. This is second-game fever. It does not scan.

It does not work, but I'm adopting it at every major tournament. This is the second game. Yeah. Second-game fever. Careful. It's contagious, guys. I'm Rebecca Low. And I'm Brendan Hunt. And this is after the whistle from Apple News. England draws Neil Nill with Ghana on the world cup's first shit day. We will go through it all. Second-game fever. And why everyone on the England squad says

absolutely no one is panicing. Young up, star Christiana Ronaldo makes his mark. And the big question for Team USA on Thursday. Who's gonna play? Reminder. There will be adult language. They already has been. This podcast is brought to you by Verizon, an official sponsor of the FIFA World Cup, 2020-06. No one gets you closer to the FIFA World Cup than Verizon. Oh, Rebecca, the excitement. The World Cup engenders in us and the belief we have in our national

team, the joy it brings. And I'm at note. Today England played Ghana.

“That was dreadful. Oh, come on. Just real quick. They're the worst thing about the World Cup.”

It's that they all on the whole other than the third round. Play by themselves as in singular games.

So it's like you're rubbish, but then everyone sees you rubbish as well. Like the whole world. Yeah. Yeah. That's what I mean. I'm among the bad things about it. But of course, if you don't not score, then it's not as rubbish. So scoring helps what you're talking about. Let's get into it. Rebecca. Before the match you've been started, you're a colleague, Mr. John Strong, the commentator in the match had a maybe an easy line, maybe low-hanging fruit, but still

masterfully crafted and delivered. But as we know, the English historically struggle and Massachusetts, glorious. And we all thought at the time, ha ha ha ha. They're not going to struggle today. And then yeah. Yeah, that was cheeky by John delivered beautifully, as you say. Oh, Brendan. God. Okay. Um, I am. I've decided. I decided something on my way over here. So I've come straight from the studios. We did the Panama Croatia game afterwards.

Another, another, another bar number. Okay. That was for us. And there was actually a goal in that. Um, yeah, we have done a great day. You know what? We've been spoiled. We have been so spoiled by this insane woke-up. In fact, I think it was a half time today of the Portugal game.

“When we came into the studio, I said, this woke-ups got a bit insane. That's what I actually”

said because at that point, Ronaldo scored two and it was all going on and then England played and then England played and just brought everyone back down to earth with a bump. I think when I looked at the team, I was okay. So good about gay, he'd be in there.

Always for always feel good about my gay coming back in for John Stone's because I personally think

gay should have started. The first game was unlucky not to start the first game, but you can't criticize Thomas, because we won that first game for two. The change left back. Outwards, Nick O'Reilly in came Jed Spence. And I know why he did that because Spence was with the pace against Antoine's Manio. I get that. Nico O'Reilly and Antoine's Manio trained together for Manchester City. So I sort of thought, obviously I understand the thinking and I'm

I'm so team-tookal, right? That I was like, no, Rebecca, what is nothing to do with that? You've got to go with Jed Spence. I don't know. And for those of you who have not been paying enough attention to, which he says team-tookal should referring to the England coach Thomas Tookal. That's confusing too, it's because a lot of you may know him better as tattoo, which is his widely accepted nickname. Correct. So tattoo had done made those decisions, and I was like,

one's great, one I'm not sure about, but we're all in, right? We're all in. And then we get to half time. And I'm skipping over a bunch of things. Because not much, I haven't. I don't really remember a lot about the first half. We get to half time, and I'm thinking,

“you've obviously got to change, make a change out white. And that's what everyone said.”

And we had the opinions, and after I'm a Tyrion Rees Lassan, Alexi, Clarence Sadeoff, and Peter SchMichael. I think all five of them said you've got to change the wingers. So I'm thinking, well, if all five of these people who have played football at top level of one, every thing there is to win in this game are saying change the wingers. Then do it now, Thomas. Let's do it now. And then afterwards, I spoke to Juan Pablo Angel, who's coming in to do

the Panama Croatia game. And he said, what did you think we were talking? And I said, why is it that there's this 16 minute mark? It's it's a just giving 15 more. It's just giving 15 more. It might just do something, keep everything the same for 15. Just doing now, guys. I love a manager. I love actually nothing more than a manager, making a half time change. A double, a double change. Let's put on Rashford. Let's put on Saka, left and right take off Gordon, who had a poor

replace them with Rashford and Saka, which in my opinion is an elevation of talent,

natural talent at least. May not be an elevation of form. You can decide that. But it's an elevation of talent. And he didn't do it until you've probably got the minute, but he certainly wasn't at 45. No half time, so. No. I can't speak as well to the Gordon Rashford part of things, but as an avid arsenal watcher, this season in particular, the it's the only reason that Maddox I was on the team. I would think, and I thought when he was selected, is to back up Saka, who's

like not quite, you know, going to play 90 minutes for you. But I would not have expected Maddox a to start. Like the kind of energy he gives you is the like, is the end of the game. Okay, now we're rolling up our sleeve. Now here's the fastest guy in the universe. But if you start with him and his limitations become a little bit more apparent. So it just suggests to me that Saka's not ready to go 90, because like, the game as Mr. Henri noted, the game got ever so slightly

better when Saka came on, but there just wasn't enough time for him to do much. No, it wasn't, and so why did it? Why did he wait so long? Because he'd said that Saka was fully fit in the whole squad of trained and everyone's fit. So that's not true. He's not fit. But he, he is that little key to unlocking that defense. And I just thought that was, I just thought his subs normally, he makes

“great subs. And normally he's, he's pretty good at that. But I mean, honestly, who am I to say?”

But I just felt, I was dead five other people on the panel, that we should change the wingers. It was a little bit too late. But then, by the way, should we, should we have had a penalty? Should they have had a penalty? I mean, should Conzer have given away, was that a penalty? I mean, I think it was a penalty. Did we get lucky? The officiating on two huge calls in and around the England box was a polling. Bless them to me. I couldn't

quite believe it. And yeah, I thought I, I found it down here. I don't think England fans feel

lucky very often, but their lucky is not right now. Like, you know, first of all, Pickford comes

out of the box has a collision with, you know, if I think it was. But everyone seemed to say, oh, that was just two two people colliding. I was totally just really lucky didn't get. Yeah, I mean, the one, you're not allowed to just collide. I didn't think you were. I was just no colliding. You know, I mean, he's out of the box. He, he, he, we're not protecting the keeper there either. Like, the keeper came out to him and no one touched the ball.

That's gotta be a foul. Wasn't dog so, because there were defenders around, but like,

“I don't stand 11 minutes late. 12 minutes later, Conzer. Oh, my Lord. I think what”

it's here he say after the game is like, that was a interesting use of his body. Yeah. Like, he went in with a two-footed tackle of air. Yeah. Not really blocking anything. I again, no contact with the ball whatsoever. Absolutely affects the player going down and no call. I'm absolutely baffled by this. Yeah. No, I am too, but going back to what you wrote down about how we don't often feel lucky, but we do feel lucky. And I'm okay with that. Now we're, we are taking all the

luck because I feel like we could make a list, Brendan, of the years. Well, have you made a list? I've, I've not, but I know I know of where have you speak. You don't feel lucky very often, but then also I added here luck ran out on a Riley header. Okay. So not only a Riley header, which was a bloody good header. I know it hit the basket. I suppose he can't say it's a bloody good header because it didn't score, but it was he connected to his leg. And it was a

emphatic good word. And he let great and I just love Nick R. Riley. But Harry came. I mean, I even think I threw a Harry into the highlight that we did on Fox, because I just came out of all the people, you know, it falls to, it's, yeah, it's Harry that's going to score from there.

We'll talk more about this in the second segment, but like it's been a world cup or all the

stars are coming out of the light showing up in a huge way. Harry scores two in the first one, and then he was the only one of the stars that we're going to list, who didn't yet. Well, no, he just on the opposite of Cristiano Ronaldo. He's just on the opposite. Cristiano Ronaldo didn't come out to play then did. Harry did then didn't. Right. I mean, if he's going to be the opposite of Cristiano Ronaldo in the long run,

“that's bad. Yeah. That's been very, very bad. So I don't know if that's really what I think.”

I think overall, Brendan, Neil Neil, it's, it's a, by the way, well done, Ghana. We just can't say that. Yeah, is the headline nine minutes in. It is the headline, you're right. Because like we're going to talk about this through the England, you know, prison, because that's, that is our, that is our lot. But it is absolutely as much, if not more so, a good Ghana performance. They, the states were so high, you know, for a small country,

and they knew if they can just get the one point, they are unacquivocally damn near into the knock-on runs. Further about Ghana, I thought they just were, and again, someone in your studio said this, and I really annoys me when things I think come out there. But like, they didn't just park the bus, they park the bus well, and they were like, they were like ready to counter attack. And what it made me think about was the, the Belgium

Iran game the other day. Iran also park the bus. And, you know, I have a lot of, of empathy

parking the bus, they were indulging in, like, the lowest and most transparent forms of shithowsary, and, you know, writhing at, you know, the stroke of the back of someone's hand, and just playing in a way that I think is, is playing in a way that is not suitable of an honorable athlete. And Ghana did almost none of that. Ghana just like came to play, they knew the mission, and they played with the hell out of it. Yeah, Carlos Quarra has well done, and he celebrated afterwards

as he should, like you said, they blocked everything first off and second up. They were just excellent. They were excellent. So, but I, so I think, so when I think of it as a whole, four points and two games, I think if we'd switch the results, right, if we'd draw Nill Nill with Croatia in the first game, which would have been a damp squid, but it would have been, was Croatia, you know, quite good Croatia. And then we'd beaten Ghana for two. It would feel different. So I think we just have to cool the jets.

“I think Jude Bellingam afterwards, called it second game fever. Have you heard that?”

It's amazing. It's a whole new phrase. It's not second season syndrome,

which at least has a listeration. This is second game fever. It does not scan. It does not work, but I'm adopting it because we have, we do. Every major tournament, this is the first game right. Mission a second game. Second game fever, careful. It's contagious guys, although all second round games are now done. But that's what he called it. That's weird, bro. We kind of get out for the big game, and then the second one we're like, no. Yeah, it's very, very strange. And last time

the US was part of that. The US was your second game, Nill Nill shit can. Okay, in the long run, what does this matter to England? Pretty much nothing. They will probably still, in a way, Ghana is practiced for Panama, who will be playing the same way, but worse. I think Panama will also be more desperate because, you know, they haven't scored a goal, they're already out of the tournament. They want to have some kind of good showing the loss. What was it? 61 to England last time,

“they're going to want to have good showing. But you have to get past teams like this,”

especially in the group stage, and not as much in the knockout. Yeah, and just real quick, Thomas Luke last to have said, this is not a wake-up goal because of course all the English press, all the English press would have been on a him, of course. That's what they do. Straight away, no goals, Nill Nill, not good enough, couldn't find a way through, couldn't break down the mature. You know, is this a wake-up goal that actually, you know, you're not as good as you

think you're, and he said, no, this is not wake-up goal. We are, everybody, Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Thomas, Luke, and like the cut of their jib post game. It was incredibly like, I think one of them even said, like, please, please, we need all of you as in the press,

and the fans to just basically keep calm. Everything's fine, guys. We haven't lost a game,

it's Nill Nill calm down. So hopefully, we don't whip ourselves up into a British frenzy ahead of the game against Panama, and hopefully, we just continue to trust Thomas. And yes, is there, is there a natural English instinct in my body that makes me go straight to like, Thomas? What does name are you doing? Yeah, of course, it is, because of all the bad luck and all the hurt, and all the pain down the years, and you just want it so much that desperation comes out.

But I'm overriding that, Brendan. I'm overriding that with trust, with faith, it in Thomas in tattoo we trust. And by the way, real quick, not that he's going to get a knighthood anytime soon right now, although he was after the Croatia game, less so now, might be back in for a knighthood after Panama. We'll see. I did check, in fact, my dad, my dad listens to the pod sent me a message saying, you can get a knighthood as a foreigner. So

I want to tell you some of the ones he sent me, suburb gild off is one of them. Oh, yeah, he's not as foreign as a journalist, but he's still Irish, right? Yeah, but it's, I mean, that's the cross water. No, that is still foreign. Pelle has an honorary knighthood. Sir, Pelle, if you don't mind, and Sir Steven Spielberg, but they don't use them really. Right. Maybe it's more honorary. Yeah. My point is he can get one. Okay, all right, knighthood coming up. This is after

the whistle. 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, coast to coasts, and some lucky customers are even getting pitchside access, meaning they'll watch a portion of the gameplay 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 alone in the past,

right, David Medell, digital time conditions, restrictions fly. Nice. No one gets you closer to the FIFA World Cup than Verizon. All right, Rebecca, as hinted at earlier, it has been, since our last transmission, a cavalcade of stars. Missy had a brace. I'm Bob, I had a brace. Holland had a brace. Yamal got on the board for the first time. Obviously, Harry Kane today did not

as well. It was like four or five minutes. Wasn't it? It was just like, "Oh, thank goodness." And, you know, you try so hard to talk about other things when you talk about Portugal. I'm off for a, gosh, we've talked about Bruno. No, no, no, no. OK. And these are great players. Bruno, Virginia, but no, because he's the star. And then,

yeah, there are so many storylines, but it always comes back to him. And that is, of course,

because he does make it about him. Not only were the two goals, his, but the free kick, even.

“I think he might, was he taking credit for that with the kind of point to the head of like,”

this was my idea when he allowed noona minutes. But we shouldn't be mean, because you know, what's a lot of people out there, don't like people who say anything bad about because you're on a round day. I would say that was a lovely moment when he, or maybe he orchestrated, maybe we're about to Martinez, maybe Austin McFeed, famous Asson Villa set piece coach, maybe it was him. Either way, when noona mended score, it was great. What everybody out,

right? We were actually saying the studio is he going to take it. He's obviously going to take it. I mean, there's no way, Cristiano Ronaldo would ever give a free kick to somebody else. When he did, I thought, I love that. I just underestimated his football brain, right? It was a great shot. And then, of course, fast forward to the end of the game, where he did to the camera,

always knows what the camera is. The always. I'm back. I'm back. Which is a funny thing to say,

when you've just scored two against his back a time, his first time. True, fair point. And then very quickly changed on his Instagram to we are here. We are here and you're like, what does somebody said? Should we make it a way? Should we make it a way? I wondered, because his post-match comments were also like, oddly team focused. I don't want to go so far as to say like he's not a team player. It's the ultimate team sport and he's been very successful in a very long time.

However, he has a lot of clear emphasis on individual goals. Yeah, it just seemed a little incongruous and intentional to like, and like he was working really hard to talk about the rest of the guys. Yeah, but you know what? I do love him still. I do still love him. And I know people come from and I know they're saying that he's too old and what is he's 41? I mean, it's insane.

“He's fascinating. He's fat. That thing that's what it is. You want to watch him. And you want”

to look to the camera. You want to, and don't get me wrong. Little messy for me, the greatest of all time. The interviews, not that interesting. They're just not because A doesn't really give many. And when he does, he doesn't say anything. It's all planned. And we know that and that's fine. That's his right to not say anything and interviews. I get it. It just means that there isn't anything rusts a grab hold off. And I don't just mean in the media. I mean fans. But with

Cristiano, because he does bear his soul, not in every post-match interview, but even the post-match interview we played out today talked about it being a dark week. And he'd clearly retired because he was referring to all of the criticism, which he obviously reads. You can imagine him just scrolling at night. And that makes him human, even though he's not human at all with his ability. So he's fascinating to you in a word. And it's like Manchester United in the Premier League. You need a good

“Ronaldo at the World Cup. I think. You probably disagree. I mean, they keep trying to play him,”

you know, 90 minutes or close to it. A game after game, especially as his game started to come more festive furious. And I contend they will still not be using him to the best of his abilities. But I am so surprised to realize, because as we've seen his peers, the aforementioned, you know,

Messi and Bob A. Kane and co have these incredible starts to the tournament. And rather surprise,

that for a guy who is a renowned score and is now in his sixth World Cup in which he has scored, he has a mere 10 World Cup career goal score, which puts him in a tie for 10th. And obviously, 10 is a lot. But it's surprising to me that he is so far behind that he hasn't caught up with the European Cleansman yet, you know, on, on, let's see here a little bit more World Cups to try with. Yeah, no, no, that's a fair point. And actually, this whole race, you know, usually it's the race

for the Golden Boot, every well cup that we're all interested in as a little side show. It's not that, because it's a little side show, right, to the main event. This overall history of the World Cup, most goals ever in the history of the world has taken over, right? We've got a whole graphic wall dedicated to it. So little Messi's on 18 from Mirasov closer on 16, and now Kelly and Bappe on 16. And Mirasov closer has held this table. He's been top of this table,

Brendan for 12 years since the end of the World Cup in 2014. So he's had a good run of it, because I feel a bit sorry for him. I feel a bit sorry for Mirasov closer. He's been top of that table for a long time. Now, tell me why, because he was, he was a saw him in the 2006 World Cup, and he was kind of at its peak there. Efficient, little boring. Yeah. Yeah. So really, why are we feeling better for me? He had to, he got, he got, he got, he's quite a lot out of the old hand. No,

Little Messi and then Bappe will be so far past him. And then you've got to be honest, Cristiano Ronaldo has got his sights now set on catching them. You know he has. I just think Mirasov closer

“is just, it's just going to fall down that list and we'll never hear from him again. But I think he”

had a hell of a run and good series. No, he did. But he's also on those places. I don't remember a tool from the club game. Dude. No. Isn't that weird? Yeah. So little Messi is clear by two. And Bappe is on 16, along with closer. And then the original Ronaldo won behind. I mean, what are they going to finish on, do you think? And Bappe is 16 out of 16. He has scored 16 goals in 16 World Cup games. I mean, Messi's 18 and 28. And Bappe has a chance to get this thing up to 30.

Over the course. By the end of his career. Yeah. But in this World Cup, what do you think? I think in Bappe finishes as a Golden Bootwinner and this World Cup. I mean, him or came and I still think Kane has a shot despite today's setback. You know, I mean, no one scores ever game. The only person who had done it is jersey no from Brazil in 70. And that was a six game World Cup. And this is eight. So Kane didn't do it. Let's assume no one's going to do it. And

Harry Kane might be about, you know, to get fat on Panama. So true. True. It's a great race. It is. It's going to be it's still a side show, but a very fascinating little side show. Okay. All right, folks, we've had requests to address like what is a confusing situation, which is the entire

construct of how these third place teams are going to get in. So let's let's not organize this for you a

little bit. All right. First of all, if you delve too deep into the how they were chosen, you've gone too far. Don't do it. Don't do it because it's, you know, who figured it out for us at a time. The Swiss, the Swiss at FIFA had six years to like put together a spreadsheet. And they're, I mean, Switzerland would win the spreadsheet World Cup every, every four years. If that was, if that was a thing. So don't try to keep up with them. Just know this, the top eight

of the 12 third place teams, they advance. Now, how are they chosen? They're little slots. Again, there's a whole matrix. You can go to a FIFA's website or the World Cup with a PDF page and you'll be

“able to track it down. And it is kind of interesting, I think. I've had people ask me like, why don't”

they just do a redraw at the end of the group stage and have the top eight first place teams drawn

against the eight third place teams. So it's, it works like, you know, our stand is over. It's got a

different 15. It also means that, but you got, I got me back. Yeah. And that is just logistically impossible because of the way the World Cup works. It would, you can't suddenly know on Saturday who you're going to be playing on Sunday. Like, that would be absolute madness. So just go with it. We don't need your seedings. Third place is also not the end of the world. We've had three World Cups where, you know, there's a third place situation of getting in the knockout rounds

in '86. Belgium made it to the final four and then in '90 and '94, both losing finalists had qualified by finishing third. So it's not the end of the world. It's not a disaster hanging there. And it goes without saying that if the more points you have, the more likely you are to be one of the eight third place teams. So if you finish third and you've only got one point,

good luck. But if you finish third and you've managed to get three points, you're in a much better

position. Let's get some goals. So Scotland, for example, have drawn one and lost one going into their game against Brazil, right? So there a perfect example of like, would they, before the World Cup, would they have been able to squeeze through? Well, now what do you think? It's like they're thinking now we're probably not, unless we beat Brazil, in which case we'll go through as the second place team. They need to do something against Brazil to get themselves two points.

That should be enough. But I don't have necessarily that would be enough. So this is going to maybe make the third round of games really interesting because no one really has a clue what they need to do. Yeah. A gold difference obviously. You're going to play a huge part. Almost all

“teams with three points I would think are in with a shot. I think they're like, it's possible that the”

eighth team will have be a two point team. Okay. But then I'll be gold difference. And we'll see what happens. Speaking of this third round. So when next we come to you, it will be after Thursday's USA Turkey match, which we can address here in a moment as well. In that time, a couple of big games to keep an eye on. Tomorrow, Switzerland versus Canada, Canada need to draw at least to win to hold on to top of that group and keep on the Canada path that they so desperately

want to stay on for the next two rounds. Thursday, echoed our Germany. That's something a big game. But first of all, my top four pick, echoed our, it's going to need to result there. But bigger, bigger than that, bigger than that to be officiated by American woman Torri Penso and we'll come back to her as well. Japan Sweden on Thursday, you know, just as big in a way as Holland Tunisia, but more even match up and like is Sweden the team that got murdered by Holland or the team that

destroyed Tunisia, we will see. And opposite USA Turkey is Paraguay, Australia, they are currently basically tied, Australia they had in gold difference. And if one of the wins that team is in second place and goes through for sure, but the loser probably also advances. That was a brilliant roundup. Oh, gosh. Should we, should we? It was off the dome for the most part. So,

here's what's really interesting. Lots of things about this game because it's, it, it, it,

setting the table. USA's already won the group. Turkey has already been eliminated. Correct. One angle you're like, oh, there's nothing to play for. There's a lot to play for. It's called momentum. It's called momentum. It's called feel good. It's called carrying on that train of excitement and love for this team. But here's the problem. So within the world cup, if you get two yellow cards within the first three games. So therefore within the group stage, you will be suspended for the

round of 32 game. If you get one yellow card in that three, that gets wiped out at the end of the group stage. My opinion, it should all get wiped out the end of the group stage because now we've got a situation where managers are not going to be able to play good players because they're on one yellow card. Whoever thought that rule up at it to the bad rule list, it's not good. I digress. So USA have got four players who are on a yellow card balligan, Anthony Robinson, Tyler Adams and Chris

Richards, you cannot play any of those players. The guys in the studio, I've gone through them all this week and I've asked them what would you do? That aren't an area where you both unequivocally said, I would change all 11. They would change everyone including poor old

“Matt Freese who, by the way, if you could touch the ball at any point, I think you'd be grateful.”

I mean, I'm sure he's delighted, right? They've won too. But bless them. I think you would just like to make a worldie. Just let them make. Oh, actually, just let them just take a goal kick. I don't know, has he touched the ball? So they would actually put in Matt Turner and change the whole 11. Great, right? Everyone's safe and they did say maybe if plastic is fit to start plastic, just to get some minutes and 10 and then take them off. Great, right? Everyone's safe,

no one's going to get suspended, no one's going to get injured. Great. Downside, that's a decent drop, a decent drop between the first 11, the second 11 and as it would be with most teams, you go and lose that game because Turkey had had a rocket up their backsides and they're leaving anyway and they decide to just ruin the party. I don't know the answer to this, Brendan, but my concern would be, what are you doing now with momentum with Phil Good? You've lost a game.

You've lost a game. That's not, that's not good for any body. Even though you've won the group, you've lost a game. Now you're coming off the defeat. Now you're changing the whole 11 back and those 11 are like the loser 11 in the camp and these are the winning 11. That's not great either. What do you think? Counterpoint. Whatever momentum could be lost by a loss comes straight back when they hear that crowd in Santa Clara. This is the home team we're talking

“about. Momentum is unloosable, I think. It can have a blip but it comes right on back. Also,”

I think our second 11, probably could be Turkey anyway and I'd like to give them a shout.

Also, it's like, you know what sucks? It's like going to World Cup and never being selected.

Yeah, I do agree with that. I forgot to mention the other day, but at the USA, Australia game, my one hope for those dying minutes when the game was basically over was like, come up, put on Christian World End. Like, this is his town. He's been serving the founders for what a decade. I know. Like, that would have been such a lift for the team that came in. As Rand and Donovan said on his podcast, this is not AYSO. Of course not. This is not local league. Like, we shouldn't

be doing it. You're right. But it's still true that it would have been a huge lift and it wouldn't matter. Now, I'm not saying put in this. Put in this 11 just because you know about that. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. I stand by the same credit. Okay. And actually, it would have been it would have been a lift. I agree. It was a lot done on Terry. Absolutely. I would want every single other of the 11 to 100% keep up. Give me, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me,

give me, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me, give me all of them. Morales, not nothing. Like, Morales a big deal. And if you give these guys minutes who are currently thinking, wow,

I might never get to play. That's a big deal. I also do think, yes, if Policic is healthy,

“give them 30 or 15 at the end. I think still don't start them. Just give them a run out and like,”

you know, get his legs working again. But I'm starting, I think, is more than necessary. Yeah. I mean, if you say it, those guys say, I have to go with it. I just think it's a risk, both ways. And it's a nice problem to have, right? Then God, he's got this problem. Yeah. I just, I'm nervous. I'm nervous about, you know, why? Because I'm just loving this train, this USA train. I would love to leave at 9 points. It's flying through stations at a million miles an hour. I don't want

it to start dropping passengers off. You know what I mean? Like, we need to keep this like that freight train is what we need. I think even our second 11 would score early and Turkey would have their backs broken and would just be playing out the string and three points of being the back. You know, it's worse. Christian world down, it's got a muscle injury now. So if you had got, I know, it's going to recover. I had not heard this yet. Minus train. I want answers. Dr. Love. We'll be back.

This is after the whistle from Apple News. We'll be back with more bits and babs. This vehicle world cup Verizon is turning dreams into reality. They're giving away free tickets and pitch side 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 vehicle world cup 2026, no one gets you closer than Verizon.

don't actually know what bit or Bob we've each brought to the table today. So this is all a big surprise. You go first. Okay. I want to have a shout out to the two American referees who we have working in this tournament. We have a Tory Penso. You may recall from the last women in the world cup final. And Ishmael Elfat, who you may recall from, among other things, the 2022 MLS Cup final, which was the crazy woman between L.A. FC and Philadelphia Union and Garth Bayl and the header

and all the, you know, Cropos broken like incredible game. They have both refed one game so far

“and both did very, very well. I think the officiating has actually been very good this tournament”

so far and today's England game notwithstanding. They are both going to be in the third round of the group stage. Tory Penso, as mentioned, is doing Germany Ecuador. Mr. Elfat is doing Spain, Uruguay, which is a big, important game because you know why? Spain could finish third. But we'll talk about that Thursday night. And what this means is Rebecca, we might have an American referee at the American World Cup final. At the final. Yeah. If they have a good game,

they've got to keep those standards up, though, Brendan, because you've got to, you know, it's a round by round decision by fee for isn't it by 200%. But you get eliminated if a country that is in your continent is playing. Oh, good point. So you're not going to have it then because you guys are going to go all the way, remember? This is a backup plan. This is what guarantees American presence in the World Cup final. If you know, you know, England pulls some of their

famous cheating on us in the semi-final and we're not only unable to get past them, you know,

“VAR breaks down suspiciously. Then we'll still have Americans in there. I mean, who knows?”

There's the risk long way to go and there are more practice drafts. But like, they both got some real credentials and they're both very, very good at their job. MLS referees have a bad rep. But like, Elfad has stood out many a time to me and like, that guy is a ref. That's guy knows what's up. So that would be pretty cool if either one of them got old. Got further long, but good, could those to them both for how well they're doing already? Okay. So my bit involved

is I have never been at the center of a thunderstorm. And I don't mean a thunderstorm that

causes delays in matches, which by the way, two hours and ten minutes for the France game was a little annoying. So I mean in my studio. Oh dear. Oh, oh dear. Because there is no, the funny thing is, there is no thunderstorm. And I can't go through a day without somebody messaging me, somebody showing me something. Somebody sending me something or I'm opening X and there's another story about how everybody in my studio doesn't like each other. Can I please tell you and finally

set the record straight? I didn't interview this week with Dan Patrick and then it's like, Oh, Rebecca's insist that everyone's friends, but even we still think that's not true. It's true, guys. There is no drama in the Fox studio. Saturn, Alexey, Teary, everyone gets on so well, everyone loves everyone. There's so much respect. And I know this sounds like the lady

does protest too much, but I promise you, it's not. It's just very weird now. You're from the

the land of fame, right? So you get the tabloids, you get the media attention. You understand that world? I'm not, I'm just a little football broadcast editor. And I am thrust into a world of like, what, where are you even getting this stuff from? It's literally not true. Just have to put my bit and Bob out there to defend my guys. Well, where people are getting it is what is happening on their screen, where there are some pretty big digs being taken in a very subtle kind of way,

you know, particularly at Alexey, who, as he's well aware, a lot of people have been hoping we get some digs dug at him for a very long time. But what people don't seem to, you know, countenance is like, hey, if they're making fun of each other, it's because there's been weeks of meetings where directors or producers go, hey, it's great when you make fun of each other. And they go, you make fun of me, I love it, you make fun of me. It's agreed upon before. And even

if it is like, you know, Sam, improvised lines themselves, you know, they're all, they're all

“wordsmiths up there. But yeah, people are leaning into the story too hard. I believe the stop now.”

I do think it needs to stop as do anything that all the the articles about Alexey as well. That also needs to stop, please. I think it's gone too far. So that will be my bit in Bob. I love all three of them. This has been nothing but joy. There's massive respect between all of us, genuinely when Alexey went to USA, game, and we only had Tyrion's Latter, and they did miss him. We then welcomed him back purpose. But yeah, whatever joke, of course, they won each other

offensive. It's funny like that's by the way football. Anyone who doesn't understand, uh, the word banter, but it's a word that that's because they're not understanding. This is what happens in the sport. I spend every weekend of my life with the two robberies in Tim Howard. And we just literally have each other. From the moment we get in the studio to momentally, maybe that's professional sport, or maybe it's just football. I don't know. All I know is football.

And that's normal. Like hammer each other. And it's the same. It's not serious. Please stop with the questions and the messages and the, and like that people say it to me like, I'm already agreeing with them. And I'm like, no, no, and I'm, it's too much guys to multiple people to message me the day of the Australian game. Um, see, I'm group threads, primarily. But like, oh my God, uh,

like, I'm like, I'm pretty sure, I'm pretty sure that's just his parish guys. I think he's the,

“I think he's the American International in the group. And he's probably going to follow the”

U.S. around the whole world cup. Everything is fine, Brendan. But if people thought to be good

for ratings for like X-Laton and Lala's to just start punching each other, like we get it, you know,

“you're performers, you're performing. You didn't do, do it, do it, do it. So like, get numbers,”

guys. And stop, you know what, stirring. Right, everybody. We're going to be back from these beautiful

hedros after the whistle Thursday, after the whistle of USA Tokyo. We're on socials everywhere. Look for at after the whistle on Instagram and TikTok. And also, you can just hear us. You can also, if you want, see us, um, on Apple podcasts and on YouTube. And apparently YouTube is doing

“rather well. Oh, really? That's what I'm told from the inside track. Uh, for round, I know,”

round the clock tournament news, school standings. Make sure you check out the world cup hub on the Apple news app. We're available. And that's it. We're done for this one. I glad because our lights are going. Um, I can't wait for the totally new 11 Thursday night. We're going to have such fun dissecting it. Oh, my god. [Music]