Futbol Americas: Luis Suarez extends with Inter Miami

28:57It's 1-1. Yeah. The defending was truly minimal there as well. 61st minute. I mean, it was kind of minimal here as well, Shaq. Yeah. Sapsford just getting good feet. Little drop of his shoulder. Knows exactly what he wants to do. That is some finish, though. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean, it's been a tough start here for Wilfred Nancy. As you can see, it's four losses in a row. The goals against is pretty alarming as well. Yeah, it's not great to say the least. This is actually great, though, because Derek Ray now joins us on football. Yeah, super. Derek, thank you so much for hanging out with us. I mean, it's a tough start here for Wilfred Nancy and Celtic, But do you, why has it been so tough for him in this start?

29:49Well, I think every Celtic fan would like to know the answer to that question. He did walk into potentially a bit of a maelstrom with Hearts in the first game. And Hearts are the surprise leaders of the Scottish Premiership. He had Roma in Europe after that, and they lost heavily. Then he lost a national final, the League Cup final to St. Mirren, before what happened at Tanadise against Dundee United, as you mentioned. And Dundee United had gone seven matches without winning, so that puts it into perspective. And you mentioned there four successive defeats to start off with. The last time Celtic as a team lost four in a row was way back in 1978.

30:31So he has equaled that right off the bat. Now, I think the big problem is that Wilfred Nancy is what you would call a philosophy sort of coach. And he's had success, clearly, in the United States and MLS by being that sort of coach with his own ideas, his own way of playing, three at the back, very possession-orientated. But the problem is, and I say this to a lot of people, you can knock Scottish football and say it's not the highest standard, but what you can't knock is the fact that there are more people in Scotland who go to football to watch top-flight football than in any other country in the world.

31:08Now, what does that say? That says that people are very passionate. They're very critical. And you don't have time at a club like Celtic. They are used to success. So you have to walk in and you have to be a little bit humble. And you have to do, I think, what Martin O 'Neill, vastly experienced, wily old Fox did when he came in as caretaker coach and be pragmatic. And you have to say, OK, this is not ideal. This is not the best Celtic squad we've ever seen, certainly not in the last few years. But we have to find a way to win games and forget about philosophies and about trying to do it in the way that maybe you will do it or would like to do it in an ideal world six or seven months down the line.

31:48So this is a serious situation. And there was a board meeting today. And I'm told there were some voices on the Celtic board who were of a mind that maybe it was time to end this experiment right now. But the majority prevailed. And Wilfred Nancy stays at the job. And his next game is, by way of full disclosure, against my home city club Aberdeen on Sunday. We love full disclosure here. But, I mean, it's interesting how you describe, obviously, the environment surrounding the pressure now with Wolfer Nancy and Celtic. But, I mean, Ali, it's tough to think about a change coming in so soon. Yeah, and it's so easy to go down the path of, well, he won an MLS, but that has no real value, and so he must not know what he's doing.

32:39And I'm not going to go down that path. I will go down the path of what Derek was talking about, that you have a manager that believes and is married to a philosophy. And what I don't understand of managers, even managers that have been successful, why are these marriages so strong? What's the secret? Why are these marriages so strong that you are not willing to let go of some of these thoughts and philosophies, at least in the transition period, that you're slowly bringing your philosophy when your team starts buying into what you're doing. If I were a manager, the first thing that I would do walking into a new job is get the respect and credibility of the players in that locker room.

33:27When you start putting philosophies ahead of results, when you start putting thoughts and ideas ahead of pragmatism, ahead of actually seeing success right away, players kind of go, I don't like it. I don't like it. This is not for me. And you are already coming from a place that some may respect, some may not. Major League Soccer. And so it's the initial reaction of any fan, as passionate as Derek says they are, and of course they are, that if you lose the first four games, it's like, MLS, this guy comes from America. But we can't have this guy. It's a disrespect to us, to our fan base, to our club.

34:18This guy is not, he's out of his depth. He doesn't know what he's doing. He doesn't know what he's talking about. It's one thing that the fans feel that way. But if the players are not buying into these thoughts and philosophies and ideas, maybe it's time to reshuffle the pack a little bit. And you kind of start getting more practical results in your performances and then ease your way into your philosophy. That doesn't seem to be the order that Wilfred Nancy has decided to take upon. Here's the challenge for Nancy, or what was the challenge for Wilfred Nancy in coming into the Celtic job. and both Ali and Derek are absolutely right about Celtic, their fan base and expectation, how passionate that fan base is.

34:59And while normally as a coach, you're coming into a struggling club, results aren't going your way and a change is needed, Nancy comes in at Celtic at a time where they had won seven games domestically on the spin. And now to Ali's point, you bring a philosophy. This is who you are. This is why you were brought in. and you try to impose that on a team and the result is four losses on the spin. It's hard to defend that. I'm similar to that. I never understand coaches who come in with this hard and fast, I'm sticking to this way of doing things and nowhere else, whether it's a formation, whatever it is.

35:42Now, the sensible thing to do, while Celtic may not have been hitting the heights that they expected, but they've been winning. They beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup. Continue with that and slowly make this team your own. Slowly impose your ideas, your philosophy. You don't go and uproot everything that's happening, which on the face of it seems to be what's now occurred, and change it to fit your style. Because now you have players who are a little bit confused, not sure what's going on. You have a fan base who are expecting certain results. And no, I'm not sure how Wilfred Nance sees out the year, in all honesty.

36:28One more loss, I'm not sure how you continue to defend that. And very quickly, Zach, I would just say, and obviously Derek is far more enamored with Scottish football than we would be, But in watching Scottish football, the one thing that is clear to see from any team in that league and the Scottish national team, these guys are going to get on your face. They're going to fight. There's going to be intensity. There's going to be urgency. You can feel that this is a team. These are a group of players that are going to push you. This whole passing game and here, and we're going to complete this pass, and we're going to complete that pass, and we're going to create chances because we have long extended periods of possession.

37:12Yeah, okay. That may work in the long run. In the meantime, somebody's hitting you upside your face. Right. You have to be able to deal with that part first before you start trying to establish this passing possession game. You've got to earn that before you actually try to do it. Let me also say, because Derek touched on it, I mean, in terms of their losses. Satic lost at home 3-0 to Roma in the Europa League. That's not good. And while, yes, Nancy starts with hearts at home, he then loses to St. Mirren and Dundee in the cup final and in the league. The Scottish Premiership is a 12-team league.

37:52St. Mirren and Dundee are 9th and 10th in that league. So is that good, Shaq? Not one last. I want to bring Derek back into this conversation. And for your sake, Derek, I hope Wilford Nancy has a fifth consecutive loss so you can be happy. But Shaq just said that he doesn't see Nancy finishing out the year. Do you see it that way? Well, I think it's right now still touch and go because remember, well, if you look at the pictures coming up, Aberdeen are coming off a very bad performance in Europe and you never quite know what you're going to get with Aberdeen. and he should be able to turn the corner at some point.

38:36I would maybe not be surprised if we're looking at the early part of the next calendar year because Rangers are just around the corner, Celtic play Rangers in their first fixture in 2026. But the thing about Scottish football is, and again, people who don't follow it and it's completely their right will say, well, it's not a high standard and it's overly physical and it's not football as other countries know it, but it is extremely intensive and strange things can happen. And they happened against Dundee United at Tanadise. You know, if you'd been trying to predict the outcome of that game, most people would have said no chance Dundee United realistically should or could beat Celtic, but it did happen.

39:19And so they have to be very careful. They have to really, I think Xhaka said it very well there, and Ali too, they have to go back to basics. And this is what Martin O 'Neill did because he understands the mentality in Scotland. And I don't think that Wilfred Nancy has helped himself either. For example, he said in the aftermath of the last game, you know, when he was asked, did he understand Scottish football? He said, well, of course I understand Scottish football. I almost joined Carlisle United as a player, you know, a long time ago. Well, Carlisle's not in Scotland, first of all, and they're certainly not a club of the stature of Celtic or of the stature of the other teams in the Scottish top flight.

40:02So he said a few strange things which make you believe that maybe he hasn't completely done his homework in terms of adapting to this new culture, because that's what it is. It's a cultural shift for him. And, you know, MLS has its own merits, but the sport is not the biggest sport of them all in the USA. and there's not the same pressure because it's a playoff system. You could lose three or four games in a row in MLS and nobody would be saying, well, that's it. He's got to go. It's a different environment. I mean, football is a universal sport, but it definitely has a lot of different styles and different cultures.

40:38I mean, Thierry Henry, you know, Wilford Nancy, was his former assistant and just said to let him cook and to judge him at the end of the season. But we'll have to see if he gets enough time. If he'd said, if he'd said, I understand Scottish football. It's his Scots I don't understand. It's his Scottish accent I don't understand. Now that, I could buy it to that. Careful, Shaka, careful. He has any idea what they're saying. All right? Honestly, at its finest. All right, we're going to take it to him. How do we know that Nancy can cook?

41:15I mean, if we let him cook, how do we know he can cook? You're someone who can. The managerial point of view. A good change here for Borussia Monk and Gladbach. This season with and without even Polanski with the record. I mean, it says it in comparison to without. Wasn't really great, but him coming in, at least that's how it's been in the last eight matches with five wins, one draw, and only two losses. Derek, I'll start with you. I mean, you've called a lot of Gladbach games. you're calling their game this weekend against Borussia Dortmund. How have you seen the impact of Polanski in their game?

41:53Well, I think we use the term back to basics talking about Celtic. And I think this applies to Borussia Mönchengladbach. They did need a change. They made a change from within. And Eugen Polanski was very highly regarded. He had his wobbles early on. He was in charge for that strange 6-4 defeat at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt. and looked as though that might end up being 8-0 at one point. They got it back to 6-4. But they remained true to him. And I think the football has been a lot better. It's been easier on the eye. Having said that, this is a difficult game for them against Buckelsia Dortmund.

42:32Now, again, having said that, Dortmund are going through a bit of a funny patch and not convincing everybody with up-and-down sort of form. And, yeah, you know, they are much more solid than they were. Certainly, if you go back a year or so ago, Niko Kovac has been Mr. Solidity on the coaching front. But this one, of course, has the American angles for Gladbach and has a Dortmund angle, too, with Gio Reyna now with Gladbach playing against his old club, Joe Scully, who's been with Gladbach now for the long haul. They are underdogs in this game, and the trend is not their friend historically, Christina.

43:10I say that because the last 11 home games for Dortmund against Gladbach have gone Dortmund's way. It's 18 wins in 19 at home if you go further back. Yeah, let's take it to that American angle that you mentioned because it's obvious, right? The first time we'll see this with Gio Reyna versus all the history that he has with Borussia Dortmund, But how have you seen him with Möken Gladbach and specifically with Eugen Polanski? Well, I think it's still a work in progress. Now, we seem to have been saying that a lot about Gio Reyna over the last few years. He started three matches. You know, I come on here and I always try to be honest.

43:48I don't think he has set the header on fire with Gladbach. He's had a couple of OK performances. He's had a couple that have been less than OK. He's not always, as I said, been in. the starting 11 and he has one problem right now and that is internal competition because Gladbach really have one player if you like for the playmaker position and there are other candidates Florian Neuhaus who's been injured is back and available for this game so there's no guarantee that Reyna will start you have Kevin Sturga who's very experienced I think might well leave the club in January so that's one player less for Gio Reyna to compete with but they have a 16 year old sensation, a wonder kid, while Moja, who actually came on for Reina in the closing stages last week against Wolfsburg when he didn't play well and Gladbach didn't play well at all.

44:41So with regard to the World Cup, and I know Americans watching want to know about the World Cup and is Reina at the right club? He probably is in the sense that he has a coach who said actually this week that he is a riesen fußballer. What does that mean? It means a giant of a footballer. So Eugen Polanski does know that Reyna has qualities, but it's a matter of whether he's going to be a regular starter. And I'm not entirely sure that that's the case right now. Different story for Joe Scali. He's come back from suspension or will be back from suspension in this game against Borussia Dortmund.

45:15And we'll start as part of the back three, as one of the players in the back three. In fact, on the right hand prong of the back three. There are probably those who think that he's better off as either a wingback or as a true fullback. But in this setup, that's where he's got to play. But he doesn't have to worry so much about game time in comparison with Reyna right now. Yeah, we just saw over a thousand minutes for Joe Scali. Much more consistent, at least at that level, than Gio Reyna's had. Two completely different positions. Of course, Ale, you'll be in studio for this one tomorrow. What kind of clash are you expecting with an interesting reunion here for Gio?

45:52Where are you going, Bundesliga Shaq? You're not in the studio with me? There's more important things to do. Okay, all right, Bundesliga Shaq.

46:03Look, I know the angle from Football America should be Muchen Gladbach and Gio Reyna and Joe Scali and what have you, but in all honesty, when you think about this match, it really should be about Borussia Dortmund, and they should be the best of the rest in Bundesliga. Bayern Munich is at a completely different level and certainly nobody catching them and they're playing their own different season and their own different competition. Dormund should be best of the rest. And yet it feels, and Derek mentioned that, that consistency, which seemed to have sort of kind of kind of taken care of itself with Niko Kovac as he came in last season, it felt like this team was finding that consistency, that they were becoming better defensively, that there was a lot more about this team that you could trust than before Niko Kovac.

46:55And yet, somehow, as this season has gone on, instead of actually taking a jump forward or a leap forward, it feels like they're just kind of meandering in the same sort of area with Leipzig and Eintracht Frankfurt by Leverkusen. And they're all sort of in this same level in which nobody has really separated themselves to be best of the rest. It should be Borussia Dortmund, and I expect them to win the game tomorrow. Shaq? Yeah, I have to agree with Ali here. Kind of Mönchengladbach have stuttered. Dortmund themselves haven't found their usual consistency. Well, Dortmund have been that for quite some time.

47:34But I think this season and against this opposition, I can't see it much further than Dortmund. But Gio, what about Gio? No, you don't believe in Gio? You're such a hater. You're such a hater, Shaq. Well, I didn't even let him answer the question. I don't believe. I was quite happy not answering the question. But Gio against Dortmund and all these things. All right. Well, with that, Derek, thank you so much for hanging out with us on Football Americas. We will see you very, very soon. The holidays are just around the corner. And speaking of Joe Scali and Gio Reyna, they know that as well. But here's the upcoming Bundesliga schedule.

48:15All matches available on ESPN Plus, including the one we just told you about Borussia Dortmund versus Borussia Mönchengladbach. In today's world, planning ahead isn't always top of mind, but not having life insurance can leave families facing difficult financial uncertainty during already emotional times. In many cases, loved ones are left managing expenses, debts, or long-term obligations without a clear plan in place. Life insurance is one of those ways to help provide financial security and support when it's needed most. That's where Ethos comes in. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy, and it's 100 % online.

48:54You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and even get same-day coverage. There's no medical exam. You just answer a few simple health questions online, and coverage options are flexible, with up to$3 million available and some policies starting at around$30 a month. Ethos has also earned strong customer feedback with a 4.8 out of 5-star rating on Trustpilot based on more than 3 ,000 reviews. Help protect your family with life insurance through Ethos. Get your instant free quote at ethos.com slash sports. That's ethos.com slash sports. Application times and rates may vary. Buster Olney here for La Quinta by Wyndham.

49:36When you're on the road this summer traveling for work, your routine can fall behind faster than a 3-0 count, especially if your hotel gym is non-existent. But at La Quinta by Wyndham, every location features a full-size, fully-equipped fitness center. So whether it's cardio, weights, or a quick workout before a long day, you can stay on top of your game. No excuses, no shortcuts, just your full routine, ready when you are. And when you book at LaQuinta.com, you can earn Wyndham Rewards points with every qualified stay. Tonight La Quinta. Tomorrow you shine. Terms and conditions apply. We wish you a Merry Christmas.

50:17We wish you a Merry Christmas. We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, everybody. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. I wish you a good Christmas. Brucia. Brucia. Yeah, thanks. You can just imagine the social team saying, hey, can you guys come do this real quick? I have a good idea. All right, we're going to run it back, but this is our 2025 edition. The topics that we talked about the most in this past year, and it's no surprise Ale to see Marisol Pochettino as one of them. Oh, man. I talk about somebody who's done some talking this year.

51:05I would say about Mauricio Pochettino that he's become the story about the United States men's national team. Yeah, he truly has. And Lionel Messi, finally Shaq, winning MLS Cup. MLS Cup. I mean, this Miami team was built, certainly spent on winning that MLS Cup. finally they delivered Lionel Messi of course sent it to that big questions continue to be around how long he continues to be this important, this good at least he'll stick around maybe speaking of the business plan that'll be for that 2027 unveiling of the new stadium, happiness all around for the Mexican national team El Triale, they won the Nations League and the Gold Cup.

51:58And yet, it was not memorable.

52:04Oh, boy. Am I exaggerating? It happened a long time ago. Well, no, but honestly, in going back to them winning, you didn't feel like, oh, yeah, this team was good. This team was dominant. I didn't get that sense. Maybe others see it differently. And you win it, it's a good thing, obviously. It's not something that you dismiss altogether. But my sense of this Mexican national team is, and I don't know, Shaggy, if you remember the pregame meals in our days as professionals. Yeah, you remember that rubbery chicken? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It was bland. I played football in England, remember? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

52:46It was bland. Very bland, that pregame meal chicken. But that's what this Mexican... Specialized in bland. Yeah, yes, yes. Yes, and this Mexican national team is that. It's bland. There is no flavor. There is no spice to this team. There's nothing really interesting about this team. Honestly, what player do you get behind and say, yeah, that's something to get excited about. And please, don't somebody say, well, mora, mora, mora, mora, this, mora, that, mora, this, mora, that. No, I was going to say Raul Jimenez, but. But exactly. Exactly. Exactly. You just said mora. I just said Jimenez. I know.

53:20But exactly. The fact that you're saying Raul Jimenez is the player to get excited about, that tells you how bland this team is. Because Raul Jimenez is a reclamation project that is hanging around, and you kind of go, well, hold on a second. There is nobody else. It has to be Raul Jimenez that still comes in and scores important goals for us. It tells you the trajectory of this team is not all that positive. It's not trending in the right direction. I'm not going to get behind Edson Alvarez. it's not exciting. I love me Raul Jimenez and what he's doing, but he's not an exciting player, and it's not someone to build around.

53:58Right. Of these three topics, Shaq, which one stood out to you the most in 2020? Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. I think that has been the dominant story for all the reasons, and yet one reason, Lionel Messi. For all that he continues to bring and while you marvel at all that he continues to represent in this game, representing the world game here and doing that in MLS, the questions continued. Will they win MLS Cup? Because you remember what happened last year and all that came with it. And then to see him deliver in the manner that they did, how thin those margins are in the final. That, for me, will be the standout story.

54:48And in fairness to the others, it's hard to get a word in Edgwarez when you're up against Lionel Messi. Well, Pochettino tried to get a word. Well, he did a good job. All I would say about Pochettino, and I agree that Lionel Messi, because there hasn't been a show, a Fútbol América show this year that we have done, or certainly that I have been in this studio in which we haven't talked about Lionel Messi. Some capacity, correct. Yes. One way or another, he's always involved. And will continue to be involved. There's no doubt about that. I'm going to throw a name out there. Stole Solvaking. Do we know who that is?

55:22I don't. Are we familiar with that name? No, no, Ali Jantro. No. That's the national team manager of Norway. You know why we don't know that name? Because when we think of the Norwegian national team, we think of Erling Haaland. Yeah. All right. Even when we think of the Argentina national team, we don't think Lionel Escaloni. We think Lionel Messi. Take it to France. We think of Kylian Mbappe, we don't think of Didier Deschamps. And Didier Deschamps has been a World Cup champion both as a manager and as a player. Take it even further. Do we think of Luis de la Fuente when we talk about Spain?

55:57No, we think of La Mignamal. When we think about the United States this year, this year in particular, it's Mauricio Pochettino. We don't think about Christian Pulisic and friends. The storyline this year for this team has been Mauricio Pochettino. All of it, all of it. Coaching decisions, roster decisions, who's included, who's excluded, who's here, who's not here. Press conferences, press conferences here in the United States. Shows and podcasts in Spain, shows and podcasts somewhere else. Flirtation with the Premier League teams, or at least reportedly so, while he's still the national team.

56:35All of this has been going around Mauricio Pochettino, and the conversation has been around Mauricio Pochettino. and the players peripherally. The players as to who's involved and who's not involved. But who did Pochettino bring and who did he not bring? Who's included? Who's excluded? Pochettino has become bigger than the United States men's national team this year. And that, I think, in itself tells you how much of a storyline he has been. He reminds me right now of college American football coaches that are bigger than the programs. Right. That everything is circled around the coaches. And in this country in particular, when one coach, say in the Southeastern Conference, when they change schools, it's like, the world stops.

57:26But right now, as it pertains to the world of the United States men's national team. Nothing the SEC was going to make it into football America. I'm just telling you. That's the feeling I get, that whatever Pochettino says is headline worthy. The players are not headline worthy at this point. Pochettino is. That's all. Sure. I've done that. Thoughts about college football and the SEC? I was lost there, too. College football playoffs are starting tomorrow. Pochettino reminds me of Lane Kiffin. What do you want me to tell you? I appreciate it. And mind you, let me bring it full circle. Yeah? Let's do it.

58:02Wasn't Mauricio Pochettino on the set of a college football? He was. He was. Absolutely he was. Preview show? Yeah. The UT game. You remember that? And I checked to see who UT was playing the following week, which, of course, I do not remember. I think it was week one, week two. I'm just saying. Yeah. Look, the behaviors of Mauricio Pochettino this year has been far more relevant and far more interesting than Pulisic and McKinney and this guy and the other guy. Added up. All together. All of them added up. All together. Hence why we've talked about them as much as we have. Yeah. So we'll look forward to what we will be talking about next year.

58:44Is Lane Kiffin coming on the show or not? Yeah. Yeah. Lane, come on. Come on, Seth. I'm no good at this. We'll tell you after. I thought your nod was to Coach Prime, by the way. But anyway, we will see you next time on Football Americas. We are taking a little break. We will be back Thursday, January 8th. But we do want to remind you what's coming up Wednesday. Football WFC Women's Rank Special. Our top 50 players of the year. And thanks, guys. Happy New Year. Well, all right for you. Happy Holidays. Okay. Happy Holidays. Merry Christmas, everybody. Feliz Navidad.

59:25I'm going to go look up who? Lane Kiffin. Lane Kiffin. I'm going to go look up.

59:43You can't reason with the sun. Trust us. We've tried. This summer, it's time to put that angry ball of fire on mute. Colombia's OmniShade technology is engineered to protect you from the sun's harsh rays that can burn and damage your skin. The sun is relentless, but so is our gear. Level up your summer at Colombia.com to spend more time outside and less time slathering on aloe lotion. You're welcome. Colombia. Engineered for whatever.