Turkey spoils the USMNT’s perfect World Cup start — but does it matter?

- Well, Tom. - Safe travels tomorrow. - The parts of the game that were chippy, I really hoped that some of you as player was saying, like, you know, in the middle of all the,

like, fuck you. - Did you check it online yet? (laughing) - That's even better. I'll go say, have a good flight home.

- But haven't you checked it online yet? It's hilarious.

“Ah, gosh, that's why English people are smarter than Americans.”

(upbeat music) - I'm Rebecca Lowe. - And I'm Brendan Hunt. - And this is after the whistle from Apple News. - Turkey beats the USA in their final group game,

and frankly, I'm already over it. - Plus, we talk about Ecuador manager Sebastian Becker says, "By Sips," and whether he and I use the same conditioner. - Remember to all of you, and Becker says, "By Sips, 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. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to, after the whistle, right after the whistle,

of the USA against Turkey, Brendan, I think just by looking at you, the hat, the glasses, the shirt, the trousers, you were there. Are you okay? - I mean, if we gotta get into the trousers,

we can get into the trousers! - And the shoes? - And the socks? Are you okay? Okay, you know how to stay to have tonight,

lost their last group game? - I can't believe they lost it. By three goals or two, with the last kick of the game. So we're gonna get into the fact that you were there. I wanna know all the shenan's were Unix

a Brad Pitt. I wanna know everything.

“But first of all, are you leaving the leg on the table?”

- First of all, is like, can comfortably, yes, 'cause you called attention to the pants. If you want the pants to be part of it, the pants and part of it. - Should we start with the team sheet? Nine changes. - Yeah.

- He kept in McKenney and he kept in Ricardo Peppy,

who isn't maybe always thought of as a starter anyway.

So McKenney was like your absolute definite starter that he kept in. Change everybody else, including the goalkeeper, which was interesting as we've discussed. First off was some great.

- Well, I mean, first half of the first half. Let's talk about the first half of the first half. - Okay. - I'm on record on this very podcast. I was saying like, I thought that was the way to go.

Like, fucking change everybody. Now just the other card guys, but like, rest fucking everybody. So I was happy about this lineup. I may have had some emotional questions about it

as we go on and we'll come to that. Well, it's not forget that they scored three minutes in to the match. Austin trustee, our snow ledge. (laughing)

He, the second fastest US World Cup goal ever,

the first one being Clinton Dempsey versus Gata in 2014, which means I've attended the top two quick goals in US World Cup history. But look, and like, stadiums going nuts and you feel good about that.

But then it wasn't just the timing of that first turkey goal. It was the nature of it that I found up setting

“and that I think through the crowds and through the season”

for a bit of a loop. - Okay, but you just explained to everyone again exactly about the goal. - Okay, so it's about 10 minutes in and is down the right channel.

And John Strong, I'm going back and looked at it. I think Charity will be described as a successful dummy for turkey, but what it looked like to me was Mackenzie and Miles Robinson being at sixes and sevens and not in a like six sevens.

(laughing) Like in a like, we don't play together enough and so our communication is poor and we're confused. So the ball gets over to Guller

and like, poor Matt Turner is caught in no man's land. Like, it's a point-blank range situation and it just, you know, from where it was, it looked like a fuck up and like an embarrassing goal to give up and especially when you're like up one nothing.

So quickly it was like, oh, our lead means nothing. We are empty shirts at this point and then Turkey's kind of off to the races because that's the goal they've been waiting for for 130 minutes and now now like the switch flips.

- I think defensively almost from, well, I would say from the fourth minute. So once the US went one-al-up defensively for the rest of the game, it was a major major problem starting with that goal on the 10th minute

and pretty much from that moment on what you know. I mean, I was nervous every time Turkey got the ball. This is a team like you said they haven't scored. - Yeah. - And are in a shocking position

in terms of their players back home that what the Turkey fans are thinking of them manager to what concerns me is the drop off from the first 11 to the second defensively especially.

- Right, but you're never gonna see a whole drop off

from 11 to 11 again. You'll see like a few guys here and there. - True, and we're not going in that we're not as deep in defenses we are in attack but nonetheless that, but it played out.

No, not like that because all Turkey needed.

“All they needed all tournament was one goal”

to set fire to the flash paper and now they're off and running. - Yeah. - And that proved to be, and then I thought the U.S. got super rattled. It just, they just, they looked sort of spanked.

And I just, oh my god, can I just take you back real quick to the first goal because from the time it took me to lead the studio to get to the green room to weird, the U.S. scored. Said weird again, the U.S. scored.

And I had a moment at three minutes in. When I just, I just saw 'cause there's people around me at Fox who, you know, waited for this World Cup for 10 years. And it was a bit like, oh my god. Like this is happening again.

And another early goal. And I got slightly kind of caught up and who's gonna beat America? I know this is between minute three and minute 10. And then it was a horrible bounce-backed reality

is what I thought. 31 minutes on the clock, two one and half time, two one. And really when you reflected on that 45 minutes, it was obviously the worst 45 minutes yet at this World Cup. That was just not the United States we've come to know.

- But here's the thing of it.

And why, you know, it's like the silver lining of putting in nine changes and it not being, you know, the dominating performance we've seen so far is like, you go like, and we're not gonna make nine changes again.

You know, like the job of these nine guys, the job of these nine guys is not to be like, and here come the nine of us. So the job of these nine guys is like here, I come in and I gotta fill in a gap.

- Yep. - To take on actual starting 10. - Yes. - You know, I gotta end into the past. - Dish to the most, say it, if you will,

because football is an arch. So like, I'm just not that worried about it and like, you know, well here's what we go in, but like, spoiler. Here's gonna be my like final thought on it,

which is the same as my previous thought. When we talked about this before, how they should, how they should go about this game and whether or not they should start, you know, 11 new guys or whatever.

Like, this game just doesn't matter. - No, I know. - It just doesn't matter.

- And you know what, the first question.

So the whistle went and I know a jump in ahead, but we will get back to the second half in a second 'cause it was much better, especially Christian, put a sec, what I'd actually like. But the whistle went and it came back in the studio.

My first question to the Latin and teary was, nine changes, he brought five players on, they've lost in the last second of the last click of the game. Does it matter? Neither of them thought it mattered one eye otter.

They didn't think it mattered at two, they didn't think it mattered at three, two, and they obviously wouldn't have thought that it particularly mattered if actually the US said one. So when I say neither of them thought it mattered,

I pushed them with another question of, yeah, but when you lose any game of football, especially in the last minute. And because the players, the pitch of the player, they looked disappointed.

They said, "Pot you're gonna have to raise them a little bit," they're like, "No, no, doesn't matter." So then you have to go okay fine. They know what they're talking about. So it comes now down to what you said in the last episode

that what was your phrase momentum is unloosable? Was that the phrase you used, I think? I don't know, but I'm a very smart person. So if I'm being quoted, it's like, I mean quoted again.

“But I think that's true, but by the nature of being the home team,”

and when that crowd is gathering in Santa Clara on Wednesday, no one's gonna give a fucking fuck what happened today. - And I think you are right. I think what I'm a bit nervous about is, when we return to the starting 11 for that game,

against Bolsonaro, Herzegovina, and then we're making substitutions, I don't know how many today did themselves justice or proud enough to make me think when the US makes substitutes like for the better?

- Yeah. - I'm a little bit nervous that the subs are not where I want to be. - But for the better as you well know, is like a situational situation. situational situation, Jesus Christ.

I just undermined the fact that I've been quoted. (laughing) - situational situation, he aches, brother. They're paying me for this unbelievable. Hey, you know what I gotta do?

I gotta switch the other leg. - Okay, and Rebecca, what we gotta do here. Yeah, I'll put that right in the camera. But yeah, I mean, any substitution that's gonna happen, going forward with one of these guys is gonna be like,

“here's what you need to do right now in this moment.”

- Yeah, I suppose. - And so I just don't think it affects that in the long run. Let's get to the second half, but I'm putting a pin in this. I have a very specific example

of why cherry on re absolutely should think that this does not matter at all. And it comes from early in my football watching and he probably talked about that exact thing. - Okay.

- Oh, keep on a mystery. - Okay, okay, all right, I'll see you later.

- Here's what I thought at halftime.

- Sorry, well, you knew Brad Pitt, oh no. - He was just a few rows behind me. - He was? - Yeah, but we'll get to this later. - Massive time.

- I was surprised that there were no subs. Like, I'm with my sister, I'm like, "Okay, alright, hold on, but we're all just there." Like, I'm like, I'm like, I'm in, and I didn't weigh it. It's still there.

Just when we're not gonna believe at this point, we're gonna really quick, Tim Weyah had probably the single worst game of his career. And I feel very bad for him because I know, he's like, his last time at a tournament with the U.S.

was getting a red card against Panama. At a game I was at in the Copa, America, two years ago, a game that directly led to the firing of Greg Burhalter. And he didn't get the play again. And he's like, he's a good player.

He can do so many things. He can play so many positions. But like, it felt like buddy, you are trying to hard. - But you know why I think that is,

“because I think coming into this tournament,”

many people thought he would be at the starting 11. And he's been around for so long. And I just wonder whether it's gotten into his head. - He scored four years ago. - Yeah, and then he wasn't in either starting 11,

the first two games. And he then gets in the starting 11 of kind of the beating, if you like. And he feels like he's got a desperate point to prove.

And every single thing he did was a second behind

when it should have been. And it just looked like he was chasing the game the whole time. And I felt so sorry for him. - You can see it, everyone could just see it.

It was just, oh. - Maybe probably also new on some level, like I'm not playing this whole game. - I know. - 'Cause he's gonna come in.

I gotta make an impact while I can. And not out of selfish reasons. I think he wanted to do it for his teammates and like, and for his country. But yeah, a tough game for Timmy

and I hope he can recover.

“But at halftime when I saw that there were no subs,”

I thought, okay, whatever happens next is a referendum, a miniature referendum, because not a high stakes referendum, but a referendum, I'm pushing you know as a coach. - Wow.

- Okay, all right, you went with this 11 for reasons that I understand. It is not working out. You are keeping this 11 as we go in here. Okay, all right, well, you better have just had

the fucking halftime speech of your life and let's see what happens. And golly, within minutes. Sebastian Burhalter gets in there. I could not be happier for the Burhalter family.

Not just because now they are caught up with the reign of family in the World Cup 2026, you know, in turn, a scene, family feud, New Jersey rankings, but also because the Burhalter family

finally gets the World Cup goal

that they were denied wrongly by torsed in frings. In 2002, not just by torsed in frings, but by the laziness of Hugh Dallas, my least favorite Scottsman, any who that was fucking great. That was so fucking thrilling.

“And then I thought, I think the whole stadium”

felt like, oh, well, this is as a French would say, I think I'll go and beat. We are going to fucking win this game now. Run! And they look good, and they're good, sorry.

Can we just pause for one second? Please. Is that the same Sebastian Burhalter that I picked out at the beginning of the World Cup to sort of be-- Oh, my god, Rebecca, it is.

But I just think he has something. He might, he might, well, if they're playing Spain and the quarter finals, and they've got to go to a double pivot. Like, I can easily see him in Adams, you know, playing there. And like, you know, move McKenney somewhere else,

because McKenney can play fucking anywhere. So it's not impossible. He and Trusty are the two guys who did themselves well. That's true. And Burhalter, you know, even far above Trusty as well,

Trusty did, like, Burhalter was money. He was the business. He was doing the corners. Like, he did slightly more than what's expected of him, which is good delivery on set pieces.

But he also, his delivery on set pieces was like, fantastic. Like, he did himself so proud, and he did a good celebration. Like, the passion in the celebration was flippin' marvellous as well. So that was two, two, just after half time. And the second off was good, much, much better.

Yeah, soon, Policic comes on. I want to talk about Policic's entrance. And again, if you think very sad or Timway, 'cause like, Timway, I must have known this substitution's coming, but he comes off with his head hung solo.

And I felt really, really bad for him. But then I felt incredibly good for Policic. Because Christian Policic is a guy who as we well know, by the, like, ill-considered documentary that his fucking team must have subjected him to,

that he clearly has no interest in. He spends the whole documentary going, like, "I hate being on camera," like, okay. Well, I got a news to you about this documentary, bro. He basically hates the understandably

hateable parts of fame, like he wants no truck with it. He doesn't mind making money off a commercial or two, and good for him, as well. He should have been in a world cup here at home. But the reaction that crowd he came in,

it's different than the reaction to a goal. Because when you score a goal, the crowd is not just reacting to you scoring the goal, but they're reacting to the goal.

But there was an incredible purity that I will contend,

because he's never played in front of this kind of crowd

before of, here comes Christian Policic, you know, our current Captain America, a moniker that has been worn by many before, but that is currently on his desk. And that applause was so resounding that I hope,

at the very least, he felt on some level like that he's appreciated, you know? He is loved, and like all the bullshit he has to go through, that he clearly has no desire to do, like, hey man, you got, you got people who appreciate you

and who see what you're doing and see the work you're doing and couldn't be happier that you are back. And there's no better way to have experienced that, experience that than to come on as a sub in this way.

“- And are you, I think, talking about the moment he came on?”

- Yeah, actual, so I'm talking about the moment, you may not have seen, I don't know, seconds beforehand, 30, sex before, where he's talking to Maria Pocicino,

and it's the classic, when the manager gets the sub

that's about to go and show him something on the book that no one actually cares about. And I'm pretty sure it's trying to look like he actually cares who he's going to market the next week. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, it was put on the big screen.

And they didn't know they were on the big screen until a sort of an eruption is the best way I can describe it when up around the stadium. And Policic looked up because he thought somebody was on the big screen that they were all reacting to.

And then he saw that it was him. And he sort of very sweetly and humbly looked back down at, yeah, okay, I'll mark him on Instagram, yeah, I'll do that. And it was actually, it was like the precursor to what the moment you're talking about.

And I just thought that was very Christian Felicit as well. And then he gets that reaction. He comes on and it takes him all of five seconds

to completely and utterly change this game.

And that is why he is a Dodd because you could see the class oozing from every poor, the very seconds he began to run. I've got a little bit nervous. I'm not going to lie about that cough. Because he was flipping going for it.

We were sprinting, we were doing 100 meter dashes. We were everywhere. And I was kept thinking that cough, but it'd be okay. Cough, but it'd be okay. But he seemed fine.

There's no way they would put him in the game. There's nothing but 100%. I know, I know, but you know, when we obsess over coughs, or we obsess over like Beckham's meta-toss,

“or we obsess over all these parts of the body, right?”

I entire fasciatus. Exactly, at all of these big tournaments. And so then when that player goes on, because I tell you why, because when Rooney Beckham, they have since admitted that they were not fit

and that they had been pushed so much by the media, by the fans, by everything, to be fit. They're like, okay, now I'm fit and they go on their rubbish, because they weren't fit. And they've subsequently admitted to that.

And I suppose I'm so kind of like scarred by that, that I don't want our sort of push-policy that he just has to play and then he breaks down, or he isn't himself, but he showed no sign of that, because he showed the class act that he is.

Also, I mean, you know-- Till he got nutmegs, but we aren't talking about that. I mean, there's a lot going on at that side. But it's also, you know, a sideways compliment to Puchetino, who resisted any calls to put him in Australia again.

You know, like, Australia-- Well, you know, Puchetino looked at Australia and said, like, are we got this? We're fine.

“You keep rehabbing, we're going to be okay.”

And yeah, Bosnia, I respectfully think you are in trouble. By the way, just as a sidebar, I love about this team. I get a lot of Instagram reels about Puchetino's tactics. And about how, you know, he's doing-- overloads to one side and really pressing

the way he's using his full back, especially in wide players. But like, every time I see that, I'm like, OK, but like, you know, some team, who are better than who we played so far, are going to punish us on a counterattack. You know, like, really, really bad.

But something I've been noticing that maybe Puchetino has noticed a long time in advance. And this is-- and again, this is true. I noticed tonight about like our backup defenders. Like, our recovery speed is pretty fucking impressive.

Like, our ability to get back suddenly is-- I don't know if it's going to be good enough against you. That's the thing. That's the thing. It's pretty goddamn impressive right now.

And like when Freeman came on, Freeman had a great, like, you know, he's so great. We had a feature, sorry, just before kickoff, ten minutes before kickoff with Alex and his dad Antonio. And let's just say, I'm really glad I'd finished my segments

by then. And I'm really glad that Tyrion's Latin have finished theirs, because the three of us had tears in our eyes. It was the most beautiful-- Oh, it's Latin did not have tears in his eyes.

- The cent. - No. He's got two boys who are not far off. He has got two boys that are not far off the age of Alex Freeman. And I looked at him at the corner of my eye. And he took an inhalation here to his 100%.

100% and so did Tyrion. And so did I. I was an absolute mess. If you haven't seen the feature, Antonio becomes incredibly

obviously if you have boys, maybe if you just have kids,

you feel it, and I felt it, and my kids, 10, he's not playing with the U.S. National Team. And I just, you've got to say it. Anyway, side note, I love Alex Freeman. Carry on.

- I love this. I can't wait to watch that. Okay, so then a bunch of stuff happens. The people come on, some people go off. But we make all five of our subs. And then trusty is visibly hurt in about the '90s.

- Yeah. - That was stretcher comes out. Stretcher comes out. And he doesn't, you know, he doesn't get into it. He, he, he, he sold his arms. - Awesome, legends.

- Yeah. - As aforementioned. - I mean, he's up there with Eddie Hepko. (laughing) And, and like, I don't know if he didn't get in the stretcher

because he just had, he wasn't hurt enough, or he realized like shit that we have, we've used all our subs, and like, they need at least a body out here, or what.

“But him, not being 100%, I think had a role in Turkey,”

you know, finally getting the goal,

they needed in like the '97s minute. - I know. - I know. - I know. - I know. - Well, Dom, take it on the plane with you. - Well, Dom, safe travels tomorrow.

- The parts of the game that were chippy, I really hope that some U.S. player was saying, like, you know, in the middle of all the, like, - Did you check it online yet? (laughing)

- That's even better. I'll go say, have a good flight home, but if we check it online, it is hilarious. Oh, gosh, that's my English people are smarter than Americans.

Okay, so we lose three to two. Turkey can go home, but not with their head held high, but at least, you know, not wearing sunglasses in a hoodie pulled down over their head. And let's go back to cherry on re,

saying how much this game does not matter. As we have said in here many times, I got into football when I moved to Amsterdam in 1999, and then there was a Euro 2000 tournament, which Holland hosted.

Holland, a beat, I believe, the Czech Republic

in the first game, one nothing.

The second game they beat Denmark. I can't remember the score. And meanwhile, France was the other, like, big team of the group.

“And they won their first two games as well,”

also, presumably against Denmark, and the Czechs. So the third game of the group was Holland versus France with nothing on the line. And I actually was in con for that. I was watching the game and con for a gig.

Not for anything filmmaker cooler or festival, but I also, I wore, I wore Speedos, 'cause I feel like I should immerse myself in the culture, any who doesn't matter. And that game was, we were watching it on the beach,

on a projector, in a big screen, and not just because of where I was watching, I'm just gonna be because of circumstances of it. Like, it was the World Cup Champion and the fourth place team.

Hey, and also home team, go and add each other. And it was a fucking football treasure. And it finished three to two, Holland over France, late, I believe, and our crack research table,

correct me if I broke. But the great bout of I in Zendin with the goal that put them ahead sidebar. Back then, I was learning my football from not only the Dutch,

but also my precursor at Boomshikago, my theater entrepreneur, Seth Meyers. Seth Meyers, big football fan before I was. And my nickname to him, at the time, was the Zout of I'm Brendan. Any who.

And like, that game didn't matter a fucking thing. 'Cause like, France, yeah, they France lost three to two, to like the tournament favorite. And I believe history will record, France won that tournament two.

So like Terri Henri has every right in the world to feel like this game didn't matter because it's the same fucking score. And that will literally what Zlatan brought up within 30 seconds and said,

"You would know, Terri, it's so you're absolutely right, there you go.

“I don't think you have to worry about anything.”

I think Potitino has managed this as well as he possibly could have. And now we go on to the San Francisco Bay Area Wednesday. Fossilio Herzegovina. But now, Brendan, just real quick

'cause we have to go to break. But now, the group stage is so long, right? That you forget that there are games after which you can leave the tournament. I feel, you know what I mean, it's been weeks

and weeks and weeks of group stages where you get the end of on Shakespeare's hands and no one's looking that disappointed because you still got another game to play. No, no, no, no.

It's changes. And next week, it could all end. On Wednesday night, that's terrifying. Yeah, yeah, Bob. Yeah, I know.

And we will get into a positive preview at our next episode and get into the down and dirty of it. But like Barbara has got them cooking frankly. And they've beaten frankly some bigger teams than us on their way here.

So, okay, nothing's guaranteed. But if the home crowd shows up, that's a big deal. Big damn deal. Did you want to add anything else from your experience at so-fi stadium?

- Oh, we can see. - Oh, we can see. - I could say, but here's a couple. In the stadium, as you may have noticed, the video screens are the clock.

- Yep. - There's no on the, like, acres and acres and yards and yards of ribbon scoreboards. There's no clock. - Yeah. - Which really annoys me

because sometimes when you look on the screen, they're just having a graphic about like the amount of times

Like, I'd want to see how much time is left in the fucking game

meanwhile, there are, again, miles of ribbon scoreboard coverage like there can one fucking yard of this behind a goal or another just have the clock at all fucking times. So we need to see the word "turkey". Again, no, we don't.

So FIFA, sort it. I think that family had a good time. I hope my son had a, you know, core memory. I don't really know if that's gonna happen or not. (laughing)

“But also, hey, so far, so far you do so many things, right?”

It's a wonderful stadium. And we'll get to this story some other time, but I think I had a small hand and so far being awarded the games that they were. We'll get to that in a little bit.

- Wow. - Wow. But whoever's the in-setting director, like, like, hey, turn it down and go into the fucking celebrities. We saw on the screen during the course of the game. First of all, to my favorites, Scotty Pippin.

Keegan Michael Key, great, Leonardo DiCaprio, who, like, caught himself and he didn't wanna be up there, so he just stayed down like this, just drinking a bottle under his hat, good for him. Brad Pitt and Ed Norton standing together,

it was pretty great because he had a- - That's amazing.

- Together, they're Tyler Durman. - Yeah. - And that was good. But then you get, well, Farrell, who I love for, it's a Fimster, who I love, Paris, Hilton, shout out to Paris, Milton Gloves.

- Yeah. - The Gloves? - We're on point. (laughing) But, like, Blake's now, come on. That's Stafford, which, sure, that's fine.

Duane Wade, Gabby Union, like, like, it was Colin Farrell, some coferral, yes, who, I'm gonna, like, these are, I have no attention to these people. I really like a lot of these people. Oh, yeah, but it sounds American, apparently.

You know, bring the look of things. But, like, you can't go to these people while the fucking game is going on. Like, I don't care if it's a dead rubber, it's the fucking world cup.

- You go on dead balls, and that's fine. - It's fault.

“I think that's the H, no, it's not, it's not.”

- Is it my stadium? - No, no, no, because they're going to them on the television, I saw them too. - It's not during action. - Yes, I saw, they're cutting away from action

on the Fox podcast to look at Blake's nails. - Oh, it's not Fox's broadcast. It's the H, B, S, it's the world feed. - Yeah, but the world feed, like, no one's eating that. - It's fucking, you know, Russia, or the Congo,

or Brazil, because they're eating that. - Blake's nails, we're not that savage, no matter. - But they're doing that. And then Paul John's strong, who knows most of them, but occasionally, we'll get somebody that noted,

there was one blonde-head woman that we were all like, who is that? And Paul John's strong is trying to do a stat about something. And you know that he's looking at going, no idea.

No idea, I was going to do this stat, no idea. - Yeah, it's too much. - It's too much. - It's too much. I don't get, can I also say one other thing very quickly

about sometimes match directing that just really annoys me? Like, is it just me or, I do love the crowd? Don't get me wrong. I love the crowd. I don't know if I love the crowd more

than the actual players. - I'm going to go with you, don't. - I don't. - I don't, I don't, correct. I would like to have a little tiny, little bit less crowd,

and a little bit more what's going on in the field sometimes. - Also, if you're showing crowd, and it's not just like crowd who are like focused on the action that we're all focused on, but in fact, they're just crowd who are going like,

"Look at me!" - Oh, that's the point. - Like, that's the point. - Get out. - Get out.

- But it was good to get to break. - It remains a hell of a stadium, and so vertical, and so like a temple of football, like the proper European ones, and I was glad to be there. And I look forward to being there three rounds from now,

fingers crossed for another US game. - This is after the whistle, and these are my pants. - From Apple News, we're gonna be right back. So sorry, 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.

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or Spectrum Bill for a better deal. - Must provide very recent post-pac, 'cause you may mobile-bill, and any of the personal-demodial digital times, conditions of restrictions play.

- Nice. - No one gets you closer to the FIFA World Cup than Verizon. Rebecca, before we begin, the excitement about this World Cup is growing, and so is our audience.

We have new listeners, we have new viewers, so we wanna ask you real quick before we start, as long as you've come this far right now. Follow, subscribe, to the show, wherever you're listening that way,

you will not miss new episodes, because they will be new episodes. This is in the last episode. This is the last episode. That would be ridiculous.

So, thank you for being here, and the show goes like this. What do we miss since last? - Well, we definitely aren't gonna talk about Australia against Powerquay.

Okay, so we're condemning that to the bin. I got one little thing about Powerquay. - Oh, you have it. - I do. - No, there is nothing you can possibly say about that game.

- I can't, but it's only this.

“Australia finishing second, who could have thought this?”

If New Zealand should happen to be an underwhelming Belgium, and some other results go the right way, we could be looking at an Australia versus New Zealand

- Oh my God.

“- And for those who don't follow your rugby or your cricket,”

or some other fucking weird ass British derived sport that we don't care about in this country, Australia and New Zealand is arguably the single biggest sporting rivalry in the fucking world. And if they were to bring that to football,

it would blow the fucking roof off.

It would be fucking amazing in Arlington on Friday, July 3rd.

But I don't want to overstate it 'cause it's not happening yet. New Zealand beating bells and would actually kind of be a bit of a miracle, but like it's there. It's on the table, and I'm excited. - Okay, no more Australia.

- Great, great, a little late bit. Okay, so the other four games that happened today before the USA played, it was Japan one, Sweden one, and Tunisia one, there's Netherlands three. Now that means that Netherlands, Japan, Sweden all went through

first, second, third from that group, Tunisia goodbye. Japan are gonna play Brazil and Netherlands will play Morocco. - My Netherlands is a friend, then. If they listen to it, they'll success them at the Morocco. - Do you speak through a Dutch?

- I speak enough Dutch to impress people who don't and frustrate people who do. - Japan will play Brazil, Netherlands will play Morocco, Sweden has to wait and see. - Yeah, and it was interesting because if you finished

“top, you played Morocco, if you finished second, you played Brazil,”

and you're like, oh, maybe I want to finish top. Maybe I want to finish second, maybe I don't want to finish anywhere at all, maybe I want to finish thought.

So that was always gonna be difficult,

but how good are those games? - Japan Brazil? - That was a great group, probably. - Oh, so good. - Oh, so good.

- But do you go to matchups like? - And then Morocco Netherlands? - There's no longer. - I actually feel sad already. - I think I might go to Brazil today.

- That's gonna be amazing, but so I don't want and even it's going home. - No? - This is a silly topic. - Yeah, this is where it gets to be real.

- And then Ecuador, too, Germany won. Amazing game. (laughing) - Is that it? - Sorry.

Who's either who beat you? - Hang on. - Curacao Nill, Ivory Coast, too. Curacao, lovely to have you.

“First of all, cup, one point well done, of you go.”

Ecuador, through. - Oh, really, I recoup both goals scored by-- - Ecuador, too, I'm Germany won. That game, Ecuador came into this game today. No goals, obviously, no wins.

Looking like they'll never score a goal again

for the rest of their lives, no matter how long they play. And they, what was the score? Did they go one-to-one? - Two-one. - Yeah, they went one-to-one.

- They went one-to-one. - And then they came back to me, early one. - And then they came back very quickly after that. - And they are your semi-finalists. - I have them as my wild choice semi-finalists.

And it was looking real dark there, Rebecca. But you know, you just got a hashtag, believe. So shout out to Ecuador's coach, some action. Because say, who some people are saying like, oh, he looks like a two-me-fabio.

But I'm not gonna say that. I think he looks like Fabio as depicted in a Fabio biopic, where Fabio is portrayed by Holly Hunter. (laughing) I fully think that he's in those huddles, you're like,

you guys, here's what we gotta do here. I'm gonna have a Southern accent in a real tense jaw. And inner, inner, you're not doing it. So you sit down and you learn your lesson. You learn your lesson, son.

Here we go. A stupion, they can't call you stupid anymore. (laughing) I can't know, I don't know, this is a lost bit. But I stand by the Holly Hunter part.

Anyway, Ecuador, thank you for making me that look like a completely different. On television, on the actual television today, halfway through, possibly the half-time highlight. So that's an ask me whether I share the same conditioner

as the last few seconds. (laughing) And now, let me tell you, because he's Argentinian, there are now many Argentine websites, ex post and socials as Latin has now shown me

with me on the left and Sebastian Beccasay say, "Oh, no, right." You know what that is, that's exposure. He said to me, yeah, he didn't say that to me. To me, I said no, please continue, all cost.

Okay, well, some stuff happened yesterday. Canada did not win their group, which means they do not get to stay in Canada. Switzerland will stay in Canada. Instead of them, Canada will come here to LA

to place South Africa, plucky South Africa, who, I mean, they got two red cards in their first game and now they're in the round of 32. Well, fucking done, South Africa. Also, Germany didn't make many changes.

They made two changes, both in full game. - Yeah, they went whole hogs. - They went still lost in Ecuador. - Still lost to Ecuador, who haven't scored two goals and I don't know, I'm not gonna actually say it,

so I won't know. But a really long, long, long time. - Can I say this? - They didn't score goals. Other than against Bolivia, they did score four.

- Maybe this is just having a bad year and if I had watched more Bundesliga, I would understand a little bit what people are talking about, but like, what's the point of Florian Viertz? Like, everyone's talking about like,

Florian Viertz, he keeps kind of Liverpool, he's kind of like, oh, what a player, what a play, a silky smooth, what a touch. He's a metronome, he's a German Pilo. And like, that's not really seen it.

I haven't seen it, we haven't seen it here. We need to see it, we need to see it quite soon. - Yeah, Germany needs to be the real bad. - I agree. - That's about it for the round up.

- Yeah, Dutch winning the group, like I was so happy about it, but also like, playing Morocco is not that much better than playing Brazil, frankly. That is a Brazil, we already say this,

“as we were seeing in the break, I can't remember.”

So if we already said it, then we'll cut this. But Morocco, Holland and Brazil, Japan, what a fucking double header in that two games out of three, that will happen on Monday.

- Also, I would like to give a shout out to Grand Potter,

because first of all, Sweden--

- Okay, well, yeah, thank you. 'Cause Sweden came into this world cup on the back of not winning a single game and qualifying, definitely through the back door, through the old nation's league, qualifying point situation.

- And in that time, Grand Potter, also not having a good run anywhere. - Wasn't having a good run anywhere, right? Super nice chap, but he comes in. They've won one, lost one, and draw one.

Good, fine, steady, let's go. I mean, they do have Ezek and Yoccares, you would think they might have maybe won more. But every time they cut them on the side, I just can't, I can't be playing Potter's in the world cup.

Like he's the most like British solid manager. Like he was Chelsea and Brighton and he is just kind of like, I don't know, he just, he's quite normal. He's so normal, and then you've got like Sebastian Becker says every example,

he looks like slightly more exotic with that be the right word.

And then you cut to Grand Potter and you're like,

Grand Potter, well played mate, like seriously well played, and now they're in the knockout round. - Yeah, it, you know, I got it for Grand Potter, 'cause he just got a, he got a raw deal, like, you know. I mean, going to Chelsea early in the,

in the bully administration, you know, time has shown. Not his fault, whatever's going on over there, like no one else been able to hold that job either, including Poch Chino, who we know is a fucking genius. And then like the other weird run at West Ham, like like,

- Oh, God, yeah, of course, yeah, what happened to Poch Chino, it was at least partly him, surely, you know. He's a good coach, some glad these having to success, 'cause he seemed like a guy who deserved it. - Brendan, this time last year,

the Premier League summer series was about to start, which the, which NBC show and I do. And he was the manager of West Ham United. And we went to see him, I forget where somewhere he came from. - This very season, he was manager.

- Yes, it was a year ago, we went, spent lots of time with him, we sat and had lots of chats me and the guys from NBC. If you'd said to me then, that by the end of the year, he would be back in America as manager of Sweden.

Isaac, Yoccares, Bergwell, at the World Cup, there is just, footballs on, believe boys, you know. It's on, believe it, he got fired from a club that is now relegated the championship and he's in the knock-out rounds of the World Cup.

Well, Don Graham, normal bloke, love. - As they say, preferably football, eh, bloody hell. This is after the whistle, we're back, we're more bit and also, bobs. This female 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 female world cup, 2021, no one gets you closer than Verizon. All right, after the whistle, as we crawl incrementally toward the end of the group stage of a 48 team world cup, we are now at our bits and also bobs.

And Rebecca, I'm told you have one of each. - But do you think though that was one day,

“we should do bits and then our favorite actual bobs?”

- Sure. - Lovely. - Bob, what word? - Who's that? - You're a journalist, Rebecca.

You're a journalist. - Bob, bobs. - Bob, gild off. - So Bob, you mean, we learnt not in the last episode. - Bob, people didn't hear it, people didn't hear it,

people didn't hear it, people didn't hear it. - Bob, what's the much you guys know who that is? - I do. - I do. - I do. - Okay. - Love that, Mortimer.

- Bob Bradley. - Uh, ledge, all of football, ledge, Swansea ledge. - Right. - I like, I see ledge, just got a fire ledge. - New York, New Jersey, Metro Star's ledge.

- I saw him in the gym the other morning, actually. - Really? - Anyway, there you go. So one day we'll carry that on with more bits and bobs until whoever can't find another bobs.

- I have a cousin who's an actual name as Elizabeth, but everyone calls her bits. So we can throw some Elizabeth in there too. - Yeah, great, that sounds like a great episode. - Okay.

- I do, okay, so this is a bit, okay. So I'm sorry, in the bits and bobs was an apology Brendan. - To who? - Okay, to Scottish people.

- Oh.

“- So in the last episode, I think it was the last episode.”

You were explaining about how the best third place

finishing teams. It's very complicated. I think there's two different words. - Can't wait to be past this. - But yeah, me too, but the best third place

one that managed to go through. And I was saying, you know, for example, it's difficult because Scotland drew one and lost one. - But actually, Scotland won one and lost one. - I should have, I should have caught that myself.

- So they're not yet going home and I did deny them that one victory. And there are lots and lots and lots of complaints. So to that one person, I'm really sorry. - Would you like to bet five pounds right now?

I think Scotland goes through. - No way. - No? - I'll bet you five pounds. - Scottish pounds.

- Five. - Scottish pounds. I apologize to you for your apology because I should have caught that myself. - You know what I feel like?

- I feel like Andy Robertson trying to kiss Alesson on the cheek and being given in. - That was a hate. - That was a hate. - It was, it's one of the most awkward things

that I've ever seen in my entire history of the fan of football and Andy Robertson deserves better. But it's just that Alesson is so handsome. You gotta give it to him. - I just want to talk to people about what they could be

watching between now and our next episode, which will come to you Monday. As we are wrapping up the group stage of the next two days.

First of all, the Uruguay Spain.

Couple of air day Saudi Arabia group. The day will start with Norway France. They've both advanced already, but like one of them needs to win the group. Early Holland has said France will win this game

and win the group. - Yeah, but I don't think he entirely means it. But that's gonna be, that's gonna be a game. I mean, unequivocally, it's Holland versus in Bappe. Like, what's gonna happen there?

I cannot wait to see that. But this Uruguay Spain, and then, yeah, couple of airdivers is Saudi thing. Like, here's the thing. Like Uruguay might beat Spain one nil.

- Yeah. - And couple of airdate could easily beat Saudi Arabia. I believe in our very first episode.

“I think couple of airdate will get through”

'cause they don't beat Saudi Arabia. - Yeah. - And you know what that would do? That would put couple of airdate in second. Couple of airdate wouldn't just advance,

but they would advance automatically. And Spain would be in third. And you know what that would mean? That would mean in the next round, Spain plays Argentina. And it's right there in front of us.

It's right there in front of us. Now, couple of airdate would also finish second if Spain beats Uruguay as long as you'll cover already wins and they're in. And even if they lose, they still have a chance as a two point team.

Like, they could be there at the very bottom of the eight teams. But like, couple of airdate, man, I just want that to happen for them. And also, I think we all want Spain to play Argentina. - Oh, good, amazing.

Also, thank you for just doing all my prep for me 'cause I'm doing all those games tomorrow. I just realized. So now I can go in tomorrow for the meeting. I can dish everything you've just told me.

- I look at them, I thank you. - It's for my commission. Saturday, a couple of big ones. The lesser big one Algeria Austria in Argentina is a group to see who is gonna get second in that group.

But that should be a good matchup, really. And then Saturday, a fucking, the massive game. Columbia Portugal to see who wins group. You did it. - Okay.

- That's gonna be great. - Oh man, that's great, that's great, that's great. And then they get England group too. But none of those games are in themselves. Like, you know, how that group shakes out will be interesting.

“But I think we can assuming it will be Panama.”

Columbia Portugal is a fucking doozy. And also people, we got to Spain and Argentina, possibility too. But now if Portugal win their group and they gotta be Columbia to do it,

then we are in a crash course to have our first ever World Cup meeting between Christiano Ronaldo and Lena Messi in the quarter final. These are two dudes who played against each other in Spain of course time after time after time

and they both been to six World Cups

but have never played against each other in a World Cup.

This is fucking colossal. And I wanted to happen so bad. It will be amazing. And it will be in Kansas City at a game I already am gonna be at. - We might do like a five hour pre-game show for that.

I actually think that would be justified as well. - We'd hand out every classical they've ever had together. - Speak to every player's ever played with them and against them. Massive just montage city.

- Don't you think that would be-- - We're gonna start with Dane St. Claire. - Yeah, and then work our way back to Ronaldinho. (laughing) - Okay, last little bit involved for me.

We were talking about Sebastian Beccasay say, and I'm just gonna go back to him for a second because when they scored the first goal of the two, Ecuador, and then when they won the whole game, did you see him climb up the railings, right?

- No, it's sweet. - First of all, incredible biceps strength 'cause he really yanks us off of.

“Could we put the family and friends in a slightly safer place?”

Could we make it slightly less dangerous

for our amazing World Cup managers when they celebrate,

I mean, start us all back in the Norway manager, had to climb like a lot of stairs to go and find his wife. Could we just bring everyone down, let's get them a little closer to the goal. - You know what we can?

- Earth, why? - Because these are NFL stadiums. And none of these stadiums have stands that go all the way down to the pitch. All of them have walls up here because that's--

- Well, maybe we need to get the family on the bench. I don't know. - I think that would be fine. - I think you'll be fine. - They're not a security risk.

- Oh, Lin, he's the best Jim Bekasey saying his hair. Today, young King himself up huge railings. - Scares me. - Yeah.

We need to look out for our people more.

“- I mean, scared me even more because again,”

I look at him and I see Holly Hunter in like, prosthetic makeup and like, I'm proud of her and her Pilates work, but her biceps are so great. But like, I don't want her to fall down. That's a national treasure.

We don't want that. - Oh, okay.

- Well done, Ecuador, though.

Oh, my God, thrilling. They're gonna be in the final form. I think we all know that it's a fake,

“a company as our friend Terry Henri would say.”

Big day for the US, but also not a big day at all. - Yeah. - And Wednesday is where it's at, but we got a few games before then, and we'll see people in London.

- I mean, thanks for listening everybody, but the game didn't mean anything. - It's not a goddamn thing. - We hate.

“- Except for the, the possible impactful ascension”

of Sebastian Bear Halter. - We're forward. - Cheers. - We are on socials everywhere, and we look for apps after the whistle Apple on Instagram

and on TikTok. - And remember my babies, you can now watch us on video on Apple podcasts and YouTube. - And we're around the top tournament news,

scores and sandings, check out the world cup hub on the Apple news app where a family will. - And again, thank you all the new people who came through on that app.

And I was nervous today for the first time,

that I'm very thrilling and we appreciate it. - Hey, we're not. - This is after the whistle from Apple News. Thank you for listening. (upbeat music)